LAST RESTORATIONS
Restoration: Ferrari 246 GT (Dino)
The Dino 246 was the first Ferrari rear-engined motor (evolution of the 206) built between 1969 and 1973. Its model number consisted of the first two figures indicating the displacement and the third indicating the number of cylinders. It was produced in 2 versions, coupé (GT) and spyder (GTS) being very successful. The body was designed by Pininfarina designer Aldo Brovarone and the engine was derived from the latest sports engine designed by Dino Ferrari, who died in 1956. It was a 6-cylinder 65 ° V transverse, the first engine of this type mounted on a vehicle of the house of Maranello that had, until then, always preferred 12-cylinder engines. For this fact it was also called a Ferrari "baby" but its performance made many other models with more fractioned engines envious and the public decreed its success with a production of over 3,500 units, important numbers for that period.
Restoration: Mercedes-Benz 230 SL
The 190 SL, which had enjoyed wide acceptance for several years, was aging and the Stuttgart House decided to start designing a new spyder (improperly called a roadster). The project was born around 1961: three were the demands of the Daimler-Benz top management towards the managers of the various departments involved in the project: the car had to be bright, comfortable and spacious; it had to be realized by drawing on the greatest possible number of resources already available and finally it had to have an attractive line. As far as the mechanics were concerned, the car was chosen to be based on the shortened floor of the 220 SEb W111, but equipped with a more powerful engine made starting from the 2.2 liter M180 that was already had and that was already used to always equip the Heckflosse. and the bodywork, instead, took advantage of the value of the team of designers led by Paul Bracq, under the supervision of Friedrich Geiger.
Restoration: Porsche 356 SC
a Porsche 356 is a car model, both coupe and roadster, produced by Porsche without interruption from 1948 to 1966. It can be considered the first "series" model produced by the Stuttgart company.
In just under twenty years, several versions have followed one another, with different engines. The name "Carrera" appeared for the first time on the most powerful versions of the 356, those with double overhead camshafts:
1948-1951: 356 Superleggera
1950-1955: Pre-A or T0
1957-1959: A-T2
1961-1963: B-T6
1952: America Roadster
1955-1957: A-T1
1959-1961: B-T5
1963-1966: C and SC
Restoration: Porsche Carrera Targa 3.0
In 1977 the 911 SC (SuperCarrera) was launched, which replaced all other "non-turbo" versions (standard, S and Carrera); it had a displacement of 2994 cm³ and a power reduced to 180 hp. Aesthetically the only changes concerned the matt black painting of the first chromed parts.
The SC, available both in coupe and Targa versions, was launched at a time when the management of the German company believed that the 911 was an outdated model, destined to be gradually replaced by the Porsche 928, launched that year and equipped with a new V8 water-cooled engine and mechanical transaxle.
The 928 had a good market success, especially in the USA, but it never succeeded in replacing the heart of the fans with the 911, which always remained the most popular Porsche model. In 1978 the displacement of the 911 Turbo grew from 2994 to 3299 cm³ and the power, thanks also to the adoption of electronic fuel injection (rather than mechanical), reached 300 HP.
Restoration: VW Maggiolino 1500 Cabrio
His production begins with the choice of Adolf Hitler, who in a speech in 1934 announced his decision to market a car for everyone, convinced that the car should not be a privilege. In those years cars, at least in Europe, had no affordable prices for the average citizen. On the other hand, the development of mass motorization would have allowed Germany greater flexibility for the positioning of the factories towards residential neighborhoods. The designers asked were Ferdinand Porsche and Jakob Werlin of Mercedes-Benz. He won the first project, which had the task of creating a car with the following characteristics, provided by Adolf Hitler himself, especially in terms of traveling comfortably on the first highways: ability to carry 5 people or three soldiers and a machine gun, travel beyond the 100 km / h consuming on average 7 liters per 100 km and not having a price higher than 1,000 Reichsmark.
Restoration: Mercedes-Benz 280 SL
In 1968 the 250 SL gave way to the 280 SL, which had already been on the market since the previous month and was equipped with the new 130,983 injection engine with a high displacement of 2778 cm³ and a maximum power of 170 hp. Once again, absolute performance remained unchanged, but the new engine was even richer in torque, so as to allow ample margins of acceleration and acceleration. The 280SL was the last model in the W113 series, which in March 1971 was replaced by the new series of German roadsters, the R107.
Restoration: Alfa-Romeo Giulia Spider
The evolution of the cars in the early 1960s led Alfa Romeo to increase the capacity and performance of the Giulietta Spider. The Giulia 1600 Spider "101.23 series" was born as the evolution from the Giulietta Spider "101.03 series". The cars are almost identical, except for the existence of an air intake on the hood of the Giulia, for the wording "1600" on the tail of the latter and for the shape of the holes in the rims. There are other differences in the interior, more precisely in the characteristics of the steering wheel and in the appearance of the dashboard. Starting from 1964, this model was also marketed in a Veloce version, called "101.18 series", which fitted a more powerful engine capable of offering greater performance. This latest version represents the maximum performance development of the "Giulietta Spider" and "Giulia Spider" series.
Restoration: Alfa-Romeo GTV 6 2.5 GP
In 1981 the "Grand Prix" version was produced to celebrate the return of the Alfa Romeo in Formula 1. The interior and exterior were modified (exclusively red body color with black adhesive strips at the height of the belt line and on the side lower side, front bumper, rear bumper, front wing, side skirts and exterior rearview mirror in body color, 195/60 HR15 larger tires mounted on black alloy rims with silver rim, green cloverleaf on rear air vents) but motorization the two liters remain strictly standard. The special "Grand Prix" version was set up in 650 progressively numbered copies, of which 250 were destined for the Italian market, 200 for the French market and 200 for the remaining European countries. The special preparation was performed by Maggiora.
Restoration: Alfa-Romeo Spider 1.6
In 1966 the "Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Duetto" was launched, equipped with the 1600 engine of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT in the most powerful "Veloce" version. The shape, as the house hastened to clarify, recalls a cuttlefish bone, or the shell of the cephalopod mollusk, by virtue of the rounded front and tail, joined by the convex sides, with a rather low belt line. The tail, tapered transversely and longitudinally, follows the dictates of the more classic boat-tail typology. For the mechanics the new chassis of the "Giulia" was adopted, shortening the wheelbase to 2,250 mm. In the USA version the Plexiglas covers were replaced by a chrome-plated border.
Restoration: Mercedes-Benz 230 SL
The 190 SL, which had enjoyed wide acceptance for several years, was aging and the Stuttgart House decided to start designing a new spyder (improperly called a roadster). The project was born around 1961: three were the demands of the Daimler-Benz top management towards the managers of the various departments involved in the project: the car had to be bright, comfortable and spacious; it had to be realized by drawing on the greatest possible number of resources already available and finally it had to have an attractive line. As far as the mechanics were concerned, the car was chosen to be based on the shortened floor of the 220 SEb W111, but equipped with a more powerful engine made starting from the 2.2 liter M180 that was already had and that was already used to always equip the Heckflosse. and the bodywork, instead, took advantage of the value of the team of designers led by Paul Bracq, under the supervision of Friedrich Geiger.