Volkswagen began in 1937 with the humble Beetle, which went on to become the best-selling car of all time. Since then, Volkswagen has grown into Europe’s largest automotive group, with a diverse range of products and brands-from the mass-market Skoda and \ SEAT to luxury...
The flamboyance of the 1950s and curvaceousness of the 1960s had gone: With the 1970s came wedge profiles, straight lines, and angular shapes. Some cars looked better than others; as so often, it was the Italian stylists who seemed to have the best eye for...
Felix Wankel, a German designer of torpedo motors, came closer than any other engineer to creating a successor to the reciprocating piston engine. His rotary design was small, light, and almost vibration-free. NSU, Curtiss-Wright Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, and Citroën all experimented with it, but Mazda developed...
North American safety laws impacted heavily on sports-car design in this decade, often spoiling pretty shapes with big bumpers, and peppy performance with detuned but low-emission engines. The sports car was declining as “hot hatchbacks,” typified by the Volkswagen Golf GTI, drew the attention of...
The 1970s saw the production of numerous innovative cars, such as the fuel-injected BMWs, the turbocharged Saabs, and the 16-valve Triumphs, but for mainstream sedans it was a decade in which time stood still. An extraordinary number of sedans that were already in production in...
Originating in the Italian city of Milan a century ago, the Alfa Romeo marque conjures up images of sophisticated road cars and legendary competition success. In the 1930s Alfa Romeo’s racers were the finest in the world and provided the foundation for a wealth of...
In the 1970s Jeep and Land Rover finally saw serious opposition in the off-road market. As a trend toward leisure off-roading and even beach cars developed, thousands of home-build dune buggies were sold in the United States and elsewhere. Alongside capable four-wheel-drive off-roaders, there were...
The Mini revolutionized small cars in the 1960s, so in the 1970s manufacturers battled for a slice of its market with their own interpretations of the ideal small car. Almost all kept the Mini’s front-engine layout and added a hatchback, but not all were transverse,...
Lusted after by generations of car enthusiasts, the E-type, known as the XKE in the United States, caused a sensation on its 1961 introduction. Sexily styled and technically advanced, the Jaguar promised 150 mph (241 km/h) performance for a fraction of the cost of exotic...
The 1970s saw a dramatic shift in car styling away from the flowing curves of the 1960s. Now stark, sharp-edged lines were epitomized by the dramatic wedge profiles that swept the car-show circuit. As television boosted the influence of motor racing, supercars were created by...