Sunday, March 16, 2008

Bugatti EB110

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'The Bugatti EB110 was a mid-engine sports car from Bugatti Automobili SpA, the 1990s successor to one of the most celebrated marques in automotive history. It was unveiled on September 15, 1991 in both Versailles and in front of the Grande Arche at La Défense in Paris, France exactly 110 years after Ettore Bugatti's birth.'
Production - 1991–1995 (139 produced)
Successor - Bugatti Veyron
Body style(s) - 2-door Mid-AWD coupe
Engine(s) - 3.5 L quad-turbo V12
Transmission(s) - 6-speed manual
Wheelbase - 100.5 in (2553 mm)
Length - 173.4 in (4404 mm)
Curb weight - 3560 lb (1615 kg)
Designer - Marcello Gandini

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Lamborghini Countach

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'The Lamborghini Countach was a mid engined sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. The design of the Countach popularized, but did not pioneer, the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance supercars. The "cabin-forward" design concept, which pushes the passenger compartment forward in order to accommodate a larger engine, was also popularized by the Countach.
The word countach (help·info) (pronounced ˈkun.tɑʃ) is an exclamation of astonishment in the local Piedmontese language - generally used by men on seeing an extremely beautiful woman.[1] While the term is often considered untranslatable into English, it is essentially equivalent to the British lager lout verbalization "Fwwaaaa", or it can also be considered the verbal equivalent of aWolf Whistle.
The Countach name stuck when Nuccio Bertone first saw "Project 112" in his studio. The prototype was introduced to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Most previous Lamborghini car names were associated with bulls and bullfighting.
In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number three on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s, and it was listed as number ten on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.
The Countach has been discontinued for 18 years and still enjoys a massive fan appreciation.'

De Tomaso Pantera

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The Pantera was a sports car produced by the de Tomaso car company of Italy from 1971 through 1996. The word "Pantera" is Italian for "Panther". The car was designed by Tom Tjaarda and replaced the de Tomaso Mangusta. Unlike the Mangusta, which employed a steel backbone chassis, the Pantera was a steel monocoque design, the first instance of de Tomaso using this construction technique.
Famous owners
 - Elvis Presley owned a Pantera and once fired a gun at it when it wouldn't start.
 - NHL player and doughnut shop magnate, Tim Horton, was driving a Pantera when he lost control and was killed while driving home from a game in 1974.
 - Mötley Crüe lead singer, Vince Neil, was driving a Pantera when he caused the December 1984 accident that killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas Dingley (AKA Razzle) and injured two others.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Peugeot 205 GTI

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Peugeot 205 GTI
Volkswagen had claimed the hot hatch crown for itself with the Mk1 Golf GTI but Peugeot snatched it in 1984 with the diminutive 205 road rocket. Based on a stiffened 205 shell, the original GTi used a 1.6 105bhp four-cylinder engine which may not sound much but was plenty in such a lightweight body particularly as it still came with rear drum brakes. The handling, while immensely rewarding in the right hands could also land owners in trouble as it had a nasty propensity for lift off oversteer which saw many pugs heading off the road backwards. The 130bhp 1.9-litre model at least had disks all round but carried more weight up front so was even more tail happy. Probably one of the cutest hot hatches, the 205 came with plastic wheelarch extensions and deeper bumpers plus attractive alloy wheels and part leather trim in the 1.9. You can pick up a MOT’d heap for a couple of hundred quid today whilst mint examples go for around £3,500. Just try and find one that hasn’t visited the scenery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_205
http://www.peugeot205gti.co.uk/

Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

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'Big wings seemed to be a theme of the 80s if the 911 and especially the Cossie are anything to go by. Perhaps they were the automotive equivalent shoulder pads and if so the fast Ford was the Joan Collins of the motoring world. Ford roped in the skills of legendary engine builders Cosworth to create a super saloon based on the unpopular three-door Sierra bodyshell. Unprepossessing but very stiff, this bodyshape allowed Cosworth to drop in a 2.0-litre DOCH four cylinder which with the addition of a Garrett turbocharger fed 204bhp to the rear wheels. Unique alloys, a bodykit, flared wheelarches and of course that rear wing helped put other road users in no doubt that you were behind the wheel of something quick. Just over 6,000 were produced before it was superseded by the 224bhp RS500 special edition version to mark the end of the three-door bodyshape. It was superseded by the Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth which used the saloon bodyshell and was altogether much more sensible looking if just as tail happy. Find one that hasn’t been TWOC’d and you’ll have a blue chip, blue oval classic.'

Ferrari Testarossa

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The Ferrari Testarossa is a 12-cylinder mid-engined sports car made by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. The Pininfarina-designed car was radically wide at 1976 mm (77.8 in) and low at just 1135 mm (44.7 in) high.

It should not be confused with the Ferrari TR "Testa Rossa" of the late 1950s and early 1960s. These were GT sports cars that ran in the World Sportscar Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Honda Civic (1973-1979)

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'Honda began selling the 1169 cc (70 in³) transversely mounted inline four-cylinder Civic for about US$2,200 (AU$2,804). The car produced roughly 50 hp (37 kW) and included power front disc brakes, vinyl seating, reclining bucket seats and a woodgrain-accented dashboard. The hatchback version added a fold-down rear seat, an AM radio and cloth upholstery. Options for the Civic were kept to a minimum, consisting of air conditioning, an automatic transmission, called the Hondamatic, radial tires and a rear wiper for the hatchback. The car could achieve 40 mpg (6 L/100 km) on the highway and with a small 86.6 inch (220 cm) wheelbase and 139.8 inch (355 cm) overall length the vehicle weighed 1,500 pounds (680 kg). The car had four-wheel independent suspension and a four speed manual transmission or the Hondamatic.'wiki
http://www.xs4all.nl/~mjs/storycivic.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic#First_generation_.281973-1979.29