Browsing: Vintage Roadcar Articles
1966 Vauxhall XVR Concept
Built to showcase Vauxhall’s design innovation and autonomy in the mid-’60s, the XVR project was managed by the legendary Wayne Cherry at Luton’s industry-leading Design & Engineering Centre, later to become Vauxhall’s Griffin House HQ. Inspired by parent company GM’s work with concepts in the U.S. – including the ‘65 Mako Shark II – the XVR (Xperimental Vauxhall Research) had a simple purity of line, gull-wing doors forming a unique split windscreen, a clam-shell bonnet and pop-up headlights. Three cars were built, including a 100 mph driveable vehicle with a 1.6-liter engine producing 74 bhp. And while the car never…
1955 MG TF — Last of the Square Riggers
When I moved to Tennessee a few years ago, one of the first things I did was look for a British car club. I have a split personality when it comes to cars – I prefer Italian and British automobiles. The club I found, Southern British Car Club (SBCC) is a group of great LBC...
Porsche “Luftgekühlt” Rescheduled to November
The Luftgekühlt gathering of the air-cooled Porsche faithful has been rescheduled for November 1, 2020. In the Porsche vernacular, Luftgekühlt represents all the air-cooled cars in the manufacturer’s history, from the Pre-A 356 through the 993 model line, which ended in 1998. A true Porsche happening, Luftgekühlt is an experiential car culture event centered around a tightly curated list of historically significant or interesting cars, both race and street. There is no set formula for these events, other than cool venues, fun people, and creative expression, so you can bet those elements will always be included. The team strives to develop…
And they called it…The Thing
The first thing one might ask about this car is what is it? The simple answer is its a Thing. This was only true in the United States and Europe, however in Mexico and South America, the simply shaped vehicle was known as the Safari, and in the United Kingdom it was sold as the Trekker. It was marketed in Italy as the Pescaccia (beastly fish). Before it became a Thing, however, the vehicle was called the Type 181. The multi-purpose vehicle was developed for the West German military in the late 1960s based on the Type 182 Kubelwagen used…
Rare Mussolini Alfa Romeo to be Restored
Classic and vintage car restoration specialist Thornley Kelham is undertaking its most challenging project yet; a complete nut-and-bolt concours-standard restoration of a rare Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sport (Chassis Number 6C0312898), with an even more extraordinary history. This particular Alfa Romeo comes complete with records showing the car was delivered to its first owner, “II Duce” Benito Mussolini, on the 13th of January 1930, for Lire 60,000. The Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS was one of the most popular and successful sports racing cars of its day, as demonstrated by the fact that no fewer than 13 competed in…
Keels & Wheels Concours Rescheduled to October
The 25th Annual Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance has announced that the concours scheduled for May 2-3, 2020 has been rescheduled, as has the 11th Annual Uncorked preview event due to the health threat from the Coronavirus. The Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance weekend-long, nationally acclaimed classic car and vintage boat show will now take place on October 17-18, 2020, at the Lakewood Yacht Club in beautiful Seabrook, TX, a bayside suburb of Houston and attracts more than 10,000 attendees. Title sponsors include City of Seabrook, Texas and the Jon & Jacqueline Hodges Charitable Organization. Established in 2009, the Keels…
70th Anniversary of Volkswagen Transporter Sets Production Record
The record-breaking Volkswagen Transporter has celebrated its 70th birthday, making it the world’s longest production run for a commercial vehicle. The Transporter – also known as Bulli, Kombi, VW bus or microbus – first rolled off the Wolfsburg production line on March 8, 1950, and since then 13 million have been sold. For six generations, globetrotters have travelled the world in it, businesses have relied on it and families have driven it every single day. To celebrate the landmark, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has collated this ultimate guide to the historic vehicle. T1: 1950 to 1967 Revealed as a hand-built panel van…
1958 XP-700 Corvette
One of many styling experiments built for day-to-day use by GM styling Chief Bill Mitchell, the XP-700 was built on a standard 1958 283/230 Corvette chassis but received “Grand Prix-inspired” styling cues such as wire wheels, side exhaust and an extended snout, rumored to have been inspired by a one-off Ferrari 250 Special by Pininfarina. After going though a couple of iterations, it is believed that XP-700 was cannibalized to build the XP-755 “Mako Shark” concept car.
“Ravishingly Beautiful” —The Story of a Little Company Called Siata
Long, long ago (50 years) in a city far, far away (Butte, Montana), I bought a racecar from Evel Knievel’s father. Bob Knievel was an amateur racer and car dealer. He dealt mostly in used cars, but he had one line of new cars, Siata. The only car Siata was building at the time was...
New York City Concours Confirms Sept. Date
The New York City Concours (TNYCC) has reconfirmed Saturday, September 19, 2020, as the date for its Second Annual event. Following a ‘Save the Date’ announcement that was sent in early February before the current health and economic challenges began, TNYCC will be held on the Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport District in Manhattan this fall. “Nothing is more important than our well-being and that of our family, friends and community during this unprecedented time,” states Maria Jannace, The New York City Concours Founder & CEO. “Our hope, like yours, is that this crisis will pass quickly. With this…
1994 MG RV8
There have been a number of British manufacturers who have taken their smaller, less powerful motors out of their sports cars and dropped a nasty, fire-breathing V8 in its place. We know what “Texas Carroll” did first to the AC and then the Sunbeam Alpine. Small car + big engine = fast and fun. MG...