digitalcourage.social

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David WilkinsToday, we’re rolling forward about forty years from yesterday’s Alfasud to look at its lineal descendent, the 2010-2020 Alfa Romeo Giulietta. This one carries a modern (I think metallic) interpretation of the traditional Italian rosso corsa colour scheme. Also, a typically Italian offset front number plate. Local car park photo. Another national motor racing colour tomorrow.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/AlfaRomeo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AlfaRomeo</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsAfter German silver and British Racing Green, today we move on to a third proudly worn national motor racing colour - red for Italy. These sporting shades carry a natural cachet so they are a popular choice with buyers of even quite ordinary road cars from the countries concerned, like this zippy little Alfasud, which I saw at the NEC Classic Motor Show in 2024. If it’s an Alfa, a Lancia or a Ferrari, it has to be rosso corsa.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/AlfaRomeo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AlfaRomeo</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsToday, we’re sticking with ‘streamliner’ bodywork and speed record attempts but we’re switching national racing colours from German silver to British Racing Green. Meet MG’s 1938 EX135, which like yesterday’s Auto Union Typ C, set records on the then-new German autobahns, although these were class records for cars with much smaller engines. Snapped at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon. (1/2)<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/MG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MG</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsThe German silver racing colour scheme is most commonly associated with Mercedes but has also been used by other manufacturers, including Audi and, as here, its forerunner Auto Union. The Typ C was originally developed as an open-wheel racer like its near contemporary, yesterday’s Mercedes W154. But this enclosed aerodynamically slippery ‘Stromlinie’ (streamline) bodywork was created for racing at Berlin’s high-speed Avus circuit.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/AutoUnion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AutoUnion</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Silverpfeil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Silverpfeil</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsThe unpainted aluminium bodywork of yesterday’s SHW prototype reminded <a href="https://ioc.exchange/@peterrenshaw" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@peterrenshaw</a> of the tradition of German race cars using silver bodywork, which legend has it began when Mercedes removed the paint from one of its aluminium-bodied racers to save weight. This is the magnificent Mercedes W154 Grand Prix car from 1938/9, which I snapped at Techno Classica Essen in 2014.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Mercedes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Mercedes</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Silberpfeil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Silberpfeil</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsToday, a third and final car from the Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen. This pretty spectacular 1925 effort was a technology show case prototype from the still extant German engineering company SHW. It featured an early type of aerospace-style unibody construction with riveted aluminium panels, and weighed just 700 kg. Other innovative features included then-rare independent suspension. (1/2)<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/SHW" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SHW</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsToday we’re back at the Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen with the Gaylord Gladiator. Production of Maybach’s luxury cars such as yesterday’s magnificent Zeppelin DS8 did not resume after the Second World War. But there was a fleeting return to car making (sort of) in the 1950s when manufacture of the Gladiator, an attempt at an American Rolls/Bentley class vehicle, was contracted to FIF, which became part of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/GaylordGladiator" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GaylordGladiator</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Zeppelin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Zeppelin</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsToday, a car from another company tied to the aerospace industry, Maybach. This was founded in 1909 as part of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, the people who made the famous airships. Daimler-Benz bought Maybach (the companies had always been linked) in 1960 before reviving the cars side with new models in 2002. This late 1930s Maybach Zeppelin DS 8 was photographed by my brother on a recent visit to the Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Maybach" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Maybach</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/DaimlerBenz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DaimlerBenz</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsToday, after the previous posts on Bristol, BMW and Rolls Royce, we return to the subject of car companies with strong links to aerospace. This is the Rover 600, a sister of the Honda Accord, which was launched in 1993 when Rover was owned by British Aerospace (1988 to 1994). The 600 was well received and later replaced under BMW by the 75. Snapped at the Practical Classics resto show in March.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Rover" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Rover</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsIn several recent posts, I’ve described how the former sister brands Rolls Royce and Bentley increasingly use engines and components sourced via their current owners, BMW and Volkswagen respectively. But even when it was independent, Rolls wasn’t above a bit of engine-swapping itself, supplying a four-litre straight six to BMC for its top of the range Vanden Plas Princess in the 1960s. Pic taken - British Motor Museum Gaydon. (1/2)<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/BMC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BMC</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/VandenPlas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VandenPlas</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsThe direct successor to yesterday’s Porsche 356 - and this one was popular with the Dutch and German police too - was the 912, which was basically a four-cylinder version of the 911. I was quite excited to see this 912 at the recent <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/SMMT" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SMMT</a> Test Day, which turned out to be not quite what it seemed. This particular car is an electric conversion (see the black battery box under the raised engine cover). Beautifully executed. (1/2)<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Porsche" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Porsche</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsYesterday, <a href="https://social.woefdram.nl/channel/hans" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@hans</a> mentioned that the Dutch police used to use Porsche 911s. That reminded me of this earlier police-spec Porsche 356 SC I saw at Techno Classica Essen in 2023. It is described as being in ‘delivery condition’ - which appears to mean it has its police equipment such as the blue light (top of the windscreen) and siren (rear engine cover) fitted but not its police livery. Nice.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Porsche" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Porsche</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsToday, another fairly exotic police car. This Jaguar XJ-S coupé, which lives at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, was a demonstration car that was lent out to police forces for evaluation purposes in the early 1980s, although I’m not sure whether any ended up being sold for police use. Jaguar’s four-door saloons have, of course, often been used by the police in the UK.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Jaguar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Jaguar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsToday, the modern successor to yesterday’s Bentley Continental R coupé, the more affordable (it’s all relative) Continental GT line. The first two generations of this car were sisters of the Volkswagen Phaeton and Audi A8 but this third-generation car and the latest fourth-generation models are aligned with the Porsche Panamera. My brother found this one in police trim in Turkey. Apparently it was seized from an organised crime gang.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Bentley" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Bentley</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsI’ve recently been explaining how the former sister brands Rolls Royce and Bentley have now gone their separate ways under different owners. In truth, that process was already under way beforehand. In the 1960s, Bentleys were basically rebadged Rolls Royces selling in tiny numbers. But from the 1980s, Bentley was increasingly promoted as a sportier alternative to Rolls, culminating in the Bentley-only 1991 Continental R. Pic: NEC Classic Car Show, 2023<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Bentley" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Bentley</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsYesterday, I explained how the Mulsanne was mostly unique, with little sharing of components with other cars from Bentley’s parent, the Volkswagen group. By contrast, its more affordable stablemate, the Flying Spur, was related to the Volkswagen Phaeton but with its W12 engine and high-spec interiors, it was still a show case for top-end technology and craft skills. I saw this second-generation model at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Bentley" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Bentley</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsThe last true Rolls Royce was a Bentley - or so you could argue. The Mulsanne had a bespoke body not based on any platform from its new parent Volkswagen. It also revived, in heavily updated form, the magnificent old Rolls Royce 6.75-litre V8. It was built at the old Rolls factory in Crewe. It was the true lineal successor to the recently featured Silver Shadow, Silver Spirit and Silver Seraph. Pic taken - Geneva Motor Show, 2013.<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/RollsRoyce" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RollsRoyce</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Bentley" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Bentley</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsToday, a bonus <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> from <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/SMMTTestDay" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SMMTTestDay</a> - highlight of the British motoring journalist’s calendar. This is a Farizon electric van from China’s Geely. Nice fresh original design for a van.

David WilkinsToday, the forgotten Rolls Royce, the Silver Seraph, produced from 1998 to 2002. The news here was the use of a 5.4-litre V12 engine from BMW in place of Rolls’ own 6.75-litre V8. The Silver Seraph’s Bentley sister model, the Arnage, received a 4.4-litre BMW turbo V8. This development was thought to put BMW in pole position should Rolls’ parent Vickers ever decide to sell the luxury car maker to a larger group. Pic NEC Classic Motor Show, 2023 (1/3)<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/RollsRoyce" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RollsRoyce</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

David WilkinsYesterday, in the first of this short sequence on links between Rolls Royce and BMW, I explained how Rolls went bust in 1971. The car business was separated from the main aero engine company and then floated on the stock exchange as Rolls Royce Motors in 1973. In 1980, the year the Silver Spirit was launched as a replacement for yesterday’s Silver Shadow, Rolls Royce Motors then merged with the British engineering company Vickers. (1/3)<a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/davidsdailycar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#davidsdailycar</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/RollsRoyce" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RollsRoyce</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/Vickers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Vickers</a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/WeirdCarMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WeirdCarMastodon</a>

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