The Thinker's Garage Pondering Automotive History, Design and Culture
Gallery
Pegaso – Remembering the ‘Spanish Ferrari’
In comparison with its near neighbours Germany, France and Italy, Spain’s list of car manufacturers has always been relatively short, with luxury and sports car offerings particularly uncommon. So perhaps it’s by default that Pegaso arguably remains Spain’s most famous and influential sports car maker to date. But to assert that this status was gained […]
Tatra – a forgotten influence on motoring
Which car features a rear mounted air cooled engine with overhead camshafts and a dry sump, in a chassis featuring rear swing axles and bodywork with an exceptionally low drag coefficient? The obvious answer to this question would wear a Porsche badge, but as early as 1933 there was a car available that combined these […]
Celebrating 25 years of the Citroën XM
May 23rd 2014 marks 25 years to the day since Citroën first unveiled the XM. With the DS and CX as its predecessors, the XM had the great legacy of Citroën large cars to live up to, as well as the hopes of a cash strapped parent company resting on its shoulders. And although outright […]
An overview of the top Chinese brands
Over the next few days we’ll be looking at the ranges of the ten biggest domestic manufacturers in China’s rapidly growing car industry. Be sure to check back every day this week as new sections are added. Click the links below to access the stories. Part 1 – SAIC Current owners of MG and LDV Maxus, as well as manufacturer of […]
Looking back at the Alfa Romeo 156
“The Alfa Romeo 156 – my very first significant project – will always take a special place in my heart. Every time I see one, I realise it’s a masterpiece that doesn’t age” – Walter de’ Silva, 2012 When we look back upon the turn of the millennium and early 21st century, it is doubtless […]
Meet the Fiat Cinquecento’s crazy family
The Fiat Cinquecento, launched in 1991, was a modern yet utilitarian small car designed for European cities. Thanks to its combination of the joie de vivre small Fiats are renowned for, practical yet small size and keen pricing, it was a sales success. Thanks to Fiat’s willingness to innovate throughout the 90s, it also spawned […]
The Fiat Multipla – challenging but thoughtful
It’s one of the more popular list style articles that publications tend to run on slow news days – the list of the world’s ugliest cars. And almost as certain the inanity of the article is the presence of the Fiat Multipla on the list. The thing is though the Multipla’s styling is certainly unconventional, […]
The fascinating world of Matra road cars
It’s amazing how marketing and press can alter the way history is perceived. Some of the older car brands still trade in some ways off their pre-war successes, and many still make a point of making sure we remember racing success achieved through the 60s and 70s. But there are lots of amazing stories one […]
The development of Alfa’s 916 GTV & Spider
The Alfa Romeo 916 Series GTV and Spider encapsulated Alfa Romeo’s 1990s renaissance. To many people, the design of these twins took classic cues and core values from Alfa Romeo coupes past and brought them squarely and emphatically back into avant-garde relevance. From the quad projector headlamps which recalled the classic 105 and 116 series […]
Gallery – Ercole Spada
When people talk of the great Italian car designers of the 20th century, there are a number of names that repeatedly come up – Giugiaro, Gandini, Bertone, Pininfarina. Ercole Spada is often overlooked by these lists. His influence on the last 50 years of car design, however, is undeniable. He took his first design job […]