In 1978, Aston Martin thoroughly updated its V8 grand-tourer model and gave it the curious “Oscar India” moniker, a pronunciation of the internal designation “OI” — for “October Introduction” — using the phonetic alphabet. Numerous revisions brought significant improvements in luxury, refinement and performance across the range. Higher-specification V8 Vantage […]
Introduced in February 1985, the original Renault 5 GT Turbo used what — even by the standards of the day — would seem an unpromising engine for a sporting car. A 1.4-liter 8-valve pushrod-4, the 5 GT’s engine punched well above its weight thanks to Renault’s turbocharging technology, a spin-off […]
Any car-mad schoolboy of the early 1950s would have coveted the contemporary Dinky Toy model of this breathtakingly futuristic-looking aerodynamic Le Mans racing coupe. At the 1954 edition of the renowned daylong French endurance race, the British factory team of three such Bristol 450s purred past the checkered flag to […]
At the Geneva Motor Show in March 1984, Peugeot presented the 205 GTI, a sporty version of the 205 city car it had launched a year earlier. Initially offered in a 1.6-L, 105-hp version, in March 1986 it became available with 115 hp as an option, and by the end […]
There are few sounds in motorsport quite as evocative as a Blower Bentley at full chat — a gruff explosion of noise and power only matched by the guttural howl of a Vulcan bomber. Unapologetically loud, dirty, and fearsomely quick, the model earned a legion of fans throughout the 1920s […]
Frazer Nash was founded in 1922 by Captain Archibald Frazer-Nash, who in partnership with H R Godfrey had been producing the GN cyclecar. Designed by Godfrey and Frazer-Nash, the GN was Britain’s first and best-known cyclecar. The two young engineers set up shop initially in Hendon, North London, whence the […]
A 1937 model built late in 1936, this outstandingly attractive rebodied Lagonda is modeled after the definitive LG45R Rapide of the mid-1930s. It is one of a batch of six original LG45s converted to Rapide specification — in this case including the correct T9 gearbox — during the 1980s by the […]
Sir William Lyons’ leadership allowed Jaguar to flourish. He had appointed the gifted engineer, pilot and racing technical wizard Frank RW “Lofty” England to lead the company’s racing department. Applying his experience working with Tim Birkin’s team and the Blower Bentley cars, as well as Prince Bira’s White Mouse Stable, […]
Jaguar had withdrawn from racing following the 1956 season and was left with a number of D-types remaining unsold in their factory stock. An idea was had that the cars could be converted to roadgoing specification and sold into the American market. The conversion, as it were, involved removing the […]
One of the British motor industry’s more fascinating “might-have-beens,” this beautiful open roadster is an indication of what might have replaced the AC Ace had the company not been occupied building Carroll Shelby’s Cobra. The car’s curious “MA” chassis number prefix is assumed to refer to AC’s Polish engineer Zdzislaw […]