French Riviera Classic Car

Shelby Mustang: The Total Performance Pony Car

Shelby Mustang

Shelby Mustang: The Total Performance Pony Car is written by Colin Comer and features a rather nice forward by Lee Iacocca, Mr. Mustang himself. The subtitle alludes to Ford’s racing slogan from the 1960s. Henry Ford II got a real bee in his bonnet about racing for some reason. He didn’t want to just win here and there, he wanted complete domination. Total Performance was the slogan FoMoCo came up with, and Total Performance is what they got. They won at Indy, they won in NASCAR. Ford won at Le Mans and their corporate backing of the Cosworth engine assured them of Grand Prix immortality.

The Shelby Mustang fit right in the middle of this spectrum of world-beating success. It wasn’t the Boss Mustang slugging it out with Mark Donohue and Dan Gurney in the Trans Am series; it was found running against a wide variety of sports cars in SCCA B-Production racing. Back then, that meant everything from big Jags and Healeys to other all-American hot rods.

This is an updating of Comer’s 2014 version of the book and features lots of new photos and details on individual and historically significant cars. Comer is recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on Shelby cars and he definitely gets that impression across in this volume.

**Carroll Shelby with the performance cars that bear his name. Photo: Colin Comer Archives**

New Version of a Classic

Comer starts at the beginning, with Shelby being tasked to “make it better” and make the Mustang go as good as it looked. Carroll did that the old fashioned way. He got a 1965 289 K-code fastback, got the engine producing more power, cut the weight, and “improved” the handling. They sure handle better than stock Mustangs, but no one ever mistook them for a light and agile Alfa or something like that. Then again, raw power overcomes a lot of handling deficiencies. Just ask all the guys Shelby Mustangs were beating with regularity.

**Shelby Mustang: The Total Performance Pony Car takes us through the history of the ultimate Mustang. Photo: David Newhardt.**

Foot On The Gas

Of course Shelby didn’t stop there, and neither does Comer. After the deep dive into the 350, he goes just as deep into the GT500 (big block Mustangs that are going for obscene amounts on the auction circuit these days), and even takes a crack at the modern Shelbys Ford started cranking out in 2006. Some might quibble with that, but I am not one of them. They are just as deserving of the moniker as the vintage cars, doing everything Shelby Mustangs have always done. Go fast, turn hard, stop harder, and don’t break the bank.

**Page 61: A 350 racing at Riverside. Photo: Peter Luongo.**

Wonderfully Illustrated

Oh yeah, photos. Shelby Mustang is swimming in lots of photos and it seems like I have only seen about a third of them before. Motorbooks has a knack for doing this, finding lots of cool old shots from Lord-knows-where. By this point, I’ve stopped asking and am just grateful to whomever their photo researchers are. There’s all these fantastic old shots of the Shelby facility down in SoCal; various famous people in the background; now-priceless parts stacked here and there; and assorted gearheads getting down to the task of making it fast, making it last, and making a lot of them.

A Definitive Shelby Mustang Book

The photos alone make it worth the price, but it also works as a must-have book it you are, A) a Mustang fan (duh); B) a Shelby Fan (also duh); C) a racing fan; or D) a fan of mid-century cars in general. In other words, you should probably just buy this book on general principles alone if you are a car enthusiast.

Auto Blog Article by Tony Borroz who has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format.

De Tomaso P72

De Tomaso P72 gets a 5.0-liter Ford supercharged V8 with 700+ horsepower

All the comments the Hong Kong-based Consolidated Ideal TeamVentures (CIT) have made about resurrecting the De Tomaso brand have stressed the company’s focus on staying true to De Tomaso’s intentions and the values of his car company. The first proof of that came in CIT deciding to pay homage to the practically unknown De Tomaso P70 with the P72, instead of going for the slam dunk with a Pantera facsimile. The second proof comes in the choice of engine for the P72: Ford’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8 further reworked by De Tomaso and Roush Performance to get the 1960s feel. From De Tomaso’s first road car, the Vallelunga, to his last, the Guarà, he used Ford engines.

Final output figures will come in north of 700 horsepower and 608 pound-feet of torque thanks to a Roots-type supercharger. Yes, that’s less grunt and gumption than one gets from the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, a coupe that costs one-tenth the P72’s 700,000 euros ($842,000 U.S.). But the men behind the project say blinding power figures are “irrelevant to ethos of this project and what we are trying to achieve.” In the words of general manager and chief marketing officer Ryan Berns, “In our opinion the market is now over-saturated with commercially driven ‘limited edition’ models primarily marketed on performance metrics. We have grown tired of this notion and thus took a contrarian approach with the P72.” The point with this car, rather, is “the provenance and the overall experience as a brand and for our clients.”

We can’t judge all of that yet, but the engine looks good on paper. Roush Performance tweaked the two four-lobe rotors in the supercharger for faster operation, better airflow and thermal efficiency, and less noise and vibration. The supercharger provides the power and response De Tomaso wants, along with regulation compliance in the U.S. and Europe. Yet the engine’s still in development as De Tomaso works to reduce the apparent presence of the supercharger, stressing an “old-school American V8 soundtrack” and the naturally aspirated spirit of the Sixties. Roush also added dry-sump lubrication, and it’s planned that the engine’s redline will lie beyond 7,500 rpm. Power gets sent to the rear axle through a six-speed manual gearbox, and we’re told to expect an audio clip soon of the “symphonic exhaust system” that exits atop the rear deck. If done right, the sound “brings one back in time as if they were on the starting grid at Le Mans in 1966.”

De Tomaso will only build 72 examples of the P72 – hence the name – and the car already has more than 72 people standing in line for the chance to buy.

article by JONATHON RAMSEY, Oct 30th 2019 Autoblog

2020 Corvette C8.R Race Car Ready to Race

2020 C8.R Race Car

Chevrolet delivered a surprise during the official unveiling of its new 2020 C8 Corvette convertible: It rolled out the new Corvette C8.R race car that will compete fulltime beginning next season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

It’s been more than a year since the C8.R testing at Road America, and the mid-engine race car’s public unveiling has been anticipated strongly as of late; Chevrolet plans to put it on the track for a demonstration run on Saturday, October 12, at Road Atlanta prior to the running of IMSA’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans.

More details on the latest GTLM-class endurance racer then, but this unexpected first look at Chevrolet’s first such mid-engine contender reveals the expected Le Mans GT racer bits, including aggressively flared bodywork, a large rear wing, additional front-end aerodynamic elements, and a ground-sucking rear diffuser. Chevrolet elected to rollout its No. 4 C8.R during the C8 convertible reveal in Florida, with the car featuring a mostly silver livery Chevy says pays tribute to famous Corvette concept cars such as the 1973 Chevrolet Aerovette and the 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer. Its sister car, the No. 3, will compete in a more traditional, predominantly yellow Corvette Racing scheme, with silver accents.

As always with the Corvette GT car, Chevy promises technology transfer between the road and race cars, though we’ll have to wait until we’re at Road Atlanta next week to get down and dirty with the company’s engineers and the Corvette Racing team regarding the competition machine’s specifics.

The big question for the C8.R is, how many races will it take to add to Corvette Racing’s tally of victories?

The C8.R will mark a tremendous shift in Corvette Racing history when it makes its race debut, in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. Front-engine Corvette racers have been an IMSA stalwart since the modern team’s inception in 1999, and have so far scored 107 wins, more than any other sports car team in North America, along with 13 Teams’ championships, and 12 Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles. In 2015, Corvette Racing became the first team in 15 years to claim endurance racing’s single-season “Triple Crown,” with wins in the Rolex 24, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Article written by Mac Morrison, October 3, 2019 Motorsports featured in Automobile

The 4 best roads to drive in Europe

Best Driving Roads in Europe

From a route taken by one of European’s most famous military figures to a pair of Alpine roads steeped in motorsport history, it is the opinion of RAC that the best roads to drive in Europe to put a smile on your face – and maybe teach you a thing or two along the way.
So if you believe that the journey is just as important as the destination, let’s discover five of the best European driving routes, each one guaranteed to live long in the memory.

The modern Route Napoléon was inaugurated in 1932 and is marked by a series of statues of the French Imperial Eagle. It starts on the coast at Golfe-Juan and really gets going once you’ve hit the town of Grasse.
Depending on the time of year, one minute you could be cruising through a sun-drenched village, the next minute you could be making your way through snow banked up along the side of the road.
The views are spectacular, the mountains are breathtaking and the historical significance of the route just adds to the sense of occasion.
As a bonus, unlike many Alpine passes, Route Napoléon isn’t the most technical road in the world, allowing you and your passengers to enjoy the drive, rather than concentrating on not falling off the edge of a mountain!

Altdorf – capital of the Swiss canton of Uri and the place where, according to legend, William Tell shot the apple from his son’s head.
After having stopped to admire the William Tell memorial in the centre of Altdorf, make your way out of town and you’ll chance upon an inconspicuous sign pointing to the Krausenstrasse.
It’s a blink and you’ll miss it affair, but it marks the entry point to one of Europe’s most famous motorsport venues – the legendary Klausen Pass. This was the home of the Klausenrennen – a fiercely competitive hillclimb spread across 13.4 miles of mountain roads.
Between 1922 and 1934, fearless drivers tackled the 136 corners, tunnels and sheer drops, either oblivious to the dangers or simply hellbent on finishing first. Today, the route is no less challenging, while the views remain spectacular.
You’ll need your wits about you: some sections of the Klausen Pass are barely wide enough for two cars, while the short tunnels demand respect. Sadly, the original tunnel has long since been bypassed.

The Transfagarasan Highway doesn’t have any motorsport heritage to its name, but it is one of the most challenging and historical (not to mention stunning) roads in Eastern Europe.
The DN7C, to give it its less evocative name, is the second highest road in Romania, boasting the longest road tunnel in the country,
Its nickname of ‘Ceausescu’s Folly’ provides a hint of this road’s infamous past. It’s the creation of Nicolae Ceausescu, the head of Romania from 1965 until his execution in 1989.
For the communist leader, the 56-mile route would be a way to mobilise troops and move military machinery.
The road was completed in 1974, four years after soldiers had started blasting their way through Transylvania’s Fagaras mountain range. Thousands were involved and at least 38 people died during the road’s construction.
The result was a spectacular ribbon of road – one of the best in Europe.
Though the loss of life and colossal waste of resources cannot be underestimated, the Transfagarasan Highway has to be driven to be appreciated.

**Grossglockner High Alpine Road (Austria)**

Back in the 1930s, the Austrian hills were alive with the sound of engines. The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, or High Alpine Road, is the highest surfaced road in Austria and the former home of a gruelling mountainclimb event.
In its day, mountainclimbing (hillclimbing) was the most important form of motorsport behind Grand Prix racing, with the Grossglockner playing host to fierce battles and the glorious spectacle of Auto Unions and Mercedes hurtling toward the summit at Franz Josefs Höhe. The road itself was inaugurated in the summer of 1935.
Back then, the 15.7-mile route would have been a perilous mix of gravel and cobbles, but today the High Alpine Road is coated in a layer of tarmac, with cars protected by crash barriers to prevent catastrophic incidents.
You won’t be alone when you reach the peak – there’s even a multi-storey car park at the top – but the road is a magnificent test of man and machine. You just need to be aware that coaches and camper vans will be travelling at a much slower pace than you.
As with all mountain passes, check the road is open before making travel arrangements. The Grossglockner High Alpine Pass is open from early May to early November, with tolls payable before entry. Last entrance is 45 minutes before the night lock.

Article by RAC

Ferrari Admits Developing Its First-Ever SUV Is Quite A Challenge

Ferrari Purosangue SUV

The Purosangue will be Ferrari’s first SUV and, thus, one of the most important vehicles in its history. Set to arrive in 2022 to compete with the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, it will have to push things to a new level – and even the automaker has admitted that its development has turned out to be a challenge.

The SUV, currently code named 175, is one of the 15 new Ferrari launching between the start of this year and 2023. Recently speaking about the SUV with Autocar, chief technical officer Michael Leiters divulged a number of new details about the vehicle.

“The challenge is to open a new segment for Ferrari,” he said. “We always have very, very sharp positioning. It helps to develop cars in a certain, focused manner and easily decide certain trade-offs. The trade-off decision is totally different for us here. We will have totally new engineering challenges.”

Underpinning the Purosangue will be Ferrari’s scalable front-mid-engined architecture that is able to support V6, V8 and V12 engines with or without hybridization. This platform can also support rear- and all-wheel drive as well as two-plus-two and four-seat cabin configurations. It is reported that the SUV will be a four-seater and feature a height-adjustable suspension and an advanced anti-roll system to improve bot its on- and off-road prowess. Plug-in hybrid technology should also be featured.

Leiters says one of the many challenges facing Ferrari is how it should best develop the interior of the vehicle.

“With space, how can we ensure that there is the right easy, ergonomic comfort on board? How to combine the sporty layout with a more comfort-orientated design? What to do with HMI (human machine interface)? Our HMI is driver-orientated, but how can it be more democratic? What are the comfort features? What is a Ferrari’s pure DNA on a car for comfort?”

“It’s a challenge, an opportunity and fun. I like it very much. Some concepts are close together, but with cars like 175 one thing we want to do is structure the product range and have something different.”

BY BRAD ANDERSON | SEPTEMBER 16, 2019, Rendering via Giorgi Tedoradze

Port St Laurent Car Event – 25 Aout ’19

Port St Laurent Car Event

**Fun Time today Meeting new Friends and checking out over 50 interesting cars**

Click – to check out Photos of today’s Event

Top five rare classic cars – Pebble Beach Concours d’elegance 2019

2019 Pebble Beach Concours d’elegance

**Monterey California – 2019 Concours d’elegance**

from futuristic concepts to rare car designs, the world of motoring descends upon Monterey, California every year, and 2019 amazed once more. the spectacular showcase ranges from legendary races, scenic tours and private auctions but always climaxes with the Pebble Beach Concours d’elegance at the end of the week. including one-off designs and historic winning sports cars, the exclusive event places the world’s very best and rarest automobiles.

**1956 Ferrari 250 GT Zagato Berlinetta Speciale**

category: Zagato centennial postwar
entrant: David and Ginny Sydorick (California, USA)
winner: second place in best in class

all but five of the Ferrari 250 GT long-wheelbase chassis were bodied by Sergio Scaglietti; Zagato designed and built the five exceptions, with each one subtly unique. the result is a masterful blend of form, function, colors, proportions and stance, where discrete designs details delight throughout. the rear fenders form broad shoulders while the roofline is light and equally as bowed. the stylish sculpture is perfected with an artistically subtle ‘Z’ shape at the rear roof pillar.

**1931 Bentley 8 litre Gurney Nutting sports tourer**

category: Bentley centennial 8 litre
entrant: sir Michael Kadoorie (Hong Kong)
winner: best of show

with the brand celebrating its 100 year anniversary, it was always fitting that a Bentley took home the ‘best of show’ at the concours in 2019. the 8 litre was basically an enlarged version of the speed six and a new and lower chassis, which was designed to compete with the new rolls-royce phanton II. the first 8 litres appeared at the olympia motor show in october 1930 and created a sensation. with its dual cowl and detachable rear windscreen, the sports tourer was one of two short-chassis 8 litres built with its gurney nutting body style, and now the sole surviving example.

**1927 Mercedes-Benz model K Fleetwood roadster**

category: Mercedes-Benz prewar
entrant: Michael and Joannie Rich (Pennsylvania, USA)
winner: second place in best in class

back in 1926, the Mercedes-Benz model K became the world’s fastest touring car with a top speed of nearly 100 mph. the letter ‘K’ stood for ‘kurz’ or short in english, as it used a shortened chassis based on the Mercedes-Benz 24/100/140 hp. the body for this unique model K was ordered by William Sloan of rochester, new york, after seeing the Isotta Fraschini roadster bodied by fleetwood for Rudolph Valentino at the 1926 New York auto salon. with its eye-catching exterior of green, the car displays intricate details up close: grooved metal plates, polished dashboard instruments, and even branded foot pedals.

**1960 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Pininfarina Aerodynamica coupe series I**

category: Ferrari grand touring
entrant: the Patterson Collection (Kentucky, USA)
winner: second place in best in class

replacing the 410 model, each Ferrari 400 Superamerica was specifically built to order, with no two cars being exactly alike. beneath the body, the series I was powered by a 4-liter V12 engine derived from the 250 GT, and the chassis was a shortened version of the earlier 410. this car’s client specified a number of special features, including several engine modifications as well as the addition of small wheel spats over the rear wheel arches. Ferrari was so proud of the uniquely styled yet fast car that it was showed at the 1961 Geneva motor show and, later that year, at the Paris auto salon.

category: Mercedes-Benz prewar
entrant: Mercedes-Menz Museum (Stuttgart, Germany)

as a highlight of our pre-coverage of the Monterey car week, the 1932 Mercedes-Benz SSKL avus race car completed a small tour down the Californian coast. the vehicle is the fourth and final S-series and, with a 7.1-liter, 6-cylinder, it was designed for outright competition thanks to its entire frame drilled to reduce weight. furthermore, aerodynamics expert baron Koenig-Fachsenfeld persuaded racing driver Manfred von Brauchitsch to have his own SSKL fitted with this new streamlined body. with its unpainted silver body, the car went on to win the international avusrenen race in Berlin, largely due to the streamlining that gave it an extra 12 mph.

Article by Designboom

Steve McQueen’s ‘Bullitt’ Ford Mustang to be auctioned, likely for millions

Mcqueen’s Bullitt Ford Mustang

2019
1968

It was one of the biggest mysteries in both Hollywood and automotive history: What happened to the iconic green Ford Mustang from the Steve McQueen film “Bullitt”?There were actually two cars used during the making of the 1968 detective thriller, one for stunts and the other for McQueen’s close-ups. The stunt car, which was wrecked during the film’s legendary chase scene, was believed to have been sent to the scrap heap, while the hero car was simply sold and disappeared from the public eye.

Flash forward to 2017, when a car restorer bought the shell of a Mustang he found in a junkyard in Mexico and brought it back to his garage. There, he and a colleague discovered some odd modifications, and research confirmed it was the stunt car from “Bullitt.” How it ended up in Mexico remains unknown. Then, at an event the night before the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, where Ford was unveiling a new “Bullitt” tribute edition of the latest Mustang to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film, the hero car rolled out on stage next to it, shocking those in attendance.
Turns out it had been owned by the same family since 1974, when a man named Robert Kiernan bought it from a Road and Track classified ad for just $6,000. His wife used it as a daily driver until the clutch broke in 1980 and they parked it in the garage with plans to repair it that never came to fruition. As the car sat around deteriorating, its legend started to grow

In time, the Kiernans realized they had something special, but weren’t ready for the attention they knew it would get if they went public, so they kept it secret from all but a few people.
Robert died from Parkinson’s in 2014, and for a long time afterward, his son Sean couldn’t even go into the garage to look at the car. But with the encouragement of those who knew about it and the anniversary looming, he finally decided to get it running again and share it with the world. The otherwise unrestored car has been on tour ever since, with stops at car shows, museums and even a display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of the journey, Sean never dreamed he’d ever sell it, but now he’s had a change of heart and is putting it up for auction.
“Everything I’ve done with it takes so much,” he told Fox News Autos. “I’ve got a baby on the way, third child, and it’s time for the next chapter in our lives.”
Sean said he has thought long and prayed hard over the decision, and even lent it to LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Wash., for a few months in part to see if he could live without it. But ultimately, he asked himself “what would dad do?”
“He’d say let it go. It’s worth a life-changing amount of money that would secure the future for your family.”
Exactly how much money?
Hagerty vice president of public relations Jonathan Klinger says his experts are sure it’ll garner the highest price ever paid for a Mustang, and $5 million wouldn’t surprise them. But it could go for much more than that.
The answer will come at the Mecum Auctions event in Kissimmee, Fla., in January 2020, where the Mustang will cross the block with no reserve. Kiernan said he’d received a lot of offers to buy or broker it over the past year and a half, but decided to go with Mecum for one particular reason.
“When I met [owner] Dana Mecum, he struck me as the kind of guy my dad would’ve wanted to talk cars with over a beer.”

Aston Martin Valhalla

Named for the afterlife of ancient Norse mythology, the British carmaker’s latest is mean, lean and borrows tech from NASA.

We’ve had the Vantage. We’ve had the Vanquish. We’ve had the Volante, the Virage and the Valkyrie. Now, Aston Martin have fired up their twin-turbocharged V6 naming engine and cranked out another V-christened supercar: The Valhalla.

The Valhalla was initially given the less-catchy designation ‘AM-RB 003’, and was created as part of the ‘Son of Valkyrie’ project. It uses many of the technologies implemented in the Valkyrie — the Valhalla’s bolder, more futuristic brother — and similarly borrows its name from the annals of ancient Norse mythology.

But this new breed of Aston, road-mapped for release in 2021, is a cleaner, more refined beast than we’re used to from the British brand. It eschews the classic Aston Martin design, and doesn’t even clearly fit into the supercar manufacturer’s famous ‘golden ratio’ silhouette.

Instead, the car features a range of spectacular new aerodynamic fixtures, including a new technology called FlexFoil to generate more downforce — that Aston borrowed from NASA. There’s also a reappearance of that exposed, wide front bumper we first saw on the Valkyrie, and huge pronounced reach haunches and diffuser.

But, despite all this hulking Norse bulk, the Valhalla is predictably nippy. Thanks to the carbon fibre monocoque, carbon fibre cladding and aerodynamic panels supplied by Red Bull Racing, that twin-turbocharged V6 is expected to get you up to 220 mph, with 0-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds.

Only 500 of the coupes will be produced, however, with each costing a little over £1 million — so you’ll have to be quick off the mark and deep of pocket to win yourself a Valhalla.

But it’s worth the money. How often do you get to be privy to the exciting next steps of an automotive giant, after all? Just take a look inside. The car is simple, sweeping and considerably more accommodating than some of Aston’s more recent concepts, and even includes luggage space behind the seats and a phone mount for ease.

That striking steering wheel features unique wing-shaped paddle shifters, and dihedral doors will ensure your exit and entry is not only easier, but also unspeakably cool. It’s a good thing that 007 has already put his order in, then — the Valhalla will be Bond’s Aston of choice in the upcoming 25th film.

Until then, you’ll have to content yourself with these exclusive first-look images. And, although the car looks set to go tyre-to-tyre with McLaren’s new Senna, Aston Martin CEO Dr. Andy Palmer assures us that it’s in a league of its own.

“People will view Valkyrie in the same context as LaFerrari and Senna,” claims Palmer. “It’s not. It’s a different world altogether. I don’t think there has ever been a car like Valkyrie and I don’t think there will ever be again.”

You can dream of driving like Bond — but how about dressing like the superspy? We’ve rounded up 007’s best summer style moves here (Words: Jonathan Wells).

1950’s Sport Cars ranked by their Power to Weight Ratios

’50s Sports Cars Ranked by Power to Weight Ratios

The 1950s were exciting times in the automotive industry. The recovery after World War II was in full swing and hot cars were coming out of the woodwork. This is a parcel list of the fastest road legal iconic production sport cars/grand tourers from that era, based on their power to weight ratios.

BMW
Nash-Healey
AC ACE
Jag XK140
Maserati A6
Maserati 3500
Mercedes 300SL
Jag XK150
Ford Tbird
Aston Martin DB4
C1 Corvette
Ferrari 410
Ferrara 250GT
Jag XK-SS

BMW 507 – This gorgeous roadster was a rare example of a non-Porsche German sports car.
Nash-Healy – These cars were a common sight at the 24 hours of Le Mans.
AC Ace – This is what the Cobra was before Carrol got his Texas hands on it.
Lotus Elite – Despite having only 100 hp the Elite’s feathery weight puts it into the company of much more powerful cars. It also has the distinction of being the first Lotus to resemble a proper car.
Jaguar XK140 – The middle child of the pre-E Type Jag sports cars.
Maserati A6 – Some very pretty Italian body work from the early 1950s. Maserati 3500 – It’s big, handsome, and has a powerful inline six. The 3500 is like an Italian Aston Martin.Mercedes.
300SL Gullwing – Perhaps the most iconic of all sports cars of the 1950s, or any era the 300SL is a design masterpiece. Though this car also came in four cylinder (190SL) and roadsterr.
versions it’s the 300SL with it’s big six cylinder and cool gullwing doors that is the car to have.
Jaguar XK150 – The XK150 was the last and best of Jag’s pre-E Type sports cars. Jaguar, like Triumph motorcycles, had a thing for naming vehicles after their top speed (which they mostly couldn’t reach).
Ford Thunderbird Supercharged – For three brief years Ford actually had a true sports car. However, just after just three years Ford decided to add a second row of seats effectively making it like all the other cars of the day. For 1957 there was even a supercharge model that made the T bird one of the most powerful cars of it’s day.
Aston Martin DB4 – Thanks to James Bond the DB4 is often overshadowed by it’s offspring the DB5, but this is the car that introduced the iconic shape.
Chevrolet Corvette 283 fuel injected – In 1955 the Corvette revived the small block V8 which transformed the pleasant cruiser into a performance machine. In 1957 Chevrolet fitted the small block with one of the first fuel injections systems (Mercedes beating them by a few years). The resulting engine had one horsepower per cubic inch, which was a big deal at the time. The following 1959-60 ‘Vettes had slightly more power (290 hp) but even more weight, leaving the 1957 model the king of the 1950s.
Ferrari 410 Superamerica – In Ferrari’s early years they had not one, but two V12 engines. The big V12 found their way into the “America” cars, the pinnacle of which was the 410 Superamerica. At five liters and 300 horsepower it was one of the biggest and most powerful engines of it’s day.
Ferrari 250 GT – If the Superamerica was the F12 of it’s day then the 250 GT was certainly the 458 Italia of it’s day. The relatively tiny three liter V12 made a lot power in a car that didn’t weigh very much at all. The styling was way ahead it’s time and the car is considered one of the most beautiful cars of all time. A fact that is reflected in it’s price, given the 250 is one of the most expensive cars of all time.
Jaguar XK-SS – It’s not too surprising seeing the XK-SS at the top of this list knowing it was simply a Le Mans Winning D Type dressed up as a production car in the name of racing. (472-CID)

To subscribe to FRCCE Blogs – click link below

Click – Subscribe to FRCCE Blogs