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The De Tomaso Longchamp was basically a two door version of the Deauville, although the bodywork by Tom Tjaarda Ghia was different and built on a slightly shorter wheel base, giving the car a very different, sexy and distinctive look. Among many proprietary components to be found on the car were Fiat 130 Copue tail lights. The coil spring and the wishbone suspension and power assisted rack and pinion steering were shared with the Deauville, along with the mass production 5.7 liter Ford V8. Those with the wallets equipped to buy and maintain a Longchamp could choose between a ZF five speed manual gearbox and a Ford automatic gearbox, though most wanted the manual. The handsome, square cut styling of the Longchamp suited the times perfectly and proved quite enduring, lasting in production until 1990. Like the Deauville, they were pleasingly quick cars and had a very good handling. Later additions to the Longchamp range of vehicle included a rare and highly desirable convertible and amore powerful, if somewhat less tasteful, GTS version.  The V8 engine was very powerful it has 5769cc with 330 bhp. Car had monocoque chassis with disc brakes.

Five speed manual and three speed automatic transmission was installed in the car. The suspension was independent with a top speed of 145 mph (235 km/h). It reached 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in just 7.5 seconds. A Maserati version pf the Longchamp was offered from 1976. Fitted with the four cam shaft Maserati V8, this car was badged Kyalami. Its styling was gently retouched by Pietro Frua, although only an expert could ever have hoped to be able to tell the two cars apart at a glance.

Posted March 5, 2010 Comments(0)

Hot on the heels of the Lamborghini Miura, Alexandro de Tomaso introduced his own mid engined super car, the Mangusta, in 1967. Styled by Ghia, de Tomaso owned the company, it was a low slung, muscular two seater powered by a 4.7 liter Ford V8 mounted amidships. This could be viewed through either of the engine covers, which were hinged down a central spine. There was a box section pressed steel backbone chassis to carry the engine and ZF transmission. The car was neatly suspended on a coil spring and wishbone suspension system that promised impeccable handling. Sadly, it was in this regard that the Mangusta let itself down. There was too much rear weight bias, making the car difficult to control in some high speed situations. It acquired a reputation for being a bit of a handful and perhaps even worse, it was not really a practical long distance machine, with minimal luggage space and too much engine noise. It engine of the car is capable of producing 305 bhp with 4727 cc. It has backbone chassis with disc drum brakes. The car was beautiful for most for die heart racing fans, those who want raw power.

Five speed manual transmission were installed in the car. The suspension is fully independent. Still, it was fast with a top speed of 155 mph (248 km/h) was claimed and it proved to be a highly exciting machine for those skilled enough to drive it properly. After 401 examples had been constructed, it gave way to the much more practical Pantera.

Posted March 4, 2010 Comments(0)

Alexandro de Tomaso initially made his name building racing cars, but dreamed of producing a high performance road car. The Pantera and Mangusta are his most famous efforts, but before those big V8 machines came the delicate little Vallelunga of 1962. One of the pioneers of the mid engined layout in a road car, it was supplied by the Ford 1600 engine Hewland gearbox were structural members in the rear half of the car, bolted to a U shaped spine chassis that help give it good handling. The car has four cylinder 1498cc engine with 102 bhp. It has four speed manual transmission gearbox and independent suspension.Triumph Herald uprights could be found at the front, but there were few other propriety components in the Vallelunga, which was named after a Rome racing track that de Tomaso used for testing its sports cars. The prototype had unbolted two seater body, but manufacturing cars were coupes, fashioned by Fissore. Early cars were built in aluminum, but those built by Ghia have fiberglass bodywork. The top speed was 130 mph (208 km/h)

The car was know as the best car from de Tomaso production, although it didn’t catch many customers, but still the ride is ride know for its unique style and shape. Noisy, fast and furious and supremely agile, the Vallelunga was a car that pointed the way forward in sports car design, although it was destined never to be very popular. Just 50 were built before it gave way to the Mangusta on the production lines.

Posted March 3, 2010 Comments(0)

The Fairlady was Datsun’s answer to the British sports cars that dominated the lucrative North American market in the 1960s. is trim lines showed a strong European influence, and it is similar to the MGB of the time had to have been more than a coincidence. Even the hood looked the same. Inside, early versions had a traditional painted metal dashboard, but this was later changed to a padded, Federal type that was much less attractive. Launched with a twin carburetor, 90 bhp 1500cc engine with ladder frame chassis in 1965, the Fairlady improved steadily over the years, bowing out of the production in 1970 with a 2 liter twin cam engine. This allowed it to develop 145 bhp, and a five speed gearbox helped to get the maximum performance. A top speed of 125 mph (200 km/h) was claimed for these cars, and they did pleasingly well in America club racing. It has disc/ drum brakes with four speed transmission. The suspension is independent in front and lives axle rear. It reached 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in 13 seconds. Fairlady chassis engineering was rudimentary, with a separate ladder frame and a beam rear axle sprung located by semi elliptic left springds.

Sports car drivers were coming to expect rack and pinion steering, but the Fairlady made to with a steering box which inevitably meant that handling wasn’t one of the storng points. Datsun put on the market 40,000 Fairlady convertibles, not at all approaching close to the total domination of British marques in that sector of the market. The Fairlady was just a taster of thing to come, however. Its successor, the 240Z, would eventually manage to become the world’s best selling sports car.

Posted March 2, 2010 Comments(0)

By installing Daimler’s own hemi head 145 bph V8 an engine developed originally for the ill starred SP 250 sports car in its compact MK II saloon, Jaguar created the Daimler 2.5 liter V8. It was a very effective bit of niche market, creating genteel car that appealed to the slightly older buyers who were looking for something that wasn’t quite as brash as the MK II. It also gained a slightly better interior than that of the MK II, another strong selling point in its intended market. An incident benefit was gained in the handling, because, the little V8 weighed rather less than Jaguar’s XK straight six, yet was still good for well over 100 mph (160 km/h), even with the obligatory automatic transmission. The engine note held a distinct burble that simply added to the car is already extensive charm. The car was a strong seller from the start, a continued to live on in a slim bumpered form after 1967 as the Daimler 250 V8. Some of these later cars had the rare option of manual transmission, which unleashed extra performance, although it is hard to see any of the car’s intended drivers making the most of it.

The engine is very powerful of 2548cc with monocoque chassis. The ride is equipped with disc brakes with three speed automatic and four speed manual transmission. Suspension is independent in front and lives axle rear. It reached 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in 13 seconds. The 250 V8 was the last MK II variant to go out of production (in 1969), and also the last Daimler to have a real Daimler engine, two additional reasons why it is remembered so fondly.

Posted March 1, 2010 Comments(0)

Imperial was originally the up market brand name of Chrysler vehicles built to compete directly with Cadillac and Lincoln models. For much of the 1950s, its cars had rather sedate styling, with much less glitz than that of rival marques, but after 1954, when Imperial became a separate division from Chrysler, all that began to change. Fins started to become taller and chrome embellishment more fancy. Finally, and entirely new Vigil Exner designed body was introduced in the 1957 in the market with wrap around screens and a set of quadruple front headlights. The comprised of the ride is two and four door hardtop models, a limousine and a wonderfully extravagant convertible all powered by a 345 bhp V8 engine. Each successive year Imperial tail fins grew bigger but so did everyone else’s. What the company needed was a gimmick that nobody else had, and they found it in their 1961 models, free standing headlights. Hoping to evoke memories of pre was classic, this was the ultimate in non functional design, which generated copy in the press but pleased few buyers. This outstanding ride has an engine of V8, with powerful engine of 6789cc.The chassis is Box section type, equipped with Drum brakes.

The car has three speed automatic transmission along with the independent front and live axle rear. The top speed was 112 mph (179 km/h). It reached 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in just 12 seconds. It was dropped in 1964 as the range began to feature the clean cut styling inspired by Lincoln’s MK IV Continental. The marque became more closely aligned to its Chrysler parent until 1975, When the Imperial was dropped as a separate line altogether.

Posted February 28, 2010 Comments(0)

Cord was founded in 1929, and set itself apart from other American manufacturers in its use of front wheel drive on a series of large, luxurious, straight eight powered machine described L29s. it is form the sarcophagus edged 810/812 Series cars that the marque is best remembered, however.cPowered by the specially designed side valve V8 engine this time, the 810/812 Series had crowd stopping looks featuring retractable headlamps and a wrap around grille on a long, narrow bonnet (hence the ‘coffin nose’ nick name). Created by Gordon Miller Buehring, their smooth and slippery profile was truly futuristic, and they had a futuristic specification to match that included an electric gearcahnge and, of course, Cord’s trademark front wheel drive. Several different variations on the original styling theme were employed. Without any doubt however, the most beautiful and sought after of these variants was the convertible model, particularly in 1937 812S form, featuring extremely an impressive supercharged 1700bhp engine. The engine was capable of 4730cc, with 170 bhp. The ride was fully equipped with Drum brakes with for speed manual transmission.

Thus equipped, the Cord was a supremely powerful 100mph (160km/h) car, capable of doing 0-60pmh (96km/h) in 13 seconds. In these 1930s, that was supercar performance. Unfortunately, Cord as a company was in a trouble by then, and its new owner decided to pull out of car production altogether for 1938. There would be no more big front drive American cars until the prologue of the Oldsmobile Toronado 30 years later.

Posted February 27, 2010 Comments(0)

Between 1982 and 1991, sales of so called Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in the USA rocketed from 100,000 to 900,000 per year. Chrysler had wisely bought up the Jeep brand name and image when it took over AMC in 1987. The company suddenly found itself possibly the world’s best known off roading badge with which to exploit a massive booming market niche. Two new Jeep badged off roadster were an integral part of Chrysler’s recovery plan for the early 1990s. The smaller of the two, the jeep Cherokee arrived just before the Range Rover sized Grand, which was launched in the early 1992. The Grand said a lot about Jeep’s engineering and styling abilities even as part of the ailing AMC Empire. It was especially surprising considering that the Grand Cherokee’s predecessor was an ancient mock luxury truck. With a new vehicle entering the luxury off road segment, Chrysler found itself with a car that had a badge to challenge the prestige of Range Rover and a styling package that suggested a futuristic version of the classic British workhouse. Early reports on the Cherokee were sure that it was also far better built than its British made rival.Under the stylish shell, the Grand, like the Jeep rode on comparatively crude (through well located) beam axles and coil suspension.

It had a very well developed ride for its class of car, and it handled with surprisingly alacrity. Finely conceived and good looking SUVs, the Cherokees were big successes in the home market, and made serious inroads into the brand conscious European market. Although the Grand was replaced in 1998, the original was probably good enough to sell into a new millennium.

Posted February 22, 2010 Comments(0)

At the Detroit Motor Show in 1989, Chrysler showed a concept car called the Viper, a low, wide and mean looking two seater roadster with a hint of the AC Cobra in its hunched stance. The public loved it. They were even more impressed, and even more keen to buy, when they discovered it had an 8 liter, 90 degree V10 engine. Chrysler were so encouraged with the response that they decided to put into production. Despite a surprisingly hefty all in weight nobody was disappointed with the Viper’s titanic strength. Its engine, reworked by Lamborghini, developed 450 lb/ft of torque so that Viper didn’t really what gear it was in, delivering its power with a surprisingly side pipes. 0-60 took four seconds and most road tester ran out of nerve at around 170 mp. So high was the gearing in sixth, 53.3 mph per 100 revs that the Viper was just loafing at 100 mph. As a straight line ground coverer, it was the perfect companion. When the hype slowed down, pundits began to notice that the car’s hood was unless, that the build quality had a kit car feel to it in places and that handling, despite quick (assisted) steering and great brakes, was a little ragged and unforgiving, especially on bumpy roads.

Other began to complain that the car was too wide, particularly outside of the United States, to be much use. None of that mattered. As an image booster for Chrysler around the world, the Viper was unbeatable. It was later to spawn its very fixed head version, the Viper GTS.

Posted February 21, 2010 Comments(0)

In 1990, Chrysler boss Bob Lutz was looking at the same situation that had greeted Lee lacocca just over a decade earlier. Even before the global slow down kicked in, the company’s sales had started to slide, and at one point Chrysler shares were almost worthless. Again the management’s answer was, according to Lutz, “to launch new top quality products in as short a time as possible.” The race to get new cars to market centered around a $16 billion investment. To try to boost confidence, Chrysler showed a number of its up and coming new cars; including the Vision and the replacement for the long running Voyager as thinly disguised concept cars. But this didn’t help, with Chrysler losing another $800 million in 1991. Chrysler must have been very relieved to see the family car codenamed LH finally appears in showrooms in mid 1992. Badged Eagle Vision in the USA, it was a large and very distinctive saloon that simply had to reel in serious profits. The Vision cost some $1.5 billion to develop, took three and quarter years from a clean sheet, and had 700 engineers working on it. Cynics in the automobile industry claimed LH was short for “Last Hope”. The Vision featured the crab forward styling theme developed by design boss Tom Gale, which stretched the windscreen and its pillars much further forward from the driver. It was perhaps, one of the first modern US styling jobs to lead the rest of the world.

One of the key aspects of the Vision and other new generation road cars that helped to keep the Chrysler Corporation alive in the 1990s was not the raw sales figures it achieved but the sheer profit that Chrysler realized on each car sold. The company managed to keep its bottom line very low without compromising too massively on the engineering.

Posted February 20, 2010 Comments(0)