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Tribute to Carroll Shelby
Monday, May 14, 2012
On May 10, 2012, the world lost one of its greatest personalities, automotive legend Carroll Hall Shelby.
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Fender's colourful ties with GM and America
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
As you may know, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation teamed up with Volkswagen for its premium 9-speaker sound system. However, you could trace Fender's ties with the auto industry all the way back to more than a half-century ago.
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Volvo celebrates with re-enactment
Friday, April 13, 2012
Volvo will celebrate its 85th anniversary April 14 by a new V40 through the gates at its Göteborg plant, just like they did at 10 a.m. on April 14, 1927.
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Abarth: A History of Making Small Go Fast
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Serious tuning companies tend to specialize on one brand, because engineering performance systems is not cheap. Consider Alpina with BMW, BRABUS with Mercedes-Benz, Mugen with Honda, and RUF with Porsche, to name a few.
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Chevy returns to Goodwood with 60th anniversary Corvette
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Chevrolet's iconic sports car, the Corvette, will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a visit to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer, where Chevrolet is making its third consecutive appearance.
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When the automotive bug bit me
Monday, December 19, 2011
Some might say they always knew what they wanted to be when they grew up: a doctor, a teacher, a surfer; these are all childhood dreams that often turn into reality. For me it was a little more complicated than that. I had great dreams and aspirations of becoming a vet, a la James Herriot (yes, I read one too many of his books when I was younger).
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Jaguar and Land Rover - as British as curry & chips!
Thursday, December 08, 2011
As many of you know, I've been a Jaguar & Land Rover man for most of my life. The first car I ever drove, at the ripe old age of eight, was a Jaguar MkII. We then relocated to a farm, and Land Rovers became such a part of my life that immediately upon leaving school, I began work as a Land Rover apprentice.
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They don't make them like they used to
Monday, November 28, 2011
Every Sunday morning, my wife and I watch a great show on television. For 90 minutes, we get to see a little bit of everything, be it recent events, profiles, music or many other interesting stories. On a recent cool and wet Sunday morning, one of the segments was on toasters. Did you know that there are people who spend over $5,000 for 90-year-old toasters? Crazy, I know!
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Horsepower vs. horse power
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Just as I grew up with a love of cars, I also grew up with another love: horses. My mother lived on a farm in England when she was younger and always had horses and donkeys, and when she came to Canada, she passed on that love of four-legged creatures to me. We spent weekends at stables riding whenever we could, and I grew to appreciate, respect and love these beautiful, strong beasts.
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Heyer family reunion at Spa-Francorchamps
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
On 30 July 2011 the customer team Black Falcon will be at the starting line of the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.
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The Story of the Volkswagen Beetle
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Alright, so you're probably all Beetled out at this point; what with my blog about Berlin, my first impressions review, what it's like to drive on German roads (behind the wheel of a Beetle), and now this. But, trust me, you want to read this one. This isn't going to be some year-by-year account of each model and how it's changed. Nope. Instead, I wanted to look at the Beetle as a living and breathing entity, because truly that's what it's become to so many.
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Ford puts over 5,000 classic images up for sale
Friday, February 04, 2011
Ford launched a new website, FordImages.com, allowing enthusiasts and car collectors to view and purchase thousands of images dating to the earliest days of its storied brand.
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Navigating the Nürburgring
Monday, December 06, 2010
Does the word ''Nürburgring'' ring a bell? If so, I certainly managed to arouse your curiosity. If not, well, you may still like cars enough to consider this as your next travel destination - one that you'll be talking about to your family and friends for quite a long time, at the very least to remind them how lucky you were to negotiate the sharp turns of this legendary track.
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75 years of Jaguar history goes live on the iPad
Monday, November 22, 2010
To mark the presentation of the stunning C-X75 at the Los Angeles Motor Show, Jaguar has launched an all-new iPad app that, like the supercar, celebrates three-quarters of a century of beautiful, fast cars.
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The Morgan Threewheeler is back!
Thursday, November 04, 2010
The success of the Morgan Motor Company was founded on the manufacture of an icon, the Morgan Threewheeler. This brilliant but simple design by engineer Harry Morgan (HFS) became one of the most successful lightweight cars of the early days of motoring. From 1909 to 1953 around 30,000 Morgan Threewheelers were manufactured in Malvern and many more were made under license by Darmont Morgan in France. For many lucky owners it was their first experience of the freedom that car ownership could bring. Fast acceleration combined with a cruising range of over 50 miles to a gallon of petrol was an unbeatable combination in the day. On the race track the car became very successful, famously winning the French Grand Prix in 1913 and regularly lapping the banked Brooklands track at an average speed of over 100 mph. Stirling Moss who owned one is on record as saying "My Morgan was a great babe magnet".
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PCA sweepstakes: 1973 Porsche 911 T Update
Monday, November 01, 2010
The straightening bench doesn't lie. Its judgment carries a great deal of weight. The original Porsche bench, a massive steel framework that was developed in the 1960s for aligning the body of the 911 (F model), still reveals every millimetre of deviation from the vehicle's original form. And what the specialists suspected when they initially inspected the vehicle was confirmed: The 1973 911 T had suffered accident damage to the front left side - probably a souvenir from its long gone motor sport days.
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UK Web Site Names Giulia GTAm Alfa's Greatest Car of all Time!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Alfa Romeo has created over 70 different models during its 100 year history. But when Alfa Romeo's UK subsidiary asked Alfistis to chose the greatest Alfa Romeo of all time, it all came down to two iconic models : the Giulia GTAm and the 8C Competizione. And the winner is (drum roll...): the GTAm. Tadam!
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Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca Raceway
Monday, August 16, 2010
I will freely admit that I have never been a huge racing fan. In fact, it wasn't until roughly 12 years ago, when I first took my 1989 Mazda MX-6 GT Turbo on the track, that I became somewhat interested in racing. The only motorsports that captured my attention were WRC and DTM/BTCC. Otherwise, F1, NASCAR and the others do little for me.
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30th anniversary of the Renault 5 Turbo
Friday, July 16, 2010
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the creation of the stunning Renault 5 Turbo, a R5 on steroids that captured several overall wins in the World Rally Championship.
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What makes a car Canadian?
Friday, May 28, 2010
Have you ever wondered what makes a car Canadian? Is it a matter of production sites, design, investment sources, domestic content, sales or popularity among Canadians? To answer that question, the Canada Science and Technology Museum will host a new exhibition called "In Search of the Canadian Car" starting June 23, 2010.
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The Bugatti EB112, the Panamera's ancestor?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
For the average North American driver, who has lived his or her life surrounded by GM, Ford and Chrysler products, the Porsche Panamera's looks might seem unusual, excentric even. In Europe, though, a curvy figure with a truncated rear end topped by a hatch is far from shocking. On the contrary, it even ranks as a prestigious vehicle.
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History of the BMW 5 Series
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sales of the BMW 5 Series already amount to more than 5.5 million units in five model generations - and now a new chapter is starting in the highly successful story of the BMW 5 Series Sedan.
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Porsche Type 64 Exhibited in America for First Time
Thursday, April 08, 2010
The original Porsche Type 64, one of the rarest automobiles in the world, has never left Germany until now. It was shipped to America recently to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Porsche in North America. It's part of a unique exhibit displaying the world's finest cars as art at Atlanta's High Museum of Art.
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BMW 328 Kamm Coupé : Return of the racing car on Lake Como
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
As every year, BMW is showing a concept car out of competition at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. To mark its victory in the Mille Miglia 70 years ago, the Munich-based brand will bring its BMW 328 Mille Miglia Concept Coupé to Lake Como. But this will not be the only link between these two great automotive events at this year's Concorso.
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Sixty Years of Porsche Production in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The home of today's Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has a very special sound in the world of motoring: Zuffenhausen. Indeed, Zuffenhausen is far more than "just" a production plant rich in tradition for Porsche AG, since it is here in Zuffenhausen that the heart of the Company beats to this very day.
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Volvo's Long And Rich History - ''Volvo PV36 75 years''
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Volvo Cars is back at Europe's biggest show for classic cars and automobilia. At his year's TechnoClassica - held April 7 to 11 april - the Volvo PV36, nicknamed 'Carioca', will be focused upon. This year marks the 75th anniversary of its launch and bearing in mind the place it has in the automotive history's, let alone Volvo's own, this jubilee is worth celebrating.
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A new Volvo at the Geneva Motor Show 25 years ago
Friday, February 26, 2010
In March 1985, Volvo Car Corporation showed the result of yet another cooperation in the field of luxury between Sweden and Italy, the Volvo 780, designed and built by Bertone in Turin. The event took place on the Volvo Cars stand at the Geneva Motor Show.
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First Ancestor of All Porsche Sports Cars on Show in America for the First Time
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Museum run by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, Germany, is sending its legendary Type 64 Berlin-Rome Car on a long journey. Befitting the 60th anniversary of Porsche in America, the aluminium body of Type 64 will be presented from 21 March to 20 June 2010 at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), taking the first and most prominent exhibit at the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen to a new location outside of Germany for the first time.
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2010 Toronto Autoshow: A tribute to the great Carroll Shelby
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Celebrities rarely live through their time with as much flair and significance as Caroll Shelby. The former race car driver, the first American to ever win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, also became known as the Father of the American muscle car. He is responsible for some of the most important and well-known automobile designs of the last century.
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Chevrolet Surburban at 75: A historical look and industry icon
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
CHICAGO - In 1935, the United States' population was a little more than 127 million. A first-class stamp cost 3 cents, Technicolor was introduced to motion pictures and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Chicago Cubs in a tough World Series. It was also the year Chevrolet introduced the Suburban.
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Jaguar: 75 Years Looking Forward
Saturday, January 30, 2010
MAHWAH, N.J.,- This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Jaguar name and 75 years of looking forward, designing and building cars that represent the very best of technical innovation, design leadership and sporting success.
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Ultra-Rare Model Car Is Star of DFW Elite Toy Museum
Saturday, January 23, 2010
DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX, - In an age when anyone can shop for cars simply by touring the local dealerships, or even surfing the Web in their pajamas, it can be difficult to imagine a time when salesmen had to promote their products at county fairs, trade shows, and town squares.
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The King's passion
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
''On his last return trip from England on January 19, 1999 and despite his health condition, King Hussein visited his garages. Was he simply checking on his cars? Or was he reflecting on his eventful reign as registered in the memory of each one?''
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Newly Revised And Re-formatted Bentley Continental Book
Sunday, November 29, 2009
This newly revised and re-formatted book from Veloce Publishing provides the definitive history of the most sought-after, fastest and elegant Bentleys built in the British ownership era: the Continentals.
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Alfa Romeo Montreal - The dream car that came true
Saturday, November 14, 2009
With its stylish Bertone coachwork and race-bred 200bhp V8 engine, the iconic Alfa Romeo Montreal is one of the most stunning series production automobiles of the twentieth century.
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60 years since the trusteeship of the Volkswagenwerk was placed in German hands
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A memorandum summarizing the outcome of negotiations with the Federal Ministry of Economics dated October 8, 1949 and signed by Colonel Radclyffe marked the climax to the breathtaking course of developments at the Volkswagenwerk under British administration in the first four years after the war.
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Classic Citroëns
Sunday, August 16, 2009
During a special tour of the Citroën 'Conservatoire' in Aulnay, near Paris, France, Auto123.com was given an exclusive look at two mythical Citroëns DS -- Charles de Gaulle's presidential car and Bjorn Waldegaard's ice racing car.
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Volvo's 3-point seatbelt: 50 years of saving lives!
Monday, August 10, 2009
On August 13, 2009, Volvo Cars will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its life-saving three-point standard seatbelt. The year was 1959 when the Swedish automaker delivered the first car equipped with a three-point seatbelt (a PV544 sedan) to a dealer in Kristianstad. This restraint device would go on to save thousands of lives around the world over the next fifty years.
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Volvo stuff for collectors
Saturday, August 01, 2009
The development of Volvo Cars' first simple advertising giveaways to today's well thought-out range of merchandise tells an exciting story. Today the vintage advertising giveaways are once again in sharp focus - as highly attractive collectibles.
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The work of photographer Zoltán Glass
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Stuttgart/Bradford. The National Media Museum in Bradford, UK, is currently in the process of raising a photographic treasure. The project, which aims to scan a large proportion of the photographs housed in the Zoltán Glass archive, will systematically catalogue the work of the artist, whose main creative periods came in the 1930s and 1950s, and to make them accessible in digital format. The Bradford collection numbers around 6,000 images in total; the work is scheduled for completion in April 2010.
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Seventy-Five Years Ago: Porsche Receives the Order to Construct the Volkswagen
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
22 June 1934 was not only one of the most important days in the early corporate history of the Company now known the world over as Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, but also the day that changed the history of the entire automotive industry: It was on that day that "Dr. Ing. h.c. F.
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Complete Porsche History on one DVD
Monday, June 15, 2009
Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is proudly presenting its history "in motion": In a 2 ½-film "The Porsche Way", the Company presents its entire history from the early years up to the present day on one full-coverage DVD. Starting with the lifetime achievements of Ferdinand and Ferry Porsche, the film focuses in eight chapters on the development of the famous sports car manufacturer, proceeding from one decade to the next. "This is the first time that a car maker is presented so exhaustively on a DVD", says Dieter Landenberger, the Director of the Porsche Archives.
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Who is this FIAT, exactly?
Monday, May 04, 2009
At the New York Auto Show, Chrysler president Jim Press drove up behind the wheel of a Fiat 500. Chrysler has since formed an alliance with Fiat. But who exactly is this "saviour" who'se trying to prevent the extinction of the last of the ex-Big Three of the auto world?
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The secret designer behind the Volvo P1800
Saturday, April 11, 2009
In the 1960s, a really cool design for a sports car had to be made by an Italian. Or so everyone thought. But when the head of Volvo, Gunnar Engellau, picked his favourite among the anonymously presented suggestions - he was in for a surprise.
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The vintage car, a sure investment?
Sunday, February 22, 2009
If you ask professor David Foot, demographer at the University of Toronto and author of Boom, Bust and Echo, a study on the influence of demography and the baby boom on our daily lives, he'll say it's all about demographics.
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Model T plant rejuvenated
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The facade of Ford's original plant on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, where the first 12,000 Model Ts were assembled, has been restored. The plant now looks exactly the way it did when Henry Ford opened up the place, back in 1904.
During the summer, Quinn Evans Architects of Ann Arbor, a firm that specializes in historic preservation, worked on rejuvenating part of the century-old building. The restored front façade was the most deteriorated part of the structure. Bricks were repaired or replaced, windows were fixed and elaborate masonry was done. Old photographs were even brought out to help restore the original arched office entry of the 1904 building.
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Cadillac Celebrates Dewar Trophy Centenary
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Brooklands Museum in Surrey hosted a celebration of Cadillac's first Dewar Trophy win 100 years ago. On Sunday September 21, visitors mingled among 50 Cadillacs from across the brand's 106-year history, including a 1904 Model B with tonneau body, which is part of the Brooklands Museum collection. Organised by the Cadillac Club of Great Britain, this wide array of historic vehicles lined up side-by-side with the 2009 Cadillac CTS, recently launched in Europe.
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Beaulieu National Motor Museum
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Once, about a half-century ago, British cars were seen all across the globe. England's auto industry was famous in the '50s and '60s for producing attractive small vehicles and sports cars. In fact, many of us have enjoyed countless Sunday rides on the back seat of an Austin A40, a MINI or a Sunbeam. Others used to travel in a Ford Anglia or Cortina.
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Dodge Challenger Drag Race Package is ready for the quarter mile
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Forty years ago, the famous HEMI-powered Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas shone on various drag strips across America. In an attempt to revive these legends, Chrysler LLC and its high-performance Mopar division decided to create a new variant of the 2009 Dodge Challenger exclusively aimed at winning drag races.
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BlueTEC: When blue turns into green
Friday, July 04, 2008
Diesel fuel seldom got good press in North America. With the black smoke and unpleasant smell, it was mostly used to power big trucks that needed plenty of low-end torque. However, due to the rising gasoline prices and efforts to make diesel cleaner than ever, the auto industry is witnessing a dramatic shift toward efficient, environmentally-friendly powertrain technologies that meet the requirements of all consumers and governments.
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Twenty-first century Ford Model T
Sunday, July 06, 2008
On October 1, 1908, the original Ford Model T was built at the Piquette plant, in Michigan. This vehicle revolutionized the auto industry, becoming the first production car that was both affordable and low-maintenance.
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The evolution of Volvo
Monday, June 09, 2008
In Torslanda, near Gothenburg, Sweden, is the Volvo Museum. There, you can learn how businessman Assar Gabrielsson and engineer Gustaf Larson, both working for ball bearing manufacturer AB SKF, started building the first-ever Volvos in 1924 before the company was officially founded three years later. (Volvo, by the way, means "I roll".) The ÖV4, nicknamed Jakob, was their first creation. This cabriolet was soon followed by a sedan called PV4. AB Volvo was born.
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A Chevy Equinox fuel cell electric vehicle is put to the test by the U.S. Department of Energy
Friday, May 30, 2008
The addition of a Chevy Equinox fuel cell electric vehicle to its fleet of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles allows the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to be among the pioneers helping to make fuel cell vehicles a reality over the upcoming years. For the next six months, employees will use the vehicle to conduct day-to-day business activities while sharing real-world performance data.
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How is safety conceived?
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
With regard to automotive safety, a distinction is made between "passive" safety (protecting passengers during and after a crash) and "active" safety (avoiding crashes). A plethora of systems, technologies and regulations have been developed and implemented to prevent accidents from happening -- and protect individuals when the inevitable occurs. But how advanced are we?
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Mustang hits nine million units
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Ford says that today, one of every two sports cars sold in America is a Mustang. It now has a loyal following of fans, largely because of sticking to its recipe for style, selection and affordable performance since it was introduced back in 1964. A strong owner community and culture have also helped earned the Mustang record-setting status, and now, over nine million of the iconic coupes have been sold.
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A T in the Tank
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Since April 7, Londoners can admire the car "that changed the world", the Ford Model T, in the famous glass "tank" outside the Design Museum in London, facing the River Thames ND within sight of Tower Bridge. This display of a Ford Model T by the Design Museum recognises the significance of this car in helping to turn America into an industrial economy and mobile society.
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Ford Model T turns 100
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Car models are often celebrated for hitting certain milestone anniversaries- but few pack the historical clout as the Ford Model T. The icon turns a magical 100 years old this year, and the American automaker who put the world on wheels is planning plenty of celebrations to commemorate the event. Ford will feature a collection of pristine Model Ts from all over America at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance before showcasing them at various car shows and museum attractions across the country. Over 20,000 spectators are expected for the kick-off event.
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The Lamborghini Theatre at the Toronto Auto Show (video)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
I was 13 yrs old when I drove my first ever Lamborghini and I can still remember it. The vehicle belonged to a friend's dad, a farmer down the road. He had only just purchased it, brand spanking new, and his son and I ran it across a field chasing a handful of wandering sheep. By now, you're probably thinking that I've gone completely insane, lost the plot, or that I'm telling you a bunch of pork pies (Lies).
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Montréal Auto Show: 100% British
Monday, January 21, 2008
The British Empire is not the evil French Canadians once thought it was -- at least from an automotive perspective. We were able to enjoy an attractive collection of sports cars, saloons (premium sedans) and breaks (wagons). And let's not forget that England once dominated the small car market. The 2008 Montreal International Auto Show (MIAS), in partnership with "Le Rendez-Vous des Anglaises" automobile club, presents a special attraction called "100% British".
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Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 : Fine Lines
Sunday, March 09, 2008
The initial batch of Shelby GT350s was based on the "fastback" Mustang and a warmed over 289 V8. Contrary to popular belief, the Ford Mustang was never intended to be anything more than a hip set of wheels for a hip new generation. Performance wasn't really part of the total equation until Ford decided it was going racing. By then the Mustang was just along for the ride.
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Ford Thunderbird: Fine Lines
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
In five decades, there have been many attempts to recapture the glory of the first-generation Thunderbirds, although most have paled in comparison. A half-century ago, The Ford Motor Company's sensational Thunderbird ushered in the modern era of the personal luxury automobile.
Although sporty in appearance and injected with an abundance of horsepower, this cushy beauty was more at home cruising the North American boulevards and freeways of the 1950s than handling fast, making tight turns or stopping on the proverbial dime. Those maneuvers were best left to more exotic, albeit harsher-riding European machinery.
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Shelby Cobra : Fine Lines
Saturday, December 15, 2007
With a slippery shape, robust V8 and a bit of luck, the Cobra-based Daytona coupe ousted Ferrari from its perch as the undisputed king of long-distance racing. If there was ever a more unlikely sports-car constructor, it was Carroll Shelby. The curly haired Texan had been a successful driver who, in the 1950s and early 1960s, competed in exotic European racing machinery while frequently wearing his trademark bib overalls.
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Fine Lines: 1964-1968 Ferrari 275 GTB/GTB4
Thursday, November 16, 2006
It was sensuous in design, robust in overall performance and its advanced technology set the bar for future models. It short, it was the perfect Ferrari, at least as far as the 1960s were concerned.
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News & Events Multimedia
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Gone is the dash-mounted flower vase in the latest version of Volkswagen's Bug. Gone too is much of its cutesiness, replaced by a notable degree of sportiness intended to broaden the Beetle's target market by attracting male attention.
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