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This featured Car is Carrera GT

Carrera is a slot car.

This featured Car is Carrera

Carrera dominated the German markets in the 1960s and 1970s, due to using an additional third wire, and effective marketing, also at the nearby Nuremberg International Toy Fair.

This featured Car is Carrera

In the 1970, Carrera offered 1:24, 1:32 and 1:60 scales for slot cars, and the slot-free "Servo" systems which allowed cars to switch lanes, guided by the guard rails on the outside. Due to the many systems offered, and fewer customers (Generation), Neuhierl had to sell his company in 1985, and took his own life. The new owners sold rather cheap products.

This featured Car is ABT

Johann Abt (born December 1935), who continued a horseshoeing tradition of his family with motor cars, was a motorcycling and hillclimbing racer for Abarth factory team until 1970. He later entered cars with his own team, winning the "Trophée de l’Avenir“ and other series.

This featured Car is Koenigsegg CCR

The Koenigsegg CCR is a mid-engined sports car manufactured by Koenigsegg. It briefly held the world speed record for a production car and is currently the fourth fastest production car in the world, behind the Bugatti Veyron, SSC Ultimate Aero and the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

Sunday, 18 March 2012

Bertone Barchetta Concept


Geneva heats again the spirit in auto world. A series of producers have already announced the models and concepts that will be revealed with this occasion, and others intend to do so. Geneva is the place where show up series cars, popular cars, but also a series of "weird" stuff or superexclusivist concepts. Some of these never reach the level of finished product and only some of the components are integrated in other models. We still do not know how the story of Bertone Roadster Concept will be finalised, but the car definitely manages in a natural way to capture ones imagination.
The model is a very refined, futuristic and aggressive one and it represents Bertone's gift at its 95Th anniversary. The car has "pocket" sizes and it is built on FIAT Panda's platform and the latter's propeller of 100 HP is enough to get considerable appreciation. The Roadster can have on board 2 persons in an interior as extravagant as the exterior. The main design features come from Fiat 500 with Barchetta bodywork created by Nuccio Bertone (1947).
Why Fiat? Because there is a very strong link between the two companies, their relationship having lasted for more than eighty ears and having generated over fifty successful models concept cars (ex: 850 Spider to the X1/9, Ritmo Cabrio to the Punto Cabrio).
The result of this latest collaboration is a completely above fashion, futuristic car which although shows Bertone traditions (clean cut lines), also projects the concept of Barchetta into the future through great elegance and sophisticated irony.
Master panel beaters (still working for Bertone today) have entirely hand beaten the upper shell and the single piece of aluminium extends from the front tip of the bonnet to embrace the upper part of the sides and rear arches, terminating in the tail. Another patent of Bertone brand, the opening scissors doors are a proof of the company's attention to the specific issue of accessibility.


Under the futuristic body there is a gear box coming from Panda and the engine that we have mentioned earlier:1.4 litres, 16 valves which develops 100 HP at 600 rpm and a driving torque of 131 NM. Panda reaches 0-100 km/h in 9.5 seconds and a maximum speed of 185 Km /h. The Concept car is expected to obtain a higher performance due to it's very light body.

Other Dimensions: Length: 3,585 mm; Width: 1,705 mm; Height: 1,090 mm; Wheelbase: 2,300 mm; Wheels: 20-alloys; Tyres: Pirelli 225/30 R20.

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