Fiat 124 – Italy’s Working Class Hero Reborn for a New Era Among 1960’s affordable roadsters bringing top down motoring joy within reach beyond wealthy playboys, few earned greater working-class affections across Europe than Fiat’s pert Pininfarina-styled 124 Spider. Revived for 2017 leveraging Japanese engineering sharing underpinnings with Mazda’s contemporary Miata, the latest mid-engine Fiat…
Volvo 240 – The Brick That Defined Safe, Reliable Family Transport Among vehicles cementing Volvo’s identity blending safety and durability, few proved more seminal over the brand’s nine decade history than the unmistakable 240 Series. Over an unprecedented 20 year model run with over 2.8 million units built, the 240 and genetic variants globally transported…
BMW 2002 – The Unexpected Spark Igniting BMW’s Future Among enthusiast favorites bearing the roundel badge, BMW’s diminutive yet delightfully spunky 2002 model claims an outsize influence jumpstarting the fabled brand’s modern sporting heritage. Unplanned and unexpectedly potent, this tidy notchback coupe distilled the essence of BMW’s lauded driving purity into an affordable compact-sized package…
The Ford RS200: Rapid Rally Hero Turned ’80s Icon Among motorsports cars that transitioned for production-based homologation duties in the 1970s through the 80s, few proved more brutally effective—or primed for infamy—than Ford’s staggering RS200. Developed to spearhead Ford’s Group B rally effort against all-star competitors ranging from Audi’s indecently quick Sport Quattro to the…
Among automotive marques with lengthy production histories, few encapsulate the accelerated pace of cultural change through their era quite like Chevrolet’s quirky yet quick Corvair. Introduced in 1960 as a reaction to growing small car imports, the revolutionary rear-engine Chevy compact rode eccentric engineering and a burgeoning performance image to meteoric early sales. But conflicts…
When Ferruccio Lamborghini launched his eponymous Italian automaker in 1963, the mission involved targeting grand touring refinement. But mere years later, Lamborghini stunned rivals and customers alike when it unveiled an impractical yet immediately legendary vehicle at the 1966 Geneva Auto Show: the Miura. This risk-embracing model laid the groundwork for the passionate modern supercar…
The Legendary Appeal Behind Datsun’s 1971-1978 280Z Arriving in the wake of Nissan’s 1969 240Z introduction, the 1971 Datsun 280Z doubled down on its predecessor’s winning sports car formula. While the incoming 280Z preserved beloved 240Z design cues tracing back to earlier competition roadsters, its larger 2.8 L engine uptick power and performance to elevate…