Electel Blogspot

In 2018 while touring north-central Italy, I came across this car during a lunch break.  A little Googling allowed me to identify it and refresh my memory of it when the design was new. As the title of this post states, it is an  Alfa Romeo Spider , likely a 1995 or 1996 model.  Wikipedia indicates that the stylist was Enrico Fumia who was working at Pininfarina.  This Spider (pronounced like the English word "speeder") series was marketed model years 1995-2006 and experienced a minor grille facelift during that period.  There also was a coupé version, the GTV. The Spider has a 100-inch (2540 mm) wheelbase, but its overall length is 168.7 inches (4285 mm), the latter dimension similar to that of the early, classic Porsche 911.  This suggests that the car potentially had reasonable proportions.  But the styling makes it seem stubby, rather than graceful or purposeful. Gallery German publicity photo. Probably a factory image of a 1995 model.  The g...

While Toyota dealerships are open for servicing and parts during Level 5 restrictions, customers are encouraged to contact their dealers or check out Toyota’s virtual sales experience when it comes to buying a new model, writes Trish Whelan . Toyota has announced a range of offers to help drivers on their way to affordable electrified motoring. New Toyota hybrid buyers can avail of finance contributions of up to €3,000, APRs from 2.9pc, trade-in boosters up to €2,500 for non-finance customers and three years’ free servicing as standard. With these new offers, customers who purchase a new Toyota before 28 February 2021 will benefit from a 3pc VAT reduction with lower VRT from January on the majority of Toyota’s range. Toyota claim to have the lowest C02 output of any mass market car brand and its hybrids sold in 2019 alone will save over 60,000 tonnes from entering the atmosphere in their lifetime.  

During the 1940s and 1950s General Motors marketed five brands while using three body platforms.  How this was done for its two larger platforms was in a Special-Interest Autos magazine article I referenced here .  The subject of the present post is Oldsmobile's use of all three platforms on its 1951 line of models. Due to its intermingling of body segments, sometimes it can be difficult to identify the plaform a given GM car might be based on.  For example, this Wikpedia entry on the B Platform indicates the 1951-vintage Oldsmobile 88 and Super 88 models used that platform.  Yet the images below strongly suggest that the 88 line used the A Platform also used by Chevrolet and Pontiac. Let's take a look. Gallery Fold-out showing many examples of the 1951 Oldsmobile line.  Click on the image to enlarge. First, some images of a for-sale 1951 Oldsmobile 88 four-door sedan. Along with one of a beat-up for-sale A-Platform 1951 Pontiac four-door from a similar point ...

I wrote about a 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupé with a factory body designed by in-house stylist Fred Feeley here .  Since I believe design of convertibles is less taxing to a stylist than cars with hard tops with all the possibilities of forms, window shapes, and other rquired deatils, I tend to focus on such cars on this blog.  Therefore, I owe readers something about Lagona V12 Saloon styling to compensate for that post about a convertible. In that post I commented that Feeley's frontal design, the basis for both factory and custom bodies, was more rounded than, say, the angularity of Rolls-Royces.  Which made me wonder if there were examples of Logonda V12s with angular bodies and how such bodies might relate to the rounded frontal design.  It happens that the Freestone & Webb coachbuilding firm (brief Wikipedia entry here ) built some "razor-edge" bodies (F&W initiated that style) on V12 Lagondas.  Some these are shown below. Gallery First, three i...

Volkswagen has given the GTI Clubsport version of the latest Golf its world premiere, providing the most powerful model in the car's latest generation, writes Brian Byrne . With 300hp available from its 2.0 turbocharged petrol engine, a new sports running gear integrates the GTI's standard electromechanical front-axle locking differential in the Vehicle Dynamics Manager’s network for the first time. VW's Head of Driving Dynamics, Steering and Control Systems Karsten Schebsdat says the latest Golf GTI Clubsport handles even more neutrally and precisely than the classic Golf GTI. Standard 18-inch wheels, a special diffuser, lowered body, and wide side sills showcase the car's sporty performance from the outside.  

The Cupra brand of sporty cars from SEAT has announced three dealers for Ireland, writes Brian Byrne . They join the existing Bright Airside Cupra dealer in Dublin and are James Barry Motors Limerick; Johnson and Perrott, Mahon Point, Cork; and McCoy Motors, Lucan, Dublin. The current model lineup of Cupra Leon, Leon Sportstourer and Ateca will be joined by the Formentor in December. The Formentor is the Cupra brand's first dedicated model and will be available with a range of seven engine options, including plug-in hybrids. Cupra was spun off from from being a SEAT performance grade and was launched as a stand-alone in 2018.  

The first completely driverless cars will be on the streets of San Franciscoin California before the end of the year, following the granting of a permit to the Cruise self-driving technology company, writes Brian Byrne . The cars will not require a safety driver under the terms of the permit. Cruise is backed by General Motors and Honda for self-driving technology, and the prototypes are adapted versions of the Chevrolet Bolt electric car. The company says it has already completed over two million miles of testing of its technology. Only company people will be allowed in the cars on San Francisco streets for the moment.  

I wrote here about the 1990 Lexus, a successful new luxury brand.  In this post, the subject is Infiniti, another new Japanese luxury brand launched around the same time.  Specifically, the model Q45 (marketed model years 1990-96). Its Wikipedia entry is here . As mentioned in the earlier post, stylists and management surely paid attention to potential competitors.  Below are cars in the American market that were in production during the time Q45 styling was developed.  They were selected on the basis of having wheelbases fairly similar to that of the new Infiniti.  Their designs are compared to that of the Q45. Most of the images below are factory-sourced photos. Gallery 1985 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Basically 1970s-'80s "three box" angular styling featuring large glass areas.  The main concession to aerodynamic efficiency is the slanted windshield. 1981 Lincoln Town Car This model remained in production during the 1980s.  Its design is even more ...

Though screens and similar technology in modern cars can be viewed as distracting, driving safety gurus at Volvo Cars say such technology is a fact of life, and should be used to support people in their daily commute, writes Brian Byrne . According to Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre, 'life as a whole is distracting'. “We know people do not get distracted on purpose, but it happens. You could be late for daycare and somewhat stressed. Or you get behind the wheel after a bad day at work. All this affects you as a driver.” In a Volvo-organised safety webcast last week, she said the reality is that people want to engage with friends, family, work and entertainment, and everyone responds differently to distraction. “So we want to meet our customers where they are, not where we want them to be. That is why our focus is on using technology in the right way, so we can use it to help you stay safe behind the wheel.” She gave as an example the advanced voice control...

A high performance version of Ford's iconic Mustang is to be made available to European customers for the first time, writes Brian Byrne . The Mustang Mach 1 will have a 460hp V8 under the hood matched to a special 6-speed manual transmission with rev-matching technology for faster downshifts. A retuned version of Ford's 10-speed automatic will also be available. Retuned MagnetRide dampers and special springs will make the Mustang Mach 1 the best-handling version of the model, both for track and on-road use, according to Ford. Aerodynamic changes have been made to the front and sides to help the car cope with the increased performance potential. The model is a nameplate derivative first used in the 1960s and 1970s for high performance versions of the car. The new Mustang Mach 1 debuted at the weekend at the Goodwood SpeedWeek event held behind closed doors for a global online audience. There are no indications of price or availability for Ireland of this limited edition. ...