Innehållsförteckning för Volume 9 från RETROMOTIVE

The Muntz Car Company was based in Glendale, California, and then Evanston, Illinois between 1950 and 1954. In 1949 business entrepreneur, Earl ‘Madman’ Muntz (1914-1987), purchased a custom-bodied Buick from Frank Kurtis who is perhaps best known for his exceptional Indianapolis roadsters and Championship cars. When he saw the Kurtis sports car that Kurtis had been building in small numbers (just 38, with sleek rounded lines) with Ford flathead V8 power, Muntz, who had made a fortune selling new and used cars and television sets, liked it so much that he bought the project and started building a redesigned version which he called the Muntz Jet. Muntz changed the Kurtis sports car, stretching it into a four-seater by extending the wheelbase to 113 inches, with first Cadillac, and then Lincoln…

The Morgan Aeromax is a futuristic car with a retro inspired design – built in 2008 yet looking like something teleported from a science-fiction film of the 1950s. ‘Non-car people have an amazing reaction to it,’ says Philip. ‘People who don’t know a Porsche from a pram are in awe of it.’ Originally built and sold to Richard Hammond of Top Gear fame, this Aeromax slipped through Philip’s fingers not once but twice, and believe me when I say that you will have to pry it from his cold dead hands if you want to get your mitts on it…but more about that later. Philip is the first person to make a second appearance in Retromotive. He is nothing but entertaining to talk to and I generally spend more time…

This article is about the VTEC technology as originally developed and perfected by Honda in the late 80’s, so if engines that rev past 8000 rpm, sound amazing and have super cool (well 80’s cool) technology aren’t your thing, this article is probably not for you! So what is VTEC? Soundscomplex. whybother? Can’tIjust putinabiggermotororjustcatchthebus? Allgoodquestions…. However the driving force for Japan’s car manufacturers to produce more efficient, smaller and higher horsepower engines comes down to their high taxes levied on engine displacement. In the past, these same taxes promoted development and adaptation of the Rotary engine, Miller cycle engine as well as turbo and super charging. Ok, so we the sports car buying public want a high performance engine with high power developed at super high revs, but not one…

Martin and Marguerite grew up around cars in a separate manner. Martin’s father owned a Mercedes-Benz workshop and Marguerite’s father, Laurie O’Neil, was a prominent car collector. Their shared passion has endured since their early teens and shows no signs of abating any time soon. Marguerite’s 1968 Bentley T Mulliner, Park Ward Drophead Coupe came into the family as part of Laurie’s collection in 1987. ‘My father saw the Bentley advertised in Hemmings motor magazine back in the ’80s (the bible for cars world-wide at the time.) It appealed to him because it was one of only 24 righthand-drive models produced and he purchased it sight unseen over the phone.’ The Bentley T-Series was produced from 1965 to 1980 and was essentially a Bentley-badged version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.…

It is now 50 years since Bruce McLaren died on 2 June 1970, leaving the motor racing world in shock. At that time, Bruce and Bruce McLaren (Motor Racing) Ltd was one of the most famous racing teams in the world, dominating racetracks in Europe and the US. Although the team took a real hit when its founder, technical genius and star driver died, McLaren carried on ― and how! It is now the second oldest team in Formula 1 next to Ferrari, and these days is not only well known for its racing success but also for its production supercars. Most believe that the supercar dynasty started with the McLaren F1. However, at the time of Bruce’s death, testing was already underway on what could have been McLaren’s first…

Looking at Amy Shore’s photography one thing strikes me above anything else. Authenticity. Amy manages a genuine engagement with the subject matter whether it has four wheels or two legs. Her photos connect you with the story and pull you into the atmosphere of the moment. Amy’s style and aesthetic is obvious even in her very early work. It’s something she has refined over time but it’s very rare for someone to have a distinguishable and identifiable style so early on in any artistic medium. ‘I guess I see things a little differently to the average car nut.’ Amy has always been open about the fact that she loves capturing images of cars more so than the cars themselves. ‘I love the road trips, the freedom it represents and people’s…

The 1983 Lancia 037 Group B would be the last rear-wheel-drive car to win the World Rally Championship. It was an important stopgap for the company and allowed it to claim another world championship and prepare for the transition to the four-wheel-drive era. In 1979, the FIA announced sweeping changes to the racing car classification system and the newly conceived Group B was scheduled to begin with the 1982 season. This left manufacturers with barely any time to develop a new machine for competition under the new regulations. As the Stratos had no successor, this would be the first time in 10 years that Lancia had developed a purpose-built rally car. Even though homologation would only require 200 examples allowing car companies to be a little more adventurous with design,…

There are times in life when you stand in front of something and instantly recognise its intrinsic beauty. Whether you’re at a museum, an art gallery, or watching a film, these brief moments of awareness can take your breath away. Taking in the sensual beauty of a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso will likely be such a moment: the lines, curves, and proportions blend together into a medley of beauty and emotion. Considered by many to be the most elegant Ferrari ever made, the Lusso isn't to be taken lightly and has a specific set of rituals that one must complete in order to unleash the fury of the V12 under the hood. Michael Feny prefers to release that fury in the quiet stillness of the morning when traffic is light…

Many aspects of my job at Touring Superleggera are incredibly exciting. Foremost for me is creating cars which are not mass-produced with a limited life, but hand-crafted automobiles which will be the collectibles of tomorrow and pass from generation to generation. In our office in Milan we have a timeline, with all the cars we have created from 1926 to the present day. It is quite something to know that I contribute to this huge history. Our heritage has existed for more than 95 years, so it has to be considered with respect. This doesn’t mean that we are only focused on the past, but it is our legacy that we build on the actual company’s values, and as Head of Design, I take care to have a design strategy…