Henry Ford was the first automobile manufacturer to make the most of mass-production techniques, and his Model T sold by the million. Since then, the Ford Motor Company has grown into a global giant, the only big U.S. car maker to survive the recession of...
From building motorcycle sidecars in a tiny workshop in a seaside town in northwest England, William Lyons’s company evolved into a manufacturer of high-quality sports cars and sedans. Over the decades, the Jaguar marque established a reputation for fast, refined cars, which it continues to...
Traditionally associated with high-priced luxury, the Ford-owned Lincoln marque offered buyers its least-expensive model to date with the 1936 Zephyr. Featuring Lincoln’s first unibody construction-in all-steel—and powered by a new V12 engine, the Zephyr thrilled with its daring, sleek design. Launched at the 1936 New...
When Fidel Castro’s revolutionaries ousted President Batista from power in 1959, it signalled a rapid departure for most Americans from the island paradise. The US trade embargo subsequently imposed on Cuba meant that the cars they left behind—1940s and 1950s Cadillacs, Buicks, Fords, Chevrolets, and...
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...
The utilitarian off-road vehicles designed during World War II matured into pick-ups, estates, and SUVs that offered comfort and convenience features such as power steering, coil-spring suspension, and automatic transmission, but still retained that essential go-anywhere capability. They made excellent towing vehicles, too, and with...
Performance had always been the preserve of open roadsters, but by the 1960s sports saloons were gaining ground. This inroad was fuelled by car-makers such as Ford and BMC turning out tuned versions of their family cars that made a good base for a circuit...
The rare 1957 Rambler Rebel was conceived by the American Motors Corporation as a medium-sized, high-performance sedan car. It has since been lauded as the first factory-produced, lightweight muscle car, and is the forerunner of icons such as the Pontiac GTO and Plymouth Road Runner,...
“The fact is, I don’t drive just to get from A to B. I enjoy feeling the car’s reactions, becoming part of it.” ENZO FERRARI, LEGENDARY RACE AND ROAD CAR CONSTRUCTOR In the 1950s the car took centre stage in daily life. Ownership was still by no...