I went down to see the racing at One Raceway near Goulburn, for the HSRCA Spring Festival, although spring hadn't yet sprung! It was windy, cold and there was an expectation of rain during the day after an overnight downpour. The sun did come out, however didn't do much for the temperature! I met with the HSRCA President, Wayne Wilson, to talk about the event in general and … [Read more...]
Franco Scaglione
At Motoring Weekly, one of our favourite motor museums is in northern California - the Blackhawk Auto Museum where we first encountered the Alfa Romeo BAT cars: the "Berlinetta Aerodynamica Tecnica" design studies. All three, the BAT 5, BAT 7 and BAT 9 were designed by Franco Scaglione. Scaglione was born in the middle of the First World War on the 26th September 1916. His … [Read more...]
Variable Valve Timing
Engineers and designers have spent decades trying to figure out ways to get more power out of an engine. One question that all engineers have is what the motor will be used for - will it be for an economical commuting car, will it go into a supercar or will it be used in a wagon where torque is more important than raw power. Subsequently, the design of the motor will differ … [Read more...]
Scissor Doors
I’ve written about several types of doors on cars - gullwings, suicide and retractable - and this is a type of door that is mostly recognised today as a Lamborghini styling cue. They first appeared on an Alfa Romeo concept car, the Carabo, in 1968. This car was the work of the famous and prolific designer, Marcel Gandini, whilst he worked for Bertone. Gandini was also the … [Read more...]
Max Hoffman
I enjoy reading classic car magazines from Europe and the US and one name seems to appear in every edition - Maximilian Hoffman! Who was he and why was he such an important figure in the automotive industry? By the way don’t confuse him with his namesake who was a World War 1 military strategist who helped defeat Russian advances in 1917 - a pivotal reason for the Russian … [Read more...]