The American Super Car AMX/3 | The Bad Blonde Car History

Let's talk about the mid-engine V8 American sports car dream by AMC (American Motor Corporation that you likely have not heard of. The American Super Car AMX/3 | The Bad Blonde Car History #AMX3 #AMC #SUPERCAR The ambitious project started in 1969 with dreams of mass-production that would not quite take flight. Let’s first start our story with AMC’s background and financial situation, AMC was the underdog of the American automotive scene. They had suffered significantly in sales during the 1960s but saw an opportunity in targeting the younger markets with sports options. They needed a halo car. Keep in mind the mid-60s were an era of baby boomers coming of driving age and the birth of the pony cars. 1968 AMC came out with the Javelin with great press fanfare but lackluster sales. The AMC executives decided they needed to sport up the image with the addition of a high-performance mid-engine sports car. First they would showcase the AMX/2, heavily influenced by the De Tomaso Mangusta. Though the AMX/2 would garner attention as a show car it had no prospect of production. At this time the De Tomaso Pantera was in development and AMC had clear sights on it for competition. Ford had a leg up with plans to distribute it through it’s wide dealer network. Legendary designer, Dick Teague along with Bob Nixon designed the AMX/2 which notably the AMC execs were pleased but not certain that the AMX/3 should be designed in-house. They arranged a competition between Teague and his team against Italdesign Founder and famed designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro. Under Giorgetto’s belt were designs such as BMW M1, Lotus Esprit S1, Delorean, Mangusta, and the Iso Grifo. Teague and his team were not playing around, they improved on their design completed a fully developed fiberglass mock-up and won. For financial reasons, AMC made the decision to outsource production and development to European operations. Thus hopefully keeping the production costs and sales price low. Initially, they considered German coachbuilder Karmann who had already been assembling Javelins for European markets since 1968. Then they had discussions with BMW. And then it gets a little muddled. Italdesign with Giorgetto Giugiaro was commissioned to manage the project. Salvatore Diomante, who was involved in the fabrication of the prototypes, remembers that it was Karmann who commissioned ItalDesign to manage the project and that it was, in turn, Giugiaro who commissioned Bizzarrini to develop the chassis for the first car. And BMW would jump back into the fold with development. My apologies if that is a fuddled explanation. Lots of talented ingredients in that soup. An AMX3 was tested at Monza reaching 170 mph, equivalent speeds to the Ferraris of the day. In 1970 AMC presented the AMX/3 to the press with acclaim.. Just to note, they debuted the car in Rome and in New York EACH day just one day before scheduled press days for the Pantera. Though despite of the strong press and public reactions to the AMX/3, AMC would pull the project. With an already struggling, AMC, they didn’t see the AMX/3 proving itself financially worth it. The AMX/3 reported target price was $12k, a few grand more than the Pantera… Which eventually Ford with all it’s financial backing wasn’t able to keep the Pantera on the market. In total nine chassis were constructed with six cars being completed, a seventh later on with leftover parts. The AMX3 #1 was found and is in the process of being restored, you can watch the process on a youtube channel called We the Committee

5 to Know on the 1932 Ford aka The Deuce | The Bad Blonde Car History

5 to Know on the 1932 Ford aka The Deuce The 1932 Ford Deuce icon and symbol of hotrods was a result of auspicious culmination that made the 1932 Ford aka the Deuce a hotrodders dream… 1. Steel enforced body – The perfect platform for hot-rodding Before this, most cars were made of steel and wooden frames which meant more issues to succumb to elements like moisture, heat, termites Ford’s steel bodies would make the cars last longer which more of them were able to be found in dump yards just ready for a hotrodder to scoop them up The innovative 1932 steel body platform was be shared between two cars, the Model B and the Model 18. Each available in: coupe, two-door sedan, 4-door sedan, cabriolet, phaeton, roadster, Naturally hotrodders are looking to cut and chop as much as possible to lighten the weight of the vehicle, which made the roadster the most attractive. 2. Ford Flathead V8 In tough competition with Chevy, Henry Ford knew he needed to create and affordable more powerful engine. He put four teams to the task and gave them strict guidelines, and in 16 months Ford had the Flathead V8. The 221 cubic inches capable of 81 hp. 26 more hp that the Chevy’s and lighter. Naturally there would be some kinks to work out since Ford had expedited the project, engines breaking in half, piston failure… Before Ford’s V8, the normal working man could not afford a V8 it was primarily an engine available from only luxury car makers. This made it highly popular. America’s obsession with the V8 continues strong. 3. Mass production/Numbers What is Ford known for? Mass production. The first year of production Ford Motor Company sold nearly 300k models powered by the Flathead With the fact of high numbers of these cars that weren’t rotting away in junk yards meant that plenty were up for the picking. 4. Right timing: Population with technical skills + America was prosperous After WWII ended you had service men coming back over from the states who had received technical training. They had the skills and they wanted a hobby with thrills.] Purchasing new cars which entailed that there old cars were being sent to dump yards were they would languish but not rot. Ford’s steel re-enforced bodies meant the bodies were still in good shape. A hot rodder go into the a junk yard and have their pick of Ford’s – You could get a model T for $10 5. Cultural popularity – Everyone and their mom’s wanted a hot rod California dry lake beds were a proving ground for young hotrodders of the day – The dry lakes were so attractive to speed seekers because you go out there haul without the dangers of cops, streetlights or pedestrians. Two most popular lakes were Muroc and El Mirage.. gave birth to the SCTA Southern California Timing Association giving safety and regulation to the motorsport. To note, racing at the dry lakes were popular before but would take off like a rocket post-WWII The culture spread like wildfire with such hits as the Beach Boy’s “Little Deuce Coupe”. An avenue for personal creativity. It was a combination of Ford’s steel reinforced body, the flathead V8, servicemen with technical skills and disposable income, and numerous 32s available that made the Deuce a hot-rod icon.

The American Rolls-Royce You Didn't Know About | The Bad Blonde Car History

Let's jump into the history of the McFarlan aka the American Rolls-Royce! Born from the McFarlan Carriage Company founded in 1856 by John B. McFarlan who came to America with his parents at nine years old. Off the top of my head other American carriage company’s that evolved into the horseless carriage, Studebaker was founded in 1852 as a carriage company, and Auburn (which will come into the story shortly) was founded in 1874 as the Eckhart Carriage Company. In 1909 his grandson, Alfred Harry McFarlan, of would see an opportunity in the horseless carriage and created the McFarlan Motor car company with its first model introduced in 1910. McFarlan Motor Corporation hit the run two cars in the labor Day Races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway finishing top five in both heats in 1910 a year before the inaugural Indy 500. Of the run, the Indianapolis Star would post “200 Miles without a stop - 200 Miles in 183 minutes” They would also enter Indianapolis 500 in both 1911 (finishing 25th) and 1912 (finishing 19th), driven by Mel Marquette. Mel was an early aviator who worked with the Wright Brothers. With a focus on quality and luxury, Mcfarlan Motor Corporation produced under 300 cars a year and sometimes less that 200. The McFarlan moto meter wears the insignia of a thistle which signifies the family’s Scottish heritage. Now what is a moto meter? It was used in automobiles to show the temperature of the radiator. In 1921 McFarlan introduced its own engine, the fabulous Twin Valve capable of 120 horsepower featuring 18 spark plugs and triple ignition. During the 1920s, the McFarlan was the premiere luxury automobile considered the “American Rolls Royce”.. When I think of early American automotive luxury, naturally my brain goes to the “Three Ps of Luxury” Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow.. Where does your mind go? Owned by the “who’s who” crowd of the day, celebrities such as Fatty Arbluckle , William Desmond Taylor, and Jack Dempsey. Al Capone bought one for his wife and shortly after one for himself. It would be cool to make a video dedicated to the cars that Al Capone owned.. In attempts to survive McFarlan steer into low-priced markets with the introduction of the Single-Valve Six model powered by a Wisconsin six-cylinder engine. It did not do great, McFarlan discontinued it in 1926 and company’s resources were thinning. Mid 1920s, the McFarlan Motor Car Company offered 2 lines with total of 26 different models ranign from $2,000-$10,000. They also dabbled in commercial vehicles like hearses, ambulances, and firetrucks. In 1926 McFarlan introduced a straight-eight inline engine, the Line-8 which sole better than the single-valve. Near the end of the twenties, McFarlan and his fellow leaders of McFarlan health would decline. That coupled with the thinned resources of the company lead to its demise. Ironically, the company would go bankrupt in 1928, a year before the Great Depression would wipe out many luxury automobile manufacturers. All McFarlan assets would be purchased by E.L Cord. If you don’t know who E.L. Cord is, he at own time owned a Triumvirate of America’s most beautiful automobile manufacturers, Cord, Auburn and Duesenberg. The manufacturing plant would later serve at the body shop for the Auburn Automobile company. An easy set up and smart purchase as McFarlan had been produced closed-body coaches for Auburn before their bankruptcy. McFarlan has been beind the bodies of the famed speedster bodies on the 1928 Auburn. It is believed that 19 McFarlans known to exist today. The McFarlan is to be a featured marque at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance so I am excited to see that gathering. If you are wanting to see a McFarlan in person I know there is a 1925 McFarlan Twin Valve Six-154 Town Car 1925 at the National Automobile Museum (aka once was Harrah’s Collection) in Reno. I went there seven years ago and it is worth the trip.

Worst Day for Motorsports Ever | The Bad Blonde Car History

The Worst Day at The 24hrs of Lemans |The Bad Blonde Car History 1955 Le Mans Tragedy. Post-WWII, the Le Mans is jumping with competition from major automotive brands like Aston Martin, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Jaguar. A fierce competition of automotive titans. The increased speed of the race cars was not matched in the safety of the course. By 1955, top speeds for the leading cars were over 270 km/h (170 mph) Also during this time not only was the track not safe for drivers but also spectator safety was not at the forefront. The 1955 Le Mans disaster started with Jaguar D-type driver Mike Hawthorn slowing to enter the pit (signaling this with a wave and braking quickly with disk brakes) on the of Austin-Healy 100S driver Lance Macklin, Macklin with a slowing Jaguar in front of him swerved to the left in front of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR driven by Pierre Levegh. At 120 MPH Levegh was not able to avoid the car but did raise his hand warning Mercedes-Benz driver Fangio. The Mercedes rode up onto the rear-left corner of the Healey which essentially acted like a ramp and then launched the Mercedes into the air over a protective berm at 125mph. Two major factors resulting from track layout– there was no designated deceleration lane for cars coming into the pits, and also that just before the main straight, there was a slight right-hand kink in the road just after which Hawthorn began to brake. The Mercedes-Benz and it’s organs essentially turned into shrapnel with the hood, engine, radiator flying through the crowded spectator area. The hood slicing through the crowd land decapitating the crowded spectators. Levegh was thrown from the tumbling car, hitting the ground and crushing his skull which killed him instantly. Jaguar driver Duncan Hamilton, watching from the pit said "The scene on the other side of the road was indescribable. The dead and dying were everywhere; the cries of pain, anguish, and despair screamed catastrophe. I stood as if in a dream, too horrified to even think." The co-driver of Levegh, John Fitch waiting to over at the wheel, stood with Levegh’s wife and both watched the catastrophe unfold. The 300 SLR featured a body made of an ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy called Elektron. The fuel fire caused the alloy to burst into white-hot flames showering the crowd and track with magnesium embers. Unfamiliar with magnesium fires, the rescue workers made it worse by pouring water onto the inferno. Mercedes-Benz while in first and second position decided to not finish the race and asked the Jaguar team to respond in kind out of respect for the deceased. Jaguar declined. In total 84 spectators lost their lives and over 100 were injured (some estimate the toll to be even higher). It is the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. Jaguar with Hawthorn would win the race and Hawthorn would be photographed smiling sipping champagne from the podium. A French magazine published it with the headline “to your health” There has been no precise point of blame for the tragedy. Did Hawthorn break to quickly getting into the pit? Was Mackling’s swerving wreckless? Was Levegh not able to handle the speeds of the Mercedes-Benz SLR? Hawthorn’s autobiography apparently really miffed Macklin, causing a libel suit to be filed but never resolved as Hawthorn would be killed in a car accident while overtaking a Mercedes in his Jaguar.

Birth of Alfa Romeo | The Bad Blonde Car History

The birth and pre-war history of Alfa-Romeo #alfaromeo #thebadblonde #8C2900 Founded in 1906 as the Società Anonima Italiana Darracq by French entrepreneur Alexandre Darracq with Italian investors in Milan Italy. Alexandre Darracq was an odd bird. At one point he was producing 10% of all automobiles coming out of France BUT he did not like even like cars or the driving or riding experience. He just liked manufacturing and money. Darracq didn’t think the factory was cranking out enough cars. He sold his part of the assets to his investors and then it would become known as A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili). We wouldn’t see Romeo added to it’s name till 1920. In 1915, the man who make the second half of Alfa Romeo, Nicola Romeo would step onto the scene and run ALFA during WWI producing war munitions, aircraft engines, and other military hardware for the war effort. In 1920, with the Torpedo 20-30hp the name was officially changed to Alfa-Romeo. Also in that same year Giuseppe Campari took first and Enzo Ferrari second at Mugello and Targa Florio respectively. Yes, the legendary cantankerous and talented automotive icon Enzo Ferrari. He had just left Fiat to drive for Alfa Romeo. Enzo was also the one that talked Vittorio Jano to jump ship from Fiat to Alfa Romeo as Chief Engineer in 1923. He would quickly design the P2 and the straight 8 engine that go into to it which would claim the 1925 world championship for GP cars. The p2 powerplant would go on to be the classic configuration for Alfa cars at the time. In 1928 Nicola Romeo left. In 1933 the government took over Alfa Romeo’s making it a national emblem for Mussolini’s Italy. The 1930s were years of beauty for Alfa Romeo, many of its cars were bespoke vehicles for the wealthy with bodies done by the most esteemed carozzeria’s of the time. Let’s talk a bit about the Alfa Romeo 8C, a range of sports, race, and road cars of the 1930s. 8C designating 8 cylinders, from the straight 8 engine configuration designed by Vittorio Jano. This engine was the primary racing engine from 1931-1939. The 8C2300 named in reference to the car’s 2.3L 2336cc engine. It was a car designed for race, and took victory at the Targa Florio and it was it’s victory at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza that gave it the nickname of Monza. Alfa thought, why not sport it up even more and debuted the 8C 2300 Le Mans and with that winning the 1931 Le Mans. (Pictured is one of eight A 1933 8C 2300 Le Mans, saw this at the Simeone Museum) Enzo’s Scuderia Ferrari was the acting race team of Alfa Romeo. The Alfa Romeo Bimotore built by Enzo and Luigi Bazzi was the first car to wear the Ferrari prancing horse badge. In 1935 we would see an unusual racer from Alfa, the Bimotore Scuderia Ferrari, it was powered by two 3.2 liter engines placed at the front and the rear connected by a separate driveshaft to a gear box with two input shafts and two angled output shafts so that each had its own driveshaft. Due to the uneneven weight distribution it handled poorly. It was also hard on petrol and tires. In 1935 we would see the introduction of the famed Alfa Romeo 8C 2900. The 8C2900 was a car designed for competition in particular Alfa had their sights on the Mille Miglia. The 8C 2900A was powered by the 8 cylinder 2.9 liter engine with two superchargers. A year after debuting at the London Motor Show, Scuderia Ferrari entered three 8C 2900s into the 1936 Mille Miglia and took all three pole positions. The following year, two 8C 2900 would take first and second. Only 10 ever made between 1935-1936. In 1937, the 8C 2900B would start production, with two chassis options the corto and lungo. Short and long. The 8C2900 (which I saw this one at the Alfa Museum) 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Lungo with Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera body. This 8C 2900B Mille Miglia Roadster that won the 1938 Mille Miglia Roadster (Simeone Foundation Automitve Museum) And frankly, it was with the Alfa Romeo 2900B type 35 racers that Alfa peaked. In 1939, Enzo would have a disagreement and be dismissed by Alfa Romeo and we know what else happens in 1939? WWII. During the war Alfa turned to war efforts, producing the Machhi Folgore engines which were essentially the Daimler-Benz 600 series built under license).

Apollo GT - The American Ferrari | The Bad Blonde Car History

Apollo GT - The American Ferrari | The Bad Blonde Car History This story begins with International Motor Cars and a dream to create the American Ferrari. To paint a picture of the times, 50s-60s enjoyed a flood of European sportscars and roadsters. Though the difficulty of finding a corner station mechanic that could work on your import was few and far between. A genius solution to that? Hybrid. European body with American power. For example, the Cobra, the Sunbeam tiger, Bizarrini, Jensen Interceptor, Iso Grifo and Italia. A young California engineer, Milt Brown wanted to create the American answer to the influx of European sports cars of the times. (Little photo of Milt and I harassing everyone’s ears at the Quail about the Apollo). While on his honeymoon and attending the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix, Milt Brown was on the search for a coach builder when he met Frank Reisner of Intermeccanica in Turin Italy. Turin Italy was a veritable hot bed of coachbuilders. Three years later the first Apollos where hand formed and shipped by sea to Oakland California to be installed with a powerful and reliable Buick V8. The beauty of this, you could take your Apollo to your local Buick dealer and have it worked on. Initial concept was drawn up by Ron Plescia but would be honed and finalized the Franco Scaglione. When International Motor Cars would decide to build a spider prototype to grab attention at the 1963 San Francisco Auto Show they would employ Scaglione. Only 5 spiders remain in existence. Base price was $6,000 and that low price would be what would eventually lead to the fall of International Motor Car. I have four episodes of radio show interviews with George Finley who had jumped ship from Ford/Lincoln to steer the sales and marketing department of this exciting start up. George once told me he was making a deal to sell an Apollo to the head of Mattel at the time, and the gentleman told George if this is hand built in Italy you better raise the price. Ned Davis’ theory behind the price tag was to be close to the Jaguar XKE however, the XKE was mass produced as opposed to the handmade Apollo. International Motor Car company would complete 42 cars before financial strain ceased production. The fall of Apollo according the George happened quite quickly, he was out on a test drive with an Apollo making a sale when he made a phone call to the office. Ned Davis told him to not come back with the car. Milt was in Turin Italy with his family, goes to pick up his American Express airline ticket and they say his card has been canceled and tickets invalid. George sold the car and sent 4 grand of the sale via Western Union to help get Milt and his family out of Italy. Through contract with IMC, Reisner was allowed to send chassis to Vanguard Industries in Texas to be sold as the Vetta Ventura. 19 bodies went out but only 11 cars were completed, the remainder being built up by a garage called Precision Motors as late as 1971. Then Apollo International Company would attempt to carry on the Apollo name. 24 bodies were shipped to Pasadena, but only 14 were built up; six were purchased and constructed by the shop foreman and the remaining four, left unspoken for at LA docks, were sold off in a customs auction. In total, 76 coupes created and 11 spiders, likely half that in existence.

History of Bugatti PT #2 | The Bad Blonde Car History

Join me for PT #2 of Bugatti's fascinating history. Subscribe to The Bad Blonde Car History for more automotive history content! #Bugatti #Bolide #thebadblonde It was in 1987 that Italian entrepreneur Roman Artioli purchased the rights to Bugatti. Quickly he went to work creating a beautiful manufacturing plant in Italy and design plans for the new Bugatti revival model, the Bugatti EB110. Who were the designers behind the initial concept before they would have conflicts with Artioli and skirt out the back door? Paolo Stanzani and Marcello Gandini, two famous designers of the Lamborghini Miura and the Countach. Nicola Materazzi would pick up the button and finish the EB 110. The EB 110 was ground breaking in style and one of breathtaking supercars that came out of the nineties along with the Jaguar XJ220, Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari F50, and the McLaren F1. Powering the Bugatti EB110 was a 3.5litre, 5-valve per cylinder making it a 60-valve, quad turbocharged 60 degree v12 powering all four wheels through a six speed manual transmission. Materazzi served as chief designer for the Ferrari F40 and the Ferrari 288GTO. In 1991 Bugatti would unveil the EB 110 in France on the celebration of 110 years after Ettore’s day of birth. Just six months later they would introduce the EB 110 Super Sport, a more powerful and lighter version by 330lbs. The Super Sport could reach 221mph. The EB 110 Super Sport would garner a great deal of publicity when famous F1 drive, Michael Schumacher, purchased a yellow one…. BUT that would bite them in the rear when he crashed it and then blamed then on “inadequate brakes”.. It was repaired and he kept it till 2003. In 1993 Artioli would purchase Lotus Cars from General Motors and they would present to the public the EB112 prototype saloon… which I don’t find to be quite attractive. Roman Artioli’s Bugatti reign would hit hard times 1995 resulting in bankruptcy, a combination of the 1990s recession and strain caused by the purchase of Lotus Cars. Fast forward to 1998, Volkswagen Group acquires the Bugatti brand and jumps right in to creating a concept car, the EB 118. They commission gamed designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, the man mostly credited for popularizing the wedge shape. Homeboy did the Iso Grifo, the DMC DeLorean, and the Lotus Esprit. The would introduce the EB118 powered by a w-18 engine, the EB 218 and 18/3 Chiron. In 2005, Bugatti went to work assembling its first regular production car, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 powered by a 8 liter quad turbocharged w16 engine at it’s original Bugatti factory location in Molsheim, France! In 2010, the Veyron Super Sport took the title of fastest production vehicle of all time with a speed of 267mph on the Ehra-Lession track in Germany BUT that was in dispute for a bit of time because when sold the Veyron had an electronic limiter of 258mph. That sorted through that somehow, and Veyron took the title and maintained it for seven years till taken by the Koenigsegg Agera RS. In 2016 we would see Bugatti Chiron would make headlines at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo and named after the great Monegasque racer Louis Chiron. Chiron was one of the most successful Bugatti drivers of his time. He was not born into privilege. Chiron made his way to the top of the racing scene through skill and charm. He was a dance partner for the wealthy ladies lounging about at the Hotel de Paris. The Veyron quad-turbocharged W16 engine with multiple updates was carried over to the Chiron. Just like the Veyron, the Chiron features a carbon fibre body structure, independent suspension, and all wheel drive system. At a base price of 2.4 million, the first 200 of the Chiron were sold before the first one was even delivered! Two years later Bugatti would reveal a 40lb lighter track focused and stiffer supension, Chiron Sport. There would be a handful of Chiron variants: 2019- Chiron Super Sport 300+ - with only 30 examples created powered by a 1,600 PS (1,175 kW; 1,580 hp) quad-turbocharged W16 engine 2019 - Bugatti La Voiture Noire –nod to the design of the type 57 SC Atlantic 2022- Chiron Pur Sport - a handling-focused model which will be limited to 60 units. Revealed at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, the Bugatti Divo named after Albert Divo a Bugatti Racer of the 1920s who took victory twice at the Targa Florio. Only 40 units of the track focused Divo were made, powered by 8.0 L (488 cu in) quad-turbocharged W16.. Only available via dealer special invite and sold out on the first day. . Bugatti announced they would produce it in December of 2020. Reported to be their last car powered by their iconic 8liter w16 engines and only 40 units produced. Le Bolide comes from the French term Le Bolide meaning the race car.

History of Bugatti - Part #1

History of Bugatti PT#1 | The Bad Blonde Car History Naturally we start our tale with the man behind the brand, Ettore Bugatti. An engineering talent that would go on to build one the most revered luxury car brand of it’s day. Though this story would be plagued with setbacks and tragedy. Early on it was clear Ettore’s talent steered more toward engineering and mechanics. At an early age he was able to comprehend complex designs. His father took note one day after Ettore repaired a broken tricycle, and helped foster that with apprenticeship at Prinetti & Stucchi a sewing machine and bicycle manufacturer when Ettore was just 17. Soon after Ettore would create his own motorized tricycle to enter into a competition from Paris to Boreaux. This Motor Tricycle was powered by two engines of the De Dion Company. The De Dion company is a prestigious name you hear through out automotive history. They were a prolific part supplier to many of the burgeoning early automotive manufactures around the turn of the century and after. His apprenticeship would open up to Ettore the world of engineering, automobiles, and speed. At the young age of 19, Ettore left his apprenticeship and set out to create his own automobile. Soon his skills would catch the attention of the De Deitrich company, he was soon hired on to design vehicles for them. He was only 19 when he received his first professional contract with De Deitrich. In 1903 for the Paris to Madrid race, Ettore would build a car so ahead of it’s time that it was rejected from the race. With this car, he placed the driver and the engine lower in the chassis, better for aerodynamics and center of gravity, a practice that was revolutionary at the time. He received harsh criticism and speculation from this. As popular, for the times was being seated higher in the automobile. understanding. Ettore Bugatti created the Bugatti Type 10 in 1909. Powered by a 1.2 liter 4 cylinder engine weighing in at 365kg which is essentially 804lbs and could reach 80km/per hour. An impressive feat for the time. With the success and confidence of the type 10, Ettore would establish Automobiles Ettore Bugatti in Molsheim, France. That location would go on to prove quite tragic for him after the war. Ettore was one of the first for many principles that are still used in today’s manufacturing, along with his beliefs on lightness, he also heavily believed in using racing success to drive sales. “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” With many wins under the Bugatti belt, he quickly became known as one of the best car designers in the country. All within the same year, he completed the groundbreaking type 10, founded his automobile company, and celebrated the birth of his only son Jean. Jean Bugatti would go on to be an incredibly talented automobile designer taken too soon by tragedy. Ettore was already ready for progress and would soon release the Bugatti Type 13. The Type 13 would take second place in the 1911 grand prix, garnering much attention and solidifying the Bugatti name in racing and automobiles. Unfortunately soon the entire world would come to a stop when WWI broke out, just like many other manufacturers Bugatti stopped production and redirected to war efforts. During this time, Ettore would work with the Duesenberg Brothers on the dramatic U-16 engine. The U-16 was essentially two straight line engines sharing a crank case. The engine did not catch on particularly well BUT it did lead to the creation of overhead camshaft and straight 8 engine designs. After the war ended, Bugatti went back to his factory, improved his type 13 engine and went on to win the 1920 lemans, 1921 Brescia, and continued to garner so many victories that the type 13 1924 Bugatti introduced the type 35, which would go on to win 1000 races and become Bugatti’s most successful race car. It was in 1926 Bugatti would introduce it’s first luxury vehicle, the type 41 Bugatti Royale. The Royal was the longest car of it’s time, and likely the most luxurious. Before their focus had mainly been on race vehicles. The costumers of the Royale were selected, only the most notable were chosen, kings, counts, and that is how it became known at the Royale. Post great depression, Bugatti would be back on track. Jean Bugatti was running the factory and making his own successful impression on the company. He was skilled just as his father and had a vision for Bugatti. Under him, he lead the company into the luxury car market and produced the famous Bugatti Atlantic, Royale, and the type 57G In 1937 and 1939, they would win 2 lemans in the Bugatti type 57G aka Tank. I was fortunate to see a type 57g at the Simeone Automotive Foundation Museum. In June of 1939, tragedy struck.. Jean Bugatti organized a road test with the Le Mans winning Type 57G. Jean was a hands on engineer and got behind the wheel, somehow a cyclist got on this closed track and to miss him Jean swerved, striking a tree and dying on impact.

The Rise and Fall of the Ford Thunderbird | The Bad Blonde Car History

Let's talk about the rise and fall of the Ford Thunderbird. Don't forget to subscribe to The Bad Blonde Car History for more car history! Let’s paint the picture, it’s the start of the 1950s the US is still on that post-WWII high! US auto execs were seeing an influx of European roadsters flooding their back yards and took note. I’ve said this in multiple videos, but the Post-WWII, many European governments were telling their manufacturers to export OR die.. One designer at Ford started a little side project of creating his dream roadster, that was Frank Hershey. Frank Hershey and I have something in common. He loved the XK120. The 120 was style and performance perfectly coupled and it was said he was influenced by the 120 but I don’t see any resemblance between the two. So Frank Hershey’s little side project wasn’t exactly condoned by his superior George Walker and Walker told him to put it on the back burner. Walker didn’t think there was enough of a market… Boy he was really wrong on that. Hershey was like nope and he continued working on the project secretly that would be come the Thunderbird. So also during this time Henry Ford the second.. the Duece was starting to take notice of the European roadster imports and was like why don’t we have any of these! Though side note they did have the Ford Vega concept in 1953 that sprouted from a design contest that looked really interesting… it actually had concealed pop up headlights.. I liked it. So back to business, the Deuce wanted a roadster… George Walker who had put the kibosh on Hershey’s roadster designs was like ummm can you bring those out again? The thunderbird was not a creation meant for high speed performance or catching bugs in your teeth.. The Thunderbird was a part of the market segment that would eventually be know as personal luxury cars.. An emphasis on comfort and convenience over high-speed performance. The thunderbird was not marketed as a sports car. Like the Karmann Ghia was not marketed as sports car either. You want comfort and style at a slow speed? We are your car! AND frankly, if they hadn’t beefed up the Corvette from the Blue Flame inline six to a V8.. It may have eventually been tossed into that segment too. Thank god for Zora Arkus-Duntov. Ford actually had a company wide name contest for the roadster… The prize was so 50s.. Whoever won the naming contest won a suit.. SO the guy that won was sitting at a café sipping a cup of coffee and on the side of his cup of joe was a thunderbird.. Which the roots are in north American indigenous mythology.. Anyways.. Thunderbird won! So within 20 months of Henry Ford 2nd asking they had the car ready… It was a two seater with a detachable hardtop or folding soft top… Powered by a 4.8 liter Y block V8 capable of 193 hp.. The first gen had the beloved porthole and continental tire. The second generation did a design leap, turning the two seater into a four seater and really squaring it up. Garnering the nickname of a square bird.. Now that increase in size meant they had to bump up the engine to a 5.1 liter V8.. they also had the option of a 7liter V8 that could hit 350 hp… That is a lot of horsepower for a car that did not yet have seatbelts.. The third generation sleaked up a bit and lost the square body and went more bullet earning the nickname of bullet bird. Good looking.. It was around 1964 that the T-bird suffered from a bit of lack of attention.. You can imagine that was likely due to the introduction of the famously popular and well selling Mustang. Kind of cannibalized itself within the market so Ford realized they needed to further distinguish the T-bird. With the next few gen they bumped up the size but this was bad timing… as a gas crisis popped up and to top it off this was around the time that safety regulations were popping up and every auto manufacturer thought that convertibles were going to be outlawed.. That fear of banned convertibles is how we got the Targa top. I digress, so Ford did away with the Tbird convertible.. So let’s jump to the Fox body… This one of of Lee Iaccocca’s last efforts before heading to Chrysler.. The fox body platform was super versatile you’d see if on the fox body mustang, the mercury cougar, the Lincoln Mark VII.. This is also where they put a turbo in the T-bird.. a 2.3 liter turbo four cylinder with ported fuel injection.. and it was only available in a 5 speed manual.. It really was intended to compete with the performance imports of the day. Sales boosted with the turbo coop, Ford was like hey… It was actually dubbed car of the year by motortrend in the year of my birth. It also won again in 1989 with the super coupe 3.8 liter V6 with an eaton m90 supercharger.. So in the 90s sales would drop and Ford would give up on the thunderbird line.. And you wouldn’t see a Thunderbird till 2002 when all the manufacturers were throwing it back.. and we would see the retrobird.. It threw back to the first generation..

Top 5 Facts on The Dodge Brothers | The Bad Blonde Car History

Here are my top 5 favorite facts about the legendary Dodge Brothers, John and Horace Dodge. For more classic car content and car history keep following The Bad Blonde Car History. Old Dodge footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq2jY1trxqg&t=33s Relevant video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnS4Gqq1_Rc&t=4s #1 – They were rascals While they were extremely capable and talented, they were also a bit wild. The pair grew up nearly inseparable and learned how to use their hands at an early at in their father’s foundry shop. Neither of the talented duo was exactly welcomed into the Detroit high society. Though they did somewhat buy tolerance. Horace was the main benefactor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. But the pair were not scared of shenanigans and both brothers were heavy drinkers – the redheads had a bad reputation in the Detroit saloons – Some of the Dodge Brothers escapades were so frowned upon again that there money couldn’t buy them grace … One instance, John and one of his drinking buddy jumped a lawyer outside a bar in Detroit. #2 – They were the go-to supplier for quality parts for Detroit automakers. Founded in 1900, they started by manufacturing bikes but would quickly turn into the United States most quality parts supplier. You could consider them pretty much like the De Dion of the USA. One of their biggest breaks, was Horace’s first patent: the dirt-proof ball bearing. 1902 – Won a contract with Ransom Olds to build transmissions for the Old Motor Vehicle Company which would eventually be known as Oldsmobile – less of a mouth full. In fact, they were the largest parts manufacturer in Detroit before they split with Ford in 1914 in order to build their own car. #3 – They owned a fair chunk of Ford and Henry Ford hated them for it Now Henry Ford was not an instant success, he had many failures and bankruptcies under him before the success of the Ford Motor Company. In fact, one of his failed attempts turned into Cadillac. Henry Leland was sent to liquidate one of Ford’s failed manufacturers, but instead he proposed to turn it into Cadillac THUS sparking the vendetta of Ford vs. Leland.. The Dodge Brother’s decided to take a gamble on investing in Ford. The Dodge brothers worked out a sweet deal that included them owning 10% of Ford Motor Company. Ford hated the Dodge brothers. He hated their red hair. Thought they were evil. Henry Ford was a little cooky himself. Eventually, the Dodge Bros wanted OUT. They didn’t agree with Ford and didn’t see Ford moving ahead as a company. And in 1913 they made out like bandits. With their initial investment and dividends, they left Ford with close to $35 million dollars. That money would quite helpful in the Dodge Brothers creating their own automobile Best quote that came out of John Dodge’s mouth was “Someday people who own a Ford are going to want an automobile.” #4 - The Pancho Villa Expedition Though formally called by the US government, the Mexico Expedition, Dodge Brothers vehicles were used in the hunt for infamous bandit Pancho Villa! In 1916, the US government sent General ‘Blackjack’ Pershing on the Pancho Villa Expedition. Pershing requested 250 Dodges from the War Department, putting out an order that only dodges would be used by his staff in Mexico's rugged territory. If I can be techy enough I will have figured out how to inset video of Dodges raging in the countryside, if not, I will have a link down below. That you better click on. During this expedition, there was an epic firefight lead by George S Patton (Yes, Patton was also down in Mexio reeking havoc) against the hideout of one of Villa’s right hand men that left 3 men dead….. They strung them across the dodge hoods. Now that expedition was unsuccessful in its objective, but it did prove that Dodge Brother’s automobiles were some rugged and reliable vehicles. Random fact: Pancho Villa was also a Dodge man and was assassinated in his in 1923 #5 – They died to young… Yes, this is one of those early deaths in the automotive world that I am just like what would the automotive arena looked like if they hadn’t left the world so soon. Both brother’s died in 1920, John from the Spanish Influnza and Horace from either pneumonia or complications of cirrhosis of the liver. - Did any of those factoids surprise ya? Could you hold your weight in a fight with one of the Dodge brothers? Do you have a fear of red hair as Henry Ford was reported to have? Do you think jumping a lawyer outside a bar is a wise idea?

My Top 5 Facts @ Aston Martin DB7 | The Bad Blonde Car History

Let's dive into my top five favorite facts about the Aston Martin DB7.. You know me, I am going to do into the history of Aston Martin too because I can't help myself. Thanks for watching The Bad Blonde Car History channel and subscribe if cars are your jam too. #TheBadBlonde #AstonMartin #DB7 Let’s go all the way back to the turn of the century, in 1913 when Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford endeavored to sell Singer cars under the moniker Bamford & Martin. Yes, Singer of the motorcycle and sewing machine fame. The pair would quickly realize they wanted to sell automobiles of their own design and they would name their first car Aston Martin. A combination of Lionel Martin’s last name and the famed Aston Hill, a speed climb hill that Lionel did quite well at. There is actually an Aston Martin Monument at the hill. So the pair took a 1908 Isotta Frashini chassis and plunked a four cylinder Coventry simplex in it and called an Aston Martin. They had their first car rumbling off production in 1915.. but unfortunately so were the rumblings of the first world war and their production would cease. Martin would enroll in the admiralty and Bamford in the Army. Post WWI, Bamford would leave, but an extremely wealthy count with a love of racing would jump in. Count Louis Zborowski. Though his count status legitimacy is not 100% certain. Doesn’t matter to me, the guy loved racing and was the actual owner of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.. Yes, it was a real car. For the next 40 years, Aston Martin would hit financial despair, trade hands a few times, Lionel Martin would leave, and finally in 1947 we would see David Brown step on to the scene. The successful gear and machine tools manufacturer saw an add in the paper for a luxury car brand and went for it and thus started the famed and timeless David Brown cars Aston Martin. Side note, he had also acquired Lagonda at this time too. Quick to work, in 1950 Aston Martin announces the production of their Le Mans prototype, the DB2. Followed by the DB2/4, the DB2/4 MKII. The BK MK III, and then the Italian styled DB4. All of the cars shot Aston Martin forward in the racing scene, but it was the DB4 debuted in 1958 that with it’s styling that caught consumers eyes and would yield the famous DB5 in 1963. The luxury grand tourer, DB5 would rise in fame with it’s appearance in the James Bond Goldfinger. Fun fact, it was the DB MKII that was featured in the novel, but special effect expert, John Stears, talked Aston Martin into using one of their DB5 prototypes for the film. The engines in everything but the first DB2, were inline six cylinder engines designed by Tadek Marek. We would see the DB6 and DBS continue under David Brown before yet another moment of Aston Martin hitting financial troubles. Brown would sell and we would see Aston Martin trade hands four times before Ford Motor Company bought 75% of the company in 1987. In 1994 we would see the DB7 hit the market, available in coupe or convertible, powered by either the 3.2Liter AJ6 Supercharged inline 6 or the 5.9 L Aston Martin V12. #1 – DB – Standing for David Brown – The legend behind the David Brown series of cars from Aston Martin #2 – It started its life as a Jaguar Based on a Jaguar XJs platform. And carried over heavy influences from Jaguar. The inline 6 was based on a Jaguar engine, with the DB7 much of the car was configured with Jaguar resources. #3 – Had some very talented folks on their design team The DB7’s design was done by Ian Callum and Keith Helfet… Callum was also behind the Aston Martin Vanquish, and the Jaguar F type… And Helfet designed the XJ-220. #4 – It was the highest production The DB7 was the highest produced model in DB history with 7,000 rolling off production line until the DB9 would steal the title in 2004. #5 – The early DB7 side mirrors are shared with quite a few super cars Yes, the side mirrors from Citroen but this isn’t the only car that used them.. the XJ220 and Lotus Esprit

My 5 Favorite Facts About the Ferrari 308GT4 | The Bad Blonde Car History

Hello friends, check out my 5 favorite facts about the Ferrari 308GT4 on The Bad Blonde Car History channel! #Ferrari #Dino #308GT4 #1 – Where did the name Dino come from? Alfredo ‘Dino’ Ferrari Enzo Ferrari’s only legitimate son with his married wife.. Enzo did have another son born from an affair. We have Dino to thank for Ferrari cars… You see Enzo man reason for stop his racing driver career. Enzo had vowed to stop racing (he was racing for Alfa at the time) if he had a son. #2 – Why did Enzo decide to create the Dino marque? This is a good follow up to the naming.. You see Alfredo ‘dino’ Ferrari had persuaded his father that Ferrari needed to begin research on smaller engine cars. He talked his father, the king of v12s, into developing a 1.5 litre DOHC v6 engine for f2 racing, creating the first Ferrari engine with less than 12 cylinders. Sadly, it would be just as Dino was making his mark at Ferrari that he would be diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Even through his final days Dino still worked with fellow engineer and famed racer Vittorio Jano on Ferrari’s first V6 engine. Now Enzo was worried about putting the Ferrari name on anything that had less than 12 cylinders, but he wanted to get into the smaller engine and lower cost sports car game So he paid honor to his son Dino by creating this separate marque 10 years after his passing. The first Dino to roll out was powered by the same V6 engine that Dino worked on before his passing #3 – This was the first for Ferrari to dabble outside of Pininfarina Yes, this was the first time that Ferrari broke away from their long and successful relationship with Pininfarina and contracted Bertone to design the 308GT4. They had been partnering since 1951. The 308 was designed by automobile designer Marcello Gandini at Bertone. The guy that also did the Lancia Stratos. And you know clearly it was quite a design departure from the 206/246 Let’s take a quick spin around the car #4 – That both Dino and Ferrari badges were sometimes put on the same cars Car owners/purchasers were getting worried about owning a Ferrari that didn’t have the Ferrari name on it. The Dino marque came from Ferrari in 1967 and stopped three years before 1976 this 308gt4 was manufactured but yet you will still see a Dino badge on the back of there #5- Their popularity is sky rocketing right now Prices and notoriety are going up, Becoming increasingly sought after "record sale" of the Euro 308 GT4 on BAT for $141,000 What is your favorite Dino? Are there any paths that you think Ferrari would have taken differently if Dino had not passed away early? What is your favorite cantankerous Enzo story? If you are picking any Ferrari keys out of a box, which are you picking?

5 Things You Need Know about the MGA | The Bad Blonde Car History

MGA was produced from 1955 to 1962 it was the successor of the successful T-series and succeeded by the beloved MGB #MGA #TheBadBlonde #MG Full video link on MGA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0gs53Ts4iw&t=816s #1 The MGA almost wasn’t a thing The MGA was successor to the MG TF 1500 Midget.. Now that launch almost didn’t happen, as the prototype was shown to Leonard Lord who had just signed a deal with Donald Healey of Austin-Healey just a mere 2x weeks before. But that no wouldn’t last long and as MG sales dropped Lord decided to give the MGA the green light. Side note, Leonard Lord is a name you hear a lot in British Auto History.. Homeslice was a captain of the British motor industry and just a part of his legacy was the beloved and iconic Mini.. #2 Why the ‘A’? And WHY the MGA? Intended to be called the UA-series, was brought back. As it was so unlike from the older MG models it was called the MGA, the "first of a new line" to quote their advertising. The MGTD is why I am blessed to be an auto enthusiast You see it was quite design leap, a total styling break, from the preview T series.. as you can tell which leads us to the next fact you oughta know #3 Was MG Car’s first real attempt at aerodynamics Now the design of the MGA has an interesting history, in 1951 LeMans driver George Philips wanted a more streamlined design on his TD LeMans cars, that would be genesis and inspiration for MG designer Syd Enever when creating the MGA.. On the topic of Lemans, Three MGA prototypes were entered at Le Mans in 1955. Two of the cars finished the race placing 12th and 17th overall, proving the worth of the new car.., and the third crashed. This is an easy segue to the #4th #4 MGA was the last foreign automaker to race in NASCAR.. the participated from 1960- 1963.. Most of y’all might be surprised a foreign car was racing in NASCAR… Rightly so, it’s been some time since Fun fact, after the Jaguar XK120 is the only import that has won Nascar #5 Most of the MGA cars were exported to the states Now this is no shocker. You see the American market was the golden goose for automaker. A lot of that can be attributed to post WWII many government’s motto was export or die. total of 101,081 units were marketed through the end of production in July 1962, the vast majority of which were exported. 5869 cars were sold on the home market, That was the norm… Something like 80% of Austin Healey’s came to the states

5 Things You Should to Know About the Citroën 2CV | The Bad Blonde Car History

Here are 5 things you should to know about the Citroen 2CV! Do you really need to know them? Probably not but I am going to tell you anyway. If you like classic car history subscribe to The Bad Blonde youtube channel. #Citroen #2CV #deuxchevaux Full history Citreon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5w6em-KFq0 History of VW Beetle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pJyVYPOmt0 If you want the full history of the little car that put the people of France on wheels check out this video.. It also covers quite a bit about the Citroen Founder Andre Citroen who was a darn cool guy. The Citroen 2cv was produced from 1948-1990 with 8.8 million variants and here are the five things you should know about this precious car. #1 The team that created this was also the team that created the Citroen Traction Avant - Traction Avant is a car that pioneered the mass production of three revolutionary features that are still in use today in your car: a unitary body with no separate frame, four-wheel independent suspension and front-wheel drive. #2 When war broke out the prototype was hidden from the Nazis! - Why? Well the Nazis weren’t scared to steal ideas and equipment.. Much of the peoples cars, the Volkswagen Beetle was borrowed eyes.. Especially from the Czech company Tatra. - They destroyed them.. with only five known the existing - Not only did they hide the vehicles from the Nazi’s advantage.. Factory workers at the Citroen factory while France was occupied, they altered the dipstick location THUS Nazis were blowing engines left and right #3 This was the car that put France on wheels - France had a very rural population - Which meant many French citizens relied on horse and cart - You add that to the fact that France was still in post-war recovery, you didn’t have many at all owning a vehicle. - This was exactly why the 2cv was designed with extreme austerity. Literally this car was designed to carry 2 persons and a bag of potatoes. - Another of it’s design parameters was that customers be able to drive eggs across a freshly ploughed field without breakage. - The car became a bestseller, achieving the designer's aim of providing rural French people with a motorized alternative to the horse. #4 The 2cv was the first car designed with radial tires - Yes, with the 2CV Michelin introduced and first commercialized the radial tire - At the time, Citroen’s main shareholder was Michelin, once again long story, check it out here - Radial tires are what you have on your car today #5 Second hand 2CV were more expensive than brand new - Why on earth was that? - Well because there was an extensive waitlist to receive you 2cv.. within months of its introduction it had a three year waiting list - However, if you bought it second hand you did not have to wait - In fact, waitlist priority was given to those who have to travel by car because of their work, country vets, doctors, midwives, priests and small farmers.

History of the Porsche 944 | The Bad Blonde Cars

Join me for a brief history of the Porsche 944 on the Bad Blonde Cars History channel! Related videos: Porsche 928 history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjO7yjRudaA&t=186s Porsche and Speedster history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h3ME37xE1o&t=3s #Porsche #944 #TheBadBlonde The 944 was produced from 1982 -1991 as a front engine rear-wheel drive mid level model based on the 924 platform. At this point, it is necessary to mention that the 924 initially hit with much criticism among the diehards of Porsche… Looks and Audi engine.. And the 924 was also considered one of the poor man’s Porsches like the 912, 914, and the 912e… The 944 was lower, fatter, and had much more of the temperament a sports car needs due to improvements like wider ties, sharper steering, and firmer chassis. I did say front-engine, now by this time, all the Porsche diehards had already blew their steam regarding a front-engine lay out with the 928 (1978) and the 924 (1976)… Such contention.. If you want to know more about the 928, one of Porsche’s most bold and innovative design decisions, I have the link below, along with a link on the 356 Porsche Speedster we had for over 30 years. Now the 944 was supposed to replace the 924, however production of the 924 continued and overlapped till 1985. That being said, much of the innovation and improvements of the 944, were carried over from it’s race sibling the 924 GTP The engine of the 944 at release was sort of like a sliced-in-half engine of the 928 v8 with a single overhead camshaft.. Now with large capacity four-cylinder engines, you can come across uneven running issues… Porsche started research to overcome this issue BUT then realized Mitsubishi was doing a great job already with this and actually licenses their plans from them.. The 944 has a near-perfect weight distribution, 50.7 front vs 49.3 back… In the nine years of production, models included the 944 2.5, 944S turbo, 944s 2.7, 944S2, 944 S2 cabriolet, and the 944 turbo cabriolet.. The car behind me is the 944S2 Cabriolet, only produced for three years 89-91.. 3 liter inline 4 it was the largest production 4-cylinder engine of its time. … the first of the line to let the top down.. The 944 was on Car and Driver's Ten Best list from 1983 through 1985, and the Turbo made the list for 1986. In 1984, Car and Driver named the 944 the Best Handling Production Car in America. Let’s talk a bit about the 944 racing successes, the Porsche factory team and a few private teams did well at Le Mans.. and carried that success to the SCCA production class. the Carlsen Racing 944 won the SCCA Escort Endurance Series Championship The 1988 and 1989 SCCA GT2 titles were claimed the 944S driven by David Finch for the years 1988 and 1989. The 944 was the most successful car in Porsche’s history producing 163k until the Boxter shot out and the 997 Carrera. Now… Porsche decided to essentially turn the 944 into the 968 but buyers and fans weren’t elated with that.. Not much had changed except for the nameplate except larger bodywork and the addition of the 928 pop-up headlights. You couple that with the waning sports car market of the time.. they dropped the 968 in 1995 with only 2 years of production.. What’s do you think of the 944? What is your favorite Porsche? What is your favorite poor man’s Porsche?

The Most Beautiful Volvo Ever Made - History of the Volvo P1800 | The Bad Blonde Car History

Most people do not think of the Volvo p1800 when they think of Volvo! It is hands down the most beautiful Volvo ever produced (or fight me). Join me, The Bad Blonde, for an informal history trip talking all about the Volvo 1800 series! #Volvo #Volvop1800 #ThebadBlonde The Volvo p1800 genesis was like many other sports cars… The company wanted a taste of the US and European sports car market. Most of that was US, you see the US was being flooded by foreign sports cars. Now, they had already made a failed attempt with the p1900.. That only sold 68 cars.. It was a cute little fiberglass roadster that was inspired when the Volvo’s president, Assar Gabrielsson, saw the Corvette. Why did the p1900 fail? Well it was poorly constructed and not reliable… The Volvo president successor, Gunnar Engellau, took is for a test drive on a weekend, came back to the office on Monday and cancelled it’s production.. He is quoted to have said “I thought it would fall apart” Alright, so they failed but decided to try again. The man heading the project was Helmer Petterson the man behind the Volvo PV44. Which was a car that helped assure Volvo’s future during and post WWII. So here is a funny thing, Helmer Petterson’s is in charge of this… BUT it is said that unbeknownst to him his son Pelle Petterson who is under the tutelage of famed Pietro Frua.. Side note, Pelle Petterson would also go on to become a prolific yacht designer. Now get this.. Volvo refused to recognize Pelle’s authorship till 2009. Why you might ask? They wanted to it to be known as an Italian design… That is a little silly. Okay so Carrozeria Frua builds the first three prototypes in 1957 and 1958.. And Helmer Petterson picked up one of the prototypes and drove it straight to the manufacturer Karmann in West Germany. You see Karmann’s engineers had already been preparing and they were ready build! BUT you know what happened? Karmann’s most important customer said Nah AHHH.. Yes, Volkswagen forbade Karmann to build the p1800 out of fear it would compete with the Karmann Ghia that had started production in 1957. And good lord this ALMOST caused the p1800 to be entirely abandoned by Volvo.. Well it did seem like Volvo had decided to nix it.. BUT there is a twist Helmer Petterson brought in two investors and tried to buy the p1800 components directly, to sell and market himself! Volvo had not mentioned the car at all in the press and kept quite about it.. Unitl a photo of the car was released to the press with a press release… Which made Volvo have to acknowledge it.. And then they what they hey, let’s do it. And in 1960 the p1800 made it’s public debut at the Brussels Motor Show.. Volvo worked up a deal with Jensen Motors and we had car getting built! The p1800 was powered by the b18 straight 4 engine.. B= bensin, Swedish word for gasoline and the 18 of rhte 1800 cc displacement. The p1800 gained popularity from being in featured in The Saint tv series, driven by Roger Moore.. Interestingly, the XKE was actually offered the opportunity first but they declined! Now important to note, Jensen is located in the UK.. Which means the Volvo p1800 was a car mostly made in the UK… Until 1963 when Jensen lost the contract and production went back to Sweden and with that the name of the car changed to 1800s.. the s standing for the Sweden. Then in 1970 we would see the 1800e hit the scene with quite a few changes.. The E standing for Einspritzung… Which means fuel injection! The 1800e was powered with the b20e engine with Bosche D-Jetronic fuel injection. Side note, that is also why the Porsche 912e has the e on the end 😊 Top speed was 118mph and this was the first of the 1800 series to feature four-wheel disk brakes. In 1972 we would see the final p1800 variant from Volvo… the 1800es a two door station wagon aka shooting brake that featured an all glass tailgate. Only a smidge over 8k were produced in it’s two model years though it did have a lasting influence.. The all-glass rear hatch of the ES-modeal proved quite popular and was used in future Volvo designs. Due to that all-glass rear hatch.. it was Sweden the P1800ES was nicknamed Fiskbilen (The Fish van); in Germany and Switzerland it was nicknamed Schneewittchensarg (Snow White's coffin), because of the all-glass rear hatch. And in 1973 we would see the final production year of the 1800 line.. Having produced 47,492 units since 1961. An absolutely beautiful car.. What do you think? What’s your favorite Volvo? Anything I should make a video on you see behind me? Be sure to subscribe

History of the Lincoln Continental | The Bad Blonde Cars

Let’s dive into the history of the Lincoln Continental! If you love classic car content, be sure to subscribe to The Bad Blonde YouTube. Thank you to George Finley who is the owner of this fine car! Now, I will digress deeply if allowed to but today I will skim like a light rock on the deep majestic pond that is Henry Leland, the gentleman behind Lincoln. Henry Leland. The man the myth the legend. The man that created BOTH of American most competitive luxury vehicle lines, Cadillac and Lincoln.. He started his career in firearms manufacturing at Colt, engineering supplier for manufacturer that would become Oldsmobile, AND a fact I love to share he created the electric barber clippers. So it is 1917, Leland has already left Cadillac (and will talk about bit more about that in a bit), he and his son get a loan to start the Lincoln motor company.. and with that they also landed a 10 million dollar contract to create the liberty aircraft engine.. Now where did the name Lincoln arise? AFTER THE PRESIDENT! Abraham Lincoln was the first president Leland got to vote for. I do want to make a shout out to Leland being one of the first to introduce interchangeable parts within auto manufacturing – all of our lives automotive sector have been easier for that.. Sadly, in 1922 Lincoln becomes insolvent, and you know who was waiting in the murky waters to chomp? FORD! Old henry “dandelion on the side of the road eating” ford.. Okay so let’s paint the picture, it is 1902 and the Henry Ford Company is going bust. Ford has gotten into a tiff with his investors and he is out. One of Ford’s financial backers is like SHITT, damn it Ford, to be honest Ford’s later success with the Model T and Model A were inspite of himself, his backers call in Henry Leland to appraise the plant and equipment for liquidation. However, the clever Leland said, hold up! And he persuaded the finance dudes to let Leland start up manufacturing using his reliable single-cylinder engine. They said why not, and thus Cadillac Automobile Company was born. Cadillac would then be sold to GM… and you see where this is going. So that is why Ford of course HATED Henry Leland because he had created Cadillac out of his defunct company and thus lowballed him significantly for Lincoln. What is the Continental? It is NOT the hotel Christopher Walken made unwanted advances in… it is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. The prototype continental design was created by E.T. “Bob” Gregorie, and inspired by Edsel Fords European travels – This was heavily based on the Lincoln Zephyr that was introduced in 1935 – which if you are starting off with this as your base point, it would hard to make something not aesthetically pleasing. It is said the initial sketch for the design was completed in an hour Why? Edsel Ford, who commissioned a coachbuilt 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr convertible, developed as a vacation vehicle to attract potential Lincoln buyers – He needed it done by March of 1939 so he could show it off on his vacation - Alright, so like I said, Edsel was inspired and wanted this European car quickly, and quickly her got it, the turn around on this continental prototype was but 6 months! Introduced in 1940, and let’s paint a little picture of life in the 1940s.. Cause you know I like to do that… War, Nazi Germany would begin the Blitzkrieg which actually took out quit a few beloved European car manufacturing plants, so lots of war stuff, the first Captain America comic book was published, Hattie McDaniel is the first African American woman to win an academy award for her performance in Gone with the Wind, also Franklin D. Roosevelt wins the election and becomes he first third-term president.. and MOST importantly, Chuck Norris was born. There 404 of these elite cars built in the first year, -Also, this was the year built examples were built with hand-hammered body panels and after that dies for machine-pressing would be constructed With that advance and success spurred Lincoln forward with over 1,200 built the following year. This was the car of the elite… Hollywood icons, the business elite, Frank Lloyd Wright owned one.. Now there wasn’t room within the trunk to store a spare tire, and that is how we arrived at this signature rear mounted “Continental” spare- tire feature --- And it’s what we’ve deemed classy ever since. Side note, while disappearing on American cars, the externally mounted, covered spare tire remained a feature on European-produced cars. Fun fact – In 1951 the NY Museum of Modern Art recognized the Lincoln Continental as an example of excellence as works of art… On that note, let’s take a another look.. -Of the 850 made for the 1941 model year, only 200 are still in existence.. What is powering this first generation beauty, is a 292 cid L head v12 – capable of 120hp – three speed manual transmission

The Birth of The Chevrolet Camaro | The Bad Blonde Cars

How did the beloved Chevrolet Camaro come to be? The birth of the Chevrolet Camaro had a lot to do with the birth of the Ford Mustang. The Mustang came out in 1964.5, the newly driving age boomers are geared to purchase, and Chevy sure as heck isn’t going to miss out on that market for long. It is absolutely necessary for us to discuss the crazy antics of the Chevy press team during the launch of the Camaro. They started hyping up the code named panther project in 1965. Before the Camaro was the Camaro, it was the Panther.. In June of 1966 around 200 automotive journalist received a bizarre telegram stating "...please save noon of June 28 for important SEPAW meeting. Hope you can be on hand to help scratch a cat. Details will follow...(signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet public relations – SEPAW secretary." Now some of you might pondering, what in the Bojangles is SEPAW? The journalists were too and could nothing on it.. Til the next day when each of them received a telegram from GM stating “Society for the Eradication of Panthers from the Automotive World will hold first and last meeting on June 28...(signed) John L. Cutter – Chevrolet public relations SEPAW secretary." Alright now finally this enigma of a press conference rolls around in it is a live 14 city teleconference.. Which was pretty cutting edge technology for the time. Let’s get to the juice of the conference, general manager Pete Estes starts off the new conference with stating that all press conference attendees were charter members of SEPAW, Society for the Eradication of Panthers from the Automotive World… and that this was its first and last meeting. After that Estes announced that Chevy would be debuting a new car line… the Camaro.. At this point let’s talk about the origins of the Camaro, clearly there was a ‘C’ pattern going Corvair, Corvette, Chevelle. Estes quoted regarding the name He claimed the name, "suggests the comradeship of good friends as a personal car should be to its owner" and that "to us, the name means just what we think the car will do... go." Side note, it has been said that Chevy/GM execs found the word ‘Camaro’ in a French book but really the closest word in French is camarade which the english’s comrade is derived from.. So it feels like the execs just sort of made their own word up. When the press asked what exactly is a Camaro? Chevy replied that is was a “small vicious animal that eats Mustangs” Then in September of 1966 the Camaro hit dealerships for the 1967 model year. First Generation 1967-1969: GM F-body platform with either base inline 6 or V8 options.. If one wanted high performance, they could choose from the Super Sport, Rally Sport, or Z/28.. The z/28 package was not put in and of the first gen sales literature so it was kind of like a secret menu option. Just like the Mustang borrowed off the Ford Falcon, the Camaro borrowed off the Chevy Nova. Second Generation 1970-1981: with a heavy restyle Chevy introduced the second generation just a few years later. Still based on the F-body platform, the Camaro grew longer, lower, and wider with the 2nd gen style but notably no convertible option which was a sign of the times. With the 2nd gen, engine options included a V6, Straight 6, and V8.. GM called this gen more of a “driver’s car” than the first gen.. Third Generation 1982-1992: These were the first generation to offer fuel injection turbo hydramatic 700R4 4speed automatic transmisions and 5 speed manual. The 3rd Camaros were nearly 500lbs lighter than the previous generation. We would see a return of the convertible camaro in 1987. Fourth generation 1993-2002: Debuting on an updated F-body platform, anti lock brakes were standard, with options of V6 or V8. During the fourth generation you would see a drop in sales and dwindling sports car market with that in 2002 Chevy decided to discontinue production. Fifth generation 2010-2015: Camaro was back with a complete redesign and new platform. Along a handful of other car manufacturers you say a retro nod in styling. That same year of debut, the Camaro was named World Car Design of the Year at the World Car of the year Awards. A year after Chevy would start rolling out the 2011 Camaro Convertibles. Interesting fact, Due to the 2011 Fukushima earthquake, certain pigments were not available to make certain colors. Sixth generation 2016-Present: The 6th gen has over 70% of purely unique to it’s self architectural components that are not shared with any other GM vehicle.

How the Ford Mustang Was Born | The Bad Blonde Cars

I didn't mean to film a 'How the Ford Mustang was born' video today but here you go anyway! The Ford Mustang is a beloved classic that was the brainchild of a VERY beloved automotive icon, Lee Iaccoca. The Mustang debuted in 1964.5 and was the baby boomer's reliable, light weight, and affordable option to the dinosaurs their parents were driving. Ford knew they needed to break away from the secretary image and quickly hired on Carroll Shelby for the GT350 and following GT500. The Mustang is Ford's longest-running name plate and duly deserves the love and following it has. #Mustang #Ford #TheBadBlonde If you enjoy automotive history, then you should stay tuned! This channel is all about cars! Classic cars, sports cars, antique cars, from American muscle cars to vintage European sports cars. We have a good time diving into automotive history and hope you enjoy our videos. Be sure to subscribe to The Bad Blonde CARS YouTube channel for more car videos and coverage on the latest car events, shows, and auctions www.TheBadBlonde.com IG: The_Bad_Blonde_CARS IG: Classic_Car_Kalli FB: The Bad Blonde CARS

How Did Land Rover Become a Brand? | The Bad Blonde CARS PT#1

How did the Land Rover become a brand of the Rover Company? Now let’s start way back, let’s discuss the Rover Company who would go on to offshoot both Land Rover and Range Rover. The Rover Company was founded in 1878 by John Kemp Starley and William Sutton.. Starley is considered the inventor of the modern bicycle with the Rover Safety Bike.. The Rover company started off doing what many other early manufacturers did, producing bicycles. Side note, at the time many bicycles were the penny-farthing or high-wheel tricycles.. The safety bike changed the landscape of bicycles by being rear-wheel drive, chain drive cycle with two same-sized wheels. A pivotable moment for the Rover company would be when John Starley imported a Peugeot motorcycle in 1899 and used it for experimental development. Clearly this shows a turning point from bicycles to motorcycles. And unfortunately at of 46 Starley died suddenly and the Rover company would be taken over by the motor industry pioneer, bicycle designer and purported fraudster, Harry John Lawson. I did a little research on that “fraudster” title. I am not sure if he was that or just a dreamer… Under Lawson in Rover began producing automobiles in 1901 and motorcycles in 1902, usually those go the other way around.. During WWI rover did just fine producing motorcycles and lorries, it was after the way that they did not hit the ground running… But luckly for them but not so much the rest of the world, WWII would happen. Many automotive manufacturers did well and some were even saved by war procurement contracts, Austin Motor Company for example.. Let’s paint a picture of the times, it’s post WWII and you know what the UK had a lot of skirting around? Jeeps! American made jeeps! And this did not please the British government or monarchy. Every European government was telling their manufacturers to export or die. This utilitarian 4wd off roader design was created by Maurice Wilks chief designer of Rover working along with his brother Spencer who was director of Rover. And it was, the Land Rover was heavily influenced by the jeeps of the era.. the prototype was even built on a jeep chassis. One fun fact that I like to point out is that the first Land Rovers came in various shades of green… This was due to what was available from military surplus supplies of aircraft cockpit paint. Like I like to do, let’s paint a picture of the times… it’s three years after the end of WWII the queen of England is seeing an ungodly number of jeeps skirting about and she isn’t having it… So she says we need an british version of these. The series I, as mentioned before this was designed for light industrial use with a steel box-section chassis and aluminum body-powered with a 1.6 liter petrol engine with a four-speed gearbox. “This incorporated an unusual four-wheel-drive system, with a freewheel unit (as used on several Rover cars of the time). This disengaged the front axle from the manual transmission on the overrun, allowing a form of non-permanent 4WD. A ring-pull mechanism in the driver's footwell allowed the freewheel to be locked to provide more traditional 4WD.” In 1952 increased engine size to 2 liter, they would switch to a more conventional 4WD system. An important thing to note, this was also the time that the Land Rover went from a commercial vehicle classification to a multi purpose vehicle… this changed the tax status and allowed it to go beyond a speed of 30mph.. All that because an owner appealed to the Law Lords after getting charged with exceeding the limit. Now originally Land Rover was intended to be just a single model offering available for only 2 or 3 years, you know to clear those Jeeps post WWII, get some export orders, cuase you remember “export or die” was a common mantra from European governments to their automotive manufacturers… However, The Rover Company saw some future in creating a brand and the series I would only become that after they decided to create a series II.. Ten years later in 1958 the series II launched and was the first vehicle to use the well-known 2.25 liter petrol engine.. This would be the standard engine unit till the 1980s when diesel became more popular. The series II was available in a 2dr off road vehicle, 4 door offroad, and a 2dr pick up. Just a few years later in 1961 we would see the Series IIA, by the eye there is not much difference between the series II and the IIA.. A few cosmetic changes.. Powered by the 2.25 liter and the 2.6 liter six cylinder engine available for the long-wheelbase models in 1967. “811 of these were NADA (or North American Dollar Area) trucks, which were the only long-wheelbase models made for the American and Canadian markets.” In 1969 the headlamps would move from their center grill location to the wings on all models. Now what is behind me is the 1969 Series IIA powered by a 2,286CC four cylinder capable of 72hp, four speed manual gear box. This is one of 1,200 imported to the states that year.