10 TV detectives and their iconic motors

Morse - Jaguar Mk II

Supposedly the most recognizable Jag Mk II in the world, by the time it was retired Morse's Jag had over 79,000 miles on the clock. John Thaw, the actor who played the sullen inspector, once described the car as being 'a beggar to drive'.

Knight Rider - Pontiac Firebird

KITT was a customized Pointac Trans Am with the hefty price tag of $100,000 designed by Michael Scheffe of Back To The Future fame. William Daniels provided the voice of KITT but chose to remain uncredited.

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Classic Car of the Week: Lancia Appia (1953)

My pick of the week is the 1953 Lancia Appia.

The Appia debuted at the Turin Motor Show in 1953 along side the Alfa Romero B.A.T. 5 concept. Intended as Lancia's entry level option marketed opposite the luxury Aurelia model, the Appia sought to emulate luxury feeling of it's sister whilst replacing and substituting materials to save on manufacturing costs.

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Classic Car of the Week: Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1954)

My pick of the week is the 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

src: barret-jackson.com

The first incarnation of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was the W194 issued by Mercedes-Benz for the racing season of 1952. It saw wins at Le Mans, Nürburgring and the Carrera Panamericana thanks mostly to its design rather than what was under the hood as the original model only saw up to 175hp on average. It was its weight and aerodynamics which ultimately made the model competitive.

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Classic Car (ads) of the Week: Christmas Edition

1. General Motors (1960)

src: pinterest.com

2. Ford Mustang (1969)

src: pinterest.com

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10 toys that fuelled our love for motors

My passion for all things motor started from a very early age and I don't think it's a coincidence that my bedroom floor was littered with tiny replicas and stray bits of kid's mechanic sets. With Christmas fast approaching I found myself reminiscing about the kind of things Santa would leave me under the tree and, although I've graduated to requesting slightly more ambitious gifts from the big guy in red (if you're reading this, Santa, you can just leave the keys to my new Aventador wrapped up under the tree, I can't imagine pulling one of those down the chimney is very practical), I would be rather pleased if someone were to play the nostalgia card and leave me one of these for me this year. Which one was your favourite?

1. Matchbox Cars & Hot Wheels

src: fotothing.com
                      

Is it just me who used to keep these in an old margarine tub secured tightly with an elastic band? I am sure I was convinced that I would one day become a stuntman with a penchant for breaking the laws of physics because these little cars would be run over just about every surface in the house and, once they were out of road, perform gravity defying leaps through the air (with appropriate sound effects provided of course) onto the treacherous sofa or the slippery glass coffee table.

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Classic Car of the Week: Chevrolet Impala (1958)

My pick this week is the Chevrolet Impala.

The Chevrolet Impala evolved from the Bel Air range and was the first hardtop convertible of the series. Styled for the time, the Impala pandered to the fashion for longer, lower and wider automobiles. Original models were in a similar style to the Bel Air models but took on so called 'Sculpuramic styling' which defined crisper lines and sculptured rear fenders. Dual headlamps were added as well as three - yes three - tail lights.

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Classic Car of the Week: Triumph Spitfire (1962)

My pick of the week is the Triumph Spitfire.

src: classicperformancecar.com

It's the entry level sports car that almost never was. When Triumph first penned the Spitfire the financial outlook did not look good and they were unable to begin production. It wasn't until the Leyland buyout that it became a viable project again, hitting the market in 1962.

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Classic Car of the Week: Lincoln Zephyr (1936)

My pick of the week is the 1936 Lincoln Zephyr.

This little stunner first rolled off production lines in 1936 and when it did, design wise it was well ahead of its time featuring an aerodynamic shape made it one of the first successful streamlined automobiles available on the market. Taking inspiration from the 'monocoque' structure, the aptly named Zephyr was surprisingly light for its size which gave it that extra edge when it came to areodynamism.

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Classic Car of the Week: Plymouth Road Runner (1968)

My pick of the week is the 1968 Plymouth Road Runner.

src: carlustblog.com

'Beep, Beep!' as a well known speedster would say, and boy did Plymouth pay through the nose for the rights to imitate him, something to the tune of $50,000 dollars to use the name, image and his trademark 'Beep' which, naturally, was used as the horn sound. The Road Runner was first produced in 1968 as part of Plymouth's mid-size range, with the Road Runner taking up position as the performance model.

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Classic Car of the Week: Pontiac Firebird (1967)

My pick of the week is the Pontiac Firebird.

src: carbuffs.com

The Pontiac Firebird represents one of GM's first forays into the emerging pony car market when the original intention to make a more commercially viable version of the Pontiac Banshee concept would have left them in direct competition with their own Chevrolet brand. That being said. when it first rolled off production lines in 1967, a lot of the Firebird was composed of parts which paid homage to the Camero but thankfully there was enough of the Pontiac about it to carry a unique feeling to the car, particularly under the hood.

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Classic Car of the Week: Nash Metropolitan (1953)

My pick of the week is the Nash Metropolitan.

The Nash Metropolitan stands out from its contemporaries for the simple reason that as they worked to build longer and wider models, Nash took the route of marketing a commuter's car. Something more compact and practical for the everyday 'about town' trips. In fact the Metropolitan was soon dubbed the 'World's Smallest Smaller Car'

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Classic Car of the Week: DeSoto Hardtop (1961)

My pick of the week is the 1961 DeSoto Hardtop.

src: blog.hemmings.com

The '61 Hardtop represented the end of an era for the DeSoto range. The range was shrunk down to the two options of a 2-door and a 4-door hardtop of a similar design to the 1960 Fireflite with the exception of the two tier grille design and slanted double headlights. The decision to discontinue production came at the end of November, followed by a scramble as dealers tried to sell off what remained of their stock.

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Classic Car of the Week: Cadillac Eldorado (1959)

My pick of the week is the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado.

src: pinterest.com

First rolling off production lines in 1953, the Cadillac Eldorado was intended as a limited production concept car and a sub-series of the Cadillac Series 62 coming to market at a whopping $7750.

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Classic Car of the Week: 1949 Buick Roadmaster

My classic car pick this week is the 1949 Buick Roadmaster.

Image from 1949 advert for Buick Roadmaster src: pinterest.com

Initially the Roadmaster name was applied to all Buick vehicles in 1936 to highlight significant advances in engine and design. The 1949 edition saw the bodies get leaner and the length of the vehicle shorten with the iconic grille styling and bonnet shape taking on a more sleek appearance, but the most significant change the the 1949 model was the introduction of the porthole styling on the side of the front fenders. The Roadmaster shared this feature with the Super, both styled in chrome but the Roadmaster featured four of these portholes on both sides vs the Super's three.

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Classic Car of the Week: Lincoln Premiere

I've got a bit of a thing for the wheels of the past. Something about the geometries of a boxy vintage motor, all glittering chrome and soft tops, which never fails to slap a smile on my face. Hence why I'm penning this new weekly feature: Classic Car of the Week and we are starting as we mean to go on this week by featuring the stunning 1957 Lincoln Premiere.

1957 Lincoln Premiere src: momentcar.com

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