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Austin-Healey Sprite
The Austin-Healey Sprite is a small open sports car produced in the United Kingdom from 1958 until 1971. The Sprite was announced to the press in Monte Carlo by the British Motor Corporation on 20 May 1958, two days after that year's Monaco Grand Prix. It was intended to be a low-cost model that "a chap could keep in his bike shed", yet be the successor to the sporting versions of the pre-war Austin Seven. The Sprite was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, with production being undertaken at the MG factory at Abingdon. It first went on sale at a price of £669, using a tuned version of the Austin A-Series engine and as many other components from existing cars as possible to keep costs down. When the Mk. II Sprite was introduced in 1961 it was joined by a badge-engineered MG version, the Midget, reviving a model name used by MG from the late 1920s through to the mid 1950s. Enthusiasts often refer to these later Sprites and Midgets collectively as "Spridgets." Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames. Historically the county town of Berkshire, since 1974 Abingdon has been administered by the Vale of White Horse district within Oxfordshire. The area was occupied from the early to middle Iron Age and the remains of a late Iron Age and Roman defensive enclosure lies below the town centre. Abingdon Abbey was founded around 676, giving its name to the emerging town. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Abingdon was an agricultural centre with an extensive trade in wool, alongside weaving and the manufacture of clothing. Charters for the holding of markets and fairs were granted by various monarchs, from Edward I to George II. The town survived the dissolution of the abbey in 1538, and by the 18th and 19th centuries, with the building of Abingdon Lock in 1790, and Wilts & Berks Canal in 1810, was a key link betwee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Sprinzel
John Sprinzel (October 25, 1930 – May 2021) was an English motor racing driver renowned for competing in saloon and sports car races in addition to his main career in rallying. He was born in Berlin, where his father was a film director for Paramount Newsreel and his mother a dress designer. Three years later the family moved to England, as John's father had been tasked with setting up Paramount Newsreel's London branch. (The move had nothing to do with the Nazi persecution of Jews, as has been shrilly claimed in obituaries published in once-respected national newspapers. The family were members of the Lutheran Church.) Sprinzel finished third overall in the inaugural 1958 British Saloon Car Championship season driving for his own Team Speedwell in an Austin A35. Navigated by future BMC and Ford Competitions Manager Stuart Turner, he won the British Rally Championship in 1959, driving an Austin-Healey Sprite and an Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI.'Lucky John' (The Coulthard P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpine Rally
The Alpine Rally, also known by its official name Coupe des Alpes, was a rally competition based in Marseille and held from 1932 to 1971. In the 1950s and the 1960s, it was among the most prestigious rallies in the world and featured an international route, consisting of famous mountain passes in Europe. History The rally was first held in 1932 under the name ''Rallye des Alpes Françaises''. After World War II, it continued as the ''Rallye International des Alpes'' in 1946. Although the event still started and finished in France, the route became international in 1948 and until 1965 featured famous mountain passes in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. In 1953, the Alpine Rally was included in the inaugural European Rally Championship (ERC) calendar. The rally was very popular during its heyday; '' Autocar'' wrote in 1958 that "without doubt, the Alpine Rally was one of the most formidable motoring events of any type in the international calendar." The car manufacturer Al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Motor (magazine)
''The Motor'' (later, just ''Motor'') was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903 and published by Temple Press. It was initially launched as ''Motorcycling and Motoring'' in 1902 before the title was shortened. From the 14 March 1964 issue the magazine name was simply ''Motor''. Compared to rival ''The Autocar'' (later, just ''Autocar''), ''Motor'' was more informative and more conservative. The magazine usually included: * News and scoops of the latest cars * Motorsport news and results * Car reviews – normally two, both 2 pages long with specifications and impressions. * Road tests – one per week and very detailed In 1988, the journal was absorbed by its long-standing rival '' Autocar'', which became, from the 7 September issue, ''Autocar & Motor''. Six years later, with the 21 September 1994 issue, the name reverted to ''Autocar''. References 1903 establishments in the United Kingdom 1988 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Automobile maga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Potholing
Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is the scientific study of caves and the cave environment.Caving in New Zealand (from Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Accessed 2012-11.) The challenges involved in caving vary according to the cave being visited; in addition to the total absence of light beyond the entrance, negotiating pitches, squeezes, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SU Carburettor
SU carburettors were a British manufacturer of constant-depression carburettors. Their designs were in mass production during most of the twentieth century. The S.U. Carburetter Company Limited also manufactured dual-choke updraught carburettors for aero-engines such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Rolls-Royce Griffon. Invention and development Herbert Skinner (1872–1931), pioneer motorist and an active participant in the development of the petrol engine,Obituary. Mr. G. H. Skinner. ''The Times'', Wednesday, Jan 06, 1932; pg. 12; Issue 46023 invented his Union carburettor in 1904.E A Forward, ''Handbook of the Collections illustrating Land Transport, II. Mechanical Road Vehicles'', Science Museum South Kensington, 1936 His much younger brother, Carl (Thomas Carlisle) Skinner (1882–1958), also a motoring enthusiast, had joined the Farman Automobile Co in London in 1899.Obituary. Mr. Thomas C. Skinner ''The Times'', Saturday, Nov 15, 1958, Issue 54309, p.10. He helped Herbert ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morris Minor
The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in three series: the Series MM (1948 to 1953), the Series II (1952 to 1956), and the 1000 series (1956 to 1971). Initially available as a two-door saloon and tourer (convertible), the range was expanded to include a four-door saloon from September 1950. A wood-framed estate car (the Traveller) from October 1953 and panel van and pick-up truck variants from May 1953. It was the first British car to sell over a million units, and is considered a classic example of automotive design, as well as typifying "Englishness". Although Morris launched a new model with a similar name and a similar market positioning, the Morris Mini in 1959, the Minor remained in production for more than a decade after that, and inearly 2020, its 23-year production ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Austin A35
The Austin A35 is a small family car that was sold by Austin from 1956 until 1968. About 280,897 A35s of all types were produced. Design Introduced in 1956, it replaced the highly successful Austin A30. The name reflected the larger and more powerful 34 hp (25 kW) A-Series inline-four engine, enabling a slightly higher top speed and better acceleration. The A35 is very similar in appearance to the A30, except for a larger rear window aperture and a painted front grille, with chrome horse-shoe surround, instead of the chrome grille on the A30. Both have wheels. The semaphore turn-signal indicators were replaced with modern front- and rear-mounted flashing lights. A slightly easier to operate remote-control gear-change was provided. Much of the improved performance is a result of different gearbox ratios. The A30 has the first three ratios close together then a big gap to top (fourth gear). The A35's ratios are better spaced and give a higher speed in third gear. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, a true monocoque carries both tensile and compressive forces within the skin and can be recognised by the absence of a load-carrying internal frame. Few metal aircraft other than those with milled skins can strictly be regarded as pure monocoques, as they use a metal shell or sheeting reinforced with frames riveted to the skin, but most wooden aircraft are described as monocoques, even though they also incorporate frames. By contrast, a semi-monocoque is a hybrid combining a tensile stressed skin and a compressive structure made up of longerons and ribs or frames. Other semi-monocoques, not to be confused with true monocoques, include vehicle unibodies, which tend to be composites, and inflatable shells or balloon tanks, both of whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crosley
Crosley was a small, independent American manufacturer of subcompact cars, bordering on microcars. At first called the Crosley Corporation and later Crosley Motors Incorporated, the Cincinnati, Ohio, firm was active from 1939 to 1952, interrupted by World War II production. Their station wagons were the most popular model, but also offered were sedans, pickups, convertibles, a sports car, and even a tiny jeep-like vehicle. For export, the cars were badged Crosmobile. Crosley introduced several "firsts" in American automotive history, including the first affordable, mass-market car with an overhead camshaft engine in 1946; the first use of the term ' Sport(s-) Utility' in 1947, for a 1948 model year convertible wagon; and the first American cars to be fitted with 4-wheel caliper type disc brakes, as well as America's first post-war sports car, the Hotshot, in the 1949 model year. All of Crosley's models were lightweight () body-on-frame cars with rigid axles front and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 is a luxury grand tourer produced by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 until 1995. Originally intended to replace the company's iconic 911, the 928 combined the power, poise, and handling of a sports car with the refinement, comfort, and equipment of a luxury sedan. The 928 became the top-of-the-line production car sold by Porsche. Porsche executives believed such a flagship would have wider appeal than the compact 911. The 928 has the distinction of being the company's first production V8-powered model and its only coupé powered by a front-mounted V8 engine. Conception By the late 1960s, Porsche had firmly established itself as a manufacturer of high-performance sports cars. In the wake of the 1970s oil crisis, executives, including owner Ferdinand Porsche, were beginning to consider adding a more fuel-efficient luxury touring car to the line-up. Managing director Ernst Fuhrmann was pressuring Ferdinand to approve development of the new model due to concern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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