Tag Archives: Super

Suspension by Chris Lawrence – Morgan Aero 8

Up until 2000 the last time Morgan had introduced a new body style was 1964, only 26 glass fibre bodied +4+ cars were built over 4 years and since that time Morgan have successfully focused on improving a design that dates back to 1936.

In 2000 Morgan launched a genuinely ground up new ‘retro’ design the Morgan Aero 8, a clear nod to Morgan’s successful past with an eye on the future.

The heart of the Aero 8 was a 325 hp 4.4 litre / 268.5 cui BMW V8, with fake Morgan cam covers, capable of accelerating the car from rest to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of over 170 mph.

The all new aluminium chassis, completely unrelated to the steel ladder chassis of earlier models, was developed with the help of Morgan’s best known racing exponent and tuner Chris Lawrence. Unusually for a vehicle with this kind of performance the chassis and suspension are so stiff that the suspension does not have anti roll / sway bars.

The Aero 8 has since been offered as a limited edition coupé the Aero Max, of which just 100 have been built and the Targa topped Aero SuperSports. Production of these cars is coming to an end at the Morgan factory, in anticipation of a new Morgan 4 wheel model.

An insight into some of the work of Chris Lawrence, who passed away on August 13th, can be found on this link.

Thanks for joining me on this edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Beep Beep – Plymouth Road Runner Superbird

4 Replies

Thanks to GALPOT’s biggest fan Jr Cracker today we are looking at a Plymouth Road Runner Superbird allegedly seen behind a strip bar.

In 1969 NASCAR legend Richard Petty left Chrysler for Ford, Petty had wanted to run a more aerodynamically efficient Dodge Charger but Chrysler executives insisted Richard run the Plymouth Road Runner in the Grand National Series now known as the Sprint Cup. Richard came second in the 1969 Championship to David Pearson also driving a Ford although Bobby Isaacs took the seasons most wins 17, driving the Dodge Daytona model Petty had been so keen to run, Isaacs finished only 6th in the ’69 seasons final standings.

Chrysler executives managed to tempt Richard Petty back into the Plymouth fold by introducing the Road Runner Speedbird with it’s aerodynamic nose and enormous back wing, the height of which was determined as much by the requirement of the public to be able to open the boot/trunk of the road going versions as by any aerodynamic considerations.

Ironically Richard was injured in an accident driving his Road Runner Superbird in the Rebel 400 at Darlington in 1970, the resultant injuries meant “The King” had to sit out 5 races of the season which allowed Bobby Isaac to win the 1970 title in his #71 Dodge Daytona, effectively Dodge Challenger with the same nose and rear wing modifications as the Superbird.

By 1971 NASCAR had outlawed these aerodynamic curiosities, the advantages of which only kicked in at around 90 mph plus.

Chrysler needed to build 1920 Superbirds, one for every two dealerships in the USA, in order to be allowed to race, published figures suggest up to 2,783 examples may have been built though the generally accepted figure is 1,935, of which 1000 are thought to still exist.

Only 135 Superbirds were originally fitted with the 426 Hemi V8, outlawed from NASCAR racing, while the rest had 440 Super Commando motors with either a single 4 barrel carburettor or three two barrel carburettors.

All road going Superbirds were fitted with horns that imitated the famous cartoon Road Runner who’s logo adorns the rear wing supports and the off side front pop up head light cover.

My thanks to JC for his photographs taken on his Android.

Thanks for dropping in on this Superbird edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now ! Beep ! Beep !

Double Cream – Bowden Super Two

4 Replies

Staying in the theme of forgotten marques the subject of today’s blog is Bowden, the brainchild of one of the UK’s largest retailers of Specials vehicles Les Montgomery of Super Accessories in Bromley, Kent.

Les brought together the Bowden Chassis manufactured in Ottery St Mary, Devon designed to take a 4 cylinder Ford 1172 cc / 71 cui side valve motor then an engine of choice amongst specials builders also used by the likes of Lotus enthusiasts, and fit it with an enlarged Hamblin Cadet body which up to that time had been manufactured by Syd Hamblin of Sherbourne, Dorset to fit to Austin Seven chassis.

The Bowden Super Two kit is alleged to have been sold less power train at £99 / $ 250.

The F and CA letters suggest this vehicle might have a race history in the Sports Car Club of America Class F, if anybody recognises this vehicle please chime in below.

Less than 200 Bowden Super Two’s are thought to have been built in the same time frame, 1960 – 1962, as the subject of yesterdays blog the Warwick.

Of all the vehicles I saw at Race Retro at the weekend I found this one particularly appealing having not heard of the manufacturer before, having a patina that if I had the resources I’d do my best to preserve while getting the car back into tip top shape and for being a relatively rare original.

Thanking my acquaintances at The Nostalgia Forum for their assistance with today’s blog.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s double cream edition of ‘Getting a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and that you will join me to again tomorrow on Ferrari Friday for the second and final episode of the Millionaire Mystery. Don’t forget to come back now !

Purring Panther – Alfa Romeo Giulia Super

5 Replies

The Alfa Romeo Giulia also known as the 105 series was in production from 1962 – 1978, I first heard the distinctive sound of the twin cam Super model in Cyprus in the mid 1960’s.

This 1971 vehicle is powered by a 97 hp twin carburettor 1,570cc / 95 cui engine that gave the car sports car performance in a saloon car shell. In 1965 the Giulia Super received much of the technology from the 1963 Giulia Ti Super racing programme.

This crest featuring a serpent eating or regurgitating a human known as a Biscione has been an emblem of the Visconti family for a thousand years and used in the crest belonging to the ruling Sforza family of Milan for over 600 years. It’s exact origins are unknown but thought to be either from the legends of Theoderic the Great or alternatively from the biblical story of the Leviathan and Jonah.

Film buffs will remember that a number of Italian Police Giulia’s, known as Panthers, were out run in the original version of ‘The Italian Job’.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s Biscione edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and that you will join me tomorrow for a look at two Alfa Romeo’s with bodywork that exudes all the hallmarks and subtlety of a back street speed shop. Don’t forget to come back now !

Patina with well travelled history – Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sport, #0312961

7 Replies

My thanks to every one at the Alfabb forum who made today’s post on this 1929 Alfa Romeo possible.

The 6C 1750 was in production from 1929 to 1933 with 369 examples built. The Super Sport came in normally aspirated 64 hp or supercharged 85 hp variants.

The 1929 chassis number #0312961 seen here was originally supplied as a double overhead cam normally aspirated model, after it was successfully used in competition it was returned to the Alfa Romeo factory in 1932 and upgraded with a supercharger and replacement crank case.

The body is unusual for the type having an ash frame with steel panels rather than the steel frame with aluminium panels preferred by Zagato.

After it’s initial foray in competition this vehicles adventures continued with a fire department in Ivera, Aosta near Turin. Somewhere around 1939 the vehicle turned up in Eritrea, then an Italian colony where many other vintage Alfa Romeo’s including this one are known to have been used for racing, there is a possibility that during one race #0312961 may have been in collision with a donkey while leading a handicap race in Asmara, Eritrea in 1943.

In 1947 the car was acquired by a British Captain serving with the victorious occupying forces in the former Italian African colony and he imported it to the UK in 1950.

After several more changes of ownership being painted blue, then red again and an engine rebuild the car was sold to an American in Zurich in 1959 who returned with #03122961 to Ohio in 1962. The car was sold to it’s present owner Nick Benwell in 2009 who then set about completing a rebuild that had started in Ohio in the 1960’s.

Nick is a great fan of original patina and as can be seen he has left the bodywork more or less as he found it. With the restoration complete Nick took his car on a 2,100 mile round trip to the Alfa Centenary celebrations last year where the car was waved past 400 other Alfa’s and honoured with being the first to pass through the Arese Factory gates as the oldest vehicle present.

My thanks to everyone at Alfabb.com ‘Help Identifying Vintage Alfa’s at Prescott ?’ thread who provided clues as to which car KYR 564 is including, Odin, Orouge and Duncan Macnab who kindly showed me a copy of Simon Moore’s excellent 2 part feature on this vehicle which appeared in ‘The Automobile‘ August 2010.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s journey across 5 countries on three continents and that you will join me for a look at an Alfa Romeo Giulia Super. Don’t forget to come back now !

Column Shift Racer – Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint 2

3 Replies

Today’s featured car is a 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint Series 2 powered by a 1975 cc / 120.5 cui 4 cylinder engine.

This particular car featuring a 5 speed column shift was delivered on the 31st March 1954.

Vehicles of this type are known to have competed in events like the Targa Florio & Mille Miglia .

I am not sure if these vented rear window’s were part of the original specification, but they would indicate this particular car might have a competition history, if you know anything about it leave a comment below.

The body work is made by Touring of Milan using their trade mark Superleggera (Super light) Duraluminim construction technique featuring a light steel frame covered in aluminium panels.

Anyone who has seen Goldfinger might remember James Bond telling one of his molls about his ‘Aston Martin DB5 Superleggera’ in that fabulous Scottish brogue.

Aston Martin bought a licence from Touring to use the Superleggera technique which has one major flaw other than being very expensive, steel and aluminium when they come into contact suffer galvanic corrosion.

Galvanic corrosion occurs between aluminium alloy wheels and steel hubs making it difficult to remove aluminium wheels after they have remained bolted to a vehicle after long periods of time.

A similar problem often occurs between steel screws and aluminium licence plates.

Allegedly Bristol Cars with their experience in the aircraft industry are the only manufacturer to have satisfactorily minimised the problem of galvanic corrosion by using a special paste twixt aluminium and steel.

The sunken rear lights on this car look particularly fetching though the heavy duty steel bumper rather spoils the effect IMHO.

Wishing everyone a fabulous weekend, don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring