At one point in time, Mercedes-Benz built, arguably, the finest luxury automobiles in the world. In its post-war recovery, they shifted focus towards more practical family saloons, followed by cars of a more sporting nature. By the early 1960s, however, Rudolf Uhlenhaut felt the time had come for Mercedes-Benz to re-establish itself as a builder of..
The MGB was launched in May 1962 to replace the MGA. Introduced as a four-cylinder roadster, a coupé with 2+2 seating was added in 1965. It was a relatively modern design at the time of its introduction, utilising a monocoque structure instead of the traditional 'body-on-frame' construction used on both the MGA and MG T-types. The lightweight desig..
The Sunbeam Alpine was launched in 1953 as the first vehicle from Sunbeam-Talbot to bear the Sunbeam name alone, since the 1935 takeover of Sunbeam and Talbot by the Rootes Group. Ken Howes and Jeff Crompton were tasked with doing a complete redesign of the Alpine in 1956 with the goal of producing a dedicated sports car aimed principally at the US..
Synonymous with the swinging ‘60’s and the hit TV series, Inspector Morse, the Jaguar Mk. II saloon has been used as a vehicle to transport everyone from dignitaries and politicians to bank robbers and the criminal select. Desirable due to being a well-balanced saloon car with space for four adults and a good size boot, it also boasted engine optio..
The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was a luxury saloon car built from 1965 to 1980. It was the first Rolls-Royce to be constructed using a monocoque chassis, and to date has the largest production volume of any Rolls-Royce. Aside from a more modern appearance and construction, the Silver Shadow introduced many new features such as disc brakes instead of..
The E-Type design owed much to that of the racing D-Type, a monocoque tub forming the main structure while a tubular spaceframe extended forwards to support the engine. Conceived and developed as an open sportscar, the Jaguar E-Type debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961 in Coupé form. The car caused a sensation, spontaneous applause breaki..
Premiered at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1965, the initial model lineup of the W108 consisted of the 250 S, 250 SE and 300 SE, as well as a sole W109, the 300 SEL. Engines for the new car were carried over from the previous generation, but enlarged and refined. The 250 S was the entry-level vehicle fitted with a 2496cc straight-six M108 engine, with..
Inspired by the AC Cobra that was effectively the British AC Ace sports car powered by the large American Ford 4.2 litre, V8, the Sunbeam Tiger first saw the light of day in 1964. Based upon the Rootes Group, Sunbeam Alpine, the Tiger - with the Ford power plant slotted into the engine bay, it became what is surely one of motoring's true 'wolf in s..
The Quattroporte was introduced at the October/November 1963 Turin Motor Show, where a pre-production prototype was on the Maserati stand next to the Mistral coupé. Regular production began in 1964. The Tipo 107 Quattroporte joined two other grand tourers, the Facel Vega and the Lagonda Rapide and was capable of travelling at 124mph on the new moto..
Introduced in 1957, the Flaminia was Lancia's flagship model at that time, replacing the Aurelia. It was available throughout its lifetime as saloon, coupé and cabriolet. The Flaminia coupé and convertible were coachbuilt cars with bodies from several prestigious Italian coachbuilders. The aluminium bodied cabriolet and coupés from Touring of Milan..