Unveiled at the March 1989 Geneva Motor Show, the new Mercedes-Benz R129 Series SL range was beautifully engineered. Based around a two-door monocoque bodyshell, its sophisticated, all-round independent suspension (double-wishbone front/five-link rear) was augmented by a host of active and passive safety features including electronic stability cont..
In February 1991, Porsche released the 944 Turbo Cabriolet, which combined the Turbo S's 250bhp engine with the cabriolet body built by the ASC-American Sunroof Company at Weinsberg in Germany. Porsche initially announced that 600 would be made but ultimately 625 were built; 100 of which were right hand drive and, of these, 50 are believed to have ..
Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger two-door saloon for V8 applications. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS..
Manufactured from May 1994 to 1999, the Ferrari F355 was an evolution of the Ferrari 348. It is a mid-engined, rear wheel drive, V8 powered two seat coupé. At launch, two models were available; the coupé Berlinetta and the Targa topped GTS. The Spider (convertible) version was introduced in 1995. One major difference between the longitudinal V8 in ..
The TR8 that appeared on the North American market used the all-alloy 3.5 litre V8 engine that had been powering Rovers since 1966. Most of the initial build cars came with dual Zenith Stromberg carburettors - only those sold into emission-conscious California using fuel injection from the outset. Early TR8s were only available in Coupé form - the ..
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class or G-Wagon, short for Geländewagen (cross-country vehicle), is characterised by its boxy styling and body-on-frame construction. It uses three fully locking differentials, one of the few vehicles to have such a feature. The G-Class is still in production and is one of the longest produced Mercedes-Benz vehicles in their hi..
An entirely new Aston Martin for the 21st Century, the Vanquish debuted at the Geneva Auto Show in March 2001, with deliveries commencing a few months later. The Vanquish took over from the Vantage V8 with the Newport Pagnell factory undergoing an extensive multi-million pound refurbishment to accommodate it, gaining a new assembly line, paint shop..
Just like the Jaguar Mk. II had done in the 1960's, the BMW M5, newly introduced for 1998, effectively reinvented the popular notion of a sports saloon. Jaguar had just introduced an XJR with 365bhp, and Mercedes-Benz's latest E55 produced 350bhp so, after a three-year absence, BMW responded last with an automotive knock-out punch: the E39 M5. Its ..
The Mercedes-Benz 124 series is a range of mid-size cars made from 1984 to 1997. The range included numerous body configurations, and although collectively referred to as the W-124, official internal chassis designations varied by body style; saloon (W 124). From 1993, the 124 series was officially marketed as the E-Class.
This automatic example o..
Stuttgart supplied these grand-tourers with high levels of comfort including a fabric convertible top as well as a colour-matched and manually detachable hardtop that could be fitted over the stored fabric convertible roof. Other advancements included an electronically controlled damping and the famous hidden, automatically extending roll-over bar...