On my personal blog, Gone Away, I posted an article recently on motor racing in Zimbabwe in the 1960s. That brought back memories of a car that visited from Europe and impressed me so much that I can still see and hear it in my mind: the saloon car racing version of the 1963 Ford Galaxie 500. It’s an unlikely choice as an exotic car, I know, but you had to be there to understand what an impact it made upon us. Here is the relevant extract from my post:

“There is one moment that stands out in my memory, however; the time the Ford Galaxies came to show off on our little track. They were monsters powered by 7 liter engines and had succeeded in overpowering the opposition in European saloon car races. It was a phenomenal sight to watch them unleash the power as they accelerated up the hill, passing all the local Mini Coopers and Lotus Cortinas as they did so. That thundering V8 sound at full throttle was truly marvellous and the acceleration unbelievable.

“It was the corner after the pits that nearly embarrassed them, however. They were achieving such high speeds that they would have to start braking halfway along the pits straight and the locals would come streaming past, braking at the last second and then hurling themselves through the corner faster than the Galaxies could dream of. And then would be repeated the chase and pass manouver up the hill.

“They won in the end but only just. Honour was satisfied on both sides, I think, for the locals could console themselves with the fact that their engines were less than half the size of the American cars’. And the crowd had witnessed a sight that would not be repeated in our forgotten backwater.”

Ah, the memories. Say what you like, that thundering old Ford was a classic!

One of the most famous car designers of the twentieth century, Giorgetto Giugiaro began by working for Bertone but soon left to set up his own design studios, Ital Design. In the seventies his work became instantly recognizable and he was the main force behind the straight edges and clean lines of that decade. You may not know his name but he was responsible for such cars as the Lotus Esprit, the Volkswagen Passat of 1973, most of the modern Daewoos, and the Maseratis too.

Unlike many Italian car designers, Giugiaro has branched out into all types of industrial design and it is worth taking a wander around the Ital Design website to see which designs you recognize.

But to understand just how good a designer he is, we should have a look at one of latest designs; and what better than the car he took on as a project for his own enjoyment, the Ferrari GG50. Feast your eyes on this gorgeous beastie:

Also known as the Shelby Cobra, it was the result of fitting a 260 cu.in. (4.2 liter) Ford V8 into a British sportscar of the early sixties, the AC Ace. As such, it is claimed by both nations as theirs, understandably so since it is so desirable that innumerable companies around the world produce replicas of it. Later, the Ford 427 in. (7.0 liter) V8 was fitted and it became the hairy monster we know so well.

It was an obvious candidate for sportscar racing and was entered several times at Le Mans in the sixties. These were often hardtops like the car below. They did not win but put on a glorious show with their growling V8 exhaust note.

AC Cars stopped making the basic Ace body shell in 1968 but Carroll Shelby, the man who turned them into Cobras in America, went through a long legal battle to obtain the right to continue manufacturing them. He won and is still making them today.

The performance has a lot to do with the popularity of the car, the formula of lightweight British sportscar with big American V8 being bound to succeed, but the looks have something to do with it too. Fitting so large an engine has necessitated widening the track and given the car huge wheel arches that accentuate its impression of power. And the whole car bulges with muscle like an automotive Schwarzenegger.

It’s not exactly the prettiest car on the road but it sure turns heads!

Only 492 examples of the Lancia Stratos were made. It was a homologation special designed purely to compete in rallies and racing. Some did find their way on to the road, however, and those few examples must be one of the most desirable of all classic cars.

Lancia first produced the car in 1973 and it went on to become a huge success in rallying in the 70s and 80s. Powered by a 2.4 liter Ferrari Dino V6, it was fast and its broad track gave it exceptionally good handling. But it’s the looks that strike us about the car. That aggressive wedge shape, the wide, curving windshield, everything contributes to the impression of a dart waiting to be hurled into space.

The Alitalia color scheme adds to this effect and became so synonymous with the Stratos that it looks slightly strange when given a less distinctive paint job. But the car is so rare that it’s a pleasure to see one in whatever color.