History

History cars, race

Show filter
In July 1973, the British car industry’s woes were just beginning. But were unions or American management at fault?

On the cover of CAR’s July 1973 issue the tabloid-style headline screamed ‘Whose Spanner In Whose Works?’ The story of the British car industry’s woes in the Seventies is wellknown in retrospect, with unrealistic trade union demands and corner-cutting management generally blamed. But this article brings in an international angle that’s rarely discussed. ‘British Leyland’s much vaunted money injection last spring may have come too late,’ wrote Clive Ranger. ‘In 1971 they invested only £48 million against £130 million for Fiat and £124 million for VW. No wonder foreign competitors in the British market have become a cause for concern.’

295
1983 WSCC 40 years on, drivers and engineers remember the dominant Porsche 956

In 1983, Porsche 956s performed the unprecedented feat of winning every single round of the World Sports Car Championship. Forty years on, drivers and engineers recall the dawn of a Group C titan.

320
1971 Shelby Mustang Europa GT500

When is a Shelby Mustang not a Shelby Mustang? When it’s a Shelby Mustang Europa GT500… only it was a Shelby Mustang, well, sort of…. Richard Heseltine explains.

1097
Stirling Moss wins Silverstone with Lister-Jaguar, July 1958

Due to its aerodynamic magnesium body, lightweight tubular chassis and Jaguar’s powerful 3.4-litre XK engine, ever since its introduction in 1957, the Lister ‘Knobbly’ (so called due to the tall front wheelarches flanking its low nose) had quickly become the car to beat in international sports car racing. One of the other main reasons for the car’s success was Lister’s works driver, the Scot Archie Scott Brown. Despite having a badly deformed hand and severe mobility problems with his legs, he was still an immensely talented and courageous driver.

339
Zimmerised 910 - the strange history of chassis Porsche 910-013

In the early 1970s, a racing enthusiast in possession of an accident-damaged 910 decided to transform the Porsche into a no-excuses sports car for the road. Calling in leading experts, he succeeded in creating an automobile of rare sculptural excellence…

992
Memorable Racecars 1965 Lotus 38

Firsts seldom come in fours. However, as an embodiment of the representative quantum leap taken over its competitors of the era, at the 1965 Indy 500, the Lotus 38 heralded just that.

288
Graham Hill wins Silverstone in the lightweight Jaguar E-Type Prototype, May 1963

Jaguar might have pulled out of international motorsport in the mid ’50s, but with privateer teams competing with the E-Type soon after its debut in early 1961

372
America’s ‘ute’ 1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS

America’s ‘ute’. Chevrolet’s classic El Camino is a unique take on the pick-up formula says our man in America, Huw Evans…

502
An anatomy of the Rolls-Royce Camargue

When Rolls-Royce collaborated with Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina for its new 1970s flagship, the Camargue was the distinctive but divisive outcome. Almost 50 years on, the car is still a contentious subject.

646
1990 Audi V8 quattro DTM

Lurking in the shadows of the poster children of the Group A generation of DTM cars – the Mercedes 190 E and E30 BMW M3 – the Audi V8 quattro DTM is easily forgotten.

579
Jaguar XJR-5 wins first race, Road Atlanta, April 10 1983

Road Atlanta might be thousands of miles away on the other side of the Atlantic, but what happened at the American circuit four decades ago would have a direct impact on Jaguar’s future success at Le Mans. Ever since Bob Tullius’ Group 44 team had announced its IMSA GTP programme with the V12-engined XJR-5 in the early Eighties, there had been speculation that it would be a spring board for the British company to head back to the famed 24-hour race. Jaguar, though, initially played down its chances.

323
2002 Chevrolet Bel Air Concept

When is a Bel Air not a Bel Air? When it’s a 2002 concept that looks more like a Ford Thunderbird crossed with an SSR, that’s when!

543
1993 Aston Martin Lagonda Vignale

King Baudouin’s DB2/4 isn’t the only Aston Martin linked to the Vignale name; in 1993, AML revealed a concept named after the famous Italian design house.

502
Aston Martin drivers - Carrol Shelby

To mark the 100th anniversary of Carroll Shelby’s birth, we look at the career of this iconic American who won the 1959 Le Mans

322
Aero hero - Ford’s 1983-1988 Thunderbird ushered in a new era for American cars

Pundits will argue that the 1986 Ford Taurus was the car that really redefined American car design during the Eighties; but I would argue that its Thunderbird stablemate

744
Drives TODAY use cookie