TRIUMPH DOLOMITE ROADSTER

1938 Triumph Dolomite Roadster

Donald Healey joined Triumph in 1933 not long after his win in the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally, and was appointed as the company’s technical director. In this role he initially set out to prove his credentials by developing first the supercharged Dolomite Straight Eight and then upgrading Triumph’s production car range of Glorias and Vitesses. Then he developed a new family of four – and six-cylinder engines for a completely new range of cars planned for release in 1936 which would also carry the Dolomite name. These cars were to… Read more

BUGATTI TYPE 43

1928 Bugatti Type 43

The Bugatti Type 43 used a supercharged 2.3-litre straight-eight engine fitted to a shortened wheelbase ladder chassis developed from that used on the Type 38. In fact the engine also came from another Bugatti; the Type 35B but it was used in the 43 in a slightly detuned form. The end result was to be the world’s first production car capable of being driven at 160 km/h. In reality it could easily be driven at 176 km/h or even faster if the optional higher final drive ratio was fitted. The… Read more

DATSUN 240Z

1972 Datsun 240Z

The Japanese car manufacturer Datsun commenced car production by assembling Austin cars under licence. The Datsun 1000 was nothing more than an A40 with a body redesign. Datsun first entered the USA sportscar market in the mid-1960s with the 1600 Sports as well as 2.0-litre models but their entrants were very conventional and soon became dated. In the market place their robust but basic engines and stark two-seater styling failed to capture the hearts of the American motorist. The company realised, however, that the American market offered enormous potential and… Read more

CITROEN 2CV

1975 Citroen 2CV

Just as the original VW beetle was designed as the people’s car for Germany, the Citroen 2CV was truly the French people’s car. Although a true ugly duckling it was at the same time extremely practical and ideal for its purpose. The car was conceived back in the mid 1930s, well before World War II and the development team was given a rather strange set of specifications on which they had to base their design. These included such requirements as being able to be driven across a ploughed field, carry… Read more

CHEVROLET IMPALA

1966 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport

The Chevrolet Impala was the perfect example of exuberance in the 1960s American car styling. In spite of its fins, chrome and mock elements, or perhaps because of them, the Impala achieved sales of almost half a million cars in 1960. Like other American car manufacturers the Chevrolet division of General Motors offered buyers a large choice of engines, transmissions and body styles. Engine options ranged from a standard 3.8-litre straight six right up to a 5.7-litre Turbothrust V8. Power outputs of these options ranged from 172 kW at 4800… Read more

JENSEN 541

1954 Jensen 541

The brothers Alan and Richard Jensen began their motor-building activities by re-bodying an Austin Seven in a form which proved particularly pleasing to the eye. The chief engineer of the Standard Motor Company was suitably impressed with its appearance and in due course had a Standard chassis delivered to the Jensens to be re-bodied in the same way. It was from this pleasant association that Avon Standards of the thirties came to be made. It was not, however, until 1936 that a car bearing the name of Jensen first appeared… Read more

RENAULT R16

The Renault 16 was built to a formula. It had a body of estate-car type, front wheel drive to concentrate large mechanical units away from the load carrying area and trailing arm independent rear suspension to encroach as little as possible on the low floor level which is possible with such a design. Flexibility was the keynote of the interior layout. Possible arrangements of the seating were astonishingly varied, thanks to a rear seat squab and cushion that could be moved, together or separately, into a variety of positions or… Read more

HONDA NSX

Best described as a mixture of high technology and proven sportscar design the Honda NSX (it signifies New Sports-Experimental) was powered by a transverse 3-litre 24-valve V6 engine derived from that of the Legend mounted behind the driver. It had many new engineering features including twin camshafts to each bank of cylinders. The engine drove the rear wheels through either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox. From its 250 bhp engine a top speed of 260-270 km/h seemed likely placing Honda in direct competition with the likes of Porsche… Read more

ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER CLOUD III

1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III

The shape of this car was a radical break with tradition for Rolls-Royce and Bentley. It appeared first on the Bentley S2 Continental chassis in 1959 as a Park Ward drophead design and was attributed to Norwegian freelance stylist Vilhelm Koren. This new talent was found by Crewe’s head of styling on a trip to the Turin Motor Show. The bold crisp lines and austerely simple shape had a dramatic straight-through wing line with single headlights at the corners. There was the merest suggestion of a fin in the backwards… Read more

BUCHANAN COBRA

Combining eye-catching styling, excellent design and a low purchase price, the Buchanan Cobra looked to have everything needed for success. But, sadly, it joined the long list of Australian automotive failures. The Cobra was designed and built by Nat Buchanan of Sydney, who had started in the car-making business by producing fibreglass bodies to fit sports car chassis. In 1956 he sold a self-designed fibreglass shell with styling influenced by the Aston Martin DB3S. This low-cost body converted the ‘square-rigger’ MG TC/TD to a sleek, streamlined ‘racer’ and 35 were… Read more