Description of car models from around the world and their history.
The car world went beach buggy crazy in the late 1960s, inspired by California’s surf culture. A “different” contribution from cold, remote Denmark might have been expected, and the Joker didn’t disappoint. Sommer Joker 1970 It came from the fertile mind of Danish car distributor Olé Sommer, who intended to offer a none-too-serious car that […]
Four of these cars were made, and for each minute they were driven for their intended purpose, they cost over $58,000. NASA’s Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV-Lunar Roving Vehicle) was known as the Moon Buggy, and the most expensive “Rover” ever built! Maybe fittingly, Americans were the first to drive on the Moon. Nasa Lunar Roving Vehicle 1971 One Lunar Roving Vehicle was even
No two-seater, mid-engined sports car in the world has had a longer life than the Esprit, on sale from 1976 to 2004. The car came about when Lotus founder Colin Chapman decided to update his Europa. Lotus Esprit 1975 But, instead of using his own stable of designers, Chapman chose a young Italian he met by
Italian-American racing driver Mario Andretti declared the Lotus 78 drove “like it was painted to the road,” and proved this Formula One car’s uncanny winning streak by driving it to four victories in 1977. Lotus 79 1977 But after trying its successor, the 79 with 30 percent extra downforce, he declared the old car felt
The French-born industrial designer Louis Lepoix was probably best known for his commercial vehicles and household products through his consultancy Form Technic International. Lepoix Ding 1975 However, at the 1975 Frankfurt Motor Show he unveiled a pair of astonishing electric cars. The Lepoix Shopi was, at first glance, a three-wheeler, although it actually had two tiny
Lamborghini’s Countach eclipsed even the company’s earlier Miura model as the ultimate exotic sports car. The Miura’s voluptuous looks had caused a sensation in 1966, and now the Countach did it again. Lamborghini Countach 1971 The car’s designer, Marcello Gandini at Bertone, was the same, but the Miura was broader and flatter in character. The
The impetus for Fiat’s attempt to create the safest possible city car came from the US. In 1970, the National Highway Safety Bureau announced its Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESV) project, to stimulate ideas for substantially safer cars to be on sale by 1980. Fiat ESV 1500 1972 Many carmakers responded with prototypes for evaluation: hardly
In 1974, US engineer and automotive executive John DeLorean set out to create an “ethical” sports car, shunning the cynical practices of General Motors, where he’d enjoyed a glittering career. Delorean DMC-12 1979 DeLorean chose Northern Ireland as the manufacturing base for this new enterprise, lured by nearly £40 million in British government regeneration funding. The
Frank Costin was an eccentric, chainsmoking engineer whose mastery of aerodynamics-gleaned in the aircraft industry-made him a godsend to racing teams like Lotus and Vanwall in the 1950s. Costin Amigo 1970 He became the “-cos” part of sports car firm Marcos with partner Jem Marsh; his aeronautical engineering expertise led him to take the unusual
With every dramatic surge in oil prices comes renewed interest in alternative fuels for cars; the intense focus on electric power by carmakers at the end of the first decade of the 21st century is nothing new. Copper Electric Runabout 1979 There was wide interest in bringing small electric cars to the market in the