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Mercedes-Benz 300 S

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

The Mercedes-Benz ‘W188’ Type 300 S was first introduced at the Paris Salon in October 1951 and came as a 2+2 coupé, cabriolet or roadster.

This was one month before the serial production of the W186 started and enabled Mercedes-Benz to offer two top models at the same time.

Even though the W188 mechanically was similar to the contemporary W186, the largely hand-built care was marketed as one of the top luxury cars in the world.
The wheel base of the W188 was shortened by 140 mm compared to the W186 and the output of the 2996 cc engine was raised by 7.8:1 compression and triple Solex carburettors to 150 PS (110 kW/150 hp) at 5000 rpm. The top car‘s speed was 175 km/h.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 S was equipped with either 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic, had front and rear drum brakes.

From July 1952 to August a total of 216 coupés, 203 cabriolets and 141 roadsters were manufactured.

The W188 was modified in 1955 and named Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc. The 300 Sc now had a “low-pivot” independent suspension in the rear and the addition of fuel injection. The inline-six now delivered 175 PS (129 kW/173 hp) at 5400 rpm. The top speed was 180 km/h. Additional chrome stripes on either side and chrome rims denoted the ‘Sc’ model. From 1955 to 1958 a total of 98 coupés, 49 cabriolets and 53 roadsters were built. The price rose by DM 2,000 to DM 36,500 (today that would be about EUR 83,000).

More specifications of the Mercedes-Benz 300 S:

Wheelbase: 2,900 mm (110 in)
Length: 4,700 mm (190 in)
Width: 1,860 mm (73 in)
Height: 1,510 mm (59 in)
Kerb weight: 1,760 kg (3,900 lb)

Tags: Cars, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 300 S, W188
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Volkswagen SP2

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

From 1972 to 1976 the Volkswagen SP2 sports car was built by Volkswagen do Brasil.

In the 1970s the Brazilian market was closed for imports and the only officially made sports car was the ageing Karmann Ghia. As only independent car makers such as Puma, Santa Matilde and Miura were able to fill the gap the decision to build a new sports car was made by Rudolf Leiding. Leiding was at that time the CEO of the subsidiary and later of the entire company.

The prototype of the SP2, the so called ‘Project X’ was first presented on a fair in São Paulo in 1971.

The car was built on the frame of the Brazilian VW 1600 Variant, with a steel body built by Karmann do Brasil. The engine was a Volkswagen air cooled engine upgraded to 1700 cc developing 75 hp (56 kW) and a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph). Of the also built SP1 only 162 units were produced due to its poor performance of only 65 hp (48 kW). But the SP2 wasn’t that powerful either and often named ‘Sem Potência’ (Brazilian for ‘without power’).

The Brazilian Puma was much lighter and also faster.

The car had front disc brakes and rear drum brakes and a quite impressive interior with many extra features and a superb finishing. The comfortable seats had head rests and three-point seat-belts. The Volkswagen SP2 also had a front and a rear boot.
The SP2 was never officially sold in Europe or the USA and after only 10,193 cars had been built production ended in 1976.

Of the successor the SP3 only a prototype was built.

Tags: car, Volkswagen, Volkswagen SP2
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BMW Isetta

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

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.

Tags: BMW, BMW Isetta, Bubble cars, car, Isetta
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Early BMW Cars

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

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.

Tags: Austin Seven, BMW, BMW 3/15 PS, BMW 501, car
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Karmann Ghia

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

From 1949 on the Volkswagen Beetle cabriolet was built by the German coach-builder Karmann in Osnabrück. It was a quite popular vehicle and easy to maintain.

During this time the coachbuilder Karmann had the idea of building a really racy car and Luigi Sere of Carrozzeria Ghia SpA in Turin was asked to design it.

The first concept car based on the platform of the Beetle was finished in 1953.

In July 1955 the new Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was introduced.

Against all expectations the presented car wasn’t a cabriolet but a coupé as it was easier to transform a coupé into a cabriolet than the other way round.

But thanks to the large windows you could already imagine what a cabriolet would look like.
The chassis was a modified Beetle chassis which had to be widened.
The Karman Ghia did not only look good, it also fulfilled people’s needs for luxury of that time and was affordable. It was also very popular in the USA.

In September 1957 the long expected cabriolet was presented in Frankfurt.

Of course neither the cabriolet nor the coupé were suitable as true sports cars but they were as reliable as the Beetle and very stylish.

Since the Karman Ghia used the same air cooled engine as the Beetle it also shared the engine development finally arriving at an engine displacement of 1584 cc.
And even though the Karmann Ghia outweighed the Beetle by 100 kilos the streamline shape compensated for this shortfall. And driving it was great fun.

All in all the Karmann Ghia was a typical Volkswagen which combined reliable technology and a stylish appearance. During the 20 years of production more than 440,000 cars were sold.

Tags: Beetle, Karmann Ghia, Volkswagen
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The Bobby-Car

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

The Bobby-Car™ was first produced in 1972 in Fürth and Burghaslach by the BIG Company.

The toy car was designed for children around the age of two and has four wheels. The children can sit on it like on a motorcycle and by swinging the legs move the car. The name “Bobby-Car” is protected of course.

After the death of Ernst A. Bettag , the inventor of the Bobby-Car, the Simba Dickie Group bought the company and is still producing Bobby-Cars. Today several accessories such as light running tyres or trailers are available. Originally the car was only produced in red but now is available also in different colours as well as in different models like police cars or tow trucks. Even special editions were produced that resembled well known German cars produced by Mercedes-Benz, Audi or Volkswagen.

As the body of the Bobby-Car is strong enough to carry an adult even races like soap box derbies are held. Because of the high speed the axles of course have to be modified and to increase the weight the bodies of the car are filled with concrete. The speed record was set on 28 April 2003 by Mario Fischer of the Bobby-Car Club Coburg who achieved a speed of 108.2 km/h.

Today lovers of Bobby-Cars even supply the cars with engines. The bodies of the cars will be set on a solid frame and small engines of for example power saws are used. The small toy cars have a top speed of about 85 km/h.

Tags: Bobby Car, car
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The Wartburg Sport 313/1

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

The Wartburg Sport 313/1 was built on the basis of the Wartburg 311 in the East German VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach (AWE) car factory.

The car was presented on the Automobile Show in Leipzig in spring 1957.

The sports car had a hardtop made of steel panel, and an optional softtop. Even though the wheelbase was the same as of the Wartburg 311, the bonnet was much longer, which meant that the passenger compartment had to be smaller. The front and rear of the car were designs made in Eisenach and the body was produced there for a few months. From 1958 on the body shells then were produced at the VEB Karosserie-Werk Dresden.

The chassis was hardly changed but the engine of course was modified. It had two downdraft airflow carbs and a higher compression. It had a pump circulated cooling. So the Wartburg Sport had 50 hp instead of 37 hp and a top speed of 140 km/h. Because of the pretty high weight the car wasn’t very sporty though. But it was one of the fastest cars in East Germany at that time. Of course the brakes were improved too. In 1959 the gearbox of all Wartburg cars gained synchromesh for the 2nd to the 4th gear.

The car had leather seats and the wooden instrument panel was covered with leather too. The instruments were the same as in the Wartburg 311, only the speedo got a new scale up to 160 km/h. The steering wheel was specially designed for the Wartburg Sport and was made of ivory-coloured plastic with a horn ring.
From 1957 to 1960 4 prototypes and 469 cars were manufactured and 143 of them were exported, 8 even to the USA where one car was presented on the New York Auto Show in 1958.

Tags: car, Gearbox
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1931 Goliath Pionier

Monday, December 28th, 2009

From 1924 on Carl Borgward produced small three-wheeler trucks, but during the depression in the beginning of the 1930s he changed the design, and produced two-seater passenger cars with one-cylinder two-stroke engine.

The so called Cycle-Cars had a wooden frame with artificial leather trimming and were designed to auto mobilize ordinary Joe. With a kerb weight of less than 350 kg (771.6 lb), only 198 cc and a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph)the Goliath Pionier was tax free and not even a license was needed to drive it.

It was just the right car for beginners. And there were even different versions available. With a spare seat in the rear there was even enough room for a small family. But even though the Goliath Pionier was called to be the smallest saloon car in the world, it didn’t sell very well and from 1931 to 1934 only 4000 cars were manufactured by Goliath-Werke Borgward & Tecklenborg, Bremen.

Tags: Borgward, Borgward & Tecklenborg, Carl Borgward, Goliath Pionier, three-wheeler, wooden frame
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Opel 4/12 PS

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

The Opel 4/12 PS, manufactured by Opel in Ruesselsheim from 1924 to 1931, was the first German car produced on assembly lines.

The popular 2-seater was known as the “Laubfrosch” (German for tree frog) because it was available in green only, to keep the costs low.

The small car with a kerb weight of 570 kg and a straight-4 engine had a top speed of 60 km/h. The Opel 4/12 PS resembled the Citroën 5 CV that was mainly painted in yellow.

The only differences were that the Opel’s wheelbase was longer by 5 mm, the radiator looked different, the water cooled 4-cylinder engine was bigger, and a 12-volt electrical system was used instead of the commonly used 6-volt system. It never was clear whether in Ruesselsheim the Citroën was produced under license or the design was simply copied by Opel. About 120,000 units were produced before the successor the Opel 1.2 Liter was introduced in 1931.

Tags: Citroen, Laubfrosch, Opel, Opel 4/12, Ruesselsheim
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Mercedes-Benz W 120/121

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

From 1953 to 1962 442,963 Mercedes-Benz W 120/121 Ponton Cars were manufactured.

The model names were 180 and 190. The 180 was a fairly small car that can be compared with nowadays C-class, and the 190 with the E-class. The models looked very similar but the 180 still had the pre-war four-cylinder 1.8 L engine, whereas the 190 had a new four-cylinder 1.9 L engine with a top speed of 140 km/h.

The cars were a totally new series of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars produced after WW2. Both models were also available with a diesel engine. They were sold as 4-door saloons. The mid size cars had a wheel base of 104.3 in (2,649 mm) and a kerb weight of 2,690 lb (1,220 kg). From 1955 a convertible model was also available, the 190 SL.

Tags: 190 SL, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz 180/190/, Mercedes-Benz W120/121
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