JAGUAR E-Type

WHEN  JAGUAR BOSS WILLIAMS LYONS, by now Sir William, unveiled the E-Type jaguar at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961, its ecstatic reception rekindled memories of the 1948 British launch of the XK120. British motoring magazines had produced road tests of pre-production models to coincide with the launch-and yes, the fixed-head coupe really could do 242 km / h (150.4 mph). OK, so the road-test cars were perhaps tweaked a little and early owners found 233 km / h (145 mph) a more realistic maximum, but the legend was born. It was not just a stunning, svelte sports car though; it was trademark jaguar sporting  package, performance with superb value for money.   is   Astons and Ferraris, for example, were  more than double the money.

ENGINES 

The twin-overhead cam. six- cyhnder was a development of the otiginal 3.4-litre XK unit fitted to the XK 120 of 1949. First E-Types had a 3.8-litre unit,then 4.2 from 1964. Conigutation changed in 1971 to a wholly new V12

                                             

  










INTERIOR 

The interior of this Series 1 4.2 is the epitome of sporting luxury, with leather seats, wood-rim wheel, and an array of instruments and toggle switches -later replaced  by less sporting rocker and less injurious rocker switches.

PORSCHE Carrera 977RS

PORSCHE Carrera 977 RS

AN INSTANT LEGEND, the Carrera RS became the classic 911, and is hailed as one of the ultimate road cars of all time. With lighter body panels and stripped out interior trim, the RS is  simply a featherweight racer. The classic, flat-six engine was bored out to 2.7 litres and boasted u rated fuel   injection and forged flat-top pistons - modifications that helped to push out a sparkling 210 bhp. Porsche had no problem selling all the RSs it could make, and a total of 1,580 were built and sold in just 12 months. Standard 911s were often criticised for tail-happy handling, but the Carrera RS is a supremely balanced machine. Its race-bred responses offer the last word in sensory gratification. With one of the best engines ever made, an outstanding chassis, and 243 km/ h (150 mph) top speed, the RS can rub bumpers with the world’s finest. Collectors and Porsche buffs consider this the preeminent 911, with prices reflecting  its cult-like status, The RS is the original air - cooled  screamer.

NTERIOR

Touring or road versions of the RS had creature comforts like sunroof, electric windows, and radio cassette. Large central rev  counter and "dog-leg" gear shift are RS hallmarks. Leather
seats and steering wheel are non- standard later additions.

RACING 911 

The RS outclassed everything eise on the track, winning the Daytona  24-hours in 1973 and heating  heavyweights like the Ferrari 365 GTB/4.




ENGINE

The bored-out, air—coo1ed 2.7- Litre "Boxermotor" produces  huge reserves of power. EXternally,it is identifiable only by extrac Linder cooling  fins. Internally, things are very different from the stock 911 unit.

CHEVROLET Corvette

THE CHEVROLET CORVETTE is Americas  native sports car. The “plastic fantastic”, born in 1953, is still plastic, and still fantastic more than 40 years on. Along the way, in 1992, it notched up a million sales and it  is still hanging in there. Admittedly it has mutated over the years, but it has stayed true to its roots in one Very important aspect. other American sports car contenders, like the Ford Thunderbird , soon abandoned any sporting pretensions, adding weight and middle-aged girth, but not the Corvette. All Corvette fanciers have their favourite eras: for some it is the purity of the very first generation from 1953; others favour the glamorous 1956-62 models; but for many the Corvette came of age in 1963 with the birth of the Sting Ray.

ENGINE
Sting Rays came in three engine sizes -naturally all V8s -with a wide range of power options from 250 bhp to more than twice that. This featured car is a 1966 Sting Ray with “small block"5359cc Y8 and Holley four-barrel carb.

INTERIOR

The Batmobile -style interior, with twin-hooped dash, is carried over from earlier Corvettes, but updated in the Sting Ray. The deep-dished, wood-effect wheel comes close to the chest and power steering was an option.

 

CHEVROLET CORVETTE STING RAY
The Sting Ray was a bold design breakthrough, giving concrete
expression to many of the ideas of new GM styling chief,  Bill Mitchell. More than half of all production was in convertible roadsters, for Which a hardtop was an option. From the rear, charismatic fixed-head fastbacks 
could be a totally different car.

Mercedes-Benz 540K

Mercedes-Benz 540K

The great 54OK was essentially a larger-engined version of the 500K (a 1934 example of which is shown here); engine size was increased to cope better with the heavy chassis and ornate bodywork. Both types shared the same mechanical make-up and the same range of bodies, which ran from solid conservative cabriolet styles to the exotic and rare Special Roadster with its far more flowing lines. They represented perfectly the self-confident mood of Nazy Germany but, independent rear suspension aside, proved an evolutionary dead-end with features like their clutched-in superchargers never repeated.

Specification

1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K
ENGINE
Type: inline eight-cylinder, overhead-valve
Construction: monobloc with cast-iron block and
head, nine main bearings, statically
and dynamically balanced
Bore * stroke: 88 mm * 111 mm
Displacement: 5410  cc
Compression ratio: 6.13:1
Valve gear: two valves per cylinder, operated by single block-mounted camshaft via pushrods and rockers
Fuel system: single l\/lercedes-Benz updraught carburettor and roots-type supercharger with clutch
engagement
Ignition: dual mechanical, by coil and distributor
Maximum power: 115 bhp norma||y-aspirated;180 bhp with supercharger engaged
TRANSMISSION 
Type: four-speed manual with preselector change on third and fourth gears

Ratios:  1st           3.89:1

             2nd          2.27:1

             3rd         1.419:1

             4 th          1.00:1

Final drive ratio:    3.03:1

BODY/CHASSIS
Type: steel box-frame chassis with five
cross-members; coachbuilt bodies
in various styles
RUNNING GEAR
Steering: worm and nut with separate linkage to each front wheel
Suspension: front: independent with upper and lower wishbones, coil springs and hydraulic dampers
rear: independent with swing-axles, trailing arms, twin coil springs per side and hydraulic dampers
Brakes: Lockheed hydraulic drums all round, servo-assisted
Wheels: centre-lock wire
Tyres: Dunlop heavy-duty, 7 in * 17 in
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length: 207.0 in (5258 mm)
Width: 75.0 in (1905 mm)
Wheelbase: 129.5 in (3289 mm)
Track: 59.5 in (1511 mm) front, 58.8 in (14194 mm) rear
Kerb weight: various, according to bodywork;
5,798 lb (2629 kg) typical
PERFORMANCE 
Acceleration: 0-60 mph 16.4 sec
Maximum speed: 105 mph (169 km/h) Terminal speed after
flying 1/4 mile: 101 mph (163 km/h)
Overall fuel consumption: 11 mpg

Lotus Esprit Turbo SE

Lotus Esprit Turbo SE

The Esprit was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and the prototype shown at the Turin Show in 1972. Initially the design did not meet with Colin Chapman’s approval, but he was soon won over. lt was designed to take Lotus from the sports car bracket into the supercar league and did that with progressive updates: the original two—litre car had only 160 bhp, but power output rose progressively over the years. The Series 2 car, introduced in 1979, was still a two-litre, but the 2.2 Turbo Esprit of 1980 took power up to 216 bhp. That in turn was boosted even further by the more efficient intercooled SE, with a massive 264 bhp. There has been one really major change in appearance over the years, when Giugiaro's original sharp-edged design was softened to the current, more rounded shape in 1988.

Specification 1991 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE

ENGINE
Type: inline four-cylinder, twin~cam
Construction: light alloy block and head
Bore*stroke: 3.75 in*3 in (95.3 mm*76.2 mm}
Displacement: 2174 cc
Compression ratio: 8.0:1 

Valve gear: four valves per cylinder operated
Fuel system: electronic multi-point fuel injection with Garrett AiResearch TBO3 turbocharger with intercooler
Ignition: electronic mapped
Maximum power: 264 bhp at 6,500 rpm (PS Din)
Maximum torque: 261 Ib ft at 3,900 rpm
TRANSMISSION
Type: five·speed manual
Ratios: 1st 3.360:1
2nd 2.050:1
3rd 1.380:1
4th 1.030:1
5th 0.820:1
Final drive ratio: 3.890:1
BODY/CHASSIS
Type: steel backbone chassis with glassfibre bodyshell
RUNNING GEAR
Steering: rack and pinion; three turns lock-to- lock
Suspension: front; independent with doublewishbones, coil springs, telescopic
dampers and anti-roll
bar rear: independent with double radius arms and transverse links,
coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roil bar
Brakes: ventilated discs front, 10.2-in (259-mml diameter, solid discs rear 10.8- in (274 ·mm) diameter
Wheels: cast alloy 7 in*15 in front. 8.5 in*16 in rear
Tyres: Goodyear Eagles, 215/50 ZR16 rear
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length: 171.0 in (4343 mm)
Width: 73.2 in (1859 mm)
Height: 45.3 in (1151 mm)

Wheelbase: 96.0in (2438 mm)
Track: 60.0 in (1524 mm) front; 61.2 in(1554mm)rear

PERFORMANCE
Acceieration: 0-30 mph 1.9 sec
0-40 mph 2.7 sec
0-50 mph 3 8 sec
0-60 mph 4.9 sec
0-70 mph 6.6 sec
0-80 mph 8.2 sec
0-90 mph 10.0 sec
0-100 mph 12.4 sec
0-110 mph 15.2 sec
0-120 mph 18.5 sec

Standing 1/4 mile: 13.5 sec
Maximum speed: " 161 mph (259 km/h)

Overall fuel:23.5 mpg

MORGAN Plus Four

MORGAN Plus Four

IT IS REMARIQABLE THAT THEY still make them, but there is many a gent with a cloth cap and corduroys who is grateful that  they do. Derived from the first four-wheeled Morgans of 1936,  this is the car that buoyed Morgan on after many of  the old mainstays of the British motor industry wilted around it. Tweedier than a  Scottish moor on the first day of the grouse shooting season, it is as quintessentially  English as a car can be. lt was a hit in America and other foreign parts and it has also remained  the backbone of the idiosyncratic Malvernbased company, which refuses to move with  the times. Outdated and outmoded it may be,  but there is still a very long waiting list to purchase a Morgan. First introduced in 1951, the Plus Four, with a series of Standard Vanguard and Triumph TR engines, laid the foundations for the modern miracle of the very old-fashioned Morgan Motor Company.

MORGAN PLUS FOOT:

The second-generation Plus Four was the first of what are generally considered the "modern-ooking" Morgans-if that is the right expression for a basic design which,still in production today, dates back to 1936. Major distinguishing features are the cowled radiator grille and, from 1959, a wider body (as here) to provide more elbow room for driver and passenger. 

 

 TRADITIONAL ASH FRAME
The current four-cylinder Morgan is built in exactly the same manner as most of its predecessors. The chassis is made from“Z"-ection steel members, and on it sits a 94 - or 114-piece wooden framework (two- and four-seat cars, respectively) clothed in a mixture of steel and aluminium panels.

FORD Mustang

THIS ONE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.

The concept of an inexpensive  sports car for the masses is credited to dynamic young Ford vice-president, Lee Iacocca. In realization, the Mustang was  more than classless, almost universal in appeal. Its extensive  options list meant there was a flavour to suitevery taste. There was a Mustang for mums, sons, daughters, husbands, even young—at- heart grandparents. Celebrities who could  afford a ranch full of thoroughbred race horses and a garage full of Italian exotics were also proud to tool around in Mustangs. Why, this car’s a democrat. Why,this car's a democrat.

INTERRIOR

The first Mustan s shared their instrument layout with more mundane Ford Falcons, but in a padded dash. The plastic interior is a little tacky, but at the price no their lack of horsepower. one was going to complain.

                                                
V-SIGN
V8s advertised engine size and  their V configuration. Less  powerful sixes kept quiet about their lack of horsepower.





ENGINE CHOICES

Mustangs were 0ffered with the option of V8 (289cid pictured) 0r six—cylinder engines; eights outsold sixes two—to—one in 1964—68. Customers couid thus buy the car just for its good and make do with 100
  bhp — or they could order a highway—burner producing four  times that much, and enjoy real  sports car performance.

Ferrari 250 GTO

Ferrari 250 GTO

When the 250 GTO appeared in February 1962, Enzo Ferrari wanted the FlA (the ruling body of motorsport) to believe that it was a variant of another famous 250, the 250 SWB (Short Wheelbase Berlinetta). That would mean that fewer cars would have to be produced to satisfy homologation for racing - the GTO’s intended role. ln fact the GTO was clearly a different car; the chassis was more complicated, being more of a spaceframe than the simpler ladder frame of the SWB, and the body differed in shape and dimensions. ln a way it’s a shame that the FIA were convinced; had they not been, Ferrari may have been forced to produce more of this amazing design.

Specification
1964 Ferrari 250 GTO
ENGINE
Type: V12, overhead-cam
Construction: iight-alloy block and heads, seven main bearings
Bore *stroke: 73.0 mm x 58.8 mm
Displacement: 2953 cc
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Valve gear: two valves per cylinder, operated via single overhead camshaft per bank of cylinders
Fuel system: six Weber 38 DCN twin-choke carburettors
ignition: mechanical, twin distributors
Maximum power: 300 bhp at 7,500 rpm
Maximum torque: 250 lb it at 5,500 rpm




TRANSMISSION
Type: five-speed manual
Ratios: 1 st 2.99 :1
2nd 1.99:1
3rd 1.44:1
4th 1.17 :1
5th 1.00:1
Final drive ratio: eight different ratios available,between 3.55:1 and 4.85: 1; test
car fitted with 4.25:1 ratio, givinglower top speed but better acceleration
BODY/CHASSIS
Type: muiti-tubuiar steel spaceframechassis with aluminium two-seater bodywork
RUNNING GEAR
Steering: ZF worm and sector, three turns
lock-to~|ock
Suspension: front: independent with doubie
wishbones, coil springs, telescopic
dampers and anti-roli bar
rear: live axle with semi—eIliptic leaf
springs, trailing arms, telescopic
dampers and Watt linkage
Brakes: Dunlop discs front and rear
Wheels: Borrani 81/2L x 15-in wire wheels
Tyres: 8.00 *15-in front, 8.50 *15-in rear
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length: 189.3 in (4300 mm)
Width: 70.0 in (1778 mm}
Height: 48.0 in (1188 mm)
Wheelbase: 94.5 in (2400 mm}
Track: 58.9 in (1445 mm) front,
58.7 in (1441 mm} rear
Kerb weight: 2,374 Ib (1077 kg)
Weight distribution: 48.4% front, 53.8% rear
Fuel capacity: 29.2 gallons
PERFORMANCE
Acceleration: 0-30 mph 2.5 sec
0-40 mph 3.9 sec
0-50 mph 4.9 sec
0-80 mph 5.8 sec
0-70 mph 7.8 sec
0-80 mph 9.0 sec
0-90 mph 10.9 sec
0-100 mph 12.7 sec
0-110 mph 14.8 sec
Standing 1/4 mile: 14.4 sec
Maximum speed: 144 mph (232 km/h)(other final drive ratios would give
top speeds of up to 175 mph)
Overall fuel .
consumption: 18 mpg
Price (1964}: $23,000

Lamborghini Miura

Lamborghini Miura

even now, 25 years after it first appeared, the Miura is an amazing car — consider how incredible it must have been at the time. Then only Ferrari produced a Vl2—engined road car and yet Lamborghini, with only brief experience in the supercar world (carmaking at Lamborghini started only in 1964), not only built a V12 but made it a four—cam engine, mounted it transversely and put it behind the driver to make the vvorld’s first mid-engined supercar. With a stunning Bertone body and over- 170 mph performance to match, it was the world's most exotic car.

Specification 
1970 Lamborghini Miura P400S
ENGINE
Type: 60 degree V12, quad-cam, transversely mounted
Construction: |ight—a|loy block and heads, seven main bearings
Bore * stroke: 82.0 mm * 62.0 mm
Displacement: 3929 cc
Compression ratio: 10.7:1
Valve gear: two valves per cylinder, operatedby twin overhead camshafts per bank of cylinders
Fuel system: four Weber 40|D|. 3L carburettors
Ignition: mechanical, by twin coil anddistributors
Maximum power: 370 bhp at 7,700 rpm
Maximum torque: 288 Ib ft at 5,500 rpm
TRANSMISSION
Type: five-speed manual, limited-slip - differential
Ratios:
1 st 2.520:1
2nd 1.735:1
3rd 1.225:1
4th 1.000:1
5th 1.815:1
Final drive ratio: 4.08:1
BODY/CHASSIS
Type: steel monocoque centre-section
chassis with tubular steel
subframes front and rear, steel and
alloy two-door/two-seat coupe body
RUNNING GEAR
Steering: rack and pinion

Suspension: independent with double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar front and rear
Brakes: discs front and rear, 11.8-in
(300-mm) diameter front, 12.1-in
(307-mm) diameter rear
Wheels: cast-magnesium, knock-on type, 7-in rims
Tyres: Pirelli Cinturato GR70 \/R15
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length: 171.8 in (4359 mm)
Width: 71.0 in (1803 mm)
Height: 42.0 in (1087 mm}
Track: 55.8 in (1412 mm) front and rear Wheelbase: 98.4 in (2499 mm)Kerb weight: 2,851 lb (1293 kg)




PERFORMANCE
Acceleration: 0-30 mph 2.7 sec
0-40 mph 3.8 sec ·
0-50 mph 5.1 sec
0-80 mph 8.7 sec
0-70 mph 8.2 sec
O-80 mph 10.0 sec
0-90 mph 12.8 sec
0-100 mph 15.1 sec
0-110 mph 17.8 sec
0-120 mph 20.8 sec
0-130 mph 25.0 sec
0-140 mph 29.3 sec
Standing 1/4 mile: 14.5 sec
Acceleration in gear: mph fifth fourth third
30-50 — 10.0 8.0
40-80 10.4 7.3 4.4
50-70 9.5 5.7 4.2
Maximum speed: 172 mph (277 km/h)
Overall fuel
consumption:13.4 mpg

AUSTIN Mini Cooper

THE MINI COOPER was one of Britain’s great motor sport legends, an inspired confection that became the definitive rally car of the Sixties. In the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally, with Paddy Hopkirk at the wheel, the Cooper produced giant-killing performance, trouncing 4.7-litre Ford Fairlanes and coming first; followed in fourth place by yet another Cooper driven by Timo Makinen. After that it never looked back, winning the 1962 and 1964 Tulip Rallies, the 1963 Alpine Rally and the 1965 and 1967 Monte Carlo, as well as notching up more than
25 other prestigious competition wins.

Because of its size, manoeuvrability, and front-wheel drive, the  Cooper could dance around bigger, more unwieldy cars and scuttle off to victory. Even driven to the absolute limit, it would still cling limpet-like around corners, long after rear-wheel-drive cars were sliding sideways. The hot Mini was a perfect blend of pin-sharp steering, terrific handling balance, and a feeling that you could get away with almost anything. Originally the brainchild of racing car builder ]ohn Cooper, who received two pounds royalty on every car, the Mini’s designer, Alec lssigonis, thought it should be a "people’s car" rather than a performance machine and did not like the idea of a tuned Mini Fortunately BMC (British Motor Corporation) did, and agreed  to a trial run of just 1,000 cars. One of their better decisions. 

INTERIOR

The Cooper has typical mlly-car features: wood-tim Moto-Lita wheel, Extinguisher, Halda trip meter, rev counter, stopwstches,

and mzzpliglnt. Only the centre speedo, heater, and switches are  Standard equipment.

                      
ENGINE

The 1071 cc  A-series engineWeuid fev te 7200 rpm, producing 72 bhp. Creekehefe, con-rods, valves and rockers were all toughened, and the  Cooper also had a bigger oil pump and beefed-up gearbox.

AUSTIN MINI COOPER

24 PK wears the classic Mini rally uniform of straight-hrough exhaust, Minilite wheels, roll bar, twin fuel  tanks, and lightweight stick-on number plates. British Motor Corporation had a proactive Competitions Department, preparing racing Minis with enthusiasm and precision. The Cooper’s success in the 1960s is testament to the department’s work.

Why Classic Cars ?

CLASSIC CARS are simply nostalgiatriggers. They’re   a reminder of howwe used to be. Of all the material  symbols in society that define our  worth and position the motor car is  the most powerful. lt’s tangible,  mobile and a currency everybody  understands. Many of us have an  uneasiness. with modernity that makes us retrospective creatures. We’re drawn back to those decades of changeand excitement — hence our love affair with all things of the Fifties and Sixties. From tall, round—shouldered Frigidaires, neon diner signs, and flamboyant Wurlitzer jukeboxes to sunglasses, clothes and music, they all appeal to as talismans of what we remember as golsen years. Here are of the world's most beguiling old motors. From the quaint and charming to the stridently flamboyant, they're just a small foretaste of the magic called classic cars.