Tag: sportscar
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Monday Money: The Lotus Elise S1
When the Lotus Elan ended production in 1995 the company was facing a rather unique issue: they didn’t have a single car in their lineup that fit their founder, Colin Chapman’s philosophy, ‘simplify, then add lightness’. Sure, there was the 1300kg Esprit, but compared to the Elan’s curb-weight of 997kg, it was a bit of…
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Monday Money: The C36 AMG
It was the nineties and Mercedes was growing a little tired of watching BMW dominate the small sports sedan market with their M3, and as 1995 approached, the lederhosen in Merc HQ were beginning to get so bunched up that they were at risk of breaking. If only there was someone who had experience making…
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Monday Money: The Porsche 914
Never before had a manufacturer dared to make a car’s front and rear ends looked so similar, until in 1969 Porsche and Volkswagen teamed up to produce the delightfully symmetrical Porsche 914. However, by the looks of things, both companies seemed to think they were designing the front. Or back? Hard to tell, but that’s…
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French Insanity: The Clio V6
As the new millennium was approaching, Renault had managed to keep track of their marbles for almost 13 years. The bonkers, mid-engined, homologation special known as the Turbo 2 had ended production in 1986 and les boffins at Renault began misplacing their marbles and were itching to produce a spiritual successor, which would emerge in…
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Monday Money: The Z3 M Coupe
1998 saw the introduction of the Z3 M Coupe; also known as the bread van, the clown shoe, or my personal favourite, the smurf hearse. It started life as an engineering study to work more structural rigidity into BMW’s Z3 M, but today it has been elevated beyond a mere mechanic’s experiment and has earned…
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The OG WRC Champ: Alpine’s A110
Launched in 1961, the rear-engined, air-cooled, rear-wheel drive Alpine A110 shared many similarities with the iconic Porsche 911, which would be unveiled two years later. However, the A110 is by no means “just a French 911”, as this sexy little coupe would go on to become a legend in its own right. The A110 was…
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Pure 80s Joy: Porsche’s 944 S2
Rear-wheel drive? Check. Manual transmission? Check. Coupé? Check. Naturally Aspirated? Check. Near-perfect 50-50 weight distribution? Check. The Porsche 944 S2 ticks a lot of the boxes on the petrolhead’s wish list and yet, for the most part, it hasn’t been hit by the massive appreciation that seemingly every other Porsche has. Maybe it’s time to…