More exclusive than a Jag E-Type or Porsche 911 at the time, the Alfa Romeo Montreal remains an enigma even today… Photo by Getty Images The Alfa Romeo Montreal was introduced at the Montreal Expo ’67 without an official model name. The public and motoring press took to calling the car the ‘Montreal’ and the […]
Epic engine, scissor doors, limited visibility, and wider than a Range Rover – the Lamborghini Countach was the quintessential supercar! Photo by Martyn Lucy/Getty Images Breaking with the tradition of naming cars after famous bulls and bull fighters, word has it that ‘countach’, an exclamation of astonishment in the Piedmontese dialect, was frequently used by […]
Short, low and wide, Ferrari-powered and beautiful from any angle – the Stratos was a winner from the start! Photo by Getty Images The broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson once said that the Lancia Stratos was the only supercar built not just to parade around the streets of Monaco looking wonderful, but to get there cross-country ‘rally-style’. […]
Ferrari didn’t want to sully the name of its exclusive brand with a cheaper Ferrari, so the ‘Dino’ was created… Photo by iStock Dino was Ferrari’s marque for mid-engined sports cars produced from 1968 to 1976. Enzo Ferrari named the V6 series of cars in honour of the untimely passing of his son and heir Dino. […]
Take a look at this stunning creation from Bertone – the car from which the ‘supercar’ phrase was originally coined… Photo by National Motor Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images The Lamborghini Miura was originally conceived in 1965 by Lamborghini’s young engineering team, Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani and Bob Wallace as a project during their spare time. […]
Originally coach-built by the Turinese manufacturer Maggiora, until their demise in 2003, FIAT’s Barchetta is pretty, peppy and very Italian! Photo by Getty Images In the 1990s, the choice for a small, cheap, two-seat roadster was limited to the Mazda MX5 and this little left-field beauty from FIAT. Developed between 1990 and 1994, the ‘Barchetta’, […]
Over-engineered, expensive and achingly pretty – Lancia always did things their way… Photo by Amanda Robinson The Lancia Fulvia Coupé Tipo 818 was a handsome, compact, two-door coupé introduced in 1965 and designed in-house by Lancia itself. Produced up until 1976, this small, beautifully engineered coupé was named after Via Fulvia, the Roman road leading […]
It’s part 1 of our new series on Italian motors and our focus is tiny, iconic, cheap to run and chic… it’s the cheeky small city car everyone loves! Photo by Getty Images Think of those classic 1950s Italian street scenes and inevitably the image that springs to mind will include the quintessential Fiat city […]
What the Vespa was to private transport in Italy in the lean years following the Second World War, the Ape would be to commercial transport… When the Second World War ended, Italy was in ruins. Not only had she fought on the losing side but, in the process of losing, much of her infrastructure – […]