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 →

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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

Download Shelby Coupe for Assetta Corsa (AC legends final) This Shelby became the first American constructor to win a title on the international scene at the FIA World Sportscar Championship in 1965. (!) Actually the absence of company-supported Ferraris allowed it. In 1963, the Shelby Cobra roadster had already proven itself by smashing the Corvette on the short tracks of America. Based loosely on the AC Cobra roadster chassis and drive-train. It was built for auto racing, specifically to take on Ferrari in the GT class. And they did it in 1964 24 Hours Du Mans by taking 1st place (chassis #CSX2299) in GT classRead 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

“Any colour as long as it’s black.” Ford V8 DeLuxe coupe is another great car of gone past. Why 1940? This yeas were made the most prettiest DeLuxes ever with minimalism on the one hand and great design on the other. Just look at her eyes – sealed-beam headlights! Bob Gregorie’s design department along with a lot of influence from Edsel Ford. Edsel Ford’s main challenge at the automaker was to convince the elder Henry Ford to approve innovations. The 1940 Ford was one of the first streamlined cars from Ford. A high flat-topped hood dominated the front look of the 1940 model, as theRead More →

In: Car

Unfortunately we don’t know much about this car, i mean about specifications of it. Or just need to dig deeper. But how great it is. Just look at her. Or better look at her in real if you have chance. Chrysler Airflow is a sleeker streamlining automobile assembled in Michigan, US. Development of Airflow Carl Breer, along with fellow Chrysler engineers Fred Zeder and Owen Skelton, began a series of wind tunnel tests, with the cooperation of Orville Wright, to study which forms were the most efficient shape created by nature that could suit an automobile. Chrysler built a wind tunnel at the Highland ParkRead More →

In: Car

The name “zephyr”, derived from the Greek word “zephyrus”, or the god of the west wind. In fact, the Lincoln Zephyr actually had a lower coefficient of drag than the Chrysler Airflow. Moreover The Lincoln Zephyr succeeded in reigniting sales at Lincoln dealerships. Production of all American cars halted in 1942 as the country entered World War II, with Lincoln producing the last Lincoln Zephyr on February 10. To make it clear, Lincoln Zephyr was produced since 1936 till 1942 with reborn try in 2005. But i choose ’38-39 model years because it’s outstanding airflow streamlined aerodynamic design and uniquenes. Zephyr other years line-up (ALLRead More →

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The 1988 HSV VL SS Group A ‘Walkinshaw’ was built to homologate the Holden VL Commodore Group A race car. Following the dissolution of the Holden Dealer Team in 1987, it would be the first car to roll out of Tom Walkinshaw Racing’s newly formed Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) operation in Melbourne. A series of 500 vehicles was commissioned by Holden, which rose to 750 to satisfy demand. All were finished in the now iconic Panorama Silver. VL Commodore Group A SV body The ‘plastic fantastic’ bodykit wasn’t to everyone’s tastes, with some customers rumoured to have had HSV remove the aero package before delivery.Read More →

In: Car

Koenig-Specials, the tuner from Munich that had shocked the car-minded world with turbo-charged Ferrari 512BBs and Testarossas, didn’t just play with the Italian horse. By the mid 80s Willi König had a complete range for cars like the Jaguar XJS, Mercedes S-class and the Porsche 911…. The latter was tuned in several different ways, but the most extreme version available (and the only one we’re interested in) was the so called “Porsche 911 Turbo Road Runner“. Based on the Porsche 911 (930) Turbo, Koenig-Specials’ version of the 911 was fitted with a rather extreme widebody kit made from glass-fibre, which included new bodywork all around:Read More →

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The VehiCROSS was originally unveiled as a concept vehicle at the 1993 Tokyo International Auto Show. Its ultimate Japanese production release in 1997 was notable in that the production vehicle arrived with very few design changes and in a very short time. This feat was accomplished through the use of inexpensive ceramic body-stamping dies and the reuse of readily-available Isuzu parts. The truck was intended to showcase Isuzu’s off-road technology, and is one of the few vehicles to ship with monotube shocks with external heat-expansion chambers, a technology normally reserved for off-road motorcycle racing. Design Led by Satomi Murayama, chief designer/manager at Isuzu’s European officeRead 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 →

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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

XJ Spider designed by Pininfarina for the 1978 British Motor Show – stimulated Jaguar to seriously explore the idea of an ‘F-type’ spiritual successor. With underpinnings in place, the formidable trio of Leonardo Fioravanti, Sergio Pininfarina and Renzo Carli went about designing the bodywork. They reverted to the oval-shaped front air-intake of the E-type, and dropped the sober lines of the XJ-S in favour of the more bulbous curves of the original – including the swooping arcs which peaked above the wheels. The three also gave the car a huge boot to maximise grand touring potential, but this led to a side profile remarkably reminiscentRead More →

In: Car

Fruit of the creative expertise of the Caprie Style Centre, the Genesis is a prototype for the car of the future, presented at the 1988 Turin Motor Show (April 21). The Bertone Genesis or sometimes referred to as the Lamborghini Genesis was a Bertone designed concept car using Lamborghini parts. Designed by Marc Deschamps with his team, chief designer of Centro Stile Bertone. It took them 30.000 human/hours. The Genesis interprets the search for a new dimension for the automobile, entrusted more to the imagination than to the technical and design tendencies of the day. This model is a people-carrier for four to six passengers,Read 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

Another great swap variation from RE-Amemiya 雨宫 (рус-храм дождя) – japanese remake of Lotus Europa. I think it’s the best Europa i ever seen. Powere by 13B Rotary trubo engine from 2-nd gen RX-7, fitted with RE Amemiya custom interior, 4 point seat belts, Tires: Yokohama(F205/50R16 R245/45R/16) What else do we know about this model? Only that it sounds like a Rotary monster and looks even better. As you see it’s also black one…or it was just repainted from vine red. SPL Europa 1991 galleryRead More →