Classic and Collector Car News, Features and Interviews.
The Dodge Dart was Chryslers mid range offering which was first launched in 1960. Based on the Plymouth unibody, they were offered in sedan and coupe forms and were downsized compared to other offerings from Chrysler. By the late 1960s the model was in its fourth generation with the Dodge Dart receiving a refresh in 1970. This year also saw the introduction of the two door coupe Dodge Dart Swinger….
In the 1970s Lancia was dominating the world rally scene with its devastating V6 powered Stratos. In 1980 a new car was needed to comply with new FIA regulations so the Stratos was no longer viable. In stepped the Lancia Rally 037 making it’s debut in 1982. The new car notched up a few wins in its debut year but suffered a raft of teething problems which forced numerous retirements….
The Nissan Cedric was first launched in 1960 by Datsun and was their first car to be called a Nissan. The Nissan Cedric GX 230 was the third generation of the model and it’s name was apparently inspired by the main character (Cedric) in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel Little Lord Fauntleroy. The model went through ten generations before finally being dropped in 2004. The third generation models were offered in…
Andre Citroen, founder of the company that bore his name, was a shrewd business man and made good use of marketing. He famously had his name installed on the Eiffel Tower, dominating the Paris night sky from 1925 – 1935. It was therefore no surprise when the Citroen 5CV was announced in 1922 that the decision was made to target a new and as yet untapped market… the woman driver….
The DeLorean DMC-12 is a car that needs no introductions really. The brainchild of John DeLorean, it is one of the most recognisable and infamous cars ever made. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, it’s stainless steel body and gull wing doors caused a sensation when the prototype was announced in 1976. It was a huge gamble for the former General Manager of Chevrolet who wanted to build the ultimate sports car….
The Citroen DS is without doubt one of the greatest cars ever made. Styled by Flaminio Bertoni and André Lefèbvre, it managed to combine beauty with incredible engineering advancements. Considering the original DS19 was launched in 1955, in a country still recovering from the effects of World War II, it’s technological achievements are even more remarkable. Looking back you could argue that the signs were there in the Traction Avant…
When you think of hot hatches, the VW Golf GTi immediately springs to mind. Because of the success of the Golf, it is easy to forget that the Renault 5 was also part of the early hot hatch revolution. In fact it arrived in 1976, before the Golf GTi did. And yet the Renault 5 seems largely forgotten these days. Both were compact, economical, affordable, practical and sporty. A combination…
Our classifieds pick of the day is a rare and interesting Mazda SVA 1800 Bertone. With the success of Toyota, Honda and Nissan, Mazda have always suffered slightly in the shadow of their larger rivals making their cars a relatively uncommon sight on UK roads (compared to the their Japanese brethren). Designed by the great Giorgetto Giugiaro whilst working for Bertone, the Mazda SVA or Luce as it was a…
In 1967 Alfa Romeo wowed the world at the Montreal Expo with it’s new and as yet unnamed concept car. Designed by Marcello Gandini of Bertone, it was an instant hit with the public and as a result Alfa set the wheels in motion to begin production. They quickly found a solution to the naming problem by simply calling it after the city it was unveiled in. And so the…
Our friends over at The Demented Monkeys have made a cool short film about a Mondrian Fiat 126 tribute car. For those who don’t know about Piet Mondrian, he was a famous Dutch artist who was a pioneer of abstract art. He was responsible for the style Neo-Plasticism which involved using 3 primary colours and a grid of black vertical and horizontal lines. He created very colourful patchwork designs which…