Jon Branch
February 11, 2019

Introduction: The Volvo “Chevvy Corvette” That Wasn’t The story of the creation of the Volvo P1800 begins back in 1953 when Volvo co-founder and Vice-President Assar Gabrielsson visited the USA and while there he had the opportunity to visit GM and see the new (C1) Chevrolet Corvette production line at Flint, Michigan. While in the…
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Jon Branch
February 4, 2019

Introduction: Porsche is Born Dr. Ferdinand Porsche had long dreamed of building high performance sports cars just as he had also dreamed of creating cars that ordinary people could afford to own and run prior to Hitler’s program that sought to create a system of high speed roads called Autobahns throughout Germany, and for affordable…
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Jon Branch
January 28, 2019

The story behind the design of the Volvo Amazon is quite complex and takes in influences from a number of sources. Volvo had recruited Jan Wilsgaard from the Handicraft Society School (which is nowadays called the HDK, School of Design and Crafts). The young Wilsgaard’s first design work for Volvo was a large V8 powered car called the Volvo Phillip made in 1950.
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Jon Branch
January 21, 2019

Introduction to the Toyota 2000GT: An Industry Seeking Credibility The Toyota 2000GT was one of the most significant sports cars to come out of Japan during the 1960s – the decade that started the country out on the path to the global domination of the automobile market that it enjoys today. By the end of…
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Jon Branch
January 14, 2019

The story of the Datsun 240Z begins on the race track, and it dates back to 1964 when the Prince Motoring Club was established by Dr. Sakuri of Prince Motors in the wake of defeat by a privately entered Porsche in the Japanese Grand Prix of that year.
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Jon Branch
December 31, 2018

The Austin 7 – An Introduction It was in an Austin 7 that I went on my very first ever road trip. It would have been in about 1961, I was still at primary school, and a member of the school “Scripture Union” club. Our teacher, Mr. Britain, decided to fit three or four of…
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Jon Branch
December 17, 2018

The day I went in to buy my new Datsun 1600 I was in all probability the most unhappy new car buyer on the face of the earth. That was not to do with the Datsun 1600 being in some way a misery causing car. The reason for the truckload of unhappiness was that I’d been negotiating to buy an Austin-Healey 3000 in a private sale, and the seller had bailed out of the sale at the last minute.
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Jon Branch
December 10, 2018

Background: The Beginnings of Ford Motor Company Henry Ford’s Model T was the visionary breakthrough that brought motor vehicle ownership to millions of ordinary middle class people and opened up a new era of mobility for people and goods. In an era when the horse and the railroad reigned supreme as the means of land…
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Jon Branch
November 12, 2018

Bruce F. Meyers, the inventor of the Meyers Manx, grew up in California deeply involved in the surfing scene, and driving a 1930’s vintage Ford to the beach. His interest in surfing and the ocean naturally led into sail boats and thus to a journey into the South Seas on a schooner shared with a few friends where he learned about sailing outrigger canoes, and learned a great deal about the sea and boats.
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Jon Branch
November 5, 2018

The First Generation Chevrolet K5 Blazer first appeared in 1969 as a competitor to the already established International Harvester Scout and the Ford Bronco, despite its status as the new kid on the block, it was outselling both of its competitors within a year.
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Jon Branch
October 29, 2018

The 1988 Honda Africa Twin XRV650 was the marque’s first major foray into the market for adventure motorcycles. The bike was officially launched on 20th May that year – painted in red, blue, and white it was intentionally made to look like the Paris-Dakar Rally winning bikes.
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Jon Branch
October 15, 2018

Enzo Ferrari is reported to have called the Willys Jeep “the only true American sports car” – it was also one of very few things designed by a committee that turned out to be a success. This true American sports car, designed by a committee, was the American icon of the Second World War, the humble Jeep.
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