AC Cobra
Like many British manufacturers, AC Cars had been using the Bristol straight-6 engine in its small-volume production, including its AC Ace two-seater roadster. This had a body with a steel tube frame. The engine was a pre-World War II design by BMW which by the 1960s was considered dated, Bristol decided in 1961 to cease production of its engine and instead to use Chrysler 313 cu in V8 engines. AC started using the 2.6 litre Ford Zephyr engine in its cars, in September 1961, American automotive designer Carroll Shelby wrote to AC asking if they would build him a car modified to accept a V8 engine. AC agreed, provided an engine could be found. Shelby went to Chevrolet to see if they would provide him with engines, Ford provided Shelby with two engines. In January 1962 mechanics at AC Cars in Thames Ditton, Surrey fitted the prototype chassis CSX2000 with a 260 ci Ford V8 borrowed from Ford in the UK, early engineering drawings were titled AC Ace 3.6. After testing and modification, the engine and transmission were removed and his team fitted it with an engine and transmission in less than eight hours at Dean Moons shop in Santa Fe Springs and began road-testing.
The most important modification was the fitting of a rear differential to handle the increased engine power. A Salisbury 4HU unit with inboard brakes to reduce unsprung weight was chosen instead of the old E. N. V. unit. It was the unit used on the Jaguar E-Type. On the production version, the brakes were moved outboard to reduce cost. The only modification of the front end of the first Cobra from that of the AC Ace 2.6 was the steering box, which had to be moved outward to clear the wider V8 engine. A small number of cars were completed on the East Coast of the USA by Ed Hugus in Pennsylvania, including the first production car. The first 75 Cobra Mk1 models were fitted with the 260 cu in, the remaining 51 Mk1 models were fitted with a larger version of the Windsor Ford engine, the 289 cu in V8. In late 1962 Alan Turner, ACs chief engineer completed a design change of the cars front end to accommodate rack. The new car entered production in early 1963 and was designated Mark II, the steering rack was borrowed from the MGB while the new steering column came from the VW Beetle.
About 528 Mark II Cobras were produced in the summer of 1965 and this would allow GM to compete directly in the FIA GT class of racing
Ferrari
Ferrari N. V. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939 as Auto Avio Costruzioni, the company built its first car in 1940, however the companys inception as an auto manufacturer is usually recognized in 1947, when the first Ferrari-badged car was completed. Ferrari is the worlds most powerful according to Brand Finance. In May 2012 the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO became the most expensive car in history, Fiat S. p. A. acquired 50 percent of Ferrari in 1969 and expanded its stake to 90 percent in 1988. In October 2014 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced its intentions to separate Ferrari S. p. A. from FCA, through the remaining steps of the separation, FCAs interest in Ferraris business was distributed to shareholders of FCA, with 10 percent continuing to be owned by Piero Ferrari. The spin-off was completed on 3 January 2016, Ferrari road cars are generally seen as a symbol of speed and wealth. Enzo Ferrari was not initially interested in the idea of producing road cars when he formed Scuderia Ferrari in 1929, Scuderia Ferrari literally means Ferrari Stable and is usually used to mean Team Ferrari.
Ferrari bought and fielded Alfa Romeo racing cars for gentlemen drivers, in September 1939 Enzo Ferrari left Alfa Romeo under the provision that he would not use the Ferrari name in association with races or racing cars for at least four years. A few days he founded Auto Avio Costruzioni, headquartered in the facilities of the old Scuderia Ferrari, the new company ostensibly produced machine tools and aircraft accessories. In 1940 Ferrari did in fact produce a race car – the Tipo 815 and it was the first Ferrari car and debuted at the 1940 Mille Miglia, but due to World War II it saw little competition. In 1943 the Ferrari factory moved to Maranello, where it has remained ever since, the factory was bombed by the Allies and subsequently rebuilt including a works for road car production. The first Ferrari-badged car was the 1947125 S, powered by a 1.5 L V12 engine, Enzo Ferrari reluctantly built, the Scuderia Ferrari name was resurrected to denote the factory racing cars and distinguish them from those fielded by customer teams.
In 1960 the company was restructured as a corporation under the name SEFAC S. p. A. Early in 1969, Fiat took a 50 percent stake in Ferrari, new model investment further up in the Ferrari range received a boost. In 1988, Enzo Ferrari oversaw the launch of the Ferrari F40, the last new Ferrari to be launched before his death that year, in 1989 the company was renamed as Ferrari S. p. A. From 2002 to 2004, Ferrari produced the Enzo, their fastest model at the time and it was to be called the F60, continuing on from the F40 and F50, but Ferrari was so pleased with it, they called it the Enzo instead. It was initially offered to loyal and reoccurring customers, each of the 399 made had a tag of $650,000 apiece. On 15 September 2012,964 Ferrari cars (worth over $162 million attended the Ferrari Driving Days event at Silverstone Circuit, on 29 October 2014, the FCA group, resulting from the merger between manufacturers Fiat and Chrysler, announced the split of its luxury brand, Ferrari
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a two-door, 2+2 high performance and one of the most powerful sports cars made since 1963 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a six cylinder boxer engine and all round independent suspension. It has undergone development, though the basic concept has remained little changed. The engines were air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998, with Porsches 993 series, produced in model years 1994–1998, the 911 has been modified by private teams and by the factory itself for racing and other forms of automotive competition. It is among the most successful competition cars, in the mid-1970s, naturally aspirated 911 Carrera RSRs won major world championship sports car races, such as Targa Florio and 24 Hours of Daytona, even against prototypes. The 911-derived 935 turbo won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, in the 1999 international poll for the award of Car of the Century, the 911 came fifth. It is one of the oldest sports coupé nameplates still in production, around 150,000911 cars from the model years 1964 to 1989 are still on the road today.
Dilip Chhabria of DC Design said that the most difficult car to customise has to be the Porsche 911 and it hasn’t dated since it was designed. It is a desirable car. I have attempted to redraw, redesign it but could not do anything with it, I realised that it is difficult to alter the perfect design. Although Porsche changes the internal codes for its models, all 911 models were and are sold as a 911.2 The series letter is used by Porsche to indicate the revision for production cars. It often changes annually to reflect changes for the new model year, the first 911 models are the A series, the first 993 cars are the R series. Not all of the Porsche 911 models ever produced are mentioned here, the listed models are notable for their role in the advancements in technology and their influence on other vehicles from Porsche. Carrera, Also offered in upgrades of S and GTS, Carrera 4, 4S, Also offered in upgrades of S and GTS. Targa 4, 4S, Also offered in upgrades of S, turbo S, Also offered in upgrades of S.
GT3/GT3-RS, Track dedicated version of the 911, no cabriolet available with this variant. The 911 traces its roots to sketches drawn by Ferdinand Butzi Porsche in 1959, the Porsche 911 was developed as a more powerful, more comfortable replacement for the Porsche 356, the companys first model. The new car made its debut at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show
Ferrari 250 GTO
The Ferrari 250 GTO is a GT car produced by Ferrari from 1962 to 1964 for homologation into the FIAs Group 3 Grand Touring Car category. It was powered by Ferraris Tipo 168/62 V12 engine, the 250 in its name denotes the displacement in cubic centimeters of each of its cylinders, GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, Italian for Grand Touring Homologated. Just 39250 GTOs were manufactured between 1962 and 1964 and this includes 33 cars with 1962-63 bodywork, three with 1964 bodywork similar to the Ferrari 250 LM, and three 330 GTO specials with a larger engine. Four of the older 1962-1963 cars were updated in 1964 with Series II bodies, when new, the GTO cost $18,000 in the United States, with buyers personally approved by Enzo Ferrari and his dealer for North America, Luigi Chinetti. In May 2012 the 1962250 GTO made for Stirling Moss set a record selling price of $38,115,000. In October 2013, Connecticut-based collector Paul Pappalardo sold chassis number 5111GT to a buyer for a new record of around $52 million.
In 2004, Sports Car International placed the 250 GTO eighth on a list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s, Motor Trend Classic placed the 250 GTO first on a list of the Greatest Ferraris of All Time. Popular Mechanics named it the Hottest Car of All Time, the 250 GTO was designed to compete in GT racing, where its rivals would include the Shelby Cobra, Jaguar E-Type and Aston Martin DP214. The development of the 250 GTO was headed by chief engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, although Bizzarrini is usually credited as the designer of the 250 GTO, he and most other Ferrari engineers were fired in 1962 due to a dispute with Enzo Ferrari. Further development of the 250 GTO was overseen by new engineer Mauro Forghieri, the design of the car was a collaborative effort and cannot be ascribed to a single person. The mechanical aspects of 250 GTO were relatively conservative at the time of its introduction, using engine, the chassis of the car was based on that of the 250 GT SWB, with minor differences in frame structure and geometry to reduce weight and lower the chassis.
The car was built around a hand-welded oval tube frame, incorporating A-arm front suspension, rear live-axle with Watts linkage, disc brakes, the engine was the race-proven Tipo 168/62 Comp. 3.0 L V12 as used in the 250 Testa Rossa Le Mans winner, an all-alloy design utilizing a dry sump and six 38DCN Weber carburetors, it produced approximately 300 horsepower. The gearbox was a new 5-speed unit with Porsche-type synchromesh, Bizzarrini focused his design effort on the cars aerodynamics in an attempt to improve top speed and stability. The body design was informed by wind tunnel testing at Pisa University as well as road, the resulting all-aluminium bodywork had a long, low nose, small radiator inlet, and distinctive air intakes on the nose with removable covers. Early testing resulted in the addition of a rear spoiler, the underside of the car was covered by a belly pan and had an additional spoiler underneath formed by the fuel tank cover. The aerodynamic design of the 250 GTO was a technical innovation compared to previous Ferrari GT cars.
The bodies were constructed by Scaglietti, with the exception of early prototypes with bodies constructed in-house by Ferrari or by Pininfarina, Cars were produced in many colours, with the most famous being the bright red Rosso Cina
Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan is the name of two convertible cars and two fixed head coupés produced by Lotus Cars. The original Type 26, 26R Racing version,36 Fixed Head Coupe,45 Drop Head Coupe, a similar Elan-inspired model called Evante was produced from mid-1980s by British Lotus specialists Vegantune. The Type M100 from 1989 to 1995, is commonly known as the 1990s Elan. This second model was produced in South Korea by Kia Motors between 1996 and 1999, rebadged as the Kia Elan. The original Elan 1500 was introduced in 1962 as a roadster, after a very short production run of just 22 cars the engine was enlarged and the car was redesignated the Elan 1600. An optional hardtop was offered in 1963 and a version in 1965. The two-seat Lotus Elan replaced the elegant, but unreliable and expensive to produce Lotus Elite and it was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. At 1,600 lb, the Elan embodied the Colin Chapman minimum weight design philosophy, initial versions of the Elan were available as a kit to be assembled by the customer.
The Elan was technologically advanced with a DOHC1557 cc engine, 4-wheel disc brakes and pinion steering, and 4-wheel independent suspension. Gordon Murray, who designed the spectacular McLaren F1 supercar, reportedly said that his disappointment with the McLaren F1 was that he couldnt give it the perfect steering of the Lotus Elan. The Elan 1600 of 1963 was replaced by the Elan S2 in 1964, the S2 gave way to the S3 in 1965 with a fixed-head coupe now offered alongside the 2-seater sports. The S4 followed in 1968 and the Elan Sprint was introduced in 1970, production of Sprint ceased in 1973. This generation of the two-seater Elan was famously driven by the character Emma Peel on the 1960s British television series The Avengers, the Lotus TwinCam engine was based on Ford Kent Pre-Crossflow 4-cylinder 1498 cc engine, with a Harry Mundy-designed 2 valve alloy chain-driven twin-cam head. The rights to design was purchased by Ford, who renamed it to Lotus-Ford Twin Cam. It would go on to be used in a number of Ford and Lotus production, an Elan +2 was introduced in 1967 with a longer wheelbase and two rear seats.
The Elan +2 embodied the Lotus spirit, It was a fast and it combined the performance and reliability of the Elan Coupe with genuine 2+2 passenger comfort. Tested maximum power, 108–126 bhp, top speed,120 mph, 0–60 mph in 7.9 seconds,5,200 Elans +2 were made, fewer than 1,200 of these cars remain in the roads today. Their relative rarity, beautiful lines, impressive performance and practicality are the factors for the rising interest on these cars among collectors
Ferrari 250 GT Lusso
The Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso is a GT car which was manufactured by Italian automaker Ferrari from 1963 to 1964. Sometimes known as the GTL, GT/L or just Lusso, it is larger, the 250 GT Lusso, which was not intended to compete in sports car racing, is considered to be one of the most elegant Ferraris. Keeping in line with the Ferrari tradition of that time, the 250 GT Lusso was designed by the Turinese coachbuilder Pininfarina, although the interior was more spacious than that of the 250 GT, the 250 GT Lusso remained a two-seat GT coupe, unlike the 250 GTE. The car was manufactured for only eighteen months, from early 1963 to mid 1964, auto shows often provide an opportunity for manufacturers to introduce new designs publicly. Ferrari did so at the 1962 Paris Motor Show to unveil, as a prototype, the prototype was almost identical to the production version, and only minor details changed thereafter. The new model was a way for Ferrari to fill a void left between the sporty 250 GT SWB and the luxurious 250 GTE 2+2, the Lusso met the new demands of the 1960s.
Indeed, fans of sporting driving of the time became as fond of civilized designs, Ferrari did not skimp on details in the GTL, which shows on the scales, weight ranged from 1,020 to 1,310 kg, depending on equipment. Unusually brief for a Ferrari model, GTLs production began January 1963, according to a longstanding American expert on Ferrari, Peter Coltrin, the construction of the 250 GT Lusso must have begun soon after the presentation of the prototype of the Paris Motor Show. Although it was not intended to compete, the 250 GT Lusso made a few appearances in several sporting events in 1964 and 1965, such as the Targa Florio and the Tour de France. The final iteration of the 250 GT series,351 copies of GT Lusso were produced before being replaced by the Ferrari 275 GTB, as usual, the company Carrozzeria Scaglietti was responsible for the manufacturing of the body. The body was made of steel with the exception of the doors, boot lid, and bonnet, the stern of the body featured a small integrated spoiler, the 250 GTL became the first Ferrari to incorporate such aerodynamic appendages, concluding with an abrupt Kammback rear.
The short rear is characterized by a bezel that slopes down to the tail of the car, the glazed surfaces, including the rear window and triangular quarter windows, provided good visibility. As the car was only a two-seater, there was a fairly capacious boot space with a parcel shelf, while 250 GT Lusso was a civilized sport car, it was nevertheless recommended in preference to young and flexible passengers due to the fixed-position seatbacks. Despite this, the pedals were adjustable to 5 cm, as in the racing versions, five additional gauges were positioned in front of the driver, behind the three-spoke Nardi steering wheel made of wood and aluminum, placed almost vertically. Contrary to the 250 GTE 2+2 which had a wheelbase of 2.6 m, the chassis was adopted from the tubular structure of the 250 GTO, but with narrower tubes. The chassis could, according to Brian Laban, author of Ferrarissime, braking was provided by four-wheel disc brakes with hydraulic control, placed behind the polished aluminum Borrani wire wheels with single knockoffs.
Hosted by the V12 engine Colombo, it had a displacement of 2,953.21 cc, the 250 GT Lusso developed an output of 240 hp at 7,500 rpm and 242 N·m torque at 5,500 rpm. It was able attain a speed of 240 km/h, thus becoming the fastest passenger car of that period
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was the first iteration of the SL-Class grand tourer and fastest production car of its day. Introduced in 1954 as a two-seat coupé with distinctive gull-wing doors, built by Daimler-Benz AG, the direct fuel injected production model was based on the companys highly successful yet somewhat less powerful carbureted overhead cam straight 61952 racer, the W194. The idea of a toned-down Grand Prix car tailored to affluent performance enthusiasts in the booming post-war American market was suggested by Max Hoffman, immediately successful and today iconic, the 300 SL stood alone with its distinctive doors, first-ever production fuel injection, and worlds fastest top speed. The original coupé was available from March 1955 to 1957, the roadster from 1957 to 1963, a smaller, slightly heavier, less luxurious and much cheaper 1.9 liter roadster using the Ponton class 4-cylinder engine was introduced in 1955 as the 190 SL. Both the 300 SL and the 190 SL were followed in the Mercedes line by the 230 SL, the more modern 426 kW,579 PS, nearly 320 km/h, gull-winged Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is regarded as the 300 SLs spiritual successor.
The racing W194300 SL was built around an aluminum tube spaceframe chassis to offset its relatively underpowered carbureted straight-6 engine. Designed by Daimler-Benzs chief developing engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the metal skeleton saved weight while still providing a level of strength. Since it enveloped the passenger compartment traditional doors were impossible, giving birth to the models distinctive gull-wing arrangement, even with the upward opening doors, the 300 SL had an unusually high sill, making entry and exit from the cars cockpit problematic. A steering wheel with a column was added to improve driver access. The 300 SLs main body was steel, with hood, doors. It could be ordered with an 80 kg saving all-aluminium outer skin at tremendous added cost, just 29 were made. The 300 SL is credited with changing the image in America from a manufacturer of solid but staid luxury automobiles to one capable of rendering high-performance sports cars. Like the W194, the 300 SL borrowed its 3.0 litre overhead cam straight-6 from the regular four-door 300 luxury tourer introduced in 1951.
Featuring an innovative diagonal aluminum head that allowed for larger intake and exhaust valves, in place of the W194s triple two-barrel Solex carburetors, a groundbreaking Bosch mechanical direct fuel injection was installed, boosting power almost 25% over the Gran Prix cars. The result was a top speed of up to 260 km/h depending on gear ratio and drag, to reduce this dilution by gasoline when stopping the engine, the owners manual advised Turn the ignition key to the left while idling. Do not on any account try to stop the engine at a higher speed, exacerbating the problem was the engines large racing-oriented oil cooler and enormous 10 liters oil capacity, which virtually guaranteed the oil would not get hot enough. In practice, many owners would block off airflow through the oil cooler, an auxiliary fuel pump provided additional fuel for extended high speed operation or cold starts, overuse would lead to dilution of the oil. Clutch operation was very heavy, remedied by an improved clutch arm helper spring which reduced pedal force
Volkswagen Golf
The original Golf Mk1 was a front-wheel drive, front-engined replacement for the air-cooled, rear-engined, rear-wheel drive Volkswagen Beetle. Historically, the Golf is Volkswagens best-selling model and the worlds second best-selling model, most Golf production was in the 3-door hatchback style. Other variants include a 5-door hatchback, station wagon, the cars have filled many market segments, from basic a personal car, to high-performance hot hatches. The Volkswagen Golf has won awards throughout its history. The Volkswagen Golf won the World Car of the Year in 2009, with the Volkswagen Golf Mk6 and in 2013 with the Volkswagen Golf Mk7. The Golf is one of three cars, the others being the Renault Clio and Opel/Vauxhall Astra, to have been voted European Car of the Year twice. The Volkswagen Golf has made the Car and Driver annual 10 Best list multiple times, Golf variations included the Golf GTI hot hatch, a diesel-powered version, the Jetta notchback saloon version, the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet and a Golf-based pickup, the Volkswagen Caddy.
The Golf Mk1 was sold as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada, a facelifted version of the Golf Mk1 was produced in South Africa as the Citi Golf from 1984 to 2009. Although it was available on the market and indeed most other left-hand drive markets by the end of 1983. The Mk2 GTI featured a 1. 8-litre 8-valve fuel-injected engine from its launch, a Mk2-based second generation Jetta was unveiled in January 1984. There was no Mk2-based cabriolet model, the Mk1 Cabriolet was continued over the Mk2s entire production run, the third-generation Golf made its home-market début in August 1991 and again grew slightly in comparison with its immediate predecessor, while its wheelbase remained unchanged. New engines included the first Turbocharged Direct Injection diesel engine in a Golf, US Environmental Protection Agency fuel consumption estimates are 9.0 L/100 km and 7.4 L/100 km, with 420 km per tank and 584 km per tank. For the first time ever, a Golf estate joined the line-up in September 1993, at the same time, a completely new Mk3-derived Cabriolet was introduced, replacing the 13-year-old Mk1-based version with a body style similar to that of the Mk3 Golf from 1994 to early 1999.
The Mk3 Golf Cabrio received a Mk4-style facelift for the late 1999 model and was continued until 2002, the notchback version, called VW Vento, was presented in January 1992. It was European Car of the Year for 1992, ahead of the new Citroën ZX, the Mk3 continued to be sold until 1999 in the United States and parts of South America, in Mexico as a special edition called Mi. The i in Mi is coloured red, which designates that multi-point fuel injection was equipped and the 1. 8-litre engine was upgraded to 2. 0-litres. Mk2 badges included, GL, CL, GLI, GTI, G60, VR6, 8V, the Golf Mk4 was first introduced in August 1997, followed by a notchback version in August 1998 and a new Golf Variant in March 1999. There was no Mk4-derived Cabriolet, although the Mk3 Cabriolet received a facelift in late 1999 that consisted of bumpers, grill, as with the earlier three versions of the Golf, the UK market received each version several months than the rest of Europe
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is a sports car designed and manufactured by McLaren Cars. Originally a concept conceived by Gordon Murray, he convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and engaged Peter Stevens to design the exterior and interior of the car. On 31 March 1998, the XP5 prototype set the record for the worlds fastest production car, the F1 surpassed the Jaguar XJ220s 213 mph record from 1992, as well as the low production number RUF CTR2s 217 mph record from 1995. The McLarens record lasted until the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 beat it in 2005 with a top speed of 253.81 mph and it features a powerful engine and is somewhat track oriented, but not to the degree that it compromises everyday usability and comfort. It was conceived as an exercise in creating what its designers hoped would be considered the road car. Production began in 1992 and ended in 1998, in all,106 cars were manufactured, with some variations in the design. In 1994, the British car magazine Autocar stated in a road test regarding the F1, The McLaren F1 is the finest driving machine yet built for the public road.
They further stated, The F1 will be remembered as one of the events in the history of the car. In 2005, Channel4 placed the car at one on their list of the 100 greatest cars. In popular culture, the McLaren F1 has earnt its spot as The greatest automobile ever created and The Most Excellent Sports Car Of All Time amongst a variety of car enthusiasts. Notable past and present McLaren F1 owners include Elon Musk, Jay Leno, chief engineer Gordon Murrays design concept was a common one among designers of high-performance cars, low weight and high power. This was achieved through use of high-tech and expensive materials such as fibre, gold, magnesium. The F1 was the first production car to use a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, Gordon Murray had been thinking of a three-seat sports car since his youth. When Murray was waiting for a home from the Italian Grand Prix in 1988, he drew a sketch of a three-seater sports car. Murray declared that During this time, we were able to visit with Ayrton Senna, the visit related to the fact that at the time, McLarens F1 Grand Prix cars were using Honda engines.
Of course the car we would create, the McLaren F1, needed to be faster than the NSX, but the NSXs ride quality and handling would become our new design target. Being a fan of Honda engines, I went to Hondas Tochigi Research Center on two occasions and requested that they consider building for the McLaren F1 a 4.5 litre V10 or V12. I asked, I tried to persuade them, but in the end could not convince them to do it, and the McLaren F1 ended up equipped with a BMW engine
Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS
The Ferrari 308 GTB berlinetta and targa topped 308 GTS are V8 mid-engined, 2-seater sports cars manufactured by the Italian company Ferrari from 1975 to 1985. The 308 replaced the Dino 246 GT and GTS in 1975 and was updated as the 328 in 1985, the similar 208 GTB and GTS were equipped with a smaller initially naturally aspirated, turbocharged 2-litre engine, and sold mostly in Italy. Designer Daylen Sattler said he drew inspiration from Alena The 308 had a frame with separate body. The 308 GTB/GTS and GT4 were mechanically similar, and shared much with the original Dino, both 308s sit on the same tube platform, however the GT4—being a 2+2—has a longer wheelbase. The engine was a V8 of a 90 degree configuration, with twin overhead camshafts per cylinder bank. It was transversely mounted in unit with the transmission assembly. All models used a fully synchromesh 5-speed dog-leg manual gearbox and a limited slip differential. Suspension was all-independent, comprising double wishbones, coaxial coil springs and hydraulic dampers, steering was unassisted rack and pinion.
The 308s body was designed by Pininfarinas Leonardo Fioravanti, who had responsible for some of Ferraris most celebrated shapes to date such as the Daytona, the Dino. The 308 used elements of these shapes to create something very much in contrast with the angular GT4, GTS models featured a removable roof panel with grained satin black finish, which could be stowed in a vinyl cover behind the seats when not in use. The Pininfarina-styled Ferrari 308 GTB was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1975 as a supplement to the Bertone-shaped 2+2 Dino 308 GT4 and its F106 AB V8 engine was equipped with four twin-choke Weber 40DCNF carburettors and single coil ignition. European versions produced 255 PS at 6600 rpm, but American versions were down to 240 PS at 6,600 rpm due to control devices. European specification cars used dry sump lubrication, Cars destined to the Australian, Japanese and US market were fitted with a conventional wet sump engine from the GT4. A notable aspect of the early 308 GTB was that, although built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, its bodywork was entirely made of glass-reinforced plastic.
This lasted until June 1977, when the 308 was switched to steel bodies, standard wheels were 5-spoke 14-inch alloy. 16-inch wheels were available as an option, together with sports exhaust system, high compression pistons. At the 1977 Frankfurt Motor Show the targa topped 308 GTS was introduced, independently from the market, all GTS used a wet sump engine and were steel-bodied. European GTB models retained the dry sump lubrication until 1981, there were 3219 GTS and 2897 GTB examples were made during the 1975–1980 production periods
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door coupé sports car built from 1987 to 1992, with the LM and GTE race car versions continuing production until 1994 and 1996 respectively. The successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO, it was designed to celebrate Ferraris 40th anniversary and was the last Ferrari automobile personally approved by Enzo Ferrari, at the time it was Ferraris fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car for sale. 1,311 F40s were manufactured in total, as early as 1984, the Maranello factory had begun development of an evolution model of the 288 GTO intended to compete against the Porsche 959 in FIA Group B. However, when the FIA brought an end to the Group B category for the 1986 season, Enzo Ferrari was left with five 288 GTO Evoluzione development cars, and no series in which to campaign them. Enzos desire to leave a legacy in his final supercar allowed the Evoluzione program to be developed to produce a car exclusively for road use. The F40 is for the most enthusiastic of our owners who want nothing and it isnt a laboratory for the future, as the 959 is.
And it wasnt created because Porsche built the 959, power came from an enlarged,2. 9L version of the GTOs IHI twin turbocharged V8 developing 478 bhp. The F40 did without a catalytic converter until 1990 when US regulations made them a requirement for emissions control reasons, the flanking exhaust pipes guide exhaust gases from each bank of cylinders while the central pipe guides gases released from the wastegate of the turbochargers. Engines with catalytic converters bear F120D code, the body was an entirely new design by Pininfarina featuring panels made of Kevlar, carbon fiber, and aluminum for strength and low weight, and intense aerodynamic testing was employed. Weight was further minimized through the use of a plastic windshield, the cars did have air conditioning, but had no sound system, door handles, glove box, leather trim, carpets, or door panels. The first 50 cars produced had sliding Lexan windows, while cars were fitted with wind down windows. The F40 was designed with aerodynamics in mind, for speed the car relied more on its shape than its power.
Frontal area was reduced, and airflow greatly smoothed, but stability rather than terminal velocity was a primary concern, so too was cooling as the forced induction engine generated a great deal of heat. In consequence, the car was somewhat like a racing car with a body. It had a partial undertray to smooth airflow beneath the radiator, front section, and the cabin, and a one with diffusers behind the motor. Nonetheless, the F40 had a low drag coefficient of 0.34 with lift controlled by its spoilers. Although the F40 would not return to IMSA for the following season, in 1994, the car made its debut in international competitions, with one car campaigned in the BPR Global GT Series by Strandell, winning at the 4 Hours of Vallelunga. In 1995, the number of F40s climbed to four, developed independently by Pilot-Aldix Racing and Strandell,10 examples were built, the first two being called F40 LMs, and the remaining 8 being F40 Competizione, as Ferrari felt that the LM tag was too restrictive
Porsche Carrera GT
For other Porsche models carrying Carrera name, see Porsche Carrera The Porsche Carrera GT is a mid-engined sports car that was manufactured by Porsche between 2004–2007 in Leipzig, Germany. Sports Car International named the Carrera GT number one on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 2000s, for its advanced technology and development of its chassis the Popular Science magazine granted the Best of Whats New award in 2003. The development of the Carrera GT can be traced back to the 911 GT1, due in part to the FIA and ACO rule changes in 1998, both designs had ended. Porsche at the time had planned on a new Le Mans prototype for 1999, the car was initially intended to use a turbocharged flat-6, but was redesigned to use a new V10 engine, pushing the project back to planned completion in 2000. The V10 was a secretly built by Porsche for the Footwork Formula One team in 1992. The engine was resurrected for the Le Mans prototype and increased in size to 5.7 litres and it was speculated that VW-Audi chairman Ferdinand Piëch wanted Audis new Le Mans Prototype, the Audi R8 not to face competition from Porsche in 2004.
Porsche did keep part of the project alive by using the 5.5 L V10 from the prototype in a concept car shown at the 2000 Paris Motor Show, mainly in an attempt to draw attention to their display. Porsche started a run of Carrera GTs in 2004, shipping the units with an MSRP of US$448,000. The first Carrera GT went on sale in the United States on January 31,2004, originally a production run of 1,500 cars was planned. However, Porsche announced in August 2005 that it would not continue production of the Carrera GT through to 2006, citing discontinuation was due to changing airbag regulations in the United States. By the end of production on May 6,2006, more than 1,270 GTs had been sold, in the United Kingdom,49 units were sold. The Carrera GT is powered by a 5.7 litre V10 engine producing 612 hp, Porsche claimed the car would accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds with a maximum speed of 330 km/h. A road test in June 2004 by Car and Driver showed that the car can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, 0-100 mph in 6.8 seconds and 0-130 mph in 10.8 seconds.
The Carrera GT was offered with a basic five-colour paint scheme which includes Guards Red, Fayence Yellow, Basalt Black, GT Silver, custom colours were available from the factory. A traditional six-speed manual transmission is the available transmission. Attached to this gearbox is a beechwood gearknob which pays homage to the wooden gearknob used in the Porsche 917 Le Mans racers, in its second year of production, a carbon fibre knob was made available. The Carrera GT has large side inlets and air dams that help cool the large V10 engine framed by the carbon fibre rear bonnet, similar to other Porsche models, such as the 911, the GT includes an automated rear wing spoiler which deploys above 70 mph. The interior is fitted with soft leather, bose audio system and a navigation system were standard
