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Showing posts with label EUROPEAN MYTHICAL CARS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EUROPEAN MYTHICAL CARS. Show all posts

Thursday, April 10, 2008

MYTHICAL: LAMBORGINI COUNTACH

The Lamborghini Countach was a mid engined sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. The design of the Countach popularized, but did not pioneer, the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance supercars. The "cabin-forward" design concept, which pushes the passenger compartment forward in order to accommodate a larger engine, was also popularized by the Countach.

The word countach (pronounced ˈkun.tɑʃ) is an exclamation of astonishment in the local Piedmontese language - generally used by men on seeing an extremely beautiful woman. While the term is often considered untranslatable into English, it is essentially equivalent to the British lager lout verbalization "Fwwaaaa", or it can also be considered the verbal equivalent of aWolf Whistle.

The Countach name stuck when Nuccio Bertone first saw "Project 112" in his studio. The prototype was introduced to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Most previous Lamborghini car names were associated with bulls and bullfighting.

In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number three on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s, and it was listed as number ten on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

The Countach has been discontinued for 18 years and still enjoys a massive fan appreciation.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

MYTHICAL: LANCIA STRATOS HF

The Lancia Stratos HF, widely known as Lancia Stratos was an automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity.

The Stratos was a very successful rallying car during the 1970s and early 1980s. It started a new era in rallying as it was the first car designed from scratch for this kind of competition.[2] The three leading men behind the entire rallying project were Lancia team manager Cesare Fiorio, British racer/engineer Mike Parkes and factory rally driver Sandro Munari.

The bodywork was designed by Marcello Gandini, head designer at Bertone, and the technical layout was loosely based on a (Lancia Fulvia V4 powered) concept car called Stratos Zero first shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1970. The body was wedge-shaped, and unusually short and wide, providing maximum traction.

In 1971 Lancia presented the Lancia Stratos HF prototype. The Stratos prototype (Chassis 1240) was fluorescent red in colour and featured a distinctive crescent-shaped-wrap-around windshield providing maximum forward visibility with almost no rear visibility (which was unnecessary for rallying anyway). The prototype had three different engines in its early development life: the Lancia Fulvia engine, the Lancia Beta engine and finally the mid-mounted 190 bhp (140 kW) 2418 cc Dino Ferrari V6.

Lancia did extensive testing with the Stratos and raced the car in several racing events where Group 5 prototypes were allowed during the 1972 and 1973 seasons. Production of the 400 cars required for homologation in Group 4 were launched in 1973 and the car was homologated for the 1974 World Championship.[3] The Dino V6 was phased out in 1974, but 500 engines among the last built were delivered to Lancia.


For racing, the engine was tuned up to 280 hp (209 kW) and even to 560 hp (418 kW) with a single KKK turbocharger. However, turbocharged versions were only allowed to compete in Group 5 and were never as reliable as their naturally aspirated counterparts.

The car won the 1974, 1975 and 1976 championships in the hands of Sandro Munari, and might have gone on to win more had not internal politics within the Fiat group placed rallying responsibility on the Fiat 131 Abarths. The Stratos won the Monte Carlo Rally with the private Chardonnet Team as late as 1979.[2]

MYTHICAL:LANCIA DELTA HF

The Lancia Delta is a small family car produced by Italian automaker Lancia with the first generation being produced between 1979 and 1994, the second generation running from 1993 until 1999, and the third generation Delta entering production in 2008. It was first shown in Frankfurt Motor Show in 1979.[1] The Delta is best known for its World Rally Championship career in the late 80s and early 90s, when it dominated rallying. Lancia offered road-going versions of these competition cars - the Lancia Delta HF4WD and Integrale.



Integrale 8v(RALLY)
1989 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 8V at the Birmingham MotorshowTaking the all-conquering Delta HF 4WD that decimated its rivals on tarmac, snow, ice and loose surfaces throughout the 1987 season, Lancia designed the HF Integrale to incorporate all the advanced technical features of the rally car enhanced by the lessons learned in one of the world's toughest motor sport arena. The result is a stylish, luxurious yet utterly practical five door hatchback with impeccable road manners, but capable of a blistering 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration in just 6.6 seconds and a maximum speed of 133 mph (214 km/h).

At the heart of the 8-valve HF Integrale is a 2-litre 4-cylinder fuel injected twin cam engine, fitted with contra-rotating balancing shafts. This version, of what is surely one of the world's most competition proven power units, incorporated the following improvements over the HF 4WD: New valves, valve seats and water pump, larger water and oil radiators, more powerful cooling fan and bigger air cleaner. A larger capacity Garrett T3 turbocharger with improved air flow and bigger inter-cooler to aid volumetric efficiency, together with revised settings for the electronic injection/ignition control unit and a knock sensor, boost power output to 185 bhp (DIN) (136 kW) at 5300 rpm and maximum torque of 31 m·kgf (304 N·m, 224 lbf·ft) at 3500 rpm.

MYTHICAL:PEUGEOT 205 GTi

Peugeot produced some limited edition 205 GTI models over the car's life.

In 1990, 600 GTIs were made in the then new colours of Miami blue (see photo above) and Sorrento Green (a very dark metallic green). The cars were made in an equal mix of 150 blue 1.6, 150 green 1.6, 150 blue 1.9 and 150 green 1.9. The cars had power steering and full grey leather interior as standard, together with grey carpets. These paint colours were then added to the list of available colours for ordinary models.

The Gentry was a limited edition with all-leather interior, 105 bhp (78 kW) 1.9 engine and some other extras. Gentries came in the color Sorrento Green and Aztech Gold (sometimes called Beige Mayfair).

The Griffe was a special edition for mainland Europe, and was sold in France, Germany and the Netherlands. It was bright green ('Laser' Green)[1], and had grey carpet, ABS, dark grey anodised alloy wheels with a silver rim, and full black leather interior. Approximately 3,000 Griffes were made, and though never officially sold there, two to three are believed to have made it to the UK.

The 1FM was produced in 1992 to coincide with the 25th birthday of BBC Radio 1. Only 25 were made and each car was individually numbered with a small brass plate.[1] Every one was black and had dark grey anodised alloy wheels with a silver rim. The car had every extra as standard including ABS, air conditioning, catalytic converter, full black leather interior, power steering and remote central locking. A special stereo system including a CD changer and an acoustic rear shelf was designed by Clarion especially for this car. The car had unique 'Radio 1' badging, and Radio 1 ran a competition on air to win one.

MYTHICAL:RENAULT R5 TURBO

The Renault 5 Turbo or R5 Turbo is a high-performance hatchback automobile that was produced by the French manufacturer Renault in the early 1980s. The car was designed for rallying, but was also sold in road-going guise



All the racing derivatives were based on the Turbo 1. The factory pushed the engine output up to 180 hp (134 kW) for the Cévennes, 210 hp (157 kW) for the Tour de Corse, and possibly as much as 350 hp (261 kW) in the Maxi 5 Turbo. These kits featured stronger engine internals and more efficient intercoolers.

Driven by Jean Ragnotti the R5 Turbo won the Monte Carlo Rally on its first outing in the World Rally Championship. The 2WD R5 turbo soon faced the competition of new four-wheel drive cars that proved faster on dirt. However, it remained among the fastest of its era on tarmac where it was highly successful.

In 2004, Sports Car International named the R5 Turbo number nine on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

MYTHICAL:RENAULT ALPINE A110

The Alpine A110 also known as the "Berlinette" was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines.

The Alpine A110 was introduced in 1961 as an evolution of the A108. Like other road-going Alpines the A110 made heavy use of mass-produced Renault parts. But while the A108 was designed around Dauphine components, the A110 was updated to use R8 parts. Like the A108 available first as a cabriolet and later as a Coupé, the A110 was delivered first with "Berlinetta" bodyworks and then as a cabriolet. The main visible difference with the A108 Coupé was a restyling of the rear body to fit the bigger engines, and that gave the car a more aggressive look. Like the A108, the A110 featured a steel backbone chassis with fiberglass body. This design was influenced by the Lotus Elan, Colin Chapman being a major source of inspiration for Alpine designers at that time. The A110 was originally available with 1.1 L R8 Major or R8 Gordini engines. The Gordini engine delivered 95 hp SAE at 6500 rpm.



Manufacturer Alpine
Parent company Renault
Production 1961-1973
Predecessor Alpine A108
Successor Alpine A310
Class Sports car
Body style(s) 2-door coupé
Layout RR layout
Engine(s) 1.1 L, 1.2 L, and 1.3 L R8 Major/Gordini I4
1.5 L Lotus Europa I4
1.3 L and 1.6 L Renault I4
Transmission(s) 5-speed manual
Wheelbase (2.271 m) 89.4 in
Length (4.05 m) 159 in
Width (1.50 m) 59.1 in
Curb weight 806 kg (1,777 lb)

MYTHICAL: AUDI QUATTRO

The Audi Quattro is a famous and historically significant road and rally car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi. Notably, it was the first four-wheel drive grand tourer (GT) since the Jensen FF of 1966 ("quattro" means "Four" in Italian).

It is considered one of the most significant rally cars of all time, and was one of the first to take advantage of the then-recently changed rules which allowed the use of all-wheel-drive in competition racing. Many critics doubted the viability of all-wheel drive racers, thinking them to be too heavy and complex, yet the Quattro was an instant success, winning a rally on its first outing. It won competition after competition for the next two years. To commemorate the original vehicle, all future Audi Quattros were badged with a lower case Q. The original car with the upper case Q is highly sought after as a collector's piece.

The Audi Quattro shared many components and the core of its body style with the Audi Coupé, which was a member of the Audi 80 (B2 model) range.



Manufacturer Audi AG
Parent company Volkswagen Group
Also called quattro
Production 1980–1991
Successor Audi S2
Class Coupé, rally car
Body style(s) 2-door coupé
Layout Front engine, quattro four-wheel drive
Engine(s) 2.1 L SOHC 10v I5 (1980–87)
2.2 L SOHC 10v I5 (1987–89)
2.2 L DOHC 20v I5 (1989–91)
Wheelbase 2522 mm (99.3 in)
Length 4404 mm (173.4 in)
Width 1722 mm (67.8 in)
Height 1346 mm (53 in)
Curb weight 1,290 to 1,350 kg (2,840 to 2,980 lb)
Fuel capacity 94 L (25 US gal/21 imp gal)
Related Audi 80 (B2)
Designer Jörg Bensinger
Walter Treser
Dr. Ferdinand Piëch