With their rarity today, it’s hard to remember how successful the Triumph Herald was in its day. Introduced in 1959 to replace the large unloved – and unsuccessful – Standard Eight and Ten, the new small car made good use of the modern lines penned by Giovanni Michelotti to create an entirely more desirable vehicle….
From the debut of the MGB in 1962, Abingdon had worked to develop an attractive – and marketable – coupe from the roadster that could be sold alongside the open car and entice new customers into the fold for whom the standard car was impractical. Most of the primitive design studies suffered greatly in comparison…
The fact that the high-performance MGB GT V8 shared the same appearance as its more pedestrian siblings was deemed harmful to its position in the marketplace especially as it was difficult to distinguish the more potent car in various advertising efforts. As always with most British manufacturers, cost was an issue but it was deemed…
Despite the fact that plans for the TR4 were well underway by 1960, the ever present problem of insufficient funds led Triumph management to question the wisdom – and financial viability – of replacing the TR3A with Michelotti’s TR4. An alternative was proposed that would have been much cheaper (and far less effective) to implement…
Sir William Lyons was born in Blackpool in 1901, the namesake of an Irish father and an English mother. A bright boy, he was curious about machinery and good at school work. His family secured for him an engineering apprenticeship at Crossley Motors where he developed an intense interest in the burgeoning automotive industry. In…
Most enthusiasts, no matter their mettle, appreciate a good hardtop and the MGB Bermuda Hardtop is no exception. When our British sports cars were sold new there was an entire industry built around developing and marketing accessories for their customization. As expected, products for the MGB were profligate and several companies were formed to take…
It’s hard to comprehend – given the continued viability of Morgan even today in the 21st Century – but 50 years ago, the venerable firm at Malvern Link was ridiculed for the old-fashioned nature of their signature car. With a front suspension that was patented long before the Titanic was launched and styling that even…
When Adrian Mitu was an architecture student in Bucharest, Romania, he would often spend his idle moments lost in thought contemplating vintage and classic cars. After graduation in 2013, he decided to forego his chosen discipline and enter the world of automotive design. A fan of former BMW designer Chris Bangle – the creator of…
The Donald Healey Motor Company completed its first car immediately following the end of World War II and series production began with the Elliott saloon and Westland roadster in 1946. Both models were powered by the 2.4-liter Riley engine and featured a trailing arm independent suspension designed by Healey. In addition to the Elliott and…
Before the Mini left its mark as one of the most iconic cars to ever come from Britain, Sir Alec Issigonis had already established a reputation for brilliance with the Morris Minor. The first car built in the United Kingdom to sell more than one million units, the landmark Minor has been hailed as a…
