Back in 1863 Mr. Henry Royce was born in Alwalton, England on March 27th.
Mr. Royce
The Royce 10
The Royce 10 was a 10 horse powered car. It was produced at the Trafford Park, Manchester plant in 1904 and sold fro 395 British pounds. You could a variety of ‘power plants’ for this first offering. Those included 15, 20 and 30 hp models. (They were named the Royce 15, Royce 20 and Royce 30.
On March 29, 1980 Audi debuts the first all wheel drive (4 WD) Quattro.
1980 Quattro – Not a bad looking car at that!!!
Thanks for reading.
Tim
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The 1984 Bugatti Type 105 is a 4-wheeled what if, the car isn’t real of course and is the work of designer Nikita Bridan, though it has to be said, Nikita did a great job of capturing early-80s automotive design. His backstory for the Bugatti Type 105 is below in full:
The Bugatti type 105 was the last attempt to restart the company by Roland Bugatti and its road cars. An attempt to create the first digital super car, it featured extensive computer assists and software to keep the car in control. During early prototype road tests, feedback from reviewers was horrible.
Citing a huge lack of feedback and a lack of consistency in the assists, led to the car having horrible dynamics.This eventually sealed the fate of the type 105, Bugatti laid dormant until the 110 EB.
I was sorting through the data on the AGCRMR site and took a look at the viewers for today.
It was very cool to see that car lovers from all over the world take time out of their busy day to stop by my blog and read some of the posts. So here’s a SHOUT OUT all the international car junkies that stopped by today.
So a HUGE “THANKS” to registered viewers:
Thanks/Merci – Canada!!
Graças – Portugal!!
Tack – Sweden!!
Merci – France!!
Gracias – Brazil!!
Thanks – England!!
Dzięki – Poland!!
Dank – Germany (where my son some born)!!!
Feel free to post up a note and just say “Hey” or find me on Facebook – Average Guys Car Restoration Mods and Racing (AGCRMR) and send me a few pics of your ride!!!! Doesn’t even have to be your ride (Pls NO JOY RIDING !!!)
Question of the Day: Is it a Joy Ride if you don’t smile while you are driving it?
BTW – these are registered viewers, not spam and we NEVER every share names nor personal data.
Another week gone and March Madness in upon us. Nope you are going to find any brackets here, just your Auto Factoids for the week.
Big day on the 17th of March. That’s when Geneva attendees were treated to the first of what would become world iconic car. The Porsche debuted back in 1949. Volkswagen or not it is still going strong.
1949 Publicity shot
Although Porsche was in production a few year before this debut. Most of the first Porsche’s contained Volkswagen parts, as the Beetle was the first car the Porsche built.
A few years before the Porsche debut (about 115 – 1834) Gottlieb Daimler was born in Germany on the 17th of March.
Two more March birthdays show up on a search. Those are for Rudolf Diesel in Paris in 1858 and Andy Granatelli in Dallas, TX in 1923, whom just passed way on Dec 29, 2013.
The Oldsmobile Motor Works is destroyed by fire 3/9/1901. Started by a careless work, all but one of the curved dash prototypes were lost.
Fire started by a worker.
One day later and 26 years (1927) Sir Henry Seagrave sets a speed record over 200 mile per hour.
Built by the Sunbeam car company of Wolverhampton that was powered by two aircraft engines.
March 12th has a lot of birthdays:
– Johnny Rutherford in Coffeyville, Kansas – 1938
One of nine drivers to win the prestigious Indianapolis 500 mile race at least three times
– Giovanni Agnelli – 1921
Not to be confused with his namesake grandfather the founder of Fiat. But Giovanni the grandson was responsible for massive expanding Fiat to Russia and South American.
Giovanni Agnelli
– Clement Studebaker – 1831
A wagon and carriage manufacturer. With his brother Henry, he co-founded the H & C Studebaker Company, precursor of the Studebaker Corporation, which built Pennsylvania-German Conestoga wagons[1] and carriages during his lifetime, and automobiles after his death.
Clement Studebaker
On March 13 in 1948 Honda Motors was formed.
March 13, 1974 the Arab oil embargo ended.
March 15, 1960 Mercury debts the Comet.
Dubbed as Fords first compact car, it came in 2 or 4 door configuration as well as station wagon.
“The 1962 Black Corvette is planned to be retrieved…” on today,… “but will be much trickier as a five ton slab of concrete is partially resting on the front of the car. Two cranes will be used to simultaneously lift the car and the concrete.
Links to photos, videos and press releases are available on the Museum’s website at www.corvettemuseum.org. For the latest updates visit the Museum’s Facebook Fan page at www.facebook.com/corvettemuseum.”
You can also watch on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/national-corvette-museum.
DONATE TO THE NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM!!!
Thanks for reading
Tim
Slated for rescue today.
1962 Corvette One of the most beautiful corvettes of all time. Classic lines, sexy look, simply Co http://t.co/492sskfjnu
Here are your Auto Factoids for the first week of March 2014.
3/4/1902 – American Automobile Association was formed. We call ‘Triple A” and most of us think about it as an insurance or travel agency with roadside assistance and it is that for sure. It was formed by nine motor clubs in a response to a lack of roads and highways suitable for automobiles. The group in part included the Chicago Automobile Club, Automobile Club of America, Automobile Club of New Jersey, and others. They began producing maps 1905 and hotel guides in 1917. The association branched out to include other programs such as teh Racing Board in 1902 to officiate the Vanderbilt Cup International Automobile Race in long island. This board alwo sanctioned the Indianapolis 500 and give the awards for national racing championships in 1905, 1916, 1920-1941 and 1946-1955.
3/5/1971 – Rolls-Royce get a bail-out loan from the Brittish Goverment
’71 Silver Shadow
Same day in 1952 Willis introduces the Aero-Ace. These came with the Hurricane 6 or the Lightning 6
Areo Ace
3/7/1929 – GM buys Opel
Opel was a Germany car company that produced it’s first cars were produced in 1899. Before that they were in the sowing machine and bicycle business. Opel designed and manufactured vehicles are also sold under the Buick brand in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China and the Vauxhall brand in the United Kingdom.
3/8/1969 – Pontiac give the world the iconic Trans Am
The Trans Am was a package for the Firebird. Although there were a total of 87,000 plus Firebirds and Trans Am produced for the year, there are some rare Trans Am’s put together:
114 Trans Am’s carried the L-74 RAM AIR III V8 between the fenders with the Turbo-Hydramatic
520 Trans Ams had the same L-74 and RAM set up only with the synchromesh transmission
There only 8 Trans Ams convertibles made and they all had the L-74s. If that’s not rare enough, try this: 4 of those had manual transmissions and 4 had the Hydramatic.
Likewise you count the number of Trans-Ams that were equipped with L-67 RAM AIR IV and the Turbo-Hydramatic in single digits – 9. There were 46 more that had the the synchromesh trans.
So begins the narrator for “Against All Odds,” a documentary of the 1971 Trans Am 2.5 Challenge season about the BRE Datsun team, conveniently sponsored by Datsun. (“The small car experts!” avarious Datsun ads exclaim throughout the film. “Over 900 …
RT @tomjensen100: Wow, a 1969 Firebird Trans Am goes for $135k. #barrettjackson @foxsports http://t.co/tjn9MLmbsR
Here are your Auto Factoids for this week in automotive history.
A very light week, but a couple of biggies.
First up is the debut of AMC’s AMX that happened back in 1968 on Feb 24th. Born to be muscle and destined to be a classic from the start.
They were sharp-looking and a curb weight of only about 3,000 lbs they weren’t heavy weights. Impressive engine configurations of 290, 383, 360, and 390 with nothing but a 4 barrel carb (and one twin 4 barrel) you got horse power from 225 (the 290) to 420 (390 with twin 4 barrel carbs). Impressive! Sadly only a two-year run.
1969 Hurst version…NICE!!!
Had to dig for this one. Found it on http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org. Back in 1905 a Cadillac was the first car to cross the Andes (the mountain range not Andes, New York) that happened on Feb 25th, but I don’t know why, nor does anyone else seem to know. I can tell you the Andes are in South American and average about 14,000 feet in altitude. The ’05 (that’s 1905 not 2005) Caddy was, well let’s say “airy”. That ‘brave’ (pronounced ‘Crazy’) soul was Jose Piquero. But wait, some sources say it wasn’t a Caddy at all, but a Oldsmobile.
So I would imagine either in either ride the trip was a tad bit chilly.
1905 Olds
1905 Caddy
Less we forget that Ralph Nader has a birthday this month, you can celebrate that (anyone? Bueller, Bueller…) if you absolutely can’t find another reason to have an adult beverage. That day was Feb 27 back in 1934. I wonder if he fell out of a car seat when he was young?
1962 Lakewood
As luck would have it Mother Nature tends to even the playing field, so a few years later Mario Andretti was born in February on the 28 back in 1940 in Montona, Italy.
Sorry let this slip a couple of days. Here are your Auto Factoids for this week.
2/16/1951 – Nash Healey debuts in US
This was a totally by change partnership. Healey was on his way back to England for the US after GM refused to sell him Cadillac engines for his cars, when he met George Mason of Nash-Kelvinator on the ship. For 1951 Nash-Kelvinator supplied the engines and drivetrain, specifically an inline six-cylinder OHV 234.8 cu in (3.85 L) engine and three-speed manual transmission with Borg-Warneroverdrive, plus torque tube and differential. Healey made a few mods to the engine like higher-compression aluminum cylinder head (replacing the cast-iron stock item) with twin 1.75-inch (44 mm) SU carburetors that were popular on British sports cars. This increased power from the stock 112 hp (84 kW; 114 PS) version to 125 hp (93 kW; 127 PS). The car was longer and heavier than most European cars and although the 125 hp helped, it fell short of the original expectations that included Cadillac’s 331 cu in (5.4 L).
This what we here in the US were able to purchase for the first time in 1951.
1951 Nash Healey
2/18/1952 – Studebaker 100 years
Studebaker turned 100-year-old this date in 1952 and it offered up a few beauties for their customers.
Like the Star Light, Land Cruiser and 1/2 ton Pickup.
52 Star Light – Love the ‘split 4 piece’ rear window.
This huge ’52 Land Cruiser would get across country with room for luggage!!
Workhorse 1/2 ton pickup. Hard to find one now that hasn’t been customized.
2/18/1898 – Enso Ferrari born in Modena, Italy
Would you by a car from this face?
What if they looked like this?
Hell Yeah!!!!
2/20/1954 – Detroit – Chicago Auto show saw Dodge’s Fire Arrow
Ghia Dodge Firearrow II Sports Coupe 1954
That is a nice looking car!!! If you visually mess around it a bit, you might see some resemblance to the Crossfire. Yes? No?
Maybe?? A little?
Or something from a different manufacture.
’64_Pininfarina Corvette
2/21/1948 – NASCAR’s first race – held in Daytona, FL
Historic First – a bit dusty…but awesome (no I wasn’t actually there!!).
And let’s go waaaaay back 2/22/1732 – George Washington was born in Virgina.
Well George didn’t actually own a car…but if he did, ask yourself “What would George Drive?” Post up what you think the father of our country would drive today.
The Countach lived on your wall as a kid, and you probably knew that the Miura was the original supercar, but did you know there’s a direct link between the Miura and modern IndyCars, that there was a Dodge sedan based on a Lamborghini concept, or that Ferruccio Lamborghini started out making tractors? To honor the man who died on February 20th, 1993, we hit the books and came up with 18 things you probably didn’t know about Lamborghini.
1. Ferruccio Lamborghini was the original Tony Stark.
During WWII, he was stationed on the isolated island of Rhodes as a vehicle maintenance supervisor for the Italian Royal Air Force. Needless to say being stuck on an island in the middle of a war makes it pretty tricky to secure spare parts, forcing Lamborghini to cobble together scraps to keep his machines running. He quickly earned the reputation of being a master mechanic, and an even more prolific tinkerer. Kind of like that time Tony Stark built a nuclear reactor in a cave. But real.
2. The first Lamborghinis were tractors, and they’re still made today.
Because of that WWII experience, when he got home he started piecing together tractors out of spare parts. People loved them, and his tractor business took off overnight. They’re no longer part of the same company, but Lamborghini Trattori are still designed by the same firm that created the Gallardo and the Maserati MC12. They range in price from $30,000 to over $300,000 – the only question is, will your neighbor still give you credit for owning a Lambo?
3. Lamborghini was founded because Ferrari used tractor clutches and had crummy customer service.
Ferruccio famously owned a Ferrari 250GT, which he took in to be serviced at the Maranello headquarters after realizing that the clutch was identical to the one being used on his production line. He politely asked Enzo Ferrari for a replacement part, who replied “You’re just a silly tractor manufacturer, how could you possibly know anything about sports cars?” Like any red blooded Italian, he spit on the floor, walked out and started designing his own sports car. Four months later he unveiled the Lamborghini 350GTV. Boss.
4. The first Lamborghini Miura didn’t even have an engine when they unveiled it.
The Miura may have been the world’s first mid-engined V12 supercar, and the car most often credited with kickstarting the genre, but when it was first unveiled at the Turin Auto Show it wasn’t even finished. So they put a bunch of bricks where the engine should be and kept the hood shut the entire time.
5. And it was designed by the guy who builds IndyCars now.
Gian Paolo Dallara did much of the Miura’s chassis and engineering work, then went on to work in F1, before starting his own race engineering firm, which happens to build every single IndyCar chassis you see today.
6. In the late 1960s, if you didn’t own a Miura, you were nobody.
Today, they’re owned by people like Nicholas Cage and Jay Leno, but in the sixties Miuras were driven by people like Saudi King Fahd and Prince Faisal, Rod Stewart, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, who famously said about his orange Miura with orange shag and wild boar skin seats: “You buy a Ferrari when you want to be somebody. You buy a Lamborghini when you are somebody.”
This one was really interesting:
18. They built the very first Viper engine.
The Dodge Viper was developed in the late eighties, while Chrysler owned Lamborghini. Rather than simply dropping a truck motor into the car, Dodge had Lamborghini cast an aluminum version of it for the prototype. It wasn’t the one used in production, but somewhere, locked away in Detroit, is a Lamborghini powered Viper.
It seems as though the Lamborghini Huracan has been around for quite a while now, yet only Lamborghini customers have been able to take a close up look at it in the flesh. These pictures from outside the factory show the car going out, presumably on a …
This Lamborghini Jalpa P350 was originally purchased by a man named Nick who while impressed with its driving characteristics, was somewhat disappointed with the 25 5hp produced by its V8 engine. As a result, Nick decided to completely replace that …
!!!)
