The Nissan S30 was the first of the Z sporty double seater coupes manufactured by Nissan Motors during the period of 1969 to 1978. In Japan, it was sold as Nissan Fairlady Z, while in the rest of the markets it was called the Datsun 240Z, which later was renamed as 260Z and 280Z. This car was designed under the leadership of Yoshihiko Matsua, who headed the Styling Studio of Nissan’s sports cars.

This car was introduced late in the year 1969 and was promoted as a 1970’s model. It featured a L20A 2.0 ltr engine that had a straight 6 SOHC. It also featured a rear wheel drive and had an incredibly stylish body. The engine was based on Datsun 510’s 4-cylinder and produced 112kW.

Yutaka Katayama, who was the president of Nissan’s US operations, introduced this car in America in 1970, almost a year after its launch in Japan. There were several modification and changes made to this car before it was introduced to the US market.

This car and the 260Z had a twin Hitachi single barrel SU like carburetors. However, all the models from the 1973 ones saw changes in the carburetor so as to comply with the regulations on emission.

This car became an instant hit in the American market as it was priced lowly compared to other foreign cars like BMW, Porsche, Jaguar etc and it was one of the biggest success of Nissan Motors in the US market. At that time Nissan sold its cars in the North American market as Datsun.

The bodies of the initial models were handmade out of aluminum over ash frames. Jaguar had initially built only 240 of these cars, but the demand was so high that they were forced to get into mass production. These cars were made of steel with alloy doors and the bonnets as well as the trunk skin were made of alloy. Other prominent features were a torsion bar suspension and a windscreen that could be removed.

It has an extremely powerful 3.4 liter 6 straight-6 engine, which was famous as Jaguar’s XK engine. Even at that time the engine was highly sophisticated and advanced, considering it was meant for mass production. There also was an option for a low compression engine which was useful in case of low quality fuel. This same concept was used by Jaguar for its newer versions in the 1980s.

There is a very interesting story behind its name. It was called the XK120 as it could hit a maximum speed of 120 mph and when the windscreen was removed it sped even faster. It is incredible that even at that age they came out with such a monster!

The 440-6 and 426 Hemi made the performance of the Barracudas highly proficient. The engine was easy to modify to a degree and in either way; original or modified, one could in effect have a five sit race car. In the year 1971, more alteration took place with a different frame and taillights. This Hemi-powered design is considered to be legendary version and is much sought after by automobile collectors of today.

More redesign took place in the subsequent year, with twin headlight and globular taillights. This redesign remained unchanged for the next three years. However, the tougher emission laws introduced in that period meant that there was a significant dent in the power of this machine.

Added to this was the introduction of new safety policies by the government which demanded larger front as well as rear bumper guard. Regrettably, all these and the oil crisis that had engulfed the economy in that period forced the halting of production of the celebrated Barracuda.

Though famous in the collector’s circuit and much sought after by them because of rarity of certain models, it can be safely said that the third generation models were a great marketing blunder and could never match rivals like Ford and GM.

The two-seat Opel GT is a beautiful sports car that was first unveiled as a styling exercise at the Paris and Frankfurt motor shows in 1965. The car was introduced by Opel in 1968 as a production model.

The style of the car is similar to the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette. The 1.1L straight-4 engine of the car produced 67hp. However, the optional 1.9L Cam-In-Head engine became more popular among the car lovers. The initial models had higher compression cylinder head with “H” code.

The compression ratio of the vehicle was later reduced because of emissions regulations. The Opel GT had a 4-speed manual transmission and was manufactured from 1968 to 1973. The stunning look car had sophisticated aerodynamics that could impress anyone.

The key design characteristics of the GT included a sleek front end, rear fenders, round rear lamps and retractable headlamps. The car also had amazing speed and provided a top class driving performance. The car could reach 0 to 100km/h in just 10.8 seconds and could notch up a top speed of 185km/h.

The Opel GT was designed by Clare MacKichan with a parcel shelf that had to be accessed only using the main doors. The interior of the car was also very spacious with ample room for your heads and legs. As many as 103,463 GTs were sold during its six year of production.

Also known as the Saturn Sky, the car also appeared in the hit Hollywood flick called Get Smart. The increased competition and termination of the body building contract between Bissonneau and Lotz led to the end of its production.

The Cadillac Allante was the first hyper luxury roadster that hit the market in 1987 and was sold successfully till 1993. The Allante was designed to restore the position of Cadillac as a competitor of the Mercedes-Benz 560SL.

The car initially had the code name Callisto and its engine and chassis were obtained from the Cadillac Eldorado. It also shared some of its components with the Buick Reatta, Oldsmobile tornado and Riviera. The chassis of the car was manufactured in Detroit from where it was shipped to Italy on specially equipped jets.

Once the body of the Cadillac was mounted to the chassis, the cars were shipped back on jetliners to the plant in Michigan for the finishing touches. The process gave the car nicknames like “the world’s longest assembly line” and “The Flying Italian Cadillac”. The price of US$54,000 for the Cadillac was more than the price of any Cadillac of its time.

The car had an independent suspension system with the standard four wheel disc brakes. The car went under many changes over the years with the introduction of the Speed Dependent Damping Control in the 1989 Allante. Apart from the new road sensing system and improved disk brakes, the other significant changes for the Allante included deeper front spoilers, power steering rack and the single piece side windows.

There were as many as 21000 Cadillac built during its time of production. The car made its appearance in some of the hit movies of Hollywood like Tango & Cash, Terminal Velocity and Rocky V. Awarded as the peace car at the 1992 Indianapolis, the car was also driven by Jr. Ewing.

Towards the end of 1960, both Volkswagen and Porsche were feeling the absence of some new models. In order to fulfil their contract with Porsche, Volkswagen had to give the 914 project to Porsche which was under the charge of Ferdinand Piech. The Porsche 914 was originally intended to be sold with a four cylinder engine as a Volkswagen and as a Porsche with six cylinder engine, but considering the risk of two models sharing the same body, both versions of the car were sold as Porsche in North America.

The Volkswagen versions had an 80 hp, 1.7 L flat 4 engine whereas Porsche’s 914/6 variant had a 110 hp 2.0 L flat 6 engine. Porsche 914 had superior handling and better breaks because of the suspension that was used in the car. The 914/6 variant though was discontinued because of the slow sales in 1972 but by then a total of 3,351 of it had already been produced. Porsche 916 which had been planned for early 1970s was cancelled after eleven prototypes. The car was supposed to have the 2.4 engine of 911S. These cars were also intended to have fixed steel roof and wider wheels which were seen in the 914-6 GT cars.

Two more prototypes of the 914 were built during 1969. The first one to be built was the orange 914/8 which had a number of differences from the standard vehicle. It had a 310 hp racing engine and was based on 914 hand-built development prototypes. Overall, the car had the style and looks which very few cars could match up to.

The Toyota 2000GT was designed and developed by Yamaha and was manufactured in very limited numbers. The production which started in the year 1967 and continued till 1973 saw a total of 300 2000 GTs being produced. The sports car made its first appearance at the Tokyo Motor Show of 1965 and was a revolutionary car when you talk about the automotive world of Japan.

The car which had a similar look to the Jaguar has a curvy front end and its headlights are located on either side of the grille. Paneling of the interior was done with real wood and there were pop headlights as well in some of the 2000 GTs to meet U.S. standards. Overall, a total of 60 cars made it to the U.S.

The 200GT was the first ever Japanese car which promised to give the European sports car a run for their money when it came to looks and driving comfort. The highly modified engine which was derived from the Crown saloon produced a whopping 150bhp.

The 2000 GT had the country’s first 4-wheel disk brakes. The car also has the distinction of having 13 International and 3 world records in its bag which it earned in its endurance run of 78 hours in October 1966. The car also made it on the silver screen with movies like James Bond’s You Only Live Twice. The flick showed a retrofitted convertible 2000 GT which never went on sale. The sale of the car was not a success because of its high price but still it is one rare and valuable machine which makes every owner very proud.

Aston Martin was founded in the year 1913 and did not take much time to get in the list of some of the most respected sporting car makers of the world. The company not only built sports and race cars but also built some stylish street cars. The 1934 Aston Martin 15/98 arrived in the market in 1936 with an aim to diversify the company’s product line.

The 1934 model was made available as a large Saloon or Tourer and as a sports car with short-chassis. The Saloon was not as desirable as some of the other Aston Martin models but was very stylish and had an elegant look. However, the body of the car was heavier as its mechanicals were not given enough time to develop.

The smoothness of the other Aston Martin was lacking in it as the small engine could not cope with the high weight of the car. To overcome the faults and to further improve the car, the company reduced the number of units which it had decided to produce. This led to the production of the Short-chassis car as the company had to maintain its production capacity.

The first Short-chassis car was built by the Abbey Coachworks and was introduced at the 1937 Motor Show at Earls Court. The styling of the car was on similar lines to the 1930’s British sports car and was a far better choice compared to the earlier built Saloon. It could notch up a speed of over 85mph. The Short-chassis model scores over the Saloon and The Tourer by its incredible looks and great performance which makes it the most prized car of all time.

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The 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder termed as the “attainable exotic” is a beautiful car that combines great design and high performance with an innovative convertible top and brilliant value. The car has a dual exhaust system that generates a powerful sound. It has a 3.8 liter V6 engine with a horsepower of 265. The alloy wheels are standard 18 inches. The transmission is both manual as well as automatic.

Mitsubishi Innovative Valve Timing Electronic Control (MIVEC) system increases the power and efficiency across a wide range of engine speed. There are also shifters featured in this car which allow us to have control on the manual gearshift. A firm platform and independent suspension makes the Spyder very sporty.

The 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder comes with three different interior colors in order to get a richer appearance and a great feel. Plus, all its models come with anti-lock brakes and electronic brake-force distribution. The instrument panel has easily accessible controls and sports a LED illumination.

Another great feature in the 2009 Mitsubishi Spyder models is that it houses a mega 650-watt (max.) audio system which is AM/CD/MP3/FM compatible and includes a 6-disc CD changer. The Satellite radio has a pre-paid service subscription of 6-months. The uniquely designed system adjusts the sound equalization according to the driving conditions.

The car also has a comprehensive limited warranty for new vehicles and comes along with either a 5-year or limitless miles roadside assistance. With its brilliant performance and design the 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder is definitely winning the heart of all the customers.

Antique cars like 1980 Triumph TR7 have always been a craze among sports lovers. This sports car was manufactured by the Triumph Motor Company, part of British Leyland in the United Kingdom. The production of this car lasted only between September 1974 and October 1981.

In the beginning, 1980 Triumph TR7 was made at the Speke in the Liverpool factory, then it was made in Canley at Coventry in 1978 and finally, its production was done at the Rover plant in Solihull in 1980. 1980 Triumph TR7 was launched in January 1975 in the United States and immediately became popular among sports car lovers.

Sporting a design by Harris Mann, 1980 Triumph TR7 antique car had a length of 160 inches and a width of 66 inches with a wheelbase of 85 inches and a height of 49.5 inches. The whole car weighs not more than 2205 pounds or 1000 kg. It’s interesting to know that during its development, this car was called the “Bullet”.

Fitted with a 105 bhp 1998 cc 8-valve four-cylinder engine, 1980 Triumph TR7 car has got the same basic design as sported by the Triumph Dolomite Sprint engine. With its FR layout, this car provides 4 and 5 speed manual transmission and 3 speed automatic transmission.