Racing cars with propellers are something we would need more of around here. The propeller on this 1923 Voisin C6 Laboratoire Grand Prix special worked in reverse, utilizing otherwise unused energy borrowed from the blazing 100+ mile per hour top speed of the Voisin to circulate engine coolant in an attempt to keep the near 2000 cubic centimeter sleeve valve straight six from … [Read more...]
Turbocharged Minivans and Lasers
Today marks recognition of the unsung yet pioneering heroes of the four-cylinder turbocharged production automobile universe. These are the Eighties turbocharged Mopar four-cylinders. Long before you could buy a universal turbocharger kit of questionable origin and functionality off eBay for a few hundred bucks, you could step up to your local Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth dealer and … [Read more...]
Tool of the Week: Fiat SST
Going by the book while driving and repairing fine vintage automobiles usually means running into the point where the manual says use Special Service Tool X-5745 to remove a bearing, or SST set 09612-10091 and a block of wood to overhaul the steering gear. Many of these tools have long since been tossed into the dumpster of discontinued parts. Lack of availability can result in … [Read more...]
Waiting for Gordini
There are not a great number of cars in America that satisfy the requirements of daily drivability, rally heritage, fuel economy, performance - and being French. Felicity More chose this 1967 Renault 8 for these reasons. Rear wheel drive. 1100 cubic centimeters of rear-engine fury. Four wheel disc brakes. Enough room two or four people, a few weeks worth of gear, and a happy … [Read more...]
Ford Falcon Supra Sedan
In a post-modern world running with a global economy, it was only a matter of time before seeing a late-sixties compact Ford Falcon wearing eighties-era Toyota Supra wheels at the boneyard. This Falcon sedan was missing its drivetrain, but still wearing the alloy Supra wheels, which evidently share the same four-lug spacing with jet-age Fords. The Falcon also packed a few extra … [Read more...]