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The name DKW comes from “Dampf‐Kraft‐Wagen” which translates to “steam powered vehicle.” It carries this name because the first vehicle its Danish designer, J.S. Rasmussen built was a light steam car. Like many other manufacturers, DKW was also famous for motorcycles –in the 1930s they were the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. In 1931, DKW diversified […]

The Dodge Viper was conceived as a futuristic interpretation of a classic American muscle car. During the development stage, it was decided to utilize Lamborghini, then a Chrysler subsidiary, to cast a prototype aluminum V10 engine based on their truck drivetrain and modify it for performance car use. The Viper version of this engine, as

Lotus Cars, founded by the late Colin Chapman, was a racing car manufacturer that also built road cars, such as the Esprit and Elite. Chapman was the engineer, and a group of committed staff made his ideas come to life. Names like Costin and Duckworth (who later joined forces as Cosworth) worked at Lotus during

During the 1970s light, rugged utility cars were very popular with the public in Europe. Vehicles in this category included the Volkswagen Thing, the Citroën Méhari, the Mini Moke, and this model, the Honda Vamos. Manufacturers seemed to have similar ideas for these cars: take an existing model, strip it down to its most basic

The 500 Abarth is a sporty addition to Fiat’s successful reboot of the classic Fiat 500. Building on the successful base model, the Abarth features significant power increases, suspension upgrades, and nicer interior appointments. And, the Abarth name may give it away, but it also has a particularly memorable exhaust system. Appropriate, seeing as Carlo

A testament to the adaptability of the Fiat 500 platform, this apparently homebuilt homage to coachbuilder Giannini’s Camioncino (translation: pickup truck) is itself based on the Fiat 500K Giardiniera (wagon). As in the Giardiniera, the rear mounted, air-cooled engine is laid down under the bed to allow for a flat load floor. Many of Giannini’s

This fiberglass-bodied, Fiat 500-based microcar was built in San Remo, Italy by Carrozziere (Coachbuilder) G.A.M.C. Baldi. Baldi produced several different Fiat and Renault-based models, but the Frog was by far the most popular. First shown at the 1973 Paris Salon, Baldi’s intent was to produce a practical car with the smallest possible size, as a

Volkswagen and Porsche have a shared history going back to the 1930s, beginning with Dr. Ferdinand Porsche and his design, the VW Beetle; it was the mechanical basis for the company’s first production sports car, the 356.In the late 1960s, Volkswagen was looking to replace the sporty yet aging Karmann Ghia, and Porsche was developing

Buckminster Fuller had a long and productive career. He was a visionary that worked in many fields, from the environment to architecture. The Dymaxion, which is an acronym for DYnamic MAXimum TensION, was his most famous automotive project. In 1933, Fuller convinced socialite and friend Anna Biddle to fund the building of the Dymaxion. Progress