German

A completely different Porsche emerged for the 1970 model year to replace the rather short-lived 912. This one carried either the 1679cc Volkswagen four-cylinder or the earlier 2.0-liter Porsche flat six with its 125-horsepower rating. The big difference was that the engines were mid-mounted. The 914 was born out of a joint venture between Porsche…

he Porsche 911 is probably the single most recognizable car shape in the world, an instant “Classic.” For those who wanted to feel the wind in their hair while enjoying 911 motoring, Porsche manufactured for many years a “Targa” version of their immortal coupe. This “Targa” incorporated a rollover bar behind the cockpit as crash…

The 300 series, introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1951, was designed specifically for the export market. Germany’s postwar economy was desperate for hard currency and at the same time, the U.S. economy was booming. It was only natural for Mercedes to design a car to meet the needs of that market. Although not…

The Mercedes-Benz 450SLC is unusual in that a version was made as a homologation special to compete in the marathon rallies which were popular from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. Unlike modern rallies, where the leading cars are redesigned and rebuilt to Formula One standards, these marathons imposed strict regulations on the entrants…

This superbly presented Porsche Carrera 6 began life as the Racing Team Holland car campaigned in World Championship of Makes-qualifying races by Ben Pon and fellow Dutchman Gijs van Lennep. The first time out at significant level in this 2-liter 6-cylinder air-cooled coupe, they finished seventh overall and first in class in the ADAC 1,000-kilometer…

The 220S Mercedes-Benz was introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in April 1956 and was the first model from this famous manufacturer to have a unitary construction body shell. It succeeded the 220 model of 1951 with its traditional tubular chassis frame, and it shared some of its mechanical specifications. After two years in production,…

The 1976 production year brought the 930 Turbo to North America for the first time. Using developments Porsche had been perfecting for its racing cars, the 930 was the quickest, quietest, and fanciest high-performance street car Porsche had ever offered. It was also the first standard production Porsche to offer a turbo-charged system. Called “a…

If Thor, the God of Thunder, owned a car it would be a Supercharged Mercedes. Very few cars, before or since, have been so imposing, exclusive, charismatic and simply Wagnerian in conception. Daimler Benz began development of the supercharged car for road and racing use at an early stage. Starting about 1919, they turned to…

It would indeed have been a shame if BMW had confined the use of its first V8 engine range merely to its saloon cars of the 1950s. Had that been the case, the world would have been denied what is arguably the Bavarian marque’s finest post-war sports car-the glamorous, high-performance 507. The V8, the work…

Having commenced manufacture with a short run of aluminum-bodied cars built at Gmund, Porsche began volume production of the steel-bodied 356 coupe at its old base in Stuttgart. The work of Ferry Porsche, the 356 was based on the Volkswagen designed by his father. Like the immortal Beetle, the 356 employed a platform-type chassis with…