Duesenberg J/SJ

Enzo Ferrari was expert at using the cachet gained by his racing machines to sell cars meant for the street. Duesenberg J/SJBut long before Signore Ferrari started his racing career, two brothers from Lippe, Germany, were doing the same thing.

It all began with bicycles

Frederic Duesenberg was born in Lippe in 1878, and his brother August arrived the year after. It wasn’t long before their family embarked on the journey of their lives — emigrating to America. Soon they settled in the Midwest, and that’s where Augie and Fred  got into racing.  Though, not motor racing,  bicycle racing. The two brothers weren’t just good at riding bicycles either; they also assembled them, and Duesenberg-built bicycles became sought-after on the famous American bike racing circuit.

Fred confirmed the quality of their machines in 1898 by establishing a world record for Read more . . .

Ford Mustang

Success has many fathers, whereas failure is an orphan.Ford Mustang

So true with the Ford Mustang.

Learning from faults

In the decade before the Mustang was launched in 1964, Ford Motor Company was no stranger to success and to failure. For the 1955 model year, Ford had introduced the Thunderbird as a competitor to Chevrolet’s Corvette sports car, and soon the Thunderbird was out-selling the Corvette. It was a success all of Ford could be proud of.

When Ford management decided to turn the Thunderbird into a four-seater model for the 1958 model year, the company again had a winner on its hands. In fact, the modified Thunderbird invented its own market segment, the personal luxury class. Read more . . .

Audi Quattro Sport

It’s good to have an objective. Just ask Dr. Ferdinand Piech, the man responsible for the marvel  dubbed the Audi quattro. Audi quattro Sport

Piech came by his life’s work truthfully. After graduating from the Zurich Technical University with a degree in mechanical engineering, he joined a small but influential automotive company you might have heard of called Porsche, which at that time happened to be operated by his uncle, Ferry Porsche. A fast learner with a knack for getting things done, Piech dove into Porsche’s efforts in sports car racing and by 1968 he was technical director of the Porsche Experimental department, which is much similar to being given the keys to the candy store.

Piech’s initial objective was to come up with a Porsche that could beat the Ford GT40s and Ferraris  that were dominating endurance racing in those days, and soon he accomplished it with the 917 that took both the 24 Hours of LeMans and the World Championship, while at the same instance, putting a stranglehold on the then-thriving Can-Am series. It seemed that Piech was on top of the world until Porsche decided to modify its business structure, restraining the influence of the Porsche family, and in the fallout Piech was left looking for work. Read more . . .

A Brief History Of Porsche

Ferdinand Porsche was an automobile engineer with more than a thousand patents to his name, and played a vital role in the development of airplanes and the construction of tanks for the Wehrmacht as well. In the 1920s, he was chosen chief engineer at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart and later set up his own engineering workshop.  Among other things, there he designed the Volkswagen. He acted as Chief of Operations at the plant where the Volkswagen was made, Wolfsburg, and at the end of the war he was jailed by the Allies.

Shiny black Porsche

flickr.com/csessums

He was released a few years  after and immediately went to work building his first car with his son, Ferry Porsche. This car was named the Porsche 356, after Ferry, and was a sports car with styling similar to that of the Volkswagen. It had, in fact,  the same four-cylinder boxer engine, and wore it rear-mounted, just as the VW did. This meant that it was far from being a great sports car, boasting a mere 40 bhp and a maximum speed of 87 mph (140 km/h). Read more . . .

Used Cars Sale: What To Look For

If there is one thing that always makes people more squeamish than standing up to speak in front of a group of people, it is buying a used car. Pass the antacids, we all could be in for a night full of indigestion and pain. But the fact is some of today’s smartest vehicle shoppers are buying used cars that serve them (and their bank accounts) very well. Many used cars sale experts agree: There has never been a better time to buy a used car. Read more . . .