The Buick Gran Sport had Pontiac to thank. The latter\’s GTO was the first muscle car. As such, it saw a big-block V8 fitted in a medium-sized chassis. The result was hard-punching power – at a competitive price. Not surprisingly, then, the GTO sold well. Again, not surprisingly, Pontiac\’s rivals picked up on the fact. The muscle car era was born. One of those rivals was Buick. In \’65, they took their \’Skylark\’ car – and mated it with their 401ci \’nailhead\’ V8. As a consequence, the Skylark\’s output soared to 325bhp. While the Skylark \’Gran Sport\’ never played in the same sales leagu ..read more

The Ducati Pantah was available in both 500 and 600cc forms. It was a technical stepping-stone for the Bologna marque. The 500 was launched in \’79. The 600 appeared in \’81. They would be an important blueprint for future development. As such, they ushered in more prosperous times for Ducati. When they were released, the firm was a little down at heel, financially. Not that you had have known it by looking at the bikes. Fabio Taglioni made certain of that. One of the most esteemed engineers in motorcycle history, he had worked on the Ducati 500 V-twin GP bike. That was at the start of the Se ..read more

The Pontiac Club de Mer prototype was inspired by land speed record cars. Head of design Harley Earl – and studio leader Paul Gillian – were given the styling brief. It went without saying that \’space-age\’ imagery – pretty much ubiquitous in the \’50s – would get its foot in the design door, too! The most obvious lift from LSR cars was the shark-like stabilising fin at the rear. The front-end featured retractable headlights. The low nose tapered into a blunt arrowhead. Two chrome bands flowed up to air scoops at the back of the hood. The Club de Mer was a shoo-in for the \’56 \’Motorama ..read more

Hi … thanks for your visit! My name is Julian Porte. I live in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. As you would expect, I am a big fan of cars/motorcycles. I was a motorbike despatch rider for 20 years – based in London, though work went all over the UK. To say motorcycle messengers live and breathe bikes is an understatement! And being surrounded by cars 5 days out of 7 gives you quite an insight into them, too! Car and bike racing has been a passion since the first events I attended. For me, very few things in life beat being at the track on a hot summer\’s day. I hope some of that enthusiasm h ..read more

Harley-Davidson can lay claim to manufacturing the world\’s best-known motorcycles. Well, American ones, at any rate. But, Harley has always had a rival. The mere mention of \’Indians\’ has long instilled panic in the suited and booted, in the Harley marketing department! In the \’20s, Indian\’s Springfield factory was high up the motorcycle heap. The Chief was their biggest asset. The 1200cc engine, in the 1947 model, was good for 85mph. Tuning took it to the \’ton\’. An Indian, though, was not about death-defying numbers. Rather, it evoked the spirit of adventure. A bit like that firm in Mi ..read more

In \’57 – when the Fiat 500 was released – motorcycles ruled Italian roads. Whether solo – or attached to a side-car – they were the way most people got from A to B. The Fiat 500 was set to change that. It was convenient and economical. Okay, so were motorbikes. But, the \’500\’ came with a roof … and a sun-roof, at that! By \’77 – twenty years later – Fiat had sold over 4,000,000 of them. The 500\’s stats were not shattering! It had a twin-cylinder, 499cc motor – producing 18bhp, in standard trim. Top speed was 60mph. Enter Carlo Abarth! His 695cc SS model pushed 90mph. The \’Abarth\’ featur ..read more

From an engineering perspective, the Citroën DS must be one of the most exciting roadsters ever built. Its 4-cylinder engine powered a hydraulic system – which found its way into just about every part of the car. The motor itself was straightforward – dating back to the \’34 \’Traction-avant\’. But, the hydraulic set-up it sparked into life was revolutionary. Most notable was the suspension. Instead of springs, the \’DS\’ was fitted with \’self-levelling hydropneumatic struts\’. As a result, the car was able to raise and lower itself in a way that had never been seen – or felt – before. Potho ..read more

When it came to his best-known brand of motorcycle, George Brough did not beat about the bush. \’Superior\’ said it all – and very succinctly. And, to be fair, it was just that – as compared with many of its two-wheeled rivals. Saying that, Brough – and his small team of Nottingham-based engineers – were responsible only for the frame. The engine and cycle parts were outsourced. Initially, JAP – and later Matchless – provided the power. All the parts, though, still had to be coaxed to work as one. Brough and the boys clearly made a good job of it – since the SS100 was widely considered to be ..read more

The Lotus 25 was all about innovation. It was designed by Colin Chapman – charismatic top man at Lotus. In a quest to lower the nose of the car – in the interests of aerodynamics – Chapman envisioned a one-piece chassis. The previous car – the Lotus 24 – had been built around space-frame steel tubing. That was the standard, in \’61. The \’25\’, though, allowed its aluminium shell to act as the frame. Not only was the \’monocoque\’ lower and narrower – it was stronger and lighter, too. Frame flex was substantially reduced. That also let the suspension function to better effect. Chapman boxed c ..read more

The Matchless G50 had a lot to live up to. To name your new company \’Matchless\’ needs confidence in its products – to put it mildly! That was something Charlie and Harry Collier clearly possessed, when they opened for business in 1899. They were located in Plumstead, south-east London. Both brothers were racers – of some repute. In 1907, Charlie rode a Matchless to victory at the first TT – in the single-cylinder category. Harry performed the same feat two years later. At the time, then, the Matchless moniker was pretty much justified. Fast-forward to the Sixties – and Matchless were domina ..read more