MG -TD-Midget-RD

Year of construction: 1950

Cylinder capacity: 1.250 cc - 4 cylinder

Power ouput: 57 HP/ 43 Kw

Maximum speed: 130 km/h

Cruise speed: 90 km/h

Dual carburetor

4 - speed gearbox

The manufacturer of the MG was originally a dealer of the Morris Motor Company, and this dealer began independently producing sports cars in 1924.

The basis of which was to lower the chassis of a Morris Cowly while adding a sporty body.

With this design named "MG", an abbreviation of "Morris Garage" the manufacturer became synonymous with the term "sports cars" and this brand name was promoted through many succesful racing events.

Due to the enormous succes with their sports cars, MG outgrew its home for three times, but in 1935 all of the MG's holdings were sold to the car manufacturer "Moris Motor Company".

MG would never be the same after that as fewer new models were made and participation in racing was discontinued.

The real death blow to MG was inflicted by British Leyland which squandered the illustrious name in the 1970s because it only produced characterless cars and stopped putting the famous MG- emblem on their cars.

Since 2011, Chinese carmaker "SAIC- Motors" became the owner of the MG brand name, and in 2011 the characterless MG-MG-6 reappeared in the United Kingdom.

This was followed in 2019 by the MG-ZS-EV SUV, but this model is also one of a dozen in a dozen........

I shot this in a parking lot of an apple orchard...it was definitely the apple of my eye!

Volvo and sportiness didn’t exactly go hand in hand 50 years ago, although one car with nippy ambitions stood out from the Swedish carmaker’s lineup. That car was the P1800, which came to change Volvo’s fortunes in the sports car arena after the resoundingly unsuccessful, fiberglass-bodied P1900. Volvo churned out 39,414 P1800s between 1961 and 1972, in three derivatives: P1800 S, 1800 S - S stood for Sverige or Sweden, and 1800 E - E stood for einspritzung, which means fuel injection in German.

Volvo P1800 Exterior

For the P1800’s exterior styling, Volvo went to Pelle Petterson, who was a sailor and yacht designer. He was also the son of Helmer Petterson, the man in charge of Volvo’s PV444 back in the 1940s.

In designing the P1800, Pelle worked under the supervision of Pietro Frua, whose studio was at the time a subsidiary of Carrozzeria Ghia. Hence the zesty Italian vibe oozed by the P1800’s body panels, in serious contrast with the Swedish design approach. What’s more, the floor pan of the P1800 was, in fact, a shorter version of the Volvo 121/122S, so the car had a shorter wheelbase as a result (245 centimeters or 8.03 feet). Overall length came in at 440 centimeters (14.4 feet)

As Jay Leno once said, this car could have easily been a Ferrari. It was rare, it was cool, it had just the right visual appeal with those round headlights, long hood, swooping rear side fins and then it had the fame, courtesy of a prolonged appearance in the British hit television series The Saint.

In the last year of its career, the P1800 was also offered in three-door estate form (call it a shooting brake if you wish).

Volvo fitted the P1800 with a then brand-new 1.8-liter (1778 cc), four-cylinder gasoline engine. The initial power rating was 100 horsepower, but over the years, the unit saw it bumped to 108, 115, and 120 horsepower. Come 1968, the P1800 got a 2.0-liter (1986 cc), carbureted engine with 118 horsepower followed by a fuel-injected derivative in 1969 - but power only went up to 120 horsepower.

The gearbox range included three options: a four-speed manual, a four-speed manual with overdrive, or a 3-speed automatic. In the front, the P1800 sported hydraulic disc brakes, while the rear had drums. Later models got discs on all four corners.

Buick Century 63 Riviera Hardtop Sedan 1958, "the chrome King"

Buick is a division of the American automobile facturer General Motors (GM).

Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1988, it was among the first American automobile brands and was the company that established General Motors in 1908. Before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder William C. Durant had served as Buick's general manager and major investor. With the demise of Oldsmobile in 2004, Buick became the oldest surviving American carmaker.

The 1958 Buick Century harnesses the full power of Buick's mightiest engine to the agile and highly maneuverable Buick 122- inch wheelbase-giving a power-to-weight ratio that was a honey in any performance lovers's language.

Teaming up with this great new powerplant was the eye-wink obedience and silksmooth response of an advanced new Variable Pitch Dynaflow.

And along with all this came the rock-firm solidity, easy handling and wondurous comfort of Buick's MIracle Ride.

On every score- and particulary from the many luxury features that came with its brillant performance the Century took top honors for prestige in its field again in 1958.

Cylinder alignment: V8, 16 valves 5.957 cc

Output: 283 HP

Transmission: 3- gear box manual

Body: 4- doors, 6 seats/ 3 in the front and 3 in the back

Acceleration: 0 to 100 km/h in 11.7 seconds

Top speed: 173 km/h

A 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4 designed by Giovanni Michelotti for Bertone. Like many sons following in their father’s

footsteps, Giovanni Michelotti, born in Torino in 1921, seemed destined to follow in his. At the time of his birth, the elder Michelotti was already a machine shop manager at the Torino-based carmaker Itala’s engine factory, so it seems little coincidence that the younger Michelotti would come to develop a deep love of all things mechanical, especially cars.

Leaving school at just fifteen-years-old, Michelotti garnered his first experience in the automotive industry as an apprentice at the Stabilimenti Farina in Cambiano, just outside his hometown. If that name seems familiar, it is because the nascent design house, and the best car-design “school” existing at the time, was started by the older brother of Battista “Pinin” Farina. Today the firm is called Pininfarina S.p.A, and still in operation. It was there that Michelotti’s talent was nurtured, if not recognized at first. In this golden age of coach building, and just two years into his apprenticeship, Michelotti’s first credited design was a body design for a Lancia Astura, in 1938. The project, however, was not meant to be, and never put into production. Michelotti continued to churn out sketches, though. It would be a little while, but Farina would eventually put Michelotti’s designs for a re-bodied 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 into production, and soon thereafter a series of designs based on the Talbot T-26. The success of having cars derived from his work was the motivation that Michelotti needed to strike out on his own. He would establish his own studio, Studio Technico e Carrozzeria G. Michelotti, Torino in 1949.

Michelotti would continue to work freelance for several Italian Carrozzerias, including Bertone, Ghia, Allemano, and Vignale. His first commission as an independent designer was a body for a variant based on the Ferrari 166, which would become just the first of many Ferraris he penned throughout his career. Throughout the 1950s, he would work on designs for Maserati, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo as well. Bodies for the Ferrari 212 Inter, Ferrari 340 Mexico Coupe, Maserati 3500GT, Lancia Aurelia, and Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce would flow from his hand, and oh, what a hand it was. While Michelotti is now considered the father of freelance car design, it is also said that he would create the first sketches in one day and night only working with his pencils.

Michelotti is credited with more that 1,200 designs–cars, and even buses and trucks–where at least one model was produced. The quality, quantity, and breadth of his work are just some of the reasons why he was inducted into the European Automotive Hall of Fame in 2009. Over the years, Michelotti declined numerous offers to join other coachbuilders because he was valued his independence as a freelancer, and the varied challenges they allowed. Michelotti passed away too soon in 1980, at the age of just 59. Carrozzeria Michelotti closed its doors in 1993.

Above credited to: Benjamin Shahrabani from his article in Petrolicious

1959 Studebaker Lark.

The cleverly designed Studebaker Lark didn’t save the company, but it did buy a few more years for the proud Indiana automaker.

For 1959, Studebaker pulled another rabbit out of its hat. Faced with falling volume and rapidly fading resources, the South Bend carmaker took its aged and obsolete passenger car line and with some clever slicing and dicing, transformed it into a trendy and stylish compact. The Lark beat the compacts of the Big Three to the market by nearly a year, racking up some much-needed sales for the struggling manufacturer.

Sales remained strong in 1960 at more than 125,000 units, but by 1961 the Lark’s numbers were in steep decline—down to not quite 65,000 cars. By that time the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair, and Chrysler/Plymouth Valiant were established in the marketplace, and General Motors had launched the successful Buick Special, Olds F-85, and Pontiac Tempest senior compacts. There was no more room for Studebaker. Alas, the Indiana carmaker was being squeezed out of the compact category, just like everywhere else. For 1965, the Lark name was retired.

One of the last real auto shows (SIA 2012, Kiev, May 23-27).

DSC_1274

At the dawn of the 20th century, Marc Birkigt, a young Swiss engineer, left for Spain to develop an electric tramway; a project that would remain on paper only. Birkigt instead turned to the manufacture of motor cars, following a meeting with a Spanish financier, Damian Mateu. As it was a Spanish-Swiss collaboration, the automobile company that the two founded in 1904 was named Hispano-Suiza. The excellent build quality of the new models from H-S soon gave the carmaker a reputation that extended well beyond Spain. Moreover, with the support of the King of Spain, Birkigt's cars began to successfully campaign in the world of motorsport.

To meet French and European demand, Birkigt set up a factory in France in 1911. During the war, Birkigt returned to Spain, where he designed an aircraft engine for the French air force. From 1917, Hispano-Suiza powered aircrafts (Spads, Nieuports, Sopwith Dolphins, and many others) would prove to be powerful, reliable, and efficient, helping attain French air supremacy over the Germans.

Hispano-Suiza engines also went on to power the aircrafts of the ‘escadrille de Cigognes’ or stork squadron, which included the famous aviator Georges Guynemer. The Cigognes squadron, with several of the aces flying with them, became famous after Georges Guynemer had a stork (the symbol of Alsace, from where he originated) painted on the fuselage of his Nieuport plane. When the latter died, after scoring his 54th dogfight victory, Guynemer and Cigognes squadron’s stork became the emblem of the entire squadron of Hispano-Suiza powered planes. H-S then requested of Guynemer's mother permission to use the symbol as their mascot, and it was enthusiastically granted.

Not only were Hispano-Suizas more technologically advanced (than Rolls-Royce, for instance, who used the former’s braking technology under license) than the competition, they were also exquisitely crafted by some of the finest coachbuilders then. Distinguishing them was a beautiful flying stork mascot atop the radiator shell, designed by a young French sculptor called François-Victor Bazin. A graduate of the School of Decorative Arts and then the National School of Fine Arts in Paris, Bazin also joined the French air force’s Spa 164 CF2 fighter squadron, but passed his pilot's license only in July 1918, towards the fag end of the War. Incidentally, François Bazin met Marc Birkigt in 1918 on the battlefield, where the latter would come regularly to encourage the French pilots. In the process, Birkigt and Bazin became friends.

After the war, Marc Birkigt contacted Bazin to conceive and sculpt the radiator mascot for their H6 family of cars, as well as the symbol of the company, using the flying stork motif as a tribute to Guynemer. Bazin would go on to sculpt some of the finest of automotive mascots, including the one for Isotta Fraschini, the Triomphe, the Croisière Noire, as well as several others.

MGB Roadster

The Citroën Traction Avant is the world's first monocoque-bodied, front-wheel drive, mass-production car. A range of mostly 4-door saloons and executive cars, as well as longer wheelbased "Commerciale", and three row seating "Familiale" models, were produced with four- and six-cylinder engines, by French carmaker Citroën from 1934 to 1957. With some 760,000 units built, the Traction Avants were the first front-wheel drives made in such (six-figure) quantity.

This 1939 Citroën Traction Avant NFO133 was seen near Prescott on 26 May 2024.

The wildly different 3 amigos with a Racing Porsche, a Pre-War Flathead single seat racer, and our star, the amazing 1957 Isetta 4 seat Bubble Car, constructed by BMW and the car that saved the failing BMW.

In the early-1950s, in Italy, the market demand for small, inexpensive cars inspired engineer and businessman Renzo Rivolta to create one. At that time, he was the owner of Iso Autoveicoli the country’s third-largest motorcycle manufacturer, a company that, prior to the war, made refrigerators and other appliances. These roots were best symbolized by the refrigerator-like door, a feature that became emblematic for the microcar.

Revealed at the 1953 Turin Motor Show, the car envisioned by Rivolta was nicknamed Isetta, the diminutive form of Iso. It was created on a tiny chassis around a 236 cc (14.4 cu in) two-stroke sourced from the motorcycles built by the company.

Although it was very small, its bubble-shaped body was designed to maximize space and could accommodate two adults. To facilitate access the hinged steering wheel and column swung out with the large front door and legend has it that on the first prototype an actual repurposed refrigerator door was used.

Performance-wise, the 9.5-hp engine meant the car needed over 30 seconds to reach 31 mph (50 kph) but that didn’t stop several owners from entering Isettas in the legendary Mille Miglia endurance race in 1954.

Rivolta wanted to maximize the profits of this vehicle in order to fund his other projects which involved the development of luxury grand tourers, so he decided to sell the blueprints and equipment to other manufacturers.

Among the companies that acquired the license for the Isetta was BMW, which was experiencing poor sales and was in dire need of a new strategy.

In 1955, war-torn Germany was in the process of rebuilding, and in the East, the Messerschmitt KR175 microcar emerged as an increasingly popular vehicle. Sensing the segment’s potential, the struggling Bavarians introduced the BMW Isetta 250 hoping that it could help revive sales.

Equipped with a modified version of the 250 cc (15.2 cu in) four-stroke from the BMW R25/3 motorcycle and an upgraded front suspension setup, the German version also had repositioned headlights and a soft-top sunroof that was designed as an emergency exit.

With the new 12-hp engine, the car accelerated reasonably faster and could reach a top speed of 53 mph (85 kph). This helped make it more appealing than it ever was in Italy, with more than 10,000 units being produced in the first eight months.

The car evolved into a four-seater a year later with the introduction of the BMW 600, a stretched-out version with a more conventional four-wheel layout and the capacity to seat four. It was powered by a larger 19.5-hp flat-twin and was even available with a semi-automatic transmission. Only manufactured for two years, 34,813 units were sold which did not meet the Bavarian carmaker’s expectations, partially because it was similarly priced as the far more popular Volkswagen Beetle.

Production of the smaller 300 continued until 1962 totaling close to 130,000 units (excluding the 600s) which made it the best-selling vehicle of its kind. While BMW’s future remained in muddy waters throughout the early 1960s, the cash flow from the Isetta helped the company survive throughout one of its darkest periods and became a cult hero in the process. Without that cashflow, BMW would have gone under.

Apart from Italy and Germany, the innovative vehicle was also manufactured under license by Velam in France, Isetta of Great Britain in the UK, Metalmecánica in Argentina, and Romi in Brazil.

AS ALWAYS....COMMENTS & INVITATIONS with AWARD BANNERS will be respectfully DELETED!

From 1926 to 1929 Škoda built a total of 100 luxury cars in license from Spanish luxury carmaker Hispano-Suiza. Not least the long wheelbase of 3690 mm guaranteed for an impressive showing. Taking care of an appropriate driving performance was a 6.6-litre inline six-cylinder with OHC valve timing. Thanks to double ignition and mechanical brakes the luxurious cruiser ran very reliable. As a particular innovative feature for its time the brake booster used the 120-kph car's kinetic energy.

Techno-Classica 2023

Essen, Germany.

I could have sworn I'd posted this one before but I suppose not.

I know this has been said a million times before, but it amazes me just how quickly Hyundai went from making dross like this that you'd never consider buying unless you were skint, and now look at them. Today, apparently, Hyundai is the third largest carmaker in the world. Try telling someone in 1997 that's where they'd be in 25 years or so and they'd never believe you.

One owner from new. This was never a particularly common spec, just 130 or so at its peak, and of those, only 2 survive.

Winning the Pike's Peak race, and placing 6th at Indy, this car went to auction with $6-700,000 estimates, and actually sold for $1.1 Million! Gorgeously restored, this image is from Laguna Seca, and the owner/driver let us sit in it with the Imposing steering wheel dominating your vision.

'As early as 1929, Ab Jenkins set his sights on Indy, but it wasn't until 1931 that he took his best shot. He'd already known George Hunt, Studebaker's testing chief, from his time racing Studebakers in endurance runs in the late Twenties, and according to Gordon Eliot White's "Ab & Marvin Jenkins: The Studebaker Connection and the Mormon Meteors," Studebaker owed Jenkins for his expenses, so he cashed in that IOU in the form of off-the-shelf Studebaker Commander axles, hardware, and a Commander 337-cu.in. straight-eight engine.

He and Hunt then took the lot over to Indianapolis-based Herman Rigling, who built one of his Indy chassis around the components and slid it under a Pop Dreyer-built aluminum body. Somebody - most likely Hunt - spent the time massaging the nine-main-bearing straight-eight with a 6.5:1 compression ratio aluminum cylinder head, four Studebaker truck carburetors, a Scintilla magneto, and a reground camshaft to bump the stock engine's output from 110 to 175 horsepower.

They built the car according to the so-called "junk formula" template that Eddie Rickenbacker initiated for the 1930 Indy 500. Over the prior 20 years, the race entries had grown ever more exotic, expensive, and removed from the vehicles that carmakers offered. In an attempt to lure those carmakers back to supporting Indy, Rickenbacker increased allowable engine displacement from 91.5 cubic inches to 366 cubic inches for heavier, naturally aspirated four-stroke engine-vehicle combinations and re-instituted the riding mechanic.

Jenkins's illness forced him and Hunt to find another driver, Indy veteran Tony Gulotta, who qualified in the No. 37 car at 111 MPH. Along with riding mechanic Carl Riscigno, Gulotta turned in a spectacular performance. While they started in the middle of the pack, according to The Old Motor, Guletta was given the signal to run flat our with 80 laps to go then "passed 18 cars in the next 46 laps and was running in first place when he hit a patch of oil left over from a crash, and went into the wall ending its run." The two men walked away unscathed and Gulotta was credited with 18th place.

Hunt took the car straight back to South Bend to repair it before entering it - still wearing No. 37 - in that year's Pikes Peak hillclimb. While White makes mention of Jenkins's involvement in the car throughout this period, Pikes Peak records list the car as the Hunt Special and another driver, Chuck Myers, drove the car in the event. Myers did well too, beating out Jerry Unser and Glen Shultz with a time of 17 minutes, 10.3 seconds, good enough for an overall win and a course record.'

thanks to Hemming's Motor News.

Double click on the image to enlarge for details

The Transparent Factory in Dresden, Germany

Transparent Factory is the English name of an automobile production plant owned by German carmaker Volkswagen and opened in 2002. The original German name is Gläserne Manufaktur (factory made of glass, literally vitreous manufactory). Both the German and English names are a word play on the double meaning of transparent and glassy, referring to both optical transparency and transparency of the production process.

The main purpose of the factory is the assembly of Volkswagen's luxury sedan, the Phaeton. Spare capacity was also used to construct Bentley Continental Flying Spurs until 2006, when all work was transferred to Bentley's Crewe plant.

The Transparent Factory is situated in the city center of Dresden, the 800-year-old German baroque city known for its arts and craftsmanship. It stands at the former location of the convention center. The factory's walls are made almost completely of glass. Its floors are covered entirely in Canadian maple. Its visitor-friendly layout was designed to accommodate up to 250 tourists per day. There are no smokestacks, no loud noises, and no toxic byproducts.

For my video; youtu.be/Wwvwa9a-Fjw?si=QBfKQpfa1crt_HA-

Entrance to the 40th annual,

All British Field Meet is an Annual event held in Vancouver's Van Dusen Botanical Garden,

Oakridge, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The longest-running and most significant annual display of British vehicles in Western Canada.

11 C, and raining

The Aston Martin Rapide is an executive saloon car that was produced by the British carmaker Aston Martin from 2010 until 2020. Aston Martin began development of the Rapide in 2005 as the company's first series produced four-door

The imposing two-tone blue totally-restored vehicle, which was discovered in derelict state in Indonesia in the 1980s, was designed to revive Mercedes-Benz’s image as a luxury carmaker following the devastation of its German factories in World War II.

The car was actually a prototype model of a luxury coupe and never went into production because of Germany's involvement in World War II, which has led to the devastation of the company's factories and other industrial facilities in the country. With the evolution of a much more advanced powertrain components like the single overhead camshaft engine, the platform of the 1948 Mercedes-Benz W142 A320 prototype was no longer used and the car was sold to a Dutch businessman and brought the car to Indonesia.

The car remained there for almost 40 years before being discovered by chance by an Australian rare car antiques seeker and transported to Melbourne in the late 1980s. At that time it was in a very bad condition, badly painted red and in an absolutely unusable condition. After an expert assessment by specially invited director of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Max-Gerritt von Pein, the car's authentic status was confirmed and this gave impetus to its complete restoration. Payne is amazed not only that the vehicle has survived, but that it has been preserved in its original form. The work to return the convertible to its original factory design involved complete disassembly, which revealed traces of the original two-tone blue paint under the door hinges, and after removing the vinyl trim, the original two-tone leather upholstery was also revealed. With the help of specialists from Melbourne, the one-of-a-kind was fully restored in early 2006 to bring it as close as possible to its original specification.

The Mercedes-Benz W142 A320 cabrio measures about 5.5 meters (18.04 feet) and has 142-inch long wheelbase. Outside, the rare Mercedes-Benz cabriolet features a sleek two-tone blue exterior color and a soft top roof. On the inside, the restored leather seats remains in tack. The car is equipped with a 59kW side-valve engine under its hood.

Although the car went through a complete restoration, it looks like the original Mercedes-Benz W142 A320 prototype model developed in 1948, according to Max-Gerritt von Pein, the head of Mercedes-Benz Museum who inspected the car.

The 1948 W142 therefore remained a one-off prototype and eventually escaped into private hands, surviving today as a unique example of what might have been.

Sources: newatlas.com ; shannons.com.au ; Techno Classica Essen 2012

This is actually a restaurant in Dearborn. I loved the old cars that they had displayed. Ford's Garage is an American chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 2012.[1] The first restaurant was opened in Fort Myers, Florida. As of April 2021, the company had 16 restaurants in three states, the majority of which are operated by 23 Restaurant Services. The chain has a licensing agreement with the Ford Motor Company that allows it to use the Ford name and the carmaker's logo.[2]

@UN Climate Conference (COP23):

A Short-sighted Germany Goes Off Target !

Germany, our hospitable host, where did you go wrong?

Is this the same country that provided funding to the Adaptation Fund last week? The so called "climate chancellor" who got G7 leaders to agree to decarbonize the global economy?

Even our tired brains know that yes, it is the same country and that same chancellor! But somehow in the middle of all this, the German government seems to have forgotten about the most important part of being a climate leader: reducing your emissions.

There’s no arguing with science (though some do try); if your emissions go up, temperatures will not go down and if your fossil fuel use goes up, you will not decarbonize the global economy.

The preliminary emissions statistics for Germany for 2017 were just released and they are not pretty. German greenhouse gas emissions are going to increase this year, due to an increase in oil, natural gas, and lignite consumption. German emissions have not decreased since 2009. Chancellor Merkel's successive governments have failed to address climate change at home for years. The Chancellor has preferred to listen to the fossil fuel industry, energy intensive companies, and the powerful carmakers, rather than the people who demand strong climate action. Germany is currently projected to dramatically miss its domestic 2020 target of 40% emissions reductions - unless the next government acts decisively and shuts down coal fired power plants and also begins a low-carbon transition in the transport, industry and agriculture sector.

If you are interested, you can read more about the other "Fossil of the Day" awards here , given by the CAN (climate action network) during the UN climate conference 2017 in Bonn.

And in the actually happening initial exploratory talks about forming a new government in Germany, climate protection goals are not the most important point of discussion !!!

That's so sad but TGIF !

Orosi valley in the mountains of central Costa Rica

The Porsche Museum is an automobile museum in the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart, Germany on the site of carmaker Porsche.

1967 Pontiac GTO

Considering the excitement surrounding the Pontiac GTO, it is tough to believe that it wasn’t the fastest or most powerful muscle car back when it was launched. However, it still ranks at the top of the muscle car list because it was the first car that gave birth and popularized the genre. Muscle cars were essentially an invention of marketing, rather than technology, and the GTO offered this aspect for the first time to baby boomers.

This car was introduced in 1964, as the optional GTO performance package for the Pontiac Tempest. It gained traction and emerged as a popular supercar, which was later termed as “muscle car”. GTO is often known as The Legend or The Great One, and has also been referred to as The Grandfather of Muscle Cars. However, the name of “The Goat” is what defined its reign, and remains common when it comes to classic GTOs.

John DeLorean is the person who took the acronym of GTO from the Ferrari 250 GTO. The abbreviation stands for Gran Turismo Omolgato, which means a versatile car that can be used for racing in multiple events. As per Edmunds, “the Ferraristi were up in arms about an American carmaker giving a midsize coupe with no pedigree the same name as their legendary sports car.” Despite a lot of protests, the name Pontiac remained, and perhaps it can be attributed to sheer arrogance!

Americans tend to reduce car names to a world comprising a single syllable as it is easier to pronounce and remember. Thus a Corvette becomes ‘vette, while Mustang is shortened to ‘stang and Baracuda to ‘cuda. The latter influenced Plymouth to refer to performance based models as ‘Cuda in the year 1968. Similarly, Goat became synonymous as the single syllable term for Pontiac GTO. The original source of this name is still unknown, but it caught on and remained. Some say the name is a reversal of the last two letters in GTO.

A very nice Canary Yellow T Bucket (Ford 1923 Model T) that hit the bricks at Back to the Bricks car show in Baldwin City Kansas.

In 1923, annual production of the Model T Ford reached the astounding rate of two million cars. Here’s a look back at that remarkable year.

How Henry Ford put America on wheels with the Model T is one of the best-told tales of the Motor City. By continually standardizing the product, increasing manufacturing effiency, and then lowering the price, Ford conquered and then utterly dominated the automobile market. At one point more than half the cars on the road in the United States were Model Ts.

While other carmakers added more features and gimmicks every year, Ford held the line with the same basic model introduced in October of 1908. Every last fastener was scrutinized in the effort to simplify and speed production. Starting in 1914, black was standardized as the sole available color due to its shorter drying time. There’s some doubt as to whether Ford himself originally said, “You can have any color you want as long as it’s black,” but he certainly embraced the principle. Through the relentless reductions in manufacturing cost, by 1923 Ford was able to lower the price to a seemingly impossible $269. Adjusting for inflation, that works out to a little more than $5,000 in modern dollars.

However, the astounding price of $269 for a two-seat Runabout or $298 for a five-passenger Touring wasn’t entirely due to the miracle of mass production. The advertised price was lowballed by stripping the Model T to the bone: It didn’t include an electric starter, demountable rims, a spare tire, or a floor mat. An electric starter was available for $65, and more than 80 percent of the Ford buyers that year opted to pay extra rather than crank their engines by hand.

Along with the two open-top models, the Model T was also available as a Coupe ($530), a Tudor Sedan ($595) or a Fordor Sedan ($725), and on the closed models, an electric starter was included. However, the Touring and Runabout represented the bulk of the sales volume by far. Closed cars would not really catch on with the American public for a few more years, while the flexible Model T chassis was not well-suited to enclosed body styles anyway.

As there were no formal annual model changes at Ford back in those days, sales and production were tallied by the calendar year. And in 1923, Model T production (global, but not including Canada) reached its all-time record of 2,011,125 cars. Also that year, total Ford production passed the nine-million mark, and by the time production ceased in 1927, more than 15 million Model Ts had been sold. The volume numbers dwarfed the other automakers.

But 1923 was indeed the peak, as sales began to taper off from there: 1.9 million in 1924 and 1925, 1.5 million in 1926. While the Model T was the ideal first car for middle-class Americans, when it came time for their second vehicle purchase they were ready for more style, comfort, and performance. In 1927, Henry Ford finally gave in and discontinued the Model T, but he then made the incredible decision to halt car production for nearly six months as its successor, the Model A, was made ready. Due to the shutdown, Chevrolet was able to take the top spot in the sales charts for the first time. But that’s another remarkable story.

The Citroën Méhari is a lightweight recreational and utility vehicle, manufactured and marketed by French carmaker Citroën over 18 years in a single generation. Built in front-wheel (1968–1988) and four-wheel drive (1980–1983) variants, it features ABS plastic bodywork with optional/removable doors and foldable, stowable, fabric convertible top.

At the dawn of the 20th century, Marc Birkigt, a young Swiss engineer, left for Spain to develop an electric tramway; a project that would remain on paper only. Birkigt next turned to the manufacture of motor cars, following a meeting with a Spanish financier, Damian Mateu. As it was a Spanish-Swiss collaboration, the automobile company that the two founded in 1904 was named Hispano-Suiza.

The excellent build quality of the new models from Hispano-Suiza soon gave the carmaker a reputation that extended well beyond Spain. Moreover, with the support of the King of Spain, Birkigt's cars began to successfully campaign in the world of motorsport. To meet French and European demand, Marc Birkigt set up a factory in France in 1911. During the war, Birkigt returned to Spain, where he designed an aircraft engine for the French air force. From 1917, Hispano-Suiza powered aircrafts (Spads, Nieuports, Sopwith Dolphins, and many others) would prove to be powerful, reliable, and efficient, helping attain French air supremacy over the Germans.

Hispano-Suiza engines also went on to power the aircrafts of the ‘escadrille de Cigognes’ or stork squadron, which included the famous aviator Georges Guynemer. The Cigognes squadron, with several of the aces flying with them, became famous after Georges Guynemer had a stork (the symbol of Alsace, from where he originated) painted on the fuselage of his Nieuport plane. When the latter died, after scoring his 54th dogfight victory, Guynemer and Cigognes squadron’s stork became the emblem of Hispano-Suiza.

Aerodynamics in the car industry started becoming the norm in the 1930s, and carmakers improved their ranges. As a replacement for the 401 and 601 models and in response to Citroën’s Traction, the firm from Sochaux presents a car with an American-inspired design, the 402. This car exists in different versions, from the sedan to the coupé-cabriolet «Eclipse», including the Limousine. It is this last version that interests us here. Its current state of preservation shows a high quality restoration: its paint and interior are in good condition. Despite the fact that it has only been driven a few times, this car is in a satisfactory working condition. Here is an opportunity to acquire a luxurious French car of the 1930’s with very attractive styling!

l'Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS, la Vente Officielle

Aguttes

Estimated : € 10.000 - 15.000

Sold for € 21.900

Citroen Heritage

93600 Aulnay-sous-Bois

France

September 2021

The Porsche Museum is an automobile museum in the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart, Germany on the site of carmaker Porsche.

After the new Mercedes-Benz Museum opened in the east of Stuttgart in 2006, Porsche went ahead with plans to upgrade and extend its museum in the northern district of Zuffenhausen next to the company headquarters. Originally costs were set at 60 million euros but days before the official opening ceremony on 29 January 2009, it was confirmed that the actual costs hit 100 million euros.

The display area covers 5600 square metres featuring around 80 exhibits, many rare cars and a variety of historical models [Wikipedia.org]

N513MW : Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream V : c/n 510.

The "3MW" in the registration is a clue to the aircraft's owner/operator, carmaker BMW.

Manufacturer: Lancia Automobiles S.p.A., Turin - Italy

Type: Fulvia Berlina 1C 1a Serie Tipo 818.000/001

Production time: mid-year 1963 - mid-year 1964

Production time: 1963 - 1967 (1C Series)

Production outlet: 32,200

Engine: 1091cc Lancia 818.000 V-4 (12°53'28") DOHC, chain driven

Power: 58 bhp / 5.800 rpm

Torque: 82.5 Nm / 4.000 rpm

Drivetrain: front wheels (homokinetic Rzeppa joints)

Speed: 138 km/h

Curb weight: 1040 kg

Wheelbase: 97.6 inch

Chassis: front auxiliary frame and subframe with all-steel unibody

Steering: worm & roller

Gearbox: four-speed manual / all synchromesh / steering column shift

Clutch: single dry plate disc

Carburettor: single Solex C32 PAIA 8 downdraft twin choke

Fuel tank: 38 liter

Electric system: Marelli 12 Volts 42 Ah

Ignition system: distributor and coil

Brakes front: Dunlop dual-circle 10 inch hydraulic discs

Brakes rear: Dunlop dual-circle 10.5 inch hydraulic discs

Suspension front: independent wishbones, trapezoidal triangle cross-bars, sway bar, single cross-leaf springs + hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers

Suspension rear: beam axle, Panhard rod, semi-elliptic leaf springs + hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers

Rear axle: live

Differential: hypoid 4.778:1

Wheels: 14 inch steel discs

Tires: 155 - 14 Michelin ZX or Pirelli Cinturato

Options: sun roof, radio

Special:

- Lancia is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars, many technical improvements and also has a strong rally heritage. Lancia quickly earned a reputation for being one of the most innovative carmakers in the world.

- The Lancia Fulvia Series (named after Via Fulvia, the Roman road leading from Tortona to Torino and according to other sources named after Fulvia Flacca Bambula, an aristocratic Roman woman and wife of Mark Antony) was designed in-house (Centro Stile Lancia) at Lancia in Milan - Italy. The technical concept is by Antonio Fessia, the model was designed by Pietro Castagnero. The V-4 engine was designed by Zaccone Mina and mounted forward at a 45-degree angle.

- It was introduced at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show.

- Parallel to the 1C Series ran 2C 1a Series (1964-1967: 48,266 units built) with the same engine but with twin Solex C32 PHH + Solex C32 PHH1 carburettors, 71bhp/6.000 rpm, 92Nm/4.300rpm and a top speed of 145km/h.

- In 1969, Fiat took over production of Lancia, so the Fulvia Berlina Series (1963-1972: 188,637 units built, while other sources say 192,097 units built) was arguably the last true Lancia, all assembled at the new Lancia plant in Chivasso - Italy.

The Porsche Museum is an automotive museum in the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart, Germany on the site of carmaker Porsche.

The new Porsche museum stands on a conspicuous junction just outside Porsche Headquarters in Zuffenhausen. The display area covers 5600 square meters featuring around 80 exhibits, many rare cars and a variety of historical models.

The museum was designed by the architects Delugan Meissl. The exhibition spaces were designed by HG Merz who was also involved in the building of the award winning Mercedes-Benz Museum.

The original Porsche museum opened in 1976 in a side-road near the Porsche factory. It was a relatively small works museum with little parking space and it was only big enough to hold around 20 exhibits (in rotation).

After the new Mercedes-Benz Museum opened in the east of Stuttgart in 2006, Porsche went ahead with plans to upgrade and extend its museum in the northern district of Zuffenhausen next to the company headquarters. Originally costs were set at 60 million euros but days before the official opening ceremony on 29 January 2009, it was confirmed that the actual costs hit 100 million euros. (Source: Wikipedia)

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Das Porsche-Museum ist ein Automuseum. Das Werksmuseum der Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG befindet sich am Porscheplatz in Stuttgart im Stadtteil Zuffenhausen. Am 31. Januar 2009 wurde der Museumsneubau für das Publikum eröffnet. Die architektonische Gestaltung stammt vom Wiener Architektenbüro Delugan Meissl Associated Architects. Das Konzept für den musealen Ausbau wurde vom Stuttgarter Büro hg merz architekten museumsgestalter entwickelt, das bereits für das Mercedes-Benz-Museum verantwortlich war.

Das alte Porsche-Museum wurde 1976 für die Allgemeinheit geöffnet. Es war auf dem Werksgelände in einer ehemaligen Motorenfertigungshalle angesiedelt und wies eine Fläche von 620 Quadratmeter auf. Zwischen 70.000 und 80.000 Besucher besichtigten jährlich die etwa 20 ständig wechselnden Exponate. Der Eintritt war frei.

Nachdem ein zunächst diskutiertes Museumsprojekt zusammen mit Mercedes-Benz auf dem ehemaligen Messegelände Killesberg nicht zustande kam, begann Porsche mit den Planungen für ein neues Museum am Hauptsitz in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Im Oktober 2005 begann der Bau des Museums. Die Baukosten für das neue Museum haben sich auf zirka 100 Millionen Euro verdoppelt.

Die Ausstellungsfläche beträgt ca. 5.600 Quadratmeter auf der 80 Fahrzeuge und 200 Kleinexponate ausgestellt sind.

Bis Juni 2011 wurden 1 Million Besucher des Museums gezählt und es wurden bis dato 5100 Führungen durchgeführt. Knapp 35% der Besucher sind Gäste aus dem Ausland.

Wer mehr darüber lesen möchte schauen bitte bei Wikipedia (= Quelle)

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© 2011 Ursula Sander - All rights reserved.

Some people are truly loyal to one carmaker, a total different European car share the name.

Seen in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

© All rights reserved.

Transparent Factory is the English name of an automobile production plant owned by German carmaker Volkswagen and opened in 2002. The original German name is Gläserne Manufaktur (factory made of glass, literally vitreous manufactory). Both the German and English names are a word play on the double meaning of transparent and glassy, referring to both optical transparency and transparency of the production process.

The main purpose of the factory is the assembly of Volkswagen's luxury sedan, the Phaeton. Spare capacity was also used to construct Bentley Continental Flying Spurs until 2006, when all work was transferred to Bentley's Crewe plant.

The Transparent Factory is situated in the city center of Dresden, the 800-year-old German baroque city known for its arts and craftsmanship. It stands at the former location of the convention center. The factory's walls are made almost completely of glass. Its floors are covered entirely in Canadian maple. Its visitor-friendly layout was designed to accommodate up to 250 tourists per day. There are no smokestacks, no loud noises, and no toxic byproducts.

www.mitsuoka-motor.com/global/company/

The Mitsuoka Viewt is a modification of the Nissan March/Micra sold by the Japanese carmaker Mitsuoka, intended to resemble the 1963 Jaguar Mark 2. The line was launched in January 1993. It, along with Mitsuoka's later Galue, encouraged larger Japanese manufacturers to produce retro-styled versions of their own cars such as the "Flying Pug" version of the Mitsubishi Pajero Junior. wikipedia

Some lovely paddock atmosphere at the 74MM. Seen here is Simon Diffey at the wheel of Niall Dyer's gorgeous 250F, one of the most beautiful front engined GP cars.

This 2.5 litre, six-cylinder Maserati 250F/2518, one of only 26 models ever produced, was originally driven by Argentinian racing driver Onofre Marimón who participated in 11 Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, following his debut in July 1951.

Tragically, just three years later, Marimón was killed driving the car during practice at the Nürburgring ahead of the 1954 German Grand Prix, becoming the first driver ever to be fatally injured at a World Championship GP.

Following the crash, the 250F was rebuilt by the carmaker as the Monza Streamliner and finished fourth in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix driven by Frenchman Jean Behra. However, the car’s rebirth was short lived as it was virtually destroyed in a fire at the Maserati factory in the summer of 1956.

What salvageable parts remained were bought from the factory by restorer Cameron Millar in the mid-sixties, who subsequently sold the parts on as a whole car in component form to Ray Fielding, an avid collector who owned a number of other Maserati racing cars. He commenced the restoration and rebuilding of 2518, and while he eventually managed to complete the car, sadly it never turned a wheel in competition during its time under the Fielding family’s ownership.

The 250F changed hands once more in 2011 and was rebuilt for a third time, with the intention that the car would be used in competition once again. The work was carried by Hertfordshire-based DK Engineering and was sold to the current owner Niall Dyer in early 2014...

(source: Chateau Impney Hillclimb website)

www.motorsportinpictures.com

Place: Foshan, Guangdong Province

Chinese name: 上海华普海迅 (shànghǎi huápǔ hǎixùn)

Year of launch: 2003

Shanghai Maple was a carmaker founded in 2000 as Shanghai Jieshida (Jmstar) Enterprise Development, but renamed Shanghai Maple Guorun Automobile after Geely took a share in the company. In 2008 Shanghai Maple was fully consolidated into Geely. Shanghai Maple produced unlicensed copies of the Citroën ZX (Fukang). Maple's line-up included the Marindo, Hisoon and Hysoul.

R ediance! As you can see this MG classic sports car also flies the flag! Personally I think it was a tragedy when Austin Rover MG was allowed to go to the wall and sold off to the Chinese for a pittance - and under a Labour government too!

Explore #238 April 2nd

The MG Car Company Limited was a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés. Kimber was an employee of William Morris; MG is from Morris Garages. The MG business was Morris's personal property until 1935 when he sold MG into his holding company, Morris Motors Limited, restructuring his holdings before issuing (preference) shares in Morris Motors to the public in 1936.

The original MG marque was in continuous use (barring the years of the Second World War) for 56 years after its inception. Production of predominantly two-seater sports cars was concentrated at a factory in Abingdon, some 10 miles (16 km) south of Oxford. The British Motor Corporation (BMC) competition department was also based at the Abingdon plant and produced many winning rally and race cars. In the autumn of 1980, however, the Abingdon factory closed and MGB production ceased.

Between 1982 and 1991, the MG marque was revived on sportier versions of Austin Rover's Metro, Maestro and Montego ranges. After an interval of barely one year, the MG marque was revived again, this time on the MG RV8 – an updated MGB Roadster with a Rover V8 engine, which was produced in low volumes.

A second revival came in the summer of 1995, when the high volume MG F two-seater roadster was launched. This was an instant hit with buyers, and sold in volumes which had been unthinkable on affordable two-seaters since the 1970s.

The MG marque passed, along with the Rover marque, to the MG Rover group in May 2000, when BMW "broke up" the Rover Group. This arrangement saw the return of MG badges on sportier Rover-based cars, and a revised MG F model, known as the MG TF, launched in 2002. However, all production ceased in April 2005 when MG Rover went into administration.

The assets of MG Rover were bought by Chinese carmaker Nanjing Automobile in July 2005 (subsequently bought by SAIC in December 2007), who now operate a UK subsidiary, MG Motor.

For more information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_Cars

Place: Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Chinese name: 纳智捷锐3 (nàzhìjié ruì 3)

Year of launch: 2016

Taiwanese carmaker Luxgen started producing cars in 2009 with the introduction of the 7 MPV, renamed M7 after a 2014 redesign. The large 7 SUV (renamed U7 after after a 2014 redesign) followed in 2010, the 5 Sedan was launched in 2012 and restyled and renamed to S5 in 2015, whereas the only truly successful U6 hit the market in 2013. Apart from Taiwan, the cars are also locally produced in mainland China by the Dongfeng Yulon joint venture. The U6 is the best-selling Luxgen in China, with 34,631 units in 2014, 47,888 units in 2015, but down in 2016 to 30,817 units. Sales are dangerously down so far in 2017.

The Luxgen S3 hit the Chinese market in 2016. Sales are abominable.

Sales figures: carsalesbase.com/china-car-sales-data/luxgen/luxgen-3-sedan/

1197 cc, blue

The Škoda Yeti (codenamed Typ 5L) is a compact sport-utility vehicle (SUV) produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto and introduced at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, as the carmaker's first entry into the SUV market. In 2009, the Yeti was awarded Family Car of the Year by Top Gear Magazine.

Chichester, Chichester District, England

Notice the knapped flint exterior wall

Not every picture of architecture has to be shiny and pretty. Dark and grungy also works for cold feeling surfaces such as metal and other reflective surfaces.

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The Gläserne Manufaktur (Transparent Factory) is a car factory and exhibition space in Dresden, Germany owned by German carmaker Volkswagen and designed by architect Gunter Henn. It originally opened in 2002, producing the Volkswagen Phaeton until 2016. As of 2017 it produces the electric version of the Golf.

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snapshopped.com

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#matthiasdengler #snapshopped #architekturfotograf #architektur #fotograf #architecture #nürnberg #stuttgart

Place: Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Chinese name: 福迪探索者Ⅱ (fúdí tànsuǒzhě Ⅱ)

Year of launch: ?

Foday or Fudi is a small carmaker manufacturing body-on-frame SUVs and pick-ups. As Flickr user Navigator84 pointed out before, it supplied bodies to other pick-up and SUV manufacturers including Great Wall, Dongfeng, Foton, Wanfeng and Jinbei. Foday finally moved forward in 2014, when it launched the Landfort (SUV) and Lion (Xiongshi) F22 (pick-up). Foday was founded in Foshan, Guangdong in 1988, the city that I shortly visited.

Place: Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Chinese name: 上海华普杰士达SXE7130X (shànghǎi huápǔ jiéshìdá SXE7130X)

Year of launch: 2002

Shanghai Maple was a carmaker founded in 2000 as Shanghai Jieshida (Jmstar) Enterprise Development, but renamed Shanghai Maple Guorun Automobile after Geely took a share in the company. In 2008 Shanghai Maple was fully consolidated into Geely. Shanghai Maple produced unlicensed copies of the Citroën ZX (Fukang). Maple's line-up included the Marindo, Hisoon and Hysoul. However, this is a rare early version with slim headlights, which still has a Jmstar badge on the back, referring to the original owner of the company. Shanghai Maple was phased out in 2010 and replaced by the now defunct Shanghai Englon brand.

Somebody photographed one in 2008, still in all its glory: flic.kr/p/4Uzf2N

Place: Liping, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province

Chinese name: 荣威RX5 (róngwēi RX5)

Year of launch: 2016

The Roewe brand emerged after SAIC failed to acquire the Rover marque from BMW in 2005, instead it was sold to Ford in 2006. The carmakers probably feared SAIC would make SUVs competing with Land Rover... SAIC purchased technology relating to the Rover 75, but most assets were bought by Nanjing Automobile (NAC). NAC had the rights on the MG brand. In 2007 Nanjing Automobile merged with the much larger SAIC Group, which means SAIC is now controlling both Roewe and MG. Roewe's first product was the 750 launched in 2006, a revised and extended sedan based on the Rover 75. It was followed by the 550 based on the same underpinnings in 2008 and the new compact sedan 350 in 2010.

The Roewe RX5 SUV was launched in 2016, succeeding the SsangYong Kyron-based W5. Unlike its predecessor, the RX5 is selling like mad, with almost 20,000 units a month. Last week Roewe launched a more compact SUV (4,40 m), the RX3.

Sales figures: carsalesbase.com/china-car-sales-data/roewe/roewe-rx5/

Place: Foshan, Guangdong Province

Chinese name: 上海华普海迅 (shànghǎi huápǔ hǎixùn)

Year of launch: 2003

Shanghai Maple was a carmaker founded in 2000 as Shanghai Jieshida (Jmstar) Enterprise Development, but renamed Shanghai Maple Guorun Automobile after Geely took a share in the company. In 2008 Shanghai Maple was fully consolidated into Geely. Shanghai Maple produced unlicensed copies of the Citroën ZX (Fukang). Maple's line-up included the Marindo, Hisoon and Hysoul.

A Volkswagen Beetle sits beside Highway 321 to advertise Pelican's ice cream shop near Dixiana, South Carolina.

I have no idea why this Bug got 64,000+/- views even on Explorer. I literally took it on a whim as I sat in the back seat of my friend's car at a red light.

Place: Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Chinese name: 荣威RX5 (róngwēi RX5)

Year of launch: 2016

The Roewe brand emerged after SAIC failed to acquire the Rover marque from BMW in 2005, instead it was sold to Ford in 2006. The carmakers probably feared SAIC would make SUVs competing with Land Rover... SAIC purchased technology relating to the Rover 75, but most assets were bought by Nanjing Automobile (NAC). NAC had the rights on the MG brand. In 2007 Nanjing Automobile merged with the much larger SAIC Group, which means SAIC is now controlling both Roewe and MG. Roewe's first product was the 750 launched in 2006, a revised and extended sedan based on the Rover 75. It was followed by the 550 based on the same underpinnings in 2008 and the new compact sedan 350 in 2010.

The Roewe RX5 SUV was launched in 2016, succeeding the SsangYong Kyron-based W5. Unlike its predecessor, the RX5 is selling like mad, with almost 20,000 units a month. Last week Roewe launched a more compact SUV (4,40 m), the RX3.

Sales figures: carsalesbase.com/china-car-sales-data/roewe/roewe-rx5/

For my video; youtu.be/M2ZZWvdTcNc,

Ferrari built the racing (Corsa) version of its 166 model to attract wealthy customers who wished to race their vehicles.

Based on the aluminum tubular chassis from the 159, the 166 Corsa version was a lighter model with a more powerful engine under the hood. The engineers bolted an additional X-type brace system under the cabin to strengthen the chassis. Ferrari built the 166 to win races, and that's what it did. Even though there were only nine vehicles produced, all of them were covered in glory at races.

Ferrari reshaped the bodywork by removing all the unnecessary elements, such as the wider fenders and the greenhouse. In the end, its designers made an enclosed engine bay with two removable headlights attached to the nose and removable wheel fenders for all the wheels. With all these removed, the car looked like a torpedo on wheels, fit for racing in Formula 2. Even the regular windshield could have been removed and replaced with a windscreen in front of the driver only.

The cockpit was fit for a pilot and a co-pilot. In front of the driver, the carmaker installed a big tachometer with a white needle and a red line at the 7000 rpm mark. A pair of leather bucket seats supported the occupants.

Under the hood, Ferrari installed an updated version of its 1.5-liter Colombo V12 engine. Its displacement was increased to 2.0 liters due to a larger bore. To increase its power, Ferrari installed three dual-barrel Webber carburetors. There was only one transmission available, with five gears.

Tacoma, Washington, United States

Seen in Stockholm, Sweden.

Opel is one of the carmakers with the richest tradition in the world. In 2019 the brand is celebrating 120 years of automobiles. After listening to the advice of her sons Carl, Wilhelm and Friedrich, Sophie Opel decided to start producing cars in 1899 – four years after the death of company founder Adam Opel. What started in a garage in Rüsselsheim am Main with 65 hand-made Opel Patentmotorwagen “System Lutzmann”, has long become a mass phenomenon will more than 70 million vehicles built to date.

The Opel P2 Kapitän came to market in August 1959.

The P2 climbed to a top speed of 150 km/h (93.2 mph), reached 100 km/h (62 mph) in 16 seconds and consumed 12 L/100 km (24 mpg‑imp; 20 mpg‑US).

From August 1959 to December 1963, Opel built 145,618 units of this Kapitän series. No other Opel Kapitän model, before or subsequently, achieved such a high production level.

int-media.opel.com/en/made-germany-opel-celebrates-120-ye...

www.wikiwand.com/en/Opel_Kapit%C3%A4n

A gift from J. Bell Moran on loan from the Detroit Historical Museum.

The Packard Pan-American is a concept car produced for the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan in 1952.

Conceived as a moderate-performance two-seater by Hugh Ferry, president of Packard, it was built by Henney, which was responsible for fitting custom hearse and ambulance bodies on Packard chassis. A status symbol for a carmaker at the time, this sort of car was a very unlikely project for Packard.

With styling by Henney, it was based on the 1951 Series 250 convertible, and ready in time for the 1952 New York International Motor Sports Show. Sectioned and channeled, in a fashion reminiscent of the 1953 Skylark, and wearing the trademark Packard grille, it "was elegantly trimmed throughout".

Packard spent US$10,000 building the Pan-American, and management tried in vain to imagine, let alone develop, a market for a roadster projected to cost at least US$18,000, at a time when the top-line Lincoln Capri six-passenger convertible went for US$3,665, the premier eight-place Cadillac Series 75 Fleetwood US$5643, and even Packard's Patrician 400, their most expensive production model, was only US$3,767, and a six-seater.

As many as six examples were built. The Pan-American did inspire a successful six-place model, the Cavalier, which debuted in 1953. (Wikipedia)