The 1950s was one of the most prolific periods of automobile design. Aircraft technology developed during the war, aerodynamics, and...
Vintage Roadcar Columns
Background By the late 1950s, sports racing cars were becoming increasingly sophisticated, transitioning from traditional front-engine production-based cars to a...
If you had to pick one of the most misunderstood European automotive brands imported to the United States, chances are Fiat would rise to the top. Though much of their brand name and recognition has improved in North American markets since their introduction of the new Fiat 500 (2007), back...
When Porsche first unveiled the 911, we lived in steady but gently progressive times. The 1960s was a turning point...
Photo credits courtesy of Fantasy Junction Automotive history offers a bounty of well-made sportscars. Tracing back to the earliest years...
Ferrari has always been a leader in high-performance engineering and design. Although many of their most innovative ideas were often plagued by modest resources, internal struggles, and industrial politics, the combined passion and stubbornness frequently yielded something glorious. Nowhere is this more apparent than when Ferrari launched their first 12-cylinder...
Though not well-known in North America for performance cars, Renault has always been a leader in clever engineering, leveraging platforms...
Very few machines are more engaging than an Italian automobile built during the post war era. Literally every Italian manufacturer...
Imagine running a car company with manufacturing technology limited by only 15-20 years of recovery from one of the most devastating wars ever fought on your soil. Now imagine you are about to risk not only on the design and development of your newest sports car offering, but you are...
If you had to pick the most challenging era of sports cars development, it would have to be the late...
Credit – BarnFinds.com I saw my first Bricklin in 1974. Lit up under the Southern California sun, a local specialty...
If you’ve never seen a Lancia Stratos in person, you owe it to yourself to seek one out. The Stratos is one of those cars that must be experienced in person to fully understand its design audacity, stance, and visceral presence. Initially conceived as a concept car of dramatic proportions,...
It’s tough being British. The lackluster cuisine and stoic monarchy don’t help. Though they did give us the Beatles, Fish...
If you had to pick a singular, quintessential Ferrari to represent the pinnacle of their ascendance to the best in...
The Shelby Daytona Coupe is the best American car ever built. Maybe even the best in the world. I can say this with a fair measure of confidence as this is my 100th car design article for this publication! That’s just over eight years of articles evaluating the automotive design...
History lauds volumes of praise to those who are first. Thinking back to 1964, many will recall a short wheelbase,...
Long before books were sold online, before you could shop for anything and have it delivered to your door, or before we were masters of trivia via Alexa, the other Amazon quietly went about changing the world from a then small Swedish company with a penchant for safety. Now owned...
In the 1980s, the idea of a Japanese Luxury Sedan was a radical concept. Most North American perceptions around Japanese...
After suffering what must be called the worst five years of American car design 1974-1979, the 1980s ushered in the...
The modern startup gets a lot of attention these days. Investors hoping to ensnare the illusive “unicorn” status that might lead to astronomical growth, put their eye on the latest patented tech with hopes of a highly profitable exit, awash in vast sums of cash. And while these adventurous thinkers...
I’ve been revisiting a series of cars recently from the period of my youth. There’s something to be said about...
We purchased a 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL in the early 1980s. The car came out of Dekalb, Georgia, so it...
In the mid 1990s, I had the pleasure of spending the day with Carroll Shelby. After walking through his LA based shop and viewing the latest in development, Shelby was entertained enough to invite me to dinner. We saddled up and landed at an Italian restaurant in West LA. Old...
The Steelers Wheel 1973 pop tune “Stuck in the Middle with You” could very well have been the theme song...
The end of the century was a big deal. Now that more than two decades have passed, it’s quaint to...
It’s that time of year. When we celebrate that hallmark of Americana, Father’s Day. Get out the smoker, grill some burgers, whip up a giant pot of Dad’s Secret Chili, and get ready for an onslaught of eye-roll worthy puns. Whatever your family traditions, if you have kids, siblings, or...
I graduated from Art Center College of Design in 1987. MTV was in full swing, Compact Disc players were the...
Toyota has been around a long time. They know what they are doing, and they make more cars than any...
More than half a century ago, Porsche shocked the world with a brand-new sports car design. The now iconic 911 would not only define a new type of performance car, it would further establish a lasting history of unique signature architecture; one that continues to inspire designs today. The Frankfurt...
