Thursday, May 7, 2009
Sensuous Cars Shapes
"Muscular, aggressive and sensual, the 33 Stradale was magnificently sculpted"
As a start of our new series, we are going to celebrate the most exciting and eye-pleasing body styles in car design, from last 70 years of the automobile era. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but surprisingly, cars have what can be considered an universal beauty - no matter where you're coming from.
Continuing the string of simply enchanting designer bodies for Alfa Romeo in the 50s and 60s (see for example the Pininfarina custom body for Alfa Romeo 33 revealed at Paris show in 1969) - Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale ("Street") is another curvaceous beauty, as desirable as it is rare.
The first production vehicle to have "butterfly" doors, the first mid-engined Alfa Romeo road car appeared at Milan Motorshow in 1967. Its voluptuous, nicely proportioned shape many consider to be one of the most beautiful designs ever:
On a racing track the car was intended to lock horns with Ferrari (then promoting its famous Dino 206S) and a line of 910s from Porsche. The 33 model performance was called "unprecendented": considering it went from 0 to 60mph in just 6 seconds, and could reach maximum speed of 162 mph (260 km/hr) - making it a true supercar at the time, perhaps even better than Ferrari Daytona.
Only 18 such cars have been built, mostly due to their astronomical price. Some versions had an entirely different front-end styling (I find it much tamer and less flamboyant):
The 33 Series Alfa-Romeo chassis proved to be attractive to numerous stylists, among them Bertone, Pininfarina, Ital Design from 1968 to 1976. In the future issues of the series we will try to cover these rarities, as well.
(images credit: Wouter Melissen / Rob Clements) (image credit: alfaworkshop.co.uk)
(images credit: AnhnHehn) (image credit: supercars)
(image credit: Phillip Leemans)
German Style:
Could it be the neatest-looking German supercar from the 60s?
As we all know, Porsche designers rarely change body styles, preferring to stick to the same "good old" look for decades. However, there was one model easily overlooked, sandwiched between canonical 911 and variations on 550 Spyder - the drop-dead gorgeous Porsche 904 Carrera GTS.
Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1963-1964) was no slacker in every department. Coming from a premier sports car manufacturer it's got what it takes to compete on the track - but the street version is even more exciting, bringing these sexy curves to the highway. On a closer look, the car even had "garters", funky-looking leather hood straps... Not to mention that it makes great scale model toys (I remember having one as a kid)
The 904 model debuted in 1963, as an answer to the new great cars from Alfa-Romeo and Abarth in GT class. Since then it has become one of the most collectible Porsche models, a fascinating page in the marque's history.
Note the uncluttered back-end styling, and the compact aerodynamic look, taking advantage of its short-base chassis.
(images courtesy Wayne R. Dempsey)
(image credit: autostockhaus.com) (images credit: classicdriver.com)
(image credit: Thomas/FineCars) (image credit: autostockhaus.com)
(images credit: Wouter Melissen)
Source: Dark Roasted Blend
Other sources: UltimateCarPage, Autozine
As a start of our new series, we are going to celebrate the most exciting and eye-pleasing body styles in car design, from last 70 years of the automobile era. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but surprisingly, cars have what can be considered an universal beauty - no matter where you're coming from.
Continuing the string of simply enchanting designer bodies for Alfa Romeo in the 50s and 60s (see for example the Pininfarina custom body for Alfa Romeo 33 revealed at Paris show in 1969) - Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale ("Street") is another curvaceous beauty, as desirable as it is rare.
The first production vehicle to have "butterfly" doors, the first mid-engined Alfa Romeo road car appeared at Milan Motorshow in 1967. Its voluptuous, nicely proportioned shape many consider to be one of the most beautiful designs ever:
On a racing track the car was intended to lock horns with Ferrari (then promoting its famous Dino 206S) and a line of 910s from Porsche. The 33 model performance was called "unprecendented": considering it went from 0 to 60mph in just 6 seconds, and could reach maximum speed of 162 mph (260 km/hr) - making it a true supercar at the time, perhaps even better than Ferrari Daytona.
Only 18 such cars have been built, mostly due to their astronomical price. Some versions had an entirely different front-end styling (I find it much tamer and less flamboyant):
The 33 Series Alfa-Romeo chassis proved to be attractive to numerous stylists, among them Bertone, Pininfarina, Ital Design from 1968 to 1976. In the future issues of the series we will try to cover these rarities, as well.
(images credit: Wouter Melissen / Rob Clements) (image credit: alfaworkshop.co.uk)
(images credit: AnhnHehn) (image credit: supercars)
(image credit: Phillip Leemans)
German Style:
Could it be the neatest-looking German supercar from the 60s?
As we all know, Porsche designers rarely change body styles, preferring to stick to the same "good old" look for decades. However, there was one model easily overlooked, sandwiched between canonical 911 and variations on 550 Spyder - the drop-dead gorgeous Porsche 904 Carrera GTS.
Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (1963-1964) was no slacker in every department. Coming from a premier sports car manufacturer it's got what it takes to compete on the track - but the street version is even more exciting, bringing these sexy curves to the highway. On a closer look, the car even had "garters", funky-looking leather hood straps... Not to mention that it makes great scale model toys (I remember having one as a kid)
The 904 model debuted in 1963, as an answer to the new great cars from Alfa-Romeo and Abarth in GT class. Since then it has become one of the most collectible Porsche models, a fascinating page in the marque's history.
Note the uncluttered back-end styling, and the compact aerodynamic look, taking advantage of its short-base chassis.
(images courtesy Wayne R. Dempsey)
(image credit: autostockhaus.com) (images credit: classicdriver.com)
(image credit: Thomas/FineCars) (image credit: autostockhaus.com)
(images credit: Wouter Melissen)
Source: Dark Roasted Blend
Other sources: UltimateCarPage, Autozine
Friday, May 1, 2009
Pontiac Farewell
After 80 years, General Motors (GM) will soon end production of its legacy Pontiac brand. Plans are in place to close more factories as the once-thriving carmaker fights to avoid bankruptcy.
This is the end of a famous car name.
In eliminating Pontiac, GM is closing out a famous muscle-car brand memorialized in at least one rock song and in films such as Smokey and the Bandit. Pontiac has been part of GM since 1926. Over the years, it christened its cars with evocative names: Torpedo and Streamliner, Star Chief and Super Chief, Catalina and Bonneville, LeMans and Grand Prix.
Yes, times have changed, progress has marched, gasoline is expensive and nostalgia is a luxury we can ill afford. Nevertheless, it's painful to see General Motors pitch the Pontiac marque
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Ten Years After - I'd Love To Change The World.
There is nothing quite so exhilarating as a rock guitarist who knows what he's doing. The electric guitar is an instrument capable of an astonishingly wide range - and Alvin Lee understands it like few ever have." - Patrick MacDonald, Seattle Times
This Alvin Lee's solo is one of the greatest electric guitar solos ever.
I Woke Up This Morning
This Alvin Lee's solo is one of the greatest electric guitar solos ever.
I Woke Up This Morning
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A piece of history slowly rusting away.
This was the second Boeing 747 ever made and apparently the first to be flown commercially. Here is the photo of its better days, and immediately below as it's now, an abandoned Boeing 747 restaurant, haunted by kitchen smells, and slowly rusting away somewhere in South Korea.
Este foi o segundo Boeing 747 a ser construído e aparentemente o primeiro a ser voado comercialmente. Na primeira foto ele aparece como era em seus melhores dias, e na foto imediatamente abaixo, como está agora, um restaurante-Boeing 747 abandonado, com odores de cozinha e deteriorando lentamente, em algum lugar na Coréia do Sul.
Este foi o segundo Boeing 747 a ser construído e aparentemente o primeiro a ser voado comercialmente. Na primeira foto ele aparece como era em seus melhores dias, e na foto imediatamente abaixo, como está agora, um restaurante-Boeing 747 abandonado, com odores de cozinha e deteriorando lentamente, em algum lugar na Coréia do Sul.
Monday, April 20, 2009
...if you want to see something out of the ordinary.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
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