Exotic Cars Around the World

1957 Essentially a formula car for the road, the lightweight, quick, and responsive Mark VII—known today simply as the 7—starts production in 1957 and continues on today as the  Caterham 7 .  C/D ’ s first test of the 7 comes in June 1960. We say of the 1300-pound 7 America: “There’s nothing like it for blowing away the cobwebs of a city office.” Although the handling is praised, acceleration from the 48-hp, 948-cc four-cylinder with a scant 52 lb-ft of torque leaves plenty to be desired—60 mph comes up in just over 12 seconds with the quarter-mile arriving in 19. (As a modern comparison, that’s barely quicker than the Smart ForTwo, a car that is not perfect for blowing away anything but may be perfect for blowing  up . ) Top speed is a low yet still plenty thrilling 81 mph. The price for all this excitement is $2795, or about $20,000 in today’s dollars. This is from car and driver, they did a great segment on Lotus...

The company was formed as  Lotus Engineering Ltd.  by engineers  Colin Chapman  and Colin Dare, both graduates of  University College, London , in 1952. The first factory was situated in old stables behind the Railway Hotel in  Hornsey , North London.  Team Lotus , which was split off from Lotus Engineering in 1954, was active and competitive in  Formula One  racing from 1958 to 1994. The  Lotus Group of Companies  was formed in 1959. This was made up of  Lotus Cars Limited and  Lotus Components Limited , which focused on road cars and customer competition car production, respectively. Lotus Components Limited became Lotus Racing Limited in 1971 but the newly renamed entity ceased operation in the same year. Great vehicle and often confused with other vehicles.  Light weight, less on the luxury size compared to most exotics in my opinion...

Like the  Noble M10 , the  Noble M12  is a two-door, two-seater model, originally planned both as a  coupe  and as a  convertible . All M12s have been powered by specially tuned  turbocharged   Ford   Duratec   V6   engines . The M12 has a full steel roll cage, steel frame, and G.R.P. ( fibre glass ) composite clam shell body parts. These cars are extremely lightweight and stiff. Although looks to be track derived, the M12 performs very well on both road and track, with surprisingly good ride quality, but a rigid feel. [ citation needed ]  The coupe evolved through four (4) variants, with the M400 being the ultimate version of the M12, followed by the GTO-3R. Noble M12 GTO – 2.5L bi-turbo 310 bhp (231 kW) Noble M12 GTO-3 – 3.0L bi-turbo 352 bhp (262 kW) Noble M12 GTO-3R – 3.0L bi-turbo 352 bhp (262 kW) 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 3.7 seconds was published in the official brochure of the M12 GTO-3R, Road and Track indicated a 0–60 mph performance of 3.3 seconds, but

Noble Automotive Ltd. , more commonly known simply as  Noble , is a British  sports car   manufacturer  based in  Leicester . Noble Automotive Ltd. was established in 1999 by  Lee Noble  in  Leeds , West Yorkshire, for producing high-speed sports cars with a  rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout . Lee Noble was the chief designer and owner of Noble. He sold the company in August 2006. He resigned from the company in February 2008 and announced his new venture,  Fenix Automotive  in 2009. [1]  The company has since moved to larger premises at Meridian Business Park near Leicester. [2] Noble is a low-production British sports car company, its past products include the M12 GTO, M12 GTO-3, M12 GTO-3R and  Noble M400 . The M12 GTO-3R and M400 share chassis and body, but have minor differences in engines and suspensions. The M15 has a new space frame chassis. The body and chassis of the Noble is built by Hi-Tech Automotive in  Port Elizabeth , South Africa alongside  Super

The  eRuf Model A  is an  all-electric   sports car  made by German  automobile manufacturer   Ruf Automobile . The car is powered by a  UQM Technologies [3]  propulsion system (a UQM PowerPhase 150). The car has a top speed of 225 kilometers per hour (140 mph) [4]  and it’s capable of making 150 kW (204 PS; 201 hp) and 479 lb⋅ft (649 N⋅m) of torque . [1]  Estimated range per charge is 250 kilometers to 320 kilometers, depending on performance level, using iron-phosphate,  lithium-ion  batteries built by Axeon plc of Great Britain. [5]  The power and  torque  produced by the 3-phase motor can be used to recover almost as much power as it can put out. [2]  During coasting the engine works as a generator producing electricity to charge the batteries. [2] A probable production car would use a clutchless one- or two-speed transmission with no reverse gear as the electric motor can spin forward or in reverse. [1]  Ruf engaged  Calmotors [6]  in  Camarillo ,  California , spec

Porsche SE was created in June 2007 by renaming the old Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, and became a holding company for the families' stake in Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH (50.1%) (which in turn held 100% of the old Porsche AG) and Volkswagen AG (50.7%). [22] [23]  At the same time, the new Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG ( Porsche AG ) was created for the car manufacturing business. In August 2009, Porsche SE and  Volkswagen AG  reached an agreement that the car manufacturing operations of the two companies would merge in 2011, to form an "Integrated Automotive Group". [24] [25]  The management of Volkswagen AG agreed to 50.76% of Volkswagen AG being owned by Porsche SE in return for Volkswagen AG management taking Porsche SE management positions (in order for Volkswagen management to remain in control), and for Volkswagen AG acquiring ownership of Porsche AG. As of the end of 2015, the 52.2% control interest in VW AG is the predominant investment by Porsche S

1975 Porsche introduces 911 Turbo supercar in North America as a 1976 model. The 911 Turbo combines exotic car performance with luxury and everyday usability. 1976 Porsche replaces the 914 with the 924, a front-engine sports coupe. The car is powered by an Audi engine and built by Audi and features a rear transaxle for optimal weight distribution. Porsche becomes the first carmaker in the world to heat-galvanize steel car bodies, and Porsche cars come with a six-year guarantee against rust. 1977 Total Porsche production to date passes 300,000. 1978 Porsche introduces the 928. It is radically different from the 911 and features a front-mounted, liquid-cooled 240-horsepower V-8 engine. The 911 becomes the 911 SC, featuring a 3.0-liter engine and a host of enhancements. 1981 924 model joined by 924 Turbo. The 924 is Porsche’s most popular model and also a successful racecar. 1982 Porsche Cars North America established with its headquarters

In post-war Germany, parts were generally in short supply, so the 356 automobile used components from the Volkswagen Beetle, including the engine case from its  internal combustion engine ,  transmission , and several parts used in the  suspension . The 356, however, had several evolutionary stages, A, B, and C, while in production, and most Volkswagen-sourced parts were replaced by Porsche-made parts. Beginning in 1954 the 356s engines started utilizing engine cases designed specifically for the 356. The sleek bodywork was designed by  Erwin Komenda , who also had designed the body of the Beetle. Porsche's signature designs have, from the beginning, featured air-cooled rear-engine configurations (like the Beetle), rare for other car manufacturers, but producing automobiles that are very well balanced. In 1964, after a fair amount of success in  motor-racing  with various models including the  550 Spyder , and with the 356 needing a major re-design, the company launched

Ferdinand Porsche   founded the company called "Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche   GmbH " in 1931, [3]   with main offices at Kronenstraße 24 in the centre of   Stuttgart . [4]   Initially, the company offered motor vehicle development work and consulting, [3]   but did not build any cars under its own name. One of the first assignments the new company received was from the German government to design a car for the people, that is a "Volkswagen". [3]   This resulted in the   Volkswagen Beetle , one of the most successful car designs of all time. [5]   The   Porsche 64   was developed in 1939 using many components from the Beetle. [3] That is shocking, they made the Beetle and then went on to arming the German military, interesting start for Porsche.

Alfa Romeo was imported to the United States by  Max Hoffman  from the mid-1950s. [26]  The Giulietta Spider was born by request of Max Hoffman, who proposed an open version of the Giulietta. [27]  In 1961 Alfa Romeo started importing cars to the United States. [28] In 1995, Alfa Romeo ceased exporting cars to the United States, [29]  the last model sold in that market being the 164 sedans. Since that time, rumours of a return culminated with a website announcement stating "The long-awaited return of Alfa Romeo to the United States market should take place by 2007, with a range of new models." In fact, Alfa Romeo's return to United States was officially confirmed on 5 May 2006 by Fiat CEO  Sergio Marchionne . North American sales resumed in October 2008, with the launch of the low production 8C Competizione coupe. [30]  Also in 2008, Alfa Romeo and Chrysler were reported to be in discussions over the possibility of producing Alfa Romeo cars in some Chrysler