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

By the early 1950s, Jaguar exuded excitement on all fronts: its XK engine was acclaimed; it built the most glamorous sedans available; and the XK120 sports car was world-famous on road and track. Jaguar D Type 1954 Still, it was apparent to company founder William Lyons that a production car could no longer compete in

Bubble cars were a European fad in the 1950s. These tiny, cramped contraptions offered minimal motoring and a meager thirst for fuel in the guise of a brand new car. Isetta 1953 The nickname came from the cars’ commonly characteristic ovular shape. The Isetta set the trend for bubble cars, but it was later followed