Tag Archives: Automobiles

Classic Car Nostalgia: “1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster” (Classic Driver)

1960 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster Interior Classic DriverThe 300 SL celebrated its premiere at the? International Motor Sports Show? in New York, which took place from February 6th to 14th, 1954. Mercedes-Benz experienced an enormously positive response from visitors to the 300 SL at the Motor Show, so series production began in August 1954 at the Sindelfingen plant.

A total of 1,858 units of the Mercedes 300 SL Roadster were produced between 1957 and 1963.

Classic Driver logoThis 300 SL Roadster was delivered in Germany on September 22, 1960. In the mid-1980s, the car came into the possession of an experienced Mercedes specialist. The roadster underwent extensive restoration under his direction. According to the available documentation, the body was separated from the chassis and completely overhauled. Since then, the car has only been moved about 28,000 km and serviced regularly. A few years ago, the vehicle changed hands within Germany to a businessman and classic car enthusiast who used the roadster for nice trips and events.

To read more: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/mercedes-benz/300-sl/1960/724393

Classic Car Nostalgia: “1961 Ford Starliner” (Ford Authority)

From a Ford Authority online article:

Of all the muscle cars we’ve talked about, this 1961 Ford Starliner is most certainly one of the cleanest rides that we’ve seen, both figuratively and literally. It has no extra chrome, no hood scoops, no tubs for fat wheels. It looks almost stock save for the beautiful maroon paint and custom wheels.

1961-ford-starliner-005-1024x683-1.jpg

Inside the 1961 Ford Starliner has a fully custom interior that is as clean and subtle as the outside of the car. It’s done up in lots of beige leather and looks fantastic along with the maroon exterior of the car. It also has air conditioning. The Starliner rolls on a Roadster Shop performance chassis that has power rack-and-pinion steering, along with front and rear antiroll bars, panhard bars, and coilovers. The shocks are Afco double-adjustable drag racing units.

To read more: http://fordauthority.com/2019/12/1961-ford-starliner-wraps-815-ponies-in-a-very-clean-wrapper/

Future Of Mobility: BMW Design Chief Talks About Brand’s “Vision M NEXT” Car Technology (Video)

Domagoj Dukec Head Of BMW Design‘we believe in the power of choice,’ begins domagoj dukec. as cars embrace new technologies such as autonomous systems, BMW and their designers are ensuring customers are still offered their own ultimate driving experience. in fact, they are actually integrating technology into the background of their designs, from the powertrains to the adaptable furniture and interior fabrics, creating mobility spaces that adapt to your needs. the innovations are there to help and enhance the experience but are free to the user to choose when, where and how it affects their journey. this power of choice is exemplified by BMW‘s two driving modes and vision cars: EASE and BOOST, and the Vision iNEXT and Vision M NEXT.

DesignBoom video

Classic Car Nostalgia: “1968 Triumph TR6” – 1st Year (Classic Driver)

From a Classic Driver online listing:

1968 Triumph TR6 Classic Driver

Offered as an affordable, six-cylinder sports car, the first Triumph TR6 rolled off the production line in 1968 as a 1969 model. It’s intended target was to rival similar sports cars at the time, and although most were designed with sleek, curved lines, the TR6 was squared off at both ends, making it stand out from it’s competitors. With just a seven year production span, the TR6 grew to become a true British classic.

The Triumph TR6 was offered as a convertible only, with a factory steel hard top available optionally.

Triumph produced a range of TR models, from the TR1 right up to a limited run of the TR8, but it was the sixth car in the range that really stood out from a sales point of view. The TR5 enjoyed a very brief thirteen-month period of manufacture between 1967 and 1968. Less than 3,000 units were produced before the TR6 came in to improve on many of the specifications. Unlike its predecessors, the Triumph TR6 was more reliable mechanically, which means that there are many original models still on our roads.

Website: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/triumph/tr6/1968/723270

Automobile Nostalgia: “1971 Jaguar E-Type SIII Roadster” (Classic Driver)

From a Classic Driver online article:

1971 Jaguar E-Type SIII Roadster interiorThe Type E Series III had the privilege of launching the new Jaguar V12 engine in 1971. This superb 5.3L engine with two overhead cams, derived from a prototype for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was powered by four carburettors. and developed 272CV DIN upon its release, it will give up to 700CV in competition versions.

The car shown is in Cotswolds blue with a light gray leather and a marine mohair top. It’s a rare combination of colors that gives it exclusivity and distinction. It was delivered new to Vancouver in Canada and was imported to France by its second owner in 1990. Its third and last owner, a well-known collector and driver emeritus has kept it nearly twenty years.

To read more: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/jaguar/e-type-siii/1971/693936?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203402019&utm_content=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203402019+CID_1858f011dbd95046af2a263d8ecb86da&utm_source=newsletter

New Motor Sports Books: “Beautiful Machines: The Era of the Elegant Sports Car” (Gestalten)

From the Gestalten website:

Beautiful Machines The Era of the Elegant Sports CarStart your engines for a grand tour of the most stylish grand motoring automobiles ever created. Evoking an era when elegance, romance, and outright performance defined the automobile and the fascinating stories that made them icons of the road. From the shark-inspired Maserati Ghibli to the fiery Lamborghini Miura, from European elegance with American firepower such as the Iso Grifo and Facel Vega to the groundbreaking designs of the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale and Renault Alpine and the advanced technology behind the Jensen FF or Porsche 918 Spyder.

Beautiful Machines The Era of the Elegant Sports Car

These cars are less transportation and more testaments to beauty, freedom, ambition, innovation, and speed. Beautiful Machines was conceived and edited by gestalten. The stories are written by automobile expert Blake Z. Rong with a preface by Classic Driver’s Jan Baedeker and gestalten’s Robert Klanten.

To read more and order: https://us.gestalten.com/products/beautiful-machines?utm_source=Gestalten+Standard+Newsletter&utm_campaign=3d1d15ee2e-SPOCA+%2B+BRUMMM+US&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_280558bba4-3d1d15ee2e-3992541&mc_cid=3d1d15ee2e&mc_eid=d0c83e52f7

Classic Car Restoration: A “1968 Autobianchi Eden Roc” Is A Tiny Masterpiece (ClassicDriver)

From a Classic Driver online article:

1968 AUTOBIANCHI EDEN ROC Classic DriverThe result is a testimony to the true meaning of haute couture – this car doesn’t need to impress or be flashy. It’s first and foremost superb craftsmanship, which has been married to extreme refinement. Next time you venture into Paris and notice a dark blue Eden Roc being driven by a young and elegant tattooed man, don’t hesitate to look closer and try to spot Leroy’s intricate tailor-made feathery details.

This tale began with an accident in November of 2017. Maxime Leroy’s 1968 Autobianchi Eden Roc was hit from ahead by another car in Paris. Shocked, Leroy witnessed his beloved car, which he’d bought at the tender age of 25, injured. But it was to be the beginning of an extraordinary revival …
.

Classic Driver LogoMaxime Leroy is anything but your typical classic car collector. He is a visionary creator with a strong personality whose adult life has been devoted to showcasing feathers. He discovered the art of plumasserie at school thanks to two of his professors. At that time, the school was the last school in France dedicated to teaching this dying art. And thanks to Leroy, who now spends two days a week there teaching, it still is.

To read more: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/custom-autobianchi-eden-roc-a-featherweight-masterpiece

Nostalgia: British Artist Roy Nockolds Captured Motorsport Racing From 1930’s Through 1960’s

From a Grand Prix History online posting:

Roy Nockolds PosterHis work was displayed in many exhibitions in the UK and twenty four of his paintings were exhibited in New York in 1960. the exhibition was entitled ‘British Motoring Achievements’ and was a collection of paintings depicting outstanding performances of British cars during the previous ten years. These included the Vanwall and Cooper in Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Alpine Rallies, speed records by MG and Austin, and Le Mans wins by Jaguar and Aston Martin.

Roy Anthony Nockolds was born in Croydon in south London, England on the 24th January 1911. He was the last of seven children; one of his brothers Harold F. L. Nockolds would later become a motoring journalist and author of the classic Rolls-Royce history, “Magic of a Name”. His mother Flora Mary van der Heyden was the great grand daughter of Dutch Baroque-era painter and inventor, Jan van der Heyden. His farther Walter Herbert Nockolds was a descendent of farmers who had originally come to Britain from the Frisian Islands.

 

British Artist Roy Nockolds

To read more: http://www.grandprixhistory.org/nockolds.htm

Nostalgia: “1961 AC Ace” Convertible Roadster (Classic Driver)

From Wikipedia:

Classic Driver LogoIn 1961 a new 2.6-litre (2,553 cc (155.8 cu in)) straight-six ‘Ruddspeed’ option was available, adapted by Ken Rudd from the unit used in the Ford Zephyr. It used three Weber or SU carburettors and either a ‘Mays’ or an iron cast head. This setup boosted the car’s performance further, with some versions tuned to 170 bhp (127 kW), providing a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h) and 0–60 mph (0–100 km/h) in 8.1 seconds. However, it was not long before Carroll Shelby drew AC’s attention to the Cobra, so only 37 of the 2.6 models were made. These Ford engined models had a smaller grille which was carried over to the Cobra.

1961 AC Ace Bristol Convertible Roadster Classic Driver

AC came back to the market after the Second World War with the 2-Litre range of cars in 1947, but it was with the Ace sports car of 1953 that the company really made its reputation in the post war years. Casting around for a replacement for the ageing 2-Litre, AC took up a design by John Tojeiro that used a light ladder type tubular frame, all independent transverse leaf spring suspension, and an open two seater alloy body made using English wheeling machines, possibly inspired by the Ferrari Barchetta of the day.

Photos from Classic Driver website: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/ac/ace/1961/703263?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203342019&utm_content=Classic%20Driver%20Daily%203342019+CID_08b403976196024a8806d6851989b77c&utm_source=newsletter