ROVER P4

Rover’s Managing Director in the 1930s, Spencer Wilks, was determined to produce cars of high quality and refinement with a measure of dignity. He had no interest in building high performance vehicles. For some years prior to the arrival of Wilks, Rover’s approach to building cars had been along these same lines and Wilks ensured that they continued in this manner. The P4 was part of a design philosophy commenced by Wilks’ predecessors but it had a more modern look and also incorporated mechanical improvements developed by Rover engineers. The… Read more

HISPANO-SUIZA ALFONSO

The Hispano-Suiza Alfonso has been described as the first real sports car. Prior to its introduction previous sporting cars had been purpose built for competition racing and few were suitable for every day motoring. The Alfonso did develop from a racing car and was named after King Alfonso XIII of Spain, where the car was produced. Some people mistakenly think that the marque was French because a number of Alfonsos were produced in a factory in Paris but this was merely to supply the French market as French buyers were… Read more

AUSTIN A30

During the Second World War the Austin plant at Longbridge, about 11 kilometres South of Birmingham, was fully engaged in the production of aircraft, trucks and ambulances. Leonard Lord, heir apparent to Lord Austin, who took over control of Austin production in 1939, wasted no time in announcing Austin’s first post war model in September 1944 well before the end of hostilities. This was the Austin Sixteen which was really the pre-war Austin Twelve but fitted with a 2.2-litre overhead valve four-cylinder engine. It was Longbridge’s first car to use… Read more

TRIUMPH TR6

Car manufacturers don’t really set out to make bad quality cars, but the 1970s were notorious for cars with serious defects. The Triumph TR6 was one of the numerous makes that embodied serious defects due to shoddy quality control. The Triumph TR1s, TR2s and TR3s of the 1950s and 1960s were great little sports cars and even though they required the occasional bonnet lift to fix their odd little quirks, this was accepted and even considered part of the fun of owning a sports car at the time. As British… Read more

PEUGEOT 205GTI

With the introduction of the 205 Peugeot set itself the challenge of producing from scratch a small hatchback which would stand out in a crowd. Not only did they achieve this but they created one with such street cred that it became a cult car almost overnight. Such an achievement was quite remarkable. Introduced in 1983, a total of 2.74 million cars were produced during its production life. Most remarkable of all is that it was Peugeot that achieved this, not Volkswagen or arch rival Renault. Suddenly, it seemed, Peugeot… Read more

FORD ZEPHYR

1962 Ford Zephyr Mark III

The Ford Zephyr, although built in Dagenham, England bore a marked family resemblance to the Ford Customline suggesting that its styling actually originated in Detroit, however some European input must have taken place as the car has the road holding and suspension which we have come to associate with cars of European origin. Originally introduced to Australia in the third quarter of 1956 the Ford Zephyr was updated in June 1958. The styling changes were not substantial. A chrome grille with horizontal strutting and a deep red circular emblem replaced… Read more

MERCEDES BENZ SSK

1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK

The SSK – K from the German for short – was designed by Dr Ferdinand Porsche and was among the highest performance cars of the early 1920s produced anywhere in the world. This performance came from the supercharger with which the SSK was equipped. Mercedes developed supercharging technology for use in aero engines during the 1914-18 war as a means of dramatically increasing power without adding a great deal of weight. The last Mercedes cars designed by Paul Daimler before, in 1922, he left the company founded by his father… Read more

PONTIAC FIERO

The Fiero was first released in 1984 with Pontiac advertising claiming it was one of the most innovative cars in American auto history. Despite this bold statement, the Fiero did largely live up to this claim. With the exception of the Corvair, it was the first American sports car to feature a mid-engine layout, which had been standard for European sports cars since the Miura in 1963. The car also incorporated the latest technology, making it a near revolutionary two-seater. The Fiero concept was exclusive to Pontiac as other GM… Read more

MG A

1960 MG A

Produced during the years 1955 to 1962 the MGA was the first new MG produced after the merger of Nuffield and Austin. Not only was the A the first modern post-war MG, it was also the first to use the corporate mechanical parts: much of the drive train was derived from the Austin A50 saloon. Its attractive pinched-waist body was derived from a special TD raced at Le Mans and was based on an stiff box-section chassis, the last used on an MG. Although some said it was too strong… Read more

MAZDA RX-2

The Mazda RX-2 was launched in Japan in May 1970 but on release it was not called the RX-2 but rather the R612. Thirteen days later, and without any explanation, the public relations people at Mazda’s head office issued a further press release announcing that the R612 name had been dropped in favour of RX-2. No reason for the change was ever offered. The RX-2 replaced the R100 which constituted the modest beginning of Mazda’s mass production of rotary engined models. The RX-2, however, was considerably more serious. Compared with… Read more