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1967 Daimler Sovereign 4.2

Lot 1 (Kempton Park Racecourse, 18th October 2006)

 

Sold for £5,738

 

(including buyers premium)

  

Lot details

Registration No: PGV102E

Chassis No: 1A32348DN

Mot Expiry: April 2007

 

Introduced in 1966, the Daimler Sovereign was a more luxurious version of the contemporaneous Jaguar 420. Differentiated from its badge-engineered sibling by means of a different grille and better standard equipment, it otherwise shared the same four-door monocoque bodyshell equipped with all-round independent coil-sprung suspension, disc brakes and a detuned version (245bhp vs. 265bhp) of the Jaguar MKX's 4235cc DOHC straight-six engine. In many ways a testbed for the forthcoming Jaguar XJ6's styling and mechanical layout, the Daimler Sovereign remained in production until 1969 by which time some 5,829 are thought to have been made. Among the rarest of the Browns Lane designed Daimlers, the Sovereign is a highly underrated motorcar.

Finished in British Racing Green with suede green leather upholstery, this particular example is described by the vendor as being in "very good" overall condition. Reportedly "a very rare manual (overdrive) matching numbers original colour car with Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate", 'PGV 102E' is further understood to have been begun life in the Channel Islands where it was used for "diplomatic service until returning to the UK during 1976". Apparently treated to refurbished front / rear subframes (new mountings, suspension bushes, bearings, universal joints, wheel bearings etc), an overhauled steering box, rebuilt differential, reconditioned callipers and new brake discs by its previous keeper, the Daimler has also benefited from replacement carpets / headlining and dashboard relacquering. Indeed, the car is thought to have had "some £4,000 recently spent on it". Though, we are informed that "no receipts are available as the owner purchased parts at Jaguar Spares Days and carried out the work himself". Boasting "new wire wheel hubs / spinners, tyres that have done less than 2,000 miles, power steering and a period Motorola radio (in working order)", 'PGV 102E' is said to "drive well with good oil pressure". Believed but not warranted to have covered 59,000 miles from new, this pampered Daimler is offered for sale with MOT certificate valid until April 2007 and historic class (free) road tax until March 2007.

 

www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/1-1967-daimler-sovereign-42/?...

In the ‘30s and ‘40s Alfa Romeo was a stylish, exclusive marque for buyers who wanted beautiful, fast performance cars. But by the ‘60s and ‘70s Alfa had expanded into the mass market, offering beautiful cars like the Alfa Romeo Junior/Sprint/GT/GTV/GTA/Duetto/Veloce/Giulia/Ti/Super 1300/1600/1750/2000 coupes, spiders, and sedans; special-bodied sports cars by Pininfarina, Bertone, and Zagato.

 

1. Bertone GTV, 2. Junior 1968 (7), 3. Alfa Romeo Spider, 4. IMG_8439, 5. Alfa Romeo, 6. Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 TI, 7. Alfa Romeo Spyder, 8. Alfa Romeo GTV Bertone - Meilenwerk Berlin, 9. IMG_3278, 10. Alfa Romeo Spider 1300 Junior Fastback Series 2 "coda tronca", 11. IMG_8439, 12. TEAM LA CHARRETTE- ALFA-ROMEO GIULIA 1600 TI 1964, 13. DSC_0476

 

1962-1966 ALFA ROMEO Giulia Sprint | Production: 21,850

A hot little number right now, the ‘step front’ Giulia coupé is very much in demand because of its good looks, driving experience and ease of tuning. Values have increased significantly in recent years, bolstered by the desirability of the GTA. When launched, the twin-cam 1600 versions were quick from the box, but subsequent versions (1750 and 2000) added even more excitement to the mix. Offered in a bewildering array of models, the advice is to go for the example with the best body you can find and worry about the mechanicals after that.

 

1962-1971 ALFA ROMEO Giulia 1300/1600 Ti/Super | Production: 836,323

The boxy 105-Series Giulia might not look like the most exciting saloon on the planet, but underneath that plain-Jane exterior beats the heart of a truly sporting saloon. Given the lusty twin-cam engines, five-speed gearbox and well set-up chassis, it’s easy to see why Alfa Romeo was so annoyed by the way its cars were depicted being outrun by the Mini-Coopers in The Italian Job. Despite its rarity today, the Giulia was a massive success when new, with much of that founded on it being so good to drive. Well worth seeking out.

 

1965-1969 ALFA ROMEO Giulia Sprint GTA

The GTA might look like your standard Sprint GT, but it makes extensive use of aluminium body panels. The reason for this was simple – the GTA was built for racing and, wherever possible, weight-saving was applied. The A in its name means Alleggerita, Italian for ’lightened’, and even the sump, camshaft cover, timing cover and clutch housing were replaced by featherweight magnesium alloy items, just to save a few extra kilos. For additional performance, the engine gained a new twin-plug cylinder head. A legend.

 

1966-1968 ALFA ROMEO Spider 1600 Duetto | Production: 6325

Forever associated with Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, the stylish little Duetto didn’t hang around for long at all. The pretty little Pininfarina-styled roadster appeared in 1966 as the final genuinely new variant on the 105-Series platform and was marked out by its enclosed headlamps and boat-tail rear end. Powered by the 1570cc twin-cam, it was a gem to drive with great handling, sharp steering and excellent all-round disc braking.

 

1966-1977 ALFA ROMEO Giulia GT Junior 1300/1600 | Production: 92,053

Due to the complexity of the 105-Series Giulia range the easiest way of relating to the GT Junior is to think of it as the entry-level model. That means it initially came with a 1300cc engine and simplified interior, and gave sporting Italians the chance to own a Giulia Sprint GT lookalike without the fiscal implications. Over time it was developed in parallel with the larger-engined cars and, in 1970, it lost its characteristic step-front. In 1972 a 1600cc Junior was introduced to close the gap in the range to the 2000cc GTV.

 

1967-1969 ALFA ROMEO 1750/2000 GTV | Production: 44,269/37,459

To ally itself with the launch of the 1750 Berlina, the Giulia Sprint was facelifted to become the 1750 GTV coupé. It retained the original GT1300/GT Junior 1.6 bodyshell but gained a quad-headlight front end and cleaner external trim details (as well as losing the step-front). The revised interior was an ergonomic improvement, although purists prefer the older design. The 1779cc four cylinder was now the base power unit for the non-Junior line, meaning lusty performance. These later models are considered to be the easiest cars to live with.

 

1967-1971 ALFA ROMEO Spider 1750 Veloce | Production: 8701

After only 18 months in production, the gorgeous little Duetto was discontinued to make way for the 1750 Spider Veloce. The newer car wasn’t a radical change and really just heralded the arrival of the more potent twin-carb engine and uprated suspension and braking set-up. New wheels and tyres, though, made this one a bit of a spotter’s favourite. Although the Duetto name had been dropped in favour of the more traditional Spider moniker, it was very much a case of more of the same. The bigger changes would follow later.

 

1969-1982 ALFA ROMEO Spider 2000 S1/S2 | Production: 22,059

Alfa Romeo couldn’t leave its cars alone during the 1960s and ‘70s, and after just three years in production, revised the 1750 Spider Veloce to become the 2000 Spider. Unlike last time, when the beautiful Pininfarina styling was largely left alone, the 1970 restyle came at the price of an exterior upgrade, as well as the fitment of the lustier 2000cc twin-cam. The boat-tail gave way to a much longer Kamm tail, while the front end saw the removal of the plastic headlamp covers. The overall effect conspired to make the Spider look less streamlined.

 

1970-1975 ALFA ROMEO 1300/1600 Junior Z | Production: 1108/402

An appealing Italian ‘bitza’ that somehow transcends the sum of its parts. Created by Zagato using the chassis from the Spider and the five-speed gearbox from the Giulietta, the Junior Zagato was an arresting-looking coupé that added real variety to the Alfa Romeo line-up. The sloping front and Kamm tail were certainly a world apart from the well-crafted classicism of the rest of the Giulia-derived cars, but no less appealing for it. It was lighter and more aerodynamic than the standard cars so it was usefully quicker too.

 

1982-1993 ALFA ROMEO Spider 2000 S3/S4 | Production: 18,456

The final restyle of the Spider took place at the beginning of 1990 – and Pininfarina was given the honour of preparing the Spider for its final days. The car was rounded off with smoother bumpers and slimmer rear light clusters. By this point the Spider was almost 30 years old, but the new fuel-injected engines, along with power-assisted steering, prolonged its life for three years. North American sales of the S4 Spider remained strong right to the end, with more than 75% of the production run ending up in the USA.

Taken 02/02/18; no the Class 800 to not have a silver pillar sticking out of their cabs, but according to Wikipedia are "... a type of electro-diesel train used in the United Kingdom, based on the Hitachi A-train design. They have been built by Hitachi since 2015. The first units entered service on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) in October 2017, and will enter service on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) from December 2018.

These trains are being assembled at the Hitachi Newton Aycliffe facility, alongside the related Class 801 electric multiple unit, from bodyshells shipped from the Kasado plant in Japan; no body construction takes place in the UK.

The Class 800 units are known as IETs (Intercity Express Trains), as part of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP). They have been named Azuma, meaning East in Japanese, by future operator Virgin Trains East Coast."

Audi TT Coupe (1st Gen Facelift) (1998-06) Engine Unkown

Race Number 56 Steve Barnard

AUDI SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623635550501...

 

The Audi TT is a 2-door production sports car made by Audi since 1998, and currently in its fourth generation. For each of its three generations, the TT has been available as a 2+2 coupé and as a two-seater roadster employing consecutive generations of the Volkswagen Group A platform, starting with the A4 (PQ34). As a result of this platform-sharing, the Audi TT has identical powertrain and suspension layouts as its related platform-mates; including a front-mounted transversely oriented engine, front-wheel drive or quattro four-wheel drive system, and fully independent front suspension using MacPherson struts. The first two generations were assembled by the Audi subsidiary Audi Hungaria Motor Kft. in Győr, Hungary, using bodyshells manufactured and painted at Audi's Ingolstadt plant

 

The first generation was designed by Peter Schreyer, and Walter de'Silva and was launched as a coupé in September 1998, followed by a roadster in August 1999.n the Volkswagen Group A4 (PQ34) platform which it shared with the Volkswagen Golf Mk.4, Audi A3 (Mk.1) and the Skoda Octavia. It was first available with a 1.8-litre inline four-cylinder 20-valve turbocharged engine in two states of tune with outputs of 178 and 222hp The original four-cylinder engine range was complemented with a 3,189 cc (3.2 L; 194.6 cu in) VR6 engine of 247hp

 

Thankyou for a massive 56,812,101 views

 

Shot 11.09.2016 at Curborough Sprint Course, Fradley, Lichfield REF 123-005

     

Puma was a Brazilian specialist car manufacturer which built cars from 1967 until roughly 1997. High import tariffs effectively closed Brazil during much of this period to foreign-built cars. This limited the vehicles available to the average Brazilian to those built locally by foreign manufacturers such as Volkswagen and General Motors (which established Brazilian manufacturing plants), and the products of local companies.

 

The origin of what became the Puma was the DKW-Malzoni, built by Rino Malzoni of Matão in São Paulo (state) from around 1964. Malzoni was a keen auto racer and began building his own competition cars based around a DKW straight-3 two-stroke engine with a light, fiberglass-skinned bodyshell. The cars began to sell in quantities larger than he himself could build, and Malzoni founded a company with a group of other auto enthusiasts. Production started at approximately 35 cars a year, but increased to more than a hundred within a couple of years.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

- - -

 

In den 1950er- und 60er-Jahren versuchte Brasilien intensiv, den Anschluss an die westlichen Industrienationen zu gewinnen. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, wurden auch Kooperationen mit großen Automobilherstellern eingegangen.

 

Der begeisterte Rennfahrer Rino Malzoni aus Matão (São Paulo) begann 1964 für den Einsatz auf der Rennstrecke seinen eigenen Wettbewerbswagen zu bauen. Basis war die Technik des „DKW 3=6“ mit Zweitaktmotor und dem DKW-typischen Frontantrieb. Diese frühen Fahrzeuge werden heute „DKW-Malzoni“ genannt, damals hießen sie schlicht „GT Malzoni“, ab 1966 „GT DKW“. Das Fahrzeug bestand aus einem Zentralrohrrahmen und einer GFK-Karosserie, eine Bauart, die seit der Einführung der Corvette von Chevrolet (1953) vor allem bei Kleinserienherstellern immer beliebter wurde. Aus der ursprünglich geplanten Homologationsserie entwickelte sich aufgrund starker Nachfrage bereits im zweiten Produktionsjahr eine kleine Serienfertigung. Im Jahr 1967 erfolgte ein erster Höhepunkt mit 121 produzierten Sportwagen.

This is Network Rail's track recording DMU unit. It was built in 1987 using the same bodyshell as the Class 150/1 Sprinters It was originally classified as a Class 180, but was reclassified into the departmental series. As part of the privatisation of British Rail, it passed to Railtrack in 1994 and then Network Rail in 2002

Continuing the build of this model using a 3D printed bodyshell.

I have now added custom printed blinds to show the tram as it could have been around 1950, used on EX journeys to the Embankment.

The lifeguards etc are still awaiting paint. Transfers need to be fixed and final varnishing undertaken. Trolley poles will also have to be fitted.

This view shows the front of the car with doors closed and the step in raised position with the attached lifeguard lowered.

Shown here on my Kennington Cross layout.

See more car pics on my facebook page!

 

The Ghibli name was resurrected in 1992 with the release of the Ghibli II (Tipo 336). The Ghibli II appeared with updatedMaserati Biturbo engines: a 2.0 litre V6, with the highest output, for the Italian and European markets and a 2.8 litre V6 for other countries, operated via a six-speed manual transmission (early 2.8 cars have a 5 speed manual) or 4 speed automatic. The two-door, four-seater coupé was similar in appearance to Maserati Shamal, as both were an evolution of the previous Biturbo coupe. The Ghibli shows its Biturbo heritage in the doors, interior, and basic bodyshell, which were carried over from the Biturbo.

 

In 1994, the car was revised. A refreshed interior, new wheels, a fully adjustable electronic suspension and ABS brakes were added. Another round of improvements resulted in the Ghibli GT in 1996. It was fitted with spoked alloy 17" wheels, and had suspension and transmission modifications.

 

The coupe was built for luxury as well as performance. The car featured a Connolly Leather interior with burl elm trim.

 

The final year of production for the Ghibli II was 1997. It was replaced in the Maserati lineup by the 3200 GT the following year.

 

Several special edition models were produced by Maserati. The first was the Ghibli KS (Kit Sportivo), followed by the race version Ghibli Open Cup which featured improved power through roller-bearing turbos, a freer-flowing exhaust, and remapped fuel computers. The Cup also featured a toned-down carbon fiber-trimmed interior with aluminum pedals and a MOMO steering wheel, and the drivetrain included tweaked suspension and Brembo brakes. To celebrate the world speed record on water, Maserati made a further 60 special edition Ghiblis called the Ghibli Primatist, featuring bright blue paintwork and blue / turquoise leather.

 

At the time the Ghibli Cup had the highest ever per litre power output of any street legal car, surpassing the Bugatti EB110, andJaguar XJ220.

 

The racing version Ghibli Open Cup is highly sought after by collectors today. In 1996, the car received a modification upgrade, resulting in similar track times to those of the Ferrari 355 Challenge. After the end of the 1995 racing season, several of the original 23 cars were used in national GT events.

 

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(Wikipedia)

 

Morris Six MS (1949-54) Engine 2215cc S6 OC Production 12,400

Registration Number MAB 170

MORRIS SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690377489...

 

Announced in a major press release by Morris Motors, on 26th October 1948, along with the Morris Minor, MO Series Morris Oxford and its sister car the Wolseley 4-50, the Morris Six was Morris' first Post War six cylinder car, all of the new range were of integral construction of chassis and body and rode on independent front suspension with torsion bars. At launch the car was priced at £607 (including tax) on the UK market though the price went to £671 on 1 March 1949. Its engine rated under the old system, which was dropped that year, at just over 20hp and with a clear external likeness to its prewar 25hp predecessor the car was also very similar to the Issigonis designed Morris Oxford MO sharing the Oxford's bodyshell from the scuttle backwards, and his Minor MM. The bonnet was longer than the Oxford's to take the overhead camshaft, single SU carburettor, 2215 cc six-cylinder engine which produced 70 bhp. The whole car was longer than the Oxford with a wheelbase of 110 inches against the Oxford's 97 inches. Suspension was independent at the front using torsion bars and at the rear there was a conventional live axle and semi elliptic springs. The steering was not by the rack and pinion method fitted to the Oxford but used a lower geared Bishop Cam system. The 10 inches (250 mm) drum brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system. Production was delayed until March 1949 because of difficulties with metal fatigue in the bulkhead or scuttle's link to the front suspension. Suspension was independent at the front using torsion bars and at the rear there was a conventional live axle and semi elliptic springs. The steering was not by the rack and pinion method fitted to the Oxford but used a lower geared Bishop Cam system. The 10 inches (250 mm) drum brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system. Production was delayed until March 1949 because of difficulties with metal fatigue in the bulkhead or scuttle's link to the front suspension. Aside from the grille and identification marks the whole car was shared with Nuffield Organisation more luxuriously finished stable-mate Wolseley as the 6/80.

 

Thanks for 19.6 million views

 

Shot at Shugborough Hall Car Show, Milford, Staffordshire 13:08:2013 Ref 96-185

Nº 39.

Ford Galaxie Taxi (Quebec, 1964).

Escala 1/43.

"Taxis del Mundo" - Altaya (España).

Ixo.

Año 2014.

----------------------------------------------------

 

"El taxi Ford Galaxie 500 - GRANDE Y ESPACIOSO

En 1964, los Ford Fairlane y Galaxie eran los dos modelos de la marca ofrecidos a los taxistas con todo el equipamiento necesario. El Galaxie era un coche de enorme tamaño y conducción muy suave, por lo que era muy apropiado para el servicio de transporte de personas."

 

- See more at: www.planetadeagostini.es/colecciones-altaya/miniaturas/ta...

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Ford Galaxie

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"The Ford Galaxie was a full-size car built in the United States by the Ford Motor Company for model years 1959 through 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford's full-size range from 1959 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the excitement surrounding the Space Race. In 1962, all full-size Fords wore the Galaxie badge, with "500" and "500/XL" denoting the higher series. The Galaxie 500/LTD was introduced for 1965 followed by the Galaxie 500 7-Litre in 1966. The Galaxie 500 part was dropped from the LTD in 1966, and from the XL in 1967; however the basic series structuring levels were maintained. The "regular" Galaxie 500 continued below the LTD as Ford's mid-level full-size model from 1965 until its demise at the end of the 1974 model year.

 

The Galaxie was the high volume counterpart to the Chevrolet Impala. Some Galaxies were high-performance, racing specification machines, a larger forebear to the muscle car era. Others were plain family sedans."

(...)

 

Second generation 1960–1964.

 

"The 1960 Galaxie was all-new in style, abandoning the ostentatious ornamentation of the 1950s for a futuristic, sleek look. A new body style this year was the Starliner, featuring a huge, curving rear observation window on a pillarless, hardtop bodyshell. The formal roofed 2-door hardtop was not available this year, but the roofline was used for the Galaxie 2-door pillared sedan, complete with chromed window frames."

(...)

1961

"For 1961, the bodywork was redone again, although the underpinnings were the same as in 1960.

(...) the 1961 Galaxie offered a new 390 CID (6.4 L) version of Ford's FE series pushrod V8, which was available with either a four-barrel carburetor or, for serious performance, three two-barrel carburetors."

(...)

1962

"For 1962, the Galaxie name was applied to all of Ford's full size models, as the Fairlane moved to a new intermediate and Custom was temporarily retired. New top-line Galaxie 500 (two-door sedan and hardtop, four-door sedan and hardtop, and "Sunliner" convertible) models offered plusher interiors, more chrome trim outside, and a few additional luxury items over and above what was standard on the plainer Galaxie models. Base Galaxie models were available in two- and four-door sedans as well as the plain Ranch Wagon.

(...) The 292 cu in (4.8 l) V8 was standard on the 500/XL. The XL had as sportier trim inside and out as part of the package. "

(...)

1963

"For 1963, Ford saw no reason to radically change a good thing, and the 1963 model was essentially unchanged save for some freshening and added trim; windshields were reshaped and a four-door hardtop 500/XL was added."

(...)

1964

"Model year 1964 was the fourth and final year of this body style. Interior trim was much altered, and the exterior featured a more sculpted look which was actually designed to make the car more aerodynamic for NASCAR. The formal-roof "boxtop" style was replaced by a slanted-roof design for all non-wagon or convertible models, including sedans. Ford's quality control, spotty when the first Galaxie was introduced, was now as good as it ever was, and many 1964 Fords passed the 100,000-mile (160,000 km) mark intact. The 1964 models gained an enviable reputation as durable, comfortable cars that offered decent handling and road-ability at a reasonable price, so it is no wonder they sold so well."

(...)

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Galaxie

   

Here we are, one of the rarest Rolls Royces and indeed cars to ever trundle down the roads, the last of the mighty Corniche. Although sold only as the Corniche, it is often dubbed the Corniche 2000 or the Corniche V, depending on your preference.

 

The last of the original Silver Shadow based Corniche's of the 1960's were built in 1995, and for three years Rolls Royce only sold the Silver Spirit and Spur until these were replaced by the Silver Seraph in 1998 following acquisition of the company by both Volkswagen and BMW.

 

Volkswagen was contracted to build Bentley and Rolls Royce vehicles between 1998 and 2003, whilst BMW supplied the engines to replace the original Rolls Royce V8 that had been handed down since the introduction of the Silver Shadow in 1965. In the end BMW were only able to supply their own V12 to the Silver Seraph, whilst the original RR V8 continues to be used even to this day, with a 6.75L version ending up in the Corniche V.

 

Either way, to compliment the new Silver Seraph, plans were launched to create a convertible two-door saloon version with the revived Corniche name. However, instead of taking a regular Silver Seraph, removing the rear doors and cutting off its roof, Rolls Royce instead went to long time partners Bentley for design assistance, with the result that the Corniche V is in fact built on the platform and with the bodyshell of the Bentley Azure,with Rolls Royce grille and badging, as well as Silver Seraph styling added instead. This was the first, and only Rolls Royce car to be derived from a Bentley product, instead of the usual tradition where Bentley cars were derived from Rolls Royce models.

 

In January 2000 that car was launched and became the company's flagship motor, with a base price of $359,900. As mentioned, the car is powered by a 6.75L Rolls Royce V8, providing 325hp and whisking the car to a top speed of 135mph at a rate of 0-60 in 8 seconds, which is pretty good going for a 6,000lb luxury saloon!

 

Inside the car came outfitted with every luxury and refinement characteristic of a Rolls-Royce. The car has a Connolly Leather interior, Wilton wool carpets, chrome gauges and a wide choice of exotic wood trims. Dual automatic temperature control, a six-disc CD changer, automatic headlamps and automatic ride control are standard.

 

Vehicles were built to order, but the heavy base price made them not as easy to purchase as the technically similar Bentley Azure, which meant that eventually only 374 of these cars were built between 2000 and 2002 when BMW took full control of Rolls Royce.

 

The Corniche V has the distinction of being the last ever Rolls Royce to be built at their traditional Crewe Factory, which had housed the company since 1946. On August 30th, 2002, a Corniche with chassis number SCAZK28E72CH02079 left the factory as the final Rolls Royce product of their home base, leaving in the company of a classic 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

 

Following the departure of Rolls Royce, the company set up shop in Goodwood near Chichester in the south of England, where the next car to be built was the 2003 Phantom. The spiritual successor of the Corniche V is essentially the Phantom Drophead Coupe, but this is a point of conjecture. Production at the Crewe factory was turned over entirely to Volkswagen and the construction of Bentley automobiles. The Bentley Azure continued in production until 2009, bringing an end to the 14 year old design that had helped spawn the last of the Corniches.

 

Originally the name was meant to be revived on Rolls Royce's latest car, but in the end was dubbed the Wraith.

 

Today you'd be very, very hard pressed to find one of these cars. Although many forget about the Corniche V and indeed the Silver Seraph, the surviving examples can still fetch a hefty price of up to £250,000 and more...

 

...that is except for one. Not to lower the tone of things, but sadly a certain somebody did in fact once own a 2002 Corniche V, and once his illicit acts became known to the public in 2011, his £250,000 Roller is now well and truly worthless.

 

The owner who bought the car at an auction before the scandal came to light now can't even give away the car, and has never even driven it because they're too ashamed and disgusted of the vehicle's unfortunate past.

 

I find this particular story very sad because as is always the case, the cars aren't evil, but the owners can sometimes be...

Often described as Britain's first supercar (a little late, Italy beat us to that like 5 years earlier!), but the Aston Martin V8 and the derivative Vantage helped keep the company afloat during those dark years of bankruptcy and recovery, even though it almost committed corporate suicide by developing the overly complicated Lagonda!

 

The original Aston Martin V8 was a coupé manufactured from 1969 to 1989, built to replace the Aston Martin DBS, a more angular car that killed off the DB6, and by extension the iconic design that had eminated through the James Bond DB5. As with all traditional Aston Martins, it was entirely handbuilt, with each car requiring 1,200 manhours to finish. Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger car. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now restyled and called simply the Aston Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades. It was retired in favour of the Virage in 1989.

 

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the other hand took the original bodyshell of this 60's sports coupé, and completely re-engineered it to create something that was not of this earth! The first series had 375hp, and series specific details such as a blanked bonnet vent and a separate rear spoiler, of which 38 of these were built.

 

The Vantage name had previously been used on a number of high-performance versions of Aston Martin cars, but this was a separate model. Although based on the Aston Martin V8, numerous detail changes added up to a unique driving experience. One of the most noticeable features was the closed-off hood bulge rather than the open scoop found on the normal V8. The grille area was also closed off, with twin driving lights inserted and a spoiler added to the bootlid.

 

Upon its introduction in 1977, the car's incredible speed and power was taken up with acclaim, and, as mentioned, was dubbed 'Britain's first supercar', with a top speed of 170 mph top speed. Its engine was shared with the Lagonda, but it used high-performance camshafts, increased compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors mounted on new manifolds for increased output. Straight-line performance was the best of the day, with acceleration from 0–60 mph in 5.3 seconds, one-tenth of a second quicker than the Ferrari Daytona.

 

The Oscar India version, introduced in late 1978, featured an integrated tea-tray spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge. Inside, a black leather-covered dash replaced the previous walnut. The wooden dashboard did find its way back into the Vantage during the eighties, giving a more luxurious appearance. The Oscar India version also received a slight increase in power, to 390hp. This line was produced, with some running changes, until 1989. From 1986 the engine had 403hp.

 

1986 saw the introduction of X-Pack was a further upgrade, with Cosworth pistons and Nimrod racing-type heads producing 403hp. A big bore after-market option was also available from Works Service, with 50mm carbs and straight-through exhaust system giving 432hp, the same engine as fitted to the limited-edition V8 Zagato. 16-inch wheels were also now fitted. A 450hp 6.3L version was also available from Aston Martin, and independent manufacturers offered a 7L version just to up the ante.

 

In 1986, the Vantage had its roof cut off into what would become the convertible Vantage Volante, basically identical. In 1987 The Prince of Wales took delivery of a Vantage Volante, but at his request without the production car's wider wheelarches, front air dam and side skirts. This became known as the 'Prince of Wales Spec' (or POW) and around another 26 such cars were built by the factory.

 

The Prince was obviously very specific about his motorcars!

 

304 Series 2 Vantage coupés were built, including 131 X-Packs and 192 Volantes. Volante's are often considered the most desirable of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage range. In all, 534 V8 Vantages were constructed during its 12 year production run, with the car being replaced in 1989 by the Aston Martin Virage, as well as a new generation V8 Vantage which remained somewhat faithful to the original design of the 60's (if not a little more bulky) and was the last Aston Martin design to incorporate a traditional style before changing to the style laid down by the DB7 in 1993.

 

However, the Vantage did find its way into movie fame as the first Aston Martin used in a James Bond movie since the DBS used in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. In 1987's 'The Living Daylights' (the first film to star Timothy Dalton as 007), Bond was treated to Q-Branch's Aston Martin V8 Vantage, complete with missiles, lasers to separate pesky Lada's from their chassis, and a heads-up display to assist in warding off evildoers. It also came with a 'Winter Pack', which included skis, a rocket propulsion and spiked tyres for better grip. The car however met an unfortunate demise after getting stuck in a snowdrift, forcing Bond to activate the self-destruct, engulfing the car in a fiery explosion. But at least everyone's favourite secret agent had finally been reunited with his faithful Aston Martin once again!

 

There is some slight incongruity with the film though, as at the beginning of the movie, the car is a convertible Volante, yet for the rest of the movie it's a hardtop regular Vantage. This confused me somewhat, or perhaps whilst Bond had the car shipped he had a roof welded on in the meantime!

 

Today there are a fair number of Vantages roaming the countryside, their popular design, pedigree Bond Car status and sheer raw power keeping them truly afloat. In fact, these cars are much more prominent than the Virage that replaced it, of which you barely see any!

Originally conceived by British Leyland, the Metro was built to similar principals as those of the Mini it was intended to replace, with a small, practical platform with as much use available to the passenger as was possible. The car came under various initial guises, including the Austin Metro, the Austin miniMetro, the Morris Metro van and the MG Metro, a version of the car with a 1.3L A-Series Turbo Engine.

 

Although the car was launched in 1980, development of a Mini replacement had dated back to the beginning of the 70's. Dubbed ADO88 (Amalgamated Drawing Office project number 88), the Metro was eventually given the go ahead in 1977, but wanted to have the appeal of some of the larger 'Supermini' (what a contradiction in terms) cars on the market, including cars such as the Ford Fiesta and the Renault 5. Designed by Harris Mann (the same guy who gave us the Princess and the Allegro), the car was given a much more angular body for the time, but despite its futuristic looks did share many features of the earlier Mini, including the 675cc BMC-A Series engine that dated back to 1959, and the gearbox. Initial cars also included the Hydragas Suspension system originally used on the Allegro and the Princess, though with no front/rear connection. The car was also built as a hatchback, which would eventually be a key part of its success as the Mini instead utilised only a small boot.

 

The Metro was originally meant for an earlier 1978 launch, but a lack of funds and near bankruptcy of British Leyland resulted in the car's launch being pushed back. This delay however did allow the folks at Longbridge to construct a £200m robotic assembly plant for the new Metro line, with the hope of building 100,000 cars per year. Finally the car entered sales 3 years late and got off to quite promising initial sales, often being credited for being the saviour of British Leyland. The Metro was in fact the company's first truly new model in nearly 5 years, with the 9 year old Allegro still in production, the 1980 Morris Ital being nothing more than a 7 year old Marina with a new face, and the 5 year old Princess not going anywhere!

 

As mentioned, an entire myriad of versions came with the Metro, including the luxury Vanden Plas version and the sporty MG with its top speed of 105mph and 0-60mph of 10.1 seconds. Eventually the original incarnation of the car, the Austin Metro, went on to sell 1 million units in it's initial 10 year run, making it the second highest selling car of the decade behind the Ford Escort. However, like most other British Leyland products, earlier cars got a bad reputation for poor build quality and unreliability, combined with the lack of rustproofing that was notorious on many BL cars of the time.

 

The show was not over however, as in 1990 the car was given a facelift and dubbed the Rover Metro. The 1950's A-Series engine was replaced by a 1.1L K-Series, and the angular bodyshell was rounded to similar principals as those by acclaimed styling house Ital to create a more pleasing look for the 90's. This facelift, combined with an improvement in reliability and build quality, meant that the car went on to win the 'What Car?' of the Year Award in 1991.

 

In 1994 the car was given yet another facelift, with once again a more rounded design and removal of the Metro name, the car being sold as the Rover 100. Engines were once again changed, this time to a 1.5L Peugeot engine and more audacious colour schemes were available for the even more rounded design of the new car. However, the car was very much starting to look and feel its age. Aside from the fact that the design dated back to 1977, the new car was not well equipped, lacking electric windows, anti-lock brakes, power steering, or even a rev counter! In terms of safety, it was very basic, with most features such as airbags, an alarm, an immobiliser and central locking being optional extras.

 

Eventually the curtain had to fall on the Metro, and in 1997, twenty years after the initial design left the drawing board, it was announced that the car would be discontinued. Spurred on by dwindling sales due to lack of safety and equipment, as well as losing out to comparative cars such as the ever popular Ford Fiesta, VW Polo and Vauxhall Corsa, with only fuel economy keeping the car afloat, Rover axed the Metro in 1998 with no direct replacement, although many cite the downsized Rover 200 a possible contender. Stumbling blindly on, the next car to fill the gap in Rover's market was the 2003 CityRover, based on the TATA Indica, which flopped abysmally and pretty much totalled the company (but that's another story).

 

In the end only 2,078,000 Metro's were built in comparison to the 5.3 million examples of the Mini that it was meant to replace. The main failings of the Metro were down to the fact that the car was too big compared to the Mini, and the rounded old-world charm of the Coopers and Clubmans was replaced by the angular corners. Because of this the car simply didn't have the novelty that the Mini continued to claim even 20 years after the first ones left the factory, and the Mini would even go on to outlive the Metro by another 2 years, ending production in 2000, then going on to have a revival in the form of BMW's New Mini Cooper that's still being built today. Unlike the Mini, the Metro also failed to conquer the international market in the same way, scoring its 2 million units pretty much in Britain alone, although some cars were sold in France and Spain, but only to the total of a few hundred.

 

The Metro however survived only on fuel economy and its spacious interior, but by the early 1990's, whilst other car manufacturers had moved on leaps and bounds, Rover continued to be stuck in the past with not the money or the enthusiasm to change what was a terribly outdated and extremely basic car. Towards the end the Metro, which had only a few years earlier won awards for its practical nature, was ending up on lists for Worst car on the market.

 

Today however you can still see Metro's, later editions are especially common on the roads of Britain. Earlier models built under British Leyland have mostly rusted away and are apparently only down to about a thousand nowadays, but the Rover 100's and Rover Metros continue to ply their trade, a lonely reminder of how here in Britain, we can never ever seem to move on!

The only Jaguar XJ220 in the world that lived up to its name, being fitted with a stunning V12 engine and making it the world's fastest production car. However, costs, setbacks, a recession or two and a myriad of other problems resulted in the dream becoming a nightmare, and the match of styling and power made in heaven being turned quickly into a BDSM session in hell!

 

The proposal for the Jaguar XJ220 seemed to come right out of nowhere. In 1986 the company was sold to Ford after ownership under British Leyland, and was producing a selection of strange luxury motors including the XJS and the XJ, which, although were very good and highly luxury machines, weren't exactly setting the world on fire.

 

But racing had been put forward to the company before, and racing team owner Tom Walkinshaw encouraged Jaguar to put one of their XJS's into the 1981 European Touring Car Championship, in which they succeeded in winning the competition in 1984. Jaguar had started to provide factory support to racing team Group 44 Racing, who were using the Jaguar-engined XJR-5 in the IMSA GT Championship, supplying V12 engines from 1983 onwards and supporting a Le Mans entry in 1984. Tom Walkinshaw and Jaguar agreed to entering the FIA Group C World Sportscar Championship and developed the XJR-6, which was powered by the Jaguar V12 engine; the car was launched during the 1985 season.

 

TWR took over the IMSA GT Championship operation in 1988 and one model – Jaguar XJR-9 – was launched to compete in both series. The XJR-9, which retained the Jaguar V12 engine, went on to win the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Sportscar Championship in the same year. The poor fuel consumption of the Jaguar V12 combined with new rules restricting refuelling during races forced the replacement of the V12 engine in the XJR-9s successors, the XJR-10 and XJR-11. The normally-aspirated Austin Rover V64V engine, designed for the MG Metro 6R4 had recently been made redundant thanks to the Group B rally ban in 1987, and the design rights were for sale. The compact, lightweight and fuel efficient nature of the small-displacement, turbocharged engine was investigated by TWR, who considered it an ideal basis for a new engine to power the XJR-10 and purchased the design rights from Austin Rover Group.

 

Jaguar and their Director of Engineering, Jim Randle, felt these racing cars were too far removed from the product available to the general public, especially with the rule changes that mandated the replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine in the forthcoming XJR-10 and XJR-11 racing cars. Therefore a project was initiated to design and build a car capable of winning Le Mans "in house", just as the Jaguar C-Type and D-Type had done. The groundwork for the project was undertaken by Randle over Christmas 1987, when he produced a 1:4 scale cardboard model of a potential Group B racing car.

 

The cardboard model was taken into the Jaguar styling studio and two mock-ups were produced. One was said to be reminiscent of the Porsche 956, the other took elements of the then current Jaguar XJ41 project and Malcolm Sayer's work on the stillborn Jaguar XJ13 racing car.

 

The project still had no official support, leaving Randle no option but to put together a team of volunteers to work evenings and weekends in their own time. The team came to be known as "The Saturday Club", and consisted of twelve volunteers. To justify the resources consumed by the project, the XJ220 needed to provide meaningful data to the engineers on handling, aerodynamics, particularly at high speeds, and aluminium structures. These requirements, together with FIA racing regulations and various government regulations governing car design and safety influenced the overall design and engineering direction of the car.

 

The FIA Group B regulations steered the concept towards a mid-engine, four-wheel drive layout, with a Jaguar V12 engine as the power source. The concept car was designed and built at very little cost to Jaguar, as Randle called in favours from component suppliers and engineering companies he and Jaguar had worked with in the past. In return he offered public recognition for their assistance and dangled the possibility of future contracts from Jaguar.

 

The name XJ220 was chosen as a continuation of the naming of the Jaguar XK120, which referred to the top speed of the model in miles per hour. The concept car had a targeted top speed of 220 mph so became the XJ220. The XK120, like the XJ220, was an aluminium-bodied sports car, and when launched was the fastest production car in the world.

 

Jaguar and engine designer Walter Hassan had previously created a 48-valve variant of their V12 engine specifically for motorsport use. It featured a double overhead camshaft layout with four valves per cylinder, compared with the single overhead camshaft and two valves per cylinder of the production engine, which was used in the Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XJS models at the time.

 

TWR and Cosworth had manufactured a number of these racing V12 engines during the 1980s and they had been raced competitively, with a 7-litre version of this engine featuring in the Le Mans winning Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9. Five of these engines still existed, all of which were fitted with dry sump lubrication. These engines were chosen and considered to be especially useful as the dry sump would lower the vehicle's centre of gravity. The displacement of the V12 was set at 6.2L for the XJ220.

 

Jaguar had little experience with four-wheel drive systems at the time, having previously only produced rear-wheel drive cars. Randle approached Tony Rolt's company, FF Developments to design the transmission and four-wheel drive system for the XJ220, with Rolt's son Stuart running the project. Tony Rolt was the Technical Director of Ferguson Research, where he was heavily involved in the design of the four-wheel drive system used in the Jensen FF, the first sports car to be fitted with such a transmission. Tony Rolt also had a long involvement with Jaguar, winning the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans with the factory works team driving the Jaguar C-Type.

 

The mid-engine complicated the design of the four-wheel drive system, and an innovative solution was needed to get drive from the rear of the engine to the front wheels. The chosen design took the front-wheel drive from the central differential on the rear transaxle and sent it through the V in the centre of the engine using a quill drive, before joining an inverted differential. The clutch was a twin-plate unit designed by AP Racing.

 

The design brief for the exterior restricted the use of aerodynamic aids, and aimed for a stylish yet functional body similar to the Jaguar D-Type. Drag and lift were limited at the envisioned ground clearance for road use, but the design allowed for additional downforce when the car was set up for racing; the body produced around 3,000 lb of downforce at 200 mph. The design was also intended to have a variable rear wing that folded into the bodywork at lower speeds. Aerodynamic work was undertaken at the Motor Industry Research Association wind tunnel using a 1:4 scale model, as the project was unable to budget for a full-scale mock-up.

 

The bodywork for the concept car displayed in 1988 was hand built from aluminium by Park Sheet Metal, a specialist automotive engineering company that manufactures concept cars and low-volume, niche models for various manufacturers, including Bentley. QCR Coatings undertook final painting of the bodyshell in silver. The concept also featured electrically operated scissor doors and a transparent engine cover to show off the V12 engine.

 

The concept car had a Connolly Leather-trimmed interior produced by Callow & Maddox, and was fitted with front and rear heated windscreens, electric windows, air conditioning, heated electrically adjustable seats with an Alpine Electronics CD player. The dashboard was supplied by Veglia.

 

The concept car was completed in the early hours of 18 October 1988, the day it was due to be unveiled at the British International Motor Show, being held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

 

Jaguar's marketing department had allocated space on their stand at the motor show for the XJ220, but had not seen the vehicle until its arrival. Jaguar chairman John Egan and Roger Putnam, who was in charge of Jaguar's racing activities, were shown the vehicle the week before the motor show and signed off on the concept, allowing its unveiling. The car received an overwhelmingly positive reception by public and press, and a number of wealthy Jaguar enthusiasts handed over blank cheques to secure a purchase option should the XJ220 concept go into production. Ferrari displayed their F40 model at the same event; an estimated 90,000 additional visitors came to see the Jaguar and Ferrari cars.

 

The XJ220 was not initially intended to be a production car, but, following the reception of the concept and financial interest from serious buyers, a feasibility study was carried out by teams from TWR and Jaguar. Its conclusion was that such a car would be technically feasible, and that it would be financially viable. The announcement of a limited production run of 220 to 350 cars came on 20 December 1989. The list price on 1 January 1990 was £290,000 exclusive of value added tax, options and delivery charges, but by 1992 that had increased considerably owing to indexation of contracts. The offer was four times oversubscribed, and deposits of £50,000 exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) were taken from around 1400 customers; first deliveries were planned for mid-1992.

 

What Jaguar didn't reckon on was that the 1990's were going to get off to a very bad start, with a good old fashioned recession to usher in the new decade. This, combined with the various downgrades that would have to follow to make the car road legal, would result in the Jaguar XJ220 giving the company and the customers headaches in more ways than one.

 

In 1991, the company constructed a new £4 million factory at Wykham Mill, Bloxham, for the single purpose of building the XJ220, the plant being opened by the late Princess Diana. But, in order to comply with a variety of road legislation, engineering requirements resulted in significant changes to the specification of the XJ220, most notably replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine by a turbocharged V6 engine.This downgraded engine made that desirable rocket car more run-of-the-mill, and many pulled back their deposits.

 

At the same time the economy collapsed and when the first production cars left the factory in 1992, many of the original potential buyers who had put down their hefty deposits found that they couldn't afford it, and wanted their money back. Many of them cited the fact that the four wheel drive, V12 had been downgraded to a two wheel drive, V6, and thus they weren't getting what they paid for. The result was that Jaguar went so far as to take their customers to court, and forced them to buy a car they no longer wanted, the problem being exacerbated by the fact that in 1993, the McLaren F1 took the title of world's fastest production car, was available with the V12 and all things it promised, and was much smaller and more manageable than the bulky XJ220.

 

A total of just 275 cars were produced by the time production ended, 22 of their LHD models never being sold, each with a retail price of £470,000 in 1992, probably one of the biggest automotive flops in motoring history, right up there with the DeLorean and the Edsel. But this would later be advantageous for many, as this pedigree 'worlds-fastest-car' machine would go in later years for a much lower price. £150,000 mind you, but it's a lot better buying the one's that weren't sold at this reduced price, than at the initial asking price back in 1992. Therefore buyers were able to procure themselves a first-hand XJ220, for half the price, a representative saving of nearly £250,000.

 

Today the XJ220's are rare beasts indeed, rarely coming out to play due largely to their expensive upkeep, heavy fuel consumption and sheer size. But keep your eyes open in some of the more affluent neighbourhoods, be they Dubai, Beverley Hills, or the South of France, and chances are you'll be able to find one.

The final major facelift for the GT6 came in 1970, to make the MK3. This time the whole bodyshell was revised to match the changes made to the Spitfire Mk.IV; these included a cut-off rear end, recessed door handles and a smoother front end. Only detail changes were made to the mechanics, but in 1973 – close to the end of the car's life – the rear suspension was changed again, this time for the cheaper (but still effective) "swing-spring" layout also fitted to the Spitfire Mk.IV. This was a modification of the swing axle rear suspension used on the lesser Herald-derived models, with the transverse leaf spring mounted on a pivot, eliminating roll stiffness at the rear, and thus greatly reducing the jacking effect under cornering loads. To compensate for this loss of roll stiffness, a larger front anti-roll bar was fitted. A brake servo was also added in 1973, and seats were changed from vinyl to cloth. There was still a fairly comprehensive options list, but the "knock-on" wire wheels were no longer available. The unladen weight increased slightly to 2,030 lb (920 kg)

 

The GT6 proved to be a thoroughly pleasant, well-behaved sports car, certainly after the launch of the MK2. However it never sold in the numbers hoped for by Triumph, and was comprehensively beaten in the marketplace by the arguably inferior MGB. This seems a puzzle; the smaller-engined Spitfire sold better than the MG Midget, but this success eluded the GT6. Triumph always refused to release an official convertible version of the GT6 (although a number of owners successfully created one), and this may be partly responsible; the only likely explanation for this is their reluctance to offer any competition for their TR6 roadster, a strong seller in the USA. Whatever the reason, the GT6 was quietly dropped from the Triumph range at the end of 1973, although a few cars were sold the following year.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

- - -

 

Mit dem Spitfire führte Triumph 1962 einen preisgünstigen Sportwagen ein. Der Konkurrent MG hatte damals von seinem MGB ein Coupé im Angebot, welches sich gut verkaufte. Triumph beauftragte daher den italienischen Designer Giovanni Michelotti mit einem Entwurf auf Basis des Spitfire. Das Resultat lieferte jedoch mit dem Spitfire-Motor aufgrund des höheren Gewichts nicht ausreichende Leistung. Das Problem wurde gelöst, indem man in das neue Spitfirecoupé den 2l-Motor des Triumph Vitesse einbaute.

 

Das Ergebnis wurde GT6 genannt und im Jahr 1966 vorgestellt. Aufgrund seiner hinteren Heckklappe gab es gewisse Ähnlichkeiten des GT6 zum Jaguar E-Type. Deshalb und wegen seines günstigen Preises erhielt er den Spitznamen Poor man's E-Type (Jaguar E des Armen Mannes). Konzeptionell allerdings geht der GTR6 eher auf die Sunbeam Harrington Alpine Coupés zurück, die das britische Karosseriebauunternehmen Thomas Harrington Coach Builders zwischen 1961 und 1964 auf der Basis des Sunbeam Alpine Roadsters hergestellt hatte.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

The final Anglia model, the 105E, was introduced in 1959. Its American-influenced styling included a sweeping nose line, and on deluxe versions, a full-width slanted chrome grille in between prominent 'eye' headlamps. (Basic Anglias featured a narrower, painted grille.[10]) Its smoothly sloped line there looked more like a 1950s Studebaker (or even early Ford Thunderbird) than the more aggressive-looking late-'50s American Fords, possibly because its British designers used wind-tunnel testing and streamlining. Like late-'50s Lincolns and Mercurys and the Citroën Ami of France, the car sported a backward-slanted rear window (so that it would remain clear in rain, according to contemporary marketing claims). In fact, this look was imported from the 1958 Lincoln Continental, where it had been the accidental result of a design specification for an electrically opening (breezway) rear window. As well as being used, by Ford, on the Consul Classic, this look was also copied by Bond, Reliant and Invacar, for their three wheelers. The resulting flat roofline gave it excellent rear headroom. It had muted tailfins, much toned-down from its American counterparts. An estate car joined the saloon in the line-up in September 1961.

 

The new styling was matched by a new engine, something that the smaller Fords had been needing for some time—a 997 cc overhead-valve straight-4 with an oversquare cylinder bore, that became known by its "Kent" code name. Acceleration from rest was still sluggish (by the standards of today), but it was much improved from earlier cars. Also new for British Fords was a four-speed (manual) gearbox with synchromesh on the top three forward ratios: this was replaced by an all-synchromesh box in September 1962 (on 1198 powered cars) [10]. The notoriously feeble vacuum powered windscreen wiper set-up of earlier Anglias were replaced with (by now) more conventional windscreen wipers powered by their own electric motor[10]. The Macpherson strut independent front suspension used on the 100E was retained.

 

In October 1962, twenty four year old twin brothers Tony and Michael Brookes and a group of friends took a private Anglia 105e fitted with the Ford £13 Performance Kit to Montlhery Autodrome near Paris and captured 6 International Class G World Records averaging 83.47 mph (134.33 km/h). These were 4,5,6 and 7 days and nights and 15,000, and 20,000 kilometres. (See also Ford Corsair GT) The Anglia's strength and durability meant that no repairs were required whatsoever other than tyre changes.

 

The car's commercial success has subsequently been overshadowed by the even greater sales achieved by the Cortina: in 1960, when 191,752 Anglias left Ford's Halewood[citation needed] plant in the 105E's first full production year, it set a new production-volume record for the Ford Motor Company[10]. The Anglia Super introduced in September 1962 for the 1963 model year shared the longer stroke 1198 cc version of the Ford Kent 997 cc engine of the newly introduced Ford Cortina[10]. The Anglia Super was distinguished by its painted contrasting-coloured side stripe[10].

  

A new Anglia saloon tested by the British Motor magazine in 1959 had a top speed of 73.8 mph (118.8 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 26.9 seconds. A fuel consumption of 41.2 miles per imperial gallon (6.86 L/100 km; 34.3 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £610 including taxes of £180.[9]

 

The old 100E Anglia became the new 100E Popular and the four-door Prefect bodyshell remained available as the new Ford Prefect (107E) which had all 105E running gear, including engine and brakes, while the 100E Escort and Squire remained available, unchanged. In 1961 the Escort and Squire were replaced by the 105E Anglia estate. Both cars are popular with hot rodders to this day, helped by the interchangeability of parts and the car's tuning potential. The 100E delivery van also gave way to a new vehicle based on the 105E. Identical to the Anglia 105E back to the B post, the rest of the vehicle was entirely new

For my video; youtu.be/FgL5LQqEZkk

Alfa Romeo 1300 GT junior

first registration: 1970

cylinder: 4

cubic capacity: 1300 cc

power: 88 PS

 

The Alfa Romeo 105/115 series Coupés were a range of cars manufactured from 1963 until 1977. They were the successors to the celebrated Giulietta Sprint coupé and used a shortened floorpan from the Giulia Berlina car. These appealing cars were made in a wide variety of models over a period of 13 years, so they provide a lot of material for study by Alfa Romeo enthusiasts. The basic body shape shared by all models was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone. It was one of his first major projects for Bertone, and borrowed heavily from his earlier design for the Alfa Romeo 2000 Sprint/2600 Sprint. The balance of glass and metal, the influence of the shape of the front and rear glass on the shape of the cabin, and the flat grille with incorporated headlamps were groundbreaking styling features for the era.All models feature the four cylinder, all-light-alloy Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine in various cubic capacities from 1290 cc to 1962 cc. All versions of this engine fitted to the 105 series coupes featured twin carburettors. Competition models featured cylinder heads with twin spark plugs. Common to all models was also a 5-speed manual transmission and disc brakes on all four wheels. The rear suspension uses a beam axle with coil springs. Air conditioning and a limited slip rear differential were optional on the later models. The 105 series coupés featured the GT (Gran Turismo) model description, which was common to all models in one form or another.The various different models in this range can be considered in two broad categories.On one hand were the various Gran Turismos and Gran Turismo Veloces. These were meant to be the most sporting cars in the Alfa Romeo range and sold very well to enthusiastic motorists around the world. The first model available was the Giulia Sprint GT (1963) which evolved into the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce (1965), the 1750 GTV (1968) and the 2000 GTV (1972–1976), with engines increasing in cubic capacity from 1570 cc (Giulia Sprint GT/GTV) through 1779 cc (1750 GTV) to 1962 cc (2000 GTV).On the other hand was the GT Junior range, which featured engines with smaller cubic capacities. GT Juniors sold in great numbers to people who wanted a sporting, stylish car that handled well, but either did not require the maximum in engine power, or could not afford the taxation on larger engine capacities in some markets - most notably, Alfa Romeo's home Italian market. Junior models began with the first GT 1300 Junior in 1966. The GT 1300 Junior continued until 1976 with the 1290 cc engine and various modifications incorporating features from the evolution of the GT's and GTV's. From 1972 a GT 1600 Junior model was also available, with the 1570 cc engine.Both categories were used to derive GTA ("Allegerita") models, which were specifically intended for competition homologation in their respective engine size classes. The GTA's featured extensive modifications for racing, so they were priced much higher than the standard models and sold in much smaller numbers. Practically all GTA's made were used in competition, where they had a long and successful history in various classes and category. These models included the Giulia Sprint GTA and GTA 1300 Junior.

The GT 1300 Junior was the entry model to the Alfa Romeo coupe range. It was introduced in 1965 as the replacement for the 101 series Giulia Sprint 1300, which was the final development of the Giulietta Sprint series.The GT 1300 Junior was fitted with the 1300 (1290 cc) twin cam engine (74 mm bore × 75 mm stroke), as fitted to the Giulietta series cars, but revised for the 105 series with reduced port sizes and other modifications. The smaller engine was introduced in order to allow buyers to choose an Alfa Romeo coupe while avoiding the higher taxes on the models with larger engine capacity, especially in Alfa Romeo's home Italian market.The performance was low-end compared to others in its model line, with a total of 89 bhp (66 kW; 90 PS). However, the GT 1300 Junior's top speed of over 100 mph and 0-60 mph time of 12.6 seconds were very good for a fully-appointed coupe with an engine of only 1300 cc displacement.The GT 1300 Junior was in production for over a decade. Throughout this period it was updated by the factory, incorporating many of the same revisions applied to the larger-engined models.The first GT 1300 Juniors produced were based on the Giulia Sprint GT, with a simpler interior. The major external identifying feature was the black grille with just one horizontal chrome bar. The same 9/41 final drive ratio was maintained, but with a shorter 5th gear ratio of 0.85, instead of 0.79 as on all the other 105 Series coupes.Together with the Giulia 1300 Ti, the GT 1300 Junior pioneered the use of ATE disk brakes as later fitted throughout the 105 series, replacing the Dunlop disks on earlier cars. The first few GT 1300 Juniors lacked a brake servo, and had the low rear wheelarches of the Giulia Sprint GT and Giulia Sprint GTV. From 1967, a servo was fitted as standard, together with higher rear wheelarches as adopted later on the 1750 GTV.In 1968, concurrently with the replacement of the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce by the 1750 GTV, the GT 1300 Junior was revised with many of the new parts from the 1750 GTV. This included the dashboard, the suspension and the new wheel size of 5½ × 14J instead of 4½ × 15J. This revised GT 1300 Junior, however, retained the early "step-front" body style, which, interestingly, makes it the most mechanically refined production "step-front" model. Another intriguing detail is that, just as on the 1750 GTV, the remote release for the boot lid, located on the inside of the door opening on the B-post just under the door lock striker, was moved from the right hand side of the car to the left hand side. This series of GT 1300 Junior was the only model with the step-front bodyshell to have this item mounted on the left hand side. All other step-front models - Giulia Sprint GT, Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, and early GT 1300 Junior with flat dashboard - featured this item on the right hand side.In 1970 the Junior was revised a second time, and received the same nose treatment as the 1750 GTV, without the step but with only two headlights.For 1972, new wheels featuring smaller hubcaps with exposed wheel nuts like those on the 2000 GTV were fitted. At the same time, the GT 1600 Junior was introduced alongside the GT 1300 Junior. From 1974 the GT1300 Junior and GT1600 Junior were both rationalised into a common range with the 2000 GTV. (©http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_105/115_Series_Coup%C3%A9s).

 

This rare "Bertone Scalina" in extremly good condition is owned by a member of the Alfaclub Dresden (Germany) and was member of the Tourist Trophy "EAC" - European Auto Classic - Leipzig, 2010.

 

Leipzig Opera , Augustusplatz, Leipzig

19 June 2010

The only Jaguar XJ220 in the world that lived up to its name, being fitted with a stunning V12 engine and making it the world's fastest production car. However, costs, setbacks, a recession or two and a myriad of other problems resulted in the dream becoming a nightmare, and the match of styling and power made in heaven being turned quickly into a BDSM session in hell!

 

The proposal for the Jaguar XJ220 seemed to come right out of nowhere. In 1986 the company was sold to Ford after ownership under British Leyland, and was producing a selection of strange luxury motors including the XJS and the XJ, which, although were very good and highly luxury machines, weren't exactly setting the world on fire.

 

But racing had been put forward to the company before, and racing team owner Tom Walkinshaw encouraged Jaguar to put one of their XJS's into the 1981 European Touring Car Championship, in which they succeeded in winning the competition in 1984. Jaguar had started to provide factory support to racing team Group 44 Racing, who were using the Jaguar-engined XJR-5 in the IMSA GT Championship, supplying V12 engines from 1983 onwards and supporting a Le Mans entry in 1984. Tom Walkinshaw and Jaguar agreed to entering the FIA Group C World Sportscar Championship and developed the XJR-6, which was powered by the Jaguar V12 engine; the car was launched during the 1985 season.

 

TWR took over the IMSA GT Championship operation in 1988 and one model – Jaguar XJR-9 – was launched to compete in both series. The XJR-9, which retained the Jaguar V12 engine, went on to win the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Sportscar Championship in the same year. The poor fuel consumption of the Jaguar V12 combined with new rules restricting refuelling during races forced the replacement of the V12 engine in the XJR-9s successors, the XJR-10 and XJR-11. The normally-aspirated Austin Rover V64V engine, designed for the MG Metro 6R4 had recently been made redundant thanks to the Group B rally ban in 1987, and the design rights were for sale. The compact, lightweight and fuel efficient nature of the small-displacement, turbocharged engine was investigated by TWR, who considered it an ideal basis for a new engine to power the XJR-10 and purchased the design rights from Austin Rover Group.

 

Jaguar and their Director of Engineering, Jim Randle, felt these racing cars were too far removed from the product available to the general public, especially with the rule changes that mandated the replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine in the forthcoming XJR-10 and XJR-11 racing cars. Therefore a project was initiated to design and build a car capable of winning Le Mans "in house", just as the Jaguar C-Type and D-Type had done. The groundwork for the project was undertaken by Randle over Christmas 1987, when he produced a 1:4 scale cardboard model of a potential Group B racing car.

 

The cardboard model was taken into the Jaguar styling studio and two mock-ups were produced. One was said to be reminiscent of the Porsche 956, the other took elements of the then current Jaguar XJ41 project and Malcolm Sayer's work on the stillborn Jaguar XJ13 racing car.

 

The project still had no official support, leaving Randle no option but to put together a team of volunteers to work evenings and weekends in their own time. The team came to be known as "The Saturday Club", and consisted of twelve volunteers. To justify the resources consumed by the project, the XJ220 needed to provide meaningful data to the engineers on handling, aerodynamics, particularly at high speeds, and aluminium structures. These requirements, together with FIA racing regulations and various government regulations governing car design and safety influenced the overall design and engineering direction of the car.

 

The FIA Group B regulations steered the concept towards a mid-engine, four-wheel drive layout, with a Jaguar V12 engine as the power source. The concept car was designed and built at very little cost to Jaguar, as Randle called in favours from component suppliers and engineering companies he and Jaguar had worked with in the past. In return he offered public recognition for their assistance and dangled the possibility of future contracts from Jaguar.

 

The name XJ220 was chosen as a continuation of the naming of the Jaguar XK120, which referred to the top speed of the model in miles per hour. The concept car had a targeted top speed of 220 mph so became the XJ220. The XK120, like the XJ220, was an aluminium-bodied sports car, and when launched was the fastest production car in the world.

 

Jaguar and engine designer Walter Hassan had previously created a 48-valve variant of their V12 engine specifically for motorsport use. It featured a double overhead camshaft layout with four valves per cylinder, compared with the single overhead camshaft and two valves per cylinder of the production engine, which was used in the Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XJS models at the time.

 

TWR and Cosworth had manufactured a number of these racing V12 engines during the 1980s and they had been raced competitively, with a 7-litre version of this engine featuring in the Le Mans winning Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9. Five of these engines still existed, all of which were fitted with dry sump lubrication. These engines were chosen and considered to be especially useful as the dry sump would lower the vehicle's centre of gravity. The displacement of the V12 was set at 6.2L for the XJ220.

 

Jaguar had little experience with four-wheel drive systems at the time, having previously only produced rear-wheel drive cars. Randle approached Tony Rolt's company, FF Developments to design the transmission and four-wheel drive system for the XJ220, with Rolt's son Stuart running the project. Tony Rolt was the Technical Director of Ferguson Research, where he was heavily involved in the design of the four-wheel drive system used in the Jensen FF, the first sports car to be fitted with such a transmission. Tony Rolt also had a long involvement with Jaguar, winning the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans with the factory works team driving the Jaguar C-Type.

 

The mid-engine complicated the design of the four-wheel drive system, and an innovative solution was needed to get drive from the rear of the engine to the front wheels. The chosen design took the front-wheel drive from the central differential on the rear transaxle and sent it through the V in the centre of the engine using a quill drive, before joining an inverted differential. The clutch was a twin-plate unit designed by AP Racing.

 

The design brief for the exterior restricted the use of aerodynamic aids, and aimed for a stylish yet functional body similar to the Jaguar D-Type. Drag and lift were limited at the envisioned ground clearance for road use, but the design allowed for additional downforce when the car was set up for racing; the body produced around 3,000 lb of downforce at 200 mph. The design was also intended to have a variable rear wing that folded into the bodywork at lower speeds. Aerodynamic work was undertaken at the Motor Industry Research Association wind tunnel using a 1:4 scale model, as the project was unable to budget for a full-scale mock-up.

 

The bodywork for the concept car displayed in 1988 was hand built from aluminium by Park Sheet Metal, a specialist automotive engineering company that manufactures concept cars and low-volume, niche models for various manufacturers, including Bentley. QCR Coatings undertook final painting of the bodyshell in silver. The concept also featured electrically operated scissor doors and a transparent engine cover to show off the V12 engine.

 

The concept car had a Connolly Leather-trimmed interior produced by Callow & Maddox, and was fitted with front and rear heated windscreens, electric windows, air conditioning, heated electrically adjustable seats with an Alpine Electronics CD player. The dashboard was supplied by Veglia.

 

The concept car was completed in the early hours of 18 October 1988, the day it was due to be unveiled at the British International Motor Show, being held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

 

Jaguar's marketing department had allocated space on their stand at the motor show for the XJ220, but had not seen the vehicle until its arrival. Jaguar chairman John Egan and Roger Putnam, who was in charge of Jaguar's racing activities, were shown the vehicle the week before the motor show and signed off on the concept, allowing its unveiling. The car received an overwhelmingly positive reception by public and press, and a number of wealthy Jaguar enthusiasts handed over blank cheques to secure a purchase option should the XJ220 concept go into production. Ferrari displayed their F40 model at the same event; an estimated 90,000 additional visitors came to see the Jaguar and Ferrari cars.

 

The XJ220 was not initially intended to be a production car, but, following the reception of the concept and financial interest from serious buyers, a feasibility study was carried out by teams from TWR and Jaguar. Its conclusion was that such a car would be technically feasible, and that it would be financially viable. The announcement of a limited production run of 220 to 350 cars came on 20 December 1989. The list price on 1 January 1990 was £290,000 exclusive of value added tax, options and delivery charges, but by 1992 that had increased considerably owing to indexation of contracts. The offer was four times oversubscribed, and deposits of £50,000 exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) were taken from around 1400 customers; first deliveries were planned for mid-1992.

 

What Jaguar didn't reckon on was that the 1990's were going to get off to a very bad start, with a good old fashioned recession to usher in the new decade. This, combined with the various downgrades that would have to follow to make the car road legal, would result in the Jaguar XJ220 giving the company and the customers headaches in more ways than one.

 

In 1991, the company constructed a new £4 million factory at Wykham Mill, Bloxham, for the single purpose of building the XJ220, the plant being opened by the late Princess Diana. But, in order to comply with a variety of road legislation, engineering requirements resulted in significant changes to the specification of the XJ220, most notably replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine by a turbocharged V6 engine.This downgraded engine made that desirable rocket car more run-of-the-mill, and many pulled back their deposits.

 

At the same time the economy collapsed and when the first production cars left the factory in 1992, many of the original potential buyers who had put down their hefty deposits found that they couldn't afford it, and wanted their money back. Many of them cited the fact that the four wheel drive, V12 had been downgraded to a two wheel drive, V6, and thus they weren't getting what they paid for. The result was that Jaguar went so far as to take their customers to court, and forced them to buy a car they no longer wanted, the problem being exacerbated by the fact that in 1993, the McLaren F1 took the title of world's fastest production car, was available with the V12 and all things it promised, and was much smaller and more manageable than the bulky XJ220.

 

A total of just 275 cars were produced by the time production ended, 22 of their LHD models never being sold, each with a retail price of £470,000 in 1992, probably one of the biggest automotive flops in motoring history, right up there with the DeLorean and the Edsel. But this would later be advantageous for many, as this pedigree 'worlds-fastest-car' machine would go in later years for a much lower price. £150,000 mind you, but it's a lot better buying the one's that weren't sold at this reduced price, than at the initial asking price back in 1992. Therefore buyers were able to procure themselves a first-hand XJ220, for half the price, a representative saving of nearly £250,000.

 

Today the XJ220's are rare beasts indeed, rarely coming out to play due largely to their expensive upkeep, heavy fuel consumption and sheer size. But keep your eyes open in some of the more affluent neighbourhoods, be they Dubai, Beverley Hills, or the South of France, and chances are you'll be able to find one.

After a couple of weeks of Tractor action on the Nukes it was time for the GMs to play out today. Now when I say GMs I mean 'Genetically Modified' as opposed to 'General Motors'. Even though the locomotives have power units by the latter named source, the 57s are Class 47 bodyshells that were re-enginered by Brush Traction in the late 90s for Feightliner.

DRS quite happily purchased a number of these machines when Freightliner were finished with them and a pairing is seen here on 6K73 Sellafield - Crewe Nuclear Flasks.

Leading is 57008, named 'Telford International Railfreight Park June 2009' and is based on the former 47060. Behind is 57009 which in a previous life masqueraded as 47079. The ensamble swoosh through Winwick bang on time bound for Crewe on Saturday 9th April 2011.

Happy ‘May the 4th’!

 

For this year's Star Wars Day, I have created a new build from one of the newer Star Wars Universe stories, the 2018 film - 'Solo - A Star Wars Story'.

 

One of the notable vehicle was a navy blue speeder. This vehicle exhibits design asymmetry, but on closer inspection, the design looks as though it is a vehicle that has been damaged along the left hand side, removing some of the external bodywork.

 

The vehicle I chose to reinterpret the design over is the classic 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint. This US design (different to the very similar car sold in Australia) was available with both a 2-door bodyshell, convertible and with a V8 engine, sort of a precursor to the Falcon-based Mustang launched the following year.

 

As well as sharing the 'Falcon' name with a future Han Solo vehicle, this model year Ford Falcon also exhibits the best representation of Ford's 1960 'Space-era' styling - rocket pod rear lamps, along with matched single lamp front end.

 

One styling theme not found on the earth bound car, but featured on the speeder is a kind of targa-top roof ring. I have placed this over the second row seats in an effort to balance the proportions.

 

This new build is created for #mocaroundgang #mocaround65 #starwars theme, hosted by @poppalars

An old banger with a few DIY bodyshell repairs. I cannot take credit for the idea, that has to be dedicated Pete Piszczek. Here is the old heap parked next to The Miners Arms not far from Fountain Colliery. The diecast car is from the ‘Classix’ range.

The Mazda Luce (Italian for 'light') was the largest Mazda model available, at launch in 1969, through to 1991. The second generation car was launched in 1972, the LA2.

 

The car was still compact by US standards, at 1660 mm wide and approximately 4500 mm long.

 

Mazda installed their 12A and 13B twin-rotor rotary engines to produce the Mazda RX4 performance coupe (using the Luce 2-door bodyshell).

 

Conventional Luces used a conventional 94 PS 1.8 L, or 103 PS 2.0 litre 4-cylinder engine.

 

The car received a more conventional styling update in 1976 (LA3), losing some of the period cool of the LA2. The overall body form though, still reflected a Japanese interpretation of the period coke-bottle styling.

 

The LA2 Luce Coupe is shown here.

Humber Hawk (1957-67) Engine 2267cc S6 OHV Production 15539 (all series, 6813 series 1A)

Registration Number TFF 477

HUMBER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665287863...

The 1957 Hawk had a completely new body with unitary construction which it would go on to share with the 1958 Humber Super Snipe. This was the biggest bodyshell for a saloon/estate car built in Great Britain at the time. The 2267 cc engine was carried over, though with modifications to the distributor mounting, and other details; and an automatic transmission, the Borg Warner D.G. model, was now available. The body was styled in Rootes' own studios and featured more glass than previous models, with wrap-around front windscreen, which gave it a considerable resemblance to a 1955 Chevrolet.

There were several revisions during the car's life, each resulting in a new Series number.

The 1959 Series 1A had changed gear ratios and minor trim changes.

The Series II launched in October 1960 had disc front brakes, servo-assisted. The automatic option was no longer available on the home market.

The Series III of September 1962 had a larger fuel tank and bigger rear window. The export model automatic option was also dropped.

More significant changes came with the October 1964 Series IV. The roof was made flatter, the rear window smaller and an extra side window fitted behind the rear doors. Synchromesh was fitted to bottom gear. An anti-roll bar was fitted at the rear.

The final Series IVA of 1965 saw the automatic option re-introduced, this time being the Borg Warner Model 35.

 

Shot taken 10.06.2012 at the Bromley Pagaent of Motoring REF 85-178

The Manta A was released in September 1970, two months ahead of the then new Opel Ascona on which it was based. A competitor to the Ford Capri, it was a two-door "three-box" coupé, and featured distinctive round tail lights, quite similar to those on the Opel GT and which in fact were used on the GT in 1973, its final model year. In the UK market, the first Manta was sold only as an Opel: there was no Vauxhall-branded Manta (or Ascona) until after the launch, in 1975, of the Manta B1 and Ascona B.

 

The second car to use the Manta name was launched in August 1975. This two-door "three-box" car was mechanically based directly on the then newly redesigned Opel Ascona, but the overall design was influenced by the 1975 Chevrolet Monza. The Manta had more "sporty" styling, including a droop-snoot nose not seen on the Ascona, although it was standard, on the UK version of the Ascona, the Vauxhall Cavalier. There was still no "Vauxhall Manta", with the car remaining an Opel in the UK. However, a Vauxhall Cavalier was available with the same coupé bodyshell.

 

In 1977, a three-door hatchback version appeared to complement the existing two-door booted car. This shape was also not unique, being available on the Vauxhall Cavalier Sports Hatch variant.

 

Both Manta versions received a facelift in 1982, which included a plastic front spoiler, sideskirts for the GT/E and GSi models, a small wing at the rear and quadruple air intakes on the grille.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

- - -

 

Der Opel Manta ist ein fünfsitziger Pkw der Adam Opel AG, der als Manta A im September 1970 auf den Markt kam. Der Wagen ist die technisch identische Coupé-Version der zwei Monate später vorgestellten Opel Ascona A-Limousine. Das Coupé mit wassergekühltem Vierzylinder-Frontmotor und Hinterradantrieb wurde als Konkurrent des bereits seit 1968 erfolgreichen Ford Capri auf den Markt gebracht.

 

Der Manta A wurde zunächst mit drei verschiedenen CIH-Motoren angeboten, die auch in der größeren Rekord C-Limousine Verwendung fanden: zwei 1,6-l-Varianten mit 68 PS bzw. 80 PS sowie der 1,9-l-Version mit 90 PS.

 

Als im August 1988 der letzte Manta B vom Band lief, war seine Technik mit der aus dem Kadett B von 1967 stammenden Starrachse (Zentralgelenkachse) und den seit 1965 produzierten CIH-Motoren überholt, obwohl die letzten Modelle schon mit ungeregeltem Katalysator und 5-Gang-Getriebe ausgerüstet wurden. Für Opel war der Manta ein Erfolg: Von beiden Modellreihen wurden zusammen 1.056.436 Wagen gebaut.

 

(Wikipedia)

One of the most revolutionary cars in all of motoring history, a car that has often been declared as the Space Shuttle in the Middle Ages! Beauty, style and performance all harnessed in one simple bodyshell. It can't be anything other than the Jaguar E-Type!

 

When it was launched in 1961, Britain was still very much an antiquated Victorian country, and transport was not much better. Steam Trains still had another 7 years to go and the most you could get out of the Motor Industry were flaky BMC products such as the humble Austin Cambridge and the Morris Minor. Unbeknownst to this very slow moving world of modesty, the entire picture was about to be turned on its head. In music, the Beatles rocked their way into everlasting legacy, the De Havilland Comet brought nations closer together, and Jaguar launched the E-Type, a car that set the motoring world ablaze!

 

Designed by Malcolm Sayer and powered by a 3.8L Straight Six engine, the Jaguar E-Type could now whisk people to 150mph, and with there being no speed limits back then, that was not too much of a stretch to imagine. You just had to look at it to see nothing but speed, everything about it was designed to go as fast as possible!

 

In spirit, the E-Type can trace its roots back to the race ready D-Type, also designed by Malcolm Sayer and notable for raking home victory after victory at Le Mans, being credited with being one of the most advanced sports cars of all time. A limited edition road going version, the XKSS, made the idea of a D-Type on the public highway possible, and parts developed in this often forgotten little gem helped to culminate in the final and superb E-Type.

 

On March 16th 1961, the E-Type was released upon the unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show to an absolute roar of applause and acclaim. It made the front page of pretty much every newspaper in Europe, and orders absolutely rolled in by the thousand! The thing that made the E-Type so desirable was the fact that it was fun on a budget, a high performance 150mph capable machine for an affordable price of just £2,000, the equivalent of about £40,000 today. Now you may think that's a lot of money, but when you consider that a car of comparable beauty and performance was double that price, you'd know it was something truly special.

 

However, this proved to be a problem for the comparatively small company, who simply couldn't turn out the cars fast enough to supply the demand. Millions and Millions of Pounds worth of orders were being placed, with some owners even going so far as to place deposits at 10 to 15 Jaguar dealers hoping that one of them could give them a car! The biggest problem was trying to supply differing markets, especially if you were British because in order to appease the desperate American buyers, cars would be built in LHD for 6 month periods at a time, which meant if you were someone wishing to buy a car here in the UK, you'd be stuck for the best part of a year!

 

But it was obvious why, these cars were unrealistically fast! Tap the pedal and you'd be at 60mph in 7.1 seconds, press it further and you'd be over 100, and if you pressed it further, the bonnet would rise and with blood gushing from your eyes and every fibre of your body telling you to stop, you'd be hitting 150mph! That doesn't sound like much today considering the Aston Martins and Ferrari's we're so used to, but in 1961 this was absolutely unheard of.

 

Not that your E-Type would ever make 150mph because Jaguar had been a tad naughty. As it turns out the initial test cars that had been leant to the Press had been tuned to reach that golden 150, but the rest of the flock would barely go that fast. This was further compounded by a troublesome gearbox, hopeless brakes, cramped interior and uncomfortable seats. Jaguar's con had only been done to bless their car with the initial fame that would sell the production models, but in 1965 Jaguar chose to redress the issue by fitting the car with a much larger and much better 4.2L Straight Six engine.

 

But once the novelty had worn off the E-Type was starting to become maligned. Much like owning a topping Rolls Royce, seeing one being driven in the street opened the wounds of jealousy that continued to divide the social classes, and if you were very lucky you'd only get away with a disapproving look or a nasty name, if you weren't expect a brick, a can of paint or a rock to be hurtled in your direction! At the same time because so many cars had been built, the Second Hand market became saturated which meant that people could pick up early ones for a song, which removed the exclusivity that these vehicles had once commanded. Again, much like a Rolls Royce these owners only saw them as ways to get women to take off their clothes for you, and thus didn't exactly give them the love that such cars required.

 

However, this was before we got to the biggest problem of them all, America.

 

Actually I take it back, America can't be blamed for everything, in fact the stringent safety legislation and rules on car manufacturing can be credited to the increased safety of modern motor vehicles, the people to be blamed though are in fact the car manufacturers themselves for not being able to incorporate the compulsory safety features whilst still keeping the car stylish.

 

But still, throughout the 1960's the death of James Dean had resulted in a gradual increase in safety legislation on US Highways, and in order to have a market there, cars had to conform. The height of the headlights, the bumpers, the smoke emissions, the recess of the switches, all of these things were scrutinised and had to be taken into account by car builders. The E-Type became a shameful victim as its looks were compromised with changes to the lights, and body profile. To be honest the Series II was not that bad a car, still retaining much of its charm, especially when you compare it to 1971's Series III which was formulated by British Leyland. With the cabin looking like it had sunk, the lights being stretched and contorted, and sporting a massive 5.3L V12 engine. By this point many of the cars former buyers saw the E-Type as damaged beyond repair and thus sales began to tumble. British Leyland however had been planning to replace the car since the late 1960's, and after much deliberation its replacement, the Jaguar XJS, was launched in 1975, bringing an end to the increasingly hard to sell E-Type. Although very well performing, in terms of looks, the XJS was considered by many classic Jag fans to be absolute heresy, but would go on to have a much longer life that the E-Type, being built until 1996.

 

However, even before the last E-Type left the production line the originals were already being hailed as classical heroes. In total well over 70,000 of these cars had been sold, and a large number of them remain on the roads. During the late 70's and 80's the car continued to be a major pin-up, often ending up rather oddly, and to my mind a bit shamefully, in erotic films and porn movies (I sure hope they washed thoroughly afterwards). But when you look at the E-Type you can understand why, it is a seriously sexy looking car!

 

So iconic and so stylish were these cars that over the years many different replica models have also been made. Throughout the 1990's the company Eagle GB built the Eagle E-Type, brand new cars built to exactly the same specifications as the original Series I versions, whilst in 2011 the Eagle Speedster was produced, revising the bodyshape but attempting to maintain the charm of the original, and in 2014 several remaining chassis from the original production run that had been kept in storage are intended to be built into fully functioning cars.

 

The E-Type may have died a long time ago, but its reputation isn't letting up! :D

Nº 38.

Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk2 (1984).

Escala 1/43.

"Les Classiques de L´Automobile" - Editions Hachette / Auto Plus (France).

Ixo.

Año 2011.

 

More info: cntrois.over-blog.com/article-kiosques-doc-classiques-de-...

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Les Classiques de L´Automobile

Hachette-Auto Plus

 

(...) "La série a commencée a être distribuée à partir de février 2010, c'est la Citroën DS 19 Pallas de 1965 produite par Ixo Models qui commence le défilé des automobiles classique de cette collection.

Les miniatures sont réalisées en métal et matière plastique, les moules et matrices de productions proviennent du fond d'Ixo Models déjà mainte fois utilisé, ce qui fait que l'on retrouve dans cette collection de nombreuses miniatures identiques à celles déjà proposées dans d'autres collections distribuées en france, avec leurs qualités, mais aussi et surtout avec leurs défauts non corrigés." (...)

 

Source: genieminiature.com/Les%20classiques%20automobile%20%20Aut...

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Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk II (1984)

 

"Este modelo bautizado como Golf GTI Mk II, seguía las mismas líneas de su predecesor con un motor de 112 CV y la ya famosa insignia GTI en la parrilla.

Con solo ocho años de vida, había pasado de ser un recién llegado, a ser todo un icono en el mundo de los coches.

Más tarde Volkswagen introdujo un catalizador para reducir la emisión de gases iba a perjudicar al GTI, haciéndole descender de 112 a 107 CV.

 

Dos años más tarde, Volkswagen compensó la potencia reducida en el Mk II con un nuevo propulsor de 16 válvulas que entregaba 129 CV aún con catalizador.

 

Ya en 1990, se presentó el Golf GTI G60, que incluía un sobrecargador G-Lader que aumentaba la potencia hasta los 160 CV."

 

Fuente: www.revistadelmotor.es/2016/05/06/volkswagen-golf-gti-gen...

 

Cronología VW Golf GTI II

 

"1984. Segunda generación del Volkswagen Golf GTI. Motor 1.8 de 112 CV.

 

1984. Introducción del motor 1.8 de 107 CV con catalizador. No estuvo a la venta en España.

 

1985. Actualización. Doble faro y doble salida de escape.

El primer GTI II, con faro simple y muy similar a la primera generación, no llegó al mercado español (únicamente estuvo a la venta esta segunda versión).

 

1986. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V. Motor 1.8 de 129 ó 139 CV. La versión menos potente, que llevaba catalizador, no estuvo a la venta en España.

 

1990. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI G60. Motor 1.8 de 160 CV."

 

Fuente: www.km77.com/reportajes/historia/volkswagen/golfgti/t01.asp

 

More info:

noticias.coches.com/noticias-motor/la-historia-del-exitos...

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Volkswagen Golf Mk2

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"The Volkswagen Golf Mk2 is a compact car, the second generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk1.

It was Volkswagen's volume seller from 1983 and remained in (German) production until late 1992.

The Mk2 was larger than the Mk1; its wheelbase grew slightly (+ 75 mm (3.0 in)), as did exterior dimensions (length + 180 mm (7.1 in), width + 55 mm (2.2 in), height + 5 mm (0.2 in)). Weight was up accordingly by about 120 kg (260 lb). Exterior design, developed in-house by VW design director Schäfer, kept the general lines of its Giugiaro-designed predecessor, but was slightly more rounded.

All told, about 6.3 million second-generation Golfs were built."

(...)

 

"The second-generation Volkswagen Golf (also known as the Typ 19E until the 1991 model year, and Typ 1G thereafter) was launched in Europe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983, with sales beginning in its homeland and most other left-hand drive markets soon after.

It debuted in March 1984 on the right-hand drive British market, and it was introduced as a 1985 model in the US.

 

It featured a larger bodyshell, and a wider range of engine options, including a GTD turbodiesel (in Euro markets, later using the 1.6 "umwelt" (ECO) diesel engine), a DOHC 1781 cc (1.8) 16-valve version of the straight-four GTI (as well as the tried and tested 1781cc (1.8) 8v GTI), the supercharged 8v "G60" with front- and four-wheel drive options, and a racing homologated variant of this, the "Rallye Golf".

(...)

 

"In 1985, British motoring magazine What Car? awarded the Golf Mk2 1985 "Car of the Year". It sold well in Britain, peaking in 1989 with well over 50,000 sales as the 11th best selling car, and most popular foreign car.

 

However, the Golf was overshadowed in the 1984 European Car of the Year contest, finishing third but being heavily outscored by the victorious Fiat Uno and runner-up Peugeot 205, which were similar in size to Volkswagen's smaller Polo.[

 

During the life of the Golf MK2, there were a number of external style revisions.

Notable changes to the looks of the Golf MK2 included the removal of quarterlight windows in the front doors, and the introduction of larger grille slats with the August 1987 facelift. The most notable was the introduction of so-called "Big Bumpers", which were introduced in the European market with an August 1989 facelift. They were available in the US from August 1989 as well, as part of the "Wolfsburg Edition" package. They were not standardized until January 1990."

(...)

 

"The MK2 Golf remained in production until the launch of the MK3 model in August 1991. Continental sales began that autumn, but the MK3 did not take over from the MK2 on the right-hand drive British market until February 1992."

(...)

 

Golf GTI & GTI 16v

 

"The successful Golf GTI (or, in the USA, simply "GTI") was continued with the Mk2 as a sporty 3- or 5-door hatchback.

Like late Mk1 GTIs, it featured a fuel-injected 1.8 litre four developing 112 PS (82 kW; 110 hp).

 

In 1986 (1987 for North America) a Golf GTI 16V was introduced; here the 1.8 litre engine put out 139 PS (102 kW; 137 hp) (or 129 PS (95 kW; 127 hp) for the catalyst version) and the model was marked by discreet red and black "16v" badges front and rear.

US/Canadian GTIs were later equipped with 2.0 16 valve-engines, available in the Passat and Corrado outside North America.

 

In 1990, like the Golf, the GTI was given a facelift, and the "Big Bumper" became standard on all GTIs. This was maintained through the rest of the Mk2 model era.

In 1990 the GTi G60 was also introduced featuring the 8v 1.8 with a G60 supercharger this version is not to be confused with the very rare G60 Limited."

(...)

 

---------------------------------------

Volkswagen Golf Mk2 (19E)

 

Manufacturer

Volkswagen

 

Production

6.3 million units

1983-1992

 

Assembly

Wolfsburg, Germany,

Brussels, Belgium,

TAS Sarajevo, Yugoslavia,

New Stanton, Pennsylvania, United States

Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

Uitenhage, South Africa,

Graz, Austria, ( Golf Country only),

 

Class

Small family car (C)

 

Body style

3-door hatchback,

5-door hatchback

 

Layout

Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive

 

Platform

Volkswagen Group A2 platform

 

Related

Volkswagen Jetta

Volkswagen Corrado

SEAT Toledo Mk1

 

Engine

1.3 L EA111 I4

1.6L EA827 I4

1.8L EA827 I4

1.8L G60 I4

2.0L EA827 I4

1.6L EA827 I4 diesel

1.6L EA827 I4 turbodiesel

Electric motor

 

Transmission

4-speed manual

5-speed manual

3-speed automatic

 

Dimensions

Wheelbase

2,470 mm (97.2 in)

Length

3,985 mm (156.9 in)−4,054 mm (159.6 in)

Width

1,665–1,700 mm (65.6–66.9 in)

Height

1,415 mm (55.7 in)

Curb weight

910–1,245 kg (2,006–2,745 lb)

 

Chronology

 

Predecessor

Volkswagen Golf Mk1

 

Successor

Volkswagen Golf Mk3

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf_Mk2

   

Humber Hawk (1957-67) Engine 2267cc S6 OHV Production 15539 (all series, 6109 series 1A)

Registration Number 903 FLO

HUMBER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665287863...

The 1957 Hawk had a completely new body with unitary construction which it would go on to share with the 1958 Humber Super Snipe. This was the biggest bodyshell for a saloon/estate car built in Great Britain at the time. The 2267 cc engine was carried over, though with modifications to the distributor mounting, and other details; and an automatic transmission, the Borg Warner D.G. model, was now available. The body was styled in Rootes' own studios and featured more glass than previous models, with wrap-around front windscreen, which gave it a considerable resemblance to a 1955 Chevrolet.

There were several revisions during the car's life, each resulting in a new Series number.

The 1959 Series 1A had changed gear ratios and minor trim changes.

The Series II launched in October 1960 had disc front brakes, servo-assisted. The automatic option was no longer available on the home market.

The Series III of September 1962 had a larger fuel tank and bigger rear window. The export model automatic option was also dropped.

More significant changes came with the October 1964 Series IV. The roof was made flatter, the rear window smaller and an extra side window fitted behind the rear doors. Synchromesh was fitted to bottom gear. An anti-roll bar was fitted at the rear.

The final Series IVA of 1965 saw the automatic option re-introduced, this time being the Borg Warner Model 35.

 

Shot taken 10.06.2012 at the Bromley Pagaent of Motoring REF 85-179

Towards the end of the 1970's, British Leyland was in a state of absolute despair. Shoddy and dated car designs married to biblical unreliability meant the company was facing near meltdown, and obviously came to the conclusion that they needed someone else to take the helm before the ship properly sank. Enter the Japanese, more to the point, Honda!

 

Since the 1960's, the Japanese had shown the world that they can mass-produce reliable cars, and thus were raking in sales by the million as people turned from their flaky European models to the highly efficient Japanese alternatives. Desperate to stop their market being swept out from under them, European Manufacturers imposed heavy import taxes on Japanese imports so as to try and price them out of the market, which meant builders such as Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi were losing a fortune. The alternative past this blockade was to combine their efforts with some of the more struggling car companies of Europe so as to create hybrid cars.

 

And thus the Triumph Acclaim was born!

 

Based almost solely on the Honda Ballade, essentially all that differentiated it was the Triumph badge, and the fact that the car was built at the Cowley Plant near Oxford using the former production lines of the Austin Maxi. The intention largely was to replace the 10 year old Triumph Dolomite as the 4-door saloon of the company. Unlike the Ballade however, the car did come with much more luxury features as with a Triumph badge, the car was intended to be more higher market than the conventional Japanese equivalent. But most importantly, the car has the distinction of being the first truly reliable British Leyland car (and it only took them 12 years to get it right!)

 

Basically, the car's major components were built in Japan and shipped to Cowley, where they were placed into the locally built bodyshells. Build quality was very good too, with the leaky panels and rough ride seemingly absent, and holds the record for the fewest warranty claims on a British Leyland car. However, Japan may have shown Europe how to build a reliable car, but they didn't know how to build a car that didn't rust. Much like it's Japanese counterparts, the Acclaim rusted like crazy. In Japan this was seen as planned obsolescence, with the intention being that a new model would replace it in two or three years time. But in Britain, cars are built to last, with models going unchanged almost completely for years and even decades. Examples being the Mini, which didn't change in any way, shape or form between its launch in 1959 and its demise in 2000!

 

But still, despite the terrible rusting problem, the car's reliable nature resulted in 133,000 cars being sold, and became the first Triumph to be within the Top 10 highest selling cars since 1965. However, in the end the Acclaim's show of being a good, reliable car was merely a testbed for the variety of other Japanese style products British Leyland intended to push in the near future. After only 4 years of production, the Triumph Acclaim was shelved in 1984 along with many other British Leyland products such as the Austin Ambassador and the Morris Ital so as to rationalise the company into a small number of highly reliable machines based off the Triumph Acclaim's Japanese based success. From the Acclaim, the Rover 200 was a direct descendant, being based heavily on the next generation Honda Ballade, but also spurring from this plucky car was the mechanicals of the Austin Maestro and Montego.

 

The ending of Acclaim construction in 1984 also brought the end to the Triumph badge itself on motorcars. Although Triumph still exists on motorbikes, the car division has long since perished, together with Austin and Morris. As for the Acclaim itself, it is truly one of those rarities you won't find everyday. Today only 488 are left, which, although much more than the remaining Ital's and Ambassadors of the same period, is still a very low number. But even so, the Triumph Acclaim did show British Leyland how to make a reliable machine, even though it technically wasn't a British machine in the first place!

The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a luxury sedan manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1986 and 1994. Officially unveiled on 8 October 1986 it was an all-new redesign of the XJ to replace the Series III, although the two model ranges were sold concurrently until the Series III was discontinued in 1992. The XJ40 used the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement, and featured a number of technological enhancements (such as electronic instrumentation)

 

Development:

 

Throughout the 1970s Jaguar had been developing "Project XJ40", which was an all-new model intended to replace the original XJ6. Scale models were being built as early as 1972. Due to the 1973 oil crisis and problems at parent company British Leyland, the car was continually delayed. Proposals from both Jaguar's in-house designers and Pininfarina were received. Eventually, it was decided an internal design would be carried through to production and, in February 1981, the British Leyland board approved £80 million to produce the new car.

 

Jaguar historians claim that the XJ40 was the last car which company founder Sir William Lyons had contributed to during its protracted development phase. The previous generation XJ had been the final Jaguar to be developed wholly under Lyons' leadership - although he continued to take an active consultative role within Jaguar design, long after had retired from the day to day management of the firm following its merger in 1966 with the British Motor Corporation.

 

During development, the XJ40 pioneered significant improvements to the way Jaguar designed, built, and assembled cars. Among these improvements was a 25 per cent reduction in the number of bodywork panels required per car (e.g. three pressings needed for a Series 3 door compared with one for a XJ40 door), resulting in not only a more efficient assembly process, but also a weight saving and a stiffer structure. Greater attention to panel gaps improved the drag factor (reduced from 0.849 Cd to 0.762 Cd), while also improving the fuel economy and lowering wind noise inside the cabin.

 

Mechanicals:

 

AJ6 4.0 L engine (in a 1990 Daimler)

Initially, only two engines were offered across the XJ40 models: a 2.9 L and a 3.6 L version of the AJ6 inline-six. In 1990, these were changed to 3.2 L and 4.0 L versions. In 1993, the XJ12 and Daimler Double Six (both equipped with the Jaguar V12 engine) were added to the available models.

 

During the development of the XJ40, British Leyland had considered providing the Rover V8 engine for the car, which would have eliminated the need for future Jaguar engine production. The XJ40 bodyshell was allegedly engineered to prevent fitting V-configuration engines such as the Rover V8; this delayed the introduction of the V12-powered XJ12 until 1993.

 

The automatic gearbox used in the 2.9 L, 3.2 L and 3.6 L six-cylinder cars was the four-speed ZF 4HP22. On the 4.0 L, the four-speed ZF 4HP24 was used. A stronger automatic gearbox was required for the V12-equipped cars, and the four-speed GM 4L80-E was selected. The manual gearbox fitted to early cars was the five-speed Getrag 265, while later cars received the Getrag 290.

 

The automatic transmission selector was redesigned to allow the manual selection of forward gears without accidentally selecting neutral or reverse. This new feature was dubbed the "J-Gate" and has carried over to more recent Jaguar models.

 

Exterior:

 

The curvaceous lines of the outgoing Series XJ were replaced by the more angular, geometric shape of the XJ40. The nose of the car would accommodate either matched pairs of round headlights, or rectangular single units; the latter were fitted to the higher-specification Sovereign and Daimler trim levels, and also to all cars for the US market.

 

The bumper is a visually distinct black-rubber-covered bar that runs the full width of the car and incorporates the sidelights and indicator lights. The bonnet is hinged at the front. Window frames are either chromed or black, depending on model. Rain gutters, door mirrors, and door handles are also finished in chrome. All XJ40s have a chrome surround for the windscreen and a single windscreen wiper.

 

Early low-specification cars were fitted with metric-sized steel wheels and plastic wheelcovers. From 1991, the wheels were changed to non-metric sizing.

 

[Text from Wikipedia]

 

This Lego miniland-scale 1986 Jaguar XJ6 (XJ40) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts 85th Build Challenge, - "Like, Totally 80s", - for vehicles created during the decade of the 1980s.

DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd's class 92 number 92015 (previously named "D H Lawrence") painted in Deutsche Bahn cherry red with DB Schenker branding and a three 'O' shaped channel tunnel roundel logo works 6B20 from Dollands Moor to Wembley European Freight Operations Centre on 14 January 2015 hauling 27 Tonne (tare du wagon) G.E. Rail Services owned IZA (GE117CT Hfirrs 3) semi-perminantly coupled 4-wheeled CARGOWAGGON vans with shared running numbers built by Duewag. Having started out in France and passed through the channel tunnel each pair of vans is used to transport approximately 59,000 litters (59 Tonnes) of Danone bottled mineral water (eau minerale) in crates of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles such as Evian imported from Évian-les-Bains in the French Alps and Volvic from the Massif Central. Evian bottled at the SAEME plant Post is transported by train (for a map of the route click here) from Évian-les-Bains to the UK via Publier, (Bellegarde Longeray or Annemasse?), Culoz, Ambérieu-en-Bugey, Bourg-en-Bresse, Louhans, Gevrey-Chambertin, Dijon-Perrigny, Chalons-en-Champagne, Reims, Longueau and Calais-Frethun. For Volvic the route is thought to be from the SEV bottling plant in Riom to the UK via Gannat, Saincaize, Vierzon, Valenton (Paris), Longueau and Calais Frethun. From Wembley this train continues on route to Crick under headcode 6B41 and is ultimately unloaded at a distribution warehouse at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT).

 

A similar set of cargowaggon vans was photographed by Nicolas Villenave on 9 May 2014 returning empty passing through Écaillon (department Nord) on their way from Calais Frethun to Culoz railway junction in the Ain department in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, by Mattias Catry at Boisleux-au-Mont on 9 September 2012 and by Laurent Knop at Béthisy-St.-Pierre, Picardie in the Oise department on 12 March 2014.

 

92015 (works number BT1077) was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company at Loughborough in 1994 from sub-contracted components (e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes made by Brecknell Willis and the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester). For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons were fire tested by Brush.

 

According to Realtime Trains the route and timings were;

Dollands Moor Sidings .........0707.........0707...........RT

Ashford International UML...0723.........0729 1/4....6L

Maidstone East [MDE] 1.........0750 1/2..0754 1/2.....4L

Otford Junction[XOT]............0817 1/2....0816 1/2.....RT

Swanley [SAY] 1.......................0829 1/2..0827 1/4....2E

St Mary Cray Junction...........0835.........0832 1/4....2E

Bickley Junction[XLY]............0836 1/2..0834 3/4....1E

Bromley South [BMS].............0840.........0840..........RT

Shortlands [SRT].....................0842.........0842..........RT

Shortlands Junction...............0843.........0842 3/4...RT

Bellingham [BGM]...................0846 1/2..0845 1/2....RT

Nunhead [NHD] 1....................0855.........0854 1/2....RT

Peckham Rye [PMR] 3...........0859.........0859 1/2....RT

Crofton Road Junction..........0901.........0903 3/4...2L

Denmark Hill [DMK] 1.............0902........0905...........3L

Voltaire Road Junction.........0906 1/2..0909..........2L

Latchmere Junction...............0911 1/2....0924 1/2...13L

Imperial Wharf [IMW] 2..........0915 1/2...0927 1/4....11L

West Brompton [WBP] 4.......0918..........0930 1/4...12L

Kensington Olympia .............0922........0935 3/4..13L

Shepherds Bush [SPB] 2.......0923.........0939 1/4...16L

North Pole Signal Vc813.......0924 1/2..0941 1/4....16L

North Pole Junction...............0925........0941..........16L

Mitre Bridge Junction............0926 1/2..0943 3/4..17L

Willesden West Londn Jn.....0928.........0945.........17L

Wembley Eur Frt Ops Ctr.....0939.........0956.........17L

 

Nº 235.

Volkswagen Golf II GTI (1984-1992).

Escala 1/56.

Majorette.

France.

Made in Thailand (?).

Años 90 (?).

 

Some variants in:

www.hobbydb.com/variant_definitions/33380

 

Majorette Listing - 200 Series - After 1990; Made in Thailand:

swiftysgarage.net/topic/6768319/1/

 

More info:

passion-majorette.forumactif.com/f9-majorette-serie-200-m...

www.diecastlovers.com/manufacturer/majorette-diecast-manu...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk II (1984)

 

"Este modelo bautizado como Golf GTI Mk II, seguía las mismas líneas de su predecesor con un motor de 112 CV y la ya famosa insignia GTI en la parrilla.

Con solo ocho años de vida, había pasado de ser un recién llegado, a ser todo un icono en el mundo de los coches.

Más tarde Volkswagen introdujo un catalizador para reducir la emisión de gases iba a perjudicar al GTI, haciéndole descender de 112 a 107 CV.

 

Dos años más tarde, Volkswagen compensó la potencia reducida en el Mk II con un nuevo propulsor de 16 válvulas que entregaba 129 CV aún con catalizador.

 

Ya en 1990, se presentó el Golf GTI G60, que incluía un sobrecargador G-Lader que aumentaba la potencia hasta los 160 CV."

 

Fuente: www.revistadelmotor.es/2016/05/06/volkswagen-golf-gti-gen...

 

Cronología VW Golf GTI II

 

"1984. Segunda generación del Volkswagen Golf GTI. Motor 1.8 de 112 CV.

 

1984. Introducción del motor 1.8 de 107 CV con catalizador. No estuvo a la venta en España.

 

1985. Actualización. Doble faro y doble salida de escape.

El primer GTI II, con faro simple y muy similar a la primera generación, no llegó al mercado español (únicamente estuvo a la venta esta segunda versión).

 

1986. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V. Motor 1.8 de 129 ó 139 CV. La versión menos potente, que llevaba catalizador, no estuvo a la venta en España.

 

1990. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI G60. Motor 1.8 de 160 CV."

 

Fuente: www.km77.com/reportajes/historia/volkswagen/golfgti/t01.asp

 

More info:

noticias.coches.com/noticias-motor/la-historia-del-exitos...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Volkswagen Golf Mk2

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"The Volkswagen Golf Mk2 is a compact car, the second generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk1.

It was Volkswagen's volume seller from 1983 and remained in (German) production until late 1992.

The Mk2 was larger than the Mk1; its wheelbase grew slightly (+ 75 mm (3.0 in)), as did exterior dimensions (length + 180 mm (7.1 in), width + 55 mm (2.2 in), height + 5 mm (0.2 in)). Weight was up accordingly by about 120 kg (260 lb). Exterior design, developed in-house by VW design director Schäfer, kept the general lines of its Giugiaro-designed predecessor, but was slightly more rounded.

All told, about 6.3 million second-generation Golfs were built."

(...)

 

"The second-generation Volkswagen Golf (also known as the Typ 19E until the 1991 model year, and Typ 1G thereafter) was launched in Europe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983, with sales beginning in its homeland and most other left-hand drive markets soon after.

It debuted in March 1984 on the right-hand drive British market, and it was introduced as a 1985 model in the US.

 

It featured a larger bodyshell, and a wider range of engine options, including a GTD turbodiesel (in Euro markets, later using the 1.6 "umwelt" (ECO) diesel engine), a DOHC 1781 cc (1.8) 16-valve version of the straight-four GTI (as well as the tried and tested 1781cc (1.8) 8v GTI), the supercharged 8v "G60" with front- and four-wheel drive options, and a racing homologated variant of this, the "Rallye Golf".

(...)

 

"In 1985, British motoring magazine What Car? awarded the Golf Mk2 1985 "Car of the Year". It sold well in Britain, peaking in 1989 with well over 50,000 sales as the 11th best selling car, and most popular foreign car.

 

However, the Golf was overshadowed in the 1984 European Car of the Year contest, finishing third but being heavily outscored by the victorious Fiat Uno and runner-up Peugeot 205, which were similar in size to Volkswagen's smaller Polo.[

 

During the life of the Golf MK2, there were a number of external style revisions.

Notable changes to the looks of the Golf MK2 included the removal of quarterlight windows in the front doors, and the introduction of larger grille slats with the August 1987 facelift. The most notable was the introduction of so-called "Big Bumpers", which were introduced in the European market with an August 1989 facelift. They were available in the US from August 1989 as well, as part of the "Wolfsburg Edition" package. They were not standardized until January 1990."

(...)

 

"The MK2 Golf remained in production until the launch of the MK3 model in August 1991. Continental sales began that autumn, but the MK3 did not take over from the MK2 on the right-hand drive British market until February 1992."

(...)

 

Golf GTI & GTI 16v

 

"The successful Golf GTI (or, in the USA, simply "GTI") was continued with the Mk2 as a sporty 3- or 5-door hatchback.

Like late Mk1 GTIs, it featured a fuel-injected 1.8 litre four developing 112 PS (82 kW; 110 hp).

 

In 1986 (1987 for North America) a Golf GTI 16V was introduced; here the 1.8 litre engine put out 139 PS (102 kW; 137 hp) (or 129 PS (95 kW; 127 hp) for the catalyst version) and the model was marked by discreet red and black "16v" badges front and rear.

US/Canadian GTIs were later equipped with 2.0 16 valve-engines, available in the Passat and Corrado outside North America.

 

In 1990, like the Golf, the GTI was given a facelift, and the "Big Bumper" became standard on all GTIs. This was maintained through the rest of the Mk2 model era.

In 1990 the GTi G60 was also introduced featuring the 8v 1.8 with a G60 supercharger this version is not to be confused with the very rare G60 Limited."

(...)

 

---------------------------------------

Volkswagen Golf Mk2 (19E)

 

Manufacturer

Volkswagen

 

Production

6.3 million units

1983-1992

 

Assembly

Wolfsburg, Germany,

Brussels, Belgium,

TAS Sarajevo, Yugoslavia,

New Stanton, Pennsylvania, United States

Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

Uitenhage, South Africa,

Graz, Austria, ( Golf Country only),

 

Class

Small family car (C)

 

Body style

3-door hatchback,

5-door hatchback

 

Layout

Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive

 

Platform

Volkswagen Group A2 platform

 

Related

Volkswagen Jetta

Volkswagen Corrado

SEAT Toledo Mk1

 

Engine

1.3 L EA111 I4

1.6L EA827 I4

1.8L EA827 I4

1.8L G60 I4

2.0L EA827 I4

1.6L EA827 I4 diesel

1.6L EA827 I4 turbodiesel

Electric motor

 

Transmission

4-speed manual

5-speed manual

3-speed automatic

 

Dimensions

Wheelbase

2,470 mm (97.2 in)

Length

3,985 mm (156.9 in)−4,054 mm (159.6 in)

Width

1,665–1,700 mm (65.6–66.9 in)

Height

1,415 mm (55.7 in)

Curb weight

910–1,245 kg (2,006–2,745 lb)

 

Chronology

 

Predecessor

Volkswagen Golf Mk1

 

Successor

Volkswagen Golf Mk3

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf_Mk2

   

One of the final 50 E-Type's built in 1974, this car apparently has only 800 miles on the clock, being bought by the Museum in 1975.

 

One of the most revolutionary cars in all of motoring history, a car that has often been declared as the Space Shuttle in the Middle Ages! Beauty, style and performance all harnessed in one simple bodyshell. It can't be anything other than the Jaguar E-Type!

 

When it was launched in 1961, Britain was still very much an antiquated Victorian country, and transport was not much better. Steam Trains still had another 7 years to go and the most you could get out of the Motor Industry were flaky BMC products such as the humble Austin Cambridge and the Morris Minor. Unbeknownst to this very slow moving world of modesty, the entire picture was about to be turned on its head. In music, the Beatles rocked their way into everlasting legacy, the De Havilland Comet brought nations closer together, and Jaguar launched the E-Type, a car that set the motoring world ablaze!

 

Designed by Malcolm Sayer and powered by a 3.8L Straight Six engine, the Jaguar E-Type could now whisk people to 150mph, and with there being no speed limits back then, that was not too much of a stretch to imagine. You just had to look at it to see nothing but speed, everything about it was designed to go as fast as possible!

 

In spirit, the E-Type can trace its roots back to the race ready D-Type, also designed by Malcolm Sayer and notable for raking home victory after victory at Le Mans, being credited with being one of the most advanced sports cars of all time. A limited edition road going version, the XKSS, made the idea of a D-Type on the public highway possible, and parts developed in this often forgotten little gem helped to culminate in the final and superb E-Type.

 

On March 16th 1961, the E-Type was released upon the unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show to an absolute roar of applause and acclaim. It made the front page of pretty much every newspaper in Europe, and orders absolutely rolled in by the thousand! The thing that made the E-Type so desirable was the fact that it was fun on a budget, a high performance 150mph capable machine for an affordable price of just £2,000, the equivalent of about £40,000 today. Now you may think that's a lot of money, but when you consider that a car of comparable beauty and performance was double that price, you'd know it was something truly special.

 

However, this proved to be a problem for the comparatively small company, who simply couldn't turn out the cars fast enough to supply the demand. Millions and Millions of Pounds worth of orders were being placed, with some owners even going so far as to place deposits at 10 to 15 Jaguar dealers hoping that one of them could give them a car! The biggest problem was trying to supply differing markets, especially if you were British because in order to appease the desperate American buyers, cars would be built in LHD for 6 month periods at a time, which meant if you were someone wishing to buy a car here in the UK, you'd be stuck for the best part of a year!

 

But it was obvious why, these cars were unrealistically fast! Tap the pedal and you'd be at 60mph in 7.1 seconds, press it further and you'd be over 100, and if you pressed it further, the bonnet would rise and with blood gushing from your eyes and every fibre of your body telling you to stop, you'd be hitting 150mph! That doesn't sound like much today considering the Aston Martins and Ferrari's we're so used to, but in 1961 this was absolutely unheard of.

 

Not that your E-Type would ever make 150mph because Jaguar had been a tad naughty. As it turns out the initial test cars that had been leant to the Press had been tuned to reach that golden 150, but the rest of the flock would barely go that fast. This was further compounded by a troublesome gearbox, hopeless brakes, cramped interior and uncomfortable seats. Jaguar's con had only been done to bless their car with the initial fame that would sell the production models, but in 1965 Jaguar chose to redress the issue by fitting the car with a much larger and much better 4.2L Straight Six engine.

 

But once the novelty had worn off the E-Type was starting to become maligned. Much like owning a topping Rolls Royce, seeing one being driven in the street opened the wounds of jealousy that continued to divide the social classes, and if you were very lucky you'd only get away with a disapproving look or a nasty name, if you weren't expect a brick, a can of paint or a rock to be hurtled in your direction! At the same time because so many cars had been built, the Second Hand market became saturated which meant that people could pick up early ones for a song, which removed the exclusivity that these vehicles had once commanded. Again, much like a Rolls Royce these owners only saw them as ways to get women to take off their clothes for you, and thus didn't exactly give them the love that such cars required.

 

However, this was before we got to the biggest problem of them all, America.

 

Actually I take it back, America can't be blamed for everything, in fact the stringent safety legislation and rules on car manufacturing can be credited to the increased safety of modern motor vehicles, the people to be blamed though are in fact the car manufacturers themselves for not being able to incorporate the compulsory safety features whilst still keeping the car stylish.

 

But still, throughout the 1960's the death of James Dean had resulted in a gradual increase in safety legislation on US Highways, and in order to have a market there, cars had to conform. The height of the headlights, the bumpers, the smoke emissions, the recess of the switches, all of these things were scrutinised and had to be taken into account by car builders. The E-Type became a shameful victim as its looks were compromised with changes to the lights, and body profile. To be honest the Series II was not that bad a car, still retaining much of its charm, especially when you compare it to 1971's Series III which was formulated by British Leyland. With the cabin looking like it had sunk, the lights being stretched and contorted, and sporting a massive 5.3L V12 engine. By this point many of the cars former buyers saw the E-Type as damaged beyond repair and thus sales began to tumble. British Leyland however had been planning to replace the car since the late 1960's, and after much deliberation its replacement, the Jaguar XJS, was launched in 1975, bringing an end to the increasingly hard to sell E-Type. Although very well performing, in terms of looks, the XJS was considered by many classic Jag fans to be absolute heresy, but would go on to have a much longer life that the E-Type, being built until 1996.

 

However, even before the last E-Type left the production line the originals were already being hailed as classical heroes. In total well over 70,000 of these cars had been sold, and a large number of them remain on the roads. During the late 70's and 80's the car continued to be a major pin-up, often ending up rather oddly, and to my mind a bit shamefully, in erotic films and porn movies (I sure hope they washed thoroughly afterwards). But when you look at the E-Type you can understand why, it is a seriously sexy looking car!

 

So iconic and so stylish were these cars that over the years many different replica models have also been made. Throughout the 1990's the company Eagle GB built the Eagle E-Type, brand new cars built to exactly the same specifications as the original Series I versions, whilst in 2011 the Eagle Speedster was produced, revising the bodyshape but attempting to maintain the charm of the original, and in 2014 several remaining chassis from the original production run that had been kept in storage are intended to be built into fully functioning cars.

 

The E-Type may have died a long time ago, but its reputation isn't letting up! :D

Some of you know that my real job is in designing and engineering real cars.

 

With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the knowledge regarding the design, engineering and manufacturing processes involved in the creation of a new car.

 

A term that is frequently used within car companies, and which sometimes slips out into the media, but without much explanation, is the term 'Body-In-White'. The abbreviation of the term is BIW, though the full word usage occurs within companies when it is discussed.

 

So, what is the 'Body-In-White'?

 

Though the names says otherwise. It is not white. It does describe the stamped sheet metal of the body before it has been painted, had any trim attached, or any of the chassis and powertrain. It is frequently described as the 'body' of the car. And for a pickup, or similar vehicle, it will be the body prior to the attachment to the separate 'frame', which is attached underneath the car, and frequently attached by isolating mounts.

 

The BIW doesn't just include the main part of the monocoque (the 'stressed' load-bearing part of the car), but also the doors, bootlid (trunk), and bonnet (hood). All these parts usually get coated in protective coatings prior to the application of paint, together (though not always). Frequently, when the car is 'trimmed' - that is the addition of trim and interior - the doors are removed to make this easier, though they do travel along with the car that they were attached to during the paint process.

 

Stay tuned for further car-design, engineering and manufacturing information in the near future.

 

Regards,

 

lego911

 

These images are created for the first in a series of topics covering car design, engineering and manufacturing.

 

Body-In-White: www.flickr.com/groups/lugnuts/discuss/72157645669786809/

 

A central index will be created, over time, in this discussion thread: www.flickr.com/groups/lugnuts/discuss/72157646071614841/

Leyland Beaver Flat being loaded with Hillman Minx Bodyshells.

In 1990 Greater Manchester PTE exhibited a prototype bodyshell of one half of a Metrolink light rail vehicle beneath Manchester Piccadilly station. The bodyshell was built by Officine Casertane in Caserta, Italy (part of the Firema Consortium) and was originally painted in Greater Manchester PTE's orange and white livery. It was photographed on 13 May 1990.

 

The prototype bodyshell was subsequently repainted in Metrolink light grey, dark grey and aquamarine livery, numbered 1000 and named The Larry Sullivan. It joined the collection of vehicles at the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester in 1992.

Porsche 993 (911) Carrera Targa (1996-98) Engine 3600cc Flat 6

Production 4619 (Targa models)

Registration Number P 838 PMW

PORSCHE SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690528015...

 

The 993 designation is the companies internal name for this generation 911. The external design of the Porsche 993, penned by Englishman Toni Hatter, used the basic bodyshell architecture of the 964, but with changed external panels, with much more flared wheel arches and a smoother front and rear bumper design, an enlarged retractable rear wing, teardrop mirrors, but keeping the doors and roof panels.

The Carrera represented the base model of the 993, and was available in rear and all-wheel drive versions. It was equipped with the naturally aspirated 3.6 litre M64 engine, further developed from the 964 and combined with a new dual-flow exhaust system now incorporating two catalytic converters. In contrast to the 964 were the numbers Carrera 2 or 4 were used to differentiate between two and four wheel the numbers have been dropped and the models are simply referred to as C2 and C4.the cars can be distinguished by the Carrera 4 having clear front turn signals and rear red lenses instead of orange on the 2W

 

The Targa version of the 993 was introduced in the 1996 model year and was the debut of the so-called greenhouse system - a retractable glass roof, a design continued on the 996 and 997 Targa. The glass roof retracts underneath the rear window, revealing a large opening. This system was a complete redesign, as previous Targa models had a removable roof section and a wide B-pillar functioning as a roll bar. The new glass-roof design allowed the 993 Targa to retain the same side-on profile as the other 911 Carrera variants and finish without the inconvenience of storing the removed top of the old system.

 

Diolch am 84,879,981 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn 90cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

 

Thanks for 84,879,981 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

 

Shot 01.08-2021 exiting the Silverstone Festival 01.08.2021 Ref 149-380

 

The grounded bodyshell of 25204 at Swindon works, 5/10/1980.

Galiano Lions Club Fiesta parade

South Galiano Island. BC., Canada,

BC Day,

Galiano Island, British Columbia, Canada,

For my video; youtu.be/-awRwLtkdqk

 

The Buick Riviera is a personal luxury car produced by Buick from 1963 to 1999. GM's first entry into that prestige niche, the Riviera was highly praised by automotive journalists upon its high-profile debut. While early models stayed close to the original form, subsequent generations varied substantially over the Riviera's thirty-year lifespan. In all, 1,127,261 were produced.

 

First generation (1963–1965)

 

The production Riviera's distinctive bodyshell was unique to it, unusual for a GM product. It rode a cruciform frame similar to the standard Buick frame, but shorter and narrower, with a 2.0 in (51 mm) narrower track. Its wheelbase of 117 in (3,000 mm) and overall length of 208 in (5,300 mm) were 6.0 inches (150 mm) and 7.7 in (200 mm) shorter, respectively, than a Buick LeSabre, but slightly longer than a contemporary Thunderbird. At 3,998 lb (1,813 kg),[2] it was about 390 pounds (180 kg) lighter than either. It shared the standard Buick V8 engines, with a displacement of either 401 cu in (6.57 L) or 425 cu in (6.96 l), and the unique continuously variable design twin turbine automatic transmission. Power brakes were standard, using Buick's massive "Al-Fin" (aluminum finned) drums of 12 in (300 mm) diameter. Power steering was standard equipment, with an overall steering ratio of 20.5:1, giving 3.5 turns lock-to-lock.

 

The Riviera's suspension uses Buick's standard design, with double wishbones front and a live axle located by trailing arms and a lateral track bar, but the roll centers were raised to reduce body lean. Although its coil springs were actually slightly softer than other Buicks, the Riviera's lighter weight made its ride somewhat firmer. While still biased towards understeer, contemporary testers considered it one of the most driveable American cars, with an excellent balance of comfort and agility.

 

Rather than the "Sweepspear" used on beltlines of earlier Buicks with the Riviera package, the new Rivera sported new "Coke bottle styling", with the middle of the body exhibiting a tapered tucked-in appearance.

 

The Riviera was introduced on October 4, 1962, as a 1963 model, with the 325 hp (242 kW) 401 cu in (6.6 l) "Nailhead" V-8 as the only available engine fitted with dual exhaust as standard equipment, and the turbine drive the only transmission, at a base price of $4,333;[5] typical delivered prices with options ran upwards of $5,000. Buick announced in December, 1962, the availability of a 340 hp (254 kW) 425 cu in (7.0 l) version of the Nailhead as an option. Total production was deliberately limited to 40,000 vehicles (in a year that Buick sold 440,000 units overall) to emphasize its exclusivity and to increase demand; only 2,601 of them were delivered with the 425 cu in (7.0 l) engine in the 1963 model year.

 

With the same power as the larger Buicks and less weight, the Riviera had sparkling all-around performance: Motor Trend found it capable of running 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 8 seconds or less, the standing quarter mile in about 16 seconds, and an observed top speed of 115 miles per hour (185 km/h). Fuel economy was a meager 13.2 miles per US gallon (17.8 L/100 km; 15.9 mpg-imp). Front leg room was 40.1 inches.

 

Inside, the Riviera featured a four-place cabin with front bucket seats separated by a center console with floor shifter and storage compartment that was built into the instrument panel, and bucket-style seats in the rear. Upholstery choices included all-vinyl, cloth and vinyl, or optional leather. A deluxe interior option included real walnut inserts on the doors and below the rear side windows. Popular extra-cost options included a tilt steering wheel, power windows, power driver's seat, air conditioning, a remote-controlled side view mirror, and white sidewall tires.

 

The Riviera continued with minimal trim changes for 1964 including the discontinuation of leather upholstery from the option list, differing mainly in substitution of the old Dynaflow-based twin turbine for the new three-speed Super Turbine 400, which was marketed as Turbo Hydra-Matic by other GM divisions. This was the first year that the Stylized "R" emblem was used on the Riviera, a trademark that would continue throughout the remainder of Riviera's 36-year production run. Under the hood, the 401 cu in (6.6 l) was dropped as the standard power plant in favor of the previously optional 340 hp (254 kW) 425 cu in (7.0 l) V8. A 'Super Wildcat' version was optionally available, with dual Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors, rated at 360 hp (268 kW).

 

Changes for 1965 included the introduction of the "Gran Sport" option, which included the dual-quad Super Wildcat 425 V8, a numerically higher 3.42 axle ratio, and stiffer, heavy-duty suspension. The stock dual exhaust pipes were increased from 2.0 inches (51 mm) to 2.25 inches (57 mm) inside diameter and had fewer turns to reduce backpressure. The 401 cu in (6.6 l) V8 returned as the standard Riviera engine and the Super Turbine 400 transmission now had a variable pitch torque converter like the old twin turbine Dynaflow had two years before. Externally, the headlamps were concealed behind clamshell doors in the leading edges of each fender, as in the original design. Further back, the non-functional side scoops between the doors and rear wheel arches were removed, and the taillights were moved from the body into the rear bumper. A vinyl roof became available as an option, initially offered only in black, and the tilt steering wheel optional in previous years was now standard equipment.

 

Total sales for the three model years was a respectable 112,244. All in all, the Riviera was extremely well received and considered a great success, giving the Thunderbird its first real competition.

 

The 1963–1965 Riviera met with approval from all quarters, and has since earned Milestone status from the Milestone Car Society. Jaguar founder and designer Sir William Lyons said that Mitchell had done "a very wonderful job," and Sergio Pininfarina declared it "one of the most beautiful American cars ever built; it has marked a very impressive return to simplicity of American car design." At its debut at the Paris Auto Show, Raymond Loewy said the Riviera was the handsomest American production car—apart from his own Studebaker Avanti, that is, the Riviera's only real competition for 1963. The first-generation Riviera is considered a styling landmark, and is quite collectible today.

Ratdat ownd this mildly customised Cedric, the 5-spoke wheels suit it well and I think it eventually ended up with a Rover V8 fitted into it.

 

DVLA says no tax/SORN since late 1996, but the last I heard he still had it. It was undergoing more radical surgery, which involved truning into a coupe with suicide doors but the last I heard it was going to donate parts of its bodyshell to the Japanese-spec 4dr hardtop he also owns.

 

This photo taken down at Datman's, who then owned the 180B 'FFJ' and Ford LTD in the background.

The 1999-2005 Ferrari 360 Modena was a mid-engine V8 rear wheel drive coupe, the first Ferrari to be constructed entirely in aluminium, including chassis, bodyshell and suspension wishbones. It also had multi-mode traction control, as well as a fully-independent electronically-adjustable suspension. It succeeded the F355, the 360 Modena was a radical departure from Ferrari classicism, gone was the central egg crate grille, the front now featured twin radiator inlet grilles, one either side. Retro details included intakes in the rear wings that hinted of 250 LM and the Dino, plus the traditional paired rear light treatment,

In 2001 the Spider convertible was introduced. Finally the limited edition 2003 Challenge Stradale, essentially a lightened, factory tuned version of the Modena.

Engine; 395hp 3586cc V8

The Manta A was released in September 1970, two months ahead of the then new Opel Ascona on which it was based. A competitor to the Ford Capri, it was a two-door "three-box" coupé, and featured distinctive round tail lights, quite similar to those on the Opel GT and which in fact were used on the GT in 1973, its final model year. In the UK market, the first Manta was sold only as an Opel: there was no Vauxhall-branded Manta (or Ascona) until after the launch, in 1975, of the Manta B1 and Ascona B.

 

The second car to use the Manta name was launched in August 1975. This two-door "three-box" car was mechanically based directly on the then newly redesigned Opel Ascona, but the overall design was influenced by the 1975 Chevrolet Monza. The Manta had more "sporty" styling, including a droop-snoot nose not seen on the Ascona, although it was standard, on the UK version of the Ascona, the Vauxhall Cavalier. There was still no "Vauxhall Manta", with the car remaining an Opel in the UK. However, a Vauxhall Cavalier was available with the same coupé bodyshell.

 

In 1977, a three-door hatchback version appeared to complement the existing two-door booted car. This shape was also not unique, being available on the Vauxhall Cavalier Sports Hatch variant.

 

Both Manta versions received a facelift in 1982, which included a plastic front spoiler, sideskirts for the GT/E and GSi models, a small wing at the rear and quadruple air intakes on the grille.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

- - -

 

Der Opel Manta ist ein fünfsitziger Pkw der Adam Opel AG, der als Manta A im September 1970 auf den Markt kam. Der Wagen ist die technisch identische Coupé-Version der zwei Monate später vorgestellten Opel Ascona A-Limousine. Das Coupé mit wassergekühltem Vierzylinder-Frontmotor und Hinterradantrieb wurde als Konkurrent des bereits seit 1968 erfolgreichen Ford Capri auf den Markt gebracht.

 

Der Manta A wurde zunächst mit drei verschiedenen CIH-Motoren angeboten, die auch in der größeren Rekord C-Limousine Verwendung fanden: zwei 1,6-l-Varianten mit 68 PS bzw. 80 PS sowie der 1,9-l-Version mit 90 PS.

 

Als im August 1988 der letzte Manta B vom Band lief, war seine Technik mit der aus dem Kadett B von 1967 stammenden Starrachse (Zentralgelenkachse) und den seit 1965 produzierten CIH-Motoren überholt, obwohl die letzten Modelle schon mit ungeregeltem Katalysator und 5-Gang-Getriebe ausgerüstet wurden. Für Opel war der Manta ein Erfolg: Von beiden Modellreihen wurden zusammen 1.056.436 Wagen gebaut.

 

(Wikipedia)

DB Schenker class 92 number 92041 named "Vaughan Williams" painted in EWS two tone railfreight grey livery and a three 'O' shaped channel tunnel roundel logo working 6B37 hauling empty NACCO (North American Car Corporation) tankers from Wembley European Freight Operating Centre to Dollands Moor Sidings as part of their return journey to Antwerpen (Antwerp) Docks, Belgium from Irvine Scotland on 28 February 2014. For the route taken see (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/14289727859/). 92041 traveled down to Wembley earlier in the day as 6M76 photographed at Northampton by Nigel Gould (www.flickr.com/photos/60599026@N05/12831694204/in/photoli...). Prior to this Brian Denton photogrphed these tankers filled with china clay slurry heading northwards towards Scotland on 26 February 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/brian_dentons_linesidephotos-europe...). Once the tankers arrive back at Antwerpen Docks they are reloaded with china clay slurry (kaolin) made from rocks rich in kaolinite, Al2Si2O5(OH)4, imported from Brazil. This slurry is transported to Irvine, Scotland by 6S94 where it is used by the Finnish company, UPM-Kymmene (United Paper Mills Ltd) Corporation's at their Caledonian Paper Mill to produce lightweight coated paper for printing magazines, catalogues and brochures.

 

92041 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough in 1996, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons were fire tested by BRUSH.

Nº 38.

Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk2 (1984).

Escala 1/43.

"Les Classiques de L´Automobile" - Editions Hachette / Auto Plus (France).

Ixo.

Año 2011.

 

More info: cntrois.over-blog.com/article-kiosques-doc-classiques-de-...

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Les Classiques de L´Automobile

Hachette-Auto Plus

 

(...) "La série a commencée a être distribuée à partir de février 2010, c'est la Citroën DS 19 Pallas de 1965 produite par Ixo Models qui commence le défilé des automobiles classique de cette collection.

Les miniatures sont réalisées en métal et matière plastique, les moules et matrices de productions proviennent du fond d'Ixo Models déjà mainte fois utilisé, ce qui fait que l'on retrouve dans cette collection de nombreuses miniatures identiques à celles déjà proposées dans d'autres collections distribuées en france, avec leurs qualités, mais aussi et surtout avec leurs défauts non corrigés." (...)

 

Source: genieminiature.com/Les%20classiques%20automobile%20%20Aut...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk II (1984)

 

"Este modelo bautizado como Golf GTI Mk II, seguía las mismas líneas de su predecesor con un motor de 112 CV y la ya famosa insignia GTI en la parrilla.

Con solo ocho años de vida, había pasado de ser un recién llegado, a ser todo un icono en el mundo de los coches.

Más tarde Volkswagen introdujo un catalizador para reducir la emisión de gases iba a perjudicar al GTI, haciéndole descender de 112 a 107 CV.

 

Dos años más tarde, Volkswagen compensó la potencia reducida en el Mk II con un nuevo propulsor de 16 válvulas que entregaba 129 CV aún con catalizador.

 

Ya en 1990, se presentó el Golf GTI G60, que incluía un sobrecargador G-Lader que aumentaba la potencia hasta los 160 CV."

 

Fuente: www.revistadelmotor.es/2016/05/06/volkswagen-golf-gti-gen...

 

Cronología VW Golf GTI II

 

"1984. Segunda generación del Volkswagen Golf GTI. Motor 1.8 de 112 CV.

 

1984. Introducción del motor 1.8 de 107 CV con catalizador. No estuvo a la venta en España.

 

1985. Actualización. Doble faro y doble salida de escape.

El primer GTI II, con faro simple y muy similar a la primera generación, no llegó al mercado español (únicamente estuvo a la venta esta segunda versión).

 

1986. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V. Motor 1.8 de 129 ó 139 CV. La versión menos potente, que llevaba catalizador, no estuvo a la venta en España.

 

1990. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI G60. Motor 1.8 de 160 CV."

 

Fuente: www.km77.com/reportajes/historia/volkswagen/golfgti/t01.asp

 

More info:

noticias.coches.com/noticias-motor/la-historia-del-exitos...

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Volkswagen Golf Mk2

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"The Volkswagen Golf Mk2 is a compact car, the second generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk1.

It was Volkswagen's volume seller from 1983 and remained in (German) production until late 1992.

The Mk2 was larger than the Mk1; its wheelbase grew slightly (+ 75 mm (3.0 in)), as did exterior dimensions (length + 180 mm (7.1 in), width + 55 mm (2.2 in), height + 5 mm (0.2 in)). Weight was up accordingly by about 120 kg (260 lb). Exterior design, developed in-house by VW design director Schäfer, kept the general lines of its Giugiaro-designed predecessor, but was slightly more rounded.

All told, about 6.3 million second-generation Golfs were built."

(...)

 

"The second-generation Volkswagen Golf (also known as the Typ 19E until the 1991 model year, and Typ 1G thereafter) was launched in Europe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983, with sales beginning in its homeland and most other left-hand drive markets soon after.

It debuted in March 1984 on the right-hand drive British market, and it was introduced as a 1985 model in the US.

 

It featured a larger bodyshell, and a wider range of engine options, including a GTD turbodiesel (in Euro markets, later using the 1.6 "umwelt" (ECO) diesel engine), a DOHC 1781 cc (1.8) 16-valve version of the straight-four GTI (as well as the tried and tested 1781cc (1.8) 8v GTI), the supercharged 8v "G60" with front- and four-wheel drive options, and a racing homologated variant of this, the "Rallye Golf".

(...)

 

"In 1985, British motoring magazine What Car? awarded the Golf Mk2 1985 "Car of the Year". It sold well in Britain, peaking in 1989 with well over 50,000 sales as the 11th best selling car, and most popular foreign car.

 

However, the Golf was overshadowed in the 1984 European Car of the Year contest, finishing third but being heavily outscored by the victorious Fiat Uno and runner-up Peugeot 205, which were similar in size to Volkswagen's smaller Polo.[

 

During the life of the Golf MK2, there were a number of external style revisions.

Notable changes to the looks of the Golf MK2 included the removal of quarterlight windows in the front doors, and the introduction of larger grille slats with the August 1987 facelift. The most notable was the introduction of so-called "Big Bumpers", which were introduced in the European market with an August 1989 facelift. They were available in the US from August 1989 as well, as part of the "Wolfsburg Edition" package. They were not standardized until January 1990."

(...)

 

"The MK2 Golf remained in production until the launch of the MK3 model in August 1991. Continental sales began that autumn, but the MK3 did not take over from the MK2 on the right-hand drive British market until February 1992."

(...)

 

Golf GTI & GTI 16v

 

"The successful Golf GTI (or, in the USA, simply "GTI") was continued with the Mk2 as a sporty 3- or 5-door hatchback.

Like late Mk1 GTIs, it featured a fuel-injected 1.8 litre four developing 112 PS (82 kW; 110 hp).

 

In 1986 (1987 for North America) a Golf GTI 16V was introduced; here the 1.8 litre engine put out 139 PS (102 kW; 137 hp) (or 129 PS (95 kW; 127 hp) for the catalyst version) and the model was marked by discreet red and black "16v" badges front and rear.

US/Canadian GTIs were later equipped with 2.0 16 valve-engines, available in the Passat and Corrado outside North America.

 

In 1990, like the Golf, the GTI was given a facelift, and the "Big Bumper" became standard on all GTIs. This was maintained through the rest of the Mk2 model era.

In 1990 the GTi G60 was also introduced featuring the 8v 1.8 with a G60 supercharger this version is not to be confused with the very rare G60 Limited."

(...)

 

---------------------------------------

Volkswagen Golf Mk2 (19E)

 

Manufacturer

Volkswagen

 

Production

6.3 million units

1983-1992

 

Assembly

Wolfsburg, Germany,

Brussels, Belgium,

TAS Sarajevo, Yugoslavia,

New Stanton, Pennsylvania, United States

Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

Uitenhage, South Africa,

Graz, Austria, ( Golf Country only),

 

Class

Small family car (C)

 

Body style

3-door hatchback,

5-door hatchback

 

Layout

Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive

 

Platform

Volkswagen Group A2 platform

 

Related

Volkswagen Jetta

Volkswagen Corrado

SEAT Toledo Mk1

 

Engine

1.3 L EA111 I4

1.6L EA827 I4

1.8L EA827 I4

1.8L G60 I4

2.0L EA827 I4

1.6L EA827 I4 diesel

1.6L EA827 I4 turbodiesel

Electric motor

 

Transmission

4-speed manual

5-speed manual

3-speed automatic

 

Dimensions

Wheelbase

2,470 mm (97.2 in)

Length

3,985 mm (156.9 in)−4,054 mm (159.6 in)

Width

1,665–1,700 mm (65.6–66.9 in)

Height

1,415 mm (55.7 in)

Curb weight

910–1,245 kg (2,006–2,745 lb)

 

Chronology

 

Predecessor

Volkswagen Golf Mk1

 

Successor

Volkswagen Golf Mk3

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf_Mk2

   

An old banger with a few DIY bodyshell repairs. I cannot take credit for the idea, that has to be dedicated Pete Piszczek. Here is the old heap parked not far from Fountain Colliery. The diecast car is from the ‘Classix’ range.

Sold for £ 2.500

 

The Jaguar Land-Rover Collection

Brightwells Auctions

Bicester Heritage

Buckingham Road

Bicester

Oxfordshire

England

March 2018

 

The A90 Six Westminster was introduced at the 1954 London Motor Show alongside the smaller A40/50 Cambridge saloon range.

 

It used the new BMC C-Series 2.6-litre straight-six engine which, with a single Zenith carb, produced 85bhp. Suspension was independent at the front using coil springs and wishbones, with leaf springs and anti-roll bar on the live axle at the rear. The four-speed column-change transmission had synchromesh on the top three ratios.

 

They were as tough as old boots, and even in period competed successfully on International rallies. Nowadays they remain a long-distance rally car of choice, their eminently tuneable C-series engines able to take lots of punishment, as can the sturdy bodyshell and rugged suspension.

 

This superb 1956 model registers just over 32.000 miles on the clock, which although unsubstantiated, could well be correct given the superb original condition of the car. Show car or race car – those are the options. What happens next is entirely down to you.

 

The V5C shows five previous owners, although sadly there is no other paperwork with the car.

 

We do know that its last MOT took place in 2012, but it has seen so little use over the last 12 years that some recommissioning work is bound to be required, however a few weekends work should have it back to near show condition.

The Manta A was released in September 1970, two months ahead of the then new Opel Ascona on which it was based. A competitor to the Ford Capri, it was a two-door "three-box" coupé, and featured distinctive round tail lights, quite similar to those on the Opel GT and which in fact were used on the GT in 1973, its final model year. In the UK market, the first Manta was sold only as an Opel: there was no Vauxhall-branded Manta (or Ascona) until after the launch, in 1975, of the Manta B1 and Ascona B.

 

The second car to use the Manta name was launched in August 1975. This two-door "three-box" car was mechanically based directly on the then newly redesigned Opel Ascona, but the overall design was influenced by the 1975 Chevrolet Monza. The Manta had more "sporty" styling, including a droop-snoot nose not seen on the Ascona, although it was standard, on the UK version of the Ascona, the Vauxhall Cavalier. There was still no "Vauxhall Manta", with the car remaining an Opel in the UK. However, a Vauxhall Cavalier was available with the same coupé bodyshell.

 

In 1977, a three-door hatchback version appeared to complement the existing two-door booted car. This shape was also not unique, being available on the Vauxhall Cavalier Sports Hatch variant.

 

Both Manta versions received a facelift in 1982, which included a plastic front spoiler, sideskirts for the GT/E and GSi models, a small wing at the rear and quadruple air intakes on the grille.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

- - -

 

Der Opel Manta ist ein fünfsitziger Pkw der Adam Opel AG, der als Manta A im September 1970 auf den Markt kam. Der Wagen ist die technisch identische Coupé-Version der zwei Monate später vorgestellten Opel Ascona A-Limousine. Das Coupé mit wassergekühltem Vierzylinder-Frontmotor und Hinterradantrieb wurde als Konkurrent des bereits seit 1968 erfolgreichen Ford Capri auf den Markt gebracht.

 

Der Manta A wurde zunächst mit drei verschiedenen CIH-Motoren angeboten, die auch in der größeren Rekord C-Limousine Verwendung fanden: zwei 1,6-l-Varianten mit 68 PS bzw. 80 PS sowie der 1,9-l-Version mit 90 PS.

 

Als im August 1988 der letzte Manta B vom Band lief, war seine Technik mit der aus dem Kadett B von 1967 stammenden Starrachse (Zentralgelenkachse) und den seit 1965 produzierten CIH-Motoren überholt, obwohl die letzten Modelle schon mit ungeregeltem Katalysator und 5-Gang-Getriebe ausgerüstet wurden. Für Opel war der Manta ein Erfolg: Von beiden Modellreihen wurden zusammen 1.056.436 Wagen gebaut.

 

(Wikipedia)

Triumph Spitfire GT6 Mk1 (1966-68) Engine 1998c S6 OHV Production 12,066

Registration Number MNJ 821 F (East Sussex)

TRIUMPH ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623847263736...

 

This car is registered and badged as a GT6, with a GT6 engine, but obviously the GT6 was a hard top fast back, while the Spitfire was a soft top with an occasional hardtop. So it is eith er Spit with a GT6 lump or unique. Here is a little bit of info i picked up. An unmodified Spitfire 4 was delivered to Michelotti's design studios in Italy and late in 1963 the prototype Spitfire GT4 was returned to England for evaluation. The styling of the vehicle was a success but the extra weight of the GT bodyshell resulted in extremely poor performance from the Spitfire's 1,147 cc engine and plans to develope the GT4 were shelved. Michelotti's fastback design for the Spitfire GT4 prototype was adopted by the Triumph racing programme for the 1964 season, as it was deemed to provide an aerodynamic benefit over the standard Spitfire body shape. Fibreglass copies of the Spitfire GT4's fastback were grafted on to the race-modified Spitfires destined for competition. The Spitfire racing programme was successful and in 1965 resulted in 13th overall and a 1st in class at LeMans. The Spitfire's competitive success and the continuing commercial success of the production vehicle led Triumph to re-evaluate its shelved plans for a GT version of the Spitfire. To overcome the lack of performance inherent in the heavier body style the Spitfire's 4-cylinder engine was replaced with the more powerful 2.0 L (1,996 cc) Triumph inline 6 originally derived from the Vitesse. The car was further developed and refined and eventually launched as the Triumph GT6 (dropping the Spitfire per-fix. Contemporary Triumph marketing advertised the GT6 as being developed from the race winning LeMans Spitfires, when in truththe Le Mans Spitfires and the GT6 were actually two entirely separate development programmes (the GT programme pre-dating the racing programme). However, the marketing spin was so successful that many people erroneously believed the Le Mans Spitfires to actually be GT6s.

 

The first series of GT6 was introduced in 1966 as a six cylinder sports coupe based on the Spitfire. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti and based on the recently introduced Spitfire Mk. IV. he new body was a sleek fastback design with an opening rear hatch, earning the GT6 the nickname of poor man's E-Type It was really a 2-seater, but a small extra rear seat could be ordered, large enough for small children. The family resemblance to the Spitfire Mk II was strong, the longer 6-cylinder engine necessitated a new bonnet top with a power bulge and the doors were provided with opening quarter light windows and squared-off glass in the top rear corner. The 6-cylinder engine was based on that of the Triumph Vitesse 2 litre developing 95bhp necessitated certain changes to the Spitfire mechanics; the radiator was new and mounted further forward in the car and the gearbox was the stronger unit from the Vitesse 2 litre, with synchromesh on all 4 forward gears. An optional Laycock de Normanville overdrive was offered giving a 20 per cent overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears. Front springs were uprated to cope with the extra weight of the new engine with the car weighing in at 1,904lbs The only major criticism was of its rear suspension; the GT6 inherited the swing-axle system from the Spitfire, which in turn was copied from the Herald small saloon. In the saloon it was tolerated, in the Spitfire criticised and in the more powerful GT6 it was a problem, particularly in the US market.

 

Triumph realised that they needed to find an answer to the handling problem, and their response came in 1969 with the Mark 2.

 

Diolch am 85,115,698 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn 90cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

 

Thanks for 85,115,698 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

 

Shot 01.08-2021 exiting the Silverstone Festival 01.08.2021 Ref 149-477

 

Nº 39.

Ford Galaxie Taxi (Quebec, 1964).

Escala 1/43.

"Taxis del Mundo" - Altaya (España).

Ixo.

Año 2014.

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"El taxi Ford Galaxie 500 - GRANDE Y ESPACIOSO

En 1964, los Ford Fairlane y Galaxie eran los dos modelos de la marca ofrecidos a los taxistas con todo el equipamiento necesario. El Galaxie era un coche de enorme tamaño y conducción muy suave, por lo que era muy apropiado para el servicio de transporte de personas."

 

- See more at: www.planetadeagostini.es/colecciones-altaya/miniaturas/ta...

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Ford Galaxie

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"The Ford Galaxie was a full-size car built in the United States by the Ford Motor Company for model years 1959 through 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford's full-size range from 1959 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the excitement surrounding the Space Race. In 1962, all full-size Fords wore the Galaxie badge, with "500" and "500/XL" denoting the higher series. The Galaxie 500/LTD was introduced for 1965 followed by the Galaxie 500 7-Litre in 1966. The Galaxie 500 part was dropped from the LTD in 1966, and from the XL in 1967; however the basic series structuring levels were maintained. The "regular" Galaxie 500 continued below the LTD as Ford's mid-level full-size model from 1965 until its demise at the end of the 1974 model year.

 

The Galaxie was the high volume counterpart to the Chevrolet Impala. Some Galaxies were high-performance, racing specification machines, a larger forebear to the muscle car era. Others were plain family sedans."

(...)

 

Second generation 1960–1964.

 

"The 1960 Galaxie was all-new in style, abandoning the ostentatious ornamentation of the 1950s for a futuristic, sleek look. A new body style this year was the Starliner, featuring a huge, curving rear observation window on a pillarless, hardtop bodyshell. The formal roofed 2-door hardtop was not available this year, but the roofline was used for the Galaxie 2-door pillared sedan, complete with chromed window frames."

(...)

1961

"For 1961, the bodywork was redone again, although the underpinnings were the same as in 1960.

(...) the 1961 Galaxie offered a new 390 CID (6.4 L) version of Ford's FE series pushrod V8, which was available with either a four-barrel carburetor or, for serious performance, three two-barrel carburetors."

(...)

1962

"For 1962, the Galaxie name was applied to all of Ford's full size models, as the Fairlane moved to a new intermediate and Custom was temporarily retired. New top-line Galaxie 500 (two-door sedan and hardtop, four-door sedan and hardtop, and "Sunliner" convertible) models offered plusher interiors, more chrome trim outside, and a few additional luxury items over and above what was standard on the plainer Galaxie models. Base Galaxie models were available in two- and four-door sedans as well as the plain Ranch Wagon.

(...) The 292 cu in (4.8 l) V8 was standard on the 500/XL. The XL had as sportier trim inside and out as part of the package. "

(...)

1963

"For 1963, Ford saw no reason to radically change a good thing, and the 1963 model was essentially unchanged save for some freshening and added trim; windshields were reshaped and a four-door hardtop 500/XL was added."

(...)

1964

"Model year 1964 was the fourth and final year of this body style. Interior trim was much altered, and the exterior featured a more sculpted look which was actually designed to make the car more aerodynamic for NASCAR. The formal-roof "boxtop" style was replaced by a slanted-roof design for all non-wagon or convertible models, including sedans. Ford's quality control, spotty when the first Galaxie was introduced, was now as good as it ever was, and many 1964 Fords passed the 100,000-mile (160,000 km) mark intact. The 1964 models gained an enviable reputation as durable, comfortable cars that offered decent handling and road-ability at a reasonable price, so it is no wonder they sold so well."

(...)

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Galaxie

   

One of the most revolutionary cars in all of motoring history, a car that has often been declared as the Space Shuttle in the Middle Ages! Beauty, style and performance all harnessed in one simple bodyshell. It can't be anything other than the Jaguar E-Type!

 

When it was launched in 1961, Britain was still very much an antiquated Victorian country, and transport was not much better. Steam Trains still had another 7 years to go and the most you could get out of the Motor Industry were flaky BMC products such as the humble Austin Cambridge and the Morris Minor. Unbeknownst to this very slow moving world of modesty, the entire picture was about to be turned on its head. In music, the Beatles rocked their way into everlasting legacy, the De Havilland Comet brought nations closer together, and Jaguar launched the E-Type, a car that set the motoring world ablaze!

 

Designed by Malcolm Sayer and powered by a 3.8L Straight Six engine, the Jaguar E-Type could now whisk people to 150mph, and with there being no speed limits back then, that was not too much of a stretch to imagine. You just had to look at it to see nothing but speed, everything about it was designed to go as fast as possible!

 

In spirit, the E-Type can trace its roots back to the race ready D-Type, also designed by Malcolm Sayer and notable for raking home victory after victory at Le Mans, being credited with being one of the most advanced sports cars of all time. A limited edition road going version, the XKSS, made the idea of a D-Type on the public highway possible, and parts developed in this often forgotten little gem helped to culminate in the final and superb E-Type.

 

On March 16th 1961, the E-Type was released upon the unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show to an absolute roar of applause and acclaim. It made the front page of pretty much every newspaper in Europe, and orders absolutely rolled in by the thousand! The thing that made the E-Type so desirable was the fact that it was fun on a budget, a high performance 150mph capable machine for an affordable price of just £2,000, the equivalent of about £40,000 today. Now you may think that's a lot of money, but when you consider that a car of comparable beauty and performance was double that price, you'd know it was something truly special.

 

However, this proved to be a problem for the comparatively small company, who simply couldn't turn out the cars fast enough to supply the demand. Millions and Millions of Pounds worth of orders were being placed, with some owners even going so far as to place deposits at 10 to 15 Jaguar dealers hoping that one of them could give them a car! The biggest problem was trying to supply differing markets, especially if you were British because in order to appease the desperate American buyers, cars would be built in LHD for 6 month periods at a time, which meant if you were someone wishing to buy a car here in the UK, you'd be stuck for the best part of a year!

 

But it was obvious why, these cars were unrealistically fast! Tap the pedal and you'd be at 60mph in 7.1 seconds, press it further and you'd be over 100, and if you pressed it further, the bonnet would rise and with blood gushing from your eyes and every fibre of your body telling you to stop, you'd be hitting 150mph! That doesn't sound like much today considering the Aston Martins and Ferrari's we're so used to, but in 1961 this was absolutely unheard of.

 

Not that your E-Type would ever make 150mph because Jaguar had been a tad naughty. As it turns out the initial test cars that had been leant to the Press had been tuned to reach that golden 150, but the rest of the flock would barely go that fast. This was further compounded by a troublesome gearbox, hopeless brakes, cramped interior and uncomfortable seats. Jaguar's con had only been done to bless their car with the initial fame that would sell the production models, but in 1965 Jaguar chose to redress the issue by fitting the car with a much larger and much better 4.2L Straight Six engine.

 

But once the novelty had worn off the E-Type was starting to become maligned. Much like owning a topping Rolls Royce, seeing one being driven in the street opened the wounds of jealousy that continued to divide the social classes, and if you were very lucky you'd only get away with a disapproving look or a nasty name, if you weren't expect a brick, a can of paint or a rock to be hurtled in your direction! At the same time because so many cars had been built, the Second Hand market became saturated which meant that people could pick up early ones for a song, which removed the exclusivity that these vehicles had once commanded. Again, much like a Rolls Royce these owners only saw them as ways to get women to take off their clothes for you, and thus didn't exactly give them the love that such cars required.

 

However, this was before we got to the biggest problem of them all, America.

 

Actually I take it back, America can't be blamed for everything, in fact the stringent safety legislation and rules on car manufacturing can be credited to the increased safety of modern motor vehicles, the people to be blamed though are in fact the car manufacturers themselves for not being able to incorporate the compulsory safety features whilst still keeping the car stylish.

 

But still, throughout the 1960's the death of James Dean had resulted in a gradual increase in safety legislation on US Highways, and in order to have a market there, cars had to conform. The height of the headlights, the bumpers, the smoke emissions, the recess of the switches, all of these things were scrutinised and had to be taken into account by car builders. The E-Type became a shameful victim as its looks were compromised with changes to the lights, and body profile. To be honest the Series II was not that bad a car, still retaining much of its charm, especially when you compare it to 1971's Series III which was formulated by British Leyland. With the cabin looking like it had sunk, the lights being stretched and contorted, and sporting a massive 5.3L V12 engine. By this point many of the cars former buyers saw the E-Type as damaged beyond repair and thus sales began to tumble. British Leyland however had been planning to replace the car since the late 1960's, and after much deliberation its replacement, the Jaguar XJS, was launched in 1975, bringing an end to the increasingly hard to sell E-Type. Although very well performing, in terms of looks, the XJS was considered by many classic Jag fans to be absolute heresy, but would go on to have a much longer life that the E-Type, being built until 1996.

 

However, even before the last E-Type left the production line the originals were already being hailed as classical heroes. In total well over 70,000 of these cars had been sold, and a large number of them remain on the roads. During the late 70's and 80's the car continued to be a major pin-up, often ending up rather oddly, and to my mind a bit shamefully, in erotic films and porn movies (I sure hope they washed thoroughly afterwards). But when you look at the E-Type you can understand why, it is a seriously sexy looking car!

 

So iconic and so stylish were these cars that over the years many different replica models have also been made. Throughout the 1990's the company Eagle GB built the Eagle E-Type, brand new cars built to exactly the same specifications as the original Series I versions, whilst in 2011 the Eagle Speedster was produced, revising the bodyshape but attempting to maintain the charm of the original, and in 2014 several remaining chassis from the original production run that had been kept in storage are intended to be built into fully functioning cars.

 

The E-Type may have died a long time ago, but its reputation isn't letting up! :D

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