In: Car

In 1995, Renault displayed a show car called the Espace F1, which was created by Matra to celebrate both the 10th anniversary of the Espace and Renault’s involvement in Formula One racing. Though it resembled an Espace with substantial bodywork changes, the vehicle had more in common with a Formula One car. The vehicle used a lightweight carbon fibre F1-style chassis in combination with a carbon fibre-reinforced Espace J63-series body (as opposed to fibreglass on the standard model). Powering the Espace F1 was an 800 hp (upgraded from its original rating of 700 hp) 3.5-litre, 40-valve Renault RS5 V10 engine, as used in the 1993Read More →

Porsche 804 F1 monoposto '1962 (+Assetto Corsa mod)

In: Car

The legendary win of Porsche was a result of hard and persistent work of Porsche System Engineering and their drivers such as Jo Bonnier and Dan Gurney. Remark: Porsche 804 was created and firstly tested in 1961 (!) but officially raced from 1962. Super short overview: The path to win started in 1957 through Formula 2 series which was allowed to start with Formumal 1 cars on 4th of August 1957 at Nürburgring. Finally the idea of super light 550 was evolved to 718 close-wheels coupe and finally to 718/2 and 787 monoposte (open-wheel – italia), and finally Porsche 804 was firstly tested on NordschleifeRead More →

In: Car, Moto

By the late 1970s the once-proud British motorcycle industry was in tatters. Norton was dead, and Triumph barely alive, holding on by a thread at Meriden. There hadn’t been a new large-capacity British motorcycle since the Triumph Trident of 1968, but Lord Hesketh (one of the best British-man, who made James Hunt world champion) decided to change this. Hesketh wanted to create a truly British high-quality motorcycle. He envisaged a two-wheeled Aston Martin: classy, expensive and built to last. John Mockett designed the fairing at the MIRA wind tunnel, the fairing body a hand laminated GRP box structure. The updated engine was initially titled theRead More →

In: Car

Yamaha began competing in Formula One as an engine supplier in 1989, and using the experience it had gained during that time it wanted to build a price-no-object car based on actual Formula One technology. Even though the Formula One project was doing poorly in competition, by 1991 the team had just produced a new engine, the OX99 V12 3.5L. Designed by Takuya Yura Development Yamaha had conceived the OX99-11, but had been struggling to find a partner who could help them realize their ambition. Strangely it was the sporting goods division (with products ranging from Yachts to squash racquets), rather than the motorcycle arm,Read More →

In: Car

“The car that can be seen today is not an exact reproduction of the original” The idea of a mid-engined prototype was first mooted in 1960, but it was not until 1965 that construction began, with the first car running by March 1966. The aluminium body was designed by Malcolm Sayer, the aerodynamicist responsible for the Jaguar C-type, D-type, E-type and XJS, who used his Bristol Aeroplane Company background to build it using techniques borrowed from the aircraft industry. The development of the XJ13, although treated seriously by the designers, was never a priority for company management. Download Jaguar XJ13 ‘1966 for Assetto Corsa (tyresRead More →

In: Car

One of the mysterious supercars of our time is the Isdera Commendatore 112i – the most striking and advanced supercars from the nineties. This one-of prototype is such a rare sight, that photos of her, however this Istdera was released so far at 1993 Frankfurt Auto Show.  The Commendatore is the final product of ex-Porsche designer Eberhard Schulz and his two sons. It was completed as a pre-production prototype which was to be followed by a limited series with a unit cost of $450 000 USD. Unfortunately, before any production Commendatores were made, Isdera went bankrupt and the remainder of the company was sold toRead More →

In: Car

During a special celebration held at the National Art Center in Tokyo in 2016 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ferrari in Japan, Ferrari revealed a new strictly limited series of bespoke cars, the J50 (J is for Japan, 50 is for anniversary). The Ferrari J50 is a two-seater, mid-rear-engined roadster that marks a return to the targa body style evocative of several well-loved Ferrari road cars of the 70s, 80s & 90s (golden age of auto-manufacturing). Designed by the Ferrari Styling Centre team in Maranello, just 10 examples of the J50 were built (Based on the 488 Spider) and, in the spirit of Ferrari’sRead More →

In: Car

It’s basically a widebody Autozam AZ-1 with a longitudinal mid-engine RE Amemiya-tuned Mazda 20B rotary. It was built as a show car for the 1996 Tokyo Auto Salon, but I hear it’s far from being all bark and no bite. It looked RED before the current owner repainted and overhauled it in 2000. It, allegedly, originally had the Ferrari F40’s brakes and the Porsche 962C’s transmission, differential and shocks. That was Japan before their economic bubbleburst for you. When it was updated in 2000, it was given bigger tires, a slightly wider rear and brakes taken from the Ferrari F50. In 1996, renowned tuning companyRead More →

In: Car

Look. AZ-1 is a miniature of Ferrari F40, don’t you think so? It’s even same hard to find now, even harder then F40. AZ-1 was designed and manufactured by Suzuki but sold by Mazda under its Autozambrand. Debuted in October 1992 until and was noted for its gullwing doors. Suzuki produced its own badge engineered version named the Suzuki Cara (PG6SS). The car is also popular as a grey import in some markets, and has been converted to left-hand drive for the Canadian and other left hand drive markets. Designed by Tatsumi Fukunaga (Suzuki RS/3 – read below) and Toshiko Hirai (Design leader). Suzuki CaraRead More →

In: Car

Kodiak F1 1983 – this German daydream of an ’80s super coupe was first shown to public at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was a project of Mladen Mitrovic. With the help of the University of Munich, and the first CAD software, Mitrovic carried out in record time a very modern car for its time. Mitrovic’s company, Speed and Sport, manufactured convertible roofs and other parts, and the chief wanted to fulfill his sports car dreams. Body was equipped with “gullwing” doors. The composite body covers a tubular frame in the same fashion as airplanes are built, apparently, the tubular chassis widely made useRead More →

In: Car

In the 1970s, Mazda developed the RX500, a dream supercar that amazed a multitude of car fans around the world. Developed by the research and design staff at the Toyo Kogyo Company and was a ‘mobile test bed for high-speed safety’ with forward-swinging butterfly-wing doors. Mazda RX-500 Concept features styling similar to the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO Breadvan. First shown to the public at the 1970 17th Tokyo Motor Show. The engine was heralded as being a production Wankel 12A, probably because the 12A engine was having its introduction in the Mazda Capella that same year. The car was repainted few times for promotional events.Read More →

In: Car

Estonia 3 was first serial Formula car in USSR constructed by A. Seiler and V. Paazik. The brand was in western Europe as TARK, Tallinna Autode Remondi Katsetehas. Later the factory was privatized and renamed “Kavor Motorsport”. Estonia-3 based on early car – Estonia-1 (by A. Seiler, 1958). First car was build at 1959. Serial production started at end of 1960. 36 cars were build to 1961. Prototypes for all early TARK cars (E-1, E-2 and E-3) was british Cooper’s Formula-3 50’s cars. But british cars were faster than TARK’s cars, because TARK’s had weakly engines IMZ-Ural and had more mass. Pipe frame, a rearRead More →

In: Car

The Avtech WX-3 is a prototype supercar engineered, created, and constructed by Vector Motors of Wilmington, California in 1992. Conceived by Vector Motors founder and chief engineer designer Gerald Wiegert as a successor to the Vector W8. The Vector AVTech WX3 is basically the identical twin of the original W8 model, except engine. Now it was 7.0 huge monster behind the driver seat. Roadster version of the WX-3R shared all mechanical components from WX-3 Coupe. Both versions were shown at the 1993 Geneva Auto Show. Originally painted silver, the WX-3 Coupe prototype was later re-painted teal. The single finished prototype is powered by the sameRead More →

In: Car

This space road dream was manufactured by Vector Aeromotive Corporation (Motors), and was designed by Gerald Wiegert (company founder) and David Kostka. The name comes from the “W” for Jerry Wiegert. The company utilized the newest and most advanced aerospace materials in building the W8s, which they said justified applying to the car the term “Aeromotive Engineering.” The semi-aluminum monocoque chassis was epoxy bonded and riveted with an aluminum honeycomb structure floor pan, and 5,000 aircraft specification rivets were used in the car’s assembly. Everything on the Vector was designed to last the life of the owner, assuming reasonable maintenance. The interior of W8 isRead More →

In: Car

Back in the late 1970s Gerald Wiegert (Vector Motors founder) had a dream. “I wanted to be a fighter pilot,” he told American Automobile Magazine, “but my eyesight’s not good enough. So i’ve decided to build a fighter plane for the street”. That street fighter was the original Vector, a mid-engine supercar, built with aerospace technology and with a promised top speed of over 200 mph. Since then the car has been through several incarnations and the company through several owners. But despite many seatbacks it has survived and the car is better than ever. The debut of Vector M12 was in Detroit auto showRead More →

In: Car

The manufacturer ATS (acronym of Automobili Turismo e Sport) was founded in 1962 by Engineer Carlo Chiti in collaboration with Romolo Tavoni and Giotto Bizzarrini in Bologna, Italy. Together with three prominent men, all the technicians of the Ferrari F1 racing team that collected of victories in the World Championship of the time, in direct disagreement with the thought of Enzo Ferrari, formed this new project in an attempt to mount an Italian competitor versus Scuderia Ferrari, together with the financial support of Count Giovanni Volpi, wealthy Venetian businessman already owner of Scuderia Serenissima and already Ferrari’s customer. Introduced at: 1963 Paris Auto Salon DesignedRead More →

In: Car

Innotech Mystero is is a two-seater roadster built in Czech Republic. True pasterpiece and obe of the rarest car now. And designed by legendary Czech designer Václav Král (MTX Tatra V8 (very similar to Mysterro, Tatra Prezident, Dioss Rebel). In 1993, the car won the 1st prize in the national design competition. First car was introduced to the public in 1995 at the motor show in Brno. It was planned to make 25 cars, but somehow rich customers did’t appraised this model. Outside: The steeply raked windscreen is almost level with the sweeping spoiler dominating the powerful rear end. The doors of the Mysterro haveRead More →

In: Car

The Mazda K360 is a three-wheeled mini-truck K-car made by Mazda. It first went on sale in 1959 in Japan. It was the replacement for the Mazda Mazdago. Great rival to Daihatsu Midget 1 The three-wheeled small truck has been in development in Japan since the twenties, as it was ideally suited to the narrow and steep roads of that country, and it has grown to become the quintessential Japanese commercial vehicle, with millions produced by virtually every manufacturer. The Daihatsu Midget, the Mitsubishi Pet, the Humbee, the Cony, the Giant, and the Kurogane three-wheelers were already being built in a bewildering variety of bodyRead More →

In: Car

The Daihatsu Midget is a single-seat mini-truck K-car made by Japanese automaker Daihatsu (Toyota in fact). Several distinct vehicles have borne the Midget name over the years, but all have had in common a single or two-seat utilitarian design, with an enclosed or semi-enclosed cab. Greeat rival to Mazda K360. The original Midget featured a single seat, a doorless cab, an handlebar steering. In 1957 the DKA Midget wis introduced. The engine wis an air-cooled 2-stroke design o 250 cc which produced 8 PS. Beginning in August 1959 it was replaced by the more comfortable DSA, which has doors and a more powerful 10 PSRead More →

In: Car

The Edonis is a car created by Italian automobile manufacturer B Engineering designed by Nicola Materazzi. The premiere of the model was held in the first day of the XXI century, January 1, 2001, in Modena. The name Edonis, i guess, comes from devine figure in Greek myphology – Adonis – beautiful youth and his cult was associated with fertility. What makes it go? It is based on the Bugatti EB110 Super Sport but was extensively re-engineered. The only major component retained from the original Bugatti is the carbon-fiber chassis. Both the exterior and interior of the car were completely redesigned. The 3.5 liter BugattiRead More →