The 1957 Fiat Nuova 500

Posted on July 31, 2010 by admin

No other car was showing so much of the Italian attitude to life than the Fiat Nuova 500, which was launched in 1957.

It is even said that the Fiat Nuova 500 for Italy was like the birth of the automobile.

A car with a height of 1.32 m (52.0 in), a width of 1.32 m (52.0 in) and a length of 2.97 m (116.9 in) was able to associate technology with emotion.

And even though it was poorly equipped it was more than just a car and the Italians used to call it ‘Bambina’.

In 1922 the new factory ‘Lingotto’ was built and it was the first using assembly lines for the production. It was a five storey building with a proving ground on top of the roof. Here the predecessor the Fiat 500 ‘Topolino’ was built too and first sold in 1936.

After WW2 a new car was needed and once again Dante Giacosa was asked to design it.

Even before the new Fiat 500 came on the market the Fiat 600 was sold in 1955. It was bigger and somehow old fashioned like a mixture of the old and new Fiat 500.

After four years of development the new car was first sold under the name of Fiat Nuova 500 to point out its relationship with the old 500.
It was the first car with serial-produced self-supporting body and the two-cylinder engine at 479 cc produced 13 bhp.

In the beginning it the Fiat Nuova 500 didn’t sell very well, so it was presented at the Turin Motor Show in autumn 1957 with a new engine producing 15 bhp and a top speed of 90 km/h. And even the price was reduced.

But it was still poorly equipped. The side windows couldn’t be opened and fresh air came from the front of the car through simple tubes ending beneath the dashboard. The car also featured a fabric roof folding all the way back to the rear of the vehicle.

In 1958 the luxury version was sold with a roof only folding back half way and side windows that could be opened. The long roof was still available though.

These were the N models; the Fiat launched in 1960 was the D model producing 17 bhp and bigger rear lights. The doors still were ‘suicide doors’.

In 1960 also the ‚Giardiniera‘, an estate version was sold becoming the longest running model.

The successor of model D was model F producing 18 bhp and with front-hinged doors. The Fiat Nuova 500 model L following in 1968 was mechanically very similar but had different bumpers with and extra chrome nudge bar and an interior with a much more modern look.

In 1972 the model R was the last incarnation of the Fiat Nuova 500. It was much more comfortable and already had a few technical features of the new Fiat 126.

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Classic Car Events in August

Posted on July 24, 2010 by admin

1 Aug, 2010 – Ashlyns Hall Car Show, classic and vintage cars, award for best car in show, food, stalls  and entertainment. Admission free for exhibitors and public.
Ashlyns Hall, Chesham Road, Berkhamsted HP4 2ST, UK
For more information: http://www.bmcare.co.uk/corporate/Car_Show

7-8 August, 2010 – Woodvale Rally, more than 1200 vintage and classic cars and motorcycles and 70 clubs are part of a large weekend event for the entire family taking place at Woodvale Airfield near Southport, Merseyside, L37 7AD. There will be a model flying display, model boats and railways, children’s entertainments, a fair, live Music and a car boot.
Website: http://www.woodvale-rally.org.uk

8 Aug, 2010 – Faversham Charity Car Show & Bootfair in support for Help of Heroes is a car show with classic and sports cars, bikes and military vehicles and a giant bootfair. There will also be life music and a children’s fun fair. Abbey School Field, London Rd (A2), Faversham ME13 8RZ, Kent, England Email: Ian.tarrant@dsl.pipex.com

8 August, 2010 – Locke Park Classic Car Rally & Summer Fair, all classic and modern classic vehicles are welcome at Locke Park, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Website: http://www.ytcc.co.uk

14-15 August, 2010 – Motormania 2010, a new car show to be held at Wicksteed Park, Kettering, Northants, NN15 6NJ, UK.
More information: http://www.motormania2010.webs.com/

14-15 August, 2010 – Classic Motorshow with classic cars, bikes, vans being part of the charity motorshow. A family day out with stalls amusements, entertainment, and refreshments at Old Forde House, Newton Abbot, Devon.
Website: http://www.classicmotorshow.org

15 August, 2010 – Cranleigh Lions Classic Car Show & Autojumble, classic car show and autojumble to be held at Cranleigh Showground. With Mark Evans and Ian Wren running arena events.
Website: http://www.cranleighlions.org/classiccarshow

21 August, 2010 – the 5th Annual Blast To The Past Car & Truck Show is a free registration classic car and truck show  with live music and food & fun.
Located on Hwys 412 & 59S on the stateline of Oklahoma & Arkansas, USA
For more information: gale.bushyheadrowley@cnent.com

22-25 August, 2010 – Disneyland Paris Car Rally, there you can combine the wonders of Disneyland Paris and your love of cars on a 4 day trip.
Website: http://www.southquaytravel.com/rally
Email: Rhubbard@ictsqt.co.uk

30 August, 2010 – Kent Chrome n Cruisers is a  classic car and bike show with auto jumble and will be held at Central Park Stradium, Sittingbourne, Kent, England.
Email: maggsian@hotmail.com

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Citroën 2CV

Posted on July 17, 2010 by admin

Even though the first prototypes of the car were already built in 1939 the Citroën 2CV wasn’t introduced to the public before October 1948.

From 1949 to 1990 3,868,631 limousines and 1,246,335 vans were built. The vans were never officially sold in the UK but a few right hand drive examples do exist. They were originally built for the Belgian post office whose postmen preferred them to left hand drive cars as they could step straight out onto the pavement.

Right from the beginning the 2CV was a commercial success and already a few months after it went on sale there was a two-year waiting list. Second-hand 2CVs were even more expensive then because the buyers didn’t have to wait to get one.

The low-priced car was designed to enable two peasants to drive about 220 lb (100 kg) of goods to the market across muddy unpaved roads and to use no more than 3 litres of petrol to travel 100 kilometres (62.14 miles). Besides that the 2CV should be able to drive across a field without breaking the eggs it was carrying in a basket. And it should be a fairly cheap car.

The early cars had a 375cc engine developing 9 bhp, from 1955 on the 2CV was supplied with a 425cc engine producing 12 bhp and from 1963 on even 16 bhp. The most powerful 2CV came on the market in 1986 and produced 29 bhp.

In the Citroën factory in Slough the glass fibre coupé ‘Bijou’ was built as an attempt to satisfy British buyers who found the 2CV too radical. The attempt failed and only 211 cars were produced.

Due to the low price and the fairly low tax, the 2CV soon became very popular with university students in Germany.

In 1981 the 2CV Charleston in dark red and black came on the market as a limited edition. It was the first 2CV with front disc brakes.
As the Charleston was a great success it became a full model in 1982 in different colour schemes.

In 1961 the four-wheel drive 2CV Sahara was first sold it was equipped with a second engine in the rear also having a separate fuel tank. The 2CV Sahara could be driven with either the front or the rear engine or with both engines and became very popular with off road enthusiasts. Only 694 cars were built.

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BMW Isetta

Posted on July 10, 2010 by admin

The origianal Isetta was built by the Italian firm of ISO, which was producing refrigerators, motor scooters and small three-wheeled trucks, and was first introduced in 1953 in Turin, Italy.

The egg shaped car had only one door at the front end and the steering wheel and instrument panel swung out with the door which made access to the single bench seat easier. The seat was big enough for two people and behind the seat was room for a spare wheel and some luggage. The engine in the back of the Isetta was a two-cylinder two-stroke engine with 9.5 hp.

Because of the fact that the BMW 501 wasn’t a success the company was looking for a small car to build. The Isetta seemed to be quite suitable as it could be produced pretty easily and quickly. They got the licence to produce the Isetta and introduced the modified version to the press in 1955.

The modified BMW Isetta had different head lamps and power came from a 250 cc four-stroke engine with 12 hp. The engine originally was a motorcycle engine but the head was rotated by 180°. The car had rear wheel drive, a four-speed gearbox and drum brakes on all four wheels. The drum brake of the right rear wheel was for the hand brake only. It had a length of 2.29 metres (7.5 ft) and a width of 1.37 metres (4.5 ft). The rear track was about 50 centimetres (20 in). The top speed of the BMW Isetta was 85 km/h (53 mph).
The models Standard 250 and Standard 300 (300 cc, 13 hp) were built in 1955 and 1956. In 1956 also the export versions the Export 250 and Export 300 were sold and had sliding side windows instead of bubble windows and a smaller rear window.

In 1957 a four-seater Isetta called BMW 600 was introduced. The car’s wheelbase was stretched and it had a conventional rear axle to have room for four people and it also had a second door on the right side. It had a 585 cc twin engine and a top speed of 103 km/h (64 mph).

From 1955 to 1962 161.728 Isettas were produced.

In the UK Isetta of Great Britain started to produce the Isetta 300 models in 1957 under licence from BMW. The British cars of course had right hand drive and also the doors were hinged from the right hand side of the car. As now the driver and the engine were on the same side a counterweight had to be added to the left side to compensate. Dunlop tyres were used and the German Hella and Bosch components were replaced by Lucas electrics.

But in Britain the Isetta was not popular until a three-wheeler version was introduced which was a financial advantage if the reverse gear was not installed.  Four-wheeled Isettas were then only built for export to Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Production stopped in 1962 but the production of Isetta engines went on until 1964.

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International Oldtimer-Meeting at Baden-Baden

Posted on July 3, 2010 by admin

From the 9th to the 11th of July the 34th International Oldtimer-Meeting will be held at Baden-Baden, Germany.

This year visitors can see more than 360 classic cars of nine decades. This will be more cars than ever before.

Guest of honour this year will be Alfa Romeo, as the Italian car manufacturer is 100 years old this year. There will be a special Alfa Romeo exhibition at the Oldtimer-Meeting. In a special Italian night there will also be special show with Italian fashion show.

The classic car meeting is also called “Concours d’élegance automobile”  and is one of the seasonal highlights of Europe’s classic car community. More than 20,000 visitors are expected to take part and the Kurgarten at Baden-Baden will again be an open-air museum of classic car history.

Besides classic cars the visitors can also look forward to a large social program with light shows, fashion shows and a jazz concert. Even a barbecue will be held.

Visitors who come to Baden-Baden by car should follow the signs “Zentrum” and later “Kurhaus” or “Casino”. Of course it is also possible to come to Baden-Baden by train or plane.

Click here for more information about the International Oldtimer-Meeting.

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Saab Festival 2010

Posted on June 28, 2010 by admin

The Saab Festival in Trollhättan, Sweden will be held again from 15th to 18th of July, 2010. It is the world’s largest gathering of Saab enthusiasts.

Several thousands of Saab fans from around the world are expected to come to Sweden this year. Many of them will of course come with their own Saab car.

The focus of the festival will be on the history of Saab as well as on the new Saab 9-5, the most advanced Saab that was ever built.

And the 50th anniversary of the Saab 96 will be celebrated too. The Saab 96 is the car that took Erik ‘Mr Saab’ Carlsson to the first of a hat-trick of RAC Rally victories in 1960.

In the Saab museum visitors can get information about the history of Saab and there will also be factory tours, parades, presentations and automobilia sales.

Click here for more information.

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Early BMW Cars

Posted on June 23, 2010 by admin

In the car plant at Eisenach the British Austin Seven was built under license and was called  “Dixie 3/15 PS”.

After BMW had bought the car plant to start with the production of cars, the Dixie was modified and from 1929 on sold as BMW 3/15 PS DA. “DA” meant “Deutsche Ausführung” (German construction).
The little car was quite popular and helped BMW to overcome the depression.

The BMW 3/15 PS had a steel body and was not only very reliable but also a pretty economical car to run. Due to the price of only 2,200 reichsmarks and the fact that it won the “International Alpenfahrt” (Alps Rally) in 1929 it the 3/15 became really popular.

The last car was sold in 1932 and its successor was the BMW 3/20 PS the first “real” BMW. It also had the “AM 1” for “automobile construction Munich”. The BMW 3/20 was more up to date than the Dixie, with overhead valve cylinder head, four-wheel brakes and front swing axle.

More pre-war models followed: The 303 in 1933, the 326 in 1935, the 328 Roadster in 1636 and the 327in 1937. The 328 was not only well constructed but also a pretty successful race car. The car was built under license in the UK.
BMW also became popular as a manufacturer of 6-cylinder engines.

Before and during WW2 the production of flight engines became more important again so that less motorcycles and cars were built.

After WW2 the car plant in Eisenach was under Russian occupation and the plant in Munich was severely damaged. During the first years only motorcycles, cooking pots and brakes were produced.
In 1951 the BMW 501 with a pre war 6-cylinder engine was presented. It was the first BMW car to be built after the war.  Because of its shape it was called “baroque angel” (Barockengel). In 1954 the faster version of the 501, the 502, was available with a V8-engine, the first lightweight V8 engine in the world.
Financially the BMW 501/502 never was a success.

But as the V8-engine proved to be a suitable racing engine, the models 507 and 503 were built. They were presented on the IAA in 1955.
But even thought the 503 was one of the most beautiful sports cars of that time only 412 were built until the end of production in 1959.

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From Coachwork to Bodywork

Posted on June 18, 2010 by admin

Classic cars certainly require more attention than new cars because of the way they were built.

There are great differences even between pre and post war classic cars.

In the years before WW1 cars were mostly built around a channel section chassis and the body was produced separately and then secured to it. At about the mid-1930s box section frames became popular.

The bodies were made by hand using coach building methods that reached back beyond the 18th century. The bodies mostly were aluminium panels covering a wooden frame, usually of ash. The coachwork was simple but well proportioned. Coach building was labour intensive and required skilled workers.

Until the mid-1920s open cars were more popular than saloons. If manufacturers didn’t maintain their own body shops, they relied on coach builders for the supplies. And as most towns had at least one coach builder, it was possible for customers to get their individual coachwork.

Change came from America, when in 1912 Edward Gowan Budd set up a plant in Philadelphia to mass produce pressed-steel bodywork for cars. The Dodge brothers were early customers, and after WW1 the steel bodies became more popular in the United States. The parts were quicker to produce and required far less skilled labour.
During the 1930s many British manufacturers adopted pressed steel bodies, but hand crafted coachwork also persisted.

A big step forward was the unitary body construction which first appeared in Britain on the Vauxhall Ten Four of 1938.

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Classic Car Events 2010

Posted on June 13, 2010 by admin

20 June, 2010 – RWS Custom & Classic Car Show will be held at Ravens Wood School, Oakley Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 8HP, UK. With more than 450 custom and classic cars out it sure is a family fun day out. There will also be a craft fayre, BBQ, inflatable rides and autojumble. All monies raised got to the school and kids go free! www.rwscarshow.co.uk

20 June, 2010 – at the Senlac Classic Car Show more than 200 classic cars, military vehicles, commercial vehicles and motor cycles can be seen. There will also be craft stalls, falcony display, musical entertainment, arena events, children’s games, food, refreshments, BBQ, bar and interest stalls. The location is opposite Bodiam Castle, East Sussex TN32 5UA, UK. Email: carshow@eddiemccall.com

26 June, 2010 – the 8th annual “Peace Classic” Car and Truck Show will be held on the southside of Des Moines, Iowa, USA. . 5615 S.W. 14th, corner of S.W. 14th and Porter. Peace Lutheran church. It is an open show and 1900-2010 makes/models are welcome. The best kept car will be selected. Registration from 10am to 1pm, participant voting 1pm-2pm, awards at approx 3.30pm. Have a great time with great cars, great food, great music and great giveaways. Email: wrench57@gmail.com

26 June, 2010 – along with the Traditional Country Fair the Classic Car Treasure Hunt will be held at Midhopestones, UK. Entry fee £5 per car with half of it going to charity and the remainder will be paid out to the winner. The event starts at 10:30am at Mortimer Road, Midhopestones, across from Ye Olde Mustard Pot. S36 4GW, UK. More details on www.midhopegala.co.uk

27 June, 2010 – the Emmott Arms Car Show will take place at Emmott Arms Public House Carpark, St, Rawdon, West Yorkshire LS19 6PP (Just off A65). It is a pre 1990 car show and starts at 12 noon. Show vehicles should arrive between 11am and 12noon. It is limited to 50 show cars and entrants must reserve a space by emailing emmottarms@ntlworld.com (with details of vehicle and contact number) or phoning 0113 250 6036. Prizes for 1st-2nd-3rd place.

27 June, 2010 – the Pure Nostalgia Classic Car and Retro Show takes place at The Lawn, Hall Road, Rochford, Essex SS4 1PJ, UK. It is a revival and there will be classic cars, vintage fashions and apparel, automotive art, side shows and stalls, refreshments and music. It starts at 10:30am. www.thelawn.co.uk

27 June, 2010 – Minis on the Wreck is the annual show of the Brighton Mini Club. It takes place at Adur Recreation Ground, Shoreham- By-Sea, West Sussex, BN43 5LT, UK. It is a free event classic and new Minis and Charity raffle, Show ‘n’ shine, club stands, entertainment, traders, autojumble and more. For more information click here.

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1958 Ford Nucleon

Posted on June 7, 2010 by admin

The 1958 Ford Nucleon was a concept car built by Ford and there was only one ever constructed.

The car was supposed to be powered by a small nuclear reactor which was placed in the rear. The passenger compartment was situated close to the front of the car, extending beyond the front axle, to protect the passengers from the reactor.

The Ford Nucleon had a one piece windscreen with no pillar, a compound rear window and the aerodynamic styling looked very futuristic. Air intakes at the leading edge of the roof and at the base of the roof supports were meant to be part of the reactor’s cooling system.

The capsule with the radioactive core for motive power could easily be changed and it was said that the car could travel about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometres) without recharging. That was depending on the size of the core of course. At the end of its life the core would be taken to a charging station. The reactor was similar to the ones used in nuclear submarines but of course much smaller.

A working prototype of the Ford Nucleon never was built but it is an icon of the Atomic Age and shows that designers thought everything was possible.

A mock-up of the car can be seen at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

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