Showing posts with label coach builders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coach builders. Show all posts
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Coachbuilder tags from vehicles at the La Jolla Motor Car Concours
Thursday, April 5, 2012
One of 5 specially constructed 1929 boattail roadster Essex, by Hudson, coachbuilt by Biddle and Smart... all to make the Essex regional (5 regions got 1 each) sales increase when customers learned what a great car Essex made.
Monday, March 26, 2012
The Count De Sakhnoffsky Cord, L-29, one of one, just sold at RM auction for $2.4 million
Designed by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky for Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Hayes Body Company, this “one-off” design statement was conceived and built specifically for international show competition, and today it remains one of the crowning achievements of the Classic Era. The Count, the son of an advisor to Czar Nicholas II, was an automotive enthusiast from his youth. Following the Russian Revolution, he made his way to Paris where he quickly developed an outstanding reputation for his natural design prowess.
Following training in engineering and art school, the young Count applied his talents to some of the world’s finest chassis of the 1920s, including Minerva, Packard and Rolls-Royce. His designs for Vanden Plas in Belgium earned four successive Grands Prix d’Honneur in Monte Carlo from 1926 through 1929. In 1928, Hayes Body Company of Michigan recruited and sponsored the young de Sakhnoffsky’s emigration to America, and Packard’s Alvan Macauley attempted to lure the Count away. Nonetheless, de Sakhnoffsky remained loyal to Hayes, and he quickly displayed remarkable versatility by designing the 1930 Marmon Model 78 line and the contrastingly tiny American Austin, which continued little changed through 1940 as the American Bantam.
Since Hayes was primarily a mass producer of automobile bodies, de Sakhnoffsky proposed a “one-off” coupe based on Cord’s new L-29 to company management as a styling exercise to perhaps win contracts from Cord or more adventurous work from other manufacturers. While the long and low L-29 chassis provided the perfect canvas for the Count’s European design sensibilities, he decried the ‘squarish’ lines and upright windshield of the basic factory-built body design, retaining only the front and rear bumpers and sleek radiator shell and the basic front and rear fenders, which he subtly restyled.
A masterpiece, de Sakhnoffsky’s sinuous and sporting coupe elevated closed-car styling to heights previously enjoyed only by open designs. Unique touches included a dramatically swept hood featuring a pair of decorative creases from the radiator to the flanks of the cowling and horizontal cooling louvers. A valance atop the steeply-raked and low-cut windshield concealed a unique track for the horizontal wiper mechanism, a layout that was in fact the earlier brainchild of Cornelius Van Ranst. Running boards were eliminated by virtue of the lengthened front fenders sweeping beyond the sculpted leading edges of the doors. The hood’s accent creases were picked up by the doors, swept downward in line with the curvature of the windows and then back up to smoothly hug the bottom of the rear window before joining to stretch down the rear deck and terminating in a spear.
photos and info from http://www.rmauctions.com/CarDetails.cfm?SaleCode=AM12&CarID=r118&Currency=USD
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Fantuzzi Pantera P70 (1965-67) the little I've learned
I've never heard of the Fantuzzi before... so I looked around a little, and learned that Dean Martin bought a 1967 Pantera with something done to it by Fantuzzi... it did not say or show what at http://www.oldtimeraustralia.com/wp_car_dealer/1967-de-tomaso-mangusta-fantuzzi-targa/
other De Tomaso I haven't heard of are
De Tomaso Bigua Concept
De Tomaso Deauville Estate
De Tomaso Ghia Competizione 2000
De Tomaso Mustella Concept
De Tomaso Pampero
De Tomaso Pantera „Bastelobjekt“
De Tomaso Sport 1000
De Tomaso Vallelunga Fantuzzi Spider
De Tomaso Vallelunga Fissore Spyder
De Tomaso Vallelunga Ghia Competizione
Other Fantuzzi I had never heard of before are
Shelby Fantuzzi P70 1964,
Shelby Fantuzzi Sport 500 1965
This DeTomaso Vallelunga Spyder with coachwork by Fantuzzi was shown at the 2006 Quail Gathering making its first appearance outside of Italy in 41 years.
The Vallelunga series was produced from 1965 through 1967 with a total of 58 examples being created. This was the first road car made by DeTomaso and a prototype version was first shown in 1963. It was also one of the earliest vehicles to utilize a mid-engined layout. Though cars such as the Porsche 550 Spyder and Ford GT40 had used this design before, this was the first road-going example to utilize this configuration.
The body and chassis was constructed of lightweight material which made the four-cylinder engine with just over 100 hp more than adequate to give this small car sports-car status. The bodywork was comprised of a lightweight fiber-glass construction. Top speed was reported to be around 112 mph.
The name 'Vellelunga' was named after an Italian racetrack. After 1967 the production of the Vallelunga ceased as the company turned its interests to the Mangusta which was powered by an eight-cylinder engine.
The DeTomaso was introduced in the early 1960s and produced until 1968. It was an exotic, mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car that was based on a roadster designed by Carrozzeria Fissore. It was named after the Autodromo di Vallelunga first shown as a concept car at the Turin Motor Show in 1964. DeTomaso planned to sell the design of the concept to another automaker but an interested party could not be found. As a result, DeTomaso undertook the project with the vehicle assembly outsourced to Ghia.
The Vallelunga was powered by a 1.5L four-cylinder Kent engine sourced from the Ford Cortina. It produced just over 100 horsepower. The chassis was a pressed steel backbone with tubular subframes. A Volkswagen Beetle transaxle was used and fitted with Hewland gear sets. The entire package was clothed in a fiberglass body along with many drilled aluminum parts. At all four corners were disc brakes.
Only 53 production examples were produced (a total of 58 examples when including the prototypes and race cars). Production ceased before the vehicles problems could be resolved, such as quieting the noisy, high-torque engine or working out the drive train vibration issues. It was replaced by the DeTomsao Mangusta which used a modified Vallelunga chassis and powered by a Ford Boss 302 motor.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011
The Vallelunga was powered by a 1.5L four-cylinder Kent engine sourced from the Ford Cortina. It produced just over 100 horsepower. The chassis was a pressed steel backbone with tubular subframes. A Volkswagen Beetle transaxle was used and fitted with Hewland gear sets. The entire package was clothed in a fiberglass body along with many drilled aluminum parts. At all four corners were disc brakes.
Only 53 production examples were produced (a total of 58 examples when including the prototypes and race cars). Production ceased before the vehicles problems could be resolved, such as quieting the noisy, high-torque engine or working out the drive train vibration issues. It was replaced by the DeTomsao Mangusta which used a modified Vallelunga chassis and powered by a Ford Boss 302 motor.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011
Top photo and info from http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z12447/DeTomaso-Vallelunga-Fantuzzi-Spyder.aspx
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Ever heard of a Hebmuller VW? I just learned of it. VW ordered a coachbuilder to make 2000 of them. Good looking!
this 1951 example has had it's history tracked, and it's story is kinda interesting... it was once traded for a International Harvester dump truck! Full story at http://www.tomstrongman.com/ClassicCars/Hebmuller/Gallerytemp.htm
Of the 700 built before a factory fire, about only 100 still exist
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