Occasionally, a car comes along and completely revolutionises the way things are done; a true contemporary. It’s fair to say the Lamborghini Miura was one of these. The most important example of mid 60’s motoring, the Lamborghini Miura captured the public’s imagination from just a chassis, let alone when clothed
Author: Jack Shepherdson
Alfa Romeo Carabo
Whilst many designers approached the idea of the wedge car, Marcello Gandini turned it into an art form, penning such illustrious wedge cars as the Lamborghini Countach, Lancia Stratos and most daringly, the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo. Built on the chassis of an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, far from an ordinary
General Motors Firebird XP-21
The first of General Motor’s four Firebird concepts, the 1953 Firebird XP-21 is probably the most impractical concept car ever devised. Built purely as a research and development exercise, GM’s Firebird XP-21 featured a radical wind tunnel tested fibreglass body heavily inspired by the Atomic Age. Combined with a gas
Phantom Corsair
Mercedes-Benz C111
After the immense success of the Mercedes 300SL, especially in the United States market, anticipation for a successor to what many consider the first supercar was rife, resulting in the unveiling of the Mercedes C111-II at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. Featuring the 300SL’s signature gullwing doors, the C111-II was used
Lancia Stratos Zero
Many would argue Marcello Gandini is the greatest automotive designer of the modern day. Need proof? Just look at the Lancia Stratos Zero. Debuted at the 1969 Turin Motor Show a year before the production Stratos, the two cars shared very few components, let alone drastically different stylings. Having spent
Ford Nucleon
Occasionally concept cars pioneer fantastic new technology later implemented into production cars. It’s probably better the Ford Nucleon didn’t catch on. Envisioned in 1958 at the pinnacle of the atomic age, the Nucleon concept was to be powered, as the name denotes, by a steam engine fed by an on-board nuclear
Chrysler Turbine Car
Oldsmobile Golden Rocket
Very few cars manage to preserve the sensory smack in the mouth when first unveiled, but the Oldsmobile Golden Rocket sure does; a car still as breathtaking today as it was at the 1956 General Motors Motorama. Built purely to showcase GM’s design capabilities, the Golden Rocket is clearly inspired by
Abarth 1500 Biposto
Conceived as a design exercise into automotive aerodynamics, Franco Scaglione’s Abarth 1500 Biposto is a wonderful example of ‘form follows function’ design resulting in a truly beautiful shape. Considered the predecessor to Scaglione’s trio of Alfa Romeo BAT cars, so much so the Biposto is often referred to as BAT