The Nationale Automobile-Gesellschaft (NAG) was formed from earlier motorcar and electrical manufacturing concerns in Berlin in 1915 and survived until the 1930s. It was then absorbed by a group which is still in existence today. The constituent companies had produced many different models of cars (at least one of which was used by the Kaiser)…
The designation Ferrari 625 usually conjures up visions of the four-cylinder 2 1/2-liter Grand Prix car designed in 1951, the number 625 indicating the capacity of one cylinder. The victorious 12-cylinder Formula 1 and Formula 2 cars had by then begun to lose their competitive edge and Lampredi had joined Ferrari as Chief Engineer to…
Intended for the affluent connoisseur, the Aston Martin DB4 made its debut at the 1958 London Show. With its hand-crafted aluminum body and high-output six-cylinder engine, it was a logical development of its DB2 and DB MkIII predecessors. Aston went to Carrozzeria Touring, the great Italian styling house, to interpret their thoughts for their new…
Fiat is one of Italy’s oldest and greatest car manufacturers and, although remarkably successful in early motor racing, has made surprisingly few real sports cars. The Turin firm won the French Grand Prix in 1907 and again in 1922 when Nazzaro won the race at 79.10 mph in a two-liter Fiat. Yet the first notable…
By 1964, the Ferrari production car line had been divided into four modes: 500 Superfast, 330 GT 2+2, 275 GTB and the 275 GTS, a Spyder built atop the GTB chassis but with an entirely different body design by Pininfarina. Similar in appearance to the 330 GT 2+2 coupe, the styling of the 275 GTS…
{vsig}1997-5_1649{/vsig} To some the Series II E-type represents the best of all worlds. The classic styling and design is unmistakable and recognized as one of the finest roadsters ever built with added design advantages over its Series I predecessor. These include a new cross-flow radiator with twin electric fans for better engine cooling, bigger Girling-made…
Considered by many people to be the most beautiful racing car of its period, and an enduring classic design of all time, the Type 35 Bugatti is also one of the most successful racing cars ever built, with a string of major victories in the hands of famous In the late 1920s it was also…
The Mercedes 220 series of the Fifties has the stately elegance and engineering integrity so beloved of this company from Stuttgart. The Cabriolet, the most attractive, rarest and most valuable of the series, epitomizes luxurious open air Continental touring on a grand scale. The Frankfurt Motor Show in the Spring of 1951 saw the return…
Introduced in Europe in 1987, Ferrari’s newest supercar was a shock to the senses. An engineering tour-de-force, the F40 combined raw-edged radical styling with state-of-the-art engine, body and chassis design. Driving one is a visceral experience, hammering the senses with brutal acceleration, go-kart-quick reflexes and a howling exhaust note that pierces your very being. The…
The F40 needs no introduction. It is the quintessential “ultracar,” developed by Ferrari to blast their competitors out of the limelight. In 1984 Ferrari had launched their spectacular 288 GTO, a limited production car which was to wrest the title of World’s Fastest Production Car away from Lamborghini, and which had been developed for Group…