The BMC ‘A’ series engine may have been the smallest but it was one of the most produced and most frequently used engines fitted into cars made by British Motor Corporation (BMC).
In fact, during its long lifespan from the 1950s well into the 1990s, it powered some of the most iconic and popular of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s cars including the Mini, Mini Cooper, Austin Allegro and Austin Maestro.
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Tagged 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, a series, allegro, austin, bmc, car, engine, midget, mini, morris minor, powerplant, powertrain, sixties, sprite
Built as a successor to the mid-fifties Jaguar 2.4 and 3.4, the Mk II became, and not without good reason, one of the best loved and best known of all Jaguars.
It was also a car that epitomised Jaguar’s traditional and very much pre-war values of style, comfort and performance enshrined in their motto of ‘Grace, Space, Pace’. The car was designed from the ground up to convey the occupant quickly and in style and it was also, incidentally, a 1960, red, 2.4 litre Mk 2 Jaguar that Inspector Morse drove in the television series. As much as anything, this has helped to make it so instantly recognisable (and sought after) today.
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Tagged 1960s, auto, automobile, british, car, cars of the 1960s, classic car, cool cars, images, information, jaguar, mk 2, performance, racing, review, sixties, sports, statistics, transport, used car
The MG Car Company had a perfectly good sports car in the seven year old MGA. It was popular, it sold well especially in the USA, and offered great performance linked with the joys of fresh air sports car motoring. So, in 1962 when MG announced its successor, the logically styled MGB, it had to be, not just a good car, but one that was even better.
In fact, the MGB was not just better, it was, in most respects, streets ahead and the design was so popular and so advanced that, in a variety of incarnations, it lasted some 18 years until production stopped in 1980. In the process it became one of the most easily recognised and loved sports car on the roads of both Britain and America.
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Tagged auto, automobile, british, car, cars of the 1960s, classic car, cool cars, images, information, mg, mgb., performance, racing, review, sixties, sports, statistics, transport, two seater, used car
The BMC ‘B’ series engine was in production and development for some 26 years and found use in a variety of vehicles over a considerable period of time. From humble beginnings, it was to become the mainstay of the MG MGB car that will form the subject of a full review to be posted soon.
This engine first saw life after the war when Austin started work on a new engine to power its A40 Devon vehicle produced from 1947 to 1952. A new engine was produced and in this form it was a four cylinder OHV 1200cc power unit producing some 40 bhp at just over 4000 rpm. The engine was a robust unit with a bore of 65.5mm and stroke of 88.9mm.
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Tagged 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, austin, b series, bmc, car, engine, mga, mgb., powerplant, powertrain, sixties
Audi
The Audi Super 90 is an important car since it was the last of the line of cars produced since 1965 and built in the 60′s era before the introduction of the Audi 100 in 1969 and the merger of Audi with NSU.
Prior to 1965 Audi produced cars with a three cylinder two-stroke engine but that changed when, in that year, they developed the first four-stroke engine of 1695 cc delivering some 72 bhp and known as the Audi 72.
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Tagged 100, 90, Audi, auto, automobile, car, cars of the 1960s, classic, cool cars, estate, images, information, model, racing, saloon, sixties, sports, super, transport, two seater, used car
The Giulia was unashamedly developed at the expense of the Alfa Romeo 2600, a fact I covered in my article on the 2600 which you will find here. It’s a common problem, and not just with car makers, there is a tendency to concentrate on the new and forget the older, more tried solution. However, looking at the impact that the Giulia made it’s easy to see why this happened.
Alfa Romeo had, at the start of the 1960s, a large car, the 2000, which it developed into the even bigger 2600, and the smaller and neater Giulietta which had been in production since the mid 1950s. This had a 1300cc engine and the idea was to keep that but introduce a larger powerplant as well and so, in 1962, the Giulia was born.
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Tagged 1960s, 60s, Alfa Romeo, auto, automobile, car, cars of the 1960s, classic, convertible, cool cars, Coupe, estate, europe, giulia, images, information, italian, model, open, racing, sixties, sports, transport, two seater, used car
I haven’t been to a car auction for many years but I can’t deny that it’s a good day-out and I have some happy memories of days spent watching cars being sold out in the sunshine.
I have to admit that it’s a good excuse to be outside and to spend time looking at cars and I want to highlight some auctions as days-out over the next few months.
I like Alfa Romeos, I think I always have, and I like big cars too, ones with plenty of engine and some lively right foot action. So, fifty years on, would I have liked this one?
Like today, in the 1950s Alfa Romeo had a reputation for building great cars and, although they were expensive in this country, they still sold well. They were also well liked and a parked Alfa would be sure to attract attention in the car park.
This Alfa was a development of the very successful Alfa Romeo 2000 of the late 1950s. In saloon form, it’s a large car with plenty of passenger room inside while as a drophead, it’s a fast, modern and sporty touring car.
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Tagged 1960s, 2600, 60s, Alfa Romeo, auto, automobile, car, cars of the 1960s, classic, convertible, cool cars, Coupe, europe, images, information, italian, model, open, racing, sixties, sports, transport, two seater, used car
