Cutaways are a fascinating way to discover what lurks beneath the sheet metal of a car. Today, they are generally done with computer programs such as AutoCAD but they were painstakingly drawn by hand by highly-skilled artists for several decades. The best-known cutaway artist is arguably Haynes’ Terry Davey, the man responsible for the drawings … Continue reading
Category Archives: Czech
Topical advertising: Rear-engined cars
Rear-engined cars were particularly popular in the 1950s and 1960s because installing the engine behind the rear axle freed up a generous amount of space inside the cabin. This space often came at the expense of cargo capacity and handling, and rear-mounted engines were quickly phased out once automakers started toying around with front-mounted engines … Continue reading
Topical advertising: Badge-engineering
Badge-engineering is one of the best ways to illustrate the microeconomics concept of economies of scale. Simply put, the average cost of each unit goes down as quantity goes up. Selling the rights to a car or even to a component like a chassis or an engine can save automakers a substantial amount money in … Continue reading
50 years ago: Skoda launches 1000 MB
Volkswagen’s Škoda division is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1000 MB. Designed to replace the Octavia, the 1000 MB was a monumentally important car for Škoda because it blazed the path that all of the company’s subsequent models followed up until the late 1980s. Continue reading
Color-coded advertising: Black
In the early days of the auto industry, black was often associated with the Model T and Henry Ford’s attempt to save money by adopting standardized production methods. Several decades later, black was found on official vehicles used by miscellaneous government agencies around the world because it’s a low-key color that doesn’t immediately stand out … Continue reading
Topical advertising: Old vs. new
Automakers commonly bring historic models from their own collection to media events in an attempt to create a link between the past and the present. Sometimes the connection between the two cars on display is evident, sometimes it’s a little more heavy-handed. A photographer generally shoots the old car next to the new one but … Continue reading
The 2014 Monte-Carlo Historique rally
The 17th annual Monte-Carlo Historique rally kicked off a little over a week ago and ended yesterday when a Belgian team at the wheel of an orange 1978 Opel Kadett GTE won the event. This year, the participants left from six European cities (Barcelona, Glasgow, Monte-Carlo, Oslo, Reims and Stockholm) and the common stages took … Continue reading
Color-coded advertising: Brown
Although brown cars have been around for decades, their heyday was undeniably the 1970s when companies from all over the automotive galaxy offered at least one shade of it. In retrospect, brown went remarkably well with cars that were often laden with emissions equipment such as air pumps and 5-mph bumpers. Brown largely fell out … Continue reading
Caption contest: Tatra T603
What are the owner of a 1960s Tatra T603 and the pilot of a Mikoyan–Gurevich MiG-15 talking about in this promotional picture? Continue reading
Caption contest: Skoda 1000 MB
How would you caption this intriguing Škoda 1000 MB press shot from the middle of the 1960s? Continue reading