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Maserati Merak
The Maserati Merak (''Tipo AM122'') is a mid-engined 2+2 sports car produced by Maserati between 1972 and 1983. The Merak was closely related to the Maserati Bora, sharing part of its structure and body panels, but was powered by a 3.0 L V6 in place of the latter's 4.7 L V8. The extra cabin space gained by fitting a smaller and more compact powertrain was used to carve out a second row of seats—suitable for children or very small adults—making the Merak not just a less expensive alternative to the Bora but also a 2+2. History The Maserati Merak was introduced at the 1972 Paris Auto Show, over a year after the Bora. The model was named after Merak, a star in the constellation of Ursa Major. The Merak shares the front part of its bodyshell with the Bora up to the doors. The front ends differ, mainly by the use of dual chrome bumpers on the Merak, in place of twin trapezoidal grilles on the Bora, but the similarities end at the B-pillar. Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign was ...
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Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Maserati was initially associated with Ferrari. In May 2014, due to ambitious plans and product launches, Maserati sold a record of over 3,000 cars in one month. This caused them to increase production of the Maserati Quattroporte, Quattroporte and Maserati Ghibli (M157), Ghibli models. In addition to the Ghibli and Quattroporte, Maserati offers the Maserati GranTurismo and the Maserati Levante (the first ever Maserati SUV). Maserati has placed a yearly production output cap at 75,000 vehicles globally. History The Maserati brothers The Maserati brothers, Alfieri Maserati, Alfieri (1887–1932), Bindo Maserati, Bindo (1883–1980), Carlo Maserati, Carlo (1881–1910), Ettore Maserati, Ettore (1894–1990), and Ernesto Maserati, Ernesto ( ...
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Beta Ursae Majoris
Beta Ursae Majoris (β Ursae Majoris, abbreviated Beta UMa, β UMa), formally named Merak , is a star in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is +2.37, which means it is readily visible to the naked eye. It is more familiar to northern hemisphere observers as one of the "pointer stars" in the Big Dipper, or the Plough (UK), which is a prominent asterism of seven stars that forms part of the larger constellation. Extending an imaginary straight line from this star through the nearby Alpha Ursae Majoris (Dubhe) extends to Polaris, the north star. Spectral classification In 1943, β Ursae Majoris was listed as a spectral standard for the class of A1 V. When improved instruments made it possible to identify subgiant luminosity classes for early A-class stars, β Ursae Majoris was assigned that class A0 IV. This was later revised to A1 IV. It is considered to be a mild Am star, a type of chemically ...
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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 which ...
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Campagnolo
Campagnolo is an Italian manufacturer of high-end bicycle components with headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. The components are organised as groupsets (gruppi), and are a near-complete collection of a bicycle's mechanical parts. Campagnolo's flagship components are the Super Record, Record, and Chorus groupsets with all three representing their recent shift to 12-speed drivetrains. Super Record and Record are the top groupsets, followed by Chorus, Potenza, Centaur and Veloce. Campagnolo also produces aluminum and carbon wheels, as well as other components (like carbon fiber seat posts, and bottle-cages). History Founded by Tullio Campagnolo, the company began in 1933 in a Vicenza workshop. The founder was a racing cyclist in Italy in the 1920s who conceived several ideas while racing, such as the quick release mechanism for bicycle wheels, derailleurs, and the rod gear for gear changing. Campagnolo has been awarded more than 135 patents for innovations in cycling technology. A ...
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Alejandro De Tomaso
Alejandro de Tomaso (10 July 1928 in Buenos Aires – 21 May 2003 in Modena, Italy) was a racing driver and businessman from Argentina. His name is sometimes seen in an Italianised form as ''Alessandro de Tomaso''. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 January 1957. He scored no championship points. He later founded the Italian sports car company De Tomaso Automobili in 1959. Life and career Alejandro de Tomaso was born in Argentina, where his paternal grandfather had emigrated from Italy. His family was politically prominent. In 1955, de Tomaso was implicated in a plot to overthrow Argentine president Juan Perón, and fled to Italy. He settled in Modena and married American heiress Isabelle Haskell. Auto racing In 1957, he started his career in the car industry as a Formula One racing driver for Scuderia Centro Sud, a privateer team based in Modena. He drove in the first race of the Formula One World Championship of Drivers, the 19 ...
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Pop-up Headlights
Hidden headlamps, also commonly known as pop-up headlamps, pop-up headlights, flip-eye headlamps, or hideaway headlights, are a form of automotive lighting and an automotive styling feature that conceals an automobile's headlamps when they are not in use. Depending on the design, the headlamps may be mounted in a housing that rotates so as to sit flush with the front end as on the Lamborghini Miura or Porsche 928, may retract into the hood and/or fenders as on the 1963–2004 Chevrolet Corvette, or may be concealed behind retractable or rotating grille panels as on the 1966-1970 Dodge Charger, 1970-1971 Mercury Cyclone, or the 1965 Buick Riviera. History Hidden headlamps first appeared on the Cord 810 in November 1935 at the New York Auto Show and shortly after on a custom example of the Alfa Romeo 8C in 1936. In the Cord, a pair of cranks on either side of the dashboard could be turned by hand to bring out the headlamps when needed. Powered hidden headlamps first appeared on ...
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Braking System
A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background Most brakes commonly use friction between two surfaces pressed together to convert the kinetic energy of the moving object into heat, though other methods of energy conversion may be employed. For example, regenerative braking converts much of the energy to electrical energy, which may be stored for later use. Other methods convert kinetic energy into potential energy in such stored forms as pressurized air or pressurized oil. Eddy current brakes use magnetic fields to convert kinetic energy into electric current in the brake disc, fin, or rail, which is converted into heat. Still other braking methods even transform kinetic energy into different forms, for example by transferring the energy to a rotating flywheel. Brakes are generally ...
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Hydropneumatic
Hydropneumatic suspension is a type of motor vehicle suspension system, designed by Paul Magès, invented by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being used under licence by other car manufacturers, notably Rolls-Royce ( Silver Shadow), Bmw 5-Series e34 Touring, Maserati (Quattroporte II) and Peugeot. It was also used on Berliet trucks and has more recently been used on Mercedes-Benz cars, where it is known as ''Active Body Control.'' The Toyota Soarer UZZ32 "Limited" was fitted with a fully integrated four-wheel steering and a complex, computer-controlled hydraulic ''Toyota Active Control Suspension'' in 1991. Similar systems are also widely used on modern tanks and other large military vehicles. The suspension was referred to as ''oléopneumatique'' in early literature, pointing to oil and air as its main components. The purpose of this system is to provide a sensitive, dynamic and high-capacity suspension that offers superior ride quality on a variety of surface ...
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Longitudinal Engine
In automotive engineering, a longitudinal engine is an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, front to back. Use This type of motor is usually used for rear-wheel drive cars, except for some Audi and SAAB models equipped with longitudinal engines in front wheel drive. In front-wheel drive cars a transverse engine is usually used. Trucks often have longitudinal engines with rear-wheel drive. For motorcycles, the use of a particular type depends on the drive: in case of a chain or belt drive a transverse engine is usually used, and with shaft drives a longitudinal engine. Longitudinal engines in motorcycles do have one disadvantage: the "tipping point" of the crankshaft tilts along the entire motorcycle to a greater or lesser degree when accelerating. This is partly resolved by having other components, such as the generator and the gearbox, rotate in the opposite direction to the crankshaft. Most larger, "premium" ve ...
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Transverse Engine
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Many modern front-wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles use a longitudinal engine configuration, where the engine's crankshaft axis is parallel with the direction of travel, except for some Mid-engine design, rear-mid engine vehicles, which use a transverse engine and transaxle mounted in the rear instead of the front. Despite typically being used in light vehicles, it is not restricted to such designs and has also been used on Armoured fighting vehicle, armoured fighting vehicles to save interior space. History The Critchley Light car, Critchley light car, made by the Daimler Company, Daimler Motor Company in 1899, had a transverse engine with belt drive to the rear axle. The first successful transverse-engine cars were the two-cylinder DKW F1 series of cars, which first appeared in 1931. Du ...
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Road & Track
''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York. History ''Road & Track'' (often abbreviated ''R&T'') was founded by two friends, Wilfred H. Brehaut, Jr. and Joseph S. Fennessy, in 1947, in Hempstead, New York. Published only six times from 1947 to 1949, it struggled in its early years. By 1952, regular contributor and editor John R. Bond and his wife Elaine had become the owners of the magazine, which then grew until its sale to CBS Publications in 1972. The ampersand (&) in the title was introduced in 1955 by then Editor Terry Galanoy, who replaced the word "and" in the magazine's name because the words Road and Track were graphically too long for newsstand-effective recognition. In 1988, Hachette Filipacchi Media took ownership of the magazine. In October 2008, Matt DeLorenzo became editor-in-chief, succeeding Tho ...
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Lamborghini Urraco
The Lamborghini Urraco is a 2+2 sports car manufactured by Italian automaker Lamborghini, introduced at the Turin Auto Show in 1970, marketed for model years 1972-1979, and named after a line of Miura-bred fighting bulls; the name translates to "little bull". History The car is a 2+2 coupé with body designed by Marcello Gandini, at the time working for Carrozzeria Bertone. Rather than being another range topping sports car, like the Lamborghini Miura, the Urraco was intended to be more affordable and an alternative to the contemporary Ferrari Dino and Maserati Merak. When production ceased in 1979, 791 Urracos had been built, of which 21 were Urraco P111s (P250 Tipo 111s) for the American market. In order to comply with American regulations, these cars had larger front bumpers and emissions controls, the latter resulting in less horsepower. The other Urraco versions were the Urraco P200, Urraco P250 and Urraco P300 with 2-litre, 2.5-litre, and 3-litre V8s respectively. Both ...
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