Category: Classic Cars

No comments

TARRANT

  By
1906 Tarrant

The superbly crafted Tarrant car was the basis of the most ambitious early attempt to launch an Australian motor industry. It was also the first Australian car to win a motor race. The Tarrant was the brainchild of Victorian-born Harley Tarrant, who had built an internal-combustion engine in the 1890s. Tarrant’s first attempt at car making was in 1897 when he built a motorised buggy. It was not a success but a year later he launched the Harley Tarrant Motor Syndicate. The new company’s main line was manufacturing stationary engines… Read more

No comments

ALVIS TE21

  By ,

At the outbreak of war in September 1939 Alvis was producing four different models but during an air raid on Coventry in 1940 the car factory was severely damaged with much of the essential equipment destroyed beyond repair causing car production to be suspended for the duration of the war. When car production resumed the first car to go into production was a four-cylinder model, the TA14 whose engine was based on the pre-war 12/70. Whilst this was a reliable and attractive car it reflected the typical austerity forced on… Read more

No comments

FORD V8 1932-1951

  By ,

Ford’s legendary 3622 cc flathead vee-eight engine – the V could have even stood for voluminous body space or for less space wasted on the engine room – was used by all of Ford’s overseas operations as well as by the parent factory, between 1932 and 1942 and then after the Second World War as well. This engine became an American classic remaining in production for more than twenty years. When first introduced it produced 65 hp and when discontinued in 1953 power was double that of the original engine…. Read more

No comments

CITROEN CX 1974-1989

  By ,
1978 Citroen CX GE 2200

The Citroen CX was a replacement car for the Citroen D-series – one of the most successful cars of the 1950s and 60s. The CX was designed by Robert Opron who had originally conceived the DS. Shortly after its release the CX was voted ‘Car of the Year’ by the European motoring press and at the 1975 Geneva Motor Show it was awarded the ultimate acclaim from 170 International design experts: The Style Auto award. Many of the design features from earlier Citroens were carried through to the CX. Possibly… Read more

No comments

ROLLS-ROYCE CAMARGUE

  By ,
1977 Rolls-Royce Camargue

Unveiled in Sicily in January 1975, the Rolls-Royce Camargue proved a feast for the motoring press starved of such extravagant machines in the immediate post-fuel crisis years. But praise was muted as the car’s styling was not universally admired. Instead, most reports at the time devoted more space to the car’s two-level air conditioning that constantly measured the air inside and outside the cabin through various sensors and automatically adjusted vents and fans accordingly. To many the marque was synonymous with dignified conveyencers for royalty and the aristocracy but in… Read more

No comments

PEUGEOT 205GTI

  By ,
1984 Peugeot 205 GTI

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

No comments

LOTUS ESPRIT

  By
1994 Lotus Esprit

The mid-engined Esprit was designed as a replacement, although larger, faster and more specialised, for the Europa, which had been Lotus’s first mid-engined, rear-drive road car. As with the Europa, the Esprit was a two-seater and it was fitted with Lotus’s own newly designed 16-valve twin cam 2.0-litre engine positioned behind the cabin. A fibreglass body covered the separate chassis that was fitted with independent front and rear suspension. The more rounded X180 shape was the product of in-house stylists and it continued from 1987 with only slight modifications to… Read more

No comments

MG M-TYPE

  By ,
1929 MG M-Type

From 1923 Morris Garages of Oxford had been building slightly more sporting versions of each of their standard Morris cars. These might have been considered as sporting but certainly were not small and could not be considered elegant either. After the launch of the Austin Seven, which was an immediate success and carved out for a completely new market for Austin, Morris countered by launching its Eight. Since it had already become a tradition that MG built a sports version of each Morris model a prototype was built in which… Read more

No comments

CHEVROLET CORVAIR

  By ,
1960 Chevrolet Corvair

With an influx of low-priced European economy cars into North America in the late 1950s and early 1960s General Motors launched the Chevrolet Corvair in 1959 as a 1960 model in an attempt to regain lost market. In style and engineering it was quite different from the typical conservative American car which lacked technical innovation. Whilst it might have been seen by GM as an adventurous answer to the Volkswagen Beetle, this attractive rear-engined car was a victim of GM cost cutting. By omitting an inexpensive stabilizing bar, the Corvair… Read more

No comments

MERCEDES-BENZ 350SE

  By ,

In the late 1960s the world was a different place where everything seemed possible. There was a feeling around that Mercedes saloons were ubiquitous and there was an urge for major manufacturers to build flagships irrespective of profit margins. With the 350SE Mercedes continued to uphold its appeal as a luxury car although inside the 350SE there was a rather austere feeling compared with some competitors. It did however have electric windows. Drivers however felt at home. With all the important controls arranged on column stalks around the huge, chunky… Read more