classic sports cars pics

Red Racing Ferrari Dino 206S

Ferrari Dino 206S, originally uploaded by martinswelt.

Dino was a brand for mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars produced by Ferrari from 1968 to 1976. The Dino brand was meant to be used for cars with engines that had fewer than 12 cylinders, reserving the Ferrari name for the V-12 and flat 12 models. The Dino name was retired after that point, in favour of conventional Ferrari branding. The Dino brand was an attempt by Ferrari to produce a relatively low cost sports car by using components from other vehicles.

The Dino models used Ferrari racing naming designation of displacement and cylinder count with two digits for the size of the engine in deciliters and the third digit to represent the number of cylinders, i.e., 246 being a 2.4 liter 6 cylinder and 308 being a 3.0 liter 8 cylinder.

The Dino 246 was the first Ferrari model produced in high numbers. It is lauded by many for its intrinsic driving qualities and groundbreaking design. In 2004, Sports Car International placed the car at number six on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s. Motor Trend Classic placed the 206/246 at number seven in their list of the 10 "Greatest Ferraris of all time".

Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, originally uploaded by Jojo Cence.

The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato was introduced in 1960 at the London Motor Show. It was effectively a DB4 GT improved by the Zagato factory in Italy, by Ercole Spada. The Zagato's engine produced 314 hp, a 0 to 60 mph acceleration of just 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 154 mph (246 km/h). Initially the factory had plans to produce 25 cars, but demand wasn't as strong as expected and production ceased at the 24th unit. Nowadays the car sells for over £3,500,000.

The DB4 GT Zagato was raced in the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans race by such famous names as Roy Salvadori and Jim Clark.

In 1991, 4 unutilised chassis numbers were put to use. With the approval of Aston Martin, four DB4 chassis were appropriately uprated to GT specifications. The chassis were then sent to Zagato's Milan workshop to be bodied. To familiarize the workforce with construction techniques of the 60's, an original DB4 GT Zagato was sent along to be dismantled. These cars were known as the Sanction II cars. They were outwardly identical, but several changes were effected in the interest of better handling. Each of these cars sold for over $1,000,000.

Jaguar E-Type (XK-E) Raced by Peter Newman

Jaguar E-Type (1 of 2), originally uploaded by _DaveAdams.

The Jaguar E-Type (UK) or XK-E (US) is a British automobile, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1974. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing resulted in a great success for Jaguar, with more than 70,000 E-Types being sold over its lifespan. It is often referred to as the E-Type Jag, and has subsequently become an icon of 1960s motoring. In March 2008, the Jaguar E-Type ranked first in Daily Telegraph list of the "100 most beautiful cars" of all time. In 2004, Sports Car International magazine placed the E-Type at number one on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

De Tomaso Pantera Italian Racing Car

Detomaso Pantera, originally uploaded by Martin Vincent.

The Pantera was a sports car produced by the de Tomaso car company of Italy from 1971 through 1991, the last one delivered to a customer in 1992. The word "Pantera" is Italian for "Panther". The car was designed by Tom Tjaarda and replaced the de Tomaso Mangusta. Unlike the Mangusta, which employed a steel backbone chassis, the Pantera was a steel monocoque design, the first instance of de Tomaso using this construction technique.

The first 1971 Panteras were powered by a Ford 351 in³ (5.8 L) V8 which produced 330 horsepower. The ZF transaxle used in the Mangusta and was used for the Pantera. Another Italian exotic that shares the ZF transaxle is the Maserati Bora. Power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes and rack and pinion steering were standard equipment. The 1971 Pantera could accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.5 seconds according to Car and Driver.

Ferrari 250 GTO 3387GT Race Car

The 250 GTO was designed to compete in GT racing. It was based on the 250 GT SWB. Chief engineer Giotto Bizzarrini installed the 3.0 L V12 engine from the 250 Testa Rossa into the chassis from the 250 GT SWB and worked with designer Sergio Scaglietti to develop the body. After Bizzarrini and most other Ferrari engineers were fired in a dispute with Enzo Ferrari, development was handed over to new engineer Mauro Forghieri, who worked with Scaglietti to continue development of the body, including wind tunnel and track testing. Unlike most Ferraris, it was not designed by a specific individual or design house.

The rest of the car was typical of early-1960s Ferrari technology: hand-welded tube frame, A-arm front suspension, live-axle rear end, disc brakes, and Borrani wire wheels. The five-speed gearbox was new to Ferrari GT racing cars; the metal gate that defined the shift pattern would become a tradition that is still maintained in current models. The interior was extremely basic, to the point where a speedometer was not installed in the instrument panel. Many of its switches came from the Fiat 500, and it was said that as the car was rushed into production, the original cloth seats were made from workers' overalls.

Lola T70 built for Sports Car Endurance Racing

Lola T70 #1, originally uploaded by Nigel Smuckatelli.

The Lola T70 was built for sports car racing, popular in the mid to late 1960's. Developed by Lola Racing Cars in 1965 in Great Britain, the T70 was made for endurance racing. In 1966, the open-cockpit Mk II version with a Chevrolet V8 engine was an entry in the CanAm series, winning five of six races during the year. In 1967, the T70 raced again but only won one race, outpowered by the newer McLaren made cars.

Despite its short-lived success in the CanAm series, the T70 was quite popular, with more than 100 examples of the vehicle being built in 3 versions. The first version, besides the original factory car, was the open-roofed Mk II, joined by the Coupé-version Mk III, and a slightly updated version, the Mk IIIB. The T70 was replaced in the CanAm by its lighter, stronger predecessor, the Lola T160.

1958 AC Aceca - Classic Sports Car with Racing Stripes

1958 AC Aceca, originally uploaded by smenzel.

The Aceca (pronounced "A-See-Ka") is a closed coupe from AC Cars, produced from 1954 through 1963. The similar Bristol-engined Aceca-Bristol was also available starting in 1956. Both were hand-built GT cars in the British tradition, with ash wood joining steel tubing in their construction. One notable feature was the hatchback at the rear, making the Aceca only the second car, after the 1953 Aston Martin DB2/4, to incorporate this element.

The main difference between the Aceca and Aceca-Bristol was the engine. Both were straight-6es, but the Aceca shared its 90 horsepower 2.0 L engine with the lighter AC Ace, while the Aceca-Bristol used a 125 hp "D-Type" 2.0 L unit sourced from Bristol Cars. The Aceca-Bristol was also available with a milder "B-Type" Bristol engine of 105 hp. The Bristol specification added $1000 to the Aceca's $5,400 price tag in the United States.