Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Maserati's new GranTurismo Coupe

These are the first images of Maserati’s new GT Coupe, revealed ahead of the car’s official debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The stunning lines were penned by Italian design studio Pininfarina, clearly taking inspiration from Maserati’s larger Quattroporte sedan. A near-perfect 49/51 weight distribution combined with an upgraded 405hp 4.2L V8 motor is sure to provide scintillating performance.
Just like the Quattroporte saloon, the new coupe gets a modern take on the Buickesque three-hole side vents with a sharper more angular appearance. Muscular flared wheel arches house huge multispoke alloys featuring Masearti’s trademark trident logo. The new interior, which was also designed by Pininfarina, features a leather lined dash and center console that runs the entire length of the cabin, while the conventional handbrake is replaced with a foot operated pedal next to the brake. Gears are changed by a fully-automatic transmission with pseudo-manual mode that uses paddle-shifters located behind the steering wheel.

The new coupe won’t be called the GT but instead picks up the extended title, GranTurismo, refering to Maserati’s first street car of 1947. The first cars are expected to hit showrooms by the middle of this year, but already there are rumors of even more models. A new flagship GranSport model is said to be in the works, powered by an all-new 450hp 4.7L V8 that will be shared with Alfa Romeo’s 8C Competizione. This will be followed with the release of a new Spyder convertible as well as a possible Coupe-Convertible sporting a folding metal roof next year.

History of Ford Mustang : Third Generation (1969-1970)

The Mustang got larger once again for 1969 even though the wheelbase remained 108 inches. The new body for 1969 featured four headlights, a sharp nose with a simpler grille that dispensed with the famed running horse centerpiece and a revision of the fake side scoops on the coupe and convertible. The fastback had large nonfunctional scoops dug high into its rear fenders. Unlike the '67, the '69 design clearly broke from established Mustang styling themes.
But under the sheet metal the Mustang still carried that Falcon-sourced front suspension and the solid rear axle was still perched on leaf springs.
The range of powertrain options grew once again for '69 and those led to the development of exciting new models. Base power still came from the 200-cubic-inch straight six, the 250 six was back again as an option. But the 289 V8s were gone for good with a two-barrel, 220-horsepower 302 now serving as the least intimidating V8 available. Beyond the 302 was a new 351-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) V8 which made 250 horsepower when gasping in air through a two-barrel carb and 290 horsepower with a higher-compression ratio and four-barrel carburetion. The 390 was back making 320 horsepower and two 428s were offered, with the "Cobra Jet" version making 335 horsepower and the "Super Cobra Jet" pounding out 360.For those who wanted a luxurious Mustang, Ford offered the '69 coupe as a "Grande" model.
For those who wanted a performance image, the company came up with a "Mach 1" version of the 2+2 fastback available only with the 351, 390 or 428 engines.
The two most intriguing '69 Mustangs came in the middle of the model run. Both were named "Boss" and both were built for racing.
The Boss 302 Mustang arose because Ford needed a car to go up against the successful Camaro Z28 in the SCCA Trans Am road racing series. So Ford came up with the Boss 302, which benefited from an optimized suspension, a neat Larry Shinoda-designed body package (which included a flat-black hood, rear window louvers and a rear deck spoiler) and a high-compression, deep-breathing 302 V8 making a wicked 290 horsepower. Ford would sell 1,628 of these near-racers and they'd prove effective weapons on the racetrack as well.
The Boss 429 was built only to homologate Ford's spectacular 429-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) hemi-headed V8 for NASCAR stock car competition. The 429 was ludicrously underrated at 375 horsepower (500 horsepower was more like it), and there's no explanation as to why the company insisted on shoehorning the big engine into the Mustang (the front suspension had to be virtually redesigned) instead of putting it in the roomier bay of the Torino, which was the car Ford actually ran in NASCAR. Only 859 Boss 429 fastbacks were built during the '69 model year and they all had large functional scoops on their hoods.
Those Boss 429s were but a drop in the 1969 Mustang sales bucket. In all, Ford sold 299,824 Mustangs that year, including 72,458 Mach 1s and 14,746 convertibles.
Ford went back to just two headlights for the 1970 Mustang, replacing the outboard lights with attractive scoops that fed nothing at all. Other changes included the elimination of the phony side scoops from all models. Also, the 351 V8s now came from Ford's Cleveland plant and were of a slightly different design from the previous 351s that had been built at the Windsor, Ontario, facility.
During the '70 model year, sales dropped to 190,727 Mustangs including 6,318 Boss 302s, 499 Boss 429s and just 7,673 convertibles.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Ferrari F430 2007

The F430 signals the arrival of a brand new generation of V8-engined Ferrari berlinettas. Every inch of the car was inspired by the engineering research carried out at Ferrari’s Gestione Sportiva F1 racing division. The result is a highly innovative design, characterized by cutting-edge technologies perfected for use on a road-going car. Two of these innovations are world firsts for production cars: the electronic differential (E-Diff) initially developed by Ferrari for its F1 single-seaters and designed to make the most of the engine’s torque to optimize traction, and the handily placed steering wheel-mounted rotary switch (better known to the Formula 1 drivers as the manettino) which directly controls the integrated systems governing vehicle dynamics. The F430’s light, compact 4308 cc engine is completely new and gives the car its name. It punches out 490 bhp and delivers a specific power output of 114 bhp/liter and 343 lb-ft of torque. Needless to say, performance is outstanding: acceleration from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4 seconds flat and a maximum speed in excess of 196 mph (315 km/h).


Style

The F430’s nose is characterized by two distinctive air intakes that channel air into generously dimensioned radiators to cool the powerful engine. The two intakes are linked at their lower edge by a spoiler that directs the air towards the car’s flat underbody. The F430’s vertically stacked headlights are extremely compact thanks to the use of Bi-xenon technology. Large air vents just ahead of the front wheels channel the air out of the radiators and along the car’s flanks. Generous scoops at the top of the rear wheelarches channel air into the engine. The side view is completed by the new 19" wheels with the 5 twin-spoke layout that combine classic Ferrari design flair with exceptional levels of structural rigidity combined with light weight.


The Enzo Ferrari was the inspiration for much of the rear styling of the new F430. The type and arrangement of the lights are the same with the latter protruding quite prominently from the bodywork. Another similarity is the shape of the air vent for the engine with the chrome Prancing Horse at its centre.


Engine

The F430 is powered by a new 90° V8 featuring Ferrari’s traditionally uncompromising design approach with a flat-plane crank (180° between throws). This is an all-new unit that does not share any components with the 360 Modena’s engine. Despite a 20% increase in engine displacement (from 3586 cc to 4308 cc), engine weight has grown minimally by just 4 kg, while performance is considerably improved across the board. Torque increases by 25% (343 lb-ft at 5250 rpm, 80% of which is already available at 3500 rpm) and power by 23% (490 bhp at 8500 rpm). The engine is extremely compact with a cylinder spacing of just 104 mm. Similarly, Ferrari’s engineers integrated the sump and main bearings in a single casting which, along with a smaller diameter twin-plate clutch and flywheel, has reduced the engine height between the bottom of the oil sump and the crankshaft to just 130 mm (from 145 mm on the 360 Modena power unit).


E-Diff Electronic Differential

One of the technical features that sets the F430 apart is the E-Diff or electronic differential. This solution has been used for years in F1 single-seaters and has been continuously developed and refined, effectively transferring massive torque levels to the track under extremely high cornering g-forces. The E-Diff is now standard equipment on the F430 - the first time that a production car has been equipped with such a sophisticated system for high-performance roadholding. On the track, the E-Diff guarantees maximum grip out of bends, eliminating wheel spin. On the road it is a formidable technological refinement that improves roadholding. This system is available both on the F1-paddle shift version as well as on the manual gearbox model and consists of three main subsystems:


  • a high-pressure hydraulic system, shared with the F1 gearbox (if present);

  • a control system consisting of valve, sensors and electronic control unit;

  • a mechanical unit housed in the left side of the gearbox.

Transmission and F1 Gearbox


The F430 features a new cast-aluminum transmission casing that houses the gearbox in unit with the electronic differential and bevel type final drive, as well as the engine oil tank. The 6-speed gearbox incorporates multicone synchronizers, while both the 6th gear and the final drive have been lengthened to make the most of the greater power and torque of the new engine. The F430 is available with either the classic Ferrari open-gate manual gearbox or with the F1 paddle shift that Ferrari has continuously developed and refined over recent years for its road-going berlinettas. Thanks to that ongoing development, Ferrari’s F1 gearbox for the F430 is state of the art, introducing a number of important modifications: thanks to inputs from the engineers on the Gestione Sportiva racing side, the F1 gearbox management incorporates a new control strategy which further perfects gearchange speed and smoothness under hard use. Changing gear takes just 150 milliseconds, as measured by the ‘hole’ in acceleration during the change (intended as the overall time from declutching, changing gear to releasing the clutch).


Interior


The F430’s interior has been re-designed for improved driver ergonomics. The instruments are housed in a new binnacle, and this design together with the layout of the dashboard underlines the care that has gone into grouping all the major controls in front of the driver within easy reach. In the driver’s direct line of sight are the rev counter, which features new graphics with a choice of either a red or yellow background and a new metal surround, the digital readout of the gear ratio selected (F1 version) and a multi-function display. The same uncompromising approach to driver control was the inspiration behind mounting the starter button and manettino on the steering wheel. The wheel itself is new with the upper rim flattened to improve visibility in the straight ahead position, and the horn pushes are integrated into the inner rim where they can be easily actioned. The interior reflects the advanced technology and materials employed in the car’s construction, and can be personalized with carbon-fiber or aluminum inserts. The cockpit is noticeably bigger and the already excellent passenger comfort is subsequently increased thanks to a slimmer central tunnel which houses the gear lever turret on the manual version and the F1 console on the paddle-shift version. There is plenty of space behind the rear seats, with a new electrically operated compartment for oddments storage and catch netting to the rear fire wall. The seats have been redesigned for greater lateral containment and the standard electric seats can be substituted by more sporting items with four-point harnesses to order (depending on markets).


Specifications
Engine
Type : V8
Displacement cu in (cc) : 263 (4308)
Power bhp (kW) at RPM : 490(360) / 8500
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM : 343(465) / 5250
Redline at RPM : n.a.

Brakes & Tires
Brakes F/R : ABS, vented disc/vented disc
Tires F-R : 225/35 ZR19 - 285/35 ZR19
Driveline : Rear Wheel Drive

Exterior Dimensions & Weight
Length × Width × Height in : 176.6 × 75.7 × 47.8
Weight lb (kg) : 3196 (1450)

Performance

Acceleration 0-62 mph s : 4.0
Top Speed mph (km/h) : >196 (>315)
Fuel Economy EPA city/highway mpg (l/100 km) : 11/16 (n.a.)

History of Ford Mustang :Second Generation (1967-1968)

By 1967, the Mustang had something it hadn't had before: competition. Chevrolet was now making the Camaro, Pontiac the Firebird, and Plymouth had redesigned the Barracuda into a more serious machine. Even within Ford, Mercury was now selling the Cougar.
Ford's response to that competition was a new, slightly larger Mustang with an all-new body over what was pretty much the same chassis. The wheelbase was still 108 inches, but total length was up two inches to 183.6 inches and every styling feature was just a little bit exaggerated — the grille opening was bigger, the side scallops deeper, the taillights were now larger and concave instead of modest and convex, the 2+2 fastback's roof now extended all the way back to the trunk lid's trailing edge and the convertible's rear window was now a two-piece item made of real glass instead of instantly hazing plastic. A hood with dual recesses was optional.
The standard power plant was now the 200-cubic-inch six making 120 horsepower with a 250-cubic-inch (4.1-liter) 155-horsepower six and the 200-, 225- and 271-horsepower K-code 289 V8s optional. New on the menu was a 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) "big-block" V8 breathing through a Holley four-barrel carburetor making 315 horsepower. Accommodating that wider engine meant that the front suspension's track needed to be widened by 2.5 inches for clearance.
With its wider track, the '67 Mustang was a more stable car than the '66. The seats were more comfortable, and the instrumentation was easier to read. It was, generally speaking, a better car in every way that counted. Ford sold 356,271 coupes, 71,042 2+2s and 44,808 convertibles during '67 despite the new competition. Of those, only 472 cars were equipped with the 271-horsepower 289, while around 28,800 had the 390 under their hoods.
Federally mandated side marker lights and a revised grille distinguished the 1968 Mustang from the '67 on the outside, while a slew of new engines set it apart mechanically. A low-performance 195-horsepower 289 V8 was still an option, but the other 289s were gone in favor of two new 302-cubic-inch (4.9-liter) versions of the small block V8. The two-barrel 302 made 220 horsepower, while the four-barrel-equipped version put out 230 horsepower.
More glamorous than the revised small V8s were new 427- and 428-cubic-inch (both convert to about 7.0 liters) versions of the big-block V8. The more radical 427, which had a slightly higher-compression ratio and wilder cam, was rated at 390 horsepower, while the more civilized 428 knocked out 335 horsepower. Both the 427 and 428 were very rare options. Those big engines hinted at what was in store for the Mustang over the next few years.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

History of Ford Mustang


For a car enthusiast, knowing the history of the Ford Mustang is as basic as knowing the laws of thermodynamics are to a physicist, knowing Hebrew is to a rabbi or knowing when the bacon is done to a cook at Denny's. The Mustang is a pillar of American automotive lore, and the car that brought sporting dash and styling at a price almost anyone could afford.
The Mustang has never been an exotic car. Even the rarest, most powerful Mustangs ever built (such as the '69 Boss 429) were assembled with haphazard care by a UAW workforce facing a quick-moving, continuous production line with parts that were shared in common with six-cylinder Falcons, four-door Fairlanes and stripped Galaxies. Handcrafting and taking the time to do something extra special has never been part of Mustang production.
But that hasn't kept the Mustang from capturing the hearts of drivers for nearly 40 years. As ordinary a car as the Mustang has always been, it has always been extraordinarily attractive.
First Generation (1964 1/2-1966)
Ford's Mustang was conceived in full knowledge that in the mid-'60s the biggest population bubble in history was coming of age in America. Baby boomers would rule the '60s and there was little reason to think they wanted cars that were anything like their parents' cars. The production Mustang was shown to the public for the first time inside the Ford Pavilion at the New York World's Fair on April 17, 1964 — two months and nine days after the Beatles first came to New York to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. It went on sale at Ford dealers that same day.
The 1964 1/2 production Mustang followed two Mustang concept cars. The Mustang I shown in 1962 was a midengine two-seater powered by a V4. The Mustang II show car first displayed at the United States Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, N.Y., during October 1963, was a front-engine, four-seater foreshadowing the production machine that went on sale six months later. Compared to those two, the production machine was dowdy. Compared to every other American car then in production, except the Corvette, the Mustang was gorgeously sleek.
To make the Mustang affordable it needed to share much of its engineering with an existing Ford product. That product was the smallest Ford of the time, the compact Falcon. In fact, the first Mustangs were built in the same Dearborn, Mich., plant as the Falcon.
Initially offered as either a notchback coupe or convertible, the Mustang's unibody structure was laid over a 108-inch wheelbase and stretched out 181.6 inches from bumper to bumper. While it shared its front double-wishbone/coil spring and leaf spring rear suspension as well as its overall length with the Falcon, the proportions of the Mustang were different. Its cockpit was pushed further back on the chassis, resulting in a longer hood and shorter rear deck design, and both its roof and cowl were lower. It's with those proportions — detailed with such iconic touches as the running horse in the grille, the side scallops along the flanks and the taillights divided into three sections — the Mustang became a car people were instantly passionate about.
Engine choices started with the utterly lame 170-cubic-inch (2.8-liter) OHV straight six that made just 101 horsepower; then proceeded through a 200-cubic-inch (3.3-liter) OHV straight six rated at a flaccid 116 horsepower; a 260-cubic-inch (4.3-liter) OHV V8 breathing through a two-barrel carburetor and making 164 horsepower; a 210-horsepower two-barrel-equipped 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) V8; a four-barrel 289 making 220 horsepower; and, at the top, the famous "K-code" high-compression, solid-lifter, four-barrel 289 pumping out a lusty 271 horsepower. K-code-equipped cars got a special badge on their front fenders indicating that not only did the engine displace 289 cubic inches, but that it was also the "High Performance" version.
A three-speed manual transmission was standard with every engine except the 271-horse 289, which was available only with the four-speed manual that was optional on other models. The Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission was also offered.
Nothing could stop the 1964 1/2 Mustang (especially not its four-wheel drum brakes) and with Ford furiously adding production capacity for the "pony car" at plants around the country, the company sold an amazing 126,538 of them during that abbreviated 1964 model year — 97,705 coupes and 28,833 convertibles. The V8s outsold Mustangs equipped with the six by nearly three to one.
The three most significant additions to the Mustang for 1965 were the neat 2+2 fastback body, the optional GT equipment and trim package and optional power front disc brakes. Gone forever was the 260 V8 that few buyers were choosing anyhow.
Even Ford was shocked at America's appetite for the Mustang during '65. It sold an astounding 409,260 coupes, 77,079 2+2 fastbacks and 73,112 convertibles that year. That's a total of 559,451 Mustangs for the '65 model year.
With that many Mustangs in the nation's automotive bloodstream, it was natural that many of them would be raced. But in order to go road racing head to head against Chevrolet's Corvette, Ford needed a two-seater. And rules said that Ford had to make at least 100 of them by January 1965. That's where Carroll Shelby came in.
Shelby, a Texan and longtime racer, saw the potential to slay Corvettes with the Mustang and took 100 of the first 2+2s equipped with the K-code engine built at Ford's San Jose, Calif., plant down to Los Angeles for modification into "GT 350" models. Tossing the rear seats aside, Shelby added such performance items as oversize front disc brakes, a fiberglass hood and a lowered suspension with oversize tires on 15-inch wheels. Shelby's legendary series of modified Mustangs would be built through 1970 in various forms and are today considered some of the most desirable Mustangs ever built. It's impossible to ignore the Shelby Mustangs (which carried Shelby VIN numbers) when recounting Mustang history, but space considerations prevent further discussion of them in this article.
The easiest way to tell the 1966 Mustang from the '65 is the later car's lack of horizontal or vertical dividing bars in the grille — the running horse logo seems to float unsupported in the '66's slatted grille. Other changes were limited to color variations, a revised instrument cluster and a few trim tweaks. Incredibly, the '66 was even more popular than the '65 and Ford sold 607,568 of them — 499,751 coupes, 35,698 2+2s and 72,119 convertibles. That's still the most Mustangs ever sold during a single model year.

Honda Accord 2008


The Sports 4 concept, which is nominally based on the Honda Accord platform, foretells a new four-wheel-drive sport sedan and also showcases a possible new direction for Honda styling, which the company calls "Keen Edge Dynamics." The front end reminds us of the Acura RL, while the tall, sharply chiseled bodysides and the small greenhouse are similar to the new Lexus IS. At 180 inches (15 feet) in length, the show car is shorter than an Acura TL.

Honda has not specified a powertrain other than to say that it will likely be a 2.0-liter four-cylinder. The Sports 4 uses the same super-handling all-wheel-drive system as the RL. Rear-seat passengers can monitor the system's torque split and other vehicle data via small digital readouts on the backs of the front-seat headrests. The idea that all passengers should be able to share the same information at the same time is one of the key concepts of the car.
Designed in Japan, the Sports 4 concept has a luxurious, four-seat cabin boasting a moonroof with four blinds that can be individually opened or closed.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Porsche Boxster 2007


The Boxster is Porsche’s mid-engine, six-cylinder roadster that was added to the Porsche lineup for 1997 with Porsche’s new liquid-cooled flat six-cylinder “boxer” engine. The Boxster first debuted as a concept car at the 1993 North American International Auto Show with styling cues from the legendary Porche 550 Spyder. The Boxster S was added for 2000 with a higher level of performance. The second-generation Boxster debuted for the 2005 model year with updates for the first time since its debut.

The 2007 Porsche Boxster receives a bigger engine, more power and other minor updates. The Boxster gains five horsepower to 245 and torque increases by two to 201 lb-ft. in its 2.7-liter engine. The engine in the Boxster S is increased from 3.2 to 3.4 liters with a horsepower and torque upgrade of 15 to 295 and 251 lb-ft. Zero to 60 mph time is a tenth of a second quicker than its predecessor at 5.1 seconds and the top speed increases by two to 169 mph. Standard is a tire-pressure-monitoring system and available for the first time are optional 19-inch forged alloy two-tone wheels that were developed for the new 911 Turbo.
AutoPacific, a California-based automotive marketing and product-consulting firm has conducted a survey asking thousands of new car owners on what they think is the most satisfying sports car in United States. The 2007 Porsche Boxster has been able to obtain the No. 1 position.
Porsche Boxster and Boxster S were given the Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA), which is considered the industry’s yardstick in measuring the satisfaction that new car owners get from their vehicles. According to the survey, Boxster owners have rated their cars highly within the Power/Acceleration and Braking categories same with the Cargo/Space/Capacity, Cupholders and Interior Storage areas of the survey.
The Auto Pacific releases VSA outcome annually as a consumer and industry service measuring owner satisfaction across 46 specific areas associated to a vehicle’s operation, comfort, security and overall buying experience. And fortunately Porsche got all what it takes to win such distinguished recognition.
George Peterson, President of Auto Pacific said that, “Sports cars are supposed to be exhilarating to drive, but sometimes difficult to live with. Owners of the Porsche Boxster indicate it delivers on exhilarating, but it is not difficult to live with.” Starting from the day that the Boxster was released until now it still win praises from consumers as it provides the ultimate open-air driving experience. It has a one of a kind mid-engine configuration, with numerous handling developments and better dynamic and passive safety that makes it the leading vehicle in its segment.
Auto Pacific as a future-oriented automotive marketing and product-consulting firm promise to give every year the same kind of award to deserving vehicles, they aim to recognize vehicles and manufacturers that prove to them that they deserve respect and acknowledgement from consumers.

Porsche Panamera


The Porsche Panamera is a four-door, four-seat sedan, currently still in concept stages, set to be launched in 2009. It will be front engined and rear wheel drive and powered by a modified version of the 4.5 L V-8 found in the Cayenne, equipped with the FSI system invented by Volkswagen (Porsche and Volkswagen collaborated on the Cayenne/Touareg sport utility vehicle platform). Base spec models will be engineered with a 3.6 litre V-6 found in the upcoming 2008 facelifted Cayenne, and there is even a hybrid version in the pipeline. Rumours suggest that the V-10 engine from Porsche's limited-run Carrera GT supercar may be offered as well, although this is still extremely unlikely given the expense of manufacturing the engine and that Porsche does not currently have a facility capable of producing a suitable number of the V-10 per year. A rumour is also around that the V-12 diesel from the Audi Q7 could make it into the Panamera.

The final assembly of the vehicles will take place in Leipzig. Engines will be assembled in Stuttgart, and the car's painted body will come from the Volkswagen facility in Hanover.
The Panamera is generally considered to be the long-awaited fruit of their 989 concept from the late 1980s; some argue that it also presents itself as a suitable successor to the 2-doored 928, although some amount of debate surrounds this. It will be marketed as a direct competitor to automobiles such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG and Maserati Quattroporte and (to a lesser degree) a less expensive alternative to vehicles such as the Bentley Continental GT, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and Aston Martin Rapide. It is the first V8-engined sports car built by Porsche since 1995, when the 928 was discontinued and will be produced in the new plant at Leipzig alongside the Cayenne. The vehicle has been caught testing at the Nürburgring and the original sketches are a little more sleek than the taped up model spied testing.

Artist renderings of the car already distributed by Porsche show a low-slung, four-door sports car with narrow side windows and flowing lines. However spy shots of the Porsche Panamera testing at the Nürburgring show a more blunt car than the artists renderings.
The Panamera's name is derived, like the Porsche Carrera line, from the Carrera Panamericana race. Earlier prototypes of four-door sedans such as the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype or the even earlier 4 door 911 based prototype, never went into production.

Biography of Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche


Although the company of Dr. Ing. h.c.F Porsche AG was formed on April 25,1931 as "designers and consultants for land, sea and air vehicles," it wasProfessor Dr. Ferry Porsche, son of the automotive genius Professor FerdinandPorsche, who steered the company into becoming one of the world's leadingautomotive engineering design companies and specialist manufacturer of sportscars. From the time he designed the first Porsche, the Type 356 in 1948, itwas his personal involvement that made Porsche the great marque it is today.
When Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, known as "Ferry," was born in WienerNeustadt, Austria, on September 19, 1909, his father was Technical Director ofthe Austro-Daimler Company.
Never far away from the automotive work of his father, Ferry Porsche wassoon behind the wheel of a car and, by the age of twelve, was even permittedto run in the class winning Targo Florio car, the lightweight Austro-DaimlerSascha.
When the Porsche family moved to Stuttgart in 1923 for Professor FerdinandPorsche to become the Technical Director of Daimler-Benz, the south Germanautomotive center became Ferry Porsche's second home. It is there that he waseducated and met his wife, Dorothea, she remained his staunch companion untilher death in 1985, and was the mother of his four sons.
Ferry Porsche started working with his father when the latter formed hisindependent design office. Their first contract, designated number 007 togive the impression it was not their first project, was a 2-liter car forWanderer. The success of this car was later to lead the newly founded AutoUnion Company, which had incorporated Wanderer, to appoint Professor Porscheas the designer of a new Grand Prix car to meet the new 750 kgs. maximumweight formula.
The Auto Union was the most advanced pre-war racing car design concept.It was of lightweight construction, featured a 16-cylinder super-chargedengine, with unique valve control mounted just behind the driver; an engineposition which is standard for all modern generation F1 cars. Ferry Porscheplayed no small part in its design and construction. Less well known is thefact Ferry Porsche conducted much of the initial test driving of the car untilhis father declared one day, "I have enough drivers, but only one son."
One other car which the Porsche firm designed before World War II was tohave an important influence on both Ferry Porsche and the rest of the world.It was, of course, the most produced car of all time: the Volkswagen Beetle.
The war itself cut deep into the life of the young automobile designer.Transferred from demolished Stuttgart to the Carinthian town of Gmund in 1943,Ferry Porsche and a few colleagues had to start again from scratch in 1945 bykeeping busy with repair jobs and the construction of simple farm machinery.
Meanwhile, the French held Ferry's father, Professor Ferdinand Porscheuntil 1947, when Ferry Porsche's family managed to raise sufficient money fromnew contracts in Italy to buy his freedom. One of these design projectsresulted in the Cisitalia Formula 1 race car, unveiled at the Turin Motor Showthat same year. It was the first race car with a midmounted engine andfour-wheel drive.
After that, Ferry Porsche decided to build his own sports car, effectivelythe first "Porsche." He took out plans he made back in 1939 for a light,compact car based on the Volkswagen, practically the only components availablein Germany at the time. Besides providing speedy acceleration, unmatchedbraking and good road holding, an essential criterion was the car had to bepractical for everyday use. Its "marketing concept" adopted by Ferry Porschewas, "If I build a car that gives me satisfaction, then there must be otherswith the same sort of dreams who would be prepared to buy such a car."
The first car to bear the Porsche name, the Type 356, was delivered onJune 8, 1948. It boasted a tubular space frame chassis, an aluminum body anda rear-mounted four-cylinder 1.131 cc VW engine. The following year, in orderto ensure continued production of the 356, Ferry Porsche negotiated a newcontract with the then head of Volkswagen, Heinz Nordoff, for the supply ofparts. Besides this, the contract appointed Dr. Ing h.c.F Porsche K.G. asconsultant engineer to VW, sole importer of VW's for Austria and recipient ofa royalty sum on every VW Beetle produced at Wolfsburg.
A total of fifty-two 356 cars were built at Gmund in Austria before thecompany returned to Stuttgart. Production recommenced there in March 1950.During the same year, Porsche began designing its own engine, the Carrera.The 356 model, which was initially forecast to have a world sales potential of500 units, was last produced in 1965 after over 78,000 cars had been built.The policy of model longevity is continued today with the Porsche 911, whichenters its 35th year of production.
Professor Dr. Ferry Porsche was happy and grateful that his fatherwitnessed with approval, shortly before he died on January 30, 1951, the startof Porsche as a specialist sports car manufacturer. Since 1948, decades ofhard, dedicated work were put in by him to further enhance the Porscheproduct, which enjoyed a fine reputation from the beginning, by expandingcustomer service and marketing, not to mention accelerating productdevelopment through motor racing.
Since entering Le Mans in 1951 and achieving a class win, the name Porschehas been synonymous with success in motor sport. Amongst its numeroustriumphs, Porsche has been crowned World Endurance Champion in sports carracing 14 times and, since 1970, has won the Le Mans 24-hour race a record15 times. The world famous Monte Carlo rally was won four times by Porsche911s, and an experimental 4WD 911 Carrera won the 1984 Paris-Dakar desert racefirst time out, the very first sports car ever to achieve this honor.Subsequently in 1986, Porsche 959s finished first, second and sixth on theirdebut outing in the event as well as becoming the first all-wheel drive racingcar to enter and win its class at Le Mans.
In all, Professor Dr. Ferry Porsche demanded a great deal from hisengineers, mechanics and drivers. He made courageous investments in newdevelopments and thereby founded the worldwide reputation of his firm as aprivately controlled, independent producer of technologically advanced sportsand racing cars for worldwide use.
In 1972, the year the Porsche family withdrew from active management ofthe company, Weissach was opened. Today, Weissach is world famous as a sitefor research and development, where 30%, of all work is undertaken on behalfof other manufacturers, governments and NATO.
Back in 1965, Ferry Porsche was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by theTechnical University of Vienna in recognition of his achievements in so manybranches of the automobile world. In 1984 on his 75th birthday he was awardedthe honorary title of 'Professor.'
1909 Ferdinand Porsche was born in Wiener Neustadt, Austria on September 19.
1931 Began his activities as a designer in the engineering consultancy of his father, Dr. Ing h.c.F Porsche KG.
1932 Ferdinand Porsche's duties expanded to include supervision and coordination of testing. Assisted with the design and development of the Auto Union race car.
1934 Head of VW Testing
1935 Ferdinand Porsche became the Manager of the Research Department in the newly established Porsche test plant, Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.
1935 Married Dorothea Reitz from Stuttgart (died 1985). They had four sons.
1938 Head of Development Department. In same year the design studio moved to a newly built building in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.
1940 Took over the post of deputy director for the entire operation.
1945 Ferdinand Porsche headed the firm, moved to Gmund in Carinthian during the war, and initiated development of the legendary Porsche 356, based on the Volkswagen and the first car to carry the Porsche name.
1948 The first 356 was completed in June.
1949 After completing the first 52 cars of this 356 range, Ferdinand Porsche with his company and most of his colleagues returned to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Rebuilding of the consultancy offices for outside contracts took place.
1950 Production of the Porsche 356 began in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.
1959 Professor Theodor Heuss presented the Grosse Verdiensstkreuz (Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit) of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ferdinand Porsche in September.
1965 The Technical University of Vienna honored Ferdinand Porsche in November with the presentation of the title, Dr. techn. E.h.
1972 The Dr. Ing. h.c.F Porsche KG became a joint stock company (AG). Dr. Ferdinand Porsche assumed the post of Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
1975 Dr. Porsche received the Grosse Goldene Ehrenzeichen (Great Golden Cross Of The Order Of The Order Of The Order Of the Order of Merit) of the Republic of Austria in Vienna on January 31.
1979 On September 19, Lothar Spath, Prime Minister of Baden-Wurttemberg presented Dr. Porsche with the Grosse Verdienstkreuz mit Stern (Knight Commander's Cross) of the Bundesverdienstorden, on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
1984 A third of the entire Dr. Ing. h.c.F Porsche AG capital was offered to the public in the form of non-voting preference shares on April 25. On September 19, Dr. Ferry Porsche celebrated his 75th anniversary and was awarded the honorary title of 'Professor.'
1985 The Guild of Motoring Writers Vice Presidents trophy for outstanding achievements in the field of automobilism was won by Professor Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. Honor of "Senator E.h." by University of Stuttgart.
1990-1998 Honorary President of Supervisory Board, Porsche AG.

History of Porsche


The history of Porsche road cars is undoubtedly dominated by the history of the Porsche 911, and its predecessor the 356. The flat-4 and then flat-6 engines, the rear engine position (behind the rear axle) and, until the late 1990s, air-cooling, are all Porsche trade-marks. Porsche tried front-mounted, water-cooled engines and rear wheel drive with the 924/ 944/ 968 between 1975 and 1994, and with the V8 Porsche 928, 1977-1994, but the 911-line is held to represent the classic Porsche. Our special interest here is with the 911-Turbo which offers four wheel drive and with the 911 and 959 4WD rally cars.

1948, June 8: First Porsche car (#356-001) registered in Gmund Austria; it --> had a 1086cc 30kW VW engine.
1949: Production begins in Stuttgart, Germany; the car is called the 356 because it is the 356th project off the Porsche design desk.
1950s: Porsche builds the 1.5L flat-12 supercharged Cisitalia racing car with driver-controlled four wheel drive.
1951: The factory enters a light-weight 356 in the Le Mans 24 hours race. First two right hand drive Porsche 356s built and imported into Australia by Norman Hamilton.
1953: The 550 mid-engined race car Spyder is created.
1963: Porsche "901" (later renamed the "911" after a protest by Peugeot) is shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show, 2L flat-6, air-cooled engine, 97kW at 6200rpm. The engine is later enlarged to 2.2L and 2.4L.1964 Porsche 911 production begins.
1969: The 914 mid-engined car features 4-cylinder engine from VW (and insufficient "go" in the opinion of many).
1973: New G-body 911 (e.g. larger bumpers), 2.7L flat-6 engine. A prototype 911-Turbo was shown at the Paris Motor Show.
1973/74: Porsche 911 Turbo, 2.7L, 186kW, rear "whale-tail spoiler".
1974 New 3.0L, 6.5:1 c.r., 0.8bar boost, turbo engine, 194kW at 5500rpm.
1975: The 4-cylinder, water-cooled, front engined 924 is a new departure; later developed into the 944 and 968.
1977: 3.3L, 7.0:1 c.r. Porsche 911, inter-cooled (1978), 224kW, 416Nm. (And in the front-engined layout... the V8, water-cooled 928.)
1981: 911 4WD concept car shown at Frankfurt Motor show.
1982: New 911 Carrera-2 shape - e.g. integrated bumpers.
1984: A 911 4WD wins the Paris-Dakar rally.
1986: 4WD Porsche 959s finish 1, 2 and 6 in the Paris-Dakar rally.
1987: The Porsche 959 was a 911-based group-B rally car and had electronic controlled 4WD with dry/ wet/ icy settings, also ABS brakes. 2.85L twin-turbo flat-6, 330kW at 6500rpm, 500Nm at 5500rpm, 1350kg. 200 were built for homologation purposes.
1991: Porsche 911 type-964 (~Carrera 2) 3.3L, 235kW, 450Nm, four-wheel drive, au$265K 5 sold (au) -->.
1992 Porsche AG take direct control of Australian imports.
1993: 911 Turbo gets 3.6L, 270kW engine. At au$270K, or $1/Watt, 15 sold were sold here in 1994/95.
1995: 911 series 993, 300kW twin-turbo, 6-speed, electronic control of 4WD and limited slip diff' from the Carrera 4 and Porsche 959. This engine later developed up to 400kW in a car with a weight of 1280kg and 4WD.
1996: The Boxster is a new mid-engined, and more affordable, Porsche.
1998: 50th anniversary, It is said that over 1,000,000 Porsches have been built and that 2/3 of them are still on the road.
1999: 911 type-996 turbo 4WD, 309kW.

Friday, November 9, 2007

2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640


Specifications
Engine
Type : V12
Displacement cu in (cc) : 396 (6496)
Power bhp (kW) at RPM : 640(471) / 8000
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM : 487(660) / 6000
Redline at RPM : 8500

Brakes & Tires
Brakes F/R : ABS, vented disc/vented disc
Tires F-R : 245/35 ZR18 - 335/30 ZR18
Driveline : All Wheel Drive

Exterior Dimensions & Weight
Length × Width × Height in : n.a.
Weight lb (kg) : 3670 (1665)

Performance
Acceleration 0-60 mph s :3.3
Top Speed mph (km/h) : 211 (340)
Fuel Economy EPA city/highway mpg (l/100 km) : n.a.
Base Price : 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 - £190,000 (last update: 3/27/2007)

Biography of Ferruccio Lamborghini


Ferruccio Lamborghini was born in 1916, his parents were farmers but Ferruccio soon decided he wanted to do something related to mechanics. Lamborghini started working on his father’s tractor out of interest and was able to attend a technical school in Bologna.

During the second World War he was enrolled into the Italian Air Force, working for the transport sections, after 1944 he became a prisoner of the British military forces who put him to work in their motoring department.After the war he returned to his hometown and started converting old war surplus material into much needed tractors for the local people. Lamborghini began his tractor business in a small garage but he got really successful and had to move into larger premises soon thereafter.
During this time he also started tuning Fiat cars, he built a Fiat Topolino for himself and competed with it in the 1948 Mille Miglia, unfortunately the car was wrecked in an accident. By 1949 he was able to start building tractors from scratch, without using any leftovers, his own Lamborghini Trattrice factory was founded and the production soon took off. Soon after the venture Lamborghini tractors became known as the best in Italy and Ferruccio started organizing tractor-pulls in his hometown just to show the superiority of his machines.
The tractor business made him a very wealthy man, and he started a second factory to build air-conditioning and central heating equipment. This enterprise made Ferruccio even richer and soon he was one of the wealthiest men in Italy, his love for fast cars became known and Ferruccio owned several exotic cars back then, a Mercedes SL300, a Jaguar and a Ferrari among other cars. But his Ferrari ran into problems with the clutch and Ferruccio went to visit Enzo Ferrari to complain about it, but Enzo refused to meet with him but that didn't stop Lamborghini. He noticed that the clutch fitted to his Ferrari wasn't any different from the ones he mounted in his tractors so he drove the Ferrari to Cento and fitted a Borg & Beck clutch of his own in the car, the problem never returned after that.
Ferruccio Lamborghini decided it was time to start a new business and the Grand Turismo cars seemed like a good idea, so he built a completely new factory at Sant'Agata and started building probably the best GT cars of that time. The company went fine and did prosper for quite some time.But things weren't always that simple and during the early Seventies he decided to sell most of his companies related to Lamborghini and retire at his estate near Perugia, further South in Italy were he began making wines known as 'The blood of the Miura'.

His son Tonino went to Japan and started a few shops over there selling designer clothing under the Lamborghini name, while Ferruccio married his second wife Maria Theresa, together they had a daughter.

This large estate La Fiorita near the Lake Trasimone now held a state of the art winemaking facility producing over 800,000 bottles of wine each year. This estate also housed small private museum of Lamborghini cars Ferruccio owned, and the vineyard and golf terrain were open for visitors by appointment only, in his car museum you would find Ferruccio's favorite Lamborghini, the Miura. There were rumors that Ferruccio was involved in Paolo Stanzani's attempt to take over the Bugatti Automobile Spa factory but this was never officially confirmed. There are different models of Lamborghini available now like Diablo,Countach, Murcielago, Gallardo, KitCar, Replica etc. Ferruccio Lamborghini died in February 1993 at the age of almost 76.Tonino Lamborghini created a tribute to his father, he contacted the architect Diversi in Imola to design a kind of 'arch' to hold just about everything Sig. Ferruccio Lamborghini ever did during his life.

This museum was constructed on the grounds of Lamborghini Calor, at Dosso di Ferrara, the official grand opening occurred on May 13th, 1995. This project was named the Cento Polifuzionale Ferruccio Lamborghini and reached great popularity the moment its doors opened for the public. All visits were by appointment only, but still during 1997 over 4000 pilgrims arrived at Sant'Agata to visit this spectacular space-like museum. If you ever have the opportunity to visit it, don't hesitate it is surely worth it, I was able to visit it during the summer of 1998 and it was overwhelming.

History of Lamborghini


Beloved by enthusiasts everywhere, Lamborghini cars are built for speed and to look the part. Extreme style and extreme performance are the chief characteristics of Ferrari's national rival. Unless your zip code is 90210, you're not likely to see a scissor-doored Lamborghini ahead of you in the Starbucks drive-thru or parked next to you at the mall; these are exclusive automobiles designed to cater to a small, very specialized audience.

During World War II, company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini served with the Italian Air Force's mechanics corps, where he became proficient at working with engines. After the war, Italy was plagued with scarcity; one such shortage involved tractors. Sensing an opportunity, Lamborghini purchased surplus military machines and reconfigured them as tractors. It was a canny move that resulted in a thriving business for the young entrepreneur, one that quickly made him a very wealthy man.

By the 1950s, Lamborghini's business had become even more successful, expanding to include heaters and air-conditioning units. As a car enthusiast, Lamborghini drove the best sports cars of the day. Somewhat disappointed with the Ferraris, he vowed to build a better car. Armed with millions of lira in investment money, he retreated to the small village of Sant'Agata to build a state-of-the-art automotive factory. On his payroll was noted automotive engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, who'd previously worked at Ferrari.

Automobili Lamborghini SpA. was officially founded in 1963. That same year, the very first Lamborghini, the 350GT, made its debut at the Turin Motor Show. The car's name came from its engine size, a 3.5-liter four-cam V12. Then came the 400GT, which was produced until 1968. But it was the stunning midengine Miura, produced from 1966-'73, that catapulted Lamborghini to worldwide acclaim.

Lamborghini's tractor business suffered hard times in the early '70s, which led him to sell a controlling interest of Automobili Lamborghini SpA to a Swiss industrialist. The Italian's problems were worsened by that decade's oil crisis, and he wound up selling the remaining amount of his shares. The company invested millions in the development of a new vehicle, the military truck-style Cheetah, but its sales were disappointing. By the end of the decade, the automaker had declared bankruptcy.

The company got back on its feet in the 1980s. The key was Lamborghini's over-the-top Countach. Though introduced way back in 1974, the Countach, now fully styled with angles and vents, was the perfect exotic sports car for that's decade's mentality. Perhaps hoping to cash in on the firm's revived popularity, the company's managers sold Lamborghini to Chrysler in 1987.

Another change of ownership took place in 1994, when Lamborghini was acquired by three Far Eastern companies. Megatech was the largest of the trio and the primary shareholder. By the late 1990s, Lamborghini was in financial hot water once again. As before, the lack of a diversified product lineup was hurting the company's ability to compete globally. It was acquired by Volkswagen (which also owns other luxury marques such as Audi and Bentley) in 1998.

Lamborghini has rolled out models such as the four-seat Espada and various V8 sports cars, but it is the midengine supercars that identify the marque. Models like the wild Countach and the Diablo of the 1990s are instantly recognizable as Lamborghini cars, with their sinister styling by Marcello Gandini promising equally outlandish performance. Though some may question the current German/Italian marriage, the products of this merger, the 200-mph Murcielago (the Diablo's successor) and the equally breathtaking Gallardo, leave no doubt as to its benefit.

Honda Accord Coupe HF-S Concept


Honda just revealed a "world debut" concept car here at SEMA, and it basically represents what you can do with a new 2008 Honda Accord if you really put your mind to it. Also, you've got to use up every option possible in the Honda Factory Performance catalog -- from ten years from now. It's called the Honda Accord Coupe HF-S concept, and it's got every piece of Honda kit you'd never want and you couldn't even get -- even a "Cadmium Orange Pearl" color coat, which we think may be what happens when you combine an orange and cadmium at a really hot temperature. It's got LED driving lights, a wrap-around front bumper which creates a "vortex effect" to enhance high-speed aero and engine cooling.

Making its world debut, the Honda Accord Coupe HF-S Concept represents a radical vision for customizing the all-new Accord's design and performance through stylish and functional modifications. A dual-port exhaust system can provide additional performance when needed while retaining low noise output during relaxed driving. Purely a concept, the Accord HF-S Concept is a creation of Honda Access America, Inc., the U.S. accessory development division.

The 2008 Accord Coupe equipped with dealer-installed Honda Factory Performance™ (HFP™) components melds a distinctive, custom appearance with an enhanced level of handling performance. All of the HFP components except the suspension kit (available Spring 2008) are currently available as dealer-installed accessories. All HFP products carry the same 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty as the rest of the vehicle, when installed at the time of new vehicle purchase, and are engineered to be fully compatible with the vehicle.

"The Accord HF-S Concept provides a glimpse into the future of vehicle customization," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "The Honda Factory Performance-equipped 2008 Accord Coupe demonstrates the best of what the company offers today."

In addition to the Accords on display, fifteen more unique vehicles filled out the Honda booth, including the all-new S2000 CR and the recently-introduced Civic Mugen Si Sedan. A specially-prepared S2000 CR has been modified by Team Honda Research to compete in the 2007 National Auto Sport Association's (NASA) "25 Hours of Thunderhill" endurance race in December. Another racecar, the "One Lap Odyssey" modified by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC made its SEMA debut after winning its class in Car and Driver magazine's 2007 Cannonball One Lap of America.

Honda Accord Coupe HF-S Concept
Honda Access America, Inc., Honda's U.S. accessory development team designed and built the HF-S Concept to demonstrate how the customized use of technology could allow vehicle owners to fine-tune performance while adding their own senses of style. Key exterior and conceptual powertrain modifications represent functional performance and driving-experience enhancements.

Unique LED driving lights, placed on the fore-most corners, wrap around the front of the bumper providing increased visibility both forward and side for the driver while also creating a unique appearance. The shape of the front bumper is designed to create a vortex effect to enhance high-speed aerodynamics and engine cooling. On the sides of the vehicle, the shape of the carbon fiber panels decreases negative speed force around the wheel arches. The rear bumper diffuser is designed to reduce drag. The trunk spoiler is a prototype design engineered for high-speed down-force. The metallic color of the exterior is accented by Cadmium Orange Pearl - a color derived from super-heated metal. The use of this color for the brake calipers, badges, grille accent, and interior details underscores the vehicle's high-performance appearance.

Key to the concept is the use of technology to electronically customize throttle response, suspension settings, steering boost, and traction involvement to the driver's taste. Additionally, the exhaust is a two-stage design. It is engineered to be exceptionally quiet during relaxed cruising, and provide elevated levels of performance in high performance driving situations.

Honda Factory Performance (HFP) Accord Coupe
As a dealer-installed accessory, Honda's in-house HFP products carry the same 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty as the rest of the vehicle, when installed at the time of new vehicle purchase, and are engineered to be fully compatible with the vehicle. The Accord HFP package includes a wide range of performance- and style-enhancing products. The Sports Suspension package (available Spring 2008) reduces ride height by about 25 mm, lowering the vehicle's center of gravity, and enhancing the Accord Coupe's sporty road-handling characteristics. Larger wheels and tires include 19-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels designed for high-performance 245/40R-19 tires (sold separately). A full aerodynamic body kit (front, sides and rear) further elevates the style quotient of the entire vehicle. Interior and exterior HFP emblems complement the package. All of the Accord Coupe HFP components except suspension can currently be purchased individually, and the full HFP package including suspension will go on sale in the spring of 2008. American Honda launched its performance accessory program in 2002 with the introduction of a Honda Factory Performance package for the Civic EX Coupe, and currently offers HFP products for the Civic, Accord and Fit.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

History of Honda Part 2

The CT70 was Honda's biggest seller for a single year, with nearly 100,000 CT70s sold in 1970 alone.

Around the mid '70s Honda produced a two-stroke moped known as the Amigo. It was cheaper to manufacture than the four-stroke bikes and started a whole new generation of lightweight Honda two-stroke mopeds.

In February 1970 Honda jumped into the three-wheel off-road market with the introduction of the ATC90, Honda once again reached out to new consumers by inventing a whole new category, the ATV or "All-Terrain Vehicle".

After years of winning in Europe, Honda's CB750-based Race bike won there first big event in the U.S., serving Notice that Honda was going to be a dominant force on tracks all across America.

In April 1971 Honda introduced the 500CC four and in 1974 It was replaced by a 550cc version.

In the 1970s 250 and 350CC motorcycles were constantly being modified to keep pace with the other manufacturers and fashions. Both were given disc brakes and the 350s were eventually upgraded to 360cc.

In April 1972 the CB350F was introduced, a beautiful 350CC SOHC four.

In 1970 Honda entered the off-road market with the two-stroke motocross bike, the Elsinore.

And later in 1973 with trail versions, known as the MT125 and MT250.

Late in 1970 Honda introduced a "semi-serious", four-stroke trail bike, the SL125 four-stroke single in Japan, and followed with the more serious SL250 in 1972. The SL250 had long travel suspension, lots of ground clearance and performed well both on and off road.

Honda produced XL versions of both bikes in 1973 with improved off-road performance.

1973 was also the year that Honda entered into motocross with a revolutionary two-stroke, winning right from the start. Honda's been a dominant force ever since, winning more than 70 titles.

Up to now, off-road bikes were just modified street bikes. The XR75 was Honda's first XR, a true off-road motorcycle right off the production line.

In 1974, after several years of selling B75 and B45 outboards, Honda dedicated itself to being the technological leader not only on land, but also on water.

In 1975 Honda again dared to think big, creating the first long-distance touring machine, the GL1000 Gold Wing, a sophisticated, water-cooled, flat four. In the process, Honda didn't just create a new motorcycle; they created a whole new touring culture. Here was a touring bike that set the standards of comfort and sophistication. It had a shaft-drive, disc brakes and to keep the weight low a 4.8-gallon gas tank under the seat.

Also the original CB400F introduced the world to cafe-bike styling on a modern production machine. Its graceful four-into-one exhaust made it an instant classic, and while it looks mild today, in its time it was a radical departure from the standard models.

In 1976 yet another technical innovation from Honda, the CB750A was the first modern motorcycle with an automatic transmission.

In 1977 Honda announced the completely new and re-styled CR250 and CR400 twins with three-valve per cylinder heads to replace the aging 250 and 400 twins.

Also that year Honda pushed the envelope not only in motorcycle design, but also in alternative product concepts, like the three-wheel scooter and the one-man dune buggy.

In 1979 brings in the first full-scale Japanese motor-vehicle production facility on U.S. soil.

Also that year The CBX. Powered by an incredible 1047cc, 6-cylinder engine, the CBX harks back to Hailwood's RC166 that won the Isle of Man.

Debuting in 1979 Honda's NR500 race bike, oval pistons eventually found their way into production in Honda's exotic NR750.

1981
Honda's first two-stroke ATV, transforming a fun utilitarian vehicle into a high-performance machine.

1982
Conquering yet another sophisticated technological challenge, Honda introduced the industry's first production turbocharged motorcycle.

1983
Perhaps the biggest single leap in the sportbike industry, the Interceptor instantly elevated the level of both technology and performance available in a production motorcycle.

Honda's first "traditional" V-twin custom motorcycle, the Shadow combined modern features like liquid cooling and shaft drive with a classic look and style, and helped build the modern custom market for Honda.

Unlike other customs, this one was built for performance, reigning as the most awesome production motorcycle of its day. Together with the Interceptor, the Magna showed the explosion of technology from Honda.

Honda made riding scooters cool, creating edgy advertising with hip celebrities like Grace Jones. This marketing blitz paid off and scooter sales soared.1984

Riding the wave of demand for scooters created by Honda, the Spree became the best-selling scooter of all time.

Honda Research of America was established in September 1984. This think tank was created specifically to develop new products for the American market and to keep Honda on the cutting edge.

1985
Unbelievably, Spencer won Grand Prix World Championship titles in both the 250 and 500cc classes in the same year. This feat had never been done before, and hasn't been done since.

1986
Honda led the way by creating the first Japanese luxury car.

1987
With the introduction of the Hurricane in 1987, Honda began an 11-year domination of the 600 Supersport class, with five championships on the track, and dozens of enthusiast-press best-bike awards.

1989
Soichiro Honda was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame (USA) in October 1989. The "Old Man," as he's affectionately known, received worldwide recognition for his enormous accomplishments and contributions.

1996
By combining a hot-rod Gold Wing engine in a custom chassis, Honda again defied conventional limitations, and the Valkyrie clearly established itself as the ultimate power cruiser.

1997
Using a surprisingly stock GL1500 motorcycle engine, Kenny Lyon broke a land-speed class record. He hit 232.4 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats aboard his 33-inch-high, 24-foot-long bullet-shaped bike.

The first production of aluminum-framed MX bikes. Once again, Honda pushed the technological envelope.

1998
We have indeed traveled a long road since Mr. Honda began to chase his dream 50 years ago. Which may leave you to wonder--what of the next 50?Where will they take us?

There is one thing of which you can be certain: Honda will continue to stand for what has made the company special and successful.

Our racing teams will still be the force to be reckoned with around the world. We'll constantly push the technological envelope, ensuring that radical ideas you can only begin to imagine today will find their way to the showroom tomorrow. And Honda will build revolutionary new machines that capture the imaginations and the hearts of new riders.

And most of all, you can be certain that our competitive fires will continue to burn. Keeping Honda at full throttle and leading the way into the next century.

History of Honda Part 1


The Honda story is the story of one man, Soichiro Honda, and his unparalleled achievement of bringing motor cycles to the masses. Soichiro Honda was a racer, a businessman, and a manufacturer. But most of all he was a dreamer. He dreamed of a better way of making piston rings, founded a small company, and began production. He dreamed of giving people everywhere an economical form of transportation, and began producing small motorcycles, including one built in 1949 called the D-Type Dream.

He also loved racing too. So his company built bigger and faster machines, two, four, five and six-cylinder race bikes and won the Isle of Man.

Honda Motor Company is by far the world's biggest motorcycle maker. Honda's first motorcycle was born out of necessity in immediate post World War II Japan, where public transportation was desperately overcrowded and gasoline severely restricted.

Looking for a solution to his, and thousands of others', personal transport problems, Honda came across a job lot of 500 war surplus two-stroke motors designed to power electric generators; nobody else wanted them so Honda picked them up cheap.

His aim was to adapt them for attachment to push-bikes and, by October 1946, his small factory in Hamamatsu was making complete, makeshift motor bikes using proprietary cycle frames. Because gasoline was in short supply, Honda adapted his motors to run on turpentine, a fuel that he himself distilled from pine trees and sold throughout Japan. Turpentine (or gas thinned out with turpentine) was not the best thing for powering motorbikes, and required a lot of strenuous pedaling to warm the engine up enough before you could get going.

Honda's first bikes were very successful and supplies of the surplus engines ran out after a few months. Business was good by then, so he decided to manufacture his own motors. Using the surplus motor as a model, Honda designed and built his own 50cc engine.

In November 1947, the 1/2 horsepower A-Type Honda was being manufactured and sold as a complete motorbike. Because the motorbike gave off a lot of smoke and a stench of turpentine it was known as the "Chimney".

Soichiro Honda started Honda Motor Company in 1948, at the age of 41. Soon after he hooked up with financial whiz Takeo Fujisawa and together they built an empire.

1948 saw Honda introduce a 90cc version of the A-Type known as the "B-Type".

By 1949 Honda came out with the "D-Type". Mr. Honda was involved in every step of the two-stroke D-Type Dream's design and manufacture. This was Honda's first motorcycle. This was far from simply slotting a motor into a pushbike frame. Honda called his machine 'The Dream', because his dream of building a complete, motorcycle had come true. Soichiro Honda was an engineer and was always looking to produce better and more sophisticated machines.

It turned out to be the 146cc, OHV, four-stroke E-Type Dream. A powerful machine producing 5 1/2bhp capable of 50mph. It had a steel frame and proper suspension front and rear. By October 1951 the new Dream was in production at the rate of 130 units per day.

In 1952 Honda produced the first "Cub" F-Type, a 1/2 horsepower, 50cc, two-stroke engine that was produced in huge numbers. You could get one to fit to your pushbike or buy the complete red and white Honda "Auto Bai". Less than a year after its Introduction, production was 6500 units per month, at that time it was 70% of Japan's powered two-wheeler market.

In 1953 Honda produced the 90cc, four-stroke single, a motorcycle of even greater sophistication. This was known as the Benly, in Japanese this means "convenience". The J-Type Benly had a three-speed gearbox, produced 3.8bhp, a pressed steel Frame, rear suspension with the engine and swinging arm on a sprung pivot, and telescopic front suspension. Before long they were selling at a rate of 1000 units a month.

In 1954 a 200cc scooter, the Juno, was introduced to capture some of the sales from the Vespa scooter copies that were being built in Japan. Honda produced different versions of the Dream and Benly motorcycles over the next few years incorporating different size engines (up to 350cc) and other refinements.

In September 1957 Honda introduced their first twin-cylinder motorcycle, the sophisticated 250cc OHC four-stroke C70 Dream. It was the forerunner of Honda's high-performance 125 and 250cc twins.

In early 1958 Honda fitted an electric starter to the 250cc Dream and named it the C71 and, in 1959, the latest Benly an incredibly sophisticated 125cc OHC four-stroke twin, capable of 70mph was introduced as the C92.

In July 1958 Honda introduced in Japan what became the world's most successful motor cycle, the C100 Super Cub.

The Super Cub was developed over three years to be a cheap and practical motorcycle that literally anyone could use. It used a 50cc four-stroke OHV motor and centrifugal clutch with three-speed transmission. It was so easy to operate that even new riders could ride it as easily as a pushbike. Its innovative frame without a crossbar made it popular with the ladies and set a new trend in commuter motorcycling. The word "scooterette" was coined to describe this step-through style motorbike which sold in 50, 70 and 90cc versions.

In 1959 it was the first Honda motorcycle sold in the U.S., eventually becoming the world's best-selling vehicle (30 million to date). As proof the original concept and design was perfect is the fact that today's C50, C70 and C90s have only detail changes to set them apart from the machines of 25 years ago.

That same year, 1959, Honda introduced the 250cc C72 Dream in Amsterdam. This was the first Japanese bike to be officially shown in Europe. It surprised the crowd with its unusual pressed steel frame, swing arm and front leading link forks, sophisticated OHC all aluminum engine, electric starter and indicators.

In the UK learners had just been restricted to motorcycles of this size and wanted the fastest bikes they could legally ride. The Honda's were the fastest 250s around, and the C72 with its improvements like 12-volt electric's and wet sump lubrication, successor of the C71, was capable of 80mph and could still get 66 miles per gallon.

The CB92 retained the pressed-steel frame and leading link forks while the CB72 received a tubular style frame and telescopic front suspension.

In 1961 two years after Honda started selling Super Cubs, Honda stunned the racing world with "Mike the Bike" Hailwood's twin victories at the Isle of Man. It was the first of an unprecedented string of victories that was only the beginning of Honda's racing tradition.

From the beginning, Mr. Honda dedicated his company to racing, racking up over 100 major motorcycle championships around the world. What was learned from building high-performance racing machines later led to the development of groundbreaking production motorcycles.

The classic CB72 and CB77 helped fuel interest in riding, got America on two wheels, and established Honda as a serious player. The Hawk name has appeared on Honda models CB72, CB77, CB400T, NT650, VTR1000F ever since, the latest being the 1998 VTR1000F.

In 1962 this breakthrough advertising "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" shattered the myth that motorcycles were only for tough guys and rebels. It reached out and made Honda and motorcycling in general, appealing to everyone.

The C77 a 305cc version of the Dream and the CB77, a Super Sports motorcycle producing 28.5bhp were introduced in 1963.

In 1964 the C95 a 154cc version of the Benly and a 161cc version Of the CB160 was also offered.

The Hondells recorded "Little Honda" in 1964. Honda entered the American pop culture as the subject of this hit song.

In 1965 Honda, always eager for a new market, jumped into the big leagues with their first big, fast production motorcycle, the innovative 43bhp CB450 twin. This was a double overhead-camshaft machine with torsion bar valve springs that would do a genuine 104mph, a machine to challenge the 500cc-plus bikes.

Despite its performance, sales of the CB450 worldwide were Poor. A number of engineering changes were made, in 1967 a five-speed gearbox was added.

In 1967 Honda had their first big off-road win in the "first" Baja 1000.

In 1968 Honda stopped production of the CB72 and CB77 and produced a new line of high performance SOHC twins with five-speed gearboxes, called the CB250 and CB350, with the CB350 able to hit 106mph.

At the Tokyo Show of 1968 Honda, after months of tantalizing rumor, unveiled a landmark achievement that would change the motorcycling world forever. A 750cc bike with four cylinders and a disc brake that was so fast and powerful a new word, "superbike", was coined to describe it. The CB750F four was the biggest bike out of Japan, proving that a high-performance motorcycle could also be very reliable.

In April 1969 Honda set the motorcycle world on fire with the introduction of the CB750. Performance was staggering, easily hitting 120mph and at the time it had better acceleration than anything else on the road.

In 1969 the first Honda automobile sold in the U.S., leading Honda to become a preeminent automotive power.