Description of car models from around the world and their history.
Although electric cars were popular with wealthy private individuals, as the twentieth century dawned they enjoyed their greatest sales success as electric cabs. Electric ‘horseless carriages’ plied for trade in major cities across the world – and America in particular. For a time, their advantages of smooth running, reliability and simplicity appeared to be a […]
Belgian civil engineer, Camille Jenatzy, was an early believer in the adage that ‘racing improves the breed’. Camille, who was born in 1865, advertised his electric cars by pitting them in competitions. He made his racing debut in 1898, winning a rain-soaked Chanteloup hill-climb by covering the 1,800m (1.1 mile) course at an average speed
In 1898, magazine publisher M. Paul Meyan, who was also a founding member of the Automobile Club de France, persuaded the editor of La France Automobile to sponsor a timed hill climb competition at Chanteloup, 20 miles (32km) north of Paris. The event was held on 27 November 1898, over a tortuous course – more
From the earliest days, the French were enthusiastic supporters of electric power. At the time, France was the world’s pre-eminent motor manufacturing nation, with literally dozens of car companies pandering to the whims of rich clients. One of the best known was Jeantaud, named after founder Charles Jeantaud, a coach-builder who made his first electric
In America, the famous inventor Thomas Edison was working on a new type of battery – which used nickel-iron and promised even greater gains – specifically for electric vehicles. According to an article in Electric World magazine, published in 1925, between 1910 and 1925 battery technology progressed in leaps and bounds. Storage capacity increased by
However, it wasn’t until 1881 that the first electric vehicle to be powered by a rechargeable battery was unveiled. French inventor Gustave Trouve had developed an engine for marine applications – the first practical outboard motor. Trouve, who had taken to cruising the river Seine with friends aboard his electrically powered 17ft (5m) launch, adapted
As Davidson was beavering away on electric trains, another Scotsman was examining the possibilities of an electric horseless carriage. Little is known about Robert Anderson’s invention – sadly the details of his vehicle have been lost – but sometime between 1832 and 1839 he designed, built and tested a battery-powered horseless carriage. Unfortunately for him,
Until its demise in 2006, TVR (from founder TreVoR Wilkinson) manufactured powerful sports cars renowned for their individualistic styling. TVR Speed 12 2000 At the heart of the TVR Speed 12 was a landmark TVR engine, a 48-valve V12, with a steel block created by joining two six-cylinder engines together on a single crankshaft. With a six-speed gearbox driving the rear wheels, it
Enzo Ferrari forged his reputation on the race track before becoming a car manufacturer in 1940, so it is no surprise that the marque founded by the fiery Italian has the most successful record in Formula 1. As well as being a major name in motor sport, Ferrari has made many of the world’s fastest, most desirable road cars.
Car manufacturers revere the imageboosting aura of Formula One, but few are able to match this in their showrooms. However, Renault found a novel way to fuse Grand Prix machine with suburban shopping car in its amazing Clio V6. Renault Spor Clio V6 2000 Instead of squeezing a tuned 227 bhp Renault sport V6 power unit under the hood of