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Mazda 787b Mine Circuit (High Volume!)
Posted by Dan on Jan 12, 2011 in Cool Cars
Mazda 787B Rotary engine. (Lemans) – www.bestmotoring.jp
Land Rover – All Car History Volume 11
Posted by Dan on Jan 9, 2010 in Cool Cars
Land Rover is a motoring legend – an icon for enthusiasts the world over, with its reputation for seeming indestructibility and rugged style.
Since the very first design appeared in 1948, the Land Rover name has become universally identified with four-wheel drive vehicles. The Land Rover story is a remarkable one that reads like a history of the 4×4 itself.
LANDROVER HISTORY
The first Land Rover appeared in 1948 – a simple and inventive working vehicle. Brothers Spencer and Maurice Wilks, Land Rover’s creators, developed the iconic vehicle that combined utilitarian simplicity with rugged, dependable quality. The earliest models were designed to be serviced in the field and were manufactured as a range of four-wheel drive vehicles.
From the 1970s onwards, Land Rovers came under increasing competition as manufacturers the world over entered the off-road four-wheel drive arena. Land Rover has been owned by various organisations, including British Leyland, British Aerospace and BMW. In 2000, Land Rover was sold by BMW to Ford but was recently bought by the Indian company, Tata Motors.
LANDROVER FACTS
Type: Subsidiary
Founded: 1948
Founder: Rover
Headquarters: Solihull, England
Key People: Geoff Polites, CEO
Industry: Automotive
Products: Automobiles
Parent: Tata Motor Company
MODELS
LAND ROVER DEFENDER – a four-wheel drive off-road utility vehicle available with a variety of body types, often used in agricultural, industrial and military roles, Increasingly, the Defender is being used as a private car.
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY – an on and off-road four-wheel drive vehicle, the Discovery is the most popular Land Rover model and is now in its third generation.
LAND ROVER FREELANDER – currently in its second generation, the Freelander is a compact crossover SUV. Launched in 1997, it quickly became the best selling compact 4×4 in Europe.
LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER – a full size luxury four-wheel SUV, the Range Rover has been in production since 1970 undergoing a wide range of changes in three different generations.
LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT – A sports – rather than off-road – orientated SUV.
DID YOU KNOW?
Early Land Rovers were constructed of a lightweight rustproof alloy of aluminium and magnesium called Birmabright which was used due to post war steel shortages and the plentiful supply of post-war aircraft aluminium. Birmabright’s resistance to rust helped Land Rovers build a reputation for being long-lasting even in the toughest conditions. In fact, it is estimated that around 75% of all Land Rovers ever built are still in use.
The early choice of Land Rover colour was mainly down to the military surplus supplies of aircraft cockpit paint after the war – so early vehicles only came in various shades of light green.
Early advertisements for Land Rovers bragged that the vehicles could be driven for thousands of miles on banana oil!
Mg — All Car History Volume 17
Posted by Henry on Jan 9, 2010 in Cool Cars
MG is best known for two-seat open sports cars, but MG also produced saloons and coupés. More recently, the brand has also been used to designate sportier versions of other models belonging to the parent company. Nanjing MG Automobile Co. (NAC MG Ltd) bought the assets of MG Rover in 2005; in 2007, under these new owners, MG will restart production of the MG TF at the company’s Longbridge factory.
MG HISTORY
MG was founded in 1924, getting its name from “Morris Garages.” The first car which could be described as a new MG, rather than a modified Morris, was the 18/80 of 1928. A smaller car was launched in 1929, the first of a long line of Midgets. MG also made a name for itself in the early days of motorsport. Before World War II, MG began to produce the T-Series Midgets. MG released the MGA in 1955 and the MGB in 1962, which continued production until 1980
MG FACTS
Type: private Founded: 1924 by William Morris and Cecil Kimber Headquarters: Longbridge, England Key people: Wang Hao Liang (NAC Chairman), Yu Jian Wei (NAC CEO) Industry: Automotive Products: Cars
FEATURED MODELS
MG MGF: – a mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster first produced in 1995 MG TF: – the redesigned MG TF was launched in 2002 and named after the classic MG TF MG ZR : – a hot hatch produced by MG Rover between 2001-2005
DID YOU KNOW?
The MGB was the first new sports car for more than half a million Americans and was probably owned by at least a million more because it had second, third and even fourth owners. It was the last MG sports car sold in the USA The MGB tourer was built from 1962 to 1980, with total production reaching 386,789 units, of which nearly nine out of every ten were exported, mainly to the USA The bore and stroke dimensions (80 x 89.3 mm) of the 1.8 K Series engine used in the MGF and TF are almost identical to those of the MGB 1.8 B Series. The technology moves on, but the ideal proportions for torque and usable power remain the same
Porsche- All Car History Volume 9
Posted by Dan on Dec 10, 2009 in Cool Cars
Porsche are renowned for producing a high calibre of sports car. The German car makers have succeeded making sports car that are renowned for its quality, reliability and performance. Above all, Porsche is a prestigious sports car that can be used for everyday driving.
The collection of opulent Porsches’ includes the Boxter, Cayman, 911 and the Cayenne series, which are produced in Germany. Porsche have managed to retain the car plant despite other German manufacturers have relocated to other countries chiefly Eastern Europe.
PORSCHE HISTORY
Ferdinand Porsche founded Porsche in 1931. Interestingly, he was the engineer for the first Volkswagen created, hence the first Porsche made used machinery from the Volkswagen Beetle. The first model was launched in 1938 and 10 years later the second Porsche was released, the 356. The end of the war saw Porsche participating in motor racing which proved to be highly successful. 1963 saw the launch of the Porsche 911, the most well known model, which is still in production today due to its success by the public and on the race track.
PORSCHE FACTS
Type: Public
Founded: 1931
Headquarters: Stuttgart, Germany
Key people: Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, CEO and President
Industry: Automotive
Products: Cars
MODELS
PORSCHE 911 - a sports car made by Porsche since 1963, the famous rear-engine 911 has undergone continuous development.
PORSCHE BOXSTER - mid-engine roadster built by Porsche since 1996.
PORSCHE CAYENNE - The Porsche Cayenne is a five-seat mid-size sports utility vehicle produced by Porsche since 2002.
DID YOU KNOW?
At the Paris Auto Show in 1974, during the height of the oil crisis, Porsche presented the 911Turbo – the world’s first production sports car with exhaust turbocharger and pressure regulator.
In 1996, the one millionth Porsche rolled off the company’s Zuffenhausen assembly line just outside Stuttgart on July 15.
Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche’s grandson, Ferdinand Piëch, was chairman and CEO of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002. With half of all shares, he also remains the largest individual shareholder of the Porsche company.
Porsche’s 2002 introduction of the Cayenne also marked the unveiling of a new production facility in Leipzig, Saxony, which today accounts for nearly half of Porsche’s annual output.