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...
The 1950s saw prosperity slowly return after World War II, and with it increasing demand for cars of the highest luxury. But now, as roads improved and people’s horizons broadened, ultimate performance was a goal, too. The best post-war cars were expected to cruise all...
BMW began as a maker of aircraft engines, later diversifying into motorcycles and then cars. From near-certain bankruptcy in the 1950s, BMW bounced back in the 1960s with the landmark Neue Klasse models. It has since grown into one of the most respected European marques...
From the earliest days of this famous British marque, the design and manufacture of its cars has focused on quality, refinement, and reliability. As a result, Rolls-Royces have long been known as the best cars in the world, so much so that the Rolls-Royce name...
Strictly speaking, only one Rolls-Royce is named Silver Ghost: the unique, silver-painted, 40/50 hp open tourer with silver trim that was used in 1907 for a 15,000-mile (24,000-km) reliability trial. The title has, however, been retrospectively applied to all examples of the 40/50 hp made...
Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) started life as an aero engine manufacturer in Munich, Germany in 1916, before diversifying into road vehicles. The company had a burst of glory in the 1930s, but it was only in 1961 that BMW really started its journey to become...
Increasingly sophisticated technology made the best saloons and GT cars even better as the 1960s turned into the 1970s. At the top end power usually came from V8 engines, often built in the US, though V6s and VI2s were used as well. All of them...
The words “movie star” used to mean fabulous ways of life, leopard-lined Rolls Royces and capital-G Glamor—but Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift have reduced the term to torn T-shirts and old tennis shoes. Are these two deglamorizing the film capital? Have they neglected their obligations...
Royalty, heads of state, captains of industry, and other VIPs were well served by the most luxurious saloons of the 1960s. As was standard in the US car industry, updated versions of American limousines appeared annually. In Europe, however, cars of this class endured for...
Today’s Bentleys are some of the most lavish cars available, with a decades-long reputation as the pinnacle of the British motor car. The company’s founder, Walter Owen Bentley (known as “W.O.”), was an engineer who was concerned about engine performance and reliability when he began...