August 26, 2010 – 8:41 am
Volkswagen Super Beetle Type 1 (VW 1303) 1973
Volkswagen Super Beetle Type 1 (VW 1303) 1973 Specifications :
Manufacturer : Volkswagen
Productions : 1973
Engine : 1500 cc OHV H4, bore 83 mm, stroke 69 mm, Transmission : 4-speed manual
Wheelbase : 2,400 mm (94.5 in)
Length : 4,079 mm (160.6 in)
Width : 1,539 mm (60.6 in)
Curb weight : 840 kg (1,900 lb)
Photo Credit : Ed McGowan
Manufacturer : Citroen
Productions : 1934-1957
Engine : V8 engine 1303 cc
Source : netcarshow.com
The Citroën Traction Avant was an automobile produced by the French manufacturer Citroën. About 760,000 units were manufactured from 1934 to 1957.
The Traction Avant, designed by André Lefèbvre and Flaminio Bertoni in late 1933 / early 1934, was the first front wheel drive car in large scale production. Cord had built front wheel drive vehicles a few years earlier in limited quantities at high prices.
The car introduced the use of an arc-welded monocoque frame, where other cars of the era were based on a frame onto which the body (“coachwork”) was built. Monocoque construction results in a lighter vehicle, and is now used for virtually all car construction, although body-on-frame construction is still suitable for larger vehicles such as trucks.
This method of construction was viewed with great suspicion in many quarters, with doubts about its strength. A type of crash test was developed, taking the form of driving the car off a cliff, to illustrate its great inherent resilience.
The novel design made the car seem very low-slung relative to its contemporaries — the Traction Avant always possessed a unique look, which went from appearing rakish in 1934 to familiar and somewhat old fashioned by 1955.
The suspension was very advanced for the car’s era. The front wheels were independently sprung, using a torsion bar and wishbone suspension arrangement, where most contemporaries used live axle and cart-type leaf spring designs. The rear suspension was a simple steel beam axle and Panhard rod with unequal trailing arms, to allow the two torsion bars to run parallel to each other, across the car’s width.
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January 3, 2011 – 12:19 pm
Manufacturer : Renault
Productions : 1946-1961
Source : netcarshow.com
The Renault 4CV was an automobile produced by the French manufacturer Renault from 1946 to 1961. An economical “people’s car” inspired by the Volkswagen Beetle, it was the first French car to sell over a million.
The 4CV was originally conceived and designed covertly by Renault engineers during the German occupation of France during World War II, when the manufacturer was under strict orders to design and produce only commercial and military vehicles. A design team led by Fernand Picard, Charles-Edmond Serre and Jean-Auguste Riolfo envisioned a small, economical car (similar to the Volkswagen Beetle) suitable for the economically difficult years which would inevitably follow the war. The first prototype was completed in 1942 and two more prototypes were produced in the following three years, with the 4CV ultimately presented to the public and media at the 1946 Paris Motor Show.
On the 4CV’s launch, it was nicknamed “La motte de beurre” (the lump of butter) due to the combination of its shape and the fact that many early models were painted with sand yellow-colored German army surplus paint intended for the Afrika Korps. The 4CV was powered by a 748 cc engine producing 17 hp, which was coupled to a three-speed manual transmission. Despite an initial period of uncertainty and poor sales due to the ravaged state of the French economy, the 4CV had sold 37,000 units by mid-1949 and was the most popular car in France. The car remained in production for more than a decade afterwards; it was intended to be replaced by the Renault Dauphine, launched in 1956, but the 4CV in fact remained in production until 1961, only a year earlier than the more expensive Dauphine was discontinued. In event, it was replaced by the Renault 4 which used the same engine and name as the 4CV and sold for a similar price.
Tags 1946-1961, 4 CV, Renault |
August 30, 2010 – 8:23 pm
Volkswagen 181 Safari Specifications :
Manufacturer : Volkswagen
Also called : Kurierwagen, Trekker, Thing, Safari
Production : 1969 – 1983 (1980 for civilian use)
Predecessor : Volkswagen Kübelwagen
Successor : Volkswagen Iltis
Class : Military vehicle, Compact SUV
Body style(s) : 4-door SUV cabriolet
Layout : Rear engined
Engine(s) : 1.5 or 1.6L H4
Transmission(s) : 4-speed manual
Wheelbase : 2,400 mm (94.5 in)
Length : 3,780 mm (148.8 in)
Width : 1,640 mm (64.6 in)
Height : 1,620 mm (63.8 in)
The Volkswagen Type 181 “Kurierwagen”, popularly known in the United Kingdom as the Trekker, in the United States as the Thing, and in Mexico as the Safari, was a small military vehicle produced by Volkswagen from 1969 to 1983, although civilian sales stopped in 1980. It was based in part on Volkswagen’s Type 1 (Beetle), and was a continuation and improvement over the Kübelwagen, which had been used by the German military during World War II. The name Kübelwagen is an abbreviation of Kübelsitzwagen, meaning “bucket-seat car”.
Source : wikipedia
Photo Credit : wikipedia.org and oocities.com
Manufacturer : Cadillac
Productions : 1953
Engine : 331 CI V-8 250-HP
Source : netcarshow.com
The Cadillac Le Mans was a concept car developed by Cadillac in 1953. It was named for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, which Cadillac competed in in 1950. The design was a low-profile (51-inches to the windshield frame), two-seat, fiberglass-bodied roadster. It was powered by a 250-HP version of Cadillac’s 331 CI V-8, a power output not reached in production Cadillacs until 1955. Though 4 units were built, the model never went into production, and it would be nearly 50 years before Cadillac developed another vehicle with a similar design concept, the Cadillac XLR. Of the four, 1 is documented as having been destroyed in a fire; the other 3 still exist with 1 of those currently in the Cadillac Historical Collect
Manufacturer : Volkswagen
Productions : 1968
Engine : 68 bhp air-cooled 1.6 liter
Source : netcarshow.com
The VW 411 was noticeably larger and better equipped. Volkswagen aimed to establish the new vehicle in the upper midsize segment which was beyond the reach of the Beetle and the Type 3, and to expand the market position in the long term by broadening the model range. For this reason, the publicity concentrated on technical innovations and the high level of comfort as well as highlighting typical Volkswagen characteristics such as quality, economic efficiency and service.
In the run-up to the market launch on October 5, 1968, dealers, the press and customers responded positively to the Volkswagen 411. Once the car had come to market, problems with the clutch on the first models delivered and an increasingly negative press curbed sales prospects. The most common complaints from customers related to engine and driving noise, the engine’s limited output and what was perceived as an unaesthetic front end. Since over 80% of VW 411 buyers were already Volkswagen customers, the vehicle failed to win new customer groups. As a result of these marketing problems, which could not be remedied by sales incentives either, Volkswagen sporadically lowered production to 75 vehicles per day.
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Manufacturer : Volkswagen
Productions : 1961
Engine : 1.5 L engine (1500 N, 45 hp or 1500S, 54 hp)
Source : netcarshow.com
The Volkswagen Type 3, was originally launched in two varieties, the Notchback a saloon bodied version and the Squareback an estate bodied version in 1961. The Fastback a coupe styled version arrived as the 1966 addition to the range. This automobile was introduced in 1961 by Volkswagen to diversify its product range beyond the Type 1 (Beetle) and the Type 2 (Bus). The Type 3, officially the Volkswagen 1500, was designed to allow Volkswagen to make a more sophisticated car while maintaining much of the engineering from the Type 1.
The Type 3 was initially equipped with a 1.5 L (1493 cc) engine based on the aircooled flat-4 found in the Type 1. While the long block remained the same as the Type 1, the engine cooling was drastically changed to allow for a much lower engine profile. This resulted in increased area for cargo stowage and the so-called ‘Pancake’ or ‘Suitcase’ engine. This engine’s displacement would later increase to 1600cc.
Originally a single or dual carbureted 1.5 L engine, (1500 N, 45 hp or 1500S, 54 hp) the Type 3 engine got a larger displacement (1.6l 1600 cc) and modified in 1968 to include fuel injection as an option, making it one of the first mass production consumer cars with such a feature (the first was the Type 4 VW 411).
1959 Aston Martin DBR4
Manufacturer : Aston Martin
Productions : October 1958 – June 1963
Engine : all dohc I-6, 3670 cc, 240 bhp @ 5500 rpm, 240 lbs-ft @4250 rpm; Vantage: 266 bhp @5750 rpm
Transmission : 4-speed manual with optional overdrive or optional Borg-Warner 3-speed automatic
Source : netcarshow.com
Work on the DB4 started in 1956, at the same time as the DB Mark III. The key people involved in the development of the DB4 were general manager John Wyer, chassis designer Harold Beach, and engine designer Tadek Marek. Every major component in the DB4 was new. The four-seater body was design by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, using their ‘Superleggera’ system by which alloy panels are fixed to a tubular frame built onto the very strong platform chassis.
The entirely new car was shown at the London Motor show in 1958, sharing a stand with the DB Mark III which was to continue in production for almost a year. The DB4 was the first production car to capable of 0-100-0 mph in under 30 sec. claiming to reach the 100 mph mark in 21 seconds. A very impressive car that put Aston Martin back in competition with other Mediterranean sports car manufacturers.
A four-seater convertible was announced at the London Motor Show in 1961.
