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)

The first cars had an overhead-valve engine known as ‘Powerplus and later The British Anzani side-valve engines and Meadows overhead-valve engines followed.

The Frazer Nash models with Azani engine had three-speed (optional four) and reverse chain drive and the same Quarter elliptic springs that were used on the GN. The coachwork was made of light aluminium. It had a very snappy performance and would carry on all day at 40 mph. normally it would cruise at 60 or 65 mph and was even tested by the motoring press at 70 mph and the top speed was said to be 85 mph. With the low price of £315 it was a good value for money.

Thanks to the solid rear axle the Frazer Nash ‘Chain-gang’ was very stable under the most difficult conditions and the chain drive and smooth plate clutch gave a very rapid gear change. The steering was very high-geared and of highest quality and required highly responsible handling.

Because of the fact that it was light and handled so well its competitive potential was quite obvious even though it had a pretty poor aerodynamic shape.

Like the ‘TT Replica’ or the ‘Boulogne’ many models of the Frazer Nash were named after sporting successes.

The first cars were sold in 1924 and the last in 1939, when their popularity had ended.

It was produced from 1964 to 1970 and 97,567 cars were built. They had a beautiful walnut veneer dash, the seats were larger and much more comfortable, the instrumentation was better with temperature and oil pressure gauge being standard as well as a heater blower.

When the Chamois was introduced most of the Imp’s teething problems had been sorted and it was a reliable car. But reliability alone wouldn’t sell. The Chamois also had a better sound damping, a heavier clutch and had Dunlop SP41 radials fitted to wider (1/2″) rim wheels that improved handling. And after all these improvements it received a very favourable press and was an immediate success. It was said to be better than the competition including the Riley Elf, the Wolseley Hornet, the Ford Anglia Super and the Triumph Herald 12/50.

In September 1965 the Mark II was launched but only minor changes had been made. Next was a limited edition of Chamois Spring specials in April 1967 but in 1968 the Mk II type designation discontinued.

The Chamois then was given a new dashboard layout with full width facia and round dials, new seats and upholstery and different external trim. They lost their beautiful veneer trim and had to make do with plastic ‘wood’ trimming instead. Both the Chamois and Chamois Sport were equipped with four headlights.

The Chamois Sport was introduced in 1966, together with the Sunbeam Imp Sport. And when in 1970 Rootes dropped the name of Singer only the Sunbeam Sport remained.

In January 1967 the Hillman Californian was announced, and the Chamois coupé followed in April. Both of them didn’t live a long life and even though they came through a major face lift in 1968 they didn’t sell very well.

In autumn 1965 a limited production of the Singer Rallye Chamois was made at the same time as the Hillman Rallye Imp.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.