The BMW Alpina B7 Turbo/1 was the fastest four-door saloon car in the world from 1984 to 1987, largely thanks to its heavily modified engine and its KKK turbocharger, pushing horsepower to over 320 bhp and delivering a hefty 383 ft lbs of torque. What is Alpina? At the start of the 1960s Alpina was…
This Continental Mark II is a tastefully built custom, incorporating a 642 hp Robert Pond Motorsports aluminum 482 cu. in. V8, fully independent suspension on all four corners, four wheel Wilwood disc brakes, and rack and pinion steering. The car is the work of brothers Calvin and Leon Moore from Nashville, the two men had…
This is episode one of Hargety’s Behind the Wheel series, it focusses on one of the great automotive controversies of the 1960s – will the Corvair kill you? Or more specifically, will the Corvair spin out of control and roll a half dozen times when you steer rapidly at speed. In 1965 an ambitious young…
The Volkswagen SP2 is a car much loved in Brazil, but little known outside the South American country. The car is a small sport coupe that was designed and made in Brazil for the local market, using largely local VW components. The styling of the car would have a strong influence on the VW/Porsche developed…
The Citroën DS Safari Estate is the station wagon version of the iconic French automobile, it was first introduced in 1958 with different model names depending on location – it was the “Brake” in France, the “Safari or Station Wagon” in Australia, the “Safari or Estate” in Britain, and the “Wagon” in the USA. Citroën…
In 1960 the Americans would arrive at the world’s most famous endurance race with a bang – three specially prepared 1960 Chevrolet Corvettes rolled off the trucks at the Circuit de la Sarthe to challenge for wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time. The truth of the matter is that…
The one-of-one “RUF RSR” as it’s become known over the past 30+ years was lauded in the book The World’s Fastest Cars in 1989. Since that time the horsepower has been increased from 400 bhp to over 700 bhp thanks to an ever increasing series of upgrades that, we hope, will continue far into the…
Introduction: The GMC Motorhome The GMC Motorhome is a six-wheeled embodiment of the zeitgeist of its age – for those who did not live through the post-war 1950’s to 1970’s era it is likely that they will not really grasp the level of creative freedom that was unleashed. The younger generations may realize that the…
We can unreservedly say that the Shelby GT350 H is the most desirable ex-rental car in history. They were created for a partnership between Ford and Hertz Car Rentals to promote the automaker and their still-new Mustang model – particularly the high-performance Shelby variant. The 1966 Shelby GT350 H The original Shelby GT350 Mustang was…
The So-Cal Speed Shop Special Belly Tank Racer, also known as a “Lakester”, was developed in the late 1940s using relatively primitive hot rod techniques to create a car that would break five records using three different engines on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The So-Cal Speed Shop Alex Xydias famously founded the So-Cal Speed Shop…
The Talbot Sunbeam Lotus was a hot hatch from the golden age of the genre that would go on to astonish the motor racing world by winning the 1981 World Rally Championship, competing against the Audi Quattro, the Renault 5 Turbo, the Fiat 131 Abarth, Ford Escort RS1800, and the Toyota Celica 2000GT. Des O’Dell and…
The new Lego Ford Mustang model features 1,471 parts and measures in at 3” (10 cm) high, 13” (34cm) long and 5” (14 cm) wide. It can be built in a number of different ways including with an optional supercharger, side exhausts, a boot lid spoiler, and even with a nitrous tank in the trunk….
