A colossus in the world of design, Giorgetto Giugiaro is often regarded as the greatest car stylist of all time. A precocious talent, he showed an aptitude for design while still a teenager, and created some of the most beautiful car shapes in history. He...
Fast cars took a radical new direction in the 1980s. Led by Audi’s Quattro, a new generation of performance machines adopted four wheel-drive for the first time, delivering optimum traction and improved handling. The Quattro was soon winning in rallies, where loose-surface traction is vital,...
A true pocket-rocket, the 1980 Renault 5 Turbo was clearly related to the company’s popular Super Cinq, but in terms of engineering, construction, and performance it was a whole different beast. Intended primarily for rallying, and therefore pitted head to head with cars such as...
“Mud, snow, water, woods—you can take a rented car anywhere. True, you can’t always get it back—but that’s not your problem, is it?” SATIRIST P.J. O’ROURKE IN HIS 1987 BOOK REPUBLICAN PARTY REPTILE (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ...
There was a greater choice of affordable, high-style coupes in this decade than there had ever been before. Some had two doors, some were offered with three, and almost all were based to some degree on the engines, transmissions, suspension components, and structural platforms of...
A galaxy of legendary road and racing cars has carried the Porsche family name since 1948. There is an unbroken lineage from the earliest 356 to the current 911, spiced with countless race successes, although Porsche's non-sports car models have proven even more popular with...
Sports cars at all levels adopted a race-proven, mid-engined layout in the 1970s. Mounting the motor amidships provided extra cornering agility, greater handling precision, and better traction. Moving the engine behind the passengers also meant the nose could be lower, which helped to improve aerodynamic...
In the 1970s, North America simply couldn’t get enough of imported sports cars, and demand especially from the “sunshine states” was a lifeline for many European marques, such as the UK’s MG and Triumph, and Italy’s Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Roadsters like the MGB and...
Fast can be fun, but these cars demonstrated that there were plenty of other ways to get your motoring kicks. From pint-sized sports cars to the quirkiest of lightweight economy cars, they proved that good things really did come in small packages. And they matched...
Hatchbacks were the big trend of the 1970s. Within a few years almost all small cars had adopted the front-engine, front-wheel drive layout and the semi-estate body style with three or five doors to add practicality. Fold-flat rear seats provided even more versatility. The seats...