Derny is a term that has become synonymous with small pacing vehicles for bicycle racing, but the company itself was more than just jargon. Born out of a French craze for motorized bicycles during the 1930s, Derny debuted its first model, the “Entraineur” in 1938, to pace the Bordeaux-Paris race. Common to all Dernys is […]
Derny Cyclotandem- 1950 Read More »
At the outset of World War II, as American automobile factories were switching from making cars to making tanks, planes, jeeps, and munitions, a few independent car companies remained in production. When the Carter Town Shopper was introduced in 1942, it was marketed mainly to women as a low-cost, two-seater errand runner, a car that could
Carter Town Shopper- 1942 Read More »
The Monza seen here is one of a handful of survivors, out of an unknown total production numbering fewer than 240. Being such a low-volume car, it is what the British would refer to as a “Bitsa” – it has a bit o’ this, and a bit o’ that… The beautifully sculptured body over a
Auto Union Monza- 1959 Read More »
Building on the previous model’s architecture, the Tenor was a Solex 6000 featuring an Italian-made Franco Morini “Gyromat” engine and was available in various trim levels. The example seen here is a base model, the R, identified by its lack of rear shock absorbers. The next trim level up was the L (as in Lusso,
Quite a departure from Solex’s other offerings, the Flash debuted in 1969.Instead of the roller-style transmission over the front wheels, this model features a drive-shaft that connected the fan-cooled engine to the rear wheel. The Flash also had a front disc brake and an increased top speed of 25 mph. In 1972, the 6000 model
Solex Flash 6000- 1972 Read More »
The name DKW comes from “Dampf‐Kraft‐Wagen” which translates to “steam powered vehicle.” It carries this name because the first vehicle its Danish designer, J.S. Rasmussen built was a light steam car. Like many other manufacturers, DKW was also famous for motorcycles –in the 1930s they were the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. In 1931, DKW diversified
Auto Union 1000- 1958 Read More »
The Dodge Viper was conceived as a futuristic interpretation of a classic American muscle car. During the development stage, it was decided to utilize Lamborghini, then a Chrysler subsidiary, to cast a prototype aluminum V10 engine based on their truck drivetrain and modify it for performance car use. The Viper version of this engine, as
Dodge Viper RT/10- 1994 Read More »
Lotus Cars, founded by the late Colin Chapman, was a racing car manufacturer that also built road cars, such as the Esprit and Elite. Chapman was the engineer, and a group of committed staff made his ideas come to life. Names like Costin and Duckworth (who later joined forces as Cosworth) worked at Lotus during
Lotus Elan SE Series 4- 1970 Read More »
During the 1970s light, rugged utility cars were very popular with the public in Europe. Vehicles in this category included the Volkswagen Thing, the Citroën Méhari, the Mini Moke, and this model, the Honda Vamos. Manufacturers seemed to have similar ideas for these cars: take an existing model, strip it down to its most basic
Honda Vamos – 1972 Read More »