Latest news with #automotivehistory
The Drive
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
Vespa's 1950s Microcar Was Just As Cute as Its Scooters
Get The Drive's daily newsletter The latest car news, reviews, and features. Email address Sign Up Thank you! Terms of Service & Privacy Policy. Let's face it: cute is gonna cute. I mean, a mini Mini is a thing, so, of course, a cuter Vespa would exist. And this time, no chop shops are involved. In fact, this adorbs Vespa has four wheels and is French. According to Below the Radar, the manufacturer now known for scooters also built a teeny transporter from 1957 to 1961. With a 393cc two-stroke two-cylinder engine mounted in the rear, the Vespa 400 was smaller than its counterparts from Fiat and Mini. Measuring just 113 inches in length, the Vespa 400 was five inches shorter than the Fiat 500, which debuted the same year, and took up eight fewer inches than the incoming Mini Cooper that would launch in 1959. Other specs include 14 horsepower and a top speed of about 50 mph. Equipped with a three-speed manual, zero to 40 mph took a leisurely 23 seconds. Utilizing less than 9.5 feet of street space, understandably, there was only room for two occupants. Despite the rear engine, the Vespa 400 had no frunk. That space was actually where your feet would go. Vespa left no space to waste in its already tight-quartered 400. Ingress and egress were made easy via rear-hinged doors. Have luggage? There was a small area behind the two seats for that purpose. Have a kid? A small cushion could be fitted in between the seats to create a temporary bench. Have more than one kid? Hmm, how do I put this? You purchased the wrong vehicle. As the story goes, the Vespa 400 was manufactured out of a factory in Fourchambault, France, to take advantage of the market's growing affinity for microcars. Or perhaps because Fiat was going to have a fit and launch a competing cutesy scooter. Italian tit for tats aside, the Vespa 400 sold well during its first run out the gate with more than 12,000 sold, but sales slid in the following years. Mostly left-hand drive, the Vespa microcar was sold throughout Europe, with about 1,700 actually finding their way stateside. When the Vespa 400 was finally imported to the UK, a vehicle review at the time offered positive remarks. 'Helped by the well-sprung seats, ride comfort is unusually good for such a small car…There is little to distinguish the Vespa from a normal family car, apart from its size,' wrote The Motor, as shared by Below the Radar. That 1959 Vespa 400 cost 351,725 French francs or 255 British pounds. Bring a Trailer Unfortunately, not many have survived, but shiny side up examples can be found, like this one listed on Bring a Trailer which put the car back on our radar today. This little red number with a matching red and tan patterned interior has been an Arizona resident since the late 1960s and underwent a refurbishment in 2015. The speedometer has been replaced, so its true mileage is unknown, but it's a fact that the Vespa 400 is super cute with those 10-inch polished steelies. Offered at no reserve. The vehicle was purchased less than a year ago, selling for $21,023. However, with only a day to go, the current high bid is just $9,000. Are there any other tiny cars from scooter brands we should know about? Drop us a line at tips@
The Sun
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Rare McLaren with exposed cockpit, carbon-fibre bucket seats & 600 miles on clock could be yours for eye-watering price
A STUNNING 2021 McLaren Elva could be yours at auction for £755,000. This particular model is the 45th of just 149 built, making it an ultra-rare opportunity to own a piece of British automotive history. 6 First sold in June 2021, this Elva returned to the original dealer in 2022 and has since clocked just 681 miles. Images show carbon-fibre bodywork sitting atop super-lightweight forged alloy wheels in gloss black diamond cut. The ultra-rare motor features an exposed cockpit, carbon-fibre bucket seats clad in black and white leather, red piping, and red stitching and complete with Elva-embroidered headrests. Interior surfaces feature pure white paintwork alongside carbon-fibre trim across the sills, dash, and floors. Body-colour detailing extends to the upper dash, doors, centre console and rear bulkhead. Riding on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, braking is handled by 390mm carbon-ceramic rotors paired with forged monobloc calipers – six-piston at the front and four-piston at the rear – with stopping assistance from the active rear spoiler. Additional highlights include a deployable rollover system, front suspension lift, a McLaren sound system, touchscreen infotainment, air conditioning, parking sensors, and a rear view camera. The steering wheel, finished in black leather with a white 12 o'clock marker, frames a digital instrument display showing just 681 miles. It features a carbon-fibre MonoCell II monocoque chassis wrapped in aerodynamic carbon-fibre body panels and low-profile dihedral doors. It has a ferocious 4.0-litre DOHC V8 engine with twin-scroll turbochargers and dry-sump lubrication, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The motor produces a staggering 804 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque which propel the powerful car from 0-60mph in under 3 seconds. Designed for both speed and agility, the vehicle boasts McLaren's ProActive Chassis Control II, electro-hydraulic steering, and an Active Air Management System that channels airflow over the cockpit in lieu of a traditional windscreen. Inside rare SLR McLaren Stirling Moss that's been driven less than 100 miles in 13 years and is set to sell for $4.3m Now offered in Bellevue, Washington, this McLaren Elva includes a manufacturer's certificate of origin, clean Carfax report, and original window sticker. The auction presents a rare chance to own a breathtakingly exclusive machine from McLaren's Ultimate Series. The car is on the auction block with Bring A Trailer with a description reading: 'The 4.0-litre M840TR V8 is a variant of the powerplant introduced in the 720S and features a flat-plane crankshaft, dry-sump lubrication, and dual twin-scroll turbochargers. 6 6 'Output was factory rated at 804 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 590 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm, which is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch SSG transmission. 'The double-wishbone suspension incorporates active dampening and roll control via the ProActive Chassis Control II System, which offers comfort, sport, and track modes. 'Variable Drift Control, Brake Steer, launch control, and variable-rate electro-hydraulic steering are also standard on the Elva model. 'A plaque affixed to the door jamb lists the car as number 45 of 149. 'The window sticker lists delivery to McLaren Seattle as well as optional equipment and a total suggested retail price of $1,759,874. 'This car does not have a title as it has never been titled or registered. "It is being offered with its Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, and the selling dealer will assist the buyer with registration and titling.' 6 6
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Electric Vehicles Died a Century Ago. Could That Happen Again?
More than a century before Tesla rolled out its first cars, the Baker Electric Coupe and the Riker Electric Roadster rumbled down American streets. Battery-powered cars were so popular that, for a time, about a third of New York's taxis were electric. But those early electric vehicles began to lose ground to a new class of cars, like the Ford Model T, that were cheaper and could more easily be refueled by new oil-based fuels that were becoming available around the country. Bolstered by federal tax incentives in the 1920s, the oil industry boomed — and so did gasoline-powered cars. That history has largely been forgotten, and almost all of the early electric cars have disappeared so completely that most people alive today have never seen one — and many have no idea that they even existed. A few specimens are in museums and private collections, including a fully restored Baker Electric that Jay Leno keeps in his sprawling California garage. Mr. Leno's ancient electric car has a wooden frame and 36-inch rubber wheels. It looks like a stagecoach, but it is propelled by electric motors and batteries just like a current-day Tesla Model Y or Cadillac Lyriq. It elicited smiles and amazement from people on the streets of Burbank, Calif., when Mr. Leno drove it around town recently. The car may be a novelty, but it is newly relevant because the United States may be poised to repeat history. The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are working to undercut the growth of electric vehicles, impose a new tax on them and swing federal policy sharply in favor of oil and gasoline. Scholars who have studied the earlier age of electric vehicles see parallels in their demise in the early decades of the 1900s and the attacks they are facing now. In both eras, electric cars struggled to gain acceptance in the marketplace and were undermined by politics. A big knock against them was they had to be charged and ultimately were considered less convenient than vehicles with internal combustion engines. 'Electric cars are good if you have a towing company,' President Trump said at a campaign rally in Iowa in October 2023. At another appearance the next month, he said, 'You can't get out of New Hampshire in an electric car.' Charging and access to fuel were also concerns a century earlier. Americans in the 1920s wanted to explore the country. But many rural and suburban areas didn't have electricity. President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a big push to electrify the entire country in 1936 — the last farms were connected to the grid in the early 1970s. That made it difficult to use electric cars in many places. Republican leaders say that electric vehicles do not deserve subsidies in the tax code and that their tax bill levels the playing field that Democrats had tilted in favor of one technology. A hundred years ago, lawmakers also put their thumbs on the scale — and came down on the side of oil. The oil industry has enjoyed numerous tax breaks. One was enacted in 1926 when Congress allowed oil companies to deduct their taxable income by 27.5 percent of their sales. The sponsor of the legislation later admitted that the incentive was excessive. 'We grabbed 27.5 percent because we were not only hogs but the odd figure made it appear as though it was scientifically arrived at,' Senator Tom Connally, the Texas Democrat who sponsored the break, was quoted as saying in a biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, 'Sam Johnson's Boy: A Close-Up of the President From Texas.' That tax break lasted for decades. It was eliminated for large oil producers and reduced for smaller companies in 1975. Perhaps unsurprisingly, crude oil became dominant. The Energy Department noted on a timeline on its website that electric cars 'all but disappeared by 1935.' The triumph of internal combustion made long-distance travel accessible to the masses and helped power the U.S. economy. It also led to deadly urban air pollution and has been a major cause of climate change. Now, the decades-long tug of war between combustion engine and electric cars is intensifying again, and electric cars may be in trouble, at least in the United States. Sales of electric cars are growing quickly in most of the rest of world, increasing 35 percent in China in the first four months of the year and 25 percent in Europe, according to Rho Motion, a research firm. But in the United States, sales were up a more modest 11 percent in the first three months of 2025, according to Kelley Blue Book. Republican leaders are pushing legislation that would eliminate many Biden administration programs intended to promote electric vehicle sales, including a $7,500 federal tax credit. They also want to impose a new annual $250 fee on electric vehicle owners to finance highway construction and maintenance. While the Republican changes probably wouldn't kill electric vehicles, they could set the industry back years. 'E.V. momentum in the U.S. has slowed, with policy uncertainty mounting,' analysts at Bernstein said in a note this month. But electric cars have not just been hampered by politics. They also had to overcome gender stereotypes. Their benefits like quiet, smooth operation were considered by some men to be too feminine, and, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, many models like the Baker Electric were explicitly marketed only to women. Advertisements for the early electrics hang on the walls of Mr. Leno's Burbank garage. 'Make This the Happiest Christmas — Give Your Wife an Electric,' proclaims one. On another, a young woman pleads, 'Daddy Get Me a Baker.' Men, by contrast, have long been pitched on the masculine virtues of gasoline vehicles that roar and thunder. In the fall of 2022, Representative Majorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia who is closely allied with Mr. Trump, pushed the notion that gasoline cars are more macho at a rally. 'There's nothing more American than the roar of a V-8 engine under the hood of a Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro, an incredible feel of all that horsepower.' But Democrats, she said, 'want to emasculate the way we drive.' Elon Musk, Tesla's chief executive who has been working with the Trump administration, has tried to broaden the appeal of electric vehicles. His company's newest model is the Cybertruck, a massive pickup truck with lots of sharp angles. 'Musk has done everything he could to try to make a Tesla a manly vehicle,' said Virginia Scharff, an emeritus distinguished professor of history at the University of New Mexico and author of numerous books, including 'Taking the Wheel: Women and the Coming of the Motor Age.' But, Ms. Scharff added, Mr. Musk may have gone too far. His alignment with Mr. Trump's conservative politics has alienated some of the most reliable buyers of electric cars — liberals and environmentalists who hope to move the world away from fossil fuels. 'Here's like the gender flip: Tesla is so associated with a kind of toxic masculinity now as opposed to the electric car being associated with femininity in the early part of the 20th century,' Ms. Scharff said. Mr. Leno, the former 'Tonight Show' host, who now has an online show focused on cars, 'Jay Leno's Garage,' has a restored 1909 Baker Electric in his collection. It has a top speed of 25 miles per hour and can travel 80 miles on a full charge. With a high-top cab decorated in Victorian flair, it has two fabric-cushioned bench seats facing each other and roller shades on the windows. The car was meant to accommodate fanciful women's hats, which at the turn of the century were often big and bold. As an added touch, the car's designers mounted a makeup case inside the car. 'What do men like?' Mr. Leno said. 'Something that rolls, explodes and makes noise. That's why men like the gasoline car, because it frightened children, you know, that type of thing.' Mr. Leno said he loves the Baker, which he drives around Burbank at least once a year, to see holiday lights and decorations with his wife. He said such vehicles had many merits, convenience among them. They are low maintenance, they're fast and you can fuel them at home, particularly at night when electricity is generally much more affordable than during the day. The concept of home charging isn't new. Home car chargers also made their debut a century ago, only bulkier and a bit more frightful. 'It looked like a machine out of Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory,' said Leslie Kendall, chief historian at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Mr. Kendall said electric cars could have stuck around and even done well. But they were hampered by the lack of electricity in many communities, long charging times and their higher costs relative to gasoline vehicles — a Model T in 1908 cost about $650 compared with $1,750 for an electric roadster. 'You could carry extra gas with you,' he said. 'You couldn't carry extra electricity.' Richard Riker, a grandson of an electric car pioneer, Andrew L. Riker, said his grandfather had identified one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the cars he designed and sold — one that lingers to this day. 'They didn't have charging stations out on the street corners like my grandfather said they need to,' Mr. Riker said. During the Biden administration, Congress sought to address that shortcoming by allocating $7.5 billion for the construction of public chargers. Mr. Trump has halted that program. One of Andrew Riker's cars from the mid-1890s, a topless, two-seater cab that still sputters along at about 15 m.p.h, is on display at the Petersen museum along with other electric vehicles, both from history and those under development. Despite policy and other challenges, Mr. Riker said he was still optimistic about electric vehicles. He expects that in the coming decades, technical advances will give such vehicles a big edge over gasoline vehicles. 'If you can charge a car in five minutes and go 500 miles,' he said, 'the gasoline engine is history.'
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Cars that won't die: World's 10 longest-living models revealed with one launched in 1977 still going strong
Some cars feel like they've been around forever. And the reality is, some almost have. Certain nameplates have existed for more than a lifetime - and there are plenty that have gone almost unchanged mechanically during those extended periods. The longest living motors have been revealed in a countdown by Autocar, with the one on sale longest unaltered gracing our roads for over six decades. A number have gone from humble beginnings to being the biggest sellers of all time, while others have had less success but have clung on regardless. If you add their ages up they come to a grand old 485 years, which shows sticking power is half the battle. We run down the 10 with the longest on-sale sessions... 10. Mercedes G-Class - 38 years (1979-2017) Kicking off with one of the most iconic car names out there, the G-Class - a motor produced for warfare but today circulates Mayfair. The G-Wagon has become synonymous with luxury but was originally developed to be an agile all-terrain vehicle for both military and civilian use. Mercedes and Steyr-Daimler-Puch created a joint company called Galandefahrzeug-Gesselschaft to make this capable car, and in 1979 the first G-Class was ready. It remained almost unchanged for 38 years until it received a full makeover in 2017, with the all-new model debuting in 2018 with brand-new underpinnings. 9. Peugeot 504 - 38 years (1968-2006) This is the car that could be credited with saving Peugeot in the 20th century. Although French, the 504 was advertised under the motto 'Italian style, French soul' because it was designed in collaboration with Pininfarina. An extended version of the popular family 404 car, the 504 debuted in September 1968 as an unconventional and robust modern car for the upper middle classes at a moment when passenger car sales were not looking rosy. It was awarded Car of the Year and became a outright win for Peugeot and car production during a time of social unrest. In the end over 3.7million models were built until the last car rolled off the production line in Nigeria in December 2005. 8. Hillman Hunter - 39 years (1966-2005) The Hillman Hunter started out life in 1966. Produced by the Rootes group, it replaced the Minx and Super Minx, and ended up looking rather like a Ford Cortina Mk2, even though it hit the market first. Only those of a certain vintage will remember this car, which became one of Britain's best-selling vehicles during its 13 years of production. The Hunter turned into the Paykan after Iran's national car company bought the rights to produce it from knock-down Rootes kits - and it soon became Iran's national car. The remainder of Rootes is now owned by Peugeot, with assembly started in 1985, and was replaced by the Samand based on the Peugeot 405. 7. Mini - 41 years (1959-2000) It's the most iconic British car ever made and had some of the most famous owners (from Twiggy to The Beatles) of all time. A tiny car that fits four people, the Mini was designed by Alec Issigonis to fill the gap in the market for small, fuel efficient cars during the Suez Crisis. From racing cars to the big screen, the Mini has done it all while capturing hearts and minds for over 40 years. The classic Mini stopped production in October 2000, with a red Mini Cooper Sport rolling off the production line at Longbridge, Birmingham. In the end 5.3 million Minis were made. 6. Citroën 2CV - 42 years (1948-1990) The 2CV - or Deux Chevaux - is about as French as a baguette. Legendarily designed pre-war to enable a farmer and family to cross a freshly ploughed field with a basket full of eggs without breaking them, prototypes of the original 2CV were hidden away during the Second World War. It wasn't until almost 10 years after the design was first penned that it went on sale. Between 1948 and 1990 nine million were sold when derivatives are factored in, with 5.1 million of the original 2CV being produced. 5. Lada Niva - 45 years and still going (1977-present) Lada developed the Niva in 1977 and it is still going strong to this day. Developed as a no-nonsense, capable and rugged off-roader that could tackle Serbian terrain, it shared parts with the Fiat-derived 2101. It became an instant hit because it was so light and affordable - think of it as the Dacia Duster of its heyday. Originally a rural car, it's since been marketed to urban drivers with three and five-door 4x4 hatchbacks also sold. It's been in continuous production since 1977 and has had only had one minor facelift in 2020. However there's a new model set to arrive in 2025, which will end its 45-year uninterrupted run. 4. Hindustan Ambassador - 49 years (1958-2007) India's 'king of the roads' was introduced in 1958. The compact car was immensely popular in the country and was considered a status symbol among the elite. Based on the Morris Oxford series III, the sedan had boxy shape that won over fans and a 1.5-litre engine with 35hp - impressive for the 1950s. It was the car of businessmen, politicians, movie stars and the elite, and was remarkably plush inside. However its popularity declined in the 1990s as international car manufacturers entered the Indian market. However, Peugeot paid £10million in 2017 to try and coax the Ambassador back to the Indian market. 3. Morgan 4/4 - 64 years (1955-2019) Morgan is a British success story of heritage coachbuilding, and the 4/4 is its most enduring product. While the Series 1 4/4 - Morgan's first car with four wheels - was first made in 1936, this Series 2 model with its uninterrupted production run arrived in 1955. The Series 2 4/4 roadster overcame technological advances and changes in tastes and fashion to remain in production with only minor changes up until 2019. The entry model in the Morgan range with0 the 1,172cc Ford 100E engine produced 36bhp and recorded a top speed of 75.3mph in 1965. Still using the same ash wood framework, Morgan continued to bring 1910 traditions to the 4/4 even into the 21st century, and apart from a brief stint with a Fiat-sourced engine in the 1980s, the 4/4 only had very minor tweaks in its 64-year run. 2. Volkswagen Type 2 - 64 years (1949-2013) Dubbed the most important van in history, the Type 2 came from humble origins compared to the iconic success it went on to have. The Type 2 was produced to help Germany rebuild after WW2, with its mass market creation credited to Ben Pon, a Dutch VW importer, who saw the opportunity for a small bus to hit the big time. So what started as a 'Plattenwagen' in the Wolfsburg factory, went on to be dubbed the Kombi, Transporter, Bus, Camper and Kleinbus - and became the most famous camper van of all time as a symbol for the hippie movement of the '60s. Production continued in Latin America until the early 2010s when VW built its 600 'Last Edition' models exclusively for the Brazilian market. Worldwide, VW has produced over 10 million Type 2 buses since its inception. 1. Volkswagen Beetle - 65 years (1938-2003) The Volkswagen Beetle is officially the longest running production car in history. It's probably the most famous too, known for being the car that put the world on wheels. Originally intended to mobilise Nazi Germany, it wasn't mass produced until after the end of the Second World War. Initially just called the Volkswagen - the 'people's car' - the Beetle as it became also went under the nicknames Käfer, Vocho, Coccinelle, Fusca, or Maggiolino. Although no British or American manufacturer wanted it, with one British official even calling it an 'uneconomic enterprise', once production started in 1945 it was a runaway success with 21.5million first-generation cars sold. It became the most popular car manufactured off a single platform of all time. Production eventually ended in Mexico, where it had survived up until 2003. Unsurprisingly, it was new emissions rules that eventually killed off last ones, with a final run of Última Edición limited edition models. The Bug pioneered cheap personal transport, and flipped the dark Nazi 'KdF-Wagen' (Strength through Joy car) into a light and happy 1960s flower power symbol. T
The Sun
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
These are the longest living car models – including British icons and one that was in production for six decades
STILL GOING Check below to see which car model lived the longest Published: 23:03, Updated: 23:03, THE LONGEST living car models have been revealed, with British icons and a model that was in production for six decades. These vehicles are iconic worldwide and have earned their place as legendary models. 10 Here's the top 10 longest living car models. 10. Mercedes-Benz G-Class (1979-2017) – 38 years The Mercedes-Benz G-Class was transformed from a rudimentary off-roader to one of the most expensive models in the Mercedes line-up. The German manufacturer halted production of the original G-Class in 2017, though the newer version still closely resembles the 1979 model. 10 9. Peugeot 504 (1968-2006) – 38 YEARS This popular model won the coveted European Car of the Year award in 1969. The former Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad auctioned off his personal 1977 504 in 2010, which sold for a whopping £1.8million. 8. Hilman Hunter (1966-2005) – 39 YEARS Though mostly forgotten about today, the Himan Hunter went on to become one of Britain's best-selling cars during its 13-year reign on the UK's roads. Shortly after hitting showroom floors, Iran's national car company signed a deal, making it the country's national car — with the model used for taxis and police vehicles. 7. Mini (1959-2000) – 41 YEARS A whopping 5.3million Minis were built during its 41 years. The iconic British motor featured one of the most innovative designs under its hood, which inspired Lamborghini's 4.0-litre V12 engine. 10 6. Citroën 2CV (1948-1990) – 42 YEARS Motor experts credit Citroën's longevity to its simple, no-frills design. Around 5.1million 2CVs were produced, including an impressive 1.2million van variants. 5. Vaz 2121/Lada Niva/ Lada 4x4 (1977-present) – 48 YEARS & COUNTING This stunning motor was built to withstand a rugged and off-road terrain. The Lada underwent a minor facelift in 2020 however, motor fans will be disappointed to learn that the end for this model is near, with a new one expected in 2025. 10 4. Hindustan Ambassador (1958-2007) – 49 YEARS Peugeot paid an eye-watering £10million for the Ambassador in 2017. The old-school motor has remained largely unchanged since its launch - except for the introduction of a more modern version, the Avigo, in 2004. 10 3. Morgan 4/4 (1955-2019) – 64 YEARS Experts say the Morgan should have been phased out in the 1960s, yet the 4/4 model remained in production until 2019. Unfortunately, changes to emission regulations affecting the car's Ford Sigma engine led to the end of its production. 2. Volkswagen Type 2 (1949-2013) – 64 YEARS Production of the Volkswagen Type 2 began after the brand's Dutch importer requested permission to distribute the basic Plattenwagen, originally used to move parts around the Wolfsburg factory. Europeans primarily used the Bus for work, while Americans fell in love with the camper versions. 10 1. Volkswagen Beetle (1938-2003) – 65 YEARS The Volkswagen is the longest-living car and is an iconic vehicle everywhere in the world. More than a stunning 21million examples of the Beetle were built in around a whopping 15 countries.
