The four-seat and two door experimental car, 101EX was launched by Rolls Royce in
the year 2008 as a series version. The 101EX was hand built in Goodwood, England, the
company’s manufacturing plant. This car completed the Phantom family lineup along
with the Phantom Drophead Coupé, Phantom Extended Wheelbase and the Phantom.

The 1010EX had the typical elegance that we associate with Rolls Royce cars and an
out of the world driving experience that was the characteristic of the Phantom Drophead
Coupe and the Phantom. The construction of this car was pretty much similar with that of
the other cars from the Phantom family, using aluminum. Although the construction was
fairly similar to the rest of the cars, its design was marked different and was created to be
the world’s best transcontinental tourer.

In terms, it was similar to the rest of the Phantom models, which was an incredible
720nm of torque and 453bhp. However, with the EX101, the emphasis was more on
the driver and was built in a way to make driving more pleasurable. It was shorter as
compared to the other models and a great deal of change was made in the chassis set up
and the suspension.

According to Ian Cameron, the Chief Designer at Rolls Royce, this car was built to blend
the power of a 6.75ltr V12 engine with an effortless driving experience. They tried to add
a little bit of fizz to the powerful yet elegant Rolls Royce car. At Rolls Royce this car was
considered as a major milestone and the final model to complete the Phantom family.

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The fall of the year 1959 saw Opel Kapitan roll off its production line for the first time in Russelsheim. The Opel Kapitan was internally known as Opel Kapitan P2 2.6 ltr and courtesy its unique design, state-of-art technology and high comfort level, it became a big hit in a very short span of time, a best seller to be precise. By the year 1964, it had already sold 145,616 units and this made it the highest selling P2 2.6 ltr Opel Kapitan ever.

Even after fifty years its legacy continues. Another model from Russelsheim called the Opel Insignia that hit dealership in early 2009 was a great success as well. Within 12 months of its launch more than 150,000 units was already sold. Although there is a gap of five decades between the two in terms of technology, both these models managed to create a niche for itself and were pioneers of innovations in their own rights.

The Opel Kapitan was strongly influenced by the American aesthetics; on the other hand the Insignia is more influenced by European style and this proved its USP. The flowing transitions and sweeping lines of the initial model was replaced by modern styling which had a very strong emphasis the effect of loud contours and the horizontal design. The frame work became more rigid and straight as compared to its curvy predecessor. The Opel Kapitan was truly a symbolic vehicle at that age and managed to set new standards in the car market. But the best part was that even though its popularity soared, Opel didn’t hike its price.

The Volvo PV36, popularly known as Carioca stands out of all the other Volvo cars in terms of looks as well as features. The Carioca is very famous in the auto industry considering there were very few models built and Volvo being a small manufacturer makes it even more special.

This year the Carioca completes its 75th year. There have been quite a few allegations of this car being a copy of Airflow by Chrysler, let us make this clear, this isn’t the case. The debate over these two cars has been going on for ages and although Chrysler was the first to launch its model, it doesn’t necessarily mean Volvo copied its style. It is perhaps the timing of the launch as Volvo launched it a year after.

During the early 1930s most of the Volvo cars were conventional and offered very little in terms of variety and this had an effect on the sales figures too. Most of these cars were designed by Helmer MasOlle. The Volvo PV36 however had no contribution whatsoever from the artist and the entire styling was done by Ivan Ornberg, with very little to no interference from anyone else, including the founders. This car was launched in 1935.

The Carioca featured the latest six cylinder engine and it was quite a powerhouse. The standout feature of this car were the headlights which very traditional yet classy. This car was definitely a refreshing change for many as it managed to divert from the traditional design of Volvo.

McLaren M6A, a racing car, was developed by Bruce McLaren along with his racing team for the entry into the Can-Am season, 1967. It came primarily as the replacement for the M1Bs and interestingly helped win them their first championship amongst many at Can-Am. The M6A was replaced by M8A during the 1968 season and in the meantime McLaren and Trojan came together to build the M6B.

The name M6 was used later in developing sports car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and was called the M6GT. However, the company failed to qualify for FIA’s Group four regulations. Only a very few M6GT were completed. Later, the M6GT were transformed into road cars and one of them was used by Bruce McLaren for his personal transport.

Bruce gathered a number of designers during 1967’s off season in order to build the McLaren M6A. People like Gordon Coppuck, Robin Herd, Don Beresford and Tyler Alexander joined Bruce in working on the car. This car boasts of the 1st monocoque chassis ever constructed by McLaren and the body was specially designed to create more force which is best suited for the Can-Am circuits. The most significant change was the replacement of Firestone by Goodyear as the tire supplier.

The spring of 1967 saw the first McLaren completed and tested at the Goodwood circuit. It was extensively tested before being shipped off to North America for preparing for the race. The final addition was an orange paint. The orange color later became symbolic of McLaren.

In the spring of 1947, Ferry Porsche expressed his desire to build a car that he himself would like. This is when the concept of Porsche 356 was ideated. This car was build using Volkswagen components and was initially named VW-Sports and got a construction number 356, which later was included in the name.

Ferry Porsche, who was the Junior Director at Porsche, had a very simple vision, a vision to create a sports cars that he would love to have. The engineers at Porsche were fascinated by the concept and completed the road ready chassis by February 1948.

The components were taken from Volkswagen and they included a flat 4 powered unit, suspensions, gearbox, steering and springs. It just weighed 585 kg and had a 35 bhp engine. It had a maximum speed of 84 mph or 135 km/h. In June 1948, the first mid-engined Porsche sports car was given official homologation by the authorities of the Govt. of Carinthia through an individual permit. The Chassis number of the first Porsche sports car was 356-001. 

Porsche started the production of the regular coupes and cabriolets of the Porsche Type 356/2 in latter part of 1948 and similar to the Type 356/1 it also featured an aluminum body design. But the Type 2 cars offered more luggage space as compared to Type1 and this was because of engine which was placed at the back. The fact that Volkswagen allowed Porsche to avail its components is a testimony of Ferry Porsche being a great engineer along with a smart business man.

There is good news for all those who always wanted to buy a luxury car but couldn’t afford one. Now you can buy a great luxury car without making a big hole in your pocket. Thanks to Japanese car manufacturers, who have decided to sell used Japanese cars through auctions. These cars come at a very decent price and are in good condition.

You would be surprised at the kind of deals you can make through these auctions. You can land up with an excellent condition car at a very cheap price. The reason for this is that in Japan, there are very strict regulations in terms of emission and environment. A number of these cars are in perfect condition to be used in any other country but Japan.

It has become a big problem in Japan as many cars do not fulfill the regulations and people need to get rid of them. On the other hand, disposing a car through recycling is an option but due to another set of very strict recycle laws this process becomes very expensive. The only other viable option left is to sell off these cars.

Most of these cars are sold by dealers who stock used cars through Japanese Agents. The agents and exporters have a major role in this. These cars come at a very good bargain but if you are looking at something even cheaper you can participate in a simple online auction and there are great chances of you getting a great car at a very cheap price. To participate in these auctions you can log on to www.auctionprojapan.com.

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.

Marcello Gandini from Carrozzeria Bertone designed the body of this car, which was a two plus two coupe and unlike the Lamborghini Miura, a supercar, this was more affordable. It can be said that it was an alternative of the present Maserati Merak and Ferrari Dino.

In 1979, Lamborghini aborted the production of this car and by that time it had manufactured 791 Urracos. Out of these, 21 models were called Urraco PIII and were specially designed for the American market. This model had bigger front bumpers and controlled emissions, resulting in a less powerful engine. This was done because American regulations had strict guidelines and they had to follow them. The other versions of the Lamborghini Urraco were the Urraco P250, Urraco P300 and Urraco P200, with 3 litre, 2.5 litre and 2 litre V-8 respectively.

Lamborghini later on built the Lamborghini Silhouette, which had a detachable roof panel, followed by Lamborghini Jalpa, which had a 3.5 ltr V-8 engine. Both these cars were based on the Urraco.

The Lamborghini Urraco has managed to stay in news even after its production stopped in 1979. In 2005, it got featured in the Top gear segment and was placed against its arch rivals Maserati Merak and Ferrari Dino. It has definitely been able to sustain its legacy over the years. 

The Oldsmobile Cutlass, manufactured by General Motors Oldsmobile division was introduced in the year 1961 in order to compete in the unibody compact car market. Its primary competition was the Mercury Comet and Dodge lancer.

Oldsmobile used the Cutlass brand name with a lot of models and although this ploy was hugely successful initially and it had become a very successful name in the car market, it also created a lot of confusion during the 1980s. During this period there were three models running in the market simultaneously and it created a lot of confusion amongst the car lovers. These cars were the Cutlass Supreme, Cutlass Ciera and the Cutlass Calais.

In 1973 General Motors modified the F-85/Cutlass by using GM’s latest “Colonnade” A platform. This line consisted of the following Cutlass models- Cutlass Salon, Cutlass Supreme, Cutlass “S”, Vista Cruiser and Cutlass “S”-colonnade coupe. 1973 saw the addition of another Cutlass model, the Cutlass Salon, which was introduced as an upscale model. Initially it was a four door vehicle and later in 1974 the two doors Cutlass Salon was introduced. 

In 1975, the Oldsmobile 260 V8 was launched. It featured a five speed manual transmission and also had the option of automatic transmission. There were optional engines as well, but they were available only with automatic transmission. The year 1977 witnessed the classic Buick 231 and it is still one of the best cars of all times. However, the best selling model from the Cutlass line was the Oldsmobile Cutlass of 1976.

Plymouth Road Runner was a muscle car manufactured by Chrysler between 1968 and 1980. Many were of the opinion that the early muscles cars were shifting away from their roots of being relatively cheap and fast cars. Plymouth did have an existing performance car at that time in the form of the GTX. However, designers wanted to recreate the concept of muscle cars.

Plymouth’s goal was to create a car that would run an incredible 14 second times within the quarter mile and sell the car for anything less than US$3000. Surprisingly both these goals were accomplished and this low priced muscle car was ready to hit the roads. This car was very well received by the customers and very soon replaced the high scale and low volume GTX.

Chrysler paid a whopping $50,000 to Warner Brothers in order to bag the rights to use name Road Runner, which was a name of a cartoon character from the Warner Brothers production house. This car was more of re-entry to the muscle cars space and Plymouth wanted it to create a niche for this model and hence spared no effort or resource to build this car.

Plymouth used the Chrysler B platform to create this car and all important aspects from performance to maintenance were upgraded. The looks were also given much importance and shaped up to be a great looking car with wonderful interior. It definitely is one of the greatest muscle car that has been ever built.