Although the Mangusta propelled De Tomaso to international fame, the Pantera was the firm’s breakthrough model. Several thousand Panteras were built, most of which left the factory between…
Read MoreAfter a disappointing debut season in 1982, the Lancia 037 came good in 1983 by winning that year’s Driver and Manufacturer World Rally Championship titles. The rear-wheel drive 037’s state-of-art…
Read MoreBetween 1974 and 1976, the Lancia Stratos established itself as among the most successful rally cars of all time winning three Manufacturers’ titles for the Turin-based firm. However, ahead of the 1977…
Read MoreAs more and more manufacturers piled into rallying following the introduction of Group B regulations for 1982, the new generation of purpose-built machinery led to an explosion in media…
Read MoreWhen Chrysler took control of Automobili Lamborghini in April 1987, the Italian firm’s replacement for the legendary Countach was already at an advanced stage of development with production slated to…
Read MoreAlthough German manufacturers like BMW and Porsche had produced turbocharged models since the 1970s, Ferrari did not offer a forced induction production car until the spring of 1982. At the time…
Read MoreIn response to the OPEC Oil Crisis of the early 1970s, Italy's government passed new tax legislation that heavily penalised cars with engines greater than two-litres. The intention was to get…
Read MoreWith a history that stretches back to the dawn of motoring, few manufacturers have experienced such wide-ranging competition success as Alfa Romeo. Since taking victory at the 1923 Targa…
Read MoreOver a twelve-month period between October 1984 and September 1985, Ferrari completely revamped their production line-up with a combination of new and updated models. Most…
Read MoreFerruccio Lamborghini had famously refused to sanction a competition programme for his firm, and nor was he interested in building racing cars for customers; even the emergence of several highly…
Read MoreOn October 17th 1973, Arab members of OPEC (the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) announced an embargo on oil sales to the USA, the UK, Canada, Japan and the…
Read MoreIn late 1979, Ferrari introduced a third iteration of their grand four-seat model originally launched as the 365 GT4 in 1972. The 4.4-litre 365 GT4 had evolved to become the 4.8-litre 400 in 1976. Although it…
Read MoreWhen Citroen took ownership of Maserati in January 1968, the Italian firm began an optimistic era that was supposed to bring some much-needed stability. By late 1973, Citroen had ushered in an…
Read MoreIn 1952, Enzo Ferrari signed an agreement that saw Pininfarina become the Maranello firm’s official body designer and coachbuilder. In the decades that followed, Pininfarina created nearly all of…
Read MoreIn 1984, Lamborghini started work on a Countach Restyling Prototype that could be assessed as a potential stop-gap model before a proper clean sheet replacement came on stream. The team…
Read MoreWhen De Tomaso unveiled the Pantera GT5 at the Turin Motor Show in November 1980, sales of the existing narrow-bodied Pantera began an inexorable decline. The GT5 tapped into the zeitgeist for…
Read MoreImmediately after the Mimram Group's takeover of Automobili Lamborghini was approved by the Italian authorities in late 1980, the green light was given to create a host of new models. The pretty…
Read MoreDuring the 1950s, the pace of technical development in the automotive industry meant it was unusual for any Ferrari to remain in production for more than a couple of years. However, by the early…
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