The twin-turbo Deutz V16 is a 35 litre (2,135 cu. in.) marine diesel engine capable of 1,823 hp at 2,300 rpm. There are typically two of them fitted side by side in the engine rooms of the kind of high-end luxury motor yachts that I never seem to get invited out on. Deutz AG make a…
Between 1956 and 1963 over 125,000 Porsche-Diesel tractors were built in the former Zeppelin factory near Friedrichshafen on the shores of Lake Konstanz in southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. The first designs of a Porsche tractor were penned in the 1930s by Ferdinand Porsche. It was initially called the Volks-Schlepper and…
This documentary covers the remarkable, decades long restoration of what would become the only flying Messerschmitt Bf109 in the world. In the years since the film was made there have been more examples of the Messerschmitt Bf109 returned to airworthy status, so this aircraft is no longer the only flying example – but it’s important…
This article was written by Per Gabos, the creator of this rather unusual pulsejet-powered motorcycle. The Weltmeister Fictional Experimental Motorcycle The Idea What if the Germans had built experimental pulsejet-powered motorcycles in the mid-1930s – how would these have been made and what would they have looked like? In the 1940s there were already…
The BMW Alpina B7 S Turbo had big shoes to fill when it was introduced in 1981 as a replacement for the BMW Alpina B7 – a car that was the fastest series production 4-door car in the world when it was released in 1978. Alpina Alpina is a German automaker founded in 1965, though…
This Hanomag 2/10PS was captured smuggling contraband across the US/Mexico border, we don’t know exactly what the contraband was, but as it happened during the midst of the Prohibition it was almost certainly moonshine, tequila, whisky, or some other form of distilled rocket fuel.
The Brütsch Mopetta is one of the most beloved microcars from the era of the tiny, petrol-friendly, post-WWII runabouts. The fame of the Mopetta far outweighs its actual production numbers, just 14 were built and some estimates suggest only 5 survived to the modern day. The Brütsch Mopetta It’s almost certain that the popularity of the little…
The Wilesco Steam Locomobile D430 is a fully-functioning steam traction engine model that can drive under its own power for as long as the fuel source lasts. The boiler is 120mm long and 55mm in diameter, it has a sight glass allowing you to check the remaining water level, and a safety valve to stop…
The Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC AMG 6.0 “Wide-Body” was developed by the German tuning house as an all-out muscular German GT car with almost 400 hp on tap, a 0 to 60 mph time of under 6 seconds, and a top speed in excess of 285 km/h. Mercedes-Benz and AMG AMG was founded in 1967 by former…
This original 1956 Porsche 356 A training chassis was developed to give American mechanics a detailed understanding of Porsche running gear and engineering – most of which would have been a little unusual to them back in the mid-1950s when Porsche was still a relatively new company. Interestingly the suspension arrangement differs between the left…
The Porsche 356A 1600 Super Speedster wasn’t originally designed to be an expensive car, in fact it was specifically designed to be as inexpensive as possible while still being profitable to build and sell. Max Hoffman – Godfather of the Porsche 356 Speedster The idea to build the original Porsche 356 Speedster came not from…
This four-cylinder Windhoff was one of the most advanced motorcycles of its time thanks largely to its engine, which doubles as the motorcycle frame, and features oil-cooling, an overhead camshaft, and an engine block that acts as a giant radiator. Windhoff Motorcycles Windhoff Motorcycles, officially Windhoff Motorradenbau GmbH, began producing motorcycles in 1924 but the company…
