Lamborghini LMPV-002

Until I can carve out the time to finish a bunch of chops I've started, I thought I'd post another couple of "oldies and oldies." Above, my Lamborghini LMPV-002 high-performance minivan! I created this light-heated effort in 2006 from a Murcielago. The name is a combination of the marque's classic LM002 V12 full off roader from the 1970s and the European MPV—Multi-People Mover.

Way before there was an Es toque four-door concept, I created this QV350 Sedan. Ever since I saw a photo of the Iso Fidia sedan in the late 1960s, I've loved the idea of an Italian super car sedan. This was before the current "four-door coupe" fad began, also.

Delgiata Lineup Revealed: Eagle & Villager Hybrids


The first model in the 2014 lineup of my mythical car company, Delgiata: The Villager. Villagers are Executive class sedans with a dual-purpose hatchback. The electronic hatch may be opened remotely in one piece, lifting and sliding forward a bit on the roof for maximum opening, or in two pieces, with the glass lifting and sliding and the bottom part folding down and out to form a tailgate and longer load floor. Carbon fiber and micro-veneer construction is ultra lightweight and strong, and the plug-in electric motor is combined with a range-extending 1.5 liter horizontally opposed "flat" 6. Equipment levels are generous, with options limited to colors and owner-packages, including "Rear Office," "Entertainment," and full-boat, sybaritic, "Complete," packages.

The Villager joins the smaller, ultra-high mileage Eagle, below:



The second model introduced this year is the Eagle, the "entry-level" Delgiata that is anything but. Small exterior size belies the roomy 4-passenger interior, with every modern convenience. Construction follows its larger Executive brother's, the Village, in carbon-fiber and microveneer. In the Eagle, the plug-in hybrid drivetrain includes a range-extending .9 liter inline 3 cylinder. Combined they move the Eagle from 0-60 in 8 seconds while giving combined mileage ratings in the "150 MPG/e" range.

Some Not so Oldies but Pretty Goodies

 

This 2012 Charger coupe is my most viewed chop on the 'Net. Many of "my cars" have found a life outside of casey/artandcolour-cars, but this particular one has been uploaded to more than 100 websites and has more than 7,000 views on my site alone. And unlike many of my more polarizing redesigns, has met with almost universal "likes."


Taking the rather mundane but very competent new Malibu, I added a coupe greenhouse much like the 1970s Chevy Monza subcompact, itself a nod to an early '70s Ferrari coupe by, I believe, Pininfarina.


Yes. Hard as it is to believe, I designed a new 4-door Lincoln without suicide doors! This is my idea for a new MKS sport sedan. It would be based on the Mustang platform, rear wheel drive with optional performance all wheel drive, and I think it would go a long way in reestablishing Lincoln as an aspirational brand.


Another Mopar coupe, this time a flagship Chrysler Nassau V10 with pillar less styling. It was my idea to use the Viper's power train but wrap it in velvet instead of Velcro. I still hope the powers-that-be at that company do something like this eventually. It could be sold in Italy, like many new Chrysler, as an imported  high speed luxury coupe with American flair.

This little Chevy Cruz Z/11 hatchback was based on the Europe-only hatch. I correctly predicted Chevy's abandonment of its longstanding dual grille, only they introduced it on the new Impala and Traverse, not the Cruz.

A funky little long roof Hyundai "Shooting Break." Hyundai and its sister brand, Kia, are making leaps and bounds in styling and engineering and they're taking chances with new cars. I could see them coming out with something like this in the not-so-far future.
 

With Cadillac just announcing that its Volt cousin, the extremely gorgeous ELR coupe, is going to be priced from $75,000 and up, perhaps my idea for a Chevrolet Volt coupe isn't a bad one. The Volt lists for closer to $40,000 and with a similarly priced coupe, might just find a decent audience. Perhaps selling more of the coupe platform as a Chevy might help lower the Cadillac price point a bit. I was shocked at the "75 large" asking price and I don't shock that easily anymore!

Lamborghini LMPV-003 for 2015

artandcolour's 2006 Delivery Van Replaced


Reprising the original Muira's "eyelashes" over the headlights, my 2015 Lamborghini minivan, the LMPV-003, takes over for my original Lamb minivan I created way back in 2006. This new rendering is basically drawn in with flat shapes and then airbrushed into a rendering. I like the rawness of it. The roof would be carbon fiber opening accordion style. Closed it would riff on the the classic Lamb engine venting. Drive train would be premium VW/Audi with a triple-turbo V6 up front and 9 speed automatic trans axle in the rear.


Mustang GT Heritage Glassback


My interpretation of a hatchback "Heritage" version of the new Mustang in an updated Poppy Red. The combination of brushed aluminum lift-off roof panel and wraparound rear hatch is evocative of the original Mustang I's "basket handle." I added dual chrome strakes to the side coves referencing past models and black rocker panels with bright trim to visually thin out the body. I understand the designers not wanting to reprise the faux gas cap in the rear panel, but I'd still lik...e some sort of circular motif. In this rendering I've included what would be an iridescent and reflector depression centered behind the GT logo. Under various lighting conditions it would change from virtually invisible to a chrome-like appearance.

And now that the Camaro is exclusively a notch back, maybe it's time for a Mustang Hatchback to be offered as an alternative.

1968 Cadillac Lineup Grows by Ten Models!

Sixty-One, Sixty-Two, Sixty-Three, and Seventy model names Revived

I recently found scans of a 1968 Cadillac brochure at the Old Car Manual Project website. They're the fairly typical heavily airbrushed renderings, pointedly out of proportion to make the cars seem even longer than they were. I thought I could do something with them and soon enough, I was working on ten "new" additions to the 1968 lineup. 

For the type, I kept the advertising agency's original Future font for my new type, and kept the same brochure look for all of these renderings. I used to sit and dream I worked at agencies that would have made these brochures, like Darren Stevens on Bewitched did, loll, and by working on these renderings I sort of fulfilled that childhood dream. I've deleted the "De Ville" name and used a version of their prewar nomenclature instead. The Series 61 becomes the Sixty-One, the Series 62, the Sixty-Two, the Series 63, Sixty-Three, and Seventy for the Fleet wood. There was a late '30s Series 70 with bodies by Fleet wood, so I'm not just going willy-silly here.

It was also great fun creating colors and naming them. Working with color is what I love the most and even though no one ever knows it, I name the colors I use in my books to set the tone of if for me. For these Cadillac names, I've used everything from places I've visited, like Consecrations, Nantucket, to old Cadillac model names like the Gallant, even my late great aunt Melba's name. I hope you have as much looking at them as I did imagining and creating them.  All images click able thumbnails to enlarge or save as always.



Above, my "entry level" Sixty-One sport coupe. It's a full size Caddy but uses the GM B-body roofline from that period. I've done a couple of renderings of this idea in the past, and it never fails to look "perfect" to me, lol. For this one, and for most of these renderings, I've also changed the front end. I've kept the grille line completely horizontal, saving the original higher central only on Fleetwood models. I think it looks cleaner and simpler, something Cadillac strove for many times in their history. The blue sedan is my "Sixty-Two Park Avenue" pillarless sedan. It's a "short-deck" design, something Caddy itself did in the early Sixties on a few sedans. The idea was that much of Caddy's buyers were aging, and they most likely had prewar garages, often measuring less than 20 feet long. By making the trunk (rear deck) 6- to 8-inches shorter, the cars were more manageable and fit in those garages. I've seen a few, but they weren't big sellers. In MY alternate reality though, the short-decks proved very popular and I've created a full lineup of them. To compensate for the shorter rear quarters, I've opened up the rear wheelwells on them. Perhaps a younger clientele would have appreciated their looks and slightly smaller mass.


Short decks in both convertible and hardtop coupe models. I've used a more formal roof than the Sixty-One coupe because of the shorter trunklid. I think it's a very pretty and proportional coupe!

I would have added a factory station wagon to the Sixty-Two lineup. I think Cadillac may have gone the "Packard" route and called it the Station Sedan, and the pillar less wagon body style had been gone since 1964, but I think it's a very elegant and cohesive design. No wood would have been offered to keep the car sedan-like and Cadillac-like! The bottom car is a revived Series 63, or Sixty-Three, here. It would have been available only as a 6-window pillared sedan, and would have featured optional "Formal-Tone" two tones in classic combinations. It would have been the final step up before the luxurious Fleet wood Seventy models.

For the top Cadillac, I've brought back a prewar moniker, the Seventy, or Series 70 prewar. I would have made Fleetwood an entire series, with sedans and coupes. The top one shows the "base" Seventy coupe. The windows are large and airy, showing off the top-shelf leather interiors, and a nice cleanly sloped notch back roof. The bottom one shows the ultra luxury model, the Brougham coupe, and features an almost blind rear roof panel, and a heavily padded grained vinyl roof. The interiors would have mirrored the largest Seventy Brougham sedan with adjustable footrests in the rear, fold-down writing tables, and an optional "Car Office" similar to what Imperial offered in '67 and '68. Colors for Fleetwoods would have reflected fine jewelry, and the ads would have used expensive jewelry in a nod to Caddy's fabulous Fifties advertisements.

Finally, I would have added two models to the unique front wheel drive Eldorado: A sleek "Aerodynamic Coupe," using the name of a limited production Depression-era Caddy, and a revived Brougham sedan complete with stainless steel roof and Arpeggio atomizer like the late Fifties super luxury sedan of the same name. I've added fender skirts to the Eldon's massive wheel openings, and in the sedan, completely eliminated the rear fender kickback for a very, very smooth body side. I kept the belt line contour just below the side windows, and trailed it back into the rear quarter panel. As much of an icon this original Eldorado is, I was astounded at how "right" these completely different versions looked if I do say so myself.

2015 Ford Galaxie: RWD Large Ford Returns

Will Furnish Platform for Next Town Car


Clean, rectilinear styling returns with the first domestic full-sized rear wheel-drive Ford sedan of the 21st century. The 1965's square-rigged and futuristic styling is remembered with vertical rectangular light "boxes" front and rear recalling the stacked headlights and vertical taillights of those mid-Sixties Fords. The famous "Galaxie Roof" is reprised with parallelogram-shaped C-pillars and features classic C-pillar ribbed trim, in this case functional venting for the HVAC system. Front end styling would include a low, wide grille connecting vertical "pods" on each end for the LED lighting system. The hood includes a low, wide functional hoodscoop, similar to those on early Sixties Thunderbirds, Farilanes, and Falcons. Rear styling would feature similar pods for the LEDs and a connecting panel reminiscent of the grille shape. A polished aluminum full-length upper body molding is joined by a single hand-painted red coach line from hood to tail lid.


And, yes, that is a genuine fabric-covered roof on this uplevel model. For the 21st century, the waterproof leather-grained fabric is bonded to carbon fiber roof panels and structure eliminating the old "trapped water vs. metal panel" problem. In addition it's lighter and stronger than the standard steel panels and lowers the center of gravity in this very well-handling sedan.

Interior options would span from the standard Galaxies, with multiple hued leathers and fabrics, to a traditional  step-up optional LTD package, and a top-end Thunderbird Brougham interior which comes with a special "Thunderbird Special Eco Boost" power train. Cars equipped as such are identified by the classic Thunderbird and crossed-flags used on vintage Fair lanes and Galaxies packing the 312 "Thunderbird Special" engine.
Platform will be stretched 6-inches for the next Lincoln Town Car and shortened 6-inches for a new Ford Starliner coupe and Continental Mark IX.

Silent Sportscar: 2015 Corvett-E


My 2015 Corvett-E, the hybrid sportscar of the future

Rarely do I try to "improve" or "fix" production cars with my chops. I really just try to bring my own taste to the cars I Photoshop. An exception these days is the new C7 Corvette. Every time I Photoshop one I AM trying to fix it, lol. There are some nice things about it and some ghastly things about it. The problems I see range from the small, ie too many black vents, louvers, and crap, to the large, ie, that rising beltline, rear quarter window and awkwardly shaped rear hatch glass. I still don't care for the taillights either, but I've done several renderings with the proper quad circular units, so I've let that go, lol.


For this latest rendering, I created a plug-in range-extended Corvette coupe, the Corvett-E. Yes, a very powerful Volt-type powertrain for GM's halo sportscar! To that end I was able to delete all but one set of body vents, and I toned down that front venter gash with body color and chrome. Extruded and polished aluminum rocker panels point to the new alloy "tub" used for the batteries. The body is a mix of carbonfiber and aluminum for light weight. Note the "gas cap" has been moved to the front fender, is now a wonderful polished aluminum, and covers the charging unit outlet. Instead of the quad circular taillights I prefer, I've modified the current ones covering them with bright grilles, "hiding" the lights in a very Bill Mitchell-esque way. These fine chromed louvers exactly match the new front fender vent trim.

Jaguar XJ Coupe


It has been a while since I had time to do a brand new chop, but I carved out some time the other night. I've done a new XJ coupe in the past, but it was a long-wheelbase model with a pillarless greenhouse. It was a halo car of sorts, meant to take on the big CL Mercedes coupe (now the S Class coupe). This red XJ coupe is a different type of vehicle. I shortened the wheelbase about 6 inches from the sedan, all behind the front seats for a tighter almost 2+2 interior, although this is still a big car so the +2 in the back is still fairly roomy. I kept the rigid B-pillar for the structure and I estimate the weight savings of this aluminum platform over its larger sedan siblings at about 400 lbs. The overall size of my XJ coupe is just about halfway between the XJ and the XF midsize sedan. This time around I kept the sedan's avant garde black B-pillar trim. I've come to appreciate that odd styling touch.


My earlier XJ coupe, a long wheelbase pillarless top-of-the-line model.

An even earlier attempt to bring back an XJ coupe was this version done before the massively modernized XJ saloon was introduced. I wanted to bring back the elegance of the '70s and '80s big Jag coupe complete with vinyl roof!

Oldie but Goodie: Bentley Blue Train Special


Having a difficult time carving out time these days to do new work so I thought I'd do another repost. Bear with me please!  Above, one of my earliest chops, 2006, a Bentley Blue Train coupe. Meant to evoke the fabulous Bentley Boys of the early part of the 20th century, my flagship coupe uses retro cues in a modern way. Although the technicality of these two renderings is flawed, I still like the designs quite a bit.


Using a name from Facel-Vega's history, the Excellence is a perfect range-topping sedan. The rear door cut lines extend into the roof creating "ears" like the '67-'71 Thunderbird 4-door for easier entry. I scanned one of my late grandmother's bracelets to use in this "ad" much like Cadillac did in the 1950s, setting the tone for their intended audience. Again, there are many technical flaws with these early works, but I like the design.

Cars And Girls Wallpaper Free Wallpaper Pics Pictures Hd for Desktop Iphone Mobile HD 1080p



Cars And Girls Wallpaper Free Wallpaper Pics Pictures Hd for Desktop Iphone Mobile HD 1080p


Cars And Girls Wallpaper Free Wallpaper Pics Pictures Hd for Desktop Iphone Mobile HD 1080p



Cars And Girls Wallpaper Free Wallpaper Pics Pictures Hd for Desktop Iphone Mobile HD 1080p


An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.

The term motorcar has also been used in the context of electrified rail systems to denote a car which functions as a small locomotive but also provides space for passengers and baggage. These locomotive cars were often used on suburban routes by both interurban and intercity railroad systems.
It was estimated in 2010 that the number of automobiles had risen to over 1 billion vehicles, up from the 500 million of 1986. The numbers are increasing rapidly, especially in China and India.

The word automobile comes, via the French automobile from the Ancient Greek word αὐτός (autós, "self") and the Latin mobilis ("movable"); meaning a vehicle that moves itself. The loanword was first adopted in English by The New York Times in 1899.The alternative name car is believed to originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum ("wheeled vehicle"), or the Middle English word carre ("cart") (from Old North French), in turn these are said to have originated from the Gaulish word karros (a Gallic Chariot).Main article: History of the automobile.

The first working steam-powered vehicle was designed — and most likely built — by Ferdinand Verbiest, a Flemish member of a Jesuit mission in China around 1672. It was a 65 cm-long scale-model toy for the Chinese Emperor, that was unable to carry a driver or a passenger. It is not known if Verbiest's model was ever built.

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is widely credited with building the first full-scale, self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in about 1769; he created a steam-powered tricycle.[13] He also constructed two steam tractors for the French Army, one of which is preserved in the French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. His inventions were however handicapped by problems with water supply and maintaining steam pressure. In 1801, Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive, believed by many to be the first demonstration of a steam-powered road vehicle. It was unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods, and was of little practical use.

In 1807 Nicéphore Niépce and his brother Claude probably created the world's first internal combustion engine which they called a Pyréolophore, but they chose to install it in a boat on the river Saone in France.Coincidentally, in 1807 the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed his own 'de Rivaz internal combustion engine' and used it to develop the world's first vehicle to be powered by such an engine. The Niépces' Pyréolophore was fuelled by a mixture of Lycopodium powder (dried spores of the Lycopodium plant), finely crushed coal dust and resin that were mixed with oil, whereas de Rivaz used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. Neither design was very successful, as was the case with others, such as Samuel Brown, Samuel Morey, and Etienne Lenoir with his hippomobile, who each produced vehicles (usually adapted carriages or carts) powered by clumsy internal combustion engines.
In November 1881, French inventor Gustave Trouvé demonstrated a working three-wheeled automobile powered by electricity at the International Exposition of Electricity, Paris.

Karl Benz, the inventor of the modern automobile
Although several other German engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Siegfried Marcus) were working on the problem at about the same time, Karl Benz generally is acknowledged as the inventor of the modern automobile.

 A photograph of the original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, first built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the
In 1879, Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, which had been designed in 1878. Many of his other inventions made the use of the internal combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle. His first Motorwagen was built in 1885 in Mannheim, Germany. He was awarded the patent for its invention as of his application on 29 January 1886 (under the auspices of his major company, Benz & Cie., which was founded in 1883). Benz began promotion of the vehicle on 3 July 1886, and about 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893, when his first four-wheeler was introduced along with a model intended for affordability. They also were powered with four-stroke engines of his own design. Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz engines under license, now added the Benz automobile to his line of products. Because France was more open to the early automobiles, initially more were built and sold in France through Roger than Benz sold in Germany. In August 1888 Bertha Benz, the wife of Karl Benz, undertook the first road trip by car, to prove the road-worthiness of her husband's invention.

Bertha Benz, the first long distance automobile driver in the world
In 1896, Benz designed and patented the first internal-combustion flat engine, called boxermotor. During the last years of the nineteenth century, Benz was the largest automobile company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899 and, because of its size, Benz & Cie., became a joint-stock company.

The first motor car in central Europe and one of the first factory-made cars in the world, was produced by Czech company Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau (later renamed to Tatra) in 1897, the Präsident automobil.
Daimler and Maybach founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) in Cannstatt in 1890, and sold their first automobile in 1892 under the brand name, Daimler. It was a horse-drawn stagecoach built by another manufacturer, that they retrofitted with an engine of their design. By 1895 about 30 vehicles had been built by Daimler and Maybach, either at the Daimler works or in the Hotel Hermann, where they set up shop after disputes with their backers. Benz, Maybach and the Daimler team seem to have been unaware of each other's early work. They never worked together; by the time of the merger of the two companies, Daimler and Maybach were no longer part of DMG.

Daimler died in 1900 and later that year, Maybach designed an engine named Daimler-Mercedes, that was placed in a specially ordered model built to specifications set by Emil Jellinek. This was a production of a small number of vehicles for Jellinek to race and market in his country. Two years later, in 1902, a new model DMG automobile was produced and the model was named Mercedes after the Maybach engine which generated 35 hp. Maybach quit DMG shortly thereafter and opened a business of his own. Rights to the Daimler brand name were sold to other manufacturers.

Karl Benz proposed co-operation between DMG and Benz & Cie. when economic conditions began to deteriorate in Germany following the First World War, but the directors of DMG refused to consider it initially. Negotiations between the two companies resumed several years later when these conditions worsened and, in 1924 they signed an Agreement of Mutual Interest, valid until the year 2000. Both enterprises standardized design, production, purchasing, and sales and they advertised or marketed their automobile models jointly, although keeping their respective brands. On 28 June 1926, Benz & Cie. and DMG finally merged as the Daimler-Benz company, baptizing all of its automobiles Mercedes Benz, as a brand honoring the most important model of the DMG automobiles, the Maybach design later referred to as the 1902 Mercedes-35 hp, along with the Benz name. Karl Benz remained a member of the board of directors of Daimler-Benz until his death in 1929, and at times, his two sons participated in the management of the company as well.

In 1890, Émile Levassor and Armand Peugeot of France began producing vehicles with Daimler engines, and so laid the foundation of the automobile industry in France.

The first design for an American automobile with a gasoline internal combustion engine was made in 1877 by George Selden of Rochester, New York. Selden applied for a patent for an automobile in 1879, but the patent application expired because the vehicle was never built. After a delay of sixteen years and a series of attachments to his application, on 5 November 1895, Selden was granted a United States patent (U.S. Patent 549,160) for a two-stroke automobile engine, which hindered, more than encouraged, development of automobiles in the United States. His patent was challenged by Henry Ford and others, and overturned in 1911.

In 1893, the first running, gasoline-powered American car was built and road-tested by the Duryea brothers of Springfield, Massachusetts. The first public run of the Duryea Motor Wagon took place on 21 September 1893, on Taylor Street in Metro Center Springfield. To construct the Duryea Motor Wagon, the brothers had purchased a used horse-drawn buggy for $70 and then installed a 4 HP, single cylinder gasoline engine. The car had a friction transmission, spray carburetor, and low tension ignition. It was road-tested again on 10 November, when the The Springfield Republican newspaper made the announcement.This particular car was put into storage in 1894 and stayed there until 1920 when it was rescued by Inglis M. Uppercu and presented to the United States National Museum.

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Lamborghini

It might be odd to think of farm equipment when one hears the word Lamborghini, but this is exactly what Lamborghini started out as - A farm equipment company called Lamborghini Trattori. The founder of the company was Ferruccio Lamborghini who in the 1960's bought a Ferrari with the profits from his successful farm equipment company. Life changed for Lamborghini when he met Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari.

Ferruccio Lamborghini was a man that demanded high quality and he felt that his Ferrari was not meeting his expectations and he thought he could do better. He shifted his focus away from farm equipment and onto producing high performance automobiles.

The first real contender that they produced in the exotic car market was the Miura. The Miura was a mid engine, V-12 sports car that commanded a heft price tag of $20,000 which is equal to over $100,000 in today's economy. During its 6 year production run, 764 Lamborghini Miura's were built. Following on the success of the Miura was the highly successful Lamborghini Countach. This was the dream car for many from the mid 70's to 1990 when production concluded. This car was beautiful and had aggressive styling that had never been seen before.
Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

No one thought the Countach could be topped, but Lamborghini did it one more time and created the highly successful Lamborghini Diablo. From 1990-2001 almost 3000 Diablo's were made and during their first year of production, a Diablo could be bought for $240,000 U.S. This was certainly not a luxury car and did not have many features for a car of it's price. It did however have incredible performance. The V12 engine allowed it to go from -60mph in just over 4 seconds!

Following the success of the Diablo would be hard, but the Lamborghini Murcielago went even further at showing the world that Lamborghini was a serious contender in the exotic sports car world. It continued the tradition of aggressive styling and super high performance and added four-wheel-drive when it was released in 2001. To this day the Murcielago is produced with over 3000 of them already sold to their wealthy customers.

In 2003 Lamborghini introduced the Lamborghini Gallardo, which is a "cheap" Lamborghini, as compared with it's more expensive sibling, the Murcielago. While the Murcielago costs about $315,000 U.S., the Gallardo is available at just over $200,000. Don't think that you have to give up performance when buying a Gallardo and not a Murcielago though. The Lamborghini Gallardo is quite capable with a 0-60mph time of around 4 seconds, depending on which particular variation. Unfortunately the Gallardo doesn't come with Lamborghini's signature scissor doors that open upward, but this hasn't hurt sales since the Gallardo is the high volume car that Lamborghini has ever made.

Over the years Lamborghini has suffered some financial problems and has been bought and sold a number of times and is currently owned by Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen. Lamborghini makes some of the most beautiful and sought after exotic cars available today and should be on everyone's list of favorite exotic car makers.

Ferrari F430

It probably comes as no surprise that in the 1930s Enzo Ferrari was a very successful works team manager for the Alfa Romeo. However it wasn't until 1947 that Ferrari produced a car under his own name and so began one of the most successful and famous marques ever conceived.

People able to afford and enjoy a Ferrari F430 are privy to a unique motoring experience because very likely they, better than most, will understand why Ferrari is so different to any of the other sports luxury cars available. Ferrari genuinely offer uniquely designed sensational looking sports, luxury road cars at equally sensational prices. However the high price in this instance is deserved because Ferrari provides its models with the latest engineering technology inspired from successful Formula One experience.

The Ferrari F430 has arguably the most breathtaking appearance of any Ferrari currently in production. The sleek aero-dynamic design cannot help but attract attention, and whether it comes in red livery or another colour, everyone immediately recognises it as a Ferrari. The Ferrari F430 Spider will likewise set hearts racing as it offers open air motoring from inside a practical, but sophisticated luxury cockpit.

A long experience devoted to the development of super-fast luxury cars is a niche market that Ferrari has managed to develop with only a few serious rivals. At £118,500 for a new Ferrari F430 Coupe the F430 could never be considered cheap, but to understand the cost you need to appreciate what it is that you're actually buying.
Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430

Ferrari F430

The Ferrari F430 is an accomplishment of a company whose history spans a large proportion of the twentieth century developing Formula One and Super Fast Road Cars. The road cars have also been luxuriously appointed in order that Ferrari attracts the kind of clients able to afford as well as enjoy their products, and thereby generate the finance for developments to a range of models probably unequalled anywhere on the planet. Luxury cars such as Ferrari are worth every penny because they genuinely support a sphere of development that other manufacturers cannot hope to focus on. Currently the Ferrari F430 is the ultimate road machine offered by this Italian marque.

The Engine

There was a time when Ferrari was associated with V12 engines only, but time has moved on and in respect to the Ferrari F430 a 4.3 litre V8 is present. With around 490 horsepower produced at 8,500 rpm it is easy to understand how this super-fast machine is capable of almost 200 mph and soars between 0-60 in just 4.0 seconds. The fact that the Ferrari F430 is able to handle this kind of power without drama identifies what some of the high initial cost is spent on.

The Drive

Climb out of your hot hatch and in behind the wheel of the Ferrari F430. OK, so the first thing you probably notice is that you're sitting a little lower than usual, or you just might be too excited by the Ferrari logo on the centre of the wheel hub to think of anything other than the fact that you're sitting in one of the fastest road cars on planet earth! Fire up the engine and the howl from 490 horsepower is enough to bring home the fact that your sitting in something that makes sounds faster than your hot hatch can move. You will also have noticed that everyone within a square mile knows that you exist. The sound of the V-8 4.3 litre engine can be intimidating first time you hear it because if ever any engine could be compared to a raging bull, this is it. A six speed manual transmission supplied either through a Formula One paddle or the standard Ferrari open-gate. The F1 paddle is for drivers who don't want to waste precious seconds changing gears, while the standard open-gate is for those with time on their hands. However, a very special feature of the F430 is its electronic differential which allows a driver to push this Ferrari harder than most through bends. Knowing all this is good, but experiencing it is, sensational.

With a straight road ahead push the throttle to the floor and amaze yourself at how quickly the straight road ahead suddenly becomes a bend. Straight-line performance is awesome, pushing you firmly back in the seat so that the thrill of acceleration is almost lost as you attempt to focus well ahead of where you are pointed. Just as you begin to ease off and do a little recovery from the G Force pounding of a straight line power burst, a curve demands that you think about turning the wheel in your hands. Amazingly all you need do is think and follow the line of the bend because the F430, with all its clever Formula One development, helps you round, and as it does so you realise that you're having to get accustomed to another set of G Forces which few people ever experience. The temptation to drive fast is a constant companion, but so is the fact that you're driving one of the safest super-fast cars ever built. The Ferrari F430 is an involving experience, built to provide drivers who enjoy motoring an opportunity to escape the limitations imposed by lesser machines. The only experience to top a drive in the Ferrari F430 would be a drive in a Ferrari F430 Spyder with the top down.

Ferrari

When Enzo Ferrari created his company Scuderia Ferrari in Italy in 1929 his intentions was to sponsor amateur race car drivers and invent racing cars, and it would take more than 15 years before Ferrari began to create their own road cars in 1946. Ferrari is still devoted to the creation of racing cars and high performance sports cars and do not create other types of cars. Scuderia Ferrari is still the widespread name for Gestione Sportiva, the part of the Ferrari company that works with racing. Scuderia is an Italian word and means "stable", but Scuderia Ferrari is sometime also translated as Team Ferrari.

During the early years, Scuderia Ferrari sponsored race car drivers that were driving Alfa Romeo cars. Scuderia Ferrari would prepare Alfa Romeo cars before the race, and in 1938 Enzo Ferrari became officially employed by Alfa Romeo's racing department. Two years later Enzo Ferrari found out that Alfa Romeo was planning to absorb Scuderia Ferrari, a plan which Enzo Ferrari strongly opposed. He instantly left his job at Alfa Romeo, but his contract restricted him from being involved with racing for several years. He changed Scuderia Ferrari into "Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari" and officially manufactured aircraft accessories for a few years. Enzo Ferrari did however create a race car during this restricted period. The Tipo 815 debuted at the Mille Miglia race in 1940, but the race was hampered due to World War II and Tipo 815 encountered no real competition. In 1943 Enzo Ferrari moved his factory to Maranello in Italy and one year later the factory was bombed. After the end of World War II, Enzo Ferrari rebuilt his factory and now the Ferrari factory was capable of construction road cars as well.

Ferrari constructed its first road car in 1947. The 1947 125 S Ferrari had a 1.5 L V12 engine and the whole car was considered very beautiful and well designed. Enzo Ferrari was still more interested in race cars and the Ferrari road cars was merely a way for him to fund his work with the Scuderia Ferrari. His distaste for the road car customers became famous and he even accused them of buying Ferrari cars only as status symbols. It is true that the Ferrari road cars grow to fame not only due to excellent performance but also thanks to their stylish elegance. Pininfarina, Bertone, Ghia, Scagliette, Touring and Vignale are all examples of design houses that have worked with Ferrari.
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In November 1961 a dispute between Enzo Ferrari and his sales manager, Girolamo Gardini, turned into a crisis. Girolamo Gardini threatened to leave the company. Enzo Ferrari responded to the threat by throwing out Girolamo Gardini, and several employees who agreed with Girolamo Gardini were also ousted. Among them were Romolo Tavoni, manager for Scuderia Ferrari, Giotto Bizzarrini, the chief of the experimental sports car development, and Carlo Chiti, the chief engineer. This was naturally a huge loss for the Ferrari company and the crisis deepened when those who had been thrown out formed their own company - Automobili Turismo e Sport (ATS). ATS even managed to take over Scuderia Serenissima, a very successful racing team, from Ferrari.

A younger engineer, Mauro Forghieri, and an experienced racing bodyman, Sergio Scaglietti, assumed responsibility and tried to finish the projects that the leaving employees had left behind. One of the most important tasks was to finish the development of 250 GTO; a new 250-based model that could compete with the Jaguar E-type. The 250 GTO was finished in time to participate in the Sebring race and place itself first in class, driven by Phil Hill. Throughout 1962, the 250 GTO continued to win the races and it is still one of the most well known race cars in history. The crisis turned out to be something good for Ferrari and the 1960s became a very good decade for the company.

Until the 1980s when Ferrari began to use fuel injection in the road cars, the Ferraris were known as rather temperamental cars. They could be very unreliable, but would still attract a large group of dedicated fans that viewed this unpredictability as "character" rather than a problem. Today, FIAT controls 56 percent of the Ferrari stocks. The rest of stocks owned by Enzo's con Piero Ferrari and by Commerzbank, Mediobanca and the Lehman Brothers. Maranello is still the home town for Ferrari.