The interesting History of Cars ,BMW, Audi, Alfa Romeo, Cadillac, Volvo, Suzuki, Aston Mar

History of the Volvo Car

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Volvo, Latin for "I roll", was born on April 14th, 1927 when the first car "Jakob" left the factory in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Founded by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larsson, the company was formed on a background of quality and safety which were both of paramount importance, a concept that still applies to the Volvo cars of today.

The fledgling company produced both closed top and cabriolet models of their new four-cylinder OV4 and PV4 models, which were constructed to better withstand the harsh Swedish climate, than contemporary US imports. Both carried the Swedish symbol for iron attached to a diagonal piece if metal on the front grille – another aspect of Volvo’s heritage that can still be seen on today’s models.

In 1929 a six-cylinder PV651 model had been introduced which was both longer and wider than the Jakob. Its success helped the company to purchase its engine supplier and buy its first factory and by the end of 1931 return it’s first dividend to shareholders.

The first production milestone of 10,000 Volvo’s was reached in May 1932 and it was not long before Volvo dealers were asking the company to develop a more inexpensive car "for the people". This was the PV 51 model of 1936, similar to the more expensive PV36 in design, but smaller in size and less well equipped.

The Second World War significantly restricted Volvo’s production of cars, but by the autumn of 1944 the company had unveiled one of its most significant cars – the PV444. Volvo’s first "true" small car, its stylish design combined American flair with European size and it was an instant success. The PV444 and the PV544 would dominate Volvo production through to the mid 1960’s and be the first models to gain Volvo a slice of the important US market during the 1950’s.

Another popular model was the Volvo 120 introduced in 1956 and often called the Amazon.

Safety features and accident protection were a key factor in this cars design and this was enhanced even further in 1959 when both the Amazon and PV544 were equipped with three-point safety belts – a world first and an invention pioneered by Volvo’s head of safety engineering, Nils Bohlin.

Volvo’s first sports car was the P1800, unveiled in 1960. Considered to be an excellent touring car with it’s sleek coupe lines, the P1800 went on to find fame in "The Sain" TV series with Roger Moore behind the wheel.

By 1964 Volvo had opened a new production plant in Torslanda, Sweden capable of producing up to 200,000 cars a year and by 1966 the Volvo 140 family was introduced firstly as a saloon and later as an estate, helping to cement a family market that Volvo was rapidly claiming as its own.

Innovations in safety and environmental care continued apace with crumple zones, rear facing child seats, collapsible steering columns, side collision protection and the three-way catalytic converter with Lambdasond all being introduced on Volvo’s in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

The Volvo 240 range replaced the 140 with even higher levels of safety and quality and was joined by the smaller Volvo 340 models from Holland to take Volvo’s sales past the 4 million mark by the end of the 1970’s.

In turn the Volvo 700 series of 1982 took Volvo yet another step into the exclusive market for personalised high-quality cars. Later in the decade the 340 was replaced by the Volvo 400 series which won plaudits for its roadholding and safety as well as its generous amount of interior space.

A completely new and different Volvo was launched to the world in June 1991. The Volvo 850 was Volvo’s first front wheel drive executive car, with a transverse, five-cylinder engine. Its high level of safety combined with real driving pleasure won the car many independent awards.

The proposed merger with Renault fell through in its final stages in 1993 leaving Volvo as one of the few remaining independent car manufacturers. This marked a key turn in the company’s plans and paved the way for Volvo’s new dynamic product strategy with the introduction in 1996 of the sleek and more rounded designs of the Volvo S40 and V40.

They, like the Volvo C70 coupe and convertible that were introduced later that year, were cars that combined all of Volvo’s traditional values of safety, environmental care with sporty, elegant and exciting design and engineering.

With the Volvo S80 sedan of 1998 and the V70 wagon of 1999, all of this new engineering and design was brought together in a cars that both Gustaf Larson and Assar Gabrielson would have recognised as Volvo’s that represented their wishes for safe, quality products, but that can hold a fascination and desire for customers in today’s sophisticated car market.

Between 1927 and 31 December 2010 Volvo produced 16,636,626 cars

Cadillac history

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August 22nd, 1902 Henry Leland formed the Cadillac Automobile Company in remnants of the Henry Ford Company (see Ford history). Henry Leland was actually brought in to help liquidate assets from the Henry Ford Company instead he ended up talking Ford’s financial backers into starting a new company and using Leland’s single-cylinder engine. Without Henry Leland’s efforts the automotive industry wouldn’t be where it was today.

Another interesting piece of information is where the name Cadillac is derived, normally a companies name is established from it’s founder so why did Leland decide to go with the name Cadillac? Well a 17th-century French explorer who’s last name was Cadillac was the person who actually founded Detroit in 1701 was actually an ancestor of Leland. That’s where the name Cadillac comes from.

In October of 1902 Cadillac completed it’s first car, there is much speculation concerning the exact date but it was definitely in October. The following January it was displayed at the New York Auto Show, where it impressed crowds enough to have over 2000 orders. Cadillac prided itself on being reliable they were out to show that there vehicle was a much better-made vehicle than any of their competitors. The following six years Cadillac helps lay the foundation for the mass production of automobiles.
Cadillac History Timeline and Innovations

In 1909 Cadillac went from being a car company to a division of another car company when they were purchased by General Motors (see GM history). Cadillac became General Motors’ pride division, based around making large luxury vehicles.

In 1912 Cadillac introduced the first vehicle with an electric starter, they deemed it “the car with no crank”. What did the electric starter mean? Well it opened up the driving experience to women

In 1915 Cadillac introduced the very first mass produced car to contain an eight cylinder engine. The eight cylinder engine went on to become one of the signatures of the Cadillac brand.

Cadillac was the first company to use interchangeable parts,this innovation happened in 1908, and was something that really helped revolutionize the automotive industry. Can you imagine the world today without interchangeable parts? You would never be able to find certain car parts especially on older vehicles and the repairs costs would be outrageous.

As you can see Cadillac was a pioneer of the automotive industry. They were the first company to start a lot of things we still use today, from interchangeable parts to the electric starter. In 1924 they were the first to introduce lacquer paint offering customers hundreds of different color combinations while most other competitors only offered one color – black.

Cadillac has been around for over a hundred years, and it will still be here in another hundred years. Cadillac was and will always be cornerstone of the automotive industry. It will always speak of style, class, and luxury.

Alfa Romeo

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Alfa Romeo is one of the most prestigious brands in the automotive industry. Many car aficionados try to look for the best Alfa Romeo deals they can because they appreciate the brand's style, and know of its marvelous engineering and technological advantages. This is brought about by Alfa Romeo's long history, one that spans over 100 years, and is filled with numerous changes, milestones, and great cars.

Alfa Romeo began life as Società Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906, a joint effort of the Alexandre Darracq's French auto firm, and a number of Italian investors. The company settled in a suburb of Milan named Portello, where they built a new factory 6,700 square meters big. Soon after though, Darracq cars were selling slowly, so Ugo Stella, then chairman of SAID, along with other co-investors decided to found a new company, called the Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (A.L.F.A.). At first this company was partnered with Darracq, and produced numerous cars by a number of famous designers of the time, and even ventured into motor racing. But when World War I arrived, A.L.F.A. ceased production for 3 years.

After the war, Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, the man who converted the factory for war, became the director of A.L.F.A. Under his direction after the war, Romeo used his war profits to add to his A.L.F.A. ownership. In 1920, the name was finally changed to Alfa Romeo, and produced a number of cars under that name for the years to come.

Both road and professional racing cars were produced, with some gaining notoriety for being driven by legendary names, such as Giuseppe Campari and Enzo Ferrari. Over the following years, more famous names would be lured away from other companies to go to Alfa Romeo's camp, but in 1928, Nicola Romeo's departure would signal a series of events leading up to the end of Alfa Romeo's defence contracts, and the company being broke in 1932. The government would save the company, however, and for the following decade all the way to the 2nd World War would be part of the Italian war machine.

The decades following the war would see Alfa Romeo's transformation to cater to numerous niches in the auto industry, such as its famed small cars during the 1960s, along with sport and performance cars in the 1970s. During this time, Alfa Romeo would again be in financial trouble, but would again bounce back via the Fiat Group, who bought into the company in 1986.

These days, Alfa Romeo, under the Fiat group, is planned to produce sports and luxury cars along with Maserati, which was bought back from Ferrari in 2005. But people looking to own an Alfa Romeo can get a less costly, used Alfa Romeo Spider, and still have a very good car as an investment, a testament to the brand's legacy.

Mercedes History

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Karl Benz & Gottlieb Daimler

by Tim Patterson
The First Practical Petrol Driven Car

It is widely accepted today that Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler were the first to produce a "horseless carriage". Karl Benz was born in 1844, a descendant of blacksmiths and son of a German engine driver. Gottlieb Daimler, 10 years younger than Benz, became "chief engineer" in a locomotives works factory three years after Benz had left.�This was the closest the two ever came to meeting.

Daimler's very first car was a wooden motorcycle that could only reach 12km/h, while the first Benz car of 1886 could only reach 15 km/h (this some six years after he had first run his new engine, on new year's eve, 1879).
And it is this car that is widely considered to be the first ever practical, petrol driven motor car, which coincidentally incorporated Benz's own invention, the carburettor. His wife and children watched as he tried it out for the first time on a cinder track next to his workshop.

The car ran right into the wall and ended up somewhat bent and broken. Benz admitted it was tricky to steer! "I ventured a ride on the road," he said "only after I had somehow managed to steer properly."

When he did succeed in driving his machine non-stop round the streets of the town, it was the most exciting day of his life. But unfortunately, Benz was a man who refused to move with the times. He would not see that his cars were no more than stepping stones towards better and improved vehicles.

His early cars sold well, but he could not bring himself to alter his basic design. Buyers turned to other makes, forcing Benz to curtail production. In 1900 he built over 600; in 1903, only 170. His car even became a joke among designers and car owners. No one doubts that

Emil Jellinek & daughter Mercedes

Karl Benz was a gifted engineer, but his stubborn and obstinate nature nearly ruined him.

Emil Jellinek & daughter Mercedes

The First Mercedes

The first Mercedes was the result of a discussion by three men, an Austrian diplomat, Emile Jellinek, who was more interested in cars than diplomacy; a designer, Wilhelm Maybach; and Paul Daimler, son of the famous Gottlieb Daimler. Jellinek was enthusiastic about the dawn of motoring age and believed that the motor car was of major importance for the future.

In 1897 he had already made a special journey to Cannstatt where he visited the Daimler factory and brought back a car to the French Riviera, causing quite a stir. At the meeting with Maybach and Paul Daimler, Jellinek outlined what he had in mind and agreed that, if Maybach would design a car along those lines, he would be prepared to take delivery of the companies entire production.

Maybach set to work on the new design and, when the first car appeared at Nice in 1901, it amazed everybody with its fine performance. Overnight it made every other car seem five years out of date. The ideas of these three men revolutionised motor car design the world over.

Jellinek decided to call the new car "Mercedes", a Spanish Christian name meaning "grace", and a name he obviously quite liked, as he had chosen for his daughter. Jellinek was also acutely aware that the French were prejudiced against any car with a German name, and so Mercedes was a far better fit.

Since Jellinek was a big figure in society there and enjoyed good relation's with the international financial world, it was not long before prospective buyers were taking an interest in the Daimler cars.

Mercedes At The Race Track

Mercedes have raced since the 1894 Paris- Rouen race and received their first record in motor racing in 1901 at Nice in France with a car that had a 35 horsepower motor that got to a speed of 79.7 km/h.

But it was between the wars that Mercedes came to the fore, with the impressive SSKL sports car.In 1937, this car had improved to have a top speed over 330 km/h (in 1939 this increased to 400 km/h!!) and it is still considered as one of the most successful racing cars ever made.

The Mercedes Symbol

The Mercedes trademark was registered in 1902 - after Karl Daimler had died in 1900 at the age of 66. His two sons then managed the company - and they remembered that their father had only once sent a postcard to their mother which had a star marked on the house where he was living at the time, a place called Deutz.

He made the comment on the card that "eventually this star would rise out and shine over his work". In June 1909, the then chairman applied for a trademark of both a three pointed star and four pointed star. Both trademarks were granted, but only one was ever used.

This trademark was soon placed on the from of the car as an radiator emblem.
For the Tripoli Grand Prix, the organisers placed a 1.5 litre limit on the motor size to help the Italian sports cars, but Mercedes was able to produce a motor in time and come first and second!! Their fastest lap was 211.6 km/h and these cars still exist at the Mercedes Benz museum.

In 1954 and 1955 the famous racing car driver Juan Manuel Fangio won most of the world grand prix's driving a 2.5litre 300SL Mercedes but in 1955 a driver crashed driving a 300SL and killed 90 people.�Mercedes then pulled out of motor car racing and have only recently re-entered Formula One and have been very successful winning the manufacturers championship last year.

A Timeline of Ford Motor Company

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Keystone Features/Getty Images

In August 1946, Henry Ford Sr. (1863 - 1947) and his wife, Clara, sit in the first Ford car, built in 1896.

Since the company's founding in 1903, the name Ford has been synonymous with the automotive industry. Company founder Henry Ford Sr. became known for innovation, transforming cars into commodities for the masses and his company into an American icon. Below, selected milestones from the company's history:

June 16, 1903: Henry Ford and 11 investors sign articles of incorporation for Ford Motor Company in Michigan.

Oct. 1, 1908: Ford introduces the Model T, which became one of the most popular cars in the world. Production officially ended in May 1927 after total world production of 15,458,781.

Oct. 7, 1913: The Highland Park plant in Michigan begins operations as the first moving automobile assembly line in the world.

Bettmann/Corbis

Model Ts stand ready for delivery in 1925.

Jan. 5, 1914: Ford begins offering $5 per day for eight-hour work days and 15,000 job seekers clamor for 3,000 jobs at the Model T Plant in Highland Park. The previous pay rate was $2.34 per day for nine hours.

March 1, 1941: Ford begins to produce general-purpose "jeeps" for the U.S. military and shifts completely to military production starting in Feb. 1942. Civilian production does not resume until July 1945.

Jan. 17, 1956: Ford common stock goes on sale, with 10.2 million shares sold in the first day, representing 22 percent of the company.

Sept. 7, 1987: Ford acquires 75 percent of Aston Martin Lagonda, Ltd.

Dec. 31, 1988: Ford's worldwide earnings were $5.3 billion, the highest of any auto company to date.

Dec. 1, 1989: Ford spends $2.5 billion to buy Jaguar Cars.

March 15, 1990: Ford introduces the Explorer sport utility vehicle. Though the Explorer is the nation's best-selling SUV model, sales hit a 15-year low in Nov. 2005 and fell 29 percent for 2005.

July 1, 1992: Ford buys 50 percent of Mazda Motor Manufacturing and changes that company's name to AutoAlliance International.

June 20, 1993: Ford opens its first dealerships in China. Its brand sales in China increased 46 percent in 2005, though it still lags behind General Motors Corp. and Germany's Volkwagen AG in China. By the end of 2005, the number of Ford dealers in China totaled 150, up from 100 in 2004.

April 18, 1993: Ford begins production of the Flexible-Fuel Vehicle (FFV) Taurus. FFVs can burn gasoline, ethanol or mixtures of the two. Despite the fact that there are an estimated 5 million FFVs, there are only about 500 ethanol fuel stations in the country. According to the law, if automakers produce FFVs, they can also produce more of other cars that consume more gas.

Aug. 21, 1997: Ford sells the first taxicabs run on natural gas to New York City.

August 2000: Bridgestone/Firestone recalls 6.5 million tires after 271 rollover deaths in Ford Explorers.

May 2001: Ford Motor unilaterally recalls 13 million more tires and Bridgestone/Firestone dumps Ford as a customer, saying Ford was using the tire maker as a scapegoat to deflect attention from problems with the Ford Explorer. Federal investigators ultimately concluded that tire defects were the main cause of the rollovers.

Reuters/Corbis

The Ford Explorer SUV is waning in popularity.

July 11, 2005: Ford's new gas-electric hybrid SUV, the Mercury Mariner, goes on sale. It costs $4,000 more than the gas-only version and has the endorsement of the Sierra Club.

Nov. 1, 2005: Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC agrees to pay Ford $240 million to help cover the costs of the tire recalls, which amounted to $2 billion.

Dec. 22, 2005: The United Auto Workers agrees to a deal with Ford in which 99 cents an hour of any future wage increases will go towards a health-care fund. Insurance deductibles will rise by as much as 33 percent, and the costs for current retirees will also go up. The changes will save Ford about $650 million a year. (Ford's health-care bill for 2005 was $3.5 billion.)

Dec. 23, 2005: Ford announces it will transfer $2 billion to shore up Jaguar Cars, which it bought in 1989 for almost $3 billion in today's prices.

2005: Ford loses market share for the 10th year in a row, and also loses its place as America's best-selling brand to GM's Chevrolet. Ford sold around 2.9 million vehicles in 2005 for a 17.4 percent market share — down from a market share of 18.3 percent in 2004 and of 24 percent in 1990.

Jan. 23, 2006: Ford announces it will cut up to 30,000 jobs and idle 14 plants by the year 2012.

History of Porsche

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"Steel and iron works combine" is what Ferry Porsche and around 200 comrades-in-arms at the time called the wooden huts, a former sawmill in the Austrian town of Gmünd, into which father and son moved Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche KG from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen during the War (1944). This is where the first Porsche, the 356 Number 1, was created in 1948. Fifty-two Porsche 356s were built in Gmünd. In the summer of 1949, a dozen Porsche employees started the relocation of the production site back to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, which was sublet from Reutter. In Zuffenhausen the success story of Porsche continued. At the beginning of 1950 series production of the Porsche 356 started with 400 vehicles being produced by the end of the year. Porsche production was continually expanded. The introduction of the Porsche 911 in 1963 marked a milestone in Porsche development.

The factory premises were enlarged considerably in May 1969 with the new multistory assembly operation on Schwieberdinger Straße. In 1988, the new body shell assembly building was added opposite the assembly hall.

Production technology has also changed somewhat over the last 50 years. In the meantime, a modern and flexible factory has developed from a series production process completed by hand. The honor "Factory of the year 1996", awarded by the German weekly publication "Produktion" and the management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, was received in Zuffenhausen as confirmation of their hard work and dedication.

At his company, which moved during the War from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to Gmünd in Austria (Corinthian), Ferry Porsche started in 1947 to build "a sportscar, that I would like myself" with the aid of his reliable team. The starting point was the Volkswagen Beetle developed by his father. Fifty-two examples of the 356 model (not including number 1 off the line) were produced in Gmünd, all of the other vehicles produced after 1950 were built in Zuffenhausen. Initially Porsche's design and administration departments were accommodated at Schwieberdinger Straße 147 in two wooden huts. Body production and vehicle assembly was completed in buildings owned by the Reutter carbody factory on the opposite side of the street. Porsche's original plant premises, now Werk I, were occupied after the War by the Americans and could not be used again until 1956.

A further milestone was marked by the construction of a new building for Porsche engine and vehicle assembly in 1953. Shortly after the launch of the Porsche 911, the Reutter production buildings including body shell assembly were taken over by Porsche in 1964. A further important step was the completion of the three-story assembly hall (building 41) in 1969, which made it possible to increase capacity. In 1982, an automated high-bay warehouse was added. With the completion of the new paint shop next to the assembly hall in the spring of 1986 and the body shell assembly (Werk V) in August 1988, the current building structure took shape.

The Porsche 356 body was produced by hand at the Reutter carbody factory. The outer skin, comprising several pieces welded together, was placed on a basic vehicle frame. The gaps were filled with soft solder, a costly and time-consuming process, and ground off. In 1965, Porsche 356 production was shut down. At the end, the number of units produced totaled 25 bodies per day. With the launch of the Porsche 911 in 1964 Porsche broke away from the previous production methods. Various assemblies were now pre-assembled and then welded or bolted together to form the body. In 1973, Porsche was the first in the automobile industry to weld galvanized sheet-metal panels into the Porsche body. This marked a milestone in corrosion protection for automobiles.

The first robot put into operation at Porsche was a welding robot for the 911 rear axle transverse tube. 1988 marked the beginning of a new era in body shell assembly. The newly constructed body plant was opened for use, with 15 robots in operation for the first time. In July 1989, the last 911 body left the old Reutter building.

With the launch of the latest generation of vehicles, the degree of automation was increased while retaining the same level of flexibility. The mixed-model system is used in production so that the Boxster and 911 can be built in any order.

A high level of skilled craftsmanship and experience has always been required when painting the Porsche vehicles on account of the curvature of the body. Determined by the increases in production new premises were required over time, which led to the construction of a new building in 1969, the paint shop or building 40. In 1975, Porsche was the first manufacturer to introduce hot-dip galvanized steel for the entire body. This considerably improved corrosion protection. From 1980, painting of aluminum parts (hood, fender and doors) was added for the Porsche 928. In February 1986, a new body paint shop (in building 40A) was brought into operation with the first coating procedure in the cathodic dip tank (KTL). It was subsequently brought up to the stage in July 1986 where it was capable of handling production quantities. The old paint complex for painting plastic add-on parts was used until 1992.

The new paint shop brought a number of benefits with it:
Improvement of corrosion protection by means of cathodic dip painting
Restriction of the solvent emissions by means of an exhaust air decontamination system
Use of robots for applying the underbody protection
Increase of the potential daily number of items to 140 bodies
Heat recovery via a countercurrent heat exchanger

From 1993 to 1995 the level of automation was increased further. Robots used for sealing purposes contributed to the increase in efficiency and at the same time humanization of the work place. Environmental issues, in particular, gained in significance. From 1992, Porsche embraced water-based paint technology. Since 1997 water-based filler has been in use. In 1995, continuous solvent emission monitoring was introduced and a contract under public law regarding long-term control of maximum emission and noise levels was concluded with the city of Stuttgart.

Engine production started in 1948 in Gmünd/Corinthian with a four-cylinder Boxer engine for the Porsche 356, a VW engine that had undergone further development. Only shortly after the return of Porsche to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen in 1950, engine production moved in 1953 into its own purpose-built building, Werk II.

In 1963, with the launch of the Porsche 911, production of the first version of the new six-cylinder Boxer carburetor engine began on an assembly line for the first time. With the expansion of the product range (1974: Porsche Turbo, 1977: Porsche 928, 1978: Porsche 924 Turbo etc.) a parallel assembly line was needed. Technical innovations, such as pneumatic and electric bolting systems, gradually contributed to the improvement of the production processes.

1985 saw an increase in production quantities triggered by a higher demand for the models Porsche 924 S/944. Since this time engine assembly has operated two shifts, apart from brief interruptions.

1993 marked another milestone. With the start of production of the fundamentally reworked 911 (development number 993), engine production was transferred to a continuously moving assembly line.

The test run on the engine test rig (hot test) remained an unchanged feature of engine production over the years. Every Porsche engine built to date has passed through this reliable procedure.

The upholstery section was initially housed in the body shell assembly building belonging to Reutter. The front and rear seats, convertible tops and interior trims were produced here for the Porsche 356. With the run down of the Porsche 356 model range, seat production was transferred to Recaro. As from this point the Porsche 911 was manufactured exclusively as a Coupé, production of convertible tops was no longer required. In 1969, the upholstery section was moved to the newly constructed assembly building. Since this time a continued growth in the proportion of leather used for panel trim can be observed, a trend which continues today.

The expansion of capacity for vehicle assembly made it necessary to move the upholstery section to the building previously used for engine assembly.

After 1982 all upholstery areas were brought together and accommodated in the high-bay warehouse building. Production of convertible tops was taken up again for the 911 Cabriolet and Targa models. However, partially with the introduction of the Porsche Boxster in 1996 and then completely on the arrival of the new Porsche 911 in 1997 it was transferred to the subsidiary jointly owned with DaimlerChrysler.

Despite numerous technical innovations, such as the use of automatic sewing machines since the end of the 1980s or the spraying of adhesive, work in the upholstery section is characterized by its craftsmanship to this day. This is also reflected in the number of employees, which increased from around 60 in the mid 1950s to 250 today.

In the 1950s the bodies for the Porsche 356 were built and fully painted at the Reutter factory and then delivered with windows and interior equipment. Porsche subsequently undertook fitting of the engine and running gear. In 1964, Porsche purchased the Reutter carbody factory. This meant that for the first time Porsche was in possession of an independent automobile factory.

In 1969, vehicle assembly moved into the newly built multistory building on Schwieberdinger Straße. At that time, vehicle interior equipment was fitted on the third floor. Installing the engine and bolting together the running gear followed on the second floor.

In 1979, a second production line was introduced for the production of the Porsche 928.

This was the first time that a hanger system was used in running gear installation, which was adopted for the Porsche 911 a short time later. At the beginning of the 1980s, Porsche converted to movement on skids on the third floor. The assembly process was still executed on a static vehicle. However, at the end of the cycle assemblies were forwarded automatically within the respective production section. In the meantime, production technology at Porsche has been developed further so that the Boxster and 911 are now both assembled using the mixed-model system on a continuous line.

Since 1987, bodies welded previously in the main plant have been transported from a newly erected body shell production site over a bridge to the paint shop and then fed to the assembly hall.

The Flying B: A History of Bentley Cars

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Bentley Begins: 1912 - 1921:
W.O. Bentley (WO to his friends) and his brother HM bought Lecoq and Fernie, a French auto company, renaming it Bentley and Bentley, with headquarters in Mayfair. In 1919, after a stint making airplane engines during WWI, the company was resurrected as Bentley Motors. The first Flying B insignia appeared on the 1920 Bentley 3 1/2 Liter test car, which was built near Baker Street in London, and the first production car, another 3 1/2 Liter, was delivered to Bentley's first customer in 1921.

Bentley Supercharged 4 1/2 Liter
Bentley Motors

The Race for More Power: 1921 - 1930:
Bentley saw its first win at Brooklands in 1921, then entered its only Indianapolis 500 in 1922, where it qualified and finished last. A privately owned Bentley took 4th place in the first-ever Le Mans in 1923, prompting W.O. Bentley to support a factory team. (He called it "the best race I had ever seen," according to "Bentley: The Story.") Engines grew ever larger in Roaring Twenties, with a 6 1/2 Liter, a 4 1/2 Liter, a supercharged Speed Six, and an 8 Liter that weighed two and a half tons rolling out of the Cricklewood factory. Driver Tim Birkin got private financing to build the supercharged Birkin Blowers.
Rolls-Royce Buys Bentley: 1930 - 1939:
WO's dedication to quality created beautiful cars -- and a financial mess. In 1926, he was demoted to managing director to make room for Woolf Barnato to become chairman. By 1931, things were no better. Rolls-Royce bought the company and kept WO on, if only to keep him from creating a new company that could compete with R-R. The first Rolls-produced Bentley, the 3.5 Liter, debuted in 1933, and WO left the company for Lagonda in 1935. In 1939, the Bentley factory at Crewe opened.
Swallowed Whole: 1940 - 1982:
"Bentley: The Story" calls Bentley's period of Rolls-Royce ownership "the blackest of all." The MkVI of 1946 was the first Bentley to be built using Rolls components, and the 1952 R-Type Continental was the last Bentley built without a Rolls equivalent. Bentleys and Rolls-Royces were built side-by-side at the Crewe facility, with a Bentley-badged clone for every Rolls that rolled off the assembly line. WO Bentley died during this time, in 1971 at age 83.
The Rebirth: 1981 - 1998:
The tide turned for Bentley with the introduction of the 1982 Bentley Mulsanne Turbo, named for the straight at Le Mans. In 1984, the Bentley Corniche was renamed the Continental, harkening back to the company's roots. The Bentley Continental R, which debuted in 1991, was the first Bentley to have its own dedicated body since 1954. With Bentley outselling Rolls by the early '90s, the companies celebrated 50 years of partnership by using a green background on the Flying B for all 1993 models. The next year, Rolls made a deal with BMW to the German company to supply engines for the two British marques.
Divorce from the Enemy: 1998 - 2006:
Volkswagen bought Rolls-Royce in 1998, including Bentley. BMW then bought the rights to the Rolls-Royce name and announced that as of December 31, 2002, Rolls and Bentley would be two separate companies after 67 years of barely tolerating each other. VW announced that it would invest nearly $1 billion (in today's dollars) to revive Bentley. The Hunaudieres concept car debuted in Geneva in 1999 and proved to be a step in the direction of the new Continental. In 2001, Bentley returned to Le Mans, then dropped out again in 2003. The 2006 Bentley Azure became the resurrected Bentley's flagship luxury sedan.
Toward the Future: 2006 - Current:
Since its introduction at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show, the Bentley Continental lineup has expanded from one very fast sedan to seven even faster sedans and convertibles, including one flex-fuel vehicle. Each has the 6-liter W12 engine, but the Continental Supersports, as part of Bentleys commitment to reducing its carbon footprint company-wide, can run on either gasoline or biofuels. With the introduction of the Bentley Mulsanne in the summer of 2009, though, Bentley was back on firm ground with a long, luxurious, gasoline-powered sedan.

Nissan History

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Source: Nissan Motor Company

Nissan is made up of a richly diverse group of people, as reflected in the company's leadership team and the numerous corporate outreach programs in which they participate in the community. If number-crunching is what is needed, they've got that kind of behind-the-scenes information, too. Together, they have what it takes to build cars and trucks with the power to change both the way you view the world and the way you move in it.

The Early Days

Nissan has demonstrated a commitment to innovation since the company's founding in 1933. Not only are Datsuns the first mass-produced Japanese vehicles, their unique, automotive style makes a major impact on the U.S. market when Datsun sedans and compact pickups are first imported in the late '50s.

1914
The first Datsun is built.

1933
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., is established in Japan.

1937
The Datsun Type 15 is the first mass-produced Japanese vehicle. Other Type 15 models include a mini-pickup and delivery van.

1958
The first Datsun sedan arrives in the United States. The strong, heavy 1200 Sedan packs a 48-hp 1200-cc engine encased in thick body panels.

1959
The first Datsun compact pickup is sold in America. Originally imported with a modest 37-hp 1000-cc engine, the upgraded model features a 48-hp 1200-cc version. This quarter-ton pickup firmly establishes Datsun in the American market.

The Sixties

Toward the end of this decade of change, Nissan has built a strong reputation in both the American and the Japanese markets. The Datsun 2000 roadster, valued both for its style and performance, becomes synonymous with early Nissan design. Soon after, the Datsun 'Z' changes the way people think of sports cars.

1960
Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. (NMC) is established in Gardena, California. The model year witnesses the birth of Datsun's first sports car, the SPL 210. This high, narrow, 4-seat roadster features a fold down soft top with side curtains, '4 on the floor,' and a 48-hp 1200-cc engine (soon replaced by an 85-hp version).

1962
Focused on American driving needs, the Bluebird is the first Datsun with a full synchronized 3-speed transmission. It also sports classic two-tone paint, wide whitewalls and optional bucket seats. Off the road, Nissan's first utility vehicle, The Patrol, makes its debut, with TV hero Roy Rogers as its spokesman. Pitched as the world's most powerful, most advanced 4-wheel drive, the Patrol's brawny 145-hp 4000-cc 6-cylinder engine develops enough torque 'to climb trees.'

1966
The first Japanese-owned production facility in North America, Nissan Mexicana (NMEX) manufactures its first vehicle.

1967
The Datsun most-desired by collectors, the 2000 Roadster, is also the first Japanese production sports car to come with a 5-speed. That, plus its robust 150-hp engine, makes it extra fun to drive. Production is limited to 1,000 and the first 10 are lightweight versions for racing. The 2000 Roadster wins 10 SCCA National Championships between 1967 and 1987.

1968
Nissan launches the first car styled for the U.S. market, the Datsun 510 sedan.

1969
Datsun introduces the 'Z' as a 1970 model. By offering European performance, plus creature comforts like roll-up windows and a heater — all at an affordable price — the 240Z becomes the best-selling sports car in the world. The Corvette took nearly twenty-five years to sell 500,000 units; the Z does it in fewer than ten.

The Seventies

In the '70s, Nissan continues to gain in popularity, with annual U.S. sales surpassing a quarter of a million cars. Nissan also begins to display unrivaled racing skills, with the Datsun 510 winning a number of championship races. Meantime, the civilian 510 provides the verve of a sports car to the general driving population, a goal Nissan achieves to this day through the Maxima and Sentra SE-R.

1971
Annual sales in the United States pass the quarter million mark. Nissan also establishes itself on the racetrack: the BRE 510 wins the SCCA 2.5-liter Trans-Am Championship in 1971, claiming Nissan's first professional racing championship. It proceeds to dominate the series, winning 15 out of 21 events. Meanwhile, another 510 wins the East African Safari, while yet another wins the American Rally Championship in 1971. Today, the 510 enjoys a cult-like following and is still active in SCCA club racing.

1972
The civilian 510 introduces a new concept: a 4-door sports sedan. This good-looking, 5-passenger family car is fun to drive, economical, and sells over 300,000 sedans and wagons. As a result, race-bred sportiness remains very much part of Nissan today.

1973
The one-millionth Datsun vehicle is sold in America.

1975
Datsun becomes the top U.S. vehicle importer.

1977
Nissan expands the idea of how much work a truck can do by introducing the King Cab, the first extended cab pickup.

1979
Nissan Design International (NDI) is established in La Jolla, California, to provide American concepts and style to Nissan vehicles. Among their many creations (including today's popular Xterra SUV) is the 'out there' Gobi Truck concept. Developed in the late 1980s, it is a direct extension of the very first Datsun truck.

The Eighties

In the '80s, the Nissan brand comes into its own as the first Nissan truck is manufactured in the U.S. Not long after this milestone, Nissan introduces its Infiniti line of luxury vehicles, ending the decade with a tremendous new business venture.

1980
Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation (NMMC) is established in Smyrna, Tennessee to fulfill the growing demand for Nissan vehicles.

1981
Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (NMAC), Nissan's financing division, is established in Torrance, California.

1982
Nissan's rich off-road truck-racing history includes 19 championships from 1982-1992. A King Cab desert racer, competing as an HDRA/SCORE Class 1 Unlimited Vehicle, packs a sand-scorching 380 hp. It has full-time 4WD, a radical mid-engine design and a 4-wheel fully independent suspension.

1983
Worldwide marketing of vehicles using the Nissan name begins. And the first truck produced by Nissan in America rolls off the line in Smyrna, Tennessee. Nissan Research and Development (NRD) is established in Michigan.

1985
Legendary Hollywood actor Paul Newman races the Newman/Sharp Trans-Am 300ZX to an SCCA GT1 championship in 1985 and 1986. Particularly noteworthy is the 1985 win, which is Nissan's 50th national SCCA championship. Meanwhile, the first Sentra rolls off the line in Smyrna, Tennessee.

1988
Nissan driver Geoff Brabham wins the first of four consecutive IMSA Camel GTP Drivers Championships. The streak includes eight straight races, breaking the American road record. Almost unbeatable, the IMSA GTP Race Car dominates with a breathtaking top speed of 200 miles per hour.

1989
It's a year of remarkable milestones: Nissan launches the Infiniti line of luxury vehicles. NMMC produces its one-millionth vehicle. And Nissan begins the Summer Institute for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The Nineties

Nissan demonstrates its agility in the '90s — retaining the Nissan heritage, while moving in new directions. The company remains committed to long-standing quality and service in the automotive development, while also receiving numerous corporate and environmental awards.

1990
Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) is established in Torrance, California, to oversee all Nissan operations in North America.

1991
Nissan unveils a $490 million, 1.7 million-square-foot expansion of the Smyrna, Tennessee plant. It builds an $80 million Research and Development Technical Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan. And on the environmental front, Nissan lends its Alternative Fuel Vehicle to a California testing program, unveils the Future Electric Vehicle concept car, and receives the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award from the Environmental Protection Agency.

1992
As the Sentra surpasses two million sold in the U.S., the first Nissan mid-sized sedan produced in the U.S. — the Altima — rolls off the assembly line in Tennessee. Nissan wins the IMSA GTS Manufacturers Championship, with David Loring winning the IMSA GTU Drivers Championship in a Nissan 240SX, and Steve Millen winning the IMSA GTS Drivers Championship in a Nissan 300ZX. Nissan also establishes the Nissan Foundation, with a five-year, $5 million endowment. Nissan Quest becomes the first Nissan vehicle jointly produced with a U.S. manufacturer, Ford Motor Company.

1993
Nissan celebrates its first 10 years of manufacturing in the U.S. with authority. Altima becomes the best-selling new nameplate in the United States, while the Maxima surpasses one million sold.

1995
Nissan introduces the all-new 200SX and fourth generation Sentra, both assembled in the award-winning Smyrna, Tennessee plant. Nissan was recognized as Most Distinguished Partner by the Los Angeles Urban League in 1995.

1996
After more than 26 years, the Z car was retired. In 1999, Nissan announced an all new Z car will be built for release in 2002. Nissan served as a corporate sponsor of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, specifically the Official Import Vehicle of Choice for Truck, Sport Utility, and Minivan. NMMC is named the most productive plant in North America in 'The Harbour Report' for the third consecutive year. On a more creative front, Nissan's 'Toys' commercial is named the best commercial of the year by Time and Rolling Stone magazines. The last 300ZX is imported into the U.S. inducted into the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

1997
Nissan was named Best of the Best by the Environmental Protection Agency. In 1997, Nissan received the Smithsonian Inaugural Corporate Leadership Award. The Nissan Foundation celebrates its fifth anniversary. NMMC names the most productive automotive plant in North America by Harbour and Associates for fourth year.

1998
Nissan Motor Corporation in U.S.A. (NMC) and Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) consolidated into one company Nissan North America, Inc., effective December 31, 1998.

1999
March 26, 1999, Nissan and Renault sign a global partnership agreement allowing both companies to take advantage of their respective strengths and expertise. Nissan introduces the Frontier Crew Cab, the first compact truck with four real doors. The Xterra also launches a trend in 'no-nonsense' SUVs for outdoor enthusiasts. Frontier, Xterra, and Pathfinder are named official vehicles of the Los Angeles County lifeguards and become a hit on the TV series 'Baywatch.' Rhys Millen drives UPRD Nissan Skyline GT-R to victory in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb near Colorado Springs, Colorado, on July 4.

Today

Nissan's heritage highlights a company always eyeing the future and never satisfied with the status quo. Bold design. Innovative style. Inspiring performance. Original cars and trucks more than capable of taking you wherever you choose to go in life.

2000
Now working with Renault of France, Nissan unveils the 2003 Z® Concept. Nissan Research and Development (R&D) divisions in the U.S. and Europe are renamed Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. (NTCNA) and Nissan Technical Centre Europe Limited (NTCE), respectively. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., forms the North American Management Committee (NAMC), the key decision-making body for Nissan in North America, and the U.S. Management Committee. NNA announces the expansion of its Decherd powertrain facility and the vehicle production level at its Smyrna assembly plant, both in Tennessee. The expansions are part of Nissan's moves to bring local production closer to local markets. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announces preliminary financial figures showing a consolidated operating profit of $1.26 billion for the first six months of fiscal year 2000—the best performance in a decade. Nissan selects a site in Canton, Miss. for a new $930 million assembly plant. The plant will produce a full-size pickup truck, a full-size sport utility vehicle, and the next generation Nissan minivan. Production set to begin in summer 2003.

2001
Nissan unveils the 2002 Sentra SE-R, Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed, and a totally new Altima. Cumulative Nissan production surpasses 60 million vehicles to date. Nissan Design International, headquartered in San Diego, Calif., is renamed Nissan Design America (NDA). On behalf of its employees, affiliates, and dealers around the world, Nissan donated $1 million to the American Red Cross and the Twin Towers Fund during the first week following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Nissan also set up a company-wide employee gift program, which resulted in a donation of $105,052.54 from Nissan and its employees to support relief efforts after the tragedies in New York and Washington, D.C.

2002
An icon of automotive soul, the legendary Nissan Z® is reborn--better than ever. The first 8,000 Z's are pre-sold to customers who commit to buying without even a test drive. The Murano, an on-road adventure masterpiece is launched. Nissan introduces the Nissan Child Safety Seat Fit Guide, known as Snug Kids®, to assist Nissan and Infiniti customers in identifying the right child seat for their vehicle. The first program of its kind in the automotive industry, it is geared specifically toward car seat safety for children. Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. (NTCNA) announces a $38.8 million expansion of its research and engineering facility northwest of Detroit to enhance the company's worldwide vehicle development capabilities. Steve Lambert replaces Katsumi Ishii as president of Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (NMAC).

2003
Among the many accolades for the 350Z, Nissan is awarded the 2003 Motorweek Driver's Choice Award, and the Altima receives the 2002 North American Car of the Year Award. Nissan's 2004 product lineup is the most complete and exciting lineup ever offered from Nissan. It includes Nissan's first entrance in the full-size truck and SUV markets with the all-new Titan pickup and Armada sport utility vehicle (SUV). The top was taken off the Z® with the 350Z Roadster, the Quest minivan makes its return to the lineup with a slew of innovative features and an advanced design, Nissan's flagship Maxima is completely new and reenergized, and the Sentra and Sentra SE-R receive a fresh new fascia design.

Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (NMAC) relocated to its new 268,000 square foot customer service center in Irving, Texas, and is part of a significant Nissan expansion program in North America.

For a record tenth year in a row, Nissan's versatile VQ V6 engine has been named to the annual 'Ward's Ten Best Engines' award list by Ward's Communications, Inc.

Nissan en Español, a new Spanish language website tailored to the online Hispanic community is launched.

2004
Nissan Korea, Ltd. is established in February and plans to introduce five Infiniti models to the market starting in mid-2005. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., announced record operating profits of $7.29 billion for fiscal year 2003.

The 2005 Pathfinder and Frontier make their show car appearances at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The re-designed 2005 Altima is launched in February. In April, the all-new, second generation 2005 Xterra made its world debut at the New York International Auto Show. And the first ever Altima SE-R model is to be released later this year.

Aston Martin

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The History of Aston Martin

It all started in 1913 when two cycling buddies, over a couple pints at the end of a long day on the hill climbs (ok, I'm embellishing the back story a bit here) decided to go into business together. The two men where Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. They started out selling Singer automobiles. They were both handy mechanics and Lionel was an accomplished driver. He was often seen racing at the near by Aston Hill Hillclimb races near Aston Clinton. In 1914 the two decided to start to build there own vehicles and Aston Martin was born.

The name came from the combination of "Aston" from the hillclimb races and Lionel Martin's last name. I could never find out how or why Bamford's name was not involved, I envision a nagging wife that didn't want to have the tax collector come pocking around the household finances, but I somehow think that Martin-Bamford's would have had the legacy that Aston Martin now enjoys.

As with all great endeavors there are successes and challenges. What makes Aston Martin such a great marquee is that even though the challenges always seemed to outweigh the successes the product was always notable. As such were the early years. Soon after the first Aston Martin rolled out of the garage he first world was started and the company shuttered up for the duration. Once the war was over, and with fresh cash from Count Louis Zborowski, the company started to roll out vehicles that competed in races such as the French Grand Prix and Brooklands.

The early racing successes didn't result in a beneficial partnership for the two founders and Mr. Bamford sold his interest to Mr. Martin in 1922. Money was tight and cash flow was kept positive by infusions by the Count. Unfortunately, in 1924 the Count died in a racing accident and the future of Aston Martin became uncertain. In comes John Benson, later to be named Lord Charnwood (I'm American so I have no idea what it takes to go from just John to Lord Charnwood. However, I imagine it to be quit painful). he Lord had the cash and the desire to continue Aston's reputation in the racing world. He, however, didn't care for Mr. Martin and in 1925 Lionel hit left the company.

Lord Charnwood didn't last for long. By 1926 he had sold Aston Martin Motors to Renwick & Bertelli, a recently formed engineering company, for 4000 pounds. It was at this time the company moved to Victoria Road, Feltham. These new owners where also not to last. About a year later Renwick and Bertelli broke up and had to seek outside investors to keep the concern running. By 1936 the Bertelli's had left and the largest investors, the Sutherland family, took control. Now things were to get bad - like I said, what makes Aston Martin so great is the blood and sweat it took to build it. From the beginning, Aston Martin was destined to become the world's greatest marquee. Even at the expense of it many many owners. It indeed had a soul of it's own.

During WW II Aston Martin was assigned to making tooling and spare parts for aircraft joysticks. It was during these years that in the back corners of the works one of Aston's earliest stars, Claude Hill, continued work on a sports saloon - the Atom. It was the Atom that would spring board Aston Martin back to it's intended path.

In 1946 David Brown saw a small classified ad in the London Times offering Aston Martin for sale for only 30,000 pounds. He went over to Feltham to check the place out and drive the Atom. He fell in love with Atom and bought the company for the discounted price of on 20,500 pounds from the Sutherland family. Aston Martin now had the leader it needed to become what it was meant to be. Mr. Brown's core business was tractor parts. Specifically gears and transmissions. At first he did little with Aston Martin as his attention was devoted to finishing a new gear design. However, a friend of his convinced him to buy another automotive company, Lagonda, and merge it together with Aston Martin. After some shrud positioning he acquired Lagonda for 52,500 pounds. Aston Martin Lagonda was born. Yes, now you know why this site's domain name is AML. In 1954 the company moved to its Newport Pagnell facilities.

With David Brown came the "DB" vehicles. First there was the Aston Martin 2-litre, later called the DB1, built between 1948 and 1950. In 1950 the DB2s started to roll out of the plant followed by "DB"'s up till the DBS V8 built from 1967 to 1972. For more information on each model built please see our Gallery section. Unfortunately, the company, which had always just squeaked by, could no longer go in alone. In 1972 Mr. Brown sold the company to Company Developments Ltd. Company Developments was a second string asset stripper - remember that crazy in the 80's (see Pretty Women, Other Peoples Money, and Wallstreet, for a refresher). Things did not look good. But before they could rip the company apart two American enthusiasts, Peter Sprague and George Minden, bought the company. They focused on the product. Streamlining operations and improving quality. By 1981 things had greatly improved at Aston Martin but the American's couldn't keep it going and sold the company to CH Industrial. Who then sold it to Automotive Investments in 1983. They lasted just a year before selling the company to Peter Livanos and Victor Gauntlett. Could you imagine working at this place! You would never know how the boss was. Then in 1986 Ford bought 75% of the the company and the future of Aston Martin started to look a bit more promising.

In 1993 Ford finally bought the rest of the company from Victo Gauntlett and took over complete control of the operations. Ford invested heavily into modernizing the plants and focusing on innovative designs and technologies. For a company that averaged only a few hundred examples a year started to produce hundred then thousands of autos under Ford's leadership. In 2002 the company produced 6000 DB7's. More than all of the previous "DB"s ever built.

Ford Sells Aston Martin!

On Aug 31st, 2006 Ford has announced that Aston Martin Lagonda is up for sale. Now we have been here before and sometimes we have been in much more dire straights. Since Aston Martin's humble beginnings in 1913 the company has been sold:

- 1946 Sold to David Brown
- 1972 Sold to Company Developments
- 1975 Sold to Peter Sprague and George Minden
- 1981 Sold to CH Industrial
- 1983 Sold to Automotive Investments
- 1984 Sold to Peter Livanos and Victor Gauntlett
- 1986 Ford buys 75%
- 1993 Ford buys entire company

This time it's Ford that is in dire straights. The automotive giant is struggling to navigate the new world economy with an old world pension, health care program, and union. Let alone a product line up only second to GM. It's time for Ford to streamline operations and generate some fast cash to fundamentally change their business.

The good news is that this is the first time in Aston Martin history that the company is set up to deliver consistent profits. The product line up includes the DB9, Vanquish, and the Vantage V8. Along with many specials like the upcoming DBS - which may pr may not become a production vehicle. This means that Aston Martin could be purchased and ran without the buyers taking on a company under water.

The bad news is that since Aston Martin is above water financially it may be purchased for investment reasons rather than the love of the marques. The worst case scenario in my opinion is a VW buyout, or similar company, that folds Aston Martin into it's current global supply chain. For example, is it me or is the Bentley Continental Flying Spur a VW Pheaton? (nothing against VW -my day drive is a Passat!) What we need is an owner that will fundamentally understand that Aston Martin is a brand that will only retain its status if it retains its exclusivity.

David Richards and friends buy Aston Martin for $925MM!

In early 2007 Ford sold 92% of Aston Martin to the Aston enthusiast and CEO of Prodrive, David Richards. The sale once again sees our cherished marque in British hands and being lead by true enthusiasts. Prodrive is the automotive technology and racing company behind Astons racing program. In addition to David Richards, the American John Sinders and two Kuwaiti investment firms where part of the deal -- a deal that went down just as Aston Martin started to turn a profit. The company now has 100 worldwide dealerships selling around 6500 vehicles per year. Considering that in the 1990's they were producing fewer than 50 examples per year I'd say Aston is on a roll.Aston Martin

The History of Suzuki Cars

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Japanese automaker Suzuki has been producing cars since 1955. Thirty years later, Suzuki sold its first cars in the United States. Throughout its history, Suzuki has set automotive trends and responded to the demands of customers by addressing the ever-changing needs of drivers around the world.

Origins

Founded in 1909 by Michio Suzuki, the Suzuki company originally manufactured weaving looms. Over the first half of the twentieth century, the company expanded to produce motorcycles and, eventually, cars under the name Suzuki Motor Company, Limited.

Suzuki's first car to be mass-produced was available for sale in Japan in 1955. Dubbed the "Suzulight," it was the first ultralight car, a classification that became essential as Japan entered the world of driving culture. The Suzulight was powered by a modest 360cc two-stroke engine. It was also revolutionary for including such mechanical features as rack-and-pinion steering and independent suspension.
Early History

Suzuki continued to focus on its highly popular motorcycles, opening a direct import dealership in the United States in 1963. Car development took a backseat to not only motorcycles but also new off-road vehicles including the first four-wheel ATV.

Car production did continue to advance, though, as Suzuki offered its first van in 1968. Other compact coupes and sedans were designed to keep up with rapidly growing automotive technology. The popular Suzuki Alto (a subcompact model, known as a "kei car" in the Japanese market) was introduced in 1979 and has been in continuous production ever since.
Entry to the United States

In 1981, Suzuki focused on international expansion. This strategy led to an agreement with American auto giant General Motors under which Suzuki models would be "rebadged" and sold under the Chevrolet brand in the United States. The first model to receive this treatment was the Suzuki Cultus, a compact three-door hatchback that was sold in the U.S. as the Chevrolet Sprint starting in 1985.

A year later Suzuki introduced the Samurai, a compact, Jeep-like SUV. Suzuki cars, eventually sold under the Suzuki name when the stigma associated with foreign automobiles wore off, were instantly popular as Suzuki outpaced other Japanese entrants to the American market with strong sales from the very beginning.
Evolution

Suzuki offered other popular models through the 1980s and 1990s. Most were small cars brought to the United States after proving themselves in the Japanese market. These included the Suzuki Swift, which was popular in the U.S. as both a hatchback and sedan. The Sidekick SUV (and the similar Geo Metro) was produced in Canada under the ongoing partnership with GM. The Sidekick became one of Suzuki's best selling and most recognizable models.

By 2006 Suzuki saw annual sales in the United States top 100,000 units. The company's small, affordable cars allowed it to endure the overall drop in auto sales that followed from the rapid rise in gasoline prices during the 2000s and the credit crunch of 2008-2009.
Current Models

As of 2009, Suzuki offers six models in the United States. The SX4 Sport is a compact sedan that represents Suzuki's entry-level offering. A derivative hatchback is known as the SX4 Crossover and features all-wheel drive. The Suzuki Grand Vitara is a compact SUV with four-wheel drive. The XL7 model is a more up-scale SUV. Finally, Suzuki offers two pickup trucks, known as the Equator Extended Cab and Equator Crew Cab. Of Suzuki's full auto lineup, only the XL7 approaches the national average price for a new vehicle of around $25,000.

The Audi history concerning the quattro concept

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The Audi history begins with a man called August Horch, who founded the Company HORCH & CO in 1899.He invented his first car 1901 with the help of 15 fellow workers. The car had a max. speed of 32 km/h. In 1909 Mr. Horch had to leave his company due to major problems with the commercial management and founded another company called Audi. " Audi" is the Latin translation for "Horch" and he took that name because he wanted to build cars under his own name. So the brand "AUDI Automobilwerke GmbH" was registraded in 1910. Until the First World War some of the cars built under the Audi name won several rallies, which helped to establish the name worldwide. During the first war Audi was forced to produce vehicles for the war effort, and then after the war the recession was also a tremendous problem for the company. Therefore the founder August Horch left the management in 1920. The company managed to get through the hard times from 1927 to 1930, but in 1931 the management recognized that only a union with other vehicle manufacturer could keep Audi alive. At that time the AUTO UNION was founded, the members were DKW, HORCH, WANDERER and AUDI. The new companies insignia to show the union of the four companies was the now familiar 4 rings , which are still used by Audi today.

The new union had great success in motor sport in the ensuing years. The most powerful car that was build before the 2nd world war was a 6 litre V 16 engine with 382 KW( 582PS) in 1936. In the years during the 2nd world war the AUTO UNION once again were forced to build vehicles for German military. Many motorcycles, engines, different war vehicles and even parts for submarines were build until 1945. At that time all factories in Germany were completely destroyed by American bombers.
After the war had ended there were about 60 000 DKW military vehicles worldwide that needed spare parts and maintaince. This was the reason a new start in Ingolstadt, southern Germany was made. Soon after the war there were again many cars produced, the most important for me was the DKW Munga, a four-wheel jeep with 3-cylinder 2-stroke engine. Invented in 1956 for the German military, there were only 250 cars produced for testing purposes. On of these cars made a trip around the world and drove over 240 000 km without major problems. This was the beginning of the later concept called Quattro. Nearly 57 000 Mungaswere built until 1968.
In the following years many different engine- and car types were invented and produced in large amounts. The 2-stroke system was replaced by the 4 stroke one in 1965, a milestone in the engine development. For the power or the engines has been risen continually, the company thought about a new drive train concept. An performance of over 100 KW with front wheel drive shows heavy abrasion on the front tires and dangerous Ferrari a effects. The Iltis jeep what had replaced the Munga hadn’t that problems and the reason for that was not the minor performance of 75hp, it was the 4 wheel concept. Mr.Bensinger, the father of the Quattro, made many tests and tried to convince the management to give him green light for building a four wheel drive concept in an street car. The board of directors were not very pleased with that idea because the thought that nobody will buy such an car and especially if it was a high technology one not build by Porsche or Mercedes. These two firms were the only ones that had the name to do such huge inventions. One has to notify that the Auto Union at that time had no reputation in build high tech cars. Fortunately Mr.Bensinger did a good job, the project QUATTRO was born and the management decided to make this drive train concept famous all over the world with high activities in motor sport. The name AUDI should become as worthfull as Porsche and Mercedes.
To get the car ready in an short time many parts of available other types were used. The engine came out of the 200, the body was from the Audi 80 at first and the drive train came out of the Iltis, the successor of the famous Munga. Certainly many parts were braced, changed in size and improved for the high performance the car should have. After two years of improving, testing and rallying the first real ur-quattro with the new coupe body was build in 1980. The power has been risen to 200hp in the testing time, not a bad number if you think that most of the other car producer did with an 2.2l engine.

The History of BMW

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Although BMW's current fame and reputation as one of the greatest automobile manufacturers can be mostly linked to models produced in the last two decades, the history of the marque stretches back almost 90 years and contains numerous achievements that have established it as a benchmark

The origins of BMW trace back to 1913 when Karl Friedrich Rapp, a Bavarian who had been a well-known engineer in a German aircraft company, formed Rapp Motoren Werke in a suburb of Munich. The company specialized in airplane engines however Rapp found that they were problematic and suffered from excessive vibration. Nearby, Gustav Otto, also an airplane specialist, set up his own shop, Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik, building small aircraft.

Because of the faulty engines, Rapp Motoren Werke secured a contract with Austro-Daimler, who was unable to meet its demands, to build V12 Aero engines under license. The company expanded too quickly, however, and by 1916 Rapp resigned from the company because of financial troubles. In his place Franz Josef Popp and Max Friz, two Austrians, took over the company. In March that same year, Rapp Motoren Werke merged with Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik to form Bayersiche Flugzeungwerke. It was shortly afterwards renamed Bayersiche Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works), or BMW, forming the company we know today.

In 1917, BMW's first aircraft engine went into production, the 6 cylinder Type IIIa. In 1919, using an aircraft powered by its successor, the Type IV, Franz Zeno Diemer set an altitude record of 9,760 metres (32,013 ft). After the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the same year, prohibiting BMW from building aircraft engines, production switched to air brakes for railway cars. When BMW started once again to build aircraft engines in 1922, no fewer than 29 world records in aviation were set with them. The current BMW logo, introduced in 1920, was based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller.

The first BMW motorcycle, the R 32, went into production in 1923 at the newly constructed Eisenach factory next to the Munich airport of the day. The R 32 used a flat-twin engine transversely mounted in a double-tubular frame producing 8.5 horsepower at 3300 rpm. The 2-cylinder 494cc motorcycle could reach a top speed of 59 mph (95 km/h). BMW manufactured 3090 of them during its 3 year life span.

It was 1928 that made history in terms of the BMW car. Produced at the Eisenbach factory, the Dixi 3/15 PS marked the beginning of BMW automobile production. It was built under license from Austin and was essentially the same model as the US Bantam and the Japanese Datsun. The first Dixis used an open roof and were powered by a 743cc 4 cylinder engine producing 15 horsepower. Top speed was in the neighbourhood of 50 mph (80 km/h). In 1929 a new improved version was launched, the DA2, which employed an all-steel body and 4-wheel brakes, and in 1930 the Dixi scored its first wins in motor racing. Total production: 18,976 units.

1932 was the year the BMW AM 4 (Ausfuhrung Munchen 4 Gange - Munich Version 4 Speeds) - a.k.a. BMW's first "real" car - went into production. The AM 4, also called the 3/20 PS, was the successor to the Dixi and the first production car to be built entirely in-house by BMW. The powerplant was a 782cc 4 cylinder unit which featured suspended valves and a double chain driving the camshafts, producing 20 horsepower at 3500 rpm and providing the saloon with a 50 mph top speed.

The next year mark ed the introduction of the 303 saloon and the first BMW inline-six cylinder power unit, a configuration that remains BMW's typical choice even in contemporary cars. The 303 was also the first BMW to use the twin-kidney shaped radiator grilles, another cur rent trademark. Using a welded tubular steel frame, independent front suspension and rack and pinion steering, the 303 was a benchmark in technological achievements. Its 1173cc engine provided 30 horsepower and a top speed of 56 mph (90 km/h).

3 years later, in 1936, the BMW 328 was introduced. It was the most popular and remains BMW's most famous pre-war sports car, the successor to the 315/1 (1934-36). The 328 was built mainly for motor sport, where it proved itself successful by winning the Mille Miglia in Italy in its class in 1938, but quickly became a popular road car as well. A curb weight of only 1830 lb was achieved through the use of an extra-light tubular spaceframe and light alloy parts for the hood, doors and tail end. Using a 1971cc inline-6 cylinder engine with three carburettors that produced a healthy 80 horsepower at 5000 rpm, the 328 could reach a maximum speed of 93 mph (150 km/h). 462 units of this classic were produced in total.

In 1935 BMW entered the record books once again, this time on two wheels. Riding a streamlined 500cc compressor machine developing 108 hp and an amazing power-to-weigh ratio (282 lb curb weight), Ernst Henne set a world speed record for motorcycles of 173.7 mph (279.5 km/h) in 1937. It stood for nearly two decades.

BMW's success was unfortunately short lived. After the Second World War, the company lay in ruins. Its factories had been destroyed or dismantled and a three-year ban on any production activities was imposed by the Allies in response to the production of aircraft engines and rockets by BMW during the War. The first post war model, the V8 equipped 501 luxury sedan produced in 1951 was a poor production choice for a country that was also devastated by the war. Demand was low and the 501 did not even com e close to meeting BMW's expectations.

It was a totally different approach that started to bring BMW back on its feet. In 1955, the Isetta 250 was launched and participated very successfully in the mini-car era of the 1950's. It was built under license from the Italian manufacturer Iso and used a motorcycle engine and a single door at the front. The engine was a single cylinder 245cc unit producing 12 horsepower at 5800 rpm and a top speed of 53 mph (85 km/h). During its 7 year production run a total of 161,728 Isettas were built.

A couple of years later, with BMW still having no secure financial foothold, one of the most memorable models in its history was introduced. Launched in 1956, the BMW 507 quickly became famous. The light-alloy 2-door bodyshell with a retractable soft top, designed by Alberecht Graf Foertz, has remained timeless as evidenced by the newly introduced Z8, which draws unmistakable clues and its overall shape from it. A large 3168cc V8 engine using dual downdraught carburettors powered the 507 and provided 150 horsepower at 5000rpm, enough for an impressive 124 mph top speed (200 km/h) but not enough to topple its main rival, the Mercedes 300SL. While only 252 examples of the instantly recognizable 507 were ever produced, it remains a symbol of BMW's struggles and ultimate triumphs during the fifties after the end of the War.

The next step in BMW's evolution and the predecessor to the cars we know today was launched in 1962. The 1500, which had been developed during the crisis of the '50s, was another of BMW's saviors. The excellent suspension and striking design for its time, employing a low waistline with a low-slung engine compartment and rear lid characterized the 1500. A 1499cc 4-cylinder engine producing 80 horsepower at 5700 rpm and providing a top speed of 92 mph (148 km/h) powered it. During its two year production run sales amounted to only 23,807 units; however between all of the models in its range (1500,1600,1800,2000) production totaled 334,165 cars. Based on these cars, the first generation 5 series, the E12, was launched 10 years later in 1972. The 3 series was introduced 3 years later and the 7 series 2 years after that, in 1977.

In 1990 BMW re-entered the aircraft engine manufacturing business after forming BMW Rolls-Royce GmbH jointly with Rolls Royce. In 1998, after extended talks concerning the sale of Rolls Royce, BMW officially bought the rights to the Rolls Royce name and logo from Volkswagen, with the transition expected to take place in 2003. 1994 brought about another purchase, as BMW acquired the Rover Group PLC. After heavy losses, the company was finally sold in 2000, with Rover being split up from Land Rover which was purchased by Ford. BMW held the rights to the new Mini and the hot-hatch goes on sale in early 2002.

Today, the Z3, Z8 and all of the 3, 5, 7 and Motorsport series models continue the BMW tradition of building excellent automobiles with a special emphasis on performance, style and technological advancements. 1992 was another year-to-be-remembered for BMW when it, for the first time, outsold Mercedes in Europe. Hopefully in the future the rivalry between these and other makes will persist and companies such as BMW will continue to build great cars.