The Carrera name hailed from the Carrera Panamericana, the Pan-American endurance road race in Mexico, where Porsches had performed extremely well. Starting with the 356, models that have carried the Carrera name have been some of the fastest road cars in the Porsche line-up.
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Following on from the original VAK-1 models, the David Brown company came onto the diesel scene with its Cropmaster model. In 1953 an improved version, the 30D arrived, which produced 34-horsepower from its direct injection diesel unit. A 30C model was also available for those preferring a gas-kerosene engine. With the purchase of the makers of Albion implements in the mid-1950s, David Brown were able to offer a full tractor and implement line from 1955. David Brown were now the third largest manufacturer of agricultural tractors in Britain.
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This is one of many illustrated classic Porsche guides I've created for the community. I hope you enjoy it. If you wish to find out more about the classic Porsche 356 car art featured in this guide please click here.
For Porsche purists, the Porsche 356 is the classic model from this distinguished marque and the progenitor of a remarkable bloodline that survives to the present day in the form of the Porsche 911. Through four distinct model phases - "Pre-A", A, B and C, the 356 evolved in a smooth progression, with numerous specification improvements that improved the car without changing its personality. The shape received subtle refinements, while engine power rose from the earliest 1100 version's 40bhp to the 130bhp of the Carrera 2s 2-litre four-cam unit. Always produced in coupe and cabriolet the glamorous Speedster and high-performance Carrera were desirable variations on a theme.
This was the very first Porsche sports car, chassis number 356-001. Produced in temporary premises in Gmund, Austria, in what was once a sawmill, it had a tubular frame chassis, a smooth, slippery open-top body and a 1,131cc Volkswagen Beetle engine, which was mounted amidships with the gearbox slung out to the tail. Completed by June 1948 and given the registration number K 45286, it was presented to the motoring press at the Swiss Grand Prix.
Following the VW-based roadster, which became 356 Number One, Porsche finally became an actual car builder turning out an initial 49 aluminium-bodied 356s between mid-1948 and March 1951. The first batch of light-alloy bodied 356 models (23 cabriolets and 23 "limousines") were produced at Gmund, Austria and were made almost entirely by hand. Fitted with an air-cooled, rear-mounted, 1,086cc, twin-carburettor engine developing just 40bhp, 80mph was easily attainable due to the lightweight construction.
One of the rarest and most mysterious of all Porsches was the America Roadster (Type 540). Hand-built by Heuer in 1952 and intended primarily for the American market, these open-top cars had distinctive "hump-back" styling and, devoid of any superfluous trim and equipment, were intended for competition purposes. Sadly, Heuer closed its doors in late 1952 and Roadster production was halted after just 16 cars had been produced.
Making its public debut in 1954, the Speedster was basically a stripped, low-cost 356, its humpy body was a cross between the America and the Cabriolet. Fitted with a skimpy hood, barchetta-style windscreen and sidescreens, in place of "wind-up windows to save weight, it became especially popular in California both on and off the track.
Following the 7627 356s built between 1949 and 1955 (Pre-A models) the main changes on the second version the 356A, the model which really established the marque, were softer suspension, a steering damper, a new dashboard and smaller wheels. A hardop Coupe version was added to the range. The 1290cc models (1300 and 44bhp, dropped in 1957; 1300 Super with 60bhp) tended to stay in Germany. The bread and butter models were 1600 (60bhp) and 1600 Super (75bhp) with a speedster for competition work.
The 356B gave way to the 356C in 1963. There were few changes at casual glance, but in reality there were several upgrades including disc brakes all round plus improved ZF steering. Model names were changed too: the Super became the 1600C, the Super 75, the 1600S and the Super 90 the 1600SC, with and extra 5bhp.
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This guide details the coil-sprung Land Rover, covering the 90, 110 and Defender models produced in 1983.
The Land-Rover Ninety and One-Ten were phased in over 1983-1984 to replace the long serving Series III models. They represented a huge advance over the Series III because they had coil sprung suspension instead of leaf-springs, which improved the ride, and disc front brakes, which improved their stopping ability. The long-wheelbase One Ten model arrived first, replacing the Series III 109 in 1983. The Ninety arrived just over a year later to replace the Series III 88-inch. Its wheelbase was actually 92.9- inches between axle centres, rather than the 90 inches its name suggested.
The short-wheelbase companion to the One Ten was announced in June 1984 as the Ninety, and like the One Ten the model made its mark straight away. By comparison to the 88" Series 3, the coil-sprung Ninety offered a much improved ride together with better carrying capacity. Four different bodies were available: soft-top, hard-top, pickup and seven-seater Station Wagon, with a choice of either a 2.3-litre petrol or 2.5-litre diesel engine. V8 power for the Ninety models was made available from May 1985.
It has been estimated that as many as 40% of all Land Rovers built have entered service with military or parliamentary organisations, a figure that proved a major influence on the choice of the Defender name for the coil-sprung Land Rovers of the Nineties. Short-wheelbase coil-sprung Land Rovers are far less common in military service than long-wheelbase versions, mainly due to their relatively restricted carrying capacity. They are often specified for communications and liaison duties rather than as cargo or personnel carriers.
In 1990, the Ninety and the One Ten were replaced by the Defender 90 and 110, which were simply evolutionary models wearing new badging. The key change that came with the Defenders was that the old turbo-diesel engine was replaced by a de-tuned version of the 200 Tdi turbo-diesel from the Discovery. The V8 remained available, and until 1994 so did the four-cylinder petrol. From 1995. however, all Defenders for the British market had Tdi engines unless to special order.
During the first few years of Defender production the vehicles specification changed only in small details. Most notable was the improved LT77S gearbox for the 1992 models and the June 1993 introduction of rear discs, replacing drums that had been used for all previous coil-sprung Land Rovers. At the same time the front discs on One Tens, and Nineties with the High Load Suspension option became ventilated. From March 1994, the 200Tdi engine was replaced by the quieter 300Tdi type, now coming in full 111bhp Discovery tune.
This is one of many illustrated classic car guides I've created for the community. I hope you enjoy it. If you wish to find out more about the classic Ford Thunderbird car art featured in this guide please click here.
Few post-war automotive nameplates have achieved such legendary status as the Ford's "personal car". An instant classic when introduced in 1955, this sleek two-seater stunned America with its stylish lines and luxury options. It sold exactly 53,166 copies in a three-year model run to 1957 and fired the public's imagination in such a way that for the next decade American buyers looking for lively power in a stylish package would greedily devour every Thunderbird going.
Mechanical changes were perhaps more significant than styling revisions for Thunderbird's second season. The most obvious difference was a standard "Continental" exterior-mount spare tyre, which opened up more cargo room in the trunk. Inside, a padded dash and dished steering wheel reflected Ford's efforts on the safety front, together with newly optional seatbelts. Detroit was still engages in a "horsepower war" so the 292 V-8 returned for '56 with 202 bhp, though it now coupled only to the standard three-speed manual transmission, with stick overdrive or Ford-O-Matic you got a new 312-cid Thunderbird special engine offering 215 or 225 horsepower.
The two-seat Thunderbird entered its final year carrying fresh front and rear styling. At the rear, tailfins mirrored those of Ford's '57 full-size line up, while the front ends adopted a loop bumper with stand-alone pods. Top power option was a new (F-Code) supercharged 312 producing 300 advertised bhp, although some estimates put it closer to 340. Fitted with this engine, a '57 T-Bird was an extremely quick motorcar. With a 21,380 production run, the '57 was the most numerous of the little-Birds and is also the most popular with collectors today.
Swapping two seats for four in 1958 showed the powerful influence of Ford's accountants. In search for greater sales volume, the Thunderbird was taken upmarket, losing its youthful verve and turning the car into a prestige cruiser. These 1958-1960 second generation Thunderbirds gained eleven inches in the wheelbase and were nearly 800 pounds heavier. A substantially bigger 'Bird, the blocky profile later prompted the Squarebird nickname. A larger "FE-Block" V-8 was offered for '58 to help offset the car's weight gain. It came in only one configuration, 352 cubic inches with four-barrel carb. '58 model year production totalled 37,892 units.
Radical updates to the basic '58 styling were considered for the '59, but none materialised. With a revised tooling budget of just $700,000 for all 1959-1960 modifications, the Squarebird received only minor visual changes. For '59, a horizontal-bar grille replaced the previous year's honeycomb design with the theme being repeated for the taillight surrounds, and chrome spearheads leading Thunderbird script replaced grilles on the bodyside "bombs". Most noteworthy styling changes for 1960 were a new honeycomb grille overlaid with three vertical bars, and triple taillight cluster replacing dual lights.
Thunderbird gained a sleek new "bullet" shape for its third generation. With a completely redesigned chassis and improved suspension, the new model handled much better than the Squarebird, and steering was more responsive. There were better brakes too, which was appropriate as kerb weight had risen sharply over the previous models. The standard, and only engine was a 300 horsepower 390 cid V-8. The '61 rated as the best engineered Thunderbird to-date. One gold-painted rag-top served as the pace car for the 50th running of the Indy 500.
New for '62, the Sports Roadster model was the finest incarnation of the '61-63 Thunderbirds, and a spiritual successor to the two-seat T-Bird. With Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels and a two-seater fibreglass tonneau, it was one of the most glamorous and exclusive convertibles of the early sixties. With only slight visual changes from the '61 models most interesting was the newly optional M-series 390 V-8, with triple two-barrel carbs and 10.5:1 compression, good for 340bhp. Reasonably priced at $242.10, the M option enabled 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds and 115 mph all out.
