Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1928 as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles in 1947 as Ferrari S.p.A.. Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where it has enjoyed great success. Read more
HSV
Holden Special Vehicles, abbreviated HSV is the officially designated performance vehicle division of Australian motor automobile manufacturer Holden. Based in Clayton, Victoria and established in 1987, HSV modifies Holden products such as the Commodore, Caprice and Ute giving them unique body-work and alloy wheels, up-spec interiors, and improved all-round performance thanks to upgraded engines, brakes, transmissions and suspension.
HSV was created in 1987 as a joint venture between Holden and TWR – an operation owned by Scottish racing car driver and entrepreneur Tom Walkinshaw. HSV effectively replaced the Holden Dealer Team (HDT) special vehicles operation run by Peter Brock, after Holden severed its ties with HDT in February 1987 following the “Energy Polarizer” and “HDT Director” controversies. With the more recent demise of TWR’s global companies, HSV still remains a partnership between Holden and Walkinshaw, the joint ownership company being Premoso Pty Ltd.
The first car produced by HSV was the Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV in 1988 (based on the VL Commodore and not to be confused with the HDT’s similarly named Holden VL Commodore SS Group A). It had a distinctive body kit with a large rear wing (earning it the nicknames “The Batmobile” and the “Plastic Pig”) and was powered by a modified version of the Holden 5.0 litre V8, which had dual throttle body electronic fuel injection and was rated at 180 kW in road car form. It was built as a touring car homologation package for Group A racing and in racing form, managed to win the 1990 Bathurst 1000 race in the hands of Allan Grice and Win Percy for HSV’s racing arm, the Holden Racing Team.
Ford Performance Vehicles
FPV can trace its roots back to 1991, when the British automotive engineering company Tickford began a collaboration with Ford Australia to produce high-performance variants of the Australian Falcon range. The partnership between Ford and Tickford, Tickford Vehicle Engineering, saw the introduction of the successful Ford Falcon XR6 and Ford Falcon XR8 variants. This was followed in October 1999 by the launch of the Ford Tickford Experience dealer network and the FTE T-Series model line based on Ford’s AU Falcon and Fairlane models. Poor sales saw a change in marketing approach from Ford. In 2002, following the purchase of Tickford by Prodrive, the Ford PerformanceVehicles company was formed and the FPV brand name was created to replace the FTE name. A restructured range was developed based on Ford’s BA Falcon and headlined by the FPV GT-P. The FPV brand has blossomed in subsequent years
Ducati
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A is a privately owned Italian motorcycle manufacturer located in Bologna, Italy. Ducati has achieved prominence in the motorcycle industry and in motorcycle racing.
In 1926 three brothers, Adriano, Marcello and Bruno Ducati, founded Societa Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati in Bologna to produce tubes, condensers and other radio components, becoming successful enough by 1935 to construct a new factory in the Borgo Panigale area of the city. During the war, although the Ducati factory was a repeated target for Allied bombing, production was maintained.
Meanwhile, at the small Turinese firm SIATA (Societa Italiana per Applicazioni Tecniche Auto-Aviatorie), Aldo Farinelli began developing a small pushrod engine for mounting on bicycles. Barely a month after the official liberation of Italy in 1944, SIATA announced its intention to sell this engine, called the “Cucciolo” (Italian for “puppy,” in reference to the distinctive exhaust sound) to the public. The first Cucciolos were available alone, to be mounted on standard bicycles, by the buyer; however, businessmen soon bought the little engines in quantity, and offered complete motorized-bicycle units for sale.
In 1950 (after more than 200,000 Cucciolos had been sold), in collaboration with SIATA, the Ducati firm finally offered its own Cucciolo-based motorcycle. This first Ducati motorcycle was a 60 cc bike weighing 98 pounds with a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) had a 15 mm carburetor giving just under 200 mpg (85 km/L). Ducati soon dropped the “Cucciolo” name in favor of “55M” and “65TL”.
When the market moved toward larger motorcycles, Ducati management decided to respond, making an impression at an early-1952 Milan show, introducing their 65TS cycle and Cruiser (a four-stroke motor scooter). Despite being described as the most interesting new machine at the 1952 show, the Cruiser was not a great success, and only a few thousand were made over a two-year period before the model ceased production.
In 1953, management split the company into two separate entities, Ducati Meccanica SpA and Ducati Elettronica, in acknowledgment of its diverging motorcycle and electronics product lines. (Ducati Elettronica became Ducati Energia SpA in the eighties.) Dr. Giuseppe Montano took over as head of Ducati Meccanica SpA and the Borgo Panigale factory was modernized with government assistance. By 1954, Ducati Meccanica SpA had increased production to 120 bikes a day.
The company’s offerings have improved and diversified since then.
In the 1960s, Ducati earned its place in motorcycling history by producing the then fastest 250 cc road bike available, the Mach 1. In the 1970s Ducati began producing large-displacement L-twin (i.e. a 90° V-twin) motorcycles and in 1973 released an L-twin with the trademarked desmodromic valve design. In 1985, Cagiva bought Ducati and planned to rebadge Ducati motorcycles with the lesser-known Cagiva name (at least outside of Italy). By the time the purchase was completed, Cagiva kept the “Ducati” name on its motorcycles. In 1996, Texas Pacific Group bought a 51% stake in the company for US$325 million then in 1998, bought most of the remaining 49% to become the sole owner of Ducati. In 1999, TPG issued an IPO of Ducati stock and renamed the company Ducati Motor Holding SpA. TPG sold over 65% of its shares in Ducati, leaving TPG the majority shareholder. In December 2005 Ducati returned to Italian ownership with the sale of Texas Pacific’s stake (minus one share) to Investindustrial Holdings, the investment fund of Carlo and Andrea Bonomi.
From the 1960s to the 1990s, the Spanish MotoTrans company licensed Ducati engines and produced motorcycles that, although they incorporated subtle differences, were clearly Ducati-derived. MotoTrans’s most notable machine was the 250 cc 24 Horas (Spanish for 24 hours). A 285 cc version of this bike won the Barcelona twenty-four-hour race at the Montjuic circuit for three consecutive years, 1956 to 1958.
Citroen
founded in 1919 by André Citroën, it was the world’s first mass-production car company outside of the USA. Since 1976 it has been part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, and its headquarters is on rue Fructidor, Paris.
Originally a mass-market car maker with relatively straightforward designs, Citroën shocked the world in 1934 with the innovative Traction Avant, the world’s first mass-production front wheel drive car in 1934–56.
André Citroën built armaments for France during World War I and after the war he had a factory and no product. In 1919, the business started to produce automobiles, beginning with the conventional type A. The Type A was designed by Jules Salomon, Chief Design Officer from Le Zèbre.
Citroën was a keen markete, he used the Eiffel Tower as the world’s largest advertising sign, as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. He also sponsored expeditions in Asia (Croisière Jaune) and Africa (Croisière Noire), intended to demonstrate the potential for motor vehicles equipped with the Kégresse track system to cross inhospitable regions. The expeditions conveyed scientists and journalists.
In 1924, Citroën began a business relationship with American engineer Edward G. Budd. From 1899, Budd had worked to develop stainless steel bodies for railroad cars, for the Pullman in particular. Budd went on to manufacture steel bodies for many automakers, Dodge being his first big auto client. In 1928, Citroën introduced the first all-steel body in Europe.
The cars were initially successful in the marketplace, but soon competitors (who were still using a wooden structure for their bodies), introduced new body designs. Citroën did not redesign the bodies of his cars. Citroëns still sold in large quantities in spite of not changing the body design, but the car’s low price was the main selling point and Citroën experienced heavy losses.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, Citroën developed the Traction Avant. The Traction Avant had three revolutionary features: a unitary body with no separate frame, front wheel independent suspension, and front wheel drive. Citroën commissioned Budd to create a prototype, which evolved into the 7 horsepower (CV), 32 hp (24 kW) Traction Avant of 1934.
In 1933, Citroën also introduced the Rosalie, a passenger car with the world’s first commercially available diesel engine developed with Harry Ricardo.
Suzuki
Suzuki Motor Corporation (スズキ株式会社 ,Suzuki Kabushiki-gaisha?) is a multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles, a full range of motorcycles, All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines. Suzuki is the 12th largest automobile manufacturer in the world by production volume, employs over 45,000 people, has 35 main production facilities in 23 countries and 133 distributors in 192 countries.
“Suzuki” is pronounced in Japanese as “soo-zoo-kee” /suzuki/, with emphasis on a high “kee”. It is almost always pronounced in English as “suh-ZOO-kee” /səˈzuːki/, with a stressed “zoo”. This pronunciation is used by the English-speaking public and by the Suzuki company in marketing campaigns directed towards this demographic.
In 1909, Michio Suzuki founded the Suzuki Loom Company in the small seacoast village of Hamamatsu, Japan. Business boomed as Suzuki built weaving looms for Japan’s giant silk industry. In 1929, Michio Suzuki invented a new type of weaving machine, which was exported overseas. Suzuki filed as many as 120 patents and utility model rights. The company’s first 30 years focused on the development and production of these exceptionally complex machines.
Despite the success of his looms, Suzuki realized his company had to diversify and he began to look at other products. Based on consumer demand, he decided that building a small car would be the most practical new venture. The project began in 1937, and within two years Suzuki had completed several compact prototype cars. These first Suzuki motor vehicles were powered by a then-innovative, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder engine. It featured a cast aluminum crankcase and gearbox and generated 13 horsepower (9.7 kW) from a displacement of less than 800cc.
Faced with this colossal challenge, Suzuki’s thoughts went back to motor vehicles. After the war, the Japanese had a great need for affordable, reliable personal transportation. A number of firms began offering “clip-on” gas-powered engines that could be attached to the typical bicycle. Suzuki’s first two-wheel ingenuity came in the form of a motorized bicycle called, the “Power Free.” Designed to be inexpensive and simple to build and maintain, the 1952 Power Free featured a 36 cc two-stroke engine. An unprecedented feature was the double-sprocket gear system, enabling the rider to either pedal with the engine assisting, pedal without engine assist, or simply disconnect the pedals and run on engine power alone. The system was so ingenious that the patent office of the new democratic government granted Suzuki a financial subsidy to continue research in motorcycle engineering, and so was born Suzuki Motor Corporation.
In 1953, Suzuki scored the first of many racing victories when the tiny 60 cc “Diamond Free” won its class in the Mount Fuji Hill Climb.
Suzulight
By 1954, Suzuki was producing 6,000 motorcycles per month and had officially changed its name to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. Following the success of its first motorcycles, Suzuki created an even more successful automobile: the 1955 Suzulight. Suzuki showcased its penchant for innovation from the beginning. The Suzulight included front-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering — features common on cars half a century later.
With the onset of World War II, production plans for Suzuki’s new vehicles were halted when the government declared civilian passenger cars a “non-essential commodity.” At the conclusion of the war, Suzuki went back to producing looms. Loom production was given a boost when the U.S. government approved the shipping of cotton to Japan. Suzuki’s fortunes brightened as orders began to increase from domestic textile manufacturers. But the joy was short-lived as the cotton market collapsed in 1951.
Chrysler
Chrysler is an American automobile manufacturer that has manufactured automobiles since 1925. From 1998 to 2007, Chrysler and its subsidiaries were part of the German based DaimlerChrysler (now Daimler AG). Prior to 1998, Chrysler Corporation traded under the “C” symbol on the NYSE. Under DaimlerChrysler, the company was named “DaimlerChrysler Motors Company LLC”, with its U.S. operations generally referred to as the “Chrysler Group”.
On May 14, 2007 DaimlerChrysler AG announced the sale of 80.1% of Chrysler Group to American private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., although Daimler continues to hold a 19.9% stake. This was when the company took on its current name. The deal was finalized on August 3, 2007.
On August 6, 2007, after the announcement of the spin-off to Cerberus, the Chrysler LLC, or “The New Chrysler”, unveiled a new company logo and launched its new website with a variation of the previously used Pentastar logo. Robert Nardelli also became Chairman and CEO of Chrysler under the ownership of Cerberus.
On October 23, 2008, Daimler announced that its stake in Chrysler had a book value of zero dollars after write offs and charges. Amid the 2008 automobile crisis, Chrysler announced in December 2008 that it was almost out of cash, and might not survive past 2009. After the defeat of the auto bailout in the Senate, Chrysler stated that they would most likely file for bankruptcy and shut down all operations permanently. On December 17, 2008, Chrysler announced that it would close all of its North American plants on December 19 for at least a month or longer. That same day, President Bush announced a $13.4 billion rescue loan for the American automakers, including Chrysler.
On March 3, 2009, Chrysler Canada announced that it had achieved the title as #1 selling automaker in Canada due to aggressive restructuring, offering cash discounts of up to $12,500 on certain models and zero percent financing for 60 months to stimulate demand.
On March 7, 2009, Chrysler Vice-Chairman Jim Press stated that current sales volume is sufficient to keep the company going as sales should rise in the coming months. The Chrysler executive also noted the automaker’s February retail sales were better than Ford’s as Chrysler continued to curtail lower-margin fleet sales. He also said the volumes being forecast for 2009 are within the estimates Chrysler envisioned in preparing its viability plan for the federal government.
Chevrolet
Chevrolet (also known as Chevy) is a brand of automobile, produced by General Motors (GM). It is the top selling GM marque, with “Chevrolet” or “Chevy” being at times synonymous with GM. Chevrolet offers 18 vehicles and many different enhanced versions in its home market. The vehicles range from subcompact cars to medium duty commercial trucks. Its number one seller in the United States is the Silverado pickup. Chevrolet continues to be the performance, price, fuel economy, and value leader for General Motors North America.
Chevrolet was founded by Louis Chevrolet (Swiss-French) and William C. Durant (American). Louis Chevrolet was a race-car driver, and William Durant, founder of General Motors, had been forced out of GM in 1910. He wanted to use Chevrolet’s designs to rebuild his own reputation as a force in the automobile industry. As head of Buick Motor Company, prior to founding GM, Durant had hired Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races.
Chevrolet first used its “bowtie” logo in 1913. It is said to have been designed from wallpaper Durant once saw in a French hotel. More recent research by historian Ken Kaufmann presents a compelling case that the logo is based from a logo for “Coalettes”.
Carlsson
Carlsson is a German car tuning manufacturer specialising in Mercedes-Benz cars. The Carlsson tuning house was founded by brothers Rolf and Andreas Hartge in 1989. Carlsson’s products are available for the entire current range of Mercedes-Benz models including the R-Class, SL-Class [, C-Class and the GL-Class along with many others. The company is most popular for its range of alloy wheels.
Through a new importer Carlsson began a more aggressive push into the US market in 2006 after debuting their newly modified CL500 (Euro-spec) vehicle at the 2006 SEMA Show. In their review, Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine said, “… the CL is starting to resemble something more in line with a Bentley Continental – even if it is a little shy when it comes to horsepower.”
In 2007 Carlsson began a coachbuilding program with fashion designer Etienne Aigner. The first example of their work together was a coachbuilt Mercedes CL65, titled the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS “Eau Rouge.” The “Eau Rouge” refers to the famous turn at the Belgian race track Spa Francorchamps. Producing 700 hp (520 kW) from Carlsson’s engineers the car has a two-tone paint scheme and features a hand crafted wine-colored interior from Etienne Aigner.
Cadillac
Cadillac is a brand of luxury vehicles owned by General Motors. Cadillac vehicles are officially sold in over 50 countries and territories, with the majority sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In the mid-20th century, the name became a synonym for “high quality”, used in such phrases as “the Cadillac of watches,” referring to a Rolex. Cadillac’s current slogan is Life. Liberty. And The Pursuit., in reference to the unalienable rights stressed in the United States Declaration of Independence.
Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company when Henry Ford departed along with several of his key partners and the company was dissolved. With the intent of liquidating the firm’s assets, Ford’s financial backers, William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen called in engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to appraise the plant and equipment prior to selling them. Instead, Leland persuaded them to continue the automobile business using Leland’s proven 1-cylinder engine. Henry Ford’s departure required a new name, and on August 22, 1902, the company reformed as the Cadillac Automobile Company. Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing and the Cadillac Automobile Company merged in 1905.
The Cadillac automobile was named after the 17th-century French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit in 1701.