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The highest number DB4 GT chassis (0201L) was dispatched to the famous Italian coachbuilder Bertone shortly before Christmas 1960. And within a few short weeks, a fabulous notchback coupe body, reminiscent of Bertone-bodied Ferraris, was added. At that time, the car, finished in light green with a contrasting grey interior, was exhibited at the 1961 Geneva Salon. The "Jet," as it was known, was principally the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro and was also shown at the Turin show in the same year. Unusually for an Aston, the Jet has a body not of aluminum but steel, making it slightly heavier than the standard cars. You may wish to contrast this car with the only other Aston Martin designed by Giugiaro, the twenty-twenty, unveiled at the 2001 Geneva Salon, precisely forty years after the Jet. Source: www.astonmartins.com Images: Carrozzeria Bertone s.p.a.; www.classiccarcatalogue.com

The prototype for the famous Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider was presented at the 1961 Turin Auto Show and then went on sale in 1966. It was followed by the 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS Coupe by Pininfarina. Source & Images: carsthatnevermadeitetc

Michelotti (1921 – 1980) designed cars – lots of cars. Have a guess how many: 50? 100? Nope. Michelotti penned 1,200 vehicles, including 190 Ferraris. In the 1954 Turin Show, more than 40 cars were by Michelotti. He has designed cars for Ferrari, Maserati, BMW, and countless others. He is perhaps best known in the UK for his Triumphs – the Herald, TR4, 5, 6, Spitfire, GT6 and 1300, 1500, Toledo, Dolomite, 2000, and Stag. His last design to see production was the Reliant Scimitar SS1. Cars don’t come much rarer than this Alfa Romeo Michelotti Conrero. Tipped off by Abarth guru Tony Berni, we traveled to Brescia to find this original yellow one-off, supplied by Fiat primary dealer Pierangelo Pasini of Franzoni Auto. We drove to nearby Villa Badia Piccola for our photo location. Michelotti made the camera lie, as the proportions of this coupe are that of a big car. Pictures make it look Alfa 2600-sized, but it is the size of the 1956 Giulietta Sprint Veloce (1,300cc) underneath. Nicknamed ‘Goccia’ (pronounced gotcha), it is Italian for ‘drop,’ as in teardrop. It was in 1961 that the car acquired its Michelotti body and Conrero motor. Not a Motor Show poseur, this car has period competition history. Driven by Munaron and De Leonibus, it ran at Monza in 1961 in the Coppa Ascari 6-hours, where it vied for the lead against the works Alfa SZ of Sanesi before a transmission problem dropped the ‘drop’ to seventh. Monza races apart, other outings include a class win in the 1961 Aosta-Pila Hillclimb. Its two-seater brief means plenty of room for ‘design.’ The rear haunches are predominant, and the large diameter (15-inch) wheels give a modern body-to-wheel ratio. The voluptuous bumperless shape is aluminum with Carrozzeria Michelotti Torino badges on the front wings. Alfa Romeo heritage has been retained with the distinctive front end, although the headlamps under glass impart a studious, bespectacled appearance. A slight tint and they would be designer shades. The wheels and finned drum brakes are so Alfa. I recognize the windscreen as that beautiful quarter-elliptical shape of the Alfa Romeo Giulia/Giulietta SS. The rest of the windows are in plexiglass, with the overall weight of our yellow machine down at just 750kg. Getting in and out is complex and reminiscent of the Alfa SS. Both seats are slim, with the one on the driver’s side being a low-back bucket type. No belts are fitted. The big steering wheel extends down too close to the seat, making it very difficult to get in. With such light steering (due to the lightness of the whole car), the Michelotti Alfa would benefit significantly from a smaller, period steering wheel. Not necessarily a design fault on the part of Michelotti, who was stuck with the layout. It is a 750/101 Series Giulietta/Giulia Coupe fault, but I’m amazed how drivers can live with such an easily solved discomfort. Source: Roberto Giordanelli - Auto Italia magazine, July 2004 via www.classicdriver.com Images: www.conceptcars.it; www.classicdriver.com; www.motor-klassik.de

Designed by Rodolfo Bonetto from the coachbuilder Boneschi in 1961, it remained a one-off. Source & Images: carrozzieri-italiani

It's now an open secret that the Soviet Union researched and developed many things to gain a strategic military advantage. Over the years, many weird prototypes, possibly classified as top secret at the time, have been unveiled, giving us exciting insights into the past. One of the most bizarre prototypes was the GAZ 16A. Its name comes from the Gorky Automobile Factory, where it was assembled; GAZ was founded in 1932 and manufactured specialty vehicles such as trucks, passenger cars, and amphibious vehicles. During the Cold War era of the 1950s, GAZ began to handle development work. In the early 1960s, they began to manufacture hovercraft. While GAZ engineers knew the hovercraft's conceptual difficulties, they could still design a usable body for the new vehicle. Two propellers at the front and rear lifted the vehicle off the ground, and two large propulsion propellers generated enough wind to move the hovercraft horizontally. Engineers worldwide attempted the development and concept of air cushion vehicles. Still, ultimately the economic and general success of the concept remained at a low level, and it was used only in a few areas. View the Story Cars Archive of Soviet Concept Cars & Prototypes Source: Autocult Images: OldConceptCars

A shooting brake fastback concept based on Ghia’s coupé version of the Fiat 2300. Two copies were made but the car never progressed beyond the prototype stage. Source: carsthatnevermadeitetc

Industrial designer Henry Covington of St. Petersburg, Florida, set out in the early 1960s to build a car based on the aerodynamic principles of Dr. Augustus Raspet, a noted aerodynamics expert. The result was the 1962 El Tiburon Roadster (The Shark). Covington collaborated with fiberglass expert Glenn Gums of Glenn Industries for the prototype build. Caccicraft made six coupes of Tampa, Florida. Sadly Henry Covington passed away in May 1962, and production was stopped. Glenn Gums moved forward, producing the Tiburon, but with several modifications. He changed the coupe body to a roadster, added doors, and exposed the headlights. Five roadsters were made from 1962 through 1965. Both the Tiburon coupe and roadster were designed to take full advantage of aerodynamic knowledge at the time and included a belly pan nearly as large as the car. This under the car aerodynamics was very advanced for 1962. In 1966 this design-led Road & Track to recognize Henry Covington’s Tiburon sports car as the most streamlined car in the world. This beautiful fiberglass classic is powered by Renault, yes, Renault. Are you surprised? Me too! Geoffrey Hacker, the owner of this particular car, was able to get it ready to show on a very tight schedule at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Read about his efforts on his blog Forgotten Fiberglass (Undiscovered Classics). The first of the many fiberglass cars to be added to Geoffrey Hacker’s collection, he’s owned the Shark roadster for over thirty years. He told me on the phone in 2013 that he owns 46 cars! That is a serious commitment. He brought the car back to life in the early 1980s, switching out the original Renault 4CV engine and transmission for an engine and transmission from a 1971 Renault R10. Still, showing the car at Amelia Island motivated a complete restoration. And he made it just in time. Source: MyCarQuest (2018) Mike Gullet Images: OldConceptCars

The Toyota Publica Sports concept, shown at the 1962 Tokyo Motor Show, was a spin-off from the firm’s existing Publica small car. The Publica was launched in 1961 as an affordable ‘people’s car,’ and while the two-door, three-box saloon was a sensible and practical proposition, its front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout made it ideal as a basis for a small, fun sports car. However, Publica Sports was more than just a sporty concept – it also signaled that Japan’s auto industry was ready to emerge from the post-War austerity and engage with a new generation of younger car buyers. This much was evident from the design of the Publica Sports concept, which clothed the Publica’s chassis and tiny boxer engine in a beautifully styled body. Rather than adopting a two-door roadster body style, Toyota’s project team retained a closed cockpit design on the concept but with an innovative twist. Instead of doors providing access to the two-seater interior, the entire upper glasshouse of the Publica Sports from the A-pillar backward slid on rails, allowing occupants to step over the side and down into the car. It wouldn’t have been a practical approach for a production model, but it was a brilliant way to capture the public’s interest in a concept. The Publica Sports concept of 1962 was followed three years later by a production version called the Sports 800. The engine size grew to 790cc, and its power increased to 45bhp, which was brilliant fun in a car with a curb weight of less than 600kg. The Publica Sports’ sliding canopy didn’t survive the transition from concept to reality, instead replaced by conventional doors. However, the Sports 800 had a removable ‘targa’ roof panel that allowed buyers to enjoy a roadster feel without compromising a soft top. Toyota also designed the roof panel to stow in the boot when removed. Interestingly, the Sports 800 subsequently went to spawn concepts itself. The first came in 1979 with the Sports 800 Gas Turbine Hybrid, which used a 22kW gas turbine engine to drive a generator, providing power to an electric motor driving the wheels. More recently, the Sports EV concept displayed at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon took a classic Sports 800 and equipped it with a 28kW electric motor. Source: Andrew Biddle - blog.toyota.co.uk Images: www.spiegel.de; www.2000gt.net

The Simca 1000 saloon was launched in France in October 1961 and was an instant success with French buyers, but the response in export markets was much more muted. The new management at Simca was keen to raise the profile of their new car internationally. Mindful of the precedent set by Renault with their (initially Frua-bodied) Renault Floride, Simca turned to initially to Facel to discuss a joint project. The idea was to have Facel produce the bodies. However, in the judgment of Henri Pigozzi, Simca's aging but still unusually "hands-on" boss, Facel's proposal lacked the necessary style and was considered unrealistic: there were also concerns that Facel's difficult financial position might impact the project adversely. Simca then turned to Bertone and commissioned a coupe version of their new car. Bertone gave the job to a recently recruited young designer called Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car, having already been heavily trailed, was formally launched at the Geneva Motor Show early in 1962. However, official French homologation for production only took place in November 1962: customer deliveries began in 1963. The style of the car was widely admired, but the cost of the Bertone-built body made it difficult for the car to compete on price alone, while the use of the standard 944cc engine block from the Simca 1000 meant that performance was unlikely to live up to its racy styling. From the start, Simca presented the Coupe 1000 as a separate model. The outside was a true high point of Bertone's Italian art, with grace, vision, maturity, and beauty. There were wrap-around bumpers front and rear, and the back was quite as neat as the front, a rare feature in a coupe from the era. Inside, the dash was finished too, but they didn't skimp on a single thing you might have needed. Two large black dials with white numerals conveyed speed and rpm and were flanked by dials for oil, water temp, and amps. Light controls were centered in stalks under the wood-rimmed alloy steering wheel, with pull scattered switches about haphazardly for other functions. Arguably the worst placed of the switchgear was the two under the corner of the dash to operate a two-speed heater blower control and two-speed wipers. The pedals were smallish, and the key was buried under the dash. And speaking of keys, the Coupe came with four separate keys - ignition, doors, glovebox, and boot. The driving position was good, with outstretched legs and plenty of seat rake adjustment to attain any degree of straight arms you might have wanted. No matter how far you cranked the squab back or slid the whole seat aft, the sturdy shift column was right beside you. It was perhaps the best point in the car, with excellent synchromesh, nice short throws, and a general feeling of solidity. The lever was spring-loaded reasonably firmly to the III-IV sid,e which was handy, but reverse took some care at first. The seats themselves looked perfect for fast touring, but they had one glaring fault - the front was lower than the back (speaking of the forward buckets now), so that you were perpetually sliding out on the rug if you didn't keep one leg stiff as a brace. We assume owners would have fitted shims under the front to fix this but on a new car, While the 1000 Coupe made no pretense of being anything but a two-seater with occasional space behind, it could, in fact transport four adults around town without breaking any backs. The general finish of the Simca Coupe was quite good with lustrous paint and well-fitted bright-work. The windows closed properly and there was very little wind or motor noise inside. A nice touch here was the fitment of a divided back in the rear so that you could use one side for luggage and have a third seat free as well. On the road, the Simca 1000 coupe could skitter sideways for very little reason, particularly if there was a high-side wind. This fault was perhaps amplified by steering, which was vague - although it seemed no two cars were the same. Some road testers found the steering ok on one car, only to be disappointed on another of the same specification. It could be a rear disc brake pad dragging, a noise from the dash that you could not trace, or worse still, a noise from the suspension when cornering hard. It seems no two cars rolled off the production line in exactly the same manner - and minor niggles were the order of the day. The hit-and-miss quality was a shame because the Simca Coupe, at the time, could be one of the fastest, safest one-liter GT machines on the road. It seemed many road testers would almost fall in love with the car, but then quirks like side wander or mushy steering would take over, and that love was lost. Probably one of the problems was Simca's decision to use Englebert tires - this lacked traction to an almost dangerous degree - and in the ic,e the only safe option was to leave the car behind and walk. And those who persevered in icy conditions would find the carburetor prone to icing up - causing the engine to stall. Source: www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au; amonov.livejournal.com Images: Berton; Chrysler

The XR-400 was a fully operational concept car. A "sporty" youth-oriented convertible was built in 1962 by the Budd Company, an independent body builder in Detroit, Michigan, for evaluation by the fourth largest U.S. automaker at the time, American Motors Corporation (AMC). The phrase "ahead of its time" applies to this proposed vehicle. The XR-400 was developed and constructed by the Automotive Division of the Budd Company. The "X" stood for experimental, and the "R" stood for Rambler. The trunk lid featured Rambler lettering as the intended customer of the car. The Budd Company was a long-time supplier of tooling, parts, and bodies to automakers. Budd also worked with Nash Motors, AMC's predecessor company, to develop the 1941 Nash 600, the first unibody (unitized) automobile body in the United States in 1940, the predecessor of the modern mass-produced car. The objective of this car was to entice AMC to expand into a new market segment with a low-cost Rambler-based "AMC's"sports convertible." Budd's experiments include the first all-plastic-bodied automobile developed for Studebaker in 1954. This prototype logged thousands of test miles on public roads. Its contracts included the manufacture of Thunderbird bodies for Ford starting in 1955 through 1957. In 1962, Budd proposed to replicate the original two-seat Thunderbird design on a Ford Falcon platform, but Ford rejected the idea. Budd's XT-Bird idea was then redeveloped using an AMC platform and shown to AMC. Budd's already existing business with AMC would increas by appealing to AMC with its concept vehiclee. It wanted to supply bodies and major sub-assemblies to the automaker for a production version of this new car. Budd estimated that the new model could be available for public sale by October 1963, six months ahead of the Ford Mustang. The XR-400 was built on a two-door 1962 Ambassador chassis. To keep costs down, Budd engineers kept the front of the unit body with the suspension in the exact location. The engine's position was lowered by two inches (51 mm) with new rear mounts; the radiator was reduced by 3.5 inches (89 mm), and the fan blades were shortened, as was the oil-filler neck. The air cleaner was relocated, the exhaust system was reshaped, and the gas tank was new. The XR-400's long nose was achieved by extending the front section and adding a cowl behind it that held the battery. Budd styled the car with a relatively clean and uncluttered body giving little indication of its Rambler sedan origin. A double crease in the beltline suggested a family relationship to the contemporary styling of Rambler's large-sized cars. The proposed model was a true 2+2 (two front bucket seats plus limited use seats for two back passengers) sleek, steel-blue convertible with a long hood and a short, stubby rear deck. The XR-400's long 108-inch (2,743 mm) Ambassador wheelbase and truncated overhangs gave it athletic proportions, while the top-up appearance suggested a close-coupled two-seater sports car. Classic sports car touches included a hood line that slopped lower than the front fenders, doors that had a dip in their top, and simulated air extractors behind the front wheels. Power for the XR-400 was supplied by a standard Ambassador two-barrel 250 hp (186 kW; 253 PS) 327 cu in (5.4 L) AMC V8 engine. The engine bay could accommodate any of AMC's I6 or V8 engines. The transmission was an automatic (not typical of sports cars) controlled through a floor console-mounted shift lever. An experimental front disc brake system provided braking. The interior used AMC's front seats and many other hardware items. In classic sports car fashion, the driver had all controls and a complete set of instruments (speedometer, tachometer, and gauges for fuel, water temperature, amperes, and oil pressure) that were mounted directly ahead of a three-spoke wood-rimmed Nardi (brand) steering wheel. Budd's sales pitch to AMC included pioneering a market "presently untapped by any other manufacturer" with a car so "unlike anything else on the road it would attract widespread attention, provide your dealers with both a new profit area and morale-builder, and offer unusual advertising and sales promotion opportunities." The experimental convertible was publicly exhibited at the 1964 meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The press release stated that the concept shows how modifying Rambler Ambassadors results in: "... A brand new type of car—one designed specifically to take over a healthy segment of the new car market presently untapped by any American manufacturer...." Automotive press reports stated that such a new model could have appeared in AMC dealer showrooms, thus establishing a market segment at least six months before Ford's similar Mustang started the "pony car" market. Unfortunately, AMC turned down the idea. There were several reasons for this decision, including: American Motors' President George W. Romney, who cemented the company as a maker of compact cars, left the company in February 1962 to run for governor of Michigan. The new model had very little interior room to compete successfully against other sporty compact cars such as the Chevrolet Corvair Monza and the Pontiac Tempest Le Mans. Entering an entirely new market segment with an unproven car could be a costly gamble. American Motors was developing new models for 1963, "a significant capital drain. The company was working on a new compact fastback concept car called the Rambler Tarpon using the soon-to-be-introduced third-generation Rambler American platform. The Rambler lettering on the rear of the trunk lid was removed, while the stamped steel wheels with complete wheel covers were upgraded to chrome-plated reverse wheels with exposed lug nuts. The Budd Company kept the only prototype model but later renamed it "XR-Budd" and used it for marketing purposes. Budd sold the prototype to The Henry Ford Museum in 1997. It is now at the museum and also displayed at major classic car shows. Sources: www.amxfiles.com; Wikipedia; Collections of The Henry Ford Images: www.shorey.net; www.conceptcars.it; Collections of The Henry Ford - www.thehenryford.org

Ghia had built the original Pontiac XNR show car but after the project was dropped by Chrysler, they built another asymmetrical car, the Asimmetrica, which was displayed at major European auto shows. Later in 1962, Ghia created the hardtop St. Regis which is shown in these pictures. Images: carsthatnevermadeitetc

A custom F-85 convertible, this Firefrost silver sportster had a fiberglass tonneau cover incorporating an airfoil section roll bar. Other features include bucket seats, functional air scoops for brake cooling, and a concave grille housing regular and long-range driving lights. Source: www.442.com Images: www.shorey.net

Boris Forter, a Helena Rubenstein cosmetics company director, commissioned David Ogle of "David Ogle Associates" (later to become Ogle Design) to build him a one-off car. Boris wanted to use the Daimler SP250's separate chassis with its powerful 2.5-liter V8 engine. Boris came up with a sketch of roughly what he wanted the car to look like, and before long, David Ogle started working on a full-sized clay model of the vehicle. Sadly, David was killed in a tragic accident in one of his own Ogle SX100s on the way to Brands Hatch in May 1962. David's business partner John Ogier brought in an ex-Ford designer called Tom Karen. With the rest of the design team, Tom finished the clay model and produced a running car for the Earls Court Motorshow in October 1962. The show car was painted in Sable white, and the trim consisted of a pale grey 'suwide' with grey carpets and a walnut facia. Boris received his personalized Ogle SX250 in early 1963 and later commissioned Ogle to build a second SX250 for his mistress, Jean Hart. There were plans for six cars, though it is believed that only two were built. Although it was said that Jaguar boss William Lyons liked the Ogle SX250 version, he had other ideas for Daimler and had no intention of using the design. Ogle approached Reliant, intending to produce the Mini Ogle SX1000. Still, Reliant was trying to develop the Sabre sports car and figured that the Ogle SX250 body shell could be matched to their Sabre chassis with a few modifications. A deal was struck between Reliant and Ogle, and the new Scimitar was born, and so began a long-term business partnership between Ogle's Tom Karen and Reliant's Ray Wiggin. Source: www.sporting-reliants.com Images: Zwischengas Archiv; olsen-designs.com; shorey.net; www.daimler.co.uk

David Ogle (1922-1962) was a very charismatic designer with a great personality. In 1940 he joined the Fleet Air Arm. He flew the Supermarine Seafire in operations in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and France's south. He rose to the rank of Lt Commander and was awarded the DSC and the MBE. He was educated at Rugby School and briefly studied Law at the University of Oxford. After the war, he attended the Central School of Art and Design in London, studying industrial design. After working as an industrial designer at Murphy Radios, David Ogle founded his own industrial design company in 1954. Designing the very successful Bush radio TR-82 in 1959 was starting a new era. In 1960 David decided to branch out into car design and manufacturing, with the four-seater coupé based on Riley 1.5 mechanicals. Only eight Ogle 1.5 were made. The stunning and revolutionary Ogle SX 1000 coupé was produced more successfully from 1962 to 1964. The curvaceous GRP body was based on Mini parts. Ogle also designed the beautiful SX250 body based on Daimler SP250. This was shown at the 1962 London Motor Show and impressed British specialist company Reliant so much that this was modified to become the Reliant Scimitar GT Coupé. Ogle then took the Scimitar and created the Triplex GTS estate special made with Triplex heat-absorbing glass. This car, with the registration number 66OGLE, became the property of HRH Prince Philip for a time. Tragically, in 1962 David Ogle died in a car accident on his way to Brands Hatch race circuit with an Ogle SX 1000. This also ended the company´s car manufacturing life. Source: www.oglenoor.com Images: leroux.andre.free.fr; www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au; www.sussexsportscars.co.uk; www.shorey.net

Mercury's Palomar two-door hardtop station wagon featured a roof with an opening rear section. When open, the rear seat rose, and a small windshield popped up, allowing the passengers to see over the roof. The concept car was named in honor of Mt. Palomar Observatory in California. The 1961 Mercury Palomar (named after Mt. Palomar, where the largest telescope in the world at the time was located) was Ford Motor Company's first station wagon concept car. The silver-blue fiberglass prototype had some very atypical features; it was a four-door hardtop on the driver's side only with "suicide" type doors, had a so-called flying bridge third passenger seat inspired by boats, and a sliding roof section. This design was proposed as a 1966 Mercury, but unfortunately, the design got no further than this singular concept car. It was never seriously considered for production. The Palomar was on display inside Ford's Rotunda building for some months and is believed to have been destroyed when a fire engulfed the building on November 9, 1962. Source: www.chicagoautoshow.com; David W. Temple - powerbyford.blogspot.ru/ Images: Ford Motor Company; www.chicagoautoshow.com

The 3500GT, introduced in 1957, replaced the A6G54 in production and radically increased Maserati's production volumes over the following few years. Both the chassis, still tubular with independent front suspension and a live rear axle, and the engine, still a DOHC in-line six, were new. The latter showed more difference from its predecessors, a derivative of the 250F GP car engine with a displacement of 3485cc, two spark plugs per cylinder, and a power output of 220bhp. As usual, the bodies were built by various coachbuilders, the majority being aluminum-bodied coupes by Touring or steel-bodied convertibles (with a reduced wheelbase) by Vignale (although Bertone, Allemano, and Frua also contributed some examples). Moretti, Boneschi, and Touring built one-offs. Source: www.carsfromitaly.net Images: Maserati; art-deco.eu; shorey.net

The 3500GT, introduced in 1957, replaced the A6G54 in production and radically increased Maserati's production volumes over the following few years. Boneschi made two cars in this version: chassis AM101.2500 (Turin'62) and AM101.2724 (Geneva'63). Both the chassis, still tubular with independent front suspension and a live rear axle, and the engine, still a DOHC in-line six, were new. The latter showed more difference from its predecessors, a derivative of the 250F GP car engine with a displacement of 3485cc, two spark plugs per cylinder, and a power output of 220bhp. As usual, the bodies were built by various coachbuilders, the majority being aluminum-bodied coupes by Touring or steel-bodied convertibles (with a reduced wheelbase) by Vignale (although Bertone, Allemano, and Frua also contributed some examples). Moretti, Boneschi, and Touring built one-offs. Source: www.carsfromitaly.net Images: www.icbdb.altervista.org; www.ferrarichat.com Boneschi made two cars in this version: chassis AM101.2500 (Turin'62) and AM101.2724 (Geneva'63). Below are the silver painted Maserati 3500 GTI 'Tight' (Boneschi), 1963 - AM101.2724, and the black painted Maserati 3500 GT Tight (Boneschi), 1962 - AM101.2500.

Lancia presents an elegantly drawn 2 + 2-seater Flavia Coupé at the Turin Salon, designed in the Pininfarina studios. With the wheelbase shortened from 2,65 meters to 2,48 meters compared to the sedan, a 2 + 2 seater was created, similar in profile and rear area to the lines of the Ferrari 250 GT or GTE 2 + 2. The trade press criticizes that the Flavia Coupé only has enough torque at high engine speeds, despite two double carburetors. Then Lancia installs larger pistons and cylinder liners, just like Enrico Nardi's in-house tuner with a 1,7-liter engine for Fulvia. Launched in 1961, the Flavia saloon maintained Lancia's enviable reputation for advanced and innovative automotive engineering. Designed by Antonio Fessia and inspired by his Cemsa prototype of 1947, the Flavia was Italy's first series-production car to employ front-wheel drive. Carried well forward of the front wheels, the engine was a 1,488cc, overhead-valve, horizontally-opposed four; the suspension was independent at the front and by beam axle at the rear, and there were dual-circuit, servo-assisted disc brakes all round. The shorter-wheelbase Pininfarina-styled Coupé joined the saloon in 1962, the latter providing the basis for a convertible version by Vignale, while Zagato designed an outlandish-looking lightweight two-door sport version. Source: autohub.de; www.bonhams.com Images: Pininfarina

The Lancia Flavia variants were introduced in 1962, and the Appia production soon ceased. Vignale stopped the production of the Appia convertible, and by the end of 1962, its successor, the Flavia, the convertible was introduced. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti, the Flavia is the last model originating from the cooperation between the two Turinese firms. Launched in 1961, the Flavia saloon maintained Lancia's enviable reputation for advanced and innovative automotive engineering. Designed by Antonio Fessia and inspired by his Cemsa prototype of 1947, the Flavia was Italy's first series-production car to employ front-wheel drive. Carried well forward of the front wheels, the engine was a 1,488cc, overhead-valve, horizontally-opposed four; the suspension was independent at the front and by beam axle at the rear, and there were dual-circuit, servo-assisted disc brakes all round. The shorter-wheelbase Pininfarina-styled Coupé joined the saloon in 1962, the latter providing the basis for a convertible version by Vignale, while Zagato designed an outlandish-looking lightweight two-door sport version. An attractive four-seater sports car, the Convertible enjoyed the stability, comfort, and handling virtues familiar to the rest of the range. In 1963 the range was updated with a 1,800cc engine, which, when installed in the Coupé and Convertible, produced 92bhp, good enough for a top speed of 173km/h. Only 835 Flavia Convertibles were built with the 1.8-liter between 1963 and 1965, plus a further 43 fitted with fuel injection up to the end of 1966. Source: www.vignale.org; www.bonhams.com Images: Lancia

In 1962 Iso Rivolta made their first Grand Touring (GT) car – and what a car it was and still is – the Iso Rivolta GT. With chassis design by Giotto Bizzarrini and styling by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Bertone, Iso made a comfortable four-seater that handled like a sports car. It is powered by a Chevrolet Corvette 327 CID engine and has disk brakes on all four wheels, with the rear being in-board, like a race car. The motoring press loved this car, and what's not to love? Italian styling and American power – a great combination. There were 799 Iso Rivolta GTs produced between 1963 and 1970. It was followed by the Grifo-Bizzarrini A3C, stunning Grifo, two-plus-two Lele, and the four-door Iso S4 & Fidia. www.isobizclub.com Images: Berton; mycarquest.com