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Mercury (toy Manufacturer)
Mercury was an Italian manufacturing company of die-cast toy, die-cast scale model model car, cars. Based in Turin, Mercury was active from 1932 until 1980. Along with Dinky Toys in England, Mercury was a pioneer in 1:43 scale diecast toys made in Europe. Today, Mercury models are rather rare and not easy to find. The company logo was the word Mercury within a rectangle with a round toothed gear behind the company name. History As with many toy car makers, Turin-based Mercury started as a diecaster of small parts. It produced metal parts mainly for auto companies. Later an importer for German Märklin, the company was started in 1932, by Attilio Clemente and Antonio Cravero, but its first toy was a gun produced about 1939. The company first began making toy cars just after World War II, so is one of the earliest diecast model makers preceding Corgi and many others and it was the earliest producer in Italy. In Italy there was little competition for Mercury through most of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is mainly on the western bank of the Po (river), River Po, below its Susa Valley, and is surrounded by the western Alpine arch and Superga hill. The population of the city proper is 856,745 as of 2025, while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The Turin metropolitan area is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 2.2 million. The city was historically a major European political centre. From 1563, it was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, then of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia ruled by the House of Savoy, and the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865. Turin is sometimes called "the cradle of Italian liberty" for having been the politi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Autobianchi Bianchina
The Autobianchi Bianchina is a minicar produced by the Italian automaker Autobianchi, based on the Fiat 500's chassis and mechanicals. It was available in various configurations: ''Berlina'' (saloon), ''Cabriolet'' (roadster), ''Trasformabile'' (fixed profile convertible), ''Panoramica'' (station wagon), and ''Furgoncino'' (van). The car was presented to the public on 16 September 1957 at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. Initially, the car was equipped with the smallest Fiat engine, air-cooled 479 cc, producing . In 1959, the engine power was increased to and in 1960, the cabriolet version was launched. In the same year, the Trasformabile, whose engine cylinder capacity was increased to 499 cc and , was made available in a Special version with bicolour paint and an engine enhanced to . This body style featured a fixed B-pillar and partial roof, like the rest of the opening was covered with a foldable fabric hood, while the Cabriolet version had no B-pillar. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaparral 2F
The Chaparral 2F is a Group 6 sports prototype designed by Jim Hall and Hap Sharp and built under their company Chaparral Cars. Built with the intention to compete in the World Sportscar Championship, it competed in the 1967 season, with a best finish of first at the BOAC 500, driven by Phil Hill and Mike Spence. The 2F, alongside its Can-Am sibling the 2E, had a heavy influence in dictating the direction of Formula One car design in the late 1960s and early 1970s. With the amounts of mechanical grip the car and tires could provide approaching their respective limits, there was a larger emphasis on aerodynamic efficiency with race car designer Colin Chapman quick to include them on his Formula One cars. Background The importance and role of aerodynamics in motorsports was not particularly well understood in the 1960s; privateer Michael Mayer attempted what was the first implementation of an airfoil at the 1956 1000 km of Nürburgring with his Porsche 550. He mounted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roll Cage
A roll cage is a specially engineered and constructed frame built in (or sometimes around, in which case it is known as an exo cage) the passenger compartment of a vehicle to protect its occupants from being injured or killed in an accident, particularly in the event of a rollover. Designs There are many different roll cage designs depending on the application. Hence, various racing organizations have differing specifications and regulations, although most of these organizations harmonize their rules with those of the FIA. Roll cages help to stiffen the chassis, which is desirable in racing applications. Racing cages are typically either bolt-in or welded-in, with the former being more straightforward and cheaper to fit while the latter is stronger and more substantial. A roll bar is a single bar behind the driver that provides moderate rollover protection. Due to the lack of a protective top, some modern convertibles utilize a strong windscreen frame acting as a roll ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
V-8 Engine
A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder (engine), cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V engine, V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette (manufacturer)#Private engine-building venture, Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, and built in 1904 by the French Antoinette (manufacturer)#Private engine-building venture, Antoinette company for use in speedboat racing, cars, and later, airplanes. Also in 1904, V8 engines began small-scale production by Renault and Buchet for use in race cars. Design V-angle Most engines use a V-angle (the angle between the two banks of cylinders) of 90 degrees. This angle results in good engine balance, which results in low vibrations. However, the downside is the greater width of the engine compared to those that use a smaller V-angle. V8 engines with a 60-degree V-angle were used in the 1996–1999 Ford Taurus SHO#Third generation (1996–1999 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels is an American media franchise and brand of scale model model car, cars invented by Elliot Handler and introduced by his company Mattel on May 18, 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox (brand), Matchbox until Mattel bought Matchbox owner Tyco Toys in 1997. Many automobile manufacturers have since licensed Hot Wheels to make scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original design blueprints and detailing. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended to be children's toys, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available. History Development The original Hot Wheels were made by Elliot Handler. Handler discovered his son Kenneth playing with Matchbox cars and decided to create a line to compete with Matchbox. Hot Wheels were originally conceived by Handler to be more like "hot rod" cars (i.e., Custom car, customized/modified or even Caricature, caricaturized or fantasy cars, often with Racing slick, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gull-wing Doors
In the automotive industry, a gull-wing door, also known as a falcon-wing door, McLaren anhedral door, or an up-door, is a car door that is hinged at the roof rather than the side, as pioneered by Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, first as a race car in 1952 ( W194), and then as a production sports car in 1954. Opening upwards, the doors evoke the image of a seagull's wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...s. In French, they are called (butterfly doors). The papillon door was designed by Jean Bugatti for the 1939 Type 64, 14 years before Mercedes-Benz produced its similar, famous 300 SL gullwing door. The papillon door is a precursor to the gullwing door, and is slightly different in its architecture, but is often overlooked when discussing gull-wing design. Conventio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ferrari 330P
The Ferrari P was a series of Italian sports prototype racing cars produced by Ferrari during the 1960s and early 1970s. Although Enzo Ferrari resisted the move even with Cooper dominating F1, Ferrari began producing mid-engined racing cars in the early 1960s with the Dino-V6-engine Formula One Ferrari 246 P and the sport prototype SP-series. The V12 sports car racers followed in 1963. Although these cars shared their numerical designations (based on engine displacement) with road models, they were almost entirely different. The first Ferrari mid-engine road car did not arrive until the 1967 Dino 206 GT, and it was 1971 before a Ferrari 12-cylinder engine was placed behind a road-going driver in the 365 GT4 BB. 250 P Ferrari produced the 250 P in 1963 in response to the FIA introducing a prototype class for the upcoming season of the World Sportscar Championship. This was a new design, with a chassis unrelated to existing 250-series Grand Touring cars. Designed by Mauro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agip
Agip S.p.A., acronym for Azienda generale italiana petroli, was an Italian automotive gasoline, Diesel fuel, diesel, Liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, lubricants, fuel oil, and bitumen retailer established in 1926 and Subsidiary company, subsidiary of Eni, Eni S.p.A. In 2013 Agip Merger, merged into Eni, creating the Refining and Marketing Division (R&M). History In 1924, Sinclair Oil, a U.S. oil company, and the Italian Ministry of National Economy created a fifty-year joint venture agreement to explore oil in Emilia-Romagna and Sicily, over an area of 40,000 km2. 40% of the capital was held by the ministry, all expenditure was incurred by Sinclair Oil and 25% of profits went to the Italian ministry. The political opposition, headed by Giacomo Matteotti and Don Sturzo, alleged that the joint venture was damaging to the nation and started a controversy which led to suspicions of corruption; Matteotti indeed was killed two days before he was due to give a speech on this issue. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
