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All the Makes: Edsel to Gregoire |
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EDSEL
(1957 - 1960)
The US automotive industry was
so large that manufacturers not only had a plethora
of models from which to choose, but also divisions.
Research had revealed Ford's Lincoln was not competing
with Cadillac as intended, but consumers were instead
comparing it to the Oldsmobile of the day. Ford
was committed to ensuring the Lincoln stayed as
the flagship make, and so a decision was made to
introduce a suitable competitor for the Oldsmobile.
Dubbed the “E Car” (experimental car),
the new division set about creating an advanced
and highly desirable car that would be readily
identifiable and individualistic
Given that Mercury
were already sharing the bodies and many components
from the Lincoln range, it was important that the
E-Car be new from the ground up, rather than be
a concoction of parts cobbled together from existing
Ford models. The hype surrounding the launch of
the Edsel was
unprecedented for the time, the four models including
both 2 and four door hardtops, while the Pacer
was available as a convertible.
Sales never reached
anywhere near expectation, and for many years the
word Edsel conjured negative images of the automotive
industry much like Titanic had done for the shipping
industry. The reasons for the spectacular failure
of the new division were many and varied. The marketing
campaign had led consumers to believe the Edsel
was new from the ground up, but it was anything
but new and borrowed heavily from the parts bins
of other Ford divisions.
The original decision
to market the car via its own dealer network didn’t
help, nor did a pricing structure that would see
it compete with others from the Ford stable rather
than competitive manufacturers. But there is a
more simple explanation that many believe to be
more accurate, that the Edsel was simply too big
for the time – as other manufacturers made
their cars more compact the Edsel harked back to
the early 1950’s era of bigger is best. It
wasn’t.
Gallery | Lost
Marques | Media
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EXCELSIOR
(1903 - 1930) |
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FACEL VEGA
(1954 - 1964) |
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FERRARI
(1940 - present)
Founded by Enzo
Ferrari who, from an early age, became entranced
with the idea of car racing. After World War 1 he managed
to get a job with a small car maker converting war
surplus, enough to fund his first foray onto the
racetrack at the 1919 Targa Florio. Ferrari would
land a job with Alfa Romeo the following year, once
again competing in the Targa Florio driving a modified
production car, and finishing a very creditable second.
Severing all ties with Alfa in 1940, Ferrari established
his new company Auto-Avio Costruzioni Ferrari.
During
World War 2 the Ferrari workshop moved from Modena
to Maranello, but this did little to protect if from
allied bombing and the new factory was almost entirely
leveled in 1944. The factory would not be re-built
until 1946, and upon its completion work would begin
on the construction of the first ever Ferrari sports-car.
In 1948 a Ferrari would take out the 1948 Mille Miglia,
but the best would come in 1951 with the release
of the really big-engined Ferraris, the 4101cc Type
340 America. Fitted with a completely new V12 engine,
the car had an awesome top speed of 137mph, which
naturally enough soon saw them racing with great
success.
In 1969 Enzo would sell a 50% stake to Fiat
to obtain some much needed funds, that figure eventually
growing to 90% in 1988. Fortunately the buy-out did
not hinder the manufacturers production, and they
remain arguably the ultimate in desirable automotive
sheet metal.
Gallery | Heritage | Price Guide | color Codes |
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FIAT
(1899 - present)
Founded as the Societa Anonima Fabrica Italiana di
Automobili Torino, the management were quick to decide
that Fiat should join other marques on the race track,
knowing that success would result in car sales. Success
came quickly when, in 1907, Felice Nazzaro won the Targa Florio, the Kaiserpreis and the French GP! Fiat’s
first sports-car was the Balilla, a car derived from
the small saloon design of the same name. Fitted with
a four-cylinder 995cc OHV engine good for 36bhp, the
car featured many innovations for the time, including
hydraulic brakes.
The Mille Miglia model was a further
evolution of the original, and not only featured a
more powerful engine but a lovely “torpedo” body
style. After the war followed the short-lived 1100S
and ES models, born out of the very specialized 508CMM
coupes of 1937, however the first true post-war sporting
Fiat was the 8V, powered by a 2 liter 70-degree V8
pushrod engine good for between 105 and 115bhp.
Never
considered a technological leader, Fiat nonetheless
was quick to adapt to the new technologies of the day,
particularly when the engineers saw merit; and so the
8V used a tubular chassis with coil sprung/wishbone
independent suspension.
Fiat then switched to the use
of a basic under-pan, the resultant 1100’s, 1200’s
and 1500’s all featuring coil sprung suspension
and rigid rear axles. Most unusual, and least successful,
was the “Trasformabile” of 1955-1959,
although cabriolets built between 1959 and 1966 sold
in large numbers.
The Fiat Coupe and Spyder versions
of the rear-engined 850 models built between 1965 to
1973 were solid performers, while the 1966 derivatives
based on the 124 saloon, the Sport Spyder and Sport
Coupe proved Fiat capable of making truly great cars.
That Pininfarina styled and built the Spyder also made
them amoungst the worlds most beautiful.
Gallery | Heritage | Price Guide | color Codes |
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FORD
(1901 - present)
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Guide | Colour
Codes AL | Colour
Codes MZ |
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FORD EUROPE
(1911 - present)
Colour
Codes AL | Colour
Codes MZ |
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FORD AUSTRALIA
(1925 - present)
Gallery | Colour
Codes AL | Colour
Codes MZ |
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FRANKLIN
(1902 - 1934) |
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FRAZER-NASH
(1924 - 1957)
Lost
Marques |
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FRONTENAC
(1931 - 1933)
Few know today that the cars Louis Chevrolet built for racing were not Chevrolets, but Frontenacs, and were never in any way connected with the cars that bore his name. It was after William Durant lost control of General Motors for the second time that he started Durant Motors, and a Canadian branch was established in the Toronto suburb of Leaside. This branch was so profitable, despite serious problems at the parent firm, that it went independent, founding Dominion Motors Ltd in 1931.
Its cars were named after the comte de Frontenac, a governor of New France. The first Frontenac was like the Durant Six, featuring automatic starting (when the ignition was turned on) and freewheeling (engine compression not slowing the car while coasting). Frontenac later added the small, 4-cylinder, US DeVaux and the larger Continental to its range. Eventually, the Great Depression had its effect and production ended in December 1933, nearly 2 years after Durant Motors had succumbed. |
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FSO
(1946 - present) |
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GAZ |
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GENERAL MOTORS
( - present)
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Codes MZ |
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GINETTA
(1958 - present) |
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GLAS
(1946 - 1962)
Founded by Hans Glas of Dingolfing, Germany in 1883
to produce farm machinery, it was not until well after
World War 2 that the company would commence automobile
manufacture. Following the war cheap and cheerful cars
were borne through necessity rather than desire, and
Glas turned their hand to the manufacture of a scooter
that proved very successful.
Few could afford fully
fledged automobiles, and with a burgeoning micro car
market it made sense that taking the next step up the
ladder would involve manufacturing something that had
more than 2 wheels, and less than 4 cylinders. Sales
of three-wheelers were going through the roof, and
once powerful manufacturers such as Messerschmitt and
Heinkel were busy manufacturing their own unique iterations.
The Goggomobil’s would hit the market in 1955,
and were in many ways vastly superior to much of the
competition, whose vehicles resembled more a covered
over scooter than an automobile. The Goggomobil would
soon be outselling practically all other micro-cars
from the era – right up until BMW took control
(their survival being in no small part due to the 3
wheeled Iso Isetta).
Sydney company Buckle Motors would
begin the import of Glas chassis and mechanical components
in 1958, fashioning fiberglass replacements for the
original steel Goggomobil bodies – and in doing
so avoiding Australian import taxes. The All-Aussie
bodies looked the same, but were marginally disproportionate
and, more importantly, were lighter.
The weight advantage
gave the Australian iterations a performance and handling
edge over their German stable-mates, and despite Australia
not suffering the economic hardship as was being experienced
in Europe, the little “Goggo” proved very
popular, with approximately 5,000 being assembled until
1962.
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GN
(1910 - 1925) |
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GRAHAM-PAIGE
(1927 - 1940) |
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GREGOIRE
(1942 - 1970) |
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