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Posts Tagged ‘car’

Cadillac Part 3

Friday, October 15th, 2010

Another major advance at Cadillac in 1912 was the use of Delco electric starting/lighting.

It was an all-in-one system using a dynamo as a starter motor and to charge the battery and supply lights and ignition with electricity. This was of course a great step forward in a world of hand-cranking and kerosene lamps and not surprisingly production made a great leap forward to over 12,000 cars in 1912 and over 17,000 in the following year.

But Cadillac already worked on the next innovation, and announced the first series production V8 for 1915. In the Cadillac Model 51 standardized parts were again used to build engines in large number. The 90° V8 of 316 ci produced 70bhp and a top speed of 65mph (105 km/h). The car was offered in a range of nine different body styles starting at about $2,000 and over the first year 13,000 V8s were sold.

Perhaps because of the departure of Henry Leland there were only few technical advances throughout the 1920s but at least the V8 got a power boost and produced 77bhp. The cars could maintain their position as some of the most powerful cars of their time. And Cadillac also offered bodywork from coach-builders such as Fleetwood or Judkins for the cars.

Cadillac 341 © flickr/Jorbasa

The new Series 341 Cadillacs were available either with mass-produced Fisher bodies or with coach-built Fleetwoods. The Fleetwoods were of course more expensive and you had a choice of 37 styles against a mere seven Fisher bodies. The 341 Cadillacs were named after the 341 ci V8 and sold alongside the smaller La Salles.
Despite higher prices the production rose from less than 20,000 in 1920 to over 56,000 in 1928. But Cadillac still wasn’t a mass-producer like Ford. It was a well established prestige American marque with relatively low production.

As a direct challenge to the aristocracy of American motoring in January 1930 the V16 was launched. To come up with such a car after the Wall Street crash was unfortunate but could not have been foreseen when Owen M. Nacker began to work on the engine in 1927. It were two V8s bolted together sharing a common crankshaft but with their very own fuel and exhaust system. The capacity of 455 ci and 165bhp was enough for a top speed of 90mph.

Both the Fleetwood roadster and the fully coach-built version by Murphy or Waterhouse were extraordinary cars for their time. In the first year 3,000 cars were sold but due to the Depression sales dropped to 364 in 1931. Until production end in 1940 the car didn’t sell too well.

Cadillac Part 1

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

Even though it is the ultimate car, as far as countless Americans are concerned, it is very different from European marques like Rolls-Royce or Mercedes-Benz.

The history of Cadillac can be divided up into three parts. In the beginning there were humble economy cars, then innovations such as V8, V12 and V16 engines and electric lightning/starting were made, but production was still low. After World War 2 and centralized control from General Motors management and order books of 100,000 cars the strategy again changed. During the time when General Motors Management had control, the car repair industry was also thriving. The Cadillac presented a new way for the public to see the use of a car. It was a luxury model, high price to begin with, with low amounts of repair for the long term.

Cadillac Model A © wikipedia.org/DougW

Henry Leland the founder of Cadillac was older than many of the U.S. motor pioneers and already a well-established engineer, when his engineering company built its first car. Before that they had produced transmissions and single cylinder engines for Ransom Olds famous Curved Dash. And even though the engines were superior to their contemporaries, Olds rejected the latest engine because of the costs.

While Leland was still searching for and alternative market he got the chance to buy the remnants of the Henry Ford Company after Henry Ford had departed. By using Leland’s single-cylinder engine they started to build a new car, which was first displayed at the New York Automobile Show in 1903. As they couldn’t use the Ford name, they named it Cadillac, after the 17th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit in 1701. The Cadillac Model A was a small simple car with Leland’s single-cylinder-engine lying horizontally under the seat and giving little indication of the exotic creations that would follow.

Even though exact production figures for the first year are uncertain, it attracted over 2,000 orders a week.

Frazer Nash ‘Chain-gang’

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

When production of the Frazer Nash ‘Chain-gang’ started in 1925, it was pretty obvious, that a very special car had come to existence.

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.

1932 Frazer Nash TT Replica © flickr/J.harwood

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.

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.

Volkswagen SP2 © wikipedia.org/Pudong

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.

The 1957 Fiat Nuova 500

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

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’.

Fiat Nuova 500 © flickr/Dr. Keats

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.

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.

BMW Isetta © flickr/pdbreen

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.

International Oldtimer-Meeting At Baden-Baden

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

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.

Classic Car © flickr/KlausNahr

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.

Saab Festival 2010

Monday, June 28th, 2010

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.

Saab 96 © flickr/liftarn

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.

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.

Austin Seven © flickr/exfordy

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.

BMW 503 Coupé © flickr/aldenjewell

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.

1958 Ford Nucleon

Monday, June 7th, 2010

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.