Porsche started the "Exclusive" individual tailoring program 25 years ago as an option offered to all clients who wanted to make their cars unique. Virtually any customer desire could be fulfilled, the sole prerequisite being that those special choices had to meet technical and qualitative feasibility.
The Lancia Stratos is a rally legend and one of the most iconic sports cars of all time with legions of fans. One of those fans, German businessman Michael Stoschek, even went as far as commissioning Pininfarina to build a one-off modern-day iteration of the Stratos based on the hardware of a Ferrari 430 Scuderia.
But not many people know that the first spark that ignited this firestorm was a Bertone concept. Enter the 1970s Stratos Zero prototype. It all started when Bertone had the idea to mount the Fulvia's 1.6-liter V4 engine on a new base. This is how the Stratos Zero concept car was born, a 3.58 meter (141 inches) long and just 84 cm (33 inches) tall prototype envisioned by Marcello Gandini, the same man responsible for the designs of the Lamborghini Countach and Miura.
Balboa Park is one of San Diego's most visited tourist attractions. And if you like cars, you should definitely check it out, because the Automotive Museum houses more than 80 historic cars and motorcycles. As if that wasn't enough, special exhibitions, held every two or three months, display other fine vehicles.
We drooled all over the E28 535i, but now we're in pain. Behold this pristine example of a 1988 E28 BMW M5, up for sale by Autohaus for US $18,987 - that would be �13.338 at today's exchange rates.
In Europe, the E28 BMW M5 was launched in 1985 and was equipped with a 3.5-liter 24-valve 6-cylinder engine with six separate throttle butterflies,delivering 286 hp and 251 lb-ft (340Nm) of torque. However, this here example is a U.S.-spec model, meaning it comes with the less powerful S38B35 straight-six due to stricter emission regulations. It was rated at 256HP and 243 lb-ft (330 Nm).
In the 1960s, Van Williams and Bruce Lee starred in a TV series called The Green Hornet. It was a lot like Batman, really: a wealthy, playboy millionaire called Britt Reid fights crime with a gadget laden car. Only Batman didn't have a chauffeur named Kato that knew martial arts and the Hornet drove a Chrysler, not a Ford.
So Seth Rogen and Jet Li are remaking it as a comedy, which is...good? Anyways, the Chrysler Imperial is back, reprising the role it played in the '60s original. Which is fine, but I think it should have had a bit of a remake as well. No, I'm not saying it should be replaced with a Chrysler 300C with green tinted headlights (God forbid).
What I think it should be replaced with is this: Vaughn Gittin Jr's RTR-X Mustang from the 2010 SEMA Show. Here are four reasons why:
Some replicas are outrageous because they use such unworthy underpinnings in their attempt to clone iconic cars. This here Beetle-based Camaro Z28 replica is a prime example. The all-fiberglass miniature "muscle car" has a Beetle chassis, frame, floor and 1.6-liter engine with dual carbs. The latter was recently freshened up - always according to the seller.
Even though it's a replica, the mini Camaro does have a few original Chevrolet components. These would be the 15x8 rally wheels and 1970 Camaro lights and bumpers.
The car's owner says these replicas were built back in the '70s (and are very rare), which could explain the weird choice of chassis: it was a ver cheap solution. The car is said to look and run good, mainly because it was stored since 1994.
Under the "Revive the Passion" motto, Porsche Classic began a 12 month restoration project of a 1973 911 T Coupe (US model) on behalf of the Porsche Club of America (PCA) in August 2010. The fully restored classic will be raffled off among PCA members and presented to the winner at the U.S. Porsche Parade in August 2011. The video after the break explains what Porsche Classic is all about and how the cars are being brought back to life.
After 84 years, Pontiac, the once proud maker of American icons such as the Trans Am and GTO, breathed its last breath on Monday with the sale of the last remaining new cars. The closure comes one year after General Motors announced that it would terminate the brand as part of a restructuring plan.
Even though production of the last Pontiac, the Vibe, ended in August 2009, there were many new cars left in stock, so a deal was struck with dealers who received official backing to sell them. The agreement ended on Sunday, so Pontiac fans didn't actually get any treats for Halloween, only the confirmation that their favorite manufacturer is really dead.
Well, it's done. The world's most famous Aston Martin was sold last week for a whopping �2,912,000 (US$4,608,500) by RM Auctions of London. The price includes a �30,000 tailored suit by Gieves & Hawkes of Savile Row (who dressed Sean Connery from Dr No to Diamonds are Forever) and a 7 night stay for 10 guests at Ian Fleming's former estate in Jamaica, valued at �40,000.
The new owner is an American business man by the name of Harry Yeaggy, who plans to put the car on public display in Ohio. Don't feel too sorry for the Aston's seller and only other ex-factory owner, Philadelphia radio broadcaster Jerry Lee, though. He's got a good return on his original investment of $12,000 in 1969 (equal to around US$71,400 in today's money, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics), all of which will be going to his self-named charity.
The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 should need no introduction. It was driven by Sean Connery's James Bond in Goldfinger and Thunderball and is probably one of the most iconic cars to ever grace the silver screen. This particular example comes with the trademark Silver Birch exterior and dark grey (not black) interior trim and a 282 bhp (210 kw) 4.0 L inline six mated to a 5sp manual transmission.
Back in June, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Mustang RTR teamed up with Need for Speed to create the 1969 Mustang RTR-X. This classic build with modern-day hardware will make its physical debut at this week's SEMA Show and its "virtual" premiere in an upcoming Need for Speed video game.
Classic car ads are always nice, because they were made in times when people weren't so wound up and actually had the time to read something. So, there's plenty of information in them, some of which is quite entertaining today, almost thirty years later.
This here ad depicts the E28 BMW 5-Series, built between 1981 and 1988, claiming that it's both a sports car and luxury sedan.
Are you (1) a white man with an afro, (2) wear flared trousers or (3) would say your favorite band is Jefferson Starship? If you answered, "Yes," to any of these questions then boy do we have the car for you.
Built by Glenn Legrand over a five year period and presumably completed in 1970, the Legrand Electric Car is a one-of-a-kind electric car for the '70s obsessive. According to the seller, Mr. Legrand got the plans from Popular Mechanics Magazine, back in the days when the magazine did that sort of thing.
Underneath that Johnny Cab body are the simple, reliable mechanicals of a Volkswagen Beetle, though the Legrand is three feet longer and two feet wider. The body is made out of a combination of polyurethane foam and fibreglass.
Just today, we learned that Skoda delivered a record number of vehicles in the first nine months of 2010, increasing its operating profit by a whopping 64%. This is what most people know about the Czech automaker; that it has been a wild success since Volkswagen took over the reins of the company. But there are others -myself included- who think the real glory of Skoda lies in its past.
An ex-works Ford Escort rally car is to be auctioned by Historics at Brooklands on Saturday December 4th. Developed by Ford's Boreham Competition Department in 1968, the rally-spec Escort Twin Cam with the bulbous wheelarch extensions has an interesting history. It made its racing debut in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1969 at the hands of current FIA President, Jean Todt, who finished in fourth place.
Now here's a dream come true: taking an old-school muscle car - in this case, a black 1970 Dodge Challenger - out on the Autobahn and winding it out. This bad-to-the-bone vintage ride appears to have been lightly modified or restored so as to not rattle to pieces, although there's no way of knowing for sure until the owner drops us a line (do it, 66PaleRider).
Whoever the driver is, there's no denying that the long-haired fiend has got a pair; pushing old muscle up to 130+ mph in any instance has been known to get a little shaky. The last time yours truly tried such a feat in the old Stang, I recall a trail of white smoke about a mile long and desperately seeking an off ramp (but man was it fun).
Did you know that Lincoln offered its mid-1980s Continental sedan and Mark VII coupe models with a factory-installed BMW straight-six turbo diesel? It may sound bizarre -to say the least- but it is true.
The BMW-sourced 2.4-liter inline-six turbo diesel engine, which was used in the shark-nosed 1980s 524TD, delivered an output of 115HP and was backed by a ZF four-speed automatic transmission. It was available optionally in 1984 and 1985 on the Continental sedan and Mark VII coupe models instead of the standard 140HP 4.9-liter gasoline-fed V8.
One of these extremely rare [since few buyers opted for the diesel] BMW-powered Lincolns has been found for sale on Craigslist with the asking price set at $2,800.
The owner of the "Strawberry Red" 356 Cabriolet pictured above has earned the bragging rights for owning the oldest Porsche model sold in America. The discovery was made as part of the My Porsche Classic Search, which was launched in August to celebrate the brand's 60th anniversary.
Maybe I'm crazy, but aren't vintage electric conversions just so much more interesting than current electric cars? They're like old Mercedes diesels converted to biodiesel: vintage cool but using modern day tech to be efficient, clean, and (in the this case) very fast.
This green '86 BMW 3-Series E30, built by Croatia's VST Conversions, is the brainchild of Mate Rimac; he wanted to go fast in an electric car, and now he can.
After working through a few power setups, the current version of the VST "bi-moto EV" puts down 500 horsepower through the wheels and can run the quarter in 12.1. The word you're looking for is DAMN. As in "Damn, this thing is awesome."
The Volo Auto Museum in Illinois has put up for sale this matte gray 1970 Dodge Charger RT, which it claims was one of the cars driven by Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto in the 2009 Fast and Furious movie. The muscle car has all the expected custom touches like a sports steering wheel, stripped and customized interior and massive bonnet scoop.
Do you want a car that, "look deferent and feel deferent [sic]"? If so, this Australian tuner - whose skill at vehicle modification is in line with his comprehension of the English language - has the car for you...
The third generation Ford Taurus was not a very pretty car to begin with. Its ovoid shape, which extended to the taillights, rear window and even the dashboard was not especially attractive and made the car look like it was slowly melting.