| |
|
Vintage
GT History |
|
Vintage
Sports Car History
|
|
A grand tourer (Italian:
gran turismo) (GT)
is a high-performance luxury
automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most
common format is a two-door
coupé
with either a two-seat or a
2+2 arrangement.The term derives
from the
Italian phrase gran turismo, homage to the tradition
of the
grand tour, used to represent automobiles regarded as
grand tourers, able to make long-distance, high-speed journeys
in both comfort and style.
The English translation is grand
touring; the French is grand tourisme.
Grand tourers differ from standard two-seat
sports cars in typically being larger, heavier, and
emphasizing comfort over straight-out performance.
Historically,
most GTs have been
front-engined with rear-wheel drive, leaving more space
for the cabin than
mid-mounted engine layouts.
Softer
suspensions, greater storage, and more luxurious
appointments add to their driving appeal.
Some very
high-performance grand tourers, such as the
Aston Martin DB9,
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, and the
MB SLR McLaren make various compromises in the
opposite direction while rivalling sports cars in speed,
acceleration, and cornering ability, earning them the special
designation Grand Tourers.
The GT abbreviation, so popular across the
automotive industry, traces to the Italian tradition of
referring to their luxury performance cars as gran turismo.
Manufacturers such as
Alfa Romeo,
Ferrari and
Lancia led the way starting from 1920s.(WikiPedia)
|
|
A sports car does
not require a large, powerful
engine, though many do have them. Many classic
British sports cars lacked powerful engines, but were
known for exceptional handling due to light weight, a
well-engineered, balanced chassis, and modern suspension
(
Lotus Seven,
Austin 7 Speedy).
On tight, twisting roads, such a
sports car may perform more effectively than a heavier,
more powerful car.
The first true sports
cars (though the term would not be
coined until after World War One) were
the 3 litre 1910
Vauxhall 20 hp (15 kW) and 27/80PS
Austro-Daimler (designed by
Ferdinand Porsche).
By the end of the 1920s,
AC produced a 2 liter six, the 3.5
liter
Nazzaro had a three-valve OHC (only
until 1922), while French makers
Amilcar, Bignan,
Hispano-Suiza, and Samson had the
typical small four-cylinder sporters and
Delage,
Hotchkiss, and
Chenard-Walcker the large tourers.
Benz introduced the powerful SS and
SSK, and
Alfa Romeo, the Vittori Jano-designed
6C.
Two companies would
offer the first really reliable sports
cars:
Austin with the
Seven and
Morris Garages (MG) with the
Midget.
The Seven would quickly be "rodded"
by numerous companies (as the
Type 1 would be a generation later),
including Bassett and Dingle (Hammersmith, London).
In 1928, a Cozette blower was fitted to the Seven
Super Sports, while
Cecil Kimber fitted an 847 cc
Minor engine, and sold more Midgets
in the first year than MG's entire
previous production.
(WikiPedia)
|
|
|
|
Porsche 911 2.0R |
1967 |
|
|
During
1967 and '68, Porsche built 24 extremely rapid 911 R's,
the intention having been to take the 911 concept to its
absolute limit. Never homologated into the GT classes,
the R was normally forced to compete against out-and-out
sports prototypes. Nevertheless, this hottest of hot
rods managed to secure a variety of important victories.
At 810kg, the whole package was substantially lightened,
the R weighing an amazing 230kg less than the production
911. The engine too was a bit special, Porsche's 1991cc
Typ 901/22 flat six producing 210bhp at 8000rpm.
|
 
|
|
|
Ferrari 275 GTB |
1966 |
|
The standard 275 GTB coupe was produced by
Scaglietti and was available with 3 or 6 Weber
twin-choke
carburettors, and 3.3 liter V12. It was more of a
pure sports car than the GT name suggested. Some cars
were built with an aluminium body instead of the
standard steel body. A Series Two version with a
longer nose appeared in 1965.
|
Engine |
|
Configuration |
213/Comp 60º V 12 |
|
Location |
Front, longitudinally mounted |
|
Construction |
aluminium block and head |
|
Displacement |
3.286 liter / 200.5 cu in |
|
Bore / Stroke |
77.0 mm / 58.8 mm |
|
Compression |
9.3:1 |
|
Valvetrain |
2 valves / cylinder, SOHC |
|
Fuel feed |
3 Weber 40 DF13 Carbs |
|
Aspiration |
Naturally Aspirated |
|
Performance figures
|
|
Power |
290 bhp @ 7500 rpm |
|
BHP/Liter |
88 bhp / liter |
|
Power/weight |
0.26 bhp / kg |
|
Top Speed |
275 km/h / 171 mph |
|
Weight |
1112 kilo / 2451.5 lbs |
|
 |
|
|
Alfa Romeo Duetto |
1967 |
|
|
The Alfa Romeo Spider (105/115
series) is a
roadster produced by the
Italian
manufacturer
Alfa Romeo from 1966 to 1993 (190 Spiders were badged as 1994
Commemorative Editions for the North American market).[2]
Widely regarded as a design classic, it remained in production for
almost three decades with only minor aesthetic and mechanical changes.
The three first series were assembled by
Pininfarina in
Grugliasco and the fourth series in San Giorgio Canavese. The last
Spider was produced in April 1993, it was also the last rear wheel drive
Alfa Romeo produced before
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was introduced. |
 |
|
|
Mercedes 300SL |
1960 |
|
|
The technical make-up of the 300 SL owes
much to the Mercedes-Benz 300 (W 186 II) sedan, the vehicle of choice
for many statesmen and industrialists and also known as the “Adenauer
Mercedes”. The six-cylinder engine featured a number of modifications,
one of which saw the carburetor replaced by a direction injection system
– a technical advance which was years ahead of its time. This new
technology boosted output to 158 kW (215 hp) and the car’s maximum speed
up as far as 260 km/h, depending on the rear axle ratio. Customers could
order their SL with a choice of five different ratios. The standard
1:3.64 variant was set up primarily to deliver rapid acceleration and
capable of 235 km/h. The 1:3.89 and 1:4.11 ratios were good for even
faster acceleration, whilst the 1:3.42 option offered a higher top
speed. This figure rose still further – to 260 km/h – when the ratio was
set at 1:3.25. However, this “resulted in greatly reduced acceleration,
making the car less enjoyable to drive in downtown city traffic,” as the
sales information pointed out. The car testers at the time measuring
fuel consumption at an average of 15 liters per 100 km. A 100-liter fuel
tank was positioned at the rear of the car and could be enlarged to 130
liters at an extra charge. |
 |
|
|
Lamborgini Miura |
1966 |
|
The Miura is
a
sports car produced by Italian automaker
Lamborghini between 1966 and 1972. The car is widely
considered to have begun the trend of high performance,
two-seater,
mid-engined sports cars.[2]
While the mid-engined layout had been used successfully
in competition in cars such as the
Ford GT40 and
Ferrari 250 LM at
Le Mans, the Miura was the first viable road car
sporting the layout.The Miura
was originally conceived by Lamborghini's engineering
team, who designed the car in their spare time against
the wishes of company founder
Ferruccio Lamborghini, who showed a preference
towards producing powerful yet sedate
grand touring cars, rather than the racecar-derived
machines produced by local rival
Ferrari. When its rolling chassis was presented at
the 1965 Turin auto show, and the prototype P400 debuted
at the 1966 Geneva show, the car received a stellar
reception from showgoers and motoring press alike, who
were impressed by Marcelo Gandini's sleek styling as
well as the car's revolutionary design.
|
 |
|
|
AC Bristol 2.0 |
1957 |
|
British race-driver Ken Rudd constructed the
very first Ace-Bristol, but his hybrid was
quickly adopted by the AC factory. First shown
in autumn 1956, the AC Ace-Bristol was in
production by the spring of 1957. Because it was
not only more powerful than AC’s own engine but
capable of a lot more power-tuning, the Bristol
unit made these cars, especially the Ace, much
more suited for competition.
The
roots of the AC Ace-Bristol design go back to
the Thirties, when BMW engine design chief Fritz
Feider produced a series of six-cylinder engines
that culminated in the 1971-cc unit of the
fabled 328. After World War II, Bristol of
England “acquired” the design by somewhat
dubious means (see
Bristol Sports Cars) and manufactured it in
the UK. By the mid-1950s, Bristol was happy to
supply this noble engine to other automakers.
Complete with three downdraft Solex carburetors,
the Bristol engine was tall but fit comfortably
under the AC Ace-Bristol hood. It had
pushrod overhead valve actuation (via complex
linkages), part-spherical combustion chambers,
and a very long stroke. Despite all this, it was
amazingly flexible and high-revving.
|
 |
|
|
MGA
|
1959 |
|
The MGA was a
sports car produced by
MG division of the
British Motor Corporation from 1955 to 1962. The MGA
replaced the older
T-type cars and represented a complete styling break
from the older vehicles. The car was officially launched
at the
Frankfurt Motor Show of 1955. BMC sold 101,081
units, the vast majority of which were exported. A new
chassis was designed with the side members further apart
and the floor attached to the bottom rather than the top
of the frame sections.
A prototype was built and shown to the BMC chairman
Falling sales of the traditional MG models caused a
change of mind and the car, initially to be called the
UA-series, was brought back. As it was so different from
the older MG models it was called the MGA, the "first of
a new line" to quote the contemporary advertising. There
was also a new engine available so the car did not have
the originally intended XPAG unit but was fitted with
the BMC corporate B-Series type allowing a lower bonnet
line.
|
 |
|
|
