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A
Abarth was an Italian racing car maker founded by Carlo Abarth, of Austrian origins.

On the 1960s, Abarth was quite successful in hillclimbing and sports car racing, mainly in classes from 850cc up to 2000cc, competing with Porsche 904 and Ferrari Dino. Hans Herrmann was factory driver from 1962 until 1965, winning etc. the 500km Nürburgring.

Later, Johann Abt was promised by Carlo Abarth that he could drive a factory car for free if he'd won all races he enters - what Abt nearly did, winning in 29 of 30, plus a second.

Along with its racing cars Abarth produced high-performance exhaust pipes. Later Abarth diversified in producing various tuning kits for road vehicles, mainly for Fiat. Abarth was also associated associated in producing sports or racing cars with Porsche and Simca.

Abarth was sold to Fiat in 1971 and the racing team sold to Enzo Osella. Abarth became the racing department of Fiat, managed by famed engine designer, Aurelio Lampredi. Some models built by Fiat or its subsidiaries Lancia and Autobianchi were co-branded Abarth, the most famous being the Autobianchi A112 Abarth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abarth

ABARTH photos

ABARTH links

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AC ac badge
AC Cars Group Ltd. is a British specialist car manufacturing company and one of the oldest independent car marques in Britain. Based in Weybridge, Surrey.

In 1903 Weller Brothers in West Norwood, London, planned to produce an advanced 20hp car. This looked economically unviable so their financial backer John Portwine proposed a simpler 3 wheeled vehicle. Autocars and Acessories was founded to make this in 1904. This company became Autocarriers Ltd in 1911 using the 'AC' logo. The company moved to Thames Ditton, Surrey in 1911 and grew into a substantial car manufacturer. S F Edge, who had been behind Napier, joined the board in 1921 and in 1922 both John Weller and John Portwine left.

In 1922 the name changed again to A.C. Cars Ltd. Edge bought the company outright for £135,000 in 1927 and re-registered it as AC (Acédès) Ltd but sales, which had been falling, continued to decline. In 1930 production ceased and the company was sold to the Hurlock family who ran a successful haulage business. They wanted the factory as a warehouse but allowed the service side of AC to continue...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_Cars

AC photos

AC links

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They also made a Vespa car, but it was a completely different vehicle from the scooter or Ape, not utilizing a single one of the scooter parts. Manufactured in France from 1958 through 1961 by a Piaggio division called ACMA, these little cars competed with Fiats, giving the Italian giant a run for its money, especially among women drivers because of its style and magical Piaggio nameplate. But only about 34,000 Vespa cars were manufactured...

In 1950, just four years from its debut, the Vespa was manufactured in Germany by Hoffman-Werke of Lintorf; the following year licensees opened in Great Britain (Douglas of Bristol) and France (ACMA of Paris); production began in Spain in 1953 at Moto Vespa of Madrid, now Piaggio España, followed immediately by Jette, outside Brussels. Plants sprang up in Bombay and Brazil; the Vespa reached the USA, and its enormous popularity drew the attention of the Reader’s Digest, which wrote a long article about it. But that magical period was only the beginning. Soon the Vespa was produced in 13 countries and marketed in 114, including Australia, South Africa (where it was known as the “Bromponie”, or moor pony), Iran and China. And it was copied: on June 9, 1957, Izvestia reported the start of production in Kirov, in the USSR, of the Viatka 150 cc, an almost perfect clone of the Vespa...

see also VESPA

ACMA photos

ACMA links

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Acura is a Japanese brand name used by Honda in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Hong Kong since March 1986 to market luxury automobiles and near-luxury vehicles. The brand will be expanded to the Chinese market in 2006 and the Japanese domestic market in 2008. Acura is credited with creating or being the first to tap into a market for luxury Japanese cars outside Japan. Before Acura, automobiles from Japan were primarily economical and were seen as reliable above all else.

Other Japanese luxury brands (Toyota's Lexus and Nissan's Infiniti) sprang up in North America shortly after Acura's introduction of the Legend, a V6-powered coupe and sedan, and the Integra, which was offered with a 4-cylinder engine only. Automotive journalists were impressed particularly by the Acura Legend...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura

ACURA photos

ACURA links

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The Adler was a German automobile produced from 1900 to 1940. Adler is the German word for eagle.

The Adler factory produced bicycles, typewriters, and motorcycles in addition to cars. Before the World War I, the company used De Dion two- and four-cylinder engines in cars that ranged from 1032 cc to 9081 cc; beginning in 1902, they used their own engines as well. These cars, driven by Erwin Kleyer and his brother Otto (sons of the company founder, Heinrich Kleyer) and by Alfred Theves won many sporting events. 

In the 1920s, Karl Irion raced many Adlers; popular models of the period included the 2298 cc, 1550 cc, and 4700 four-cylinders and the 2580 cc six-cylinders. Many of the Standard models, built between 1927 and 1934, featured Gropius and Neuss coachwork. These had 2916 cc six-cylinder engines and 3887 cc eight-cylinder engines. 

Later in the decade the company introduced front-wheel drive Trumpf and Trumpf-Junior models, ranging from 995 cc to 164 5cc four-cylinder sv engines. These gained many successes in races, including in the Le Mans race. The 1943 cc Favorit, the 2916 cc six-cylinder Diplomat (featuring 65 hp (48 kW) at 3800 rpm, and the 1910 cc four-cylinder and 2494 cc six-cylinder models (with Ambi-Budd and Karmann bodywork) were all rear-driven; these were built until the World War II.

After World War II a decision was made not to resume automobile construction. Motorcycle production resumed in 1949 and continued for 8 years leading to the production of the MB 250S. Increasingly, Adler focused on the manufacture of office equipment. The company associated with Triumph to form Triumph-Adler, and was taken over by Grundig in 1957, later by Olivetti.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adler_%28automobile%29

ADLER photos

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The Aero was a Czech automobile, manufactured between 1929 and 1947 by a well-known aircraft and car-body factory owned by one Dr. Vladimir Kabes.

The original model, the Aero Type 500, had a 499 cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine with water cooling. The next model, the Type 20, was a 660 cc vertical twin, which was followed by the Type 30, a 998 cc twin-cylinder version. The 1934 Aero was a front wheel drive car with a similar engine and a four-seater body. The last model, the Type 50, also front-wheel-drive, had a 1997 cc four-cylinder 50 PS (37 kW two-stroke engine. Many famous drivers won many events in Aero cars.

After the war the company made the Type 30 until 1947.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_%28automobile%29

AERO photos

AERO links

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Agricultural machinery of Eduard Ahlborn AG, 1856 until today, Hildesheim, Germany
Eduard Ahlborn Spezialfabrik für Molkerei und Kühlanlagen, Hildesheim, Deutschland

Eduard Ahlborn (14.09.1823-22.02.1899) gründete 1856 eine Fabrik für land- und milchwirtschaftliche Maschinen, die bis zu ihrer Verlagerung nach Sarstedt 1978 ein bedeutender Wirtschaftsfaktor in der Stadt war.

http://www.ahlborn-unimog.de/ 

AHLBORN photos

no AHLBORN links

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The company that became Alfa Romeo was founded as "Darracq Italiana" in 1907 by Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan, in partnership with the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq. The firm initially produced Darracq cars in Naples, but after the partnership collapsed Stella and the other Italian co-investors moved production to an idle Darracq factory in the Milan suburb of Portello, and the company was renamed ALFA

The first non-Darracq car produced by company was the 1910 24 HP (named for the 24 horsepower it produced), designed by Giuseppe Merosi. Merosi would go on to design a series of new ALFA cars with more powerful engines (40-60 HP). ALFA also ventured into motor racing, drivers Franchini and Ronzoni competing in the 1911 Targa Florio with two 24 HP models. However, the onset of World War I halted automobile production at ALFA for three years...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo

ALFA ROMEO photos

ALFA ROMEO links

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The Allard Motor Company was an English car manufacturer founded in 1936 by Sydney Allard. The company, based in Putney, London until 1945 and then in Clapham, London, produced approximately 1900 cars until its closure in 1966.

Allards generally featured a large American V8 engine in a small, light British sports car body, giving a high power-to-weight ratio and foreshadowing the more famous AC Cobra - in fact, Carroll Shelby drove an Allard in the 1950s, and it was doubtless an inspiration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allard

ALLARD photos

ALLARD links

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Alldays and Onions Pneumatic Engineering Co. Ltd, Birmingham and London, Great Britain, 1898-1918
Three wheel cars with De Dion Bouton engines, four wheel car 'Alldays Traveller'.
After 1918 'Enfield' cars and 'Enfield-Alldays' cars as well as 'Enfield' motorcycles.

Many thanks to Harald H. Linz - www.cars-a-z.net/linz/ 

ALLDAYS & ONIONS photos

ALLSAYS & ONIONS links

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Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH is an automobile tuning company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany specialising in BMW cars. Alpina was founded by Burkard Bovensiepen,(b. 1936) who is still the CEO.

BMW vehicles modified by Alpina retain their entire BMW warranty. A distinctive feature of Alpina cars are their 20 spoke alloy wheels.

Most recently Alpina have produced a version of the current BMW E60 5 Series called the B5, which rivals the BMW M5. The B5 offers a different take on performance and how to get it: unlike the V10 M5, the Alpina B5 uses a supercharged V8 which produces similar horsepower but has far greater torque.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpina

ALPINA photos

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Alpine was a French manufacturer of racing and sports cars which used rear mounted Renault engines. The company was founded by Jean Rédélé in 1952 in Dieppe. The first production model the Alpine A106 powered by a Renault 4CV engine appeared in 1956.

Over time, the Alpine company was absorbed by Renault. The last production model was the A610, and this car was discontinued in 1995.

Alpine became a world rally champion in 1973 with its most famous model, the Alpine A110 (aka "Berlinette"). An Alpine A442 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978. This was probably the last appearance of a works Alpine car in racing, at that time the merging with Renault was complete and the car was entered as a Renault-Alpine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_%28car%29

ALPINE photos

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Alvis cars were produced by the manufacturer Alvis Car & Engineering Company Ltd of Coventry, England from 1919 to 1967. The company was also involved in aero-engines and military vehicles, the latter continuing after the car production was stopped.

The original company, TG John & Co. Ltd., was founded in 1919. Its first products were stationary engines, carburettor bodies and motorscooters. The company founder TG John was approached by Geoffrey de Freville with designs for a 4-cylinder engine. The design called for aluminium pistons and pressure lubrication, unusual for the period. Some have suggested that de Freville proposed the name Alvis as a compound of the words "aluminium" and "vis"(Latin=strong) - although it is well known that de Freville himself vigously denied this theory; it is also possible that is was named for the Norse mythological weaponsmith, Alvis, but the true origin is unknown.

The first car model, the 10/30, using de Freville's design was an instant success and set the reputation for quality and performance for which the Alvis brand became famous. The company logo of an inverted red triangle incorporating the word 'Alvis' was used from this period. In 1921, the company changed its name to become Alvis Car & Engineering Company Ltd. and moved to Holyhead Road, Coventry.

Captain GT Smith-Clarke joined from Daimler as Chief Engineer & Works Manager in 1923 and was soon joined by WM Dunn as Chief Draughtsman. This partnership lasted for 25 years and was responsible for many designs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvis_Cars

ALVIS photos

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AMC AMC badge
American Motors Corporation (AMC) was an American automobile company, formed in 1954 by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history, valued at $198,000,000.

American Motors was purchased by Chrysler Corporation on March 2, 1987, which discontinued the brand name but continued some of the models under the Eagle marque.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Motors

AMC photos

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American LaFrance (ALF) is an emergency vehicle manufacturer, formerly based in Ladson, South Carolina. Focusing primarily on fire engines and fire trucks (ladders), although they also sell rescue vehicles and ambulances. ALF was founded in 1873 by Truckson LaFrance and his partners as the "LaFrance Manufacturing Company," selling hand powered equipment. In 1995, the company was bought by Freightliner LLC, which is a subsidiary of Daimler-Chrysler. Freightliner continued to utilize American LaFrance's original nameplates and designations. However, most of their products are now built on Freightliner M2 or Sterling Acterra chassis. ALF has manufacturing facilities in Hamburg, NY and Casper, WY. As of 2005, they are the fifth largest manufacturer of emergency vehicles in North America.

In December 2005, it was announced that Freightliner had transferred the ownership of American LaFrance to the New York-based investment firm, Patriarch Partners, LLC. The headquarters and main plant in Ladson, South Carolina are not included in the transaction. However, Patriarch Partners will be allowed to use the plant until early 2007, when DaimlerChrysler will utilize the plant for assembly of the 2007 Dodge Sprinter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_LaFrance

AMERICAN LA FRANCE photos

AMERICAN LA FRANCE links

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AMG amg emblem amg logo
Mercedes-AMG is the tuning arm of the Mercedes-Benz car company. Mercedes-Benz took a majority stake in AMG in 1999 (then called AMG-Mercedes) and has taken full ownership in 2005.

AMG or Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach was founded in 1967 as AMG Motorenbau und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (AMG Engine Production and Development, Ltd.) by former Mercedes engineers Hans-Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher in a town near Stuttgart called Großaspach.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMG-Mercedes

AMG photos

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The Amilcar was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1939. The first offering was a small cyclecar; designed by Jules Salomon and Edmond Moyet, it bore a striking resemblance to the pre-war Le Zèbre

Next was the 903cc CC, which was available in two further versions; the CS was a sport version, while the C4 was a family car. The sv engine had splash lubrication, and came with a three speed gearbox. The most famous model of all was the CGS "Grand Sport" of 1924; this featured a 1074cc sv engine and four-wheel brakes. This in turn evolved into the more sporty CGSS "Grand Sport Surbaissé"

These models were built under license in Germany (as the Pluto) and in Austria (as the Grofri) and in Italy (as Amilcar Italiana). The marque entered automobile racing in the mid-1920s with a batch of supercharged dohc 1100cc six cylinder cars that used a roller bearing crankshaft in the full racing version; these vehicles were also available with plain bearings. 

The company also offered a light touring car; called the "M-Type", it featured a sv 1200cc engine and was launched in 1928. It was followed by the M2, M3, and M4 versions. 1928 also saw the manufacture of a straight eight, which was built with an ohc 2-liter engine. This, the C8, proved unreliable, and soon disappeared. 

In the late 1930s Amilcar introduced two new models; one was the 14cv, which used a four cylinder Delahaye engine. In 1937 the company merged with Hotchkiss. The next model was the front wheel drive Amilcar Compound, quite advanced in design for its era, featuring a monocoque frame made of a light alloy and independent suspension all around. For an engine it had an ohv four-cylinder of 1185cc. Production of the Amilcar was not resumed after World War II.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amilcar

AMILCAR photos

AMILCAR links

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The Amphicar was the only amphibious automobile ever mass-produced for sale to the public. The German vehicle was designed by Hanns Trippel, creator of the war-time Schwimmwagen and manufactured by the Quandt Group at Lübeck and at Berlin-Borsigwalde. Its name is a combination of "amphibious" and "car".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphicar

AMPHICAR photos

AMPHICAR links

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The Angus-Sanderson was an English automobile manufactured fom 1919 to 1927.

In concept it was something like the Bean and Cubitt; the idea was that one model would be mass-produced, as Ford had done so successfully. The car was an assembly of proprietary parts, containing as it had a 2.3-liter engine from Tylor, a gearbox and rear axle by Wrigley, Woodhead springs, and Goodyear wheels. Approximately 3000 cars were produced but the car was expensive at £575. The company was refinanced as Angus Sanderson (1921) ltd and moved production from Birtley, County Durham to Hendon, Middlesex in 1921 and toyed with the idea of building a smaller 8hp car in 1925; neither of these actions nor a price reduction to £365 staved off the inevitable, and the company folded for good in 1927.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus-Sanderson

ANGUS-SANDERSON photos

ANGUS-SANDERSON links

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The Ansaldo was an Italian automobile manufactured by an armaments concern from 1921 to 1931. The company entered car manufacture with an ohc 1847cc four-cylinder model which could develop 36 bhp at 3600 rpm. A sports version with 1981cc engine was offered, as was a six-cylinder version of 1991cc; later six-cylinders were offered with engines of 2179cc. Among the company's last cars was an ohv straight-eight of 3532cc. 

Ansaldos were generally of good quality and modern design, and copeted in many races. When Wikov began manufacture in Czechoslovakia in 1928, they built the 1453cc Ansaldo Tipo 10.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansaldo

ANSALDO photos

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The Gibbs Aquada is a high speed amphibian vehicle developed by Gibbs Technologies. It is capable of speeds over 100 mph on land and 30 mph on water. It uses revolutionary technology, combining the design of boats and wheeled vehicles to create a unique and effective vehicle. Rather than adding wheels to a boat design, or creating a car that floats, the Aquada was designed from the ground up to perform reasonably in both fields.

In 2004 Richard Branson, billionaire owner of the Virgin Group, set a new record for crossing the English Channel between England and France on water (as opposed to through the Channel Tunnel or via air) in the Aquada, in 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The car is often compared to the submarine car in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. The car cost 250,000 US dollars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquada

AQUADA photos

AQUADA links

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ARAB arab logo
The constructors Parry Thomas and Reid Railton placed with the Arab - for past - technical scales only later from great vehicle manufacturers were reached. If it was fairly in the world, the Arab would have to be even more than one automobile-historical edge note.

The Art Déco coupé excited end of "roaring twenties" substantial sensation and was introduced in 1930 in The Autocar. Trump map is its excellent road holding and its engine fond of trick which owns own construction of Thomas as a specific feature at an angle hanging valves with leaf springs. 

Speeds about 150 km/h are to be achieved with the Arab. 2 Arab have been preserved till this day. A four-seater and the Super Sport Roadster.

The Arab was built only 3 years in Letchworth (England) (from 1926 to 1928). After the death of T. Parry (1927) which had an accident to put up a new high-speed record with the experiment closed R. Railton company Arab Motors Ltd. He designed later suitable vehicles for J. Cobb and Sir M. Campell. His Railton Mobile Special achieved in 1947 the record of 634,386 km/h which was outbid only in the sixties. 

Today the Arab Super Sport Roadster stands in Salzburg.

www.gaisbergrennen.at

ARAB photos

ARAB links

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Armstrong-Siddeley was a British company operating during the first half of the 20th century. It had two aspects motor cars, Armstrong Siddeley Motors Ltd, and aero-engines and aircraft, via the Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth Company, as a result of the merger of the interests of two Coventry-based companies, Armstrong-Whitworth and Siddeley-Deasy in 1919.

A predecessor company, Siddeley Autocars of Coventry, was founded by John Davenport Siddeley (1866-1953) in 1902. Its products were heavily based on Peugeots using many of their parts but fitted with English bodies. This company merged with Wolseley in 1905 and made stately Wolseley-Siddeley motorcars. They were used by Queen Alexandra and the Duke of York, the later King Edward VII.

In 1909 J.D. Siddeley resigned from Wolseley and took over the Deasy Motor Co and the company became known as Siddeley-Deasy. In 1912 the cars used the slogan "As silent as the sphinx" and started to sport a Sphinx as a bonnet ornament.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Siddeley

ARMSTRONG SIDDELEY photos

ARMSTRONG SIDDELEY links

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Ascari Cars was established in Dorset, England in 1995. A dedicated team of race professionals set out to develop their first limited-edition super car, the Ascari Ecosse, which was launched in 1998.

The history of Ascari is rooted in motor racing heritage. They were inspired and named after Alberto Ascari (1918 - 1955) who was the first double world Formula 1 champion.

In 2000 Ascari built a new facility in Banbury, to develop their second car, the Ascari KZ1, and to house Team Ascari's racing assets. For the first time the road-and-race side of the Ascari group came together in one place under one roof.

To complete the Ascari experience, in 2000 Ascari began to develop the first Race Resort in the world. Situated in a beautiful secluded valley in the south of Spain (Ronda), visitors can experience a totally new concept, where both high-speed adrenalin and luxurious relaxation are on offer at a modern race circuit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascari

ASCARI photos

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Aston Martin was founded in 1914 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. The two had joined forces the previous year to sell cars made by Singer. Martin raced specials at the Aston Hill Hillclimb near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. They acquired premises at Abingdon Road in Kensington and produced their first car in March 1915.

The company name was derived from Aston Hill and Lionel Martin.

After the war hiatus, the company was revitalised with funding from Count Louis Zborowski. In 1922, Aston Martin produced cars to compete in the French Grand Prix, and the cars set world speed and endurance records at Brooklands. Lionel Martin left in 1925; the following year, a number of rich investors, including Lord Charnwood, took control of the company as Aston Martin Motors, and moved the firm to new premises in Feltham. The 1929 Aston Martin International was another successful racer and was followed by the Le Mans and the Ulster. In 1936, the company, now owned by Sir Arthur Sutherland, decided to concentrate on road cars. The advent of World War II halted work, and the company languished throughout the war's duration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin

ASTON MARTIN photos

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ATS ats badge
ATS (Automobili Turismo e Sport) was an Italian automotive constructor and racing team that operated between 1963 and 1965, formed after the famous "Palace Revolution" at Ferrari.

This team is not to be confused with the German ATS (wheels) F1 team of the 1970s and 1980s.

The company was formed by Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini, among others - intending for it to be a direct competitor to Ferrari both on the race track and on the street. Chiti and Bizzarrini built, with sponsorship from the Scuderia Serenissima's Count Giovanni Volpi, a road-going sports car and a Formula One car.

The sports car was the 2500 GT, a small coupé developed by Chiti and Bizzarrini with a bodywork built by Michelotti. The engine was a mid-mounted 2.5 L V8 engineered by Chiti, capable of achieving 245 hp (180 kW) and accelerating to 257 km/h (160 mph). Only 12 cars were reportedly built, and few exist today.

The F1 car was the Tipo 100, a 1.5 L V8 engine powering a chassis that was a virtual copy of the outdated Ferrari 156. Drivers Phil Hill and Giancarlo Baghetti, also fleeing from Ferrari, were signed to driver the new car, but a dismal season forced to Chiti to close the door on the racing team. The ATS would later be used in the Derrington-Francis F1 project spearheaded by Stirling Moss' former mechanic, Alf Francis.

After the demise of ATS, Bizzarrini moved to Lamborghini before building his own cars as Bizzarrini, while Chiti founded Autodelta, which would work closely with Alfa Romeo for the following decades.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATS_%28automobile%29

ATS photos

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Auburn was a brand name of United States automobiles from 1900 through 1937. It grew out of the Eckhart Carriage Company, founded in Auburn, Indiana, in 1875 by Charles Eckhart (1841–1915). Eckhart's sons, Frank and Morris, began making automobiles on an experimental basis before entering the business in earnest, absorbing two other local carmakers and moving into a larger plant in 1909. The enterprise was modestly successful until materials shortages during World War I forced the plant to close.

The 1904 Auburn was a touring car model. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat 2 or 4 passengers and sold for US$1000. The flat-mounted single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced 10 hp (7.5 kW). A 2-speed planetary transmission was fitted. The angle-steel-framed car weighed 1500 lb (680 kg) and used half-elliptic springs.

In 1919, the Eckhart brothers sold out to a group of Chicago investors headed by Ralph Austin Bard, who later served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and as Under Secretary of the Navy for President Roosevelt and for President Harry S. Truman. The new owners revived the business but failed to realize the profits that they hoped for. In 1924, they approached Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974), a highly successful automobile salesman, with an offer to run the company. Cord countered with an offer to take over completely in what amounted to a leveraged buyout. The Chicago group accepted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn_Automobile

AUBURN photos

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The company traces its origins back to 1899 and August Horch. The first Horch automobile was produced in 1901 in Zwickau, in former East Germany. In 1910, Horch was forced out of the company he had founded. He then started a new company in Zwickau and continued using the Horch brand. His former partners sued him for trademark infringement and a German court determined that the Horch brand belonged to his former company. August Horch was forced to refrain from using his own family name in his new car business. As the word "horch!" translates to "listen!" in German, August Horch settled on the Latin equivalent of his name - "audi!". It is also popularly believed that Audi is an acronym which stands for "Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt". Audi produces over 2 million vehicles annually at its main production site in Ingolstadt. Audi has another production plant in Neckarsulm.

Audi started with a 2612 cc model followed by a four cylinder model with 3564 cc, as well as 4680 cc and 5720 cc models. These cars were successful even in sporting events. August Horch left the Audi company in 1920. The first six cylinder model (4655 cc) appeared in 1924. In 1928, the company was acquired by J S Rasmussen, owner of DKW, who bought the same year the remains of the US automobile manufacturer, Rickenbacker including the manufacturing equipment for eight cylinder engines. These engines were used in Audi Zwickau and Audi Dresden models that were launched in 1929. At the same time, six cylinder and a small four cylinder (licensed from Peugeot) models were manufactured. Audi cars of that era were luxurious cars equipped with special bodywork.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi

AUDI photos

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Herbert Austin (1866-1941), later Sir Herbert, the former manager of the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company founded The Austin Motor Company in 1905, at Longbridge, which was then in Worcestershire (Longbridge became part of Birmingham in 1911 when its boundaries were expanded). The first car was a conventional 5 litre four cylinder model with chain drive with about 200 being made in the first five years. In World War I Austin grew enormously with government contracts for everything from artillery to aircraft and the workforce expanded from around 2500 to 22,000.

After the war Herbert Austin decided on a one model policy based around the 3620cc 20hp engine and versions included cars, commercials and even a tractor but sales volumes were never enough to fill the vast factory built during war time and the company went into receivership in 1921 but rose again after financial restructuring. To expand the market smaller cars were introduced with the 1661 cc Twelve in 1922 and later the same year the Austin 7, an inexpensive, small and simple car and one of the earliest to be directed at a mass market. At one point it was built under licence by the fledgeling BMW (as the Dixi) and Datsun, as well as Bantam in the U.S., and as the Rosengart in France.

A largely independent United States subsidiary operated under the name American Austin Car Company from 1929 to 1934; it was revived under the name "American Bantam" from 1937 to 1941.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Motor_Company

AUSTIN photos

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The marque was established through a joint venture arrangement set up in 1952 between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation and Donald Healey, a renowned automotive engineer and designer.

Austin-Healey produced cars until 1972 when the 20-year agreement between Healey and Austin came to an end. Donald Healey left the company in 1968 when the British Motor Corporation (Austin had merged with Morris in 1952 to form BMC) was taken over by British Leyland.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Motor_Company

AUSTIN HEALEY photos

AUSTIN HEALEY links

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The Austro-Daimler was an Austrian automobile manufactured from 1899 until 1934.

The Austro-Daimler works were located at Wiener-Neustadt, and were originally a branch of the German Daimler factory. The firm gained its independence in 1906, and began producing cars which are still seen as excellent examples of their kind.

The first designer employed by the firm was Gottlieb Daimler's son, Paul Daimler; he was succeeded by the great Ferdinand Porsche, who was responsible for the Mercédés-Electrique-Mixte (manufactured from 1902 to 1907). Designers Karl Rabe and Oskar Hacker were also employed by Austro-Daimler, as were others. The company also competed in sporting events, with great success.

In 1911 Austro-Daimler began production of the Prinz Heinrich (in English: Prince Henry) model; this car, which featured an ohc 5714cc four cylinder engine, quickly became famous. It could develop 95bhp at 2100rpm; there was also a less potent version with side valves and a 6900cc engine capable of developing 60hp at only 1200rpm. Both designs were by Porsche, who also created the 1·3-liter "Sascha" racing cars (named after their backer, Count Sascha Kolowrat-Krakowski) in the early 1920s. The smallest model the company offered was a 2212cc four cylinder.

The outstanding production car offered by Austro-Daimler during the 1930s was the ADM, which featured ohc six-cylinder engines of 2540cc, 2650cc, and 2994cc. The last-named (the ADM III) developed 110hp at 4000rpm and was one of the greatest automobiles of the decade. Also offered was a less luxurious sporting version, the 100hp ADR.

1931 saw Austro-Daimler introduce a 4624cc eight cylinder car, a superb, highly expensive luxury vehicle. The last great car built at the Austrian works was the six-cylinder "Bergmeister", which featured an ohc 3614cc engine that could develop 120hp at 3600rpm; this car had a top speed of 90 mph.

Austro-Daimler had amalgamated with Puch in 1928 as Daimler-Puch. In 1934 the company also took on Steyr Automobile, creating the Steyr-Daimler-Puch conglomerate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Daimler

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Autobianchi was an Italian automobile manufacturer, it was created jointly by Bianchi, Pirelli and Fiat in 1957. The word is pronounced "ah-oo-to-bee-AHN-kee."

The most famous Autobianchi models include the A112, released in 1969, a small hatchback very popular in Italy for racing, and ended production in 1986, as well as the Y10, which was the first car to use Fiat's new FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine). The Primula was the car with which Fiat introduced the particular front-wheel drive arrangement of engine, transmission, and differential that has become prevalent today.

Autobianchi was bought by the Fiat group and integrated into Lancia, until the name had stopped usage when the Y10 was transferred to the latter's product line-up, in 1989. However the name remained in Italy until the end of the Y10's production in 1995.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobianchi

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Auto Union was a joint venture of four German automobile manufacturers, established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression.

The trademark of Auto Union was a symbol of four overlapping rings, symbolizing the four member companies (all four in a line, in an attempt to avoid confusion with the 5 Olympic rings). The trademarks and company names of the member companies - Horch, Audi, DKW and Wanderer - were continued; the four ring logo was used only in racing. The four ring logo of Auto Union is still a trademark, and now used by Audi.

It is best known for its racing team (Auto Union Rennabteilung, based in Zwickau), which was the main opponent of Mercedes-Benz in 1930s Grand Prix motor racing. The Silver Arrows of these two teams dominated not only 1930s car racing, but set records that would take decades to beat. For example, it took Formula One Grand Prix until the early 1980s to again reach the power levels of these cars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union

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