Cadillac Eldorado Brougham

By the standards of its day, the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham looked subdued! Next to its sibling, the Eldorado Biarritz, say, the tail fins on the Brougham were positively petite! Such delicate sensibilities were to be found on other parts of the car, too. The aluminium pillar-less roof was a 'shining' example. And the narrow, whitewall tyres were a deft design flourish. This was the first car to feature twin headlights. So, the Brougham had a refinement sadly lacking in some of its peers. It was based on a 'dream car' - which had appeared at 1954's Motorama. The 'Park Avenue' prototype was a four-door sedan - and made serious waves on the GM stand at the show. Before long, Harley Earl - General Motors' styling guru - mooted the possibility of it going into production. In '57, the Eldorado Brougham roadster was duly released.

The Brougham's brand of elegance went beyond its exterior. The interior accessories list was a long one - its items more associated with fashion than automobiles! Female passengers were particularly pampered. There were polarised sun visors, magnetised tumblers in the glove box, and cigarette and tissue dispensers. There were lipstick and cologne, a compact and powder puff, and a mirror and comb. There was even an Arpege atomiser - with Lanvin perfume. Carpeting was in karakul, or lambskin. Hey, any lady who complained about that little lot was probably getting out at the next set of lights!

But the Brougham's litany of luxuries did not stop there. It was only right that masculine tastes were catered to, too. How about a 6.3-litre V-8, for starters? Serving up 325bhp, it was mated to GM's Hydramatic transmission. And all supported by an X-frame chassis, and air-assisted suspension. The Brougham's cockpit was fitted with power brakes and steering - plus, electrically-operated seats and windows. Virtually the whole cabin was wired up, one way or another. This was the 1950s, after all, and gadgets and gizmos were everywhere! The Brougham was an exercise, then, not just in styling, but in cutting edge science. One of the most exotic cars ever to have come out of Detroit, it was a skilfully contrived cocktail of restrained glamour. And the Eldorado Brougham could be whatever you wanted it to be. For, with 44 trim combinations on offer, your dream Caddy was a cinch!

Chrysler Airflow

The Chrysler Airflow was where Art met Science! The lines of its bodywork were drawn from aerodynamics - at a time when that discipline was a mere glint in a boffin's eye! Certainly, it was far from being routinely used in automotive design. Indeed, the Airflow was the first production car to feature the fledgling craft. A 'wind tunnel' was duly developed. Even today, such systems are considered arcane ... but, in the early '30s, they were tantamount to a black art! The engineering wizards overseeing the project were Carl Breer, Fred Zeder, and Owen Skelton. Breer was the catalyst ... he had been first to be smitten by the science of aerodynamics. Zeder and Skelton soon followed suit. And it did no harm at all when Orville Wright - father of aviation - was brought on board! More than 50 test cars were built. By means, then, of painstaking refinements, the Chrysler Airflow gradually took shape.But the Airflow was not just about aerodynamics. 'Weight lo…

NSU Ro80

The styling of the NSU Ro80 was ahead of its time. At first glance, masses of glass were straight out of science-fiction. Closer inspection revealed the gently rising line of its profile - giving it a low front, high back stance - which would influence automotive design for years to come. The 5-seater body was supremely aerodynamic for a saloon car - making cruising at speed a breeze. So flawless was it outwardly that it was hardly touched in ten years of production. Just the tail-lights were modified, on later versions.The Ro80's handling was equally impressive. FWD - and precision power-steering - kept it perfectly pointed. The long-travel strut suspension soaked up bumps. High-efficiency disc brakes were fitted all round. The 3-speed semi-automatic transmission swept through the gears with aplomb. Top speed was a sound 112mph.But, of course, nothing is perfect. The Ro80 was powered by a twin-rotor Wankel engine. Unfortunately - in a rush to get the car into showroom…

FN Four

In terms of breakthroughs in the history of motorcycling, there cannot be many to rival the first in-line four engine. Belgium was the birthplace of this landmark layout. FN was the much-to-be-thanked manufacturer.The FN Four first hit the highway in 1911. It produced 4bhp. That, from a 491 cc capacity. At the time, such figures described state-of-the-art technology. Top speed for the FN Four was 40mph. Not bad - for an 8-valve inlet-over-exhaust set-up. Oh, it was air-cooled.The FN Four was light - tipping the scales at 165lb dry. Not only the motor, but the chassis, too, was avant-garde. It featured an early form of telescopic forks. A new-fangled clutch - and 2-speed 'box - only added to the FN Four's slick box of tricks. Solid shaft-drive output the power. Who, then, designed this visionary vintage? You will not hear the name Paul Kelekom shouted from motorcycling's rooftops. But, you should - for it was he who fashioned the FN Four. In so doing, he ki…

Larry Robinson19 June 2018 at 05:23
Thnx for the great article!
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