blog: History
Categories
- About Us (6)
- Automotive Detritus (6)
- Automotive News (3)
- Background (2)
- Car Information (67)
- History (64)
- Press Releases (3)
- Smokey and the Bandit (10)
- Uncategorized (0)
- Westward Bound (3)
- What We Drive (6)
Bird of a Different Feather: 1956 – 1961 Studebaker Hawk
2010-06-15 14:15:26
The Studebaker Hawk series appeared in 1956, right about the time Detroit's Big Three began building the "luxo-barges" that would define the American automotive landscape for the next three decades. With its svelte, athletic, and wholly unique Raymond Loewy-inspired styling and serious available power, the Hawk represented a real departure from its contemporaries.
The Ferrari Formula: 2002 – 2004 Ferrari Enzo
2010-04-15 00:00:00
When Ferrari introduced the Enzo in 2002, its Formula One team was in the midst of a dominant period, winning five constructor’s championships on the back of Michael Schumacher’s five consecutive driver’s titles from 2000-2004. The timing could not have been better, as the Enzo reflected recent developments in racing, and was the first Ferrari supercar since the F50 of the mid-1990s. Anticipation was high upon the model’s introduction.
Racetrack to Roadway: 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR
2010-04-06 00:00:00
The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR is one of the most exclusive of recent supercars, with only 25 produced. The car has its roots in the inaugural FIA GT Championship of 1997, which it won in dominating fashion. Mercedes then went about building 25 road-going versions of its championship race car for homologation. These were constructed by the company’s racing affiliate, AMG, at its factory in Affalterbach, Germany. The first 20 CLK GTRs were coupes, while the final five were roadsters. Each car is fitted with a plaque indicating its number in the sequence.
Fiat/Ferrari Collaboration: 1966-1972 Fiat Dino
2010-01-16 00:00:00
Fiat introduced its 2-liter Dino at the 1966 Turin Motor Show, a collaboration between the giant Italian automaker and its chic counterpart, Ferrari. Available as either a curvy, open Spider by Pininfarina or a smart-looking 2+2 coupe designed by Bertone, the car evolved into a 2.4-liter model by 1970. Ferrari eventually assumed production, and quality improved over the Dino's run. By 1972, more than 7,600 Fiat Dinos of all stripes had been built, the rarest of them the 2.4 Spider, with just 424 produced. It is these 2.4 Spiders that are the most collectible of the bunch.
Ford’s Errant Arrow: 1956-1957 Continental Mark II
2009-11-28 00:00:00
The Continental Mark II was Ford’s attempt at creating an ultra-luxury flagship that would compete against the world’s best cars. Hand-built in limited numbers, the Mark II was manufactured between 1956 and 1957, and was well received by the public. The car’s high price tag and understated appeal, however, meant it would never sell in volume, and production of the Mark II ended after only two years.
Barely a Ripple - 1965-1967 AMC Marlin
2009-10-28 00:00:00
American Motors Corporation (AMC) arrived on the carmaking scene after Nash and Hudson merged in 1954, and while the new company was never a serious threat to the Big Three, its mid-sized line of the early 1960s offered a smart and more fuel efficient alternative to some of Detroit's big sedans. But as the muscle and pony car era began, and as AMC came under new leadership, all of that was about to change.
Under the direction of stylist Dick Teague, AMC designers went to work on a small two-door fastback with 2+2 seating. Based on the Rambler American and dubbed the Tarpon, it was the car AMC leaders hoped would shed the company's stodgy image. It received a warm response at its limited showings, but by the time the car hit the streets as the Marlin in 1965, the philosophy behind it had changed: Every proportion of the car had grown significantly and seating was now for six.
1964-1966 Honda S600
2009-08-02 00:00:00
Honda's roots run deep as a motorcycle manufacturer, and by the mid 1950s, the company was the most successful builder of two-wheeled machines in the world. But Soichiro Honda was a hard man to please, and once he'd reached the two-wheeled pinnacle, he set his sights on a new target—to create the world's most successful car business.
By 1962, he and his team of engineers arrived at the Tokyo Motor Show with Honda's first cars—the tiny 33-hp S360 roadster and the 44-hp S500 roadster. The S500 received a warm welcome and entered production for 1963, followed a year later by the similarly styled but more powerful S600. And it was the 1964 S600 that hit the spot for Honda.
1968-2004 Morgan Plus Eight
2009-07-18 00:00:00
While American manufacturers of the 1950s and 1960s wholly embraced the credo of “planned obsolescence,” GM’s practice of new model changes each year, tiny Morgan Motor Company instead reluctantly accepted change only as needed. And though GM certainly managed to move more product, Morgan’s path has made it the oldest privately owned automobile company in the world.
The Plus Eight was the result of change finding Morgan. The Plus Four had been produced since 1954 using the Triumph 4-cylinder engine, with the majority of production going to the
1962-1977 Alpine A110
2009-06-23 00:00:00
French carmaker Société Anonyme des Automobiles Alpine traces its roots to the middle 1950s, when Dieppe mechanic Jean Rédélé achieved modest success in events like the Mille Miglia and Le Mans by modifying the humble 747-cc Renault 4CV for rallying and racing.
Alpine's first car, the Michelotti-styled A106, was an early pioneer of fiberglass, and with its rigid chassis, 5-speed transmission, and rear-mounted 4CV powertrain, it furthered the company's competition prowess. The Dauphine-based A108 appeared in 1960 in both coupe and cabriolet form and served as a stopgap between the A106 and what would ultimately bring Alpine its greatest accolades—the A110.
1970-1974 DeTomaso Pantera
2009-06-05 00:00:00
Following a brief racing career in the mid-1950s with Maserati and OSCA, the Argentine-born Alejandro DeTomaso retired from the sport and set up shop near Modena, Italy, to manufacture his own cars. He began with what he knew—formula racing cars—but by the late 1960s had given the world the bug-like 4-cylinder Vallelunga and the radical V8 Mangusta coupes—aesthetically interesting road cars but hardly world-beaters.
In the meantime, Ford had been on the prowl for an exotic car company to buy, something perhaps to alleviate the sting of Enzo Ferrari's earlier snub. They landed on the doorstep of DeTomaso, who wanted a way into the lucrative American market, while Ford wanted another supercar now that the GT40 had been retired. And while the radical Mangusta was interesting in concept but not quite right for the American market, the car DeTomaso had in the works was—the Pantera.
1963–1970 Iso Rivolta
2009-05-11 00:00:00
There's something undeniably appealing about an Italo-American hybrid. No one styles a sporting GT with passion and emotion quite like the Italians. And no one does V8 grunt quite like Detroit. Put them together, and the results are often spectacular. Renzo Rivolta put them together in the early 1960s and enjoyed modest success in the process.
Rivolta made his fortune in the manufacture of refrigerators and heaters with his Bresso-based Isothermos. Like many wealthy Italian men of the immediate pre- and post-war era, he was also a car guy. And, like at least one other Italian industrialist car guy, he thought he could do better. As such, he shifted his resources toward the production of motorized vehicles—-first with mopeds and scooters, then with the three-wheeled Isetta. But it is sleek GTs that most enthusiasts associate with the Iso name.
One of them, the eponymous Iso Rivolta, appeared at the 1962 Torino Auto Show, and the 2+2 coupe was a dramatic departure from the two-stroke scooters, micro-cars, and refrigerators that had defined Iso to that point.
Birth of the Boxer: 1973-1984 Ferrari 365 BB & 512 BB/BBi
2009-05-01 00:00:00
Enzo Ferrari was a notorious curmudgeon when it came to change. Late to adopt disc brakes, late to move his racing engines from the front to the middle, he was forever insisting that his way was the only way, technological advancements and on-track defeats be damned. For many years he maintained that a Ferrari was a front-engined V12, and that was that.
Then came the Dino, and while not technically a Ferrari, its mid-engine V6 layout paved the way for the Berlinetta Boxers of the 1970s and beyond.
When Ferrari introduced the 365 GTB/4 Berlinetta Boxer in 1973 as a replacement for the all-conquering 365 GTB/4 Daytona, the mid-engined 4.4-liter flat-12 marked a significant departure in the way the Maranello carmaker had always done business: it was the first Ferrari not powered by some kind of "V" type engine. Based on Ferrari's semi-successful Formula 1 3-liter boxer, it was the world's first flat-12 put to use in a passenger car.
Two Too Few? 1951-1954 Hudson Hornet
2009-04-22 00:00:00
Though the cars of the Big Three garner most of the attention when one considers American automobiles of the 1950s, the importance of the Hudson Hornet cannot be overlooked.
By the time Hudson's Hornet debuted in 1951, the buying public had already been captivated by the company's radical styling in the Commodore of 1948. The design placed the floorpan between the chassis frame rails, rather than atop them, and effectively combined the body and chassis structures into a single unit, allowing for a much lower appearance overall, as well as a reduced center of gravity. Thus, you stepped down to get into a Hudson
King Cobra: 1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
2009-03-24 00:00:00
If ever a high-performance racing machine was built from napkin sketches and sheer imagination, the Daytona Coupe was it, as the people in Shelby's organization simply knew what worked and what didn't. The chassis and suspension required a bit of stiffening to work with the extra speeds, but the car was sound. It was damn hot, too, but it was also fast, and fast is what counted most.
Six were built—the prototype (CSX2287) at Shelby American and five others in Italy—and when CSX2287 made the practice rounds at the Daytona Continental in February 1964, driver Bob Holbert broke the GT lap record, besting the lap times of the GTOs by nearly three seconds. A pit fire put it out of the race, but the writing was on the wall; Shelby meant business. Three weeks later, Holbert and Dave McDonald secured the Daytona Coupe's first victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Polished Pony: 1967–1969 Mercury Cougar
2009-03-15 00:00:00
When the Ford Mustang ushered in the pony car era in mid-1964, other domestic manufacturers took notice. The Mustang was an instant success and every division within the Big Three wanted a piece of that pie. Mercury was no exception.
Ford's sister company approached the project with an eye toward not only the Mustang, but toward the bigger, more luxurious Thunderbird as well. The new Mercury would fall somewhere in the middle. It would be aimed at a demographic slightly more sophisticated than the Mustang set, yet not so established as the typical Thunderbird buyer.
King of Corvettes: 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
2009-03-04 00:00:00
The Chevrolet Corvette is "America's sports car" for good reason. The mystique surrounding the creation of the first Corvette in 1953, along with that car's rarity, have turned it into one of the most collectible American cars.
In 1955, V8 power did wonders for the Corvette's usability and thus its popularity, and a slow, dedicated evolution during the next seven years saw increases in power, handling, refinement, and sophistication. A burgeoning national racing effort in the SCCA, as well as privateer efforts at international venues like Le Mans, added to the Corvette's allure as a performance car on par with anything coming out of Europe.
If the advancements made to the first-generation (C1) Corvettes were seen as evolutionary, the 1963 model was nothing short of a revolution. No Corvette captures the imagination quite like the Split-Window Sting Ray of 1963. It is arguably one of the most beautiful designs ever put on four wheels, and its one-year-only status has cemented it as a legend in the collector car world.
The Unbearable Being of Lightness: 1957 - 1972 Lotus Seven
2009-03-01 00:00:00
Aside from the Shelby Cobra, there is perhaps no other car more aped by kit and replica manufacturers than the simple Lotus Seven. More than 150 companies have tried their hand at Seven replicas--some more ably than others--and it is a testament to the special driving characteristics inherent in these little British roadsters that even today, more than 50 years after production of the first Series 1 car, they are still recognized as one of the best-driving machines on the road.
The automotive world has Colin Chapman to thank for the Lotus marque. Chapman was both an engineer and a tinkerer--a useful combination for someone interested in building cars. In the early 1950s, he gained a reputation as a man capable of constructing winning race cars, and lessons learned from his day job at British Aluminum translated easily into what would become his pursuit of "adding lightness" to his little racers.
1953-60 Austin-Healey 100
2009-02-21 00:00:00
Most of us get bigger, heavier, and have to accommodate more people as we get older. Oh, we’re still pretty good, we tell ourselves, but we recall the simpler self with some longing. So although an Austin-Healey 3000 may well be an evolution of a good idea, that good idea was first manifest in a simpler car with a simple goal. The Austin-Healey 100 was supposed to go 100mph, and look good doing it.
SL Reader: 1963-1971 Mercedes-Benz 230SL, 250SL, 280SL
2009-02-09 00:00:00
With production of both the 300SL and 190SL cars coming to an end in 1963, Mercedes needed a new car to carry the SL (Sehr Leicht, very light) torch. And while the previous cars immortalized the SL moniker, the 230SL was more a spiritual successor to those cars than a direct descendent.
German GT: 1978–1995 Porsche 928
2009-02-02 00:00:00
By the early 1970s, it was clear to every auto manufacturer who targeted America with its products that increasingly tough and complicated emissions and safety regulations were on the way.
America was Porsche's biggest market, and while the rear-engined 911 continued to sell well, higher-ups reasoned it was only a matter of time before such restrictions hampered their bread and butter. By developing an entirely new Porsche, one with all the latest federal regulations already incorporated, Porsche hoped to meet the new standards head on. In the meantime, if the Stuttgart company had to kill the 911 because of such standards, it would be prepared to transition.
Dawn of the M: 1978–1981 BMW M1
2009-01-30 00:00:00
BMW has a well-deserved reputation as a builder of thrilling, dynamic sport sedans. Beginning with the 2002 of the 1960s and 1970s, and continuing through today's 3-, 5-, and 7-Series cars, the Bavarian hard tops have few peers when it comes to sophisticated sports-car handling in a family-car package.
Clean Car Technology: 1976 Plymouth Feather Duster
2008-11-03 00:00:00
1958-1963 Aston Martin DB4
2008-10-23 00:00:00
By the late 1950s, Aston Martin had reached its full stride as a manufacturer of attractive, distinguished, and competitive sports racing cars. On the racetracks of
Developments in the sports racers had a direct effect on the production cars coming out of Feltham, and nowhere was this more apparent than in the DB4.
1946-1949 Buick Super Series 50 Woody Wagon
2008-09-27 00:00:00
Before Dinah Shore hit them with her Chevrolet pitch, the Buick division of General Motors urged many returning World War II GIs to "See America First" in a Buick. If you needed a car and you had a little extra change in your pocket, you might bypass the Bowtie in favor of the waterfall grille and an increase in status. Something worked, as the Buick division took fourth place back from Dodge in 1947, turning out 267,830 cars, including 37,743 ragtops - 23% of the U.S. total.
Dorothy Deen
2008-09-15 00:00:00
It’s such a manly-man feeling, we tell ourselves, driving along in a black TR3. With the wind buffeting around the wind wings, and with arms hanging over the low cut doors, one can feel kind of tough. Not Harley-Davidson tough, but, well, a little tough. But if you’re a guy, don’t forget that your black Triumph was almost painted a lovely pastel, and that you should thank a pretty tough lady for the car being sold in America: Dorothy Deen.
1963-1965 Ford Falcon Sprint
2008-06-30 00:00:00
A trio of American compact automobiles pioneered the domestic answer to the small, efficient European imports that gained popularity in the 1950s.
Reader’s Poll, 1964 (Part III)
2008-06-20 00:00:00
In the “Sports/GT Cars Over $6k” category the cars sorted out as follows: Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, Ferrari 400 Superamerica, Aston Martin DB5, Porsche 911, Mercedes 230SL.
Reader’s Poll, 1964 (Part II)
2008-06-11 00:00:00
Last week I wrote about an issue of Car and Driver from May of 1964 in which the results of a then-recent reader poll were reported...
Reader’s Poll, 1964 (Part I)
2008-06-04 00:00:00
We moved to a new house recently, and, despite my wife’s best efforts, the movers brought along my “library” of old Road & Tracks, Sports Cars Illustrated/Car and Driver, Sport Car Graphics, and the like.
Hindustan Ambassador
2008-05-13 00:00:00
Arriving in India for the first time can be a daunting experience. Suffocatingly hot temperatures, a maze of immigration and customs procedures, and a chaotic arrival hall await the intrepid traveler. Salesmen surround new arrivals in hopes of leading them into private taxis or family-owned guest houses.
1951-1954 Nash-Healey
2008-05-06 00:00:00
The apocryphal version of the tale stages the steel hull of the Queen Mary as a transatlantic cocktail shaker that swizzled together Donald Healey and George Mason. The result, so the story goes, was a drunken toast that spawned the Nash-Healey. In reality the events were probably far less boozy, but no less noteworthy.
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
2008-04-24 00:00:00
In the living rooms and dens of 1950s America, kids sat bathed in the dim glow of the first color television sets. When the dust from the Lone Ranger’s latest adventure settled, this is what they heard:
Just out and just wonderful: The 1957 Chevrolet! The most beautiful car ever offered in the low price field! Daring new front end styling…the bold new grille…big, beautiful sloping hood…and the biggest news of all, Chevrolet’s fuel injection, the greatest engine advancement since overhead valves! See the car that goes ‘em one better, number one in the USA: The 1957 Chev-ro-let.
Porsche 914
2008-02-13 00:00:00
Rumors are flying that two of Germany’s legendary automobile manufacturers are engaged in talks of a buyout. The mass-market goliath and the small specialist have a history together, but corporate identities and jobs are at stake, and the direction these companies take will ripple through the industry. At the heart of it all lies the Porsche 914.
The Corvair Monza, 1960-1969
2008-02-04 00:00:00
A 1962 Corvair Monza 900 convertible rolls to a stop in front of a Shell gas pump in 2006. It’s my car but Oregon law mandates that a station attendant must pump the fuel for me. He’s looking for the gas cap, but he can’t find it. They can’t ever find it, because it’s in the front of the car.
Alpine A310, GTA, A610
2007-12-29 00:00:00
Quick — think of a world class European GT with a rear engine. Now think again.
Alpine A110
2007-11-28 00:00:00
Not all Alpines are blue, of course, but the familiar image of France’s best rally car is of that metallic blue berlinette plastered with sponsor stickers and mud, with two driving lights set inboard of the headlamps, being flung around dirt corners.
The Bristol — Brit, not Bling
2007-09-30 00:00:00
Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and Bentley are the names associated with British luxury automobiles, however none can any longer claim British ownership.
1946 - 1949 Buick Super Series 50 Woody Wagon
2007-06-24 00:00:00
Before Dinah Shore hit them with her Chevrolet pitch, the Buick division of General Motors urged many returning World War II GIs to “See America First” in a Buick.
1968 Pontiac GTO
2007-06-24 00:00:00
In 1968 the archetypical muscle machine, Pontiac’s GTO, got a newly designed frame underneath completely fresh styling featuring the “Endura” front end - a steel-reinforced bumper with an ABS plastic covering.
1966 Shelby Mustang GT350H Fastback
2007-06-24 00:00:00
In 1966 Hertz began renting Shelby GT350Hs for $17 per day and 17 cents a mile. The “H” stood for Hertz, and 936 of them were built for use at rental locations throughout the country.
1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur Sedan
2007-06-24 00:00:00
The 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur was a limited-production, turbocharged version of the Silver Spur II, and the first turbo Rolls-Royce ever produced.
1981 - 1983 DeLorean DMC-12 Coupe
2007-06-09 00:00:00
In the late 1970s, flamboyant former GM executive John Z.
1955 - 1962 BMW Isetta 300
2007-06-04 00:00:00
The post-World War II history of Bavarian Motor Works is intertwined with as many odd twists and turns as a good spy novel. With a lineup of luxury models ill-suited to a devastated economy, BMW teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. Suitors such as the British Rootes Group and US-based American Motors were talking shotgun marriage.
Enter Renzo Rivolta, owner of the Italian firm Iso SpA; creator of the Rivolta, Grifo and Lele; producer of refrigerators and motorcycles; and the accepted father of the Isetta. With the introduction of the “little Iso” in Italy in 1953, it did not take long for the wags to notice it was an almost perfect amalgam of motorcycle (with its 237-cc motorcycle-based engine), car (enclosed, with full bench seating for two, four wheels and a windshield wiper) and refrigerator (the front opening door is an obvious styling homage). In 1955 BMW signed on as a franchised licensee builder of the Isetta.
1965 Shelby Mustang GT350R
2007-06-04 00:00:00
Of the 36 “R”-series Shelbys built, two were prototypes and the rest were production models.
1955 - 1959 Bentley S1 Type Continental
2007-06-04 00:00:00
There has long been a difference between sports cars and cars of a sporting nature.
1954 - 1956 Oldsmobile Starfire Convertible
2007-06-03 00:00:00
The original Oldsmobile Starfire, named after the Lockheed F94B Starfire fighter jet, was first introduced as a show car in the 1953 GM Motorama, along with the Buick Skylark and Cadillac Eldorado.
1955 - 1963 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster
2007-06-03 00:00:00
The Mercedes-Benz 190SL belongs in the same league as other under-powered but stylish sports cars, like the cast-iron Alfa 2000 or the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
1982 - 1988 Lamborghini Jalpa
2007-06-03 00:00:00
Almost any casual car fan can remember the remarkable V12 Lamborghinis of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, as the first time you saw a Miura or a Countach is likely permanently etched in your mind.
1967 - 1968 Volvo 123GT
2007-05-22 00:00:00
When you think of collectible sports and GT cars from the 1960s, a number of British, German, Italian, and even French marques may come to mind. But a Swedish Volvo?
1963 - 1964 Studebaker Avanti R-1 and R-2
2007-05-22 00:00:00
The Avanti was an automotive Hail Mary, a last-ditch effort to bring excitement and warm bodies to Studebaker showrooms.
1956 - 1964 AC Ace Bristol Roadster
2007-05-20 00:00:00
The base motor for the AC Ace was a six-cylinder designed in 1919 by John Weller. The lightweight, 1991-cc unit was made largely of aluminum, but with a cast iron head.
1967 Chevrolet Nickey Camaro
2007-05-20 00:00:00
Today, the words “tuner car” conjures up images of an AMG or Renntech-equipped Mercedes. Or perhaps a Stillen-equipped SUV or a McLaren Mustang.
1951 – 1954 Muntz Road Jet
2007-05-20 00:00:00
Frank Kurtis was a well-known builder of Indianapolis and Championship style race cars as well as “Specials,” which were built on a limited basis.
1948 Tucker 48
2007-05-20 00:00:00
Long before the end of World War II, Preston Tucker set about acquiring a lease on one of the largest buildings under a single roof, the 93-acre Dodge Cicero Avenue plant on the South Side of Chicago.
1959 Ford Galaxie Sunliner Convertible
2007-05-20 00:00:00
Ford introduced the Galaxie in late 1958 as a 1959 model, with the intention of moving some of its bread-and-butter Fairlane production up-market.
1973 - 1977 Lamborghini Espada Series III
2007-05-20 00:00:00
The Lamborghini Espada was in production for ten years, from 1968 to 1978.
1963 - 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso
2007-05-08 00:00:00
Production of the Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta “Lusso” started at roughly the end of the 250 GT Berlinetta SWB (short-wheelbase) run and ended at the start of the 275 GTB’s run.
1968 - 1969 Dodge Dart
2007-05-08 00:00:00
Gearheads from the 1960s remember the Dodge Dart for plenty of reasons, most of them related to its economy-car status. The 225-c.i.
1947 – 1949 MG TC roadster
2007-05-08 00:00:00
For all its shortcomings, the MG TC is an important car, an iconic British roadster worth adding to any serious collection.
1965 Pontiac GTO Convertible
2007-05-08 00:00:00
The 1965 Pontiac GTO is the prodigy of the American muscle car family, and one of the most significant postwar Pontiacs built. And it is all thanks to a fairly straightforward recipe.
1953 Chevrolet Corvette
2007-05-08 00:00:00
The 1953 Chevrolet Corvette matters now because it was the genesis of America’s iconic sports car. Ironically, though, it took some convincing to matter upon its debut.
1958 - 1961 Elva Courier
2007-05-06 00:00:00
Elva automobiles were built in the United Kingdom by not one or two, but three companies at different times in their ten-year history from 1958 to 1968.
1954 Edwards
2007-05-06 00:00:00
One of the rarest cars priced in Cars That Matter is a one-year-only “special” built by Sterling Edwards of California.
Cars That Matter — Classic, Vintage and Old Car Price Guide
2007-04-29 00:00:00
Welcome to Cars That Matter. We publish our price guide - some people call them value guides - three times per year. We cover more than 150 makes and thousands of models from 1946 to the present.