In any case, being just over 39" tall it must have made quite an impact back then, and probably still would! The concept was built on a FIAT chassis and fitted with a 2ltr 4 cylinder engine with DOHC's and producing about 220bhp.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
FIAT Abarth 2000 by Pininfarina
Obviously from these pictures we can see this is 100% a 1970s concept. Im not sure exactly what year it was made but seems like 1970. It quite good looking from a head on angle, but the rear end in my opinion doesnt flow as well.
In any case, being just over 39" tall it must have made quite an impact back then, and probably still would! The concept was built on a FIAT chassis and fitted with a 2ltr 4 cylinder engine with DOHC's and producing about 220bhp.
In any case, being just over 39" tall it must have made quite an impact back then, and probably still would! The concept was built on a FIAT chassis and fitted with a 2ltr 4 cylinder engine with DOHC's and producing about 220bhp.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
100 Years of Car Production in Oxford
This weekend I took a little day trip to Oxford just for the hell of it. Unknown to me they were having a little car meet celebrating 100 years of car manufacturing in Oxford. Right now, as far as I know, the Mini is the only car made in Oxford.
There were a few curious things there...
The first was a 1928 Morris Cowley. I normally don't go to car shows with pre 1950s cars and I probably just haven't noticed this detail before in any of the car museums Ive been in before but I thought it was pretty neat. To eliminate the need to open the window to honk the horn before electric horns were available this one went though the windshield frame.
I always get a kick out of these mechanical water temperature gauges, they look like less complicated pocket watches in a glass case.
This 1926 MG had a pair of very cool ship style air vents on the cowl! I'm not sure if they are original but they certainly looked like something that at the very least would be available in the after market in the 1920s. the inside being painted the same color as the car was a nice touch.
Lastly this odd looking "stop light" mounted on a 1933 Morris Cowley. You can read the whole explanation in the two pages written at the time but basically they were used to signal the car turning, stopping, and even a pre signal warning indicating that a signal was going to be made. I can not imagine these would have been very visible from far away with the light technology of the day and small size!
There were a few curious things there...
The first was a 1928 Morris Cowley. I normally don't go to car shows with pre 1950s cars and I probably just haven't noticed this detail before in any of the car museums Ive been in before but I thought it was pretty neat. To eliminate the need to open the window to honk the horn before electric horns were available this one went though the windshield frame.
I always get a kick out of these mechanical water temperature gauges, they look like less complicated pocket watches in a glass case.
This 1926 MG had a pair of very cool ship style air vents on the cowl! I'm not sure if they are original but they certainly looked like something that at the very least would be available in the after market in the 1920s. the inside being painted the same color as the car was a nice touch.
Lastly this odd looking "stop light" mounted on a 1933 Morris Cowley. You can read the whole explanation in the two pages written at the time but basically they were used to signal the car turning, stopping, and even a pre signal warning indicating that a signal was going to be made. I can not imagine these would have been very visible from far away with the light technology of the day and small size!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Marcos Mantis XP 1968
When the Marcos Mantis XP debuted in the 1968 Spa 24 Hours race in Belgium it must have been like the Batmobile showing up. With the more normal and curvy looking Fords,
Porsches and Ferraris of the late 60s this very angular racer
represented the hopes of a very small British manufacturer who was
fighting for a place in the performance car market. The Mantis XP DNFd the Spa race due to electrical problems, and has been mothballed ever
since then until its recent resurrection by a careful restoration in
California. The 1968 Marcos Mantis XP is literally a one-of-a-kind, not only as far as how many were made, but also in terms of its looks which even nowadays is unique...let alone in 1968!
Some would say the late 1960s represented a high water mark in the automotive world. This was the era of the Ford GT40, Ferrari Dino, Lamborghini Miura, and many other cars whos curves still fascinate today, not to mention all the extremely futuristic prototypes of the era. The Marcos Mantis XP simply brought its futuristic design to the world championship racing circuit. It was powered by a mid-mounted BRM-Repco V8 Formula 1 engine, whose cylinders rose into the clear-covered engine compartment in the rear of the vehicle. This engine gave it a pace which was enough to compete with the world’s top race cars until the electrical problems which sidelined it at the Spa 1000km.
thankfully even though Marcos is no longer in business, the Marcos Mantis XP is seeing new life on the vintage exhibition circuit giving everyone a look at what the future might have looked like circa 1968.
Some would say the late 1960s represented a high water mark in the automotive world. This was the era of the Ford GT40, Ferrari Dino, Lamborghini Miura, and many other cars whos curves still fascinate today, not to mention all the extremely futuristic prototypes of the era. The Marcos Mantis XP simply brought its futuristic design to the world championship racing circuit. It was powered by a mid-mounted BRM-Repco V8 Formula 1 engine, whose cylinders rose into the clear-covered engine compartment in the rear of the vehicle. This engine gave it a pace which was enough to compete with the world’s top race cars until the electrical problems which sidelined it at the Spa 1000km.
thankfully even though Marcos is no longer in business, the Marcos Mantis XP is seeing new life on the vintage exhibition circuit giving everyone a look at what the future might have looked like circa 1968.
Lancia HIT concept by Pininfarina 1988
Many times I come across or recall cars that I cant find much information on and usually tend not to post those as I would like this blog to be as much for information as for just looking at nice pictures. Since there are many cars that I havent posted due to this I am going to start doing so so as to have them even if it is for aesthetics sake.
So, this is the Lancia HIT designed by Pininfarina in 1988. It is based on a Lancia Delta. The HIT was shown to the public at the 1988 Turin Motorshow. The name 'HIT' was formed from 'High Italian Technology, an indication that this car was a technology demonstrator. the technology that it demonstrated was not so much the drive train which used the mechanicals of the Delta HF Integrale, but the chassis which was created using carbon fiber. The composite materials gave an overall weight of just 980 kg. when a stock Delta HF weighed in at 1215 kg.
Considering what an awesome car the Delta HF was, this would have been amazing with 235 Kg. less!
So, this is the Lancia HIT designed by Pininfarina in 1988. It is based on a Lancia Delta. The HIT was shown to the public at the 1988 Turin Motorshow. The name 'HIT' was formed from 'High Italian Technology, an indication that this car was a technology demonstrator. the technology that it demonstrated was not so much the drive train which used the mechanicals of the Delta HF Integrale, but the chassis which was created using carbon fiber. The composite materials gave an overall weight of just 980 kg. when a stock Delta HF weighed in at 1215 kg.
Considering what an awesome car the Delta HF was, this would have been amazing with 235 Kg. less!
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Monday, February 11, 2013
Aston Martin Lagonda Vignale Prototype 1993
Back when this car came out I thought it was the most awesome thing ever! It just looked so incredibly futuristic to me, plus back then concept cars were still very heavy on the colorful, rounded plastic interior details and this was all machined metal and high tech looking. Looking at it now it looks like one of those fat car sculptures...how things change. Guess it was never bound to be one of those timeless designs.
This is definitively one of those cars that made full use of the synergies available to Aston Martin at the time. In the early nineties they were owned by Ford and were having a tough time selling cars or even knowing what KIND of cars to make. At the same time Ford also owned Ghia, the Italian Carrozzeria purchased by them in 1970. With Ford money a plan was hatched to see what Aston could build to get more sales. Eventually Moray Callum was enlisted to design a saloon to revive the defunct Lagonda brand. In a twist of serendipity Moray’s older brother Ian was simultaneously designing the DB7.
These being Ford projects they decided to have some platform sharing to build the new DB7 and Lagonda. The DB7 used the Jaguar XJS chassis, and the Lagonda concept was based on another car within Ford, the 1990 Lincoln Town Car. The Lagonda’s bulbous, art deco styled bodywork sat on a extended Town Car chassis, and also borrowed the suspension and four-speed gearbox, as well as the Ford 4.6-litre DOHC V8 which only made 190bhp. The Ford engine was only to be used in the prototype, and once the car reached production it was planned that it would use the 5.9-litre V12 (which incidentallyI work on now).
The Lagonda Vignale was first shown at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show. Its rounded organic shape hid its enormous dimensions – it was wider and had a longer wheelbase than the Silver Spirit of the same era. The lack of a corporate styling in past Lagondas basically gave Moray Callum a chance to design whatever he liked. “We pretty much did what we wanted to do,” he recalls. “There wasn’t much DNA to hold onto… we just tried to reproduce a flamboyance about the car.” Callum’s unusual design, for the time in a saloon, of making the overhangs short (a practice common now) together with its large wheelbase and size gave lots of room in the interior.
In the end the Lagonda Vignale’s design wasn’t enough to help it go into production together, or even instead of, the DB7 in Aston Martin’s production plans. Despite it being well received, Ford considered the Lagonda brand too expensive to revive, given its obscurity outside the UK, and the DB7 fitted in with the Aston Martin brand heritage because of its DB predecessors.
Luckily there were two cars made and sold. One of course one was sold to the Sultan of Brunei for £1.3m in 1995. This car had several design changes including slightly smaller dimensions (it used a different Ford chassis), different headlights and redesigned grille, burgundy paintwork and an upgrade to V12 power. A second car in Sorrento Blue car was kept by Ford until 2002 and then sold by Christie’s for $403,500. Unfortunately a third the gray car was destroyed once its worthiness as a publicity tool had expired.
This is definitively one of those cars that made full use of the synergies available to Aston Martin at the time. In the early nineties they were owned by Ford and were having a tough time selling cars or even knowing what KIND of cars to make. At the same time Ford also owned Ghia, the Italian Carrozzeria purchased by them in 1970. With Ford money a plan was hatched to see what Aston could build to get more sales. Eventually Moray Callum was enlisted to design a saloon to revive the defunct Lagonda brand. In a twist of serendipity Moray’s older brother Ian was simultaneously designing the DB7.
These being Ford projects they decided to have some platform sharing to build the new DB7 and Lagonda. The DB7 used the Jaguar XJS chassis, and the Lagonda concept was based on another car within Ford, the 1990 Lincoln Town Car. The Lagonda’s bulbous, art deco styled bodywork sat on a extended Town Car chassis, and also borrowed the suspension and four-speed gearbox, as well as the Ford 4.6-litre DOHC V8 which only made 190bhp. The Ford engine was only to be used in the prototype, and once the car reached production it was planned that it would use the 5.9-litre V12 (which incidentallyI work on now).
The Lagonda Vignale was first shown at the 1993 Geneva Motor Show. Its rounded organic shape hid its enormous dimensions – it was wider and had a longer wheelbase than the Silver Spirit of the same era. The lack of a corporate styling in past Lagondas basically gave Moray Callum a chance to design whatever he liked. “We pretty much did what we wanted to do,” he recalls. “There wasn’t much DNA to hold onto… we just tried to reproduce a flamboyance about the car.” Callum’s unusual design, for the time in a saloon, of making the overhangs short (a practice common now) together with its large wheelbase and size gave lots of room in the interior.
In the end the Lagonda Vignale’s design wasn’t enough to help it go into production together, or even instead of, the DB7 in Aston Martin’s production plans. Despite it being well received, Ford considered the Lagonda brand too expensive to revive, given its obscurity outside the UK, and the DB7 fitted in with the Aston Martin brand heritage because of its DB predecessors.
Luckily there were two cars made and sold. One of course one was sold to the Sultan of Brunei for £1.3m in 1995. This car had several design changes including slightly smaller dimensions (it used a different Ford chassis), different headlights and redesigned grille, burgundy paintwork and an upgrade to V12 power. A second car in Sorrento Blue car was kept by Ford until 2002 and then sold by Christie’s for $403,500. Unfortunately a third the gray car was destroyed once its worthiness as a publicity tool had expired.
Ghia Barchetta based on a Ford Fiesta XR2 1983
So many "What if..." cars out there that could have really changed the way things turned out. Take this Ghia Barchetta based on a Ford Fiesta XR2 platform. It predates the Miata for quite some time, and Ford might just have been started a new roadster renaissance rather than Mazda! The front end looks quite sleek I think, although the rear end is definitively a product of 80s styling. Its always hard to tell by pictures how large a car is but unless the guys standing next to this one was 6' 6" it does look quite tiny, the windshield top is barely higher than his waist! That mighty have been its downfall had it ever seen production...but who knows, maybe not.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Audi A3 2013
Well today I got a new Audi A3! I haven't really gotten to drive it much yet, but I did spend quite some time playing with the interior. The dash is quite different from the norm, there is only a strip across the middle with AC controls and a few other buttons like the hazard light switch. Otherwise there is no screen. When you do need the screen for the radio or to change the car settings it pops up from the top of the dash. There's a round knob/toggle that you control everything with, very much like the BMWs but much simpler to use.
For the moment I only have pictures in low light as that's when I had it delivered, Ill post some more in the sun when the opportunity rises as this low light doesn't do the pearl/metallic white any justice.
This car will also serve as a showcase for a new style of Hydyne Motorsport wheels! For the moment all I will say is that they will be 18 inch 2 piece wheels and will most likely be battleship gray, or maybe Ill go with a nice bright color. Stay tuned...
For the moment I only have pictures in low light as that's when I had it delivered, Ill post some more in the sun when the opportunity rises as this low light doesn't do the pearl/metallic white any justice.
This car will also serve as a showcase for a new style of Hydyne Motorsport wheels! For the moment all I will say is that they will be 18 inch 2 piece wheels and will most likely be battleship gray, or maybe Ill go with a nice bright color. Stay tuned...
Friday, October 26, 2012
Hydyne Motorsport 19" 3 piece Mustang wheel
Well I just received a shipment with Hydyne Motorsports new 19in. 3 piece Star wheel! Looks damn good if I do say so myself with that gold center and brushed lip. This wheel is a one off destined for a 2013 mustang. As soon as its mounted Ill post some more pics...
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
BMW Z13 concept 1993
Maybe its just me but it seems that the concept cars that were made during the late 80s and early 90s were much more adventurous than the ones now. Sure there are some beautiful styli9ng exercises done now and sometimes a lot of what goes to shows ends up being mass produced but in those cases it either becomes something impossibly impractical, or in the later case something too "normal".
In the early 90s BMW made a series of concept cars dubbed Zxx. The Z stood for Zukunft or future in German. Ill start with the Z13 and show some other ones later on.
If I were in the market for a small city car right now I would take this bar none! No Fiat 500 or Mini Cooper for me...this little thing just looks hot! The wide arches manage to make it look like a proper sports car not a city run about. Plus it was a three seater, had a half glass roof AND was rear engined! I mean...how many quirky things did they want to cram into one car!?
There were two cars built, both the blue and red ones used K series motorcycle engines but the blue one used a CVT transmission and the red one a standard 5 speed. The original designer of the Z13, Robert Powell, actually drove the red one around as a regular daily driver as it was a fully functioning car.
Sadly when BMW bought Rover, and along with it Mini, they deemed that this project was no longer useful since they had the rights to the Mini brand. The Mini of course went on to be a huge success...but I would much rather have preferred this!
In the early 90s BMW made a series of concept cars dubbed Zxx. The Z stood for Zukunft or future in German. Ill start with the Z13 and show some other ones later on.
If I were in the market for a small city car right now I would take this bar none! No Fiat 500 or Mini Cooper for me...this little thing just looks hot! The wide arches manage to make it look like a proper sports car not a city run about. Plus it was a three seater, had a half glass roof AND was rear engined! I mean...how many quirky things did they want to cram into one car!?
There were two cars built, both the blue and red ones used K series motorcycle engines but the blue one used a CVT transmission and the red one a standard 5 speed. The original designer of the Z13, Robert Powell, actually drove the red one around as a regular daily driver as it was a fully functioning car.
Sadly when BMW bought Rover, and along with it Mini, they deemed that this project was no longer useful since they had the rights to the Mini brand. The Mini of course went on to be a huge success...but I would much rather have preferred this!
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