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What whets your whistle? New Autocult releases

Randy Rusk · 2024-03-07T02:58:15Z

Will it be... 1950 Monteverdi Special When the name Monteverdi is mentioned, car enthusiasts immediately picture high priced, sporty passenger cars, which have always caused a stir in wealthy social circles. The driving force behind these vehicles was Swiss citizen Peter Monteverdi. However, before he started producing his luxury cars in 1967, he had already gained a lot of experience in vehicle construction. According to his personal statements, he began developing and building his own sports car at the age of 17. This phase was apparently embellished by him with only very sparse data, because not much has really been known about it. The car is exhibited in the Monteverdi Museum, on the information board only a few details are listed. Accordingly, the 17-year-old took the 1100cc engine as a drive, which came from an accident car of a Fiat 508 C and dated 1949. He mounted the 40 hp four-cylinder engine into a frame he designed himself. Not only did the engine came from and accident Fiat, but also the four-speed gearbox, the drum brakes and the rear wheel axle, which he adapted to the new conditions, originally did their work in the broken Italian. The design of the 17-year-old was based on the racing car layout that was common at the time and featured a very rounded and longitudinally, cigar shaped car body With a stated total weight of just 750 kg, his ‘Special’ reached a speed of 145 km/h. 1984 Lancia SE038-001 “Delta S4 Gruppo B Prototipo” The group B, which was introduced in the World Rally Championship from 1982 onwards, led to the participating manufacturers developing extremely powerful cars. At Lancia, the development of a car specifically intended for the World Rally Championship matured as early as the mid of 1980. This collaboration between Lancia, the tuner Abarth and the Pininfarina design studio conducted under the abbreviation “037”. Its use in competition quickly led to the knowledge that four-wheel drive was unavoidable. At Abarth, the engineers devoted great attention to the engine, creating a power source that could hardly be tamed in terms of power. With the help of Formula 1 technology, Abarth designed a high-reving 1759 four cylinder engine – officially recorded with 450 hp – rumors mentioned an output of 550 hp. The newly built rally car was based on the production model ‘Delta’, even if in the end only the appearance was reminiscent of the commercially available offshoot in some respects. The new base car made the project name change to 038, and with the four driven wheels, the extensive engine power could now be brought to the road under experienced hands. The acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h on loose ground in an unbelievable 2.5 seconds showed how powerful the car was! In 1985, the year of the World Championship, the car was ready for the tough competition. With the end of the 1986 season, the use of the Delta S4 came to an end. 1958 Plymouth Cabana Concept The last of the Plymouth dream cars, the Cabana appeared in 1958. The 1958 Plymouth Cabana was a station wagon concept by Ghia that featured an unusual roof configuration. The rear third of the roof was all-glass and also acted as side windows and rear windows. Another notable feature were the suicide doors. Unlike Plymouth's other dream cars, it was only a body mockup on a rolling chassis, not a running automobile. That wagon will be mine!!!