Anyone who has seen the Lamborghini Reventon or the Aston Martin DBS knows that unmistakable feeling. It's the thrill & the allure of the exotic sports car, overhauled & updated for the 21st century. Since their inception, sports cars have continually pushed the boundaries of both engineering & art. These are the cars that exemplify speed, power and beauty.
Alfa Romeo: The Grandfather of Exotic Sports Cars
Alfa Romeo first began producing race cars in Milan, Italy in 1910. Their first endeavor, the HP 24, turned some heads with its superior speed and handling. Chief Designer Giuseppe Merosi worked on all Alfa Romeo models from 1910 to 1923. When Merosi retired, race car driver Enzo Ferrari persuaded Vittorio Jano to leave Fiat and take over Merosi's work.
In 1925, Alfa Romeo unveiled the P2 Grand Prix Car, Jano's first car with Romeo and widely considered the first "supercar." The P2 was powered by a straight-8 cylinder supercharged engine, and placed first in 14 Grand Pix races between 1924 and 1930. Today, the P2 Grand Prix is considered one of the most rarified of the collectible antique cars, with less than a dozen still intact.
Ferrari: High Performance, Luxury Cars
After racing Alfa Romeos in the 1920's & 30's, Enzo Ferrari decided that he wanted to build his own racecars. He prototyped a few models in the 1940's, but it wasn't until after World War II that he found success. Notably, Ferrari's exotic sports cars took first place in the Formula 1 World Championships, 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Sportscar Championships throughout the 1950's.
Ferrari's Gran Turismo series remains its most successful lines, with the 2007 599 GTB Fiorano bringing even more luxury and innovation to the table. Patrons of the Ferrari Club of America cite performance as the primary reason for purchasing a Ferrari over other collectible cars.
Lamborghini : Exotic Sports Cars for a New Generation
Ferruccio Lamborghini had a successful business building tractors in Italy before his eyes turned to the exotic sports car. And it wasn't a love for performance that stirred his fire, but a disdain for Enzo Ferrari.
According to Lamborghini's family, Ferruccio purchased a Ferrari 250 GT in the early 1960's and was unhappy with the handling & response of the clutch. He brought it into Ferrari's factory and met with Enzo Ferrari to voice his concerns. Ferrari was immediately upset with Lamborghini's complaints so he mocked Lamborghini and sent him away. Lamborghini went home, dismantled the car and discovered that the clutches installed in Ferraris were from the same manufacturers he used for his tractors. He installed a new clutch and vowed to create a higher-quality, luxury sports car than Ferrari.
Aston Martin: Unforgettable Collectible Cars
Britain's Aston Martin was founded by Lionel Martin & Robert Bamford in 1914. They designed exotic sports cars and drove in competitions, but it wasn't until David Brown became managing director of the company in 1947 that they were able to establish themselves as a maker of high-quality, high-performance sports cars. They introduced the DB line (DB standing for David Brown) in 1950, and many of their models have become synonymous with antique and collectible cars.
Before the strange Saab Sonett sports car reached full production in 1967, Saab's performance leader was the unconventional GT850 sports sedan. Powered by a three cylinder engine, triple carbureted two stroke engine, its mechanical specifications seem more like competition dirt bike than an automobile.
The GT850 called the ?Saab Sport? in Europe made its entry debut into the American market as a 1963 model. It featured front disc brakes, an oil injection system that eliminated the need to pour 2 stroke oil into the fuel tank at every fill-up and a most mighty 841 cc engine that made 57 barrel horse power ? fifteen more than the 96 on which the Saab GT750 was based. Saabs had always been front wheel drive cars, and the GT850 had a four speed manual gearbox box with a freewheeling feature that allowed it to coast down hill.
Intended primarily as a rally car rather than a family grocery-mobile, the GT850 featured VDO instruments, including a 120 miles per hour speedometer, along with a wood ?rimmed steering wheel. A Halda Speed Pilot rally meter mounted in front of the passenger was a state-of- the ?art options highly prized and valued among rallyists.
The two-stroke engine provided very little power below 3000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and its spark plugs were easily fouled. Prudent GT850 owners always carried one or more sets of new pregapped spark plugs, when they set out on a trip or long journey. When theGT850 ?came on the pipe? as a two stroke motorcycle enthusiast would refer to it as, it would out-hustle and out-handle nearly all of its larger engined contemporaries including the Triumph TR3s and the MGAs. Its 50-80 miles per hour acceleration was especially strong and under ideal conditions a GT850 could top 100 miles per hour (mph). Not bad for a sporty car that cost only $ 2790 back in 1963.
Under the hood the GT850 is more than remarkable. In all pre-1965 Saabs, the radiator is mounted behind the engine, with the fan directly in front of it. The fan is turned by an overhead shaft that runs from the front of the engine, by the generator belt. Saabs got a longer nose in 1965, and the fan was moved to a conventional North American location. The hood which hinges forward for extra easy access to the engine could be removed in just minutes.
Saab enthusiasts credit the GT870's rally successes to front wheel drive, light weight, long spring travel and a simple but robust rear suspension with good anti-roll characteristics. The car had a tendency towards overseer and can easily be steered with the throttle. Flat out is the way the GT850 liked it.
It can be more than difficult for the vintage sports car enthusiast to find a GT850 in good condition. Many were used up and worn out, running hard over unpaved roads and mountain passes. If you are fortunate, indeed lucky enough, to find such a car ? it is wise to check the exhaust system for restrictive build up of burned ?oil deposits. It is an interesting footnote to this more than classic sports car that the very manufacturer of the car .Saab, recommended changing the rear muffler every 18,000 miles and the entire auto exhaust system every 36,000 miles.
Both Jerry Work & Ralph P. Stofman are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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