The name “Mangusta” is one that gets all motorheads giddy. It’s the Italian word for “mongoose”–a perfect animal name for the car that it was bestowed upon. The De Tomaso Mangusta is still ranked highly as one of the best combinations of Italian style and American power, with its stunning, menacing early 1970s Giugaro lines, gull-winged engine bay, and stump-pulling Ford small-block V8 (a few had the 351 V8). Only 401 were ever built from 1967 until 1971, but in the 1990s and early 2000s, someone brought the name back–and the car had some strikingly similar characteristics to its namesake. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Qvale Mangusta→
Yes, the Prius. A different sort of car than we normally feature in this section, yet a car that has had a resounding impact on the automotive world in recent years. Everyone knows a Prius when they see one, and most people know that the car has become as much a political statement as a mode of transportation. Whether you buy into the whole Green movement or not, there is no denying that the Prius has been an incredible marketing success. It paved the way for an entirely new sort of car in the world, one that puts priority on efficiency and cleanliness over all else. We all know the car, but behind every car there is a story to tell. This is that story.
The Miura Jota is one of those unicorn cars, one that everyone who knows about it wants, but that none will ever have. The Jota is a legend because it was the most extreme example of Lamborghini’s beloved Miura, the car that really put the marque on the map. The Jota has a particularly interesting story though, because its fame began with its own fiery death in 1972. The Jota had been a side project of famed Lamborghini test driver, Bob Wallace, and it was the news coverage of the car’s destruction that informed people of the project to build a faster, more racy Miura. The original Jota was damaged beyond repair, never to be rebuilt, but it did peak the interest of several Miura owners, and six Miura SVJs were created. These SVJs are probably the most valuable Lamborghinis around at this point, and they carry on the legacy of their doomed predecessor.
This is the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale, and I’m sure your eyes have already informed you that it is one of the most beautiful cars ever built by anyone. The word “Stradale” of course means that it is street version of a racing car, and it is indeed. The Tipo 33 Stradale was made in 1967 as a road going version of Autodelta Alfa Romeo’s Tipo 33/2 racing car. Only 18 Stradales were ever built, making it one of the rarest, most sought after cars in the world. One that just gets more and more interesting with every new detail you uncover. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale→
The man with the car that made him famous (and brought him down). John Z. DeLorean.
Back in the Sixties, John Z. Delorean was one of the greatest men working at General Motors. But, by the middle of the Eighties, that all came to a crashing end in a federal courthouse. Most of us know what happened. But, what about the car he badly wanted to put on the market? The DeLorean DMC-12 is still known by most of the public as a time machine, but its own story is a look back at one of the most famous storylines of all time in the small-manufacturer books. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Delorean DMC-12→
Retractable hardtops are a commonplace design in this day and age, but their history stretches back further than the Mercedes SLK. While that car was the first mass-produced retractable roadster that sold in large numbers in the United States, it wasn’t the first convertible with a folding metal top. Ford was the first to bring the retractable hardtop to the United States nearly fifty years earlier. Continue reading Obscure Auto: 1957-1959 Ford Fairlane Skyliner→
Jaguar is a brand long known for sporty, luxurious British automobiles, but their attempt two decades ago to bring out a fully-fledged supercar did not quite pan out as expected. For the reason, the XJ220 is notable in its development and how it changed when the finished product hit the market. It’s still one of the prettiest cars of the early 1990s, and carries with it a particularly intriguing automotive story. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Jaguar XJ220→
This is a mythical machine known to many enthusiasts. Anyone who has played Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport will recognize it as the most insane car that british manufacturer, TVR, ever built. It is the Cerbera Speed 12. People who know it, know of it’s insanity, but few know it’s actual story. We will try and set the record straight. Continue reading Obscure Auto: TVR Cerbera Speed 12→
The Ferrari 456 is a member of a long line of Ferrari grand touring cars. It had a sleek, pure shape to it and was one of the last production cars to feature pop-up headlights. A good many of the standard 456s were produced during it’s eleven year run, and today they are even among the more affordable used Ferraris out there. There were, however, a few other variants of the 456 produced for customers (mainly the Brunei royal family) upon special request. These custom built examples are quite rare and are among the most unique cars around. Continue reading Obscure Autos: Ferrari 456 Venice variants→
Back in the Fifties, most of the European automakers were attempting to get back on their feet after World War II pushed most of the continent to nearly the Stone Age. BMW, for example, had few cars in their lineup that really got people into showrooms during the late Fifties, so they designed a halo car. The 507 may not have been the success it was supposed to be, but it was so influential that its design is still being seen today. Continue reading Obscure Autos: BMW 507→
In the 1960s, automakers were experimenting with all sorts of things. Some wanted to use space-age materials for interior design, while others became obsessed with the racetrack. Some tried hard to coax more power out of their engines, and others experimented with all-new theories–some worked (such as the independent rear suspension on the Corvette), and others did not (the “For Desert Only” switch on Ramblers). Chrysler, meanwhile, worked tirelessly to blow everybody out of the water with their newest idea–a turbine-powered car. Continue reading Obscure Auto: Chrysler Turbine→
This car is linked heavily with the Bugatti EB-110 covered previously. B. Engineering, an Italian firm made up of many ex-Bugatti engineers, designed a chassis based on the design of the EB-110 in order to make an extremely exclusive supercar that would commemorate the turn of the 21st century. They called their car the Edonis, and while it did share its chassis design with the EB-110, major changes occurred everywhere else. Continue reading Obscure Auto: B. Engineering Edonis→
Mind Over Motor 