Tag Archives: Coupé

Down Payment Protection – FIAT Dino Coupé 2000

Leave a Reply

In order to help Ferrari homologate, get competition type approval for, it’s 2 litre / 122 cui 65° V6 Enzo Ferrari concluded a deal with FIAT to manufacture the required number of units in March 1965.

FIAT Dino Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The engines would then be fitted to the Pininfarina bodied Ferrari 206 Dino and FIAT Dino Spyder 2000 and the Bertone bodied Dino Coupé, such as the one featured in these photographs, which was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro.

FIAT Dino Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The 2+2 Dino Coupé body, first seen in March 1967 sits on a slightly longer chassis that the 2+1 Dino Spyder first seen in October 1966, initially the Coupé also had superior internal trim which included a wood rimmed steering wheel unlike the plastic rimmed item in the Spyder.

FIAT Dino Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

This particular 1967 Coupé was purchased in 2014 by it’s present owner in Lisbon, Portugal and is believed to have previously resided in Monaco.

FIAT Dino Coupé, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

3,670 2.0-litre coupés, notably used by the Mafioso protecting a $4 million Chinese gold bullion down payment for a FIAT factory in The Italian Job staring Micheal Cane, were built up until 1969 when production of the larger 2.4 litre V6 Dino engines began for the Ferrari 246 Dino, Fiat Dino Spyder and Coupé plus the Lancia Stratos.

Thanks for joining me on this “Down Payment Protection” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at another Healey. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Pillarless Vue Panoramic – Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé

Leave a Reply

By 1937 when today’s Delage D8 120 was built, Louis Delage had sold the controlling interest in his company to his French rival Delahaye who continued to market cars with both brand names.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The 1936 Delage D8 100 and 1937 Delage D8 120 were designed to top the ranges of both brands.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

The Delage D8 120 like the D8 100 introduced a year earlier used Delahaye sourced steel ladder chassis frames.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

There seems to be a good bit of confusion about the origins of the engine used in the D8 120 with some sources believing it to have origins in a Delahaye truck and by others to have origins in the Delahaye 135MS straight 6, so far as I am aware both of these suggestions are no more than chewing the cud piffle of the highest order.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

I believe the D8 120 engine is a 120hp developement of the straight eight Delage first built in 1929 with it’s capacity now stretched to 4,302 cc / 262.5 cu in.

Delage D8 120 Letourneur & Marchand Aerosport Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance, Palm Springs

As before the Delahaye take over top of the range Delages were supplied only as rolling chassis onto which the creme de la creme of boutique coach builders were given instructions by customers as to their exact body requirements.

The Aerosport Sport Pillarless Vue Panoramic body on today’s featured car, now owned by the Peterson Museum, is by Letourneur & Marchand a Parisian coach building company founded in Paris on the 1st of April 1905.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photographs taken at the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance, Palm Springs a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “Pillarless Vue Panoramic” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at some of the 400 cars collected by a man who know’s more about the inside of cars than most and has made a fortune out of writing books about how to take them apart and put them back together again. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Alternative Italian 3 Litre – FIAT 130 Berlina Type B

Leave a Reply

At the 39th Geneva Motor Show in March 1969 FIAT launched it’s 130 saloon to replace the previous top of the range FIAT 2300 Saloon and Coupé.

FIAT 130 Berlina Type B, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

The straight six engine powering the 2300 series FIAT’s was replaced initially by a new 140hp 60° V6 with rubber belt driven twin overhead cam shafts designed by Aurelio Lampredi.

FIAT 130 Berlina Type B, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

The 2,866 cc / 174.8 cui engine was quickly modified to produce 160hp, by increasing the compression ratio and the size of the carburetor choke and reducing back pressure by extending the portion of the exhaust manifold that used individual pipes, after criticism the saloon was under powered.

FIAT 130 Berlina Type B, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

In 1971 when the Pininfaria designed and built FIAT 130 Coupé was launched the engine power was increased to 165 hp for both 130 models by increasing it’s size to 3,235 cc / 197.4 cui, curiously FIAT resisted ever offering more fuel efficient fuel injection as even an option.

FIAT 130 Berlina Type B, Auto Italia, Brooklands,

Production of the 130 saloon ended in 1976 with just 15,093 units produced, production of the Coupé at Pininfarina lasted until the following year, production of higher end vehicles was strategically left to Lancia within the FIAT group.

Today’s featured 1975 130 Saloon seen at Auto Italia, Brooklands was registered in the UK on the 1st of September 1975.

Thanks for joining me on this “Alternative Italian 3 Litre” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at another front engined Formula Junior open wheeler. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Moving To The Suburbs – Peugeot 907

Leave a Reply

To celebrate the moving of Peugeot’s 40 year old design center, from La Garenne in the center of Paris to Vélizy in the South Western suburbs of Paris, Peugeots styling chief Gérard Welter and designer Jean-Christophe Bolle-Reddat concieved today’s featured Peugeot 907 Coupé Concept.

Peugeot 907, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The carbon fibre coupé body features front wing / fender vents that hark back to innumerable Ferrari’s from the 250 GT’s to the more modern Maranello.

Peugeot 907, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The 500 hp 6 litre / 366 cui V12 engine is built from two 3 litre / 183 cui V6 engines spliced together with a single new crankshaft and 4 new overhead cams to operate the 48 valves.

Peugeot 907, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The six speed sequential gearbox is mounted in front of the rear axle and all four wheels have double wishbone independent suspension.

Peugeot 907, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

As per late 1950’s Ferrari Testa Rossa the air intakes sit beneath a plastic bubble, and as per contemporary racing practice for front engine cars the exhausts are short with exits behind the front wheels.

Peugeot 907, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Although the 907 was never designed to go into production this car is a completely drivable prototype.

Peugeot 907, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The 907, seen here at Goodwood Festival of Speed 10 years after it’s launch at the 2004 Paris Motor Show, is estimated to be able to reach 60 mph from rest in 4 seconds with an estimated top speed of 186 mph.

Thanks for joining me on this “Moving To The Suburbs” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be visiting Wimbledon. Don’t forget to come back now.

Share

Why Wear Anything Else – Citroën Xsara Coupé VTR 2.0i

Leave a Reply

In 1997 Citroën employed German super model Claudia Schiffer as the eye candy to attract potential customers to it’s new range of Xsara models, in the UK she used the strap line “why wear anything else ?” in the Xsara’s 1998 add campaign.

Citroën Xsara Coupé VTR 2.0i, Rally Day, Castle Combe,

The Xsara shares the same platform as the earlier Citroën ZX and Peugeot 306 models with the fully independent rear suspension tracing it’s origins back to the 1977 Peugeot 305.

Citroën Xsara Coupé VTR 2.0i, Rally Day, Castle Combe,

2000 saw the introduction of a face lifted Xsara with mildly altered body panels, a new steering wheel and a new wiring harness that came in for criticism when issues with unusable driver’s door window, central locking and interior lights became an issue due to the wiring being to thin.

Citroën Xsara Coupé VTR 2.0i, Rally Day, Castle Combe,

In 2003 the top spec 2 litre / 122 cui engine was down graded from 164 hp to only 135hp when the EU series engines replaced the more powerful XU series engines, perversely this was just around the time that Rally Driver Sebastian Loeb was coming of age with the visually similar but mechanically quite different Xsara T4 WRC on the World Rally Championship stage.

Citroën Xsara Coupé VTR 2.0i, Rally Day, Castle Combe,

Sebastian won 28 World Rally Championship events outright with the Xsara T4 WRC model including five consecutive ADAC Deutschland Rally’s, he narrowly missed the 2003 World Rally Drivers championship while Citroën claimed the 2003 World Rally Manufacturers Championship, from 2004 – 2006 Sebastian drove Xsara T4 WRC’s to his first three World Rally Drivers Championships.

Today’s featured 2003 Citroën Xsara Coupé VTR 2.0i, seen at last years Castle Combe Rally Day, has had some body panels replaced and paintwork added to make it look like a 2003 – 2005 era works Xsara T4 WRC, the ad offering the car for sale advised potential customers that the engine output had been raised to 220hp.

Thanks for joining me on this “Why Wear Anything Else” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be visiting Blackpool for some rally illuminations. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Tre Porte – FIAT 128 3p Belinetta

Leave a Reply

3 years after FIAT launched it’s 128 Sport Coupé model Volkswagen responded with a competitor in the form of the Scirroco which was launched several month’s before the introduction of the Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit upon which it was based.

FIAT 128 3P, Middle Barton Garage, Oxon

The Scirroco differed from the Sport Coupé having a large hatchback door in place of the Coupés more conventional small boot.

FIAT 128 3P, Middle Barton Garage, Oxon

FIAT responded to Volkswagen’s challenge in 1975 with the introduction of the tre porte FIAT 128 3p Berlinetta which replaced the Sport Coupé in the manufacturers model range.

FIAT 128 3P, Middle Barton Garage, Oxon

Where the Scirroco had four engine options from 1.1 litres / 67 cui to 1.6 litres / 97.6 cui the 3P like it’s Sport Coupé predecessor was only available with either a 1.1 litre or 67 cui or 1.3 litre / 79 cui motor.

FIAT 128 3P, Middle Barton Garage, Oxon

These were still good enough to give the 3p rest to 62.5 mph times of 15 seconds and 13.5 seconds and top speeds of 150kph / 93 mph and 160 kph / 99 mph respectively.

FIAT 128 3P, Middle Barton Garage, Oxon

Never as popular in competition as it’s lighter predecessor the 128 3p only remained in production until 1978.

FIAT 128 3P, Middle Barton Garage, Oxon

The pristine 1976 1.3 litre example seen in these photographs at a Middle Barton Garage gathering in Oxfordshire a few years was first registered in the UK on September 13th 1976.

Thanks for joining me on this “Tre Porte” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another hill climbing special. Don’t forget to come back now !

Share

Short Chassis – FIAT 128 Sport Coupé SL

Leave a Reply

In 1971 FIAT launched the Sport Coupé SL variant of the FIAT 128 on a shortened chassis platform.

Fiat 128 Sport Coupé SL, Auto Italia, Brooklands

The Coupé was available with either a 1,116 cc / 68 cui or 1,290 cc / 78.7 cui four cylinder motor with iron block and aluminium head., the one seen in these photographs taken at Auto Italia Brooklands a couple of years ago.

Fiat 128 Sport Coupé SL, Auto Italia, Brooklands

When photo upload Mario Andretti tested one on the 13th of November 1972 at Pocono he was impressed with the under steering, tight, front wheel drive handling, braking, interior size and styling.

Fiat 128 Sport Coupé SL, Auto Italia, Brooklands

The only thing he thought was missing was a couple of hundred horsepower with which to scare the guy’s in Ferrari’s at Pocono.

Fiat 128 Sport Coupé SL, Auto Italia, Brooklands

Sport Coupé’s were popular cars for touring car racing with Hans Hettelder and Freek Plasmeijer recording over 50 race appearances between them in Europe, slightly better known Italian racer Lella Lombardi recording at least seven appearances in 128 Sport Coupés starting in 1977.

Today’s featured car, seen in these photographs taken at Auto Italia Brooklands a couple of years ago, is powered by the larger engine and was first registered in the UK on October 1st 1974.

Thanks for joining me on this “Short Chassis” edition “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow.

Share