Category: Classic Cars

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PORSCHE 924

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In the early 1970s Volkswagen planned to introduce a sports coupe to lift its image in some markets, particularly the USA. The car was to use as many VW parts as possible including a current engine to minimise retooling costs. The VW management approached Porsche to design the vehicle for them and the project soon got under way but as it approached finality the VW people suddenly dropped the whole project and it went into limbo. Fast forward a couple of years and there was suddenly a fuel crisis on… Read more

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CADILLAC SEVILLE

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By the early seventies large American cars with their powerful V8 engines were dominant. Every manufacturer had models similar to the Cadillac Eldorado which gobbled up 25 litres of fuel for every 100km travelled. War in the Middle East in 1973 saw Arab nations raise oil prices by 387 per cent, which, for a country like America that consumed so much, it was a nightmare. Petrol station queues became the norm and two car owners ensured they had both an odd and even ending number licence plate so they could… Read more

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SUNBEAM 12/30

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Sunbeam amalgamated with both the Talbot and Darracq marques in 1920 to form the Anglo-French STD combine. Prior to this time Sunbeam was making cars which were rather unconventional but when Louis Coatalen joined the company in 1909 as their designer they introduced a new range of four-cylinder and six-cylinder cars. Of these the 12/16 was quite outstanding, so much so, that Rover assisted in the manufacture of these cars during World War I, so that the allied forces needs could be met. Most Sunbeam cars made during the Coatalen… Read more

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BUICK RIVIERA

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The Buick Riviera could be considered as America’s answer to the Bentley Continental. At the time of its introduction Ford’s Thunderbird was one of the best-selling cars and General Motors needed a response. General Motors design chief at the time told his staff that GM needed a car which was a cross between a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce. When it went into production the Riviera had all the chrome and accessories of its contemporaries but was blessed with some of the finest Detroit styling of the 1960s. In a… Read more

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MG TA

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Launched in 1936 the MG TA replaced the PB model and was the first of a successful range of T-series sports cars from the MG marque. It was powered by a four-cylinder overhead-valve, three-main-bearing crankshaft motor of 1292 cc capacity that developed 37.5 kW at 4500rpm. It was fuelled by two horizontal SU carburettors. The MG TA also had a three-speed synchromesh gearbox which made it unique among small sports cars of that period. It was this engine and transmission combination which customers thought the most innovative. The engineers at… Read more

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HUDSON HORNET

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Hudson is another brand that is no longer produced. Although it started in 1909, by the early 1950s the brand had been acquired by Nash and went into limbo. If Hudson is to be remembered for anything it should be for their innovative engineers who were able to produce good designs with very limited budgets. In 1954 Hudson launched its Hornet which replaced the aged 1948 model that had proved unable to compete with the V8s from other manufacturers. Although the Hornet had only an L-section six-cylinder 5.0-litre engine which… Read more

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SIMCA ARONDE

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The Simca marque was a development of a French company which initially built Fiat cars in France under license. Aided by the Simca Aronde (French for the bird Swallow), which was introduced in the early 1950s and styled in the same fashion as American cars of the 1950s, the manufacturer soon became France’s top privately-owned automobile producer. In fact, over the 12-year period that the car remained in production 1.3 million Arondes were sold. This level of sales eclipsed sales of both Peugeot and Citroen at that time. The Aronde… Read more

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LANCIA APRILIA

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Vincenzo Lancia’s last car, the innovative Aprilia of 1937-1950, appeared a few weeks after his sudden death at the age of 55. Its aluminium V4 engine, of 1.35 litres and, from 1939, 1.5 litres, with a chain driven overhead camshaft, gave a top speed of 128 km/h. The rear as well as the front wheels had independent suspension. Quite an innovation was the pillarless streamlined four-door saloon body which was followed later by a Zagato designed and built Spyder or sports roadster. When Lancia began thinking of the Aprilia, the… Read more

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MINI MOKE

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In February 1966, the Mini-based Moke went on sale. This lightweight two-wheel drive vehicle combined Mini mechanicals with a buckboard-style body without doors and windows. The concept originated in Britain in 1956, as a light army personnel carrier for use on and off normal roads. Some four-wheel drive prototypes were built but they never went into production. Production of the 2WD versions started in Britain but sales were too slow for the parent company so the decision was made to transfer production to Sydney. A similar vehicle was also produced… Read more

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PEUGEOT 205 GTI

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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