Cars

In the arcane world of British microcars, David Gottlieb is a near-mythical figure. The designer of three of the most infamous of these Suez crisis-era fuel-misers-the Allard Clipper, Powerdrive, and the Coronet the whiff of failure surrounding them is also the aroma of his mystique. Powerdrive 1956 In 1953, Gottlieb’s Powerdrive company sold the concept of […]

After all the space-age excess that had characterized the so-called “dream cars” paraded by General Motors in the first half of the 1950s, the Club De Mer was as refreshing as a sea breeze. Pontiac XP 200 Club De Mer 1956 Not that it wasn’t a dramaticlooking car, especially with its prominent stabilizing dorsal fin

At the 1951 Paris salon, the debut of the Pegaso, an exclusive and sophisticated sports car from Spain, set the automotive world buzzing. Designed by Wilfredo Ricart-recently back in his native Barcelona after nine years as Alfa Romeo’s chief engineer-the Pegaso, like so many of Ricart’s projects, was a magnificent folly. Pegaso Z102 1951 On

One of the stars of General Motors’s 1956 Motorama line-up, this space-age dream car certainly added sparkle to Oldsmobile’s dowdy image. Its interior, too, boasted clever ideas that made for easy access despite a very snug, close-coupled cockpit. When the driver or passenger door was opened, a roof panel would automatically swing upwards Oldsmobile Golden Rocket

Nash Motors had been mulling a really small “sub-compact” car since 1945, when it asked freelance Detroit designer William Flajole to work up some proposals. Nash, Austin Metropolitan 1954 Market research was in its infancy, but Nash decided to consult the public in 1949, to canvass opinion of Flajole’s drawings for a small car, the

Mercedes-Benz made a spectacular return to top-level motor sport in 1954, 20 years after the three-pointed star was first seen in Grand Prix racing. Mercedes Benz W196 1954 In 1950, the international series had been reorganized as Formula One, with a world championship for drivers. The first four years were dominated first by Alfa Romeo

The Mercedes 300SL was the first true “supercar,” a high-tech, 150mph (241kph) road machine built expressly for high-speed driving. However, prototypes of the car were pure competition machines, bearing the internal codename of W194. Mercedes Benz 300SL 1954 In 1952, these 300SLs won the two most gruelling endurance races of the day-the Le Mans 24-hour race

Founded in 1926, Maserati was purely a manufacturer of racing cars for its first 20 years. By 1934, it was the planet’s largest builder of single-seater racers. The 250F was the result of unique expertise in Grand Prix/Formula One techniques. Masserati 250F 1954 Adhering to the sport’s rules for 153ci (2,500cc) cars, the 250F boasted

The iconic Batmobile of the 1966 Batman TV series, starring Adam West and Burt Ward, was famously based on a real-life “concept” car: the Lincoln Futura. Lincoln Futura 1955 Designed at Ford, and built in Italy in 1955 by Ghia for a reputed $250,000, it was driven through New York on May 3 that year by

Motoring history is littered with marques that failed despite customer loyalty and interesting products. Jowett is a prime example, and this little sports car was its last gasp. Jowett Jupiter R4 1953 Had the Jupiter R4 entered production in 1954, as planned, it would have been the first British car with a body made of