Before the ad offering it for sale was published in February 1982, ALP 598 was mine. “One of the prettiest of all the famous Le Mans cars,” it was called, “in superb re­stored condition. Finished in Prussian Blue with grey hide up­holstery and black weather equipment.” That’s the way Coys of Kensington described this Aston Martin before I fell in love with it.

It was a case of love at first sight. One Saturday morning in December, I’d dropped a friend off in London’s Chelsea and, on the spur of the moment, decided to drive back through the warrens of ancient mews south of Kensington Gardens and west of Queens Gate because I knew purveyors of vintage motor vehicles infested these regions. My idea was to see what they were offering—out of curiosity. How innocently we embark on these journeys!

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If I were to ask you to name an innovative, Italian sports car manufacturer, chances are good you would instinctively reply, Ferrari. If I were to then ask you to name one of the oldest Italian automobile manufacturers in continuous production, you very well might answer either Fiat or Alfa Romeo. And while all these answers would be technically correct, the vast majority of enthusiast would overlook the one Italian manufacturer that ticks all these boxes—Lancia.

The founding father of this most venerable Turninese manufacturer was Vicenzo Lancia, born on August 24, 1881, the son of a Piedmont region soup canner. Raised in Fobello, just 100 kilometers northeast of Turin, the young Lancia showed an early facility with both numbers and things mechanical.

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Patrick Long

For the best part of 20 years, Patrick Long was a Porsche factory driver. Having hung up his helmet at the end of 2021, today he remains a competition advisor for Porsche Motorsport, heading up North America’s young driver development program. But away from the circuit, for countless Porsche enthusiasts worldwide, Long is synonymous with one word: Luftgekühlt.

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Rooted in aeronautics but more commonly known for its automotive applications, the NACA (not NASA) duct is a timeless piece of functional design that has gone through decades unchanged, never needing to adapt to prevalent trends. The NACA duct was conceived in 1945 by aeronautical engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a government body that would later become NASA. The duct was intended to direct air into jet engines without creating additional drag, but the design wasn’t as effective as needed in aeronautical use. However, as NACA declassified the invention in 1951, the duct was soon used in the automotive world. Being submerged into the bodywork, NACA ducts don’t increase drag like lifted scoops do while its design made it great for both air supply and cooling.

Early testing

Naturally, the first experiments with the freshly declassified invention were in racing. Several blurry black and white photos show Le Mans-ready 1951 Talbot Lago T26 GS 11055 and 1955 Connaught B Type Streamliner being the first cars to use them, but it was Frank Costin’s 1956 Vanwall F1 car that is widely credited as being the first car to adopt a NACA duct. An aeronautical engineer by trade, Frank Costin went on to use the NACA duct on his subsequent projects too, and by the early 1960s the novel air inlet was becoming increasingly present on racing cars of all kinds, slowly catching on in the automotive mainstream too.

The 1970s and the 1980s were the years in which the NACA duct secured its place in the automotive world. Both highly functional and cool on the era’s geometric cars, the duct was a key feature on some truly remarkable machinery, thus becoming an icon itself. Later on, as design trends reverted from boxy to curved and as aerodynamics advanced, the famous duct largely gave way to more organic free-form openings, but it wasn’t completely written off either.

Common applications

In fact, NACA ducts are more common than you might assume, and you’d be surprised how many regular cars use them somewhere on their undersides, cooling gearboxes or differentials hidden from our view. But, when a sports car has a NACA duct somewhere on its body, the strong visual appeal comes into play and it becomes a universally recognized symbol of speed and power. That being said, here’s a brief visual history of NACA ducts told through ten sports cars using them in their own unique ways throughout the decades.

1 Lotus Elite Super 95 (1960)

Given Frank Costin’s prolific use of NACA on various racing cars, it seems logical that the first production car equipped with a NACA duct came from Britain as well. Costin and Colin Chapman of Lotus fame were cooperating during the 1950s and the 1960s, especially on formula cars, but his contribution covered a number of road cars as well.

One of those was Lotus Type 14 Elite, where Frank Costin not only helped the final design be more aerodynamic, but he also used his trademark, the NACA duct. The Elite originally sported a clean hood, but some variants had a NACA duct to help the 1.4-liter engine achieve more power. That being said, the single offset NACA duct on the left side of the hood was there to inject air into dual side-mounted carburetors. Originally, Elites equipped with NACA ducts were factory-prepared for racing, but the more potent Super 95 Elite road car had it as well. This way, the NACA duct creeped its way onto production cars and little did anyone know that it would soon become more than just an efficient air inlet.

2 Alfa Romeo Montreal (1970)

When Alfa Romeo presented a car at the 1967 Universal Exposition in Montreal, it was clear that Marcello Gandini created another masterpiece. The sleek Montreal boasted a slippery silhouette with just the right amount of memorable details. It boasted louvered headlights, bullhorn-shaped doors similar to the Miura and C-pillars decorated with six horizontal air vents.

The production model came out in 1970 and in transition from concept to production stage, the roadgoing Montreal got a prominent hood mounted NACA duct. Though it played a big part when it came to the looks, the duct itself was not particularly functional though. The 2.6-liter V8 engine scooped air alongside the cylinder banks, so the large NACA duct was not functional at all. Still, the Montreal is living proof that NACA ducts are really cool, even if they don’t work.

3 Pontiac GTO (1973)

Coupled with safety concerns due to the unhinged 1960s, the 1971 fuel crisis drove the American automotive industry into the malaise era. Still, Detroit was adamant to preserve an appearance of speed in spite of rapidly declining power coming from good ol’ American V8s year after year. Such is the case with the 1973 Pontiac GTO, a Pontiac Le Mans-based coupé and a mere shadow of its former self.

Not only did the GTO badge suffer due to the unfavorable automotive climate, but it also fell within the brand’s hierarchy too, giving way to the Firebird family as the flagship Pontiac sports car. The 1973 GTO produced up to 270 horsepower, a far cry from the pre-malaise cars. The hood featured dual NACA ducts, placed there for optional ram air induction. In the end, only ten cars actually got the ram air from the factory, deeming the ducts obsolete. So, though the 1973 GTO wasn’t the greatest car around, NACA ducts at least made it as cool as a malaise muscle car could get.

4 Lamborghini Countach (1974)

NACA ducts might come unnoticed from time to time, but that’s definitely not the case with the Lamborghini Countach. Huge side-mounted NACA ducts are so integral to this car’s design that it’s hard to imagine that the 1971 LP500 prototype did not have them. While Gandini’s wedge-shaped design study sported a clean side profile, Paolo Stanzani and his team had to deal with troubles like an air hungry V12.

Addressing the V12’s need to breathe, Gandini offered the solution in form of gigantic dual NACA ducts aiding the periscopic air inlets. Apart from feeding dual radiators with fresh air, these inlets housed door handles too. In most cases, the ducts were finished in matte black, which only made them stand out even more, contrasting the supercar’s bold colors. After the Espada and Jarama, as well as the aforementioned Montreal, Marcello Gandini’s love affair with NACA ducts really reached its pinnacle with the Countach, but it was not over.

5 Renault 5 Turbo (1980)

Unlike the Countach ones, this NACA duct is easy to miss as it’s only visible from a lesser portrayed angle, but that doesn’t make it any less iconic. Renault 5 Turbo super-supermini is a rallying icon and it started off as a Renault 5 with scrambled internals. Instead of a front-mounted and often modest powertrain, the Turbo got a mid-mounted turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four powering the rear wheels, transforming the cute hatchback into a fierce and agile mini monster.

Such radical mechanical alterations resulted in substantial overhaul of the bodywork too and here came Gandini again. The front got a more aggressive look and the fenders, especially the rear ones, were widened to deal with increased track and accommodate wider, grippier wheels. And the NACA duct? It was on top of the left rear fender, directing air into the intercooler and it was present on both the hardcore Turbo and the somewhat tamed Turbo 2.

6 Ferrari F40 (1987)

It’s common knowledge that the Ferrari F40 is a milestone supercar in a number of ways. A thorough evolution of the 288 GTO, the F40 set a benchmark for 1980s performance, while its assertive looks made it a poster car of the decade. Finally, all that combined made the F40 a timeless icon.

The features that defined the F40’s iconic looks are pop-up headlights, a massive integrated rear wing and NACA ducts – not one, not two, but six of them. The most prominent pair is the one mounted on the sides, cooling the rear brakes, followed by two small ones on the front hood, placed for directing air into the cabin. Finally, the third pair is on the rear hood, gathering cool air for twin oil coolers.

7 Dodge Viper SR II (1996)

The original SR I Viper debuted with a clean hood design, whereas the NACA duct appeared in 1996 with the introduction of the SR II generation GTS coupé. The SR II roadster initially retained the clean hood for another year, getting a NACA duct in 1997. Though the Viper was one of the most curvaceous cars out on the market with its free flowing design and its double-bubble roof, the old school appeal of the NACA duct worked just perfectly on America’s wildest sports car. Moreover, the inlet was functional, scooping fresh air for the massive 8.0-liter V10.

Onwards, the Viper had an on-and-off relationship with NACA ducts, and let’s elaborate on that. The third and fourth generation Vipers, named ZB I and ZB II respectively, ditched the NACA duct in favor of an oval air inlet, which was just one part of a major technical and visual overhaul. Finally, in 2012, the fifth and final Viper came out, this time just as a hardtop coupé, and it once again had a fully functional NACA duct.

8 Nissan R35 GT-R (2007)

When it arrived in 2007, the Godzilla had pretty big shoes to fill. A successor to the Skyline GT-R dynasty, Nissan’s halo sports car not only had to prove itself as a capable road and a race car, but also to live up to the reputation of a giant slayer. Some sixteen years later, as the R35 GT-R is still evolving, we can safely say it did a stellar job for the brand’s image and the automotive culture all around the world.

The R35 GT-R relied on a number of tricks to punch above its weight. While some, like the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive, are nerdy and immensely complex, some are simple, straightforward and outright cool. Yes, we’re talking about twin hood-mounted NACA ducts. As a piece of mid-century technology on a high-tech supercar killer, these NACA ducts direct air onto the turbines, cooling them in the process.

9 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 991.2 (2018)

An evolution of the 991 GT3 RS, the updated 991.2 generation 911 GT3 RS was not the first time Porsche used a NACA duct as the 924 Turbo had one cooling the turbocharger. Porsche’s first use of NACA duct on a road car came in the late 1970s when NACA duct was a must-have in the fast car business and was followed by dual NACA ducts on the 968 Turbo S. After this elusive front-engined sports car, there was a long hiatus before the next Porsche came equipped with this aerodynamic feature.

The next roadgoing Porsche to rock the NACA duct came in 2018, and as expected, dual hood-mounted NACA ducts were not there just for show. A hardcore, track-ready sports car needs all the air in the world, so these two ducts are used for cooling the front brakes. Interestingly, the air reaches the brakes through the frunk cover panel.

10 GMA T.50S Niki Lauda (2021)

From a genius who gifted us the McLaren F1, the GMA T.50 is Gordon Murray’s 21st century ode to the analog hypercar. It has all the key ingredients of a true Gordon Murray automobile: central seating position, a naturally aspirated V12, ingenious engineering and understated, deeply pragmatic design. As such, it is an ode to analog supercars and a true successor to the absolutely iconic McLaren F1.

Then, there’s also the same car turned up to eleven. GMA T.50s Niki Lauda is a track-only variant, thoroughly lightened, more powerful and aerodynamically optimized. It is also a living testament to NACA duct timelessness as Sir Murray and his team seamlessly incorporated it into a modern, organic and purpose-driven shape. That being said, GMA T.50S has triple NACA ducts. The central one supplies the cabin with fresh air and it’s flanked by two smaller ducts, used to cool the front brakes.

Original article HERE

More information

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A proving ground like no other

Automotive factory proving grounds and test tracks are like Disneyland – the fun is varied and never-ending.  Even the work feels like car play.  Every carmaker has these facilities, and they are as varied as the planets in our solar system.  Many of them are large sprawling properties that pack a variety of test tracks, road surfaces, crash test facilities, hot and cold testing areas, into a hundred acres, or in some cases, hundreds of acres.  These facilities allow test drivers and engineers to run cars in development under a variety of conditions – high speed, low speed, rough road, or no road, to shake out (sometimes literally) any engineering foibles in the design, all in the safety of a controlled facility free of kids crossing the street and law enforcement.  Not to mention in the privacy needed to keep next year’s new model a secret from the media and competition.

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The thought of racing priceless vintage autos on the surface of a frozen lake is crazy, right? Would you take your prized possession out for a spin on sketchy ice and snow? But in a country known for alpine adventure, St. Moritz, Switzerland, is the site for one of the most visually stunning events you’ll ever see in motorsport.

They call it The ICE (International Concours of Elegance) St. Moritz. Four dozen curated cars on display, and on track, on top of the frozen February ice of Lake St. Moritz.

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Creating his own car company was “an old idea of my father’s,” Ferry Porsche recalled. The idea dated back at least to 1923. “When he left Austro Daimler in 1923 to go to Mercedes,” Ferry continued, “he had the idea to do something a little like what Bugatti had done. It was a question of either having enough money to start a factory or to go to Mercedes as technical director. He didn’t have enough money, so he went to Mercedes.” When, in 1930, Porsche decided to set up a company of his own, car making was still on his agenda. To a colleague he wrote, in September 1930, that “I foresee opening a design office and subsequently founding a manufacturing company.” This was one of the main reasons why he chose Stuttgart as the home for his new venture. In addition to having a villa there, Porsche knew Stuttgart and its capabilities well from his Daimler years. Renowned firms like Bosch, Mahle, Reutter and Hirth stood ready to help build his prototypes.

Moreover, Stuttgart—which Porsche liked to say was “at the center of Europe”—could help the engineer achieve his goal of becoming a producer, as well as a designer of cars. He wanted to be fully in charge of his destiny, free from the sleeve-tugging influence of the boards under which he’d previously chafed.

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East Himalaya Rally
October-November 2022

This adventure-rated rally was the first international classic car rally in the North East Indian States of Assam and Meghalaya, and the first international classic car rally in Bangladesh.

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First and foremost, founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, who was able to develop a tractor starting with surplus war equipment and build a successful business from there. Subsequently, as already an established businessman, Ferruccio rose to the challenge again and entered the automotive industry to redefine its paradigms. In a time when civil society and labor still followed rigid rules, his first revolution was to create a company producing sports cars that aspired to be the best GTs in the world, bringing on board a group of young engineers, many of which had just graduated from university.

Giampaolo Dallara was appointed Technical Director at the tender age of 27. Under his direction, the first production Lamborghinis were built, above all the Miura (1966) – the car that forced journalists wanting to describe it to coin a new term: supercar. Everything about the Miura was new and had never been seen before on a production car. From a technical point of view, its four-liter engine with four overhead camshafts was unprecedented. Meanwhile, the lines of the Miura, designed by Carrozzeria Bertone, did their job in turning this twelve-cylinder machine into the most coveted car of its time and, in more recent times, an authentic collector’s item.

In 1968, the position of Technical Director, in addition to that of Production Director, was assigned to young engineer Paolo Stanzani who had joined the company in 1963 at just 27-years old. Stanzani is credited with developing the Countach project and turning it into the world’s fastest super sports car for almost 20 years. The Countach adopted a new transmission system, with the driveshaft passing through the engine block, and was the first mass-produced car to have scissor doors. These distinctive traits are still evident in the production of today’s twelve-cylinder Lamborghinis. Stanzani would subsequently create the Urraco, a four-seater berlinetta with a V8 engine featuring Heron head combustion chambers, sitting in a transverse position at the rear. The engine was complemented by other technical innovations such as a MacPherson strut suspension on both front and rear and the “dished” steering wheel with the steering column positioned ahead of the cockpit.

Bob Wallace, born in 1938 in Auckland, New Zealand, was Lamborghini’s chief test driver from 1963 to 1975 and essentially the man who developed all Lamborghini models up to and including the Countach on the road, kilometer after kilometer. He is credited with creating a system of work and testing that, to this day, is considered the basis of Automobili Lamborghini’s R&D department and beyond. Passionate about auto racing, Wallace had an agreement with Ferruccio Lamborghini to create components and novel solutions from used parts on company machinery in his spare time. These were then tested on experimental cars, which led to the creation of the Miura “Jota”, the Jarama “Bob” and the Urraco “Rallye”, all considered legendary specimens today. The results of this “free experimentation” allowed the rapid evolution of Lamborghini production cars and the brand’s subsequent extraordinary ascent at the international level.

Franco Scaglione, Ferruccio Lamborghini’s contemporary, was born in 1916 in Florence, the city that educated him in his appreciation of beauty. He grew up during the heyday of the Futurist movement, where artists were constantly searching for dynamism, movement, and speed. After studying aeronautical engineering, he followed his passion for design and began to work as a fashion designer before eventually designing cars for the most important body shops of the time. His BATs, the Berlinette Aerodinamiche Tecniche, brought aerodynamic research into automotive styling in the 1950s. In 1963, on direct request of Lamborghini, Scaglione designed the body of the very first Gran Turismo born in Sant’Agata Bolognese. The lines of the 350 GTV were exceptional, characterized by rounded shapes, very thin pillars, and its curved windows. This car would be the calling card with which the newly established Automobili Lamborghini presented itself to industry insiders and the public alike, immediately displaying the company’s ambitions.

Engineer Giulio Alfieri was born in Parma in 1924 and graduated from the Polytechnic University of Milan just after the end of World War II. He joined Lamborghini in 1975 and was appointed General Manager in 1982, ushering in the era of composite materials. He was responsible for the development of the Countach Evoluzione, a Countach prototype almost entirely made of carbon fiber, about 500 kg lighter than a normal Countach, and capable of exceeding speeds of 330 km/h. These studies were almost immediately put into practice, first in the Countach 25th Anniversary in 1988 and then in the Diablo presented in 1990. To this day, carbon fiber technology is one of the jewels in the crown of Lamborghini’s production.

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The Espada’s “pure” V-12 combustion engine in its final form will go out of production before the end of 2022, when the last Aventador Ultimae is made. From next year, the heir to the Aventador will be fitted with a new plug-in hybrid version of the V12 engine.

Ferruccio Lamborghini aimed to produce the fastest, most luxurious and comfortable grand tourer

Ever since the start of his venture into automobile manufacturing, company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini stated his objective very clearly. He wanted to make the best grand tourer around: a sports car that was not only fast but also comfortable and luxuriously finished. Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1968, the Espada 400 GT perfectly embodied this idea for over a decade. The Espada could comfortably seat four adults and had more space for both luggage and passengers than the 400 GT 2+2 (its predecessor) and the Islero 400 GT 2+2. In addition, the Espada featured truly outstanding finishing, with generous amounts of leather and other refined materials, as well as the option of fitting air conditioning. Power steering was introduced as an option in 1969 and it was included as standard from 1972 onwards. Even an automatic transmission version was available starting in 1974.

Taking the V-12 engine to 4 liters    

The technical cornerstone of the Espada was the 60° V-12 engine that was first produced in 1963 with a displacement of 3.5 liters, which had already been increased to 4 liters (3929-cc) in 1964. It is a remarkable example of engine development technologies, and it was capable of delivering 325 hp at 7200 rpm when it was first fitted in the Espada. This increased to 350 hp at 7500 rpm in the Espada Series II, which was presented in 1970.

Fed by six Weber 40 DCOE side-draft carburetors, the V-12 had a compression ratio of 9.5:1 (which increased to 10.7:1 from the Series II onwards) and two chain-driven overhead camshafts per bank. It weighed just 232 kg thanks to substantial use of aluminum to make not only the cylinder head but also the crankcase and the pistons. It was front-mounted in a position that was slightly further forward compared to the previous Lamborghini 350/400 GT engines, in order to make the interior roomier. Thanks to the large opening below the aluminum hood, it was easily accessible.

The chassis was based on that of the 400 GT but it was lengthened so that the wheelbase reached 2650 mm and was also widened, with the wheel track increasing to 149 cm. It had four-wheel independent suspension, with double wishbones and coil springs. In November 1968, an Espada “Lancomat” with hydropneumatic suspension went on display at the Turin Motor Show. The system was made available on demand, but in the end it was chosen by very few owners.

The Espada was an extremely fast grand tourer that was capable of reaching a top speed of between 245 and 260 km/h and keeping up with the sportier Miura in most conditions.

The Espada’s commercial success

When it was first unveiled, the Espada was the fastest four-seat car in the world.  Featuring boxy shapes as part of a highly innovative design by Carrozzeria Bertone, it proved to be a long-lasting commercial success. Its versatility and roomy interiors – despite a height of just 119 cm – meant that it was suitable for much more frequent use, thus significantly expanding the customer base. A total of 1226 cars were produced across the three series: 176 of the Espada 400 GT Series 1 between 1968 and 1969, 578 of the Espada 400 GTE Series II between 1970 and 1972, and 472 of the Espada 400 GTS Series III between 1972 and 1978.

The Espada VIP with a mini-bar and a Brionvega television

The Espada VIP was presented in 1971. It was based on the Espada 400 GTE Series II and just 12 of the vehicles were made. The first models in this special series of cars came in a special orange hue and had orange and black leather upholstery. Later vehicles were made in other color combinations. Inside, the Espada VIP had a mini-bar and a refrigerator in the rear side panels and a Brionvega Algol 11 television on top of the transmission tunnel to keep the passengers in the rear seats entertained. The VIP is one of the most sought-after models among Espada collectors today.

Paul McCartney’s Espada made a splash

One of the most famous Lamborghini Espada owners is Sir Paul McCartney. The former Beatle was a Lamborghini enthusiast and he bought a right-hand-drive 1972 Espada Series III with manual transmission, red paintwork and a red leather interior. His wife Linda often drove the car, but one time it rolled into a nearby pond after she left it in neutral and forgot to put on the handbrake. It was hauled out of the water after three days and later sold to new owners, who went on to use it for a number of years. Subsequently, it ended up being part of the “decor” in an English pub. It was sold to an unknown enthusiast in 2005 and it is thought that it may now be in Austria.

From VIP owners to the silver screen

Many celebrities have expressed their fondness for the Espada over the years. For example, since 1986 the famous American television host Jay Leno – who has always been a car enthusiast – has owned one of the very first Espada Series 2 models, which was made in 1969. EVO magazine founder Harry Metcalfe has also owned an Espada for many years. It is a right-hand-drive 1970 Series II and he took part with it in the Espada and Islero 50th Anniversary initiative organized by Automobili Lamborghini Polo Storico in 2018.

There have been numerous films featuring an Espada, including around 50 significant titles. The most famous among fans of the model is the 1973 Italian movie “Flatfoot” starring Carlo Pedersoli, who was better known as Bud Spencer. Largely filmed in Naples and the surrounding area, it sees the protagonist pursuing an Espada uphill around a series of hairpin bends in a long chase sequence that ends outside the Church of Sant’Antonio a Posillipo.

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The Grand Prix formula changed at the end of 1937 limiting engines to 3-liters (supercharged) or 4.5-liter (unblown) so the 4.5-liter V12 supercharged engines that had been used in the 1936/37 Tipo C Alfa Romeos became redundant. At least two were converted to marine use in racing speedboats and powered Antonio Passarin to much success in 1938 and 1939.

Probably four others were converted to normally aspirated format, which also necessitated new castings for the lower half of the crankcase which featured a four bolt fixing into the side rails at the front of the engine, as well as at the back. Installed into an 8C2900A type frame, these became the Tipo 412 sports cars of 1939. The Touring body was similar to the lovely 8C2900B Mille Miglia cars but more muscular (we might say “on steroids” now).

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This fun rally started in the beautiful region of the Douro valley in Portugal and made its way through Northern Spain, along the Atlantic coast famous for its high cliffs and through the canyons of Pico de Europa for 1,200 miles of winding roads through the Iberian Peninsula. Along with the beautiful scenery came the culture and the wine regions.

The Douro is known for the famous Port Wine. Our starting point was a wonderful hotel resort along the river Douro at the hotel Douro 41. The cars arrived mainly on a truck delivering the cars from the Northern European countries. We had participants coming all the way from Finland but also the UK, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Holland.

There was a great variety of cars, from an XK 140 and an E-Type, a Renault Alpine, and an Aston Martin DB6, to a MGB, Mercedes 350 /450, and a Ferrari 250 GT. We even had a Mercedes 600 just coming out of a 5 years’ restoration. For all the Porsche lovers, we had four 911 along in different configurations.

As we unloaded the cars, you could see the enthusiasm from all the locals coming to admire these legendary vehicles. The first night briefing got everyone together and you could feel the excitement of all the drivers ready to take the roads after more than a year of standstill.

We drove that first day through the Douro Valley and its famous vineyards stopping for lunch at the wonderful Quinta Ventozelo, overlooking the river. We slept that night in a small medieval village with a wine tasting in the village castle. We had an alternator problem with one of the 911, but we found a Porsche dealer in Porto who could help us.

On the second day, we drove along the spectacular Spanish borderline, stopped at Castello de Figueira, a cute little village with its castle and cobblestone streets surrounded by almond orchards. We made our way to the Spa town of Vidago and stayed at the famous Vidago Palace, the summer residence of the latest Portuguese King Manuel II. By the time we arrived, the alternator was hand-delivered by the garage owner, happy to save the day for the Porsche owner.

Day 3 saw us crossing back into the province of Galicia in Spain, and driving through one of the deepest European canyons, the Canyon do Sil. Not only the drive was amazing, but we stopped for lunch in a vineyard situated above the canyon and we ended the day at the Convento de Santo Estevo, a magnificent old convent on the side of a steep cliff.

It was on Day 4 that the mechanics had to do wonders. The rear, left suspension on the Mercedes 600 gave up…. A mistake during the restoration that could have had bad consequences. Stopped along the road by a tractor shop, our “MacGyver” mechanic picked up a tube from a lawnmower and a rubber from an old tractor to fix the car, thus allowing it to continue. The car made it through mountain winding roads all the way to the end of the rally without a single problem.

That day was also one of the highlights, as we drove and parked in front of the cathedral on the main square of Santiago de Compostella, normally pedestrian-only. Lunch at the Parador and on our way to the Atlantic coast to the city of La Coruña, for a night facing the ocean.

One of the most fascinating parts of this rally was the high cliffs of Punta de la Estaca de Barres on Day 5. A drive through a National park with wild horses and cows running all over the road. After 4 days of driving the interior of the country, the ocean drive was welcomed by all. Due to the closing of the main road, our front logistic car had to reroute and possibly found, in a short time, the best route of the whole rally.  A wonderful winding road through the mountains, that led us to our overnight Castle hotel. The Porsche owners had a blast!

Coming to our Day 6 of driving was again a spectacular driving day through the canyons and mountains up to 3500 feet of the Picos de Europa, in the province of Asturias. Mountain passes and turquoise lakes all the way to Potes, where the mayor of the town received us with open arms. A medieval town made up of tiny cobblestone streets and old bridges. We ended up in the small Unesco World Heritage village of Santillana del Mar. We stayed in the heart of the village, a lookalike movie set of the Middle Ages!

After a good night’s sleep, we took the road for our last driving day through the Basque country, a very different aspect of Spain, a province with its own language and road signs. That is when we got a call from the Ferrari 250 GT owner with a brake problem. The brake pump on the back wheel broke letting all the brake fluid out. Lucky for the team, they were driving in the valley at low speed. Had it been the day before in the mountains, it could have been tragic.  A tow truck did the job.  The definite highlight of the day was the visit and lunch at the Torre Loizaga Castle & Rolls-Royce museum. A hidden gem in the Basque Hills not far from Bilbao. Bearing the most extensive collection of Rolls-Royce from the start to the ’70s, this family owned museum is just amazing. After a toast and a photo with the owner, we made our way along the ocean to the city of San Sebastian, where we ended our adventure. We ended up with our gala dinner in the royal hall of the Hotel Maria Cristina where our mechanics and the logistic team got a standing ovation. After this long-awaited rally, it was a real treat to be able to discover the beauty and amazing scenery of the Iberian Peninsula.

Next year another region is awaiting. The Trans-Iberica 2022 will take us from the French side of the Pyrenees mountain range all the way to Andalusia on the Spanish side, going through mountain passes, deserts, National Parks, wineries, castles and, medieval cities.

www.destination-rally.com

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This new model was conceived to replace the legendary Miura and to write a new page in the history of the automobile, both for its technology and design. After three years of development, the LP 500 was sacrificed in crash tests, in March 1974, and then disappeared. But over the next 20 years, the LP 500 would live on—at least in spirit—in the 1,983 Lamborghini Countachs that would come after it.

Decades later, near the end of 2017, Albert Spiess, a classic car aficionado and important Lamborghini customer, asked Lamborghini’s Polo Storico restoration division if there was any possibility of creating a reconstruction of the Countach LP 500, the legendary prototype that now only lived on in period photographs.

Lamborghini’s first months were spent acquiring all the material available and undertaking an in-depth analysis. “The collection of documents was crucial,” underscored Giuliano Cassataro, Head of Service and Polo Storico. “There had been so much attention paid to all the details of the car, to their overall consistency and to the technical specifications.”

Photographs, documents, meeting reports, original drawings, and the memories of some the protagonists of the time: all this contributed to establishing the form and function of every single detail as accurately as possible. The support of Fondazione Pirelli was also fundamental in providing historical archive material to recreate the tires mounted on the original LP 500 model.

The work began on the platform chassis, which was completely different from the tubular frame of the Countach models that would follow. In addition to physically redesigning it, Polo Storico had to decide which work system to use for building it in order to respect the production methods of the time. The same procedure was used for the bodywork, with various modern technological instruments employed for its analysis and definition. Once the sheet metal beating phase was reached, technology gave way to the traditional Italian system, carried out by the “battilastra” with his creativity and tools. A similar process was followed for the interior, which included the lighted diagnostic instruments, as shown on the 1971 prototype.

For all the mechanical components, as in 1971, original Lamborghini spare parts or restored components of the time were used, or failing that, parts were completely remanufactured.

For the historical reconstruction part of the original design, Polo Storico turned to the Lamborghini Centro Stile where the team led by Mitja Borkert, Head of Design, set to work on the very challenging project. “The LP 500 is of paramount importance to Lamborghini because it gave rise to the design DNA of all subsequent models,” said Mitja Borkert. “To arrive at the car that debuted in Geneva in 1971, a 1:1 scale styling model was developed, which along with the car itself was lost over time, but extensive photographic evidence of it remains. This is the same approach with which we decided to tackle the project. Starting from publications of the time, from images on homologation sheets and other material recovered from Polo Storico, we were able to reconstruct the mathematics necessary for creating the first 1:1 scale model. The biggest challenge was to create the exact volume of the car, and for this we used the opportunity to take a 3D scan of our LP 400 (chassis 001), which was an enormous source of information. It took us 2000 hours of work altogether to arrive at the final model, with lines that satisfied us. The exact same procedure was followed for the interior.”

Lamborghini’s collaboration with Pirelli – dating back to 1963 – to reconstruct the tires mounted on the LP 500 prototype proved to be invaluable. Thanks to the images and materials preserved in the archives of Fondazione Pirelli, it was possible to use the original plans of the Cinturato CN12 tire fitted on the LP 500 for its Geneva debut. From these documents, the Milanese company’s technicians set out to create the Cinturato CN12 of the Pirelli Collezione range, today’s line of tires dedicated to the most iconic cars built between 1930 and 2000, which preserve the originality of the rubber by combining a vintage image with modern technology. Specifically, the Pirelli Cinturato CN12 tires for the Lamborghini Countach LP 500 were supplied in the sizes 245/60R14 for the front and 265/60R14 for the rear, and are now fitted with the same tread pattern and aesthetics as in the 1970s, but with a modern compound and structure.

Finally, when it came to choosing the color, the PPG archives proved to be crucial, making it possible to identify, after careful analysis, the exact composition for producing the yellow color used, identified as “Giallo Fly Speciale”.

Following its debut at the recent Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the LP 500 was the star of the “Countach LP 500: The Shakedown” event (held on Oct. 8)  at the Vizzola Ticino racetrack, in the presence of the collector who commissioned the reconstruction and the suppliers who participated in its creation.

Pirelli made available its Vizzola Ticino circuit where Polo Storico, after the 25,000 hours of work required for the reconstruction, had the opportunity to test the LP 500 before its official presentation at Villa d’Este: similar to the testing done on the road to validate restoration work on Lamborghini classic cars before they are returned to their owners. The track location was also chosen to officially present the car to the collector, allowing him to experience the emotion of a few laps around the circuit.

Giuliano Cassataro, Head of Service and Polo Storico, commented, “The tests and the shakedown on the track confirmed that the Countach LP 500, as well as being beautiful, is also functional, and the larger size of its tires compared to those of the standard LP 400 (40 millimeters more at the front and 50 at the rear) gives the car an attractive and well-proportioned aesthetic, which makes it still very modern even half a century on from its original debut. We felt it was important to celebrate it together with the customer, and also to share the excitement of seeing it in motion with the suppliers who invested so many hours of work in its creation”.

The resurrected LP 500 is now on display (through November 15) at Lamborghini’s MUDETEC Museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

The bare tubular chassis of an LP 400, the second production LP 400, and a 5000 Quattrovalvole presented alongside the first Countach prototype, create a visitor journey to discover the fifty years of history attached to this legendary Lamborghini model.

The post Resurrected Icon—Recreating the Lamborghini LP 500 Countach Prototype appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Rolls-Royce’s brilliant, first post-war design is as enjoyable to drive now as it was then.

The Silver Wraith was the first large-chassis Rolls-Royce produced after the second World War. The market for expensive, hand-crafted luxury automobiles was somewhat limited in the post-war era, with most people having more urgent needs. The economy was in recovery and automobile production was severely curtailed by shortages of raw materials. Additionally, highly priced luxury automobiles had become subject to a prohibitive purchase tax. Adding to these difficulties, petrol was rationed and only available with coupons.

The post 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith James Young appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

In early 1900, a Mr. Kenneth Skinner, from Boston was granted an exclusive license by the De Dion Company to sell and manufacture its automobiles in America. He was already importing their stationary engines and selling De Dion tricycles.  He licensed a new American company The De Dion Motorette Company of New York to make the cars, a company with a stock capital of $750,000 of which $150,000 was cash. And so the designate General Manager of the Motorette Company, Cornelius Field, traveled to Paris in June 1900. Production of De Dion cars in France was now well under way. Mr. Field returned to New York a month later accompanied by drawings, parts and 3 cars. In that year only 25 cars were imported into the U.S. There was a crippling 45% import duty on self-propelled vehicles.

America’s manufacturers had been particularly hit by the world economic collapse of the 1890s, dubbed the “Long Depression”. America survived by introducing high import tariffs. The Daily Mail, in London, expressed a view… “that through their tariffs we  have lost to the Americans the manufacture of electrical machinery, locomotives, steel rails….”. There now seemed little possibility that foreign cars could be sold into America at an economical price. Perhaps, the very rich could afford a prestigious Mercedes or Napier but not the man of modest means. But foreign cars were highly regarded, and to some American businessmen it must have seemed obvious that a French designed but American built automobile would succeed. But how would such delicate automobiles fare on America’s appalling roads? Statistics showed that only 7% of American roads were paved – but in France 40% were! But New York had some of America’s best paved roads and it was here in New York that Cornelius Field announced the arrival of the American De Dion motor car.  100 to 150 men would be employed. Orders would be taken with a probable delivery of 5 months. Five to ten cars would be produced a week, production would begin Oct 31^st 1900.

Field had an impeccable engineering background, he had supervised the introduction of electric lighting (using the new “electric fluid”) at the White House and had helped develop, with financier Patrick H Flynn, the successful Nassau Electric Railway Company – a railway connecting Brooklyn to central New York. In 1899, the Nassau Railway and the New York Transit Company merged, and as a result Nassau’s railway sheds in Brooklyn were vacated. It was here that Cornelius Field with father-in-law William Craven and business partners Flynn and Fred Cochew, setup the Motorette Company’s offices and workshops. There were only 8000 automobiles registered in the United States at the time.

It is perhaps surprising that electrical engineer Field had decided to favor the internal combustion engine rather than electrical or even steam power.  In fact, half of the automobiles in the U.S. at that time were steamers, the American Locomobile was the most popular – despite its limited range of 20 miles on one tank of water, and its propensity to self ignite! However, at $750 it was comparatively cheap, and popular and cheerful, Rudyard Kipling publicly described his machine as a “nickel plated fraud”. Simplicity was the hallmark of the steamer (and, indeed the electrical automobile); gear changes were unnecessary and the high torque at slow speed made them well suited to America’s poor roads. A car powered by an internal combustion was a novelty, a far more sophisticated vehicle than an electric or steam car. It was an engineer’s motor car, no doubt Motorette engineer Cornelius Field was excited by its sophistication – with the advanced high revving engine, unique De Dion back axle and the high tension electrical ignition. But was it too revolutionary and sophisticated for the times?

In late July 1900, the first wholly American manufactured De Dion-Bouton Motorette was demonstrated to the U.S. Motoring press. A week later the residents of Brooklyn were invited, through their local paper “The Brooklyn Eagle” to visit the new factory and try out the new car. “Not an experiment, but a tried and proved success, over 20,000 De Dion motors are in operation…. capacity 3 people price $1200”. In fact, the company imported the engines, the HT coils, batteries and contact breakers from France, and it seems for the earlier cars carburetors and oilers. We do not know if the French company only gave a license to Mr. Skinner to sell engines but not the rights to manufacture, although the Motorette Company did manufacture its own gearboxes, copied exactly to the De Dion design. In fact, the import tariff on engines was less than on complete cars which might well have influenced decisions. Bodies were, tradition has it, made by the piano maker Steinway. Situated near Brooklyn Steinway was close to The Motorette Company with a reputation in quality woodworking.

There were only 500 cars registered (voluntarily) in New York and Brooklyn when the Motorette Company started business. The market was ready to be exploited with a quality automobile for the discerning customer – the future looked rosy for the American Motorette Company. A major publicity campaign began with full-page adverts in the three U.S. motoring magazines. The Motor Car Journal referred to the De Dion engine as the best in the world. It was well respected, in the States as a stationary engine powering generators and small items of machinery. The respected Peerless Automobile Company had adopted De Dion engines and with much advertising an imported French Panhard was modified to take a De Dion engine. In September 1900, just before production began, De Dion Motorettes and Quadracycles won all their competitive events at the Guttenburg Fair in New York.

The New Year of 1901 saw the Company announce, two months late, “that owing to the completion of our manufacturing plant…we are in a position to assure customers of our unequalled facilities for the prompt execution of orders.” The automobile on offer was a copy of the French Vis-à-Vis called the New York Motorette, type No 1 had a 3 1/2 hp engine and type No 2 a 5hp engine. These models had a rear luggage rack with fold down front seats; features which exist in all the surviving Motorettes. These cars could be ordered in any color with any modification requested by the purchaser. One we know had wooden wheels instead of wire and one a steering wheel.

“The vehicles have been met with a gratifying reception and we have already had the pleasure of supplying Motorettes to many commercial leaders of New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and elsewhere, there is hardly a large city in which a Motorette will not be seen.” This was an influential clientele who would not be pleased if their internal combustion engined automobile did not match up to expectations. Certainly the simple gearbox, immediate starting (which a steamer had not) and the reliable advanced ignition system made it good value even at the increased price now of $1300-1400. But all was not well…

In Feb 1901, William Morgan, who owned the Autocar Company of Pennsylvania, took The Motorette Company to task in the press for claiming that their machine could match any vehicle weighing twice as much. “The American public must not accept too blindly the theories and practices which dominate in France. The finest roads in France are equal to the finest Macadam boulevards in America and within a 50 mile radius of Paris a grade exceeding 20% cannot be found…it is almost impossible to start them from a standing start without using what is known as the hill climbing gear,” this in a two speed machine was, of course, not a “fault”.

Prejudice was beginning too grow and later in that year real competition appeared in the crude but very practical internal combustion engined Curved Dash Oldsmobile; with large wheels, high ground clearance, wide track and a high torque low speed engine. It was half the price of the much more sophisticated but somewhat “mysterious” De Dion Motorette – a car which featured entirely enclosed mechanics and the even more mysterious high tension coil ignition system. The De Dion was a machine, perhaps, too sophisticated for the general artisan mechanic. The company may well have been aware of this, for the June 1901 sales catalogue pointed out “we have tried to anticipate the little troubles that are likely to be met with until the operator has learned by experience the knack of driving the Motorette.”  At the same time changes were made to the car, with heavier springs and larger bearings all no doubt necessary after the pounding the cars received on American roads.

In the same month of June The Brooklyn Eagle reported that 10 members of the Long Island Automobile Club had organized a two-hour run to the Garden City Hotel in New York. (Long Island had some of the best roads in the country and well suited to light voiturettes) “However, man proposes only, and but two of those that left Brooklyn reached their destination” a De Dion and a steam Locomobile. Unfortunately, three De Dion Motorettes, three Locomobiles and two electric cars failed to complete the two hour journey. One De Dion was driven by Cornelius Field from the Motorette Company and a committee member of the organizing Club. In September, four De Dions were entered into the New York to Buffalo Endurance Run a distance of about 300 miles. Two De Dions gained first and second class awards, but it appeared that four cars were advertised as entered but only two finished. The company claimed that two cars had not appeared at the start line. Curiously, one of the Motorettes was driven by a Mr. J Lauegez and a Mr. C Lanngumen ex Panhard agents. Laungamen had tried to get around America’s crippling import tariffs by importing a Panhard as part of his household articles.  The car was confiscated by customs and auctioned off! American customs took no prisoners!

The denigrating of French derived machines continued in the American press. The Horseless Age reported, “Just as our machines are unable to compete against French machines in races on perfect highways so the French machines are unable to compete with American vehicles in endurance trials and on rough roads.” In reply, The Motorette Company complained to the press about their treatment, their French origins were becoming more of a hindrance than a help.  An owner complained to the press about the lack of power on his 3 ½ horsepower Motorette and asked for help….was it the carburetor? Perhaps, it was more likely to be a timing problem for few understood the unique high tension ignition system. A system which was discarded by many contemporary owners in favor of the simpler solenoid operated trembler system – which made an assuring buzzing noise when working. More worrying was a May 7^th 1901 order with deposit of $600 from a Mr. James Breeze for delivery in June. It was still not fulfilled by August, successful legal action followed.

All motor car manufacturers had problems at the time but the Motorette Company seemed to have had more than their fair share. A Mr. William Gemmel, a wealthy businessman who lived on Madison Avenue, had been on holiday in France and had hired a Panhard. He was impressed and decided to buy “French” on returning home and bought a De Dion. But he claimed it was unreliable and demanded his money back. A reporter from the New York Times followed up the story by door stepping Cornelius Field at his comfortable home in Dean Street, Brooklyn. Mr. Field said Mr. Gemmel had bought a second-hand machine that had had rough usage, which caused the breakdowns. Mr. Field said that the company had offered to build Mr. Gemmel another, which would be an improved version, no mention of court proceedings had been made. The court judged in Mr. Gemmel’s favor and seized two cars from the company’s New York Manhattan showrooms, to recover $2,400. At least four more suits followed for non-delivery and unreliability and by March 1902 the following year, $14,000 had been paid off in judgements. By then the company no longer held a manufacturing license, for in December Kenneth Skinner announced that he had cancelled his contract with the Motorette Company since they had failed to fulfil the conditions of their agreement. But it was not the end of the story.

Histories of the De Dion Motorette Company conclude that it closed for business in Dec 1901, just over a year after production started. There were now 14,800 cars registered in America and perhaps 200 Motorettes built. Kenneth Skinner announced he would look for another company to exploit the patents in the U.S. or organize a company himself to do so. Two months later, Skinner announced to the press that he would be sailing to Paris to purchase De Dion spares and three cars of a new design. It was reported, “Should these prove as successful here as he anticipates he will immediately proceed to have them manufactured by some American firm.” In the same month another successful legal action was taken out against The Motorette Company by their Foundry for non-payment of $1039. But April saw Skinner reinstating The Motorette Company to manufacture cars, no doubt unable to find a replacement. And he also named the four American car manufacturers who used De Dion engines. Interestingly, one of the companies— George Pierce and Co —removed the De Dion lettering from their engines, no doubt unsure if its was advantageous.

In May, Mr. Skinner entered four cars into the Long Island Endurance Contest, helped by the fine roads, he gained first class awards and it was claimed he defeated all American and foreign machines of over double the power. Unfortunately, Mr. Skinner was then suspended from his Long Island Club for 3 months for exceeding the speed limit of 20 mph during the event. In the same month the original Motorette Company advertised it was back in business ready to deliver original Motorettes from stock from the original address. 40 of the original Motorettes and Surreys with 5hp and the new 6hp engine were available for immediate delivery – again any color or modification could be provided. Delivery of the new 8hp front-engined car was now also possible, but these were complete imported cars and with the “great demand from Europe only a limited number can be secured for the Unites States.” The Motorette Company continued to advertise – but only in the Horseless Age. The Automobile and Motor Review had sued the Motorette Company for $392, one assumes for non-payment of adverting copy! Kenneth Skinner now advertised dire warnings against using imported second-hand French and English engines in the ‘States for he would not supply parts for them. The reputation of the engines remained good.

In November 1902, Kenneth Skinner’s 8hp De Dion broke the time record for the run between New York and Boston. But this appeared as a “news” item; for no more paid advertisements appear in the motoring press for De Dion cars. In December 1902, it was recorded that Kenneth Skinner was to attend the Paris Motor Show, “He has arranged to bring the entire exhibit of the De Dion firm to this country for the Maddison Square Garden Show in January.” He did exhibit at the Show, in the basement. But there is no follow up in the motoring press. In July 1903, it was announced that Mr. Skinner, the U.S. De Dion agent, had produced a leaflet listing the new range of De Dion automobiles now available for import at $900 to $3500 tax paid. His enthusiasm for De Dion cars continued, in October 1903 the American Automobile magazine reported he had imported a unique De Dion car. This car had taken part 6 months earlier in the notorious Paris to Madrid road race which was stopped in mid race after 5 drivers (including Marcel Renault) and 3 spectators were killed. The car was used to good purpose in March 1904, when The Boston Evening Transcript reported it had broken the hill climbing speed record for the notorious Commonwealth Avenue Hill in Boston. This car still exists and still lives in the United States.

The De Dion did not fail entirely because of its great sophistication, its problem was that it was unsuited to the appalling condition of the roads in America. Its defect was its frailty and small size. American wagons and carriages were built with a standard 56” track but the French design had a 43” track! One side of the vehicle was always in the rough – except, perhaps, on Long Island’s well surfaced roads. The company had recognized that the Motorette had build problems, “many opportunities have been found to improve the original French design.”  By 1904, Kenneth Skinner and the Motorette Company had disappeared from the pages of the motoring press. But Mr. Skinner still operated his garage in Boston and maintained his De Dion connections by selling genuine De Dion spark plugs.  By then he was President of the Boston Automobile Dealers Association and a De Dion Motorette, could be picked up from a used auto dealer for just a few hundred dollars. One such machine was advertised with “improved ignition.” It had, like many others, been converted to the old technology of trembler coil ignition.

Count De Dion would not have approved!

The post The Brief Saga of De Dion-Bouton in America appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

When the farm owned by Helena Neethling’s father in the Riviersonderend  district, about 100 miles due east of Cape Town, South Africa,  went bankrupt in 1927 the young woman had no intention of remaining in the area. Nor, when she decided to take up a teaching post in Greytown, Natal, did she imagine that she would one day produce a son who would design a famous sports car, as well as an innovative workbench that would sell by the millions world wide. Nor did she imagine that her son would be awarded an OBE. Such thoughts must have been the furthest from the mind of a  young woman intent on establishing a new career far from home.

In Greytown, Natal, about 1000 miles from home,  the plucky Afrikaans (derived from Dutch) speaking  farm girl met and married bookkeeper, Cyril Hickman. They produced five children and the second son, Ronald Price, was born on October 21, 1932.

The post Elite, Elan, Workmate—The Ron Hickman Story appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Born in England, raised in Hollywood. We are not speaking of a famous movie actor, but of a very special Bentley S1.

This handsome Bentley’s story, bearing chassis number B202LAN, begins when it left the Bentley factory in Crewe, in 1955, to be delivered to the waiting craftsmen and designers of the famed coachbuilder’s workshops at Freestone and Webb, located in Brentfield Road, Willesden, North London. This was the year the Bentley S1 and Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud were first introduced, presenting a new canvas for coachbuilders on which to paint.

The post Coachbuilt for Hollywood Royalty—1955 Bentley S1 by Freestone & Webb appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

The hunt for interesting automobiles to profile often leads to some very unusual vehicles. One-off vehicles do not lend themselves to the standard profile format, but they are much too interesting to ignore. The subjects of this article are three of those unusual automobiles. In each case, they are one-off vehicles that resulted from the imagination and creativity of their builders, two engineers and a machinist (but let’s throw him in the same pot and call him an engineer, since he had to do a lot of engineering design work to create his dream car). Here are their unique stories – the oldest automobile first.

1925 Gerin Aerodyne

The post The Dreams of Engineers appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Not only that, its success on the racetrack led the way for the accomplishments of the later and more famous RX-7. By the time production came to an end in 1978, 286,757 RX-3s had been produced – making it the best selling Mazda rotary outside of the RX-7. Additionally, the piston engine versions, called the Mazda 808, Mazda 818 or Grand Familia depending on the market, were also popular and adding lots more vehicles to the sales tally. And while it was the two-door coupe that was the most popular and is the best remembered today, the RX-3 was offered in coupe, saloon and estate body styles – making it the first Mazda rotary estate car.

Having introduced the stunning Cosmo 110S sports car in 1967, followed by the diminutive R100 Familia Coupe in 1968 and the elegant Bertone designed R130 Luce Coupe in 1969, Mazda then introduced the RX-2 Coupe in 1970. The first year of the new decade also saw the first rotaries exported to Europe and the United States, and thanks to this line up of Wankel engine powered coupes, by the end of 1970 cumulative rotary production had reached 100,000 units. The 1970 Tokyo Motor Show had also seen Mazda display the radical Mazda RX-500 concept car, unlike anything seen before, its pure futuristic design was a showcase for both the rotary engine and safety technology. A wedge shaped, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car with forward opening butterfly doors its multi-coloured rear strip lights indicated whether the car was slowing down, cruising or speeding up by changing color. The rotary 10A engine was accessed by gullwing opening engine covers and this supercar concept exemplified the technical prowess and boldness of Mazda and its rotary engine technology.

It was into this halcyon period of the rotary engine that Mazda launched the new Mazda RX-3 in September 1971. Smaller and sportier than the Mazda RX-2, the rotary RX-3 was called the Mazda Savanna in Japan but it was largely identical to the in-line four-cylinder powered Mazda Grand Familia launched alongside it. As Mazda had done with previous models, offering a choice of piston or rotary powered versions increased the range and customer choice considerably.

In order to fully understand the global picture, you first have to get your head around the naming strategy of the newest car in the line-up. Simply the rotary took the Savanna name in Japan, while export versions proudly wore the RX-3 moniker. Japanese piston engine cars wore the Grand Familia badge, while exported cars were named the Mazda 808.

Even more confusingly, the famous Peugeot ownership of car numbers with a central zero that turned the Porsche 901 into the Porsche 911 in 1964, saw the Mazda 808 become the Mazda 818 in Europe and the UK, while Australian and U.S. cars retained the 808 naming, although later North America 1.3-litre versions were called the Mazda Mizer from 1976! A version of the 808 was even licensed to Kia for production as the piston engine Kia Brisa K303.

Externally, the rotary RX-3 and piston Mazda 818 were distinguished by different grilles and headlights, with the RX-3 having twin round headlamps and the 818/ Grand Familia using square lamps or single round lights. Plus, the unique rotor shaped badges on the RX-3 left no doubts to the type of power unit under the bonnet. Launched in September 1971, the RX-3 coupe, saloon and estate all featured the 982-cc 10A engine, while U.S. market cars featured the more powerful 1,146-cc 12A engine. From 1972, the Savanna GT went on sale in Japan with the larger 12A engine, which was also introduced into other markets alongside the 10A versions, until the 10A was discontinued in 1974. By 1976 exports to Australia and New Zealand had stopped, but the car remained on sale in Japan and the United States through to the end of production in 1978. Small visual detail changes mark out the 1971 to 1973 Series I cars from the later 1973 to 1978 Series II and Series III versions, with the sharper nose and grille the obvious stand out feature of later models.

Arriving in the UK in 1972, the Mazda RX-3 and 818 range featured a saloon and a coupe for each model, with the £1,633 RX-3 Coupe costing £335 more than its piston engine 818 sibling. In 1973, an estate RX-3 and 818 joined the line-up, but the RX-3 estate only lasted until 1974 before being dropped from the UK line-up. Updates across the range in 1975 included improved upholstery, tinted glass and the option of metallic paint for the first time. RX-3 sales stopped in the UK in 1976, however the Mazda 818 estate stayed in the line-up until 1978, with the last saloons and coupes being sold in 1979.

Tested by Motor Magazine in 1973, the 982-cc 110bhp 10A powered RX-3 coupe had a 0-60 mph performance of 10.2 secs and over the duration of their 1,220-mile road test they averaged 24.9 mpg praising the RX-3 for its good performance, slick gear change, solid build quality and nice controls. Testing the 1,272-cc, 4-cylinder, 81bhp Mazda 818 Saloon they recorded a more leisurely 15.3 sec 0-60 mph time, while fuel consumption of 32.7 mpg highlighted the piston engine’s slightly more economical cruising ability. Yet despite the lower price, in 1973 the UK importer sold three times more RX-3s than Mazda 818s.

The other crucial chapter the RX-3 played in the Mazda story was its success in competition. Having raced the Cosmo and R100 Coupe in Europe at famous events like the Marathon de la Route and the Spa 24 Hours, Mazda focused on racing at home in Japan – taking on the Nissan Skyline in domestic racing.

The new RX-3 made its mark from the outset, taking its first victory at the Fuji Tourist Trophy meeting in December 1971, while equipped with the 12A engine, in May 1972 RX-3s took a historic 1-2-3 finish in the Fuji Touring Car Grand Prix.

In spite of the battle for supremacy with Nissan reaching new levels of intensity, RX-3s went on to take the Fuji Grand Champion Touring Car class championship title in 1972, 1973 and 1975. After six seasons of success, at the JAF Touring Car Grand Prix of 1976 the Mazda RX-3 claimed its 100^th domestic Japanese racing victory.

However, it wasn’t just at home that the RX-3 was making its mark, the RX-3 became a popular and successful racecar around the world – competing in the USA, Europe and Australia. In Australia’s most famous race, The Bathurst 1000, a Mazda R100 coupe made its debut in 1969 and RX-2s appeared in 1971 before the 1973 race saw an entry of three RX-2s and three RX-3s –  one RX-3 finished second in class and ninth overall.

However, it was 1975 when the RX-3s racetrack success really cemented the rotary engine and Mazda into the psyche of antipodean car fans, as Don Holland and Hiroshi Fushida won their class and came 5^th overall at Bathurst with only V8-powered Holdens ahead of them.

In the United States, the RX-3 was also popular and appeared in the famous Daytona 24 Hours in the hands of privateers with one car finishing 14^th overall and 3^rd in class in 1975 with only Porsches and Ferraris ahead of it. In 1978, Mazda’s first factory supported entry saw two Gatorade-livered RX-3s enter the Daytona 24 Hours with the lessons learnt helping Mazda’s return in 1979 with the new RX-7 where the team took victory in the GTU class – the first of more than 100 IMSA victories for the RX-7 in just 12 years.

The RX-3 was just as popular in European saloon car racing where it was campaigned by privateers in the European Touring Car Championship, including the flagship Spa 24 Hours. In the UK, an importer who assisted racing customers get hold of RX-3s, helped to make the car a very popular choice in production saloon and touring car racing, and just as it was in other parts of the world, the RX-3 was also popular in amateur rallying. The Mazda RX-3 even raced at Le Mans, as in 1975 a privately entered French RX-3 took part in the race, having failed to qualify in 1974.

Today, the Mazda RX-3 remains a popular choice for historic racers around the globe, while the car has gained cult status in the tuning, drifting and even drag racing worlds. Thanks to its success in competition the Mazda RX-3 was a car that successfully extended the Mazda brand, promoted the rotary engine and helped Mazda begin to establish its reputation for being a producer of great to drive cars.

When the RX-3 was launched in 1971, cumulative global Mazda rotary sales sat at 200,000 cars. From 1972 onwards the RX-3 outsold the RX-2 and peak RX-3 sales arrived in 1973 with 105,819 cars in that year alone, by which point total rotary sales had reached 500,000 cars. From 1974 the bigger RX-4 outsold the RX-3, but it was the smaller and sportier RX-3 that was doing the winning on the world’s race tracks and proving the rotary engine in competition.

Today, the RX-3s total sales of 286,757 make it the second best-selling rotary of all time behind the 811,634 combined sales of three generations of RX-7. Half a century on the RX-3’s fame may have been eclipsed somewhat by the RX-7, but this hard-working rotary and its less glamorous piston engine siblings did much to feed Mazda’s global sales expansion in the early ’70s, while the RX-3’s success in competition was a hugely important early chapter in a story that led all the way to Le Mans victory in 1991.

Still loved by owners and tuners the world over, the RX-3 rightly has a cult status amongst rotary aficionados. Happy Birthday RX-3.

The post Mazda RX-3—50 Years of Economy & Performance appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

I was 19-years old and working nights at a Shell service station in San Jose, California, with my friend Jim Jett, when a tiny, roundish car rolled in that looked as if it had been inflated. A young woman stepped out of it and told us that a little red light was staying on. The car only had one instrument, a speedometer, in the middle of the dash. Integrated into it was an analog gas gauge, but temperature, oil pressure and charging were monitored by idiot lights.

We opened the hood and then stumbled around laughing. The battery was as big as the engine! We had never seen a motor that small in a car. The little inline, overhead valve, four-cylinder engine only displaced just under one liter (equivalent to one Big Gulp) at 948-cc and made a mighty 37 horsepower. It wasn’t even as big as one bank of a Chevy small-block! Yes, there were cars with even smaller engines back then, but we were used to seeing big American cars, with big American V8s.

The post A Little Success—The Morris Minor appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Although the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 of the late-1930s and immediate post-war years lingered on the market until 1953, its replacement was first introduced in 1950—the Alfa Romeo 1900.

The design of the 1900, and every subsequent Alfa through the Alfetta, was guided by Orazio Satta Puglia, known to colleagues as “Satta.” With a background in aero engine design, Satta adapted aero testing and design methods to the development of the 1900. The 1900 was Alfa’s first monocoque design, a type of unit body construction for which the body serves as the primary structural element of the chassis.

The post Last of the Alfa Romeo Coachbuilts—The 1900 Ghia-Aigle & SSZ appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

If you believe that when a man puts his name on the building the products emanating from the enterprise embody his soul and spirit, then it’s unlikely you will ever find better proof of the concept than Enzo Ferrari.

His story is, of course, a familiar one. Having joined Alfa Romeo in 1920 to begin racing their cars, by the end of the decade he’d founded his own company, Scuderia Ferrari, to manage the company’s competition and development programs. When the Great Depression forced Alfa to quit racing, Scuderia Ferrari carried on, but upon Alfa resuming control of its racing efforts again in 1937, Ferrari decided to leave. Although contractual obligations prevented him from racing or designing cars for four years, World War II intervened in any case.

The post The Last Real Ferrari appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

On July 18, 1955, in sunny Southern California an icon was born when Walt Disney opened the gates to his vision of an amusement park for all ages—Disneyland. Some will remember that in those early days of Disneyland, visitors needed tickets to experience the various rides and attractions. The more subdued rides might call for an “A” or “B” ticket, but the most thrilling rides—the ones everyone wanted to experience—required the best and most valuable ticket—an E-ticket. While Disney created the notion of an “E-ticket ride,” by the end of the 1950s, halfway around the world in England, Sir William Lyons and his Jaguar Motor Car Company were laying on plans for their own “E” thrill ride.

The 1950s were halcyon days for Jaguar. With post-war demand for sports cars reaching record levels, Jaguar’s iconic XK120 two-seater quickly became a must-have amongst the American and European “sporty car” set. Alongside success in the showrooms, the ’50s also marked a period of near total domination by Jaguar in long distance racing, including 24 Hours of Le Mans victories in 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956 & 1957. However, by 1957 the Le Mans victories were getting harder to come by. Likewise, the XK120/140/150 line of sports cars was beginning to look dated and obsolete compared to the onslaught of exotic offerings from companies like Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. Jaguar needed a new flagship sports car to carry it into the ’60s.

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Though only a few Dutch vehicle makers are in operation today, in the early years of the motorcar around the turn of the 20^th century, quite a number of automakers were at work designing and producing cars in the Netherlands. One such firm had its start when brothers Hendrik-Jan and Jacobus Spijker—blacksmiths by trade—founded Spijker (Spyker), a coach-building company, in Hilversum, in 1880. The business moved to Trompenburg, Amsterdam in 1886, establishing there the NV Rijtuigfabriek BV (“Coach Factory”). Spyker is renowned for producing the Golden Coach for Queen Wilhelmina, presented to her shortly after her inauguration in 1898.

Spyker and Benz

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Members of Hagerty Classic Insurance’s Driver’s Club were recently asked what car was the most luxurious ever. The answers ranged from Studebakers to Rolls-Royces. No one suggested either Hispano-Suiza or Isotta Fraschini, the world’s truly most luxurious marques. Of those two, Isotta Fraschini is my pick. Gianni Rogliatti wrote an article titled “The Fabulous Isotta Fraschini – Majesty in Motion” in Automobile Quarterly Volume XII, Number 1, First Quarter 1974. In it, he said the marque’s badge, with its block letters “IF,” could appropriately stand for either “Isotta Fraschini” or “Intrepida Fides,” which translates loosely to “Intrepid Faith.” Owners of these automobiles could be fearless in their faith in these cars – they were that good.

Isotta and Fraschini

The post Intrepida Fides—A Short History of Isotta Fraschini appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

I bought both a Volkswagen Type 1 and a Morris Minor more than 20 years ago when we started coming to New Zealand to escape the winter months in the United States. I acquired the 1966 Morris convertible first, and it turned out to be a big mistake. One that pushed me into the purchase of the 1970 Volkswagen Beetle. It happened like this: I bought the Morris after looking it over quickly and test-driving it. The body seemed sound, the engine ran well, and it was inexpensive for an open car. I should have known better. Being a native Californian I didn’t think much about rust.

The post Comparing People’s Cars—VW Beetle vs. Morris Minor appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hough Detroit is world-famous as the capital of American auto production, when it comes to electric cars, Des Moines, Iowa beat the Motor City to the punch. A Scottish immigrant who settled in Des Moines, in 1880, William Morrison began as a chemist, but his main interest was in electricity, and specifically, batteries. Laboring in an obscure basement workshop below Lumbard Jewelry, on Fifth Avenue between Locust Street and Grand Avenue, Morrison focused on the chemistry of electric storage batteries and sought to make a battery that was portable, yet powerful. By extension, Morrison’s battery experiments led the inventor to create the first successful American electric car in 1890.

Born circa 1850 and educated at a Scottish university, Morrison had a passion for inventing and had been fascinated with electricity since he was a boy. He was quiet and usually preferred to work in silence and solitude. Tall and clean-shaven with dark hair, Morrison was a hefty man and a vegetarian.

The post Electric Dreams—Morrison Electric & The Birth of the Electric Car appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

The first post-war motorcycle was introduced in 1948 and sold well through its peak sales year of 1952, dropping quickly after that. The 501 baroque angel was put into production in 1952, but it was too expensive for most German families at that time and the styling was from the 1930s. A bigger engine and nicer trim for the 502 didn’t help much. The 503 and 507 were limited production shooting stars that lost money. From a financial perspective, all the 500-series cars were flops. Things were getting increasingly desperate for BMW.

German citizens after the war first used bicycles, then motorcycles and then microcars, which were essentially enclosed motorcycles. Searching for such a car, a representative from BMW attended the Geneva Motor Show in March 1954. There on display was the Isetta, meaning little Iso, a product of the Iso Rivolta refrigeration company of Milan, who had decided to put into production a microcar designed by an aeronautical engineer.

The front-opening door design had not caught on in its native Italy, so BMW representatives were able to not only license the design and name, but also buy the production line equipment, which had only produced about 1,000 vehicles for the home market. The production line was trucked over the Alps and installed in Munich, allowing BMW to start sales of the ‘little egg’ in 1955. From 1955 to 1962, BMW sold over 160,000 Isettas.

BMW then created a stretch version of the Isetta, the 600, with a rear seat and a side door. It was sold for three years, from 1957 to 1959, with about 35,000 units produced. The odd styling ensured it was another flop.

BMW management never saw the Isetta or 600 as “cars.” They were stop-gap efforts that might help the company get to the real goal, a mid-sized, conventional car. This was the goal throughout the 1950s, but the company was undercapitalized after the war and continued losses made the financial situation ever worse. It didn’t help that management was at times timid, inept and arrogant. Quite a combination.

The 700

The internal development department tried to stretch the chassis of the 600 further in order to accommodate a more conventional-looking car. This proved impossible, but the engineers—and the accountants for that matter—wanted to use the suspension and drivetrain that had been developed for the 600. Fritz Fiedler, the legendary engineer from the 1930s, clung to the “rightness” of the 600, despite the market not accepting the car.

Enter Wolfgang Denzel, the Austrian importer for BMW and an engineer himself. Denzel was commissioned by the BMW CEO to develop a car outside the normal BMW process. Denzel, in turn, asked Albrecht Goertz, to do a modern small-car design. Goertz had done the beautiful 503 and 507 for BMW. Goertz’s fee was too high for the struggling company, so he recommended his friend, Giovanni Michelotti, who got the job.

Michelotti’s prototype used the mechanicals from the 600, with the engine enlarged but still in the rear, and wrapped them in a unibody design that sidestepped the problem of further stretching the 600’s chassis. It became BMW’s first unibody car.

While Michelotti’s coupe prototype went into production in virtually unchanged form, BMW internally developed a two-door sedan version and then followed with the 700 LS (Luxus), 700 Sport/CS and finally, the lovely 700 Sport Cabriolet. The 700 was the first BMW to feature the Hofmeister kink, the rear window line that has been the hallmark of all BMWs since then. Hofmeister was the head of BMW Design at the time.

The opposed two-cylinder engine started at 30 horsepower, was uprated to 40 hp in the sport version and eventually reached 70 hp in racing versions, known as the 700RS.

Presentation to the Press

On June 9, 1959, BMW’s Board of Management under their Chief Executive Dr. Heinrich Richter-Brohm made the big move, presenting the new BMW 700 Coupé, the first model in the new series, to some 100 international motoring journalists. This was in Feldafing, near Munich, at the same place where about two years before they had first seen the not-so-fortunate BMW 600.

The minute the new Coupé was revealed, everybody started clapping. The journalists immediately admired the new model. The BMW 700 had grown out of the small car class still prevailing in the market at the time and allowed a relatively high standard of freedom in providing extra space. The designers and engineers were particularly proud of the car’s consistent lightweight technology reducing dry weight to less than 600 kg or 1,323 pounds despite the car’s overall length of 3,540 mm (139.4″), thus providing the qualities required for good acceleration and hill-climbing performance.

Journalists driving the BMW 700 Coupé were – rightly – thrilled from the start, waxing lyrical about the car’s design and its driving qualities: “Acceleration is certainly impressive for a car of this size, taking you from a standstill to 90 km/h in 20 and to 100 km/h in 30 seconds.” Ultimately, most of the testers readily confirmed the optimism expressed by BMW’s Board of Management: “The BMW 700 Coupé is the latest model from Bayerische Motoren Werke and promises to be a great success and a real highlight at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.”

Frankfurt Show

This is precisely what happened, with the BMW 700 becoming a genuine highlight for the public in Frankfurt. The new Coupé was presented on the BMW stand at the 1959 Frankfurt Show at a price of DM 5,300 including the car’s heater. Right next to it was the four-seater Saloon based on the same engineering and design concept and destined to enter series production in early 1960.

With the Frankfurt Motor Show hardly over, BMW struck a very positive balance towards the end of September: “Both new models were warmly welcomed by motor journalists and the public alike, showing a response well beyond even our most optimistic expectations. As a result, we successfully made an unusually large number of sales not only in Germany, but also and above all in our export markets.”

Politics behind the Scenes

While the 700 was well received at the September 1959 Frankfurt Show and orders poured in, the financial situation continued to deteriorate. Daimler-Benz wanted to buy BMW and turn the plant into a parts-making facility. A deal was struck with management for what was called a merger but, in fact, was an acquisition. BMW wasn’t really a competitor of Daimler-Benz at the time; they just needed capacity. Financing had been arranged through Deutsche Bank.

The fateful board meeting occurred on December 9, 1959. The proposed purchase by Daimler-Benz was supported by management but opposed by the smaller shareholders, the unions and the dealers. The dealers would, after all, lose their BMW franchise when the company was absorbed into Daimler-Benz.

There was also some skullduggery that has never been explained. The development costs for the 700 should have been capitalized and written off over time. Instead, they were all expensed in 1959. The board meeting occurred in December, before the year-end audit might have uncovered this. The Daimler-Benz offer had a very short period for acceptance. And management neglected to disclose the 25,000 firm orders that had been received from their dealers. Clearly management was trying to make the deal happen.

The attorney for the dealers got the decision on the offer delayed, which effectively killed it. The problem of the company being undercapitalized remained. The Quandt family was the biggest BMW shareholder and had been in favor of the Benz offer initially. But they were impressed by the workers and the dealership network and switched their standing to favoring an independent BMW.

Subsequently, the Quandts recapitalized BMW so that orders for the 700 could be met. More importantly, they also invested sufficient amounts to allow development of the New Class, the car that set a new direction for the company and the predecessor of every modern BMW.

So did the 700 save BMW? At the very least, the Isetta and then the 700 bought the company time until the Quandt rescue. The Quandt family, now 60 years later, still owns 46.6 percent of BMW’s stock.

Interested in classic BMWs like the 700?

Join the BMW Classic Car Club of America (BMWCCCA) and receive their quarterly print magazine “The Ultimate Classic” produced by the publishers of Vintage Road & Racecar.

The Club’s mission is to promote the interest in, the ownership of, and preservation of classic BMWs, as well as to encourage their use and visibility.

http://www.bmwccca.com/
Facebook @bmwccca
email: bmw.ccca@gmail.com

The post Did the 700 Save BMW? appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

For many years, this collection was private and viewed by invitation only. But when we sold the dealerships, we had to relocate, which created its own dilemma of, ‘Where do we put all these cars?’ So, in the process of conceiving and constructing a new collection property, the decision was made that we wanted to open it up to the public and make it accessible. And, for us, it’s important that we recognize the people that created these cars and the achievements that they made. Collection Manager / Curator Brandon Starks

When guests come to visit, we try to engage them and make all of these things relevant, so that the history lives on. Especially with car racing, a pursuit that people risked their lives for, so we think it’s important to honor them and tell their stories. Brandon Starks

The Brumos Collection

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If you are an old car buff, love beautiful scenery and friendly people, and want to visit a place where they speak English and you can drink the water, then New Zealand is the place for you.  These are classics from various events in the land down under, the land down under.

A friend and I stuffed ourselves into my Lilliputian 1966 Morris Minor convertible and headed south to take part in the annual Beach Hop cruise and show held in March. When we arrived, we slipped into the procession through town and were sandwiched between a 1964 Pontiac GTO and a 1968 Olds 442 with their headers uncorked. We were part of the parade in the resort town of Whangamata in New Zealand, and seeing two big guys (6’2” 210 lbs.) in such a tiny car between a couple of huge yank tanks got a lot of laughs.

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