The De Lorean DMC-12 is a sports car that was manufactured by the De Lorean Motor Company for the American market from 1981 to 1983 in Northern Ireland. It is most commonly known simply as the De Lorean, as it was the only model ever produced by the company. The DMC-12 featured gull-wing doors with a fiberglass "underbody", to which non-structural brushed stainless steel panels are affixed. A De Lorean was featured as a home-made time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy.
The first prototype appeared in March 1976, and production officially began in 1981 (with the first DMC-12 rolling off the production line on January 21) at the DMC factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. During its production, several aspects of the car were changed, such as the hood (bonnet) style, wheels and interior. About nine thousand DMC-12s were made before production stopped in late 1982. Today, about 6,500 De Lorean Motor Cars are believed to still exist.

History
In October 1976, the first prototype De Lorean DMC-12 was completed by William T. Collins chief engineer and designer (formerly chief engineer at Pontiac). Originally, the car's rear-mounted power plant was to be a Citro?n Wankel rotary engine, but was replaced with a French-designed and produced PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) fuel injected V-6 because of the poor fuel economy of the rotary engine, an important issue at a time of world-wide fuel shortages. Collins and De Lorean envisioned a chassis produced from a new and untested manufacturing technology known as Elastic Reservoir Moulding (ERM), which would contribute to the light-weight characteristics of the car while presumably lowering its production costs. This new technology, for which De Lorean had purchased patent rights, would eventually be found to be unsuitable for mass production.
These and other changes to the original concept led to considerable schedule pressures. The entire car was deemed to require almost complete re-engineering, which was turned over to engineer Colin Chapman, founder and owner of Lotus. Chapman replaced most of the unproven material and manufacturing techniques with those currently being employed by Lotus. The Backbone chassis is very similar to the Lotus Esprit. The original Giorgetto Giugiaro body design was left mostly intact, as were the distinctive stainless steel outer skin panels and gull-wing doors.
The DMC-12 would eventually be built in a factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, a neighborhood a few miles from Belfast city centre. Construction on the factory began in October 1978, and although production of the DMC-12 was scheduled to start in 1979, engineering issues and budget overruns delayed production until early 1981. By that time, the unemployment rate was high in Northern Ireland and local residents lined up to apply for jobs at the factory. The production personnel were largely inexperienced, but were paid premium wages and supplied with the best equipment available. Most quality issues were solved by 1982 and the cars were sold from dealers with a 12 month, 12,000-mile (19,300 km) warranty and an available five-year, 50,000-mile (80,000 km) service contract.
The De Lorean Motor Company went bankrupt in late 1982 following John De Lorean's arrest in October of that year on drug trafficking charges. He was later found not guilty, but it was too late for the DMC-12. Approximately 100 partially assembled DMC's on the production line were completed by Consolidated International (now known as Big Lots). The remaining parts from the factory stock, the parts from the US Warranty Parts Center, as well as parts from the original suppliers that had not yet been delivered to the factory were all shipped to Columbus, Ohio in 1983-1984. A company called KAPAC sold these parts to retail and wholesale customers via mail order. In 1997, De Lorean Motor Company of Texas acquired this inventory.
A total of about 9,200 DMC-12s were produced between January 1981 and December 1982. Almost a fifth of these were produced in October 1981. About 1,000 1982 models were produced between February and May 1982, and all of these cars had the VIN's changed after purchase by Consolidated International to make them appear as 1983 models. There are the 15XXX, 16XXX, and 17XXX VINs which were originally 10XXX, 11XXX and 12XXX VINs.

Right-hand drive De Loreans
Despite being produced in Northern Ireland, DMC-12s were primarily intended for the American market. Therefore, all initial production models were left-hand drive (designed to be driven on the right side of the road), limiting its popularity in the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, where traffic travels on the left. Only 23 right-hand drive factory licensed De Loreans were ever produced; these cars were converted from left-hand drive models by Wooler Hodec, in Andover, Hampshire.
Three main-factory authorized batches of right-hand-drive cars were made:
The first batch of cars, with a black interior and manual gearbox, were very early prototypes for evaluating the changes necessary for RHD. As the under-bodies were of very variable quality, and the general build quality was inconsistent, several of these cars were scrapped. The cars with VINs 510, 752, 758 still survive.
The second batch had grey interiors. All were registered and used by the factory in Northern Ireland, with registration numbers (license plates), AXI 1697, AXI 1698, AXI 1699. The three survivors (VINs 5565, 5592 and 5638) are quite different from all of the other RHD cars. These cars all had "Euro-spec" rear lights, roof mounted radio aerials, very small side-indicator repeaters, no rear-wing side markers, white forward-facing door lights, fog-light switch, and twin brake servos (with one mounted in the engine bay, where the carbon canister normally lives). No catalytic converters or Lambda equipment were fitted as British legislation did not require them. These were essentially further working test vehicles; the car with the registration number AXI 1697 was allocated to Don Lander, the Managing Director, and was (at one time) turbo charged. AXI 1699 was said to be for John De Lorean's personal use whilst in Northern Ireland.
The final batch all had a black interior and manual transmission, with one exception, having the VIN numbers: 12171-12181 & 12199 and registration numbers "SIJ". The only black-interior automatic, VIN 12175, is owned by the Editor of a UK De Lorean owners' club. There were two further manual cars-with grey interior-which were custom made for VIPs in the UK; these had the VINs 11382 and 16242.
Of the 20 right-hand drive cars listed above, three had automatic gearboxes and the remainder were manual.
Another distinction of these models is that they were not affected by US legislation of the time and thus had speedometers reading to 140 mph (230 km/h), instead of the US-specification 85 mph (137 km/h). The car's top speed was clearly closer to 140 mph (230 km/h) than to 85 mph (137 km/h).

Construction
The DMC-12 features a number of unusual construction details, including gull-wing doors, unpainted stainless-steel body panels, and a rear-mounted engine.

Body
The body design of the DMC-12 was a product of Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design and is expressed in brushed SS304 stainless steel. Except for three cars plated in 24-karat gold, all DMC-12's left the factory uncovered by paint or clearcoat. Painted De Loreans do exist, although these were all painted after the cars were purchased from the factory. To train workers, several hundred DMCs were produced without stainless panels, and are referred to as "black cars" or "mules", in reference to their black fiberglass panels in lieu of stainless, though these were never marketed. Small scratches in the stainless steel body panels can be removed with a non-metallic scouring pad (since metal pads can leave iron particles embedded in the stainless steel which can give the appearance of the stainless "rusting"), or even sandpaper. The stainless steel panels are fixed to a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP, fiberglass) monocoque underbody. The underbody is affixed to a double-Y frame chassis, derived from the Lotus Esprit platform.
The unpainted stainless body creates challenges during restoration of the cars. In traditional automotive body repair, the panel is repaired to be as original ("straight") as possible and imperfections are sculpted back to form with body filler like Bondo or lead (body solder). This poses no problem (aside from originality) with most cars, as the filler will be hidden by the car's paint (for example, most new cars have filler hiding the seam where the roof meets the quarter panel). With an unpainted stainless body, the stainless steel must be reworked to exactly the original shape, contour and grain - which is a tremendously difficult job on regular steel (a dented or bent panel is stretched and a shrinking hammer or other techniques must be used to unstretch the metal. Furthermore, it is exceedingly difficult to paint stainless steel due to adhesion issues. De Lorean envisioned that damaged panels would simply be replaced rather than repaired; each De Lorean service center today has at least one experienced body repair person on staff, and there are decades worth of new stainless panels still available in most instances.
Another novel feature of the DMC-12 is its gull-wing doors. The common problem of supporting the weight of gull-wing doors was solved by other manufacturers with lightweight doors in the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and an air pump in the Bricklin SV-1, although these designs had structural or convenience issues. The DMC-12 features heavy doors supported by cryogenically preset torsion bars and gas-charged struts. These torsion bars were developed by Grumman Aerospace (and built by Unbrako in the UK, a division of SPS Technologies of Jenkintown, PA) to withstand the stresses of supporting the doors. A popular misconception of the DMC-12's gull-wing doors is that they require far more side clearance to open relative to ordinary side-hinge doors, such as when parked in a parking lot. In fact, the opposite is true: the DMC-12 requires far less clearance than side-hinge doors, and this can be physically demonstrated. This misconception of side clearance may stem from a misunderstood location of the hinge point of the doors by persons unfamiliar with DMC-12s. These doors, when opening, only require 11 inches (264 mm) clearance outside the line of the car, making opening and closing the doors in crowded parking lots relatively easy. Much like the doors fitted to the Lamborghini Countach, the DMC-12 doors featured small cutout windows, because full-sized windows would not be fully retractable within the short door panels.

Suspension
The underbody and suspension of the DMC-12 were based largely on the Lotus Esprit, with a four-wheel independent suspension, coil springs, and telescopic shock absorbers. The front suspension used double wishbones, while the rear was a multi-link setup. In its original development stages, the car is said to have handled quite well. Considering that Lotus's reputation was built largely on the handling prowess of the cars the company produced, the DMC-12's smooth ride wasn't a surprise. Unfortunately, changing U.S. government bumper height regulations required modifications to the suspension system and an increase in the vehicle's factory ride height, both of which had adverse effects on the car's handling capabilities. Many owners have subsequently replaced or modified the front springs to return the front height to the original design specification.
Steering was rack and pinion, with an overall steering ratio of 14.9:1, giving 2.65 turns lock-to-lock and a 35 ft (10.67 m) turning circle. DMC-12s were originally fitted with cast alloy wheels, measuring 14 in (356 mm) in diameter by 6 in (152 mm) wide on the front and 15 in (381 mm) in diameter by 8 in (203 mm) wide on the rear. These were fitted with Goodyear NCT steel-belted radial tires; because the engine is mounted in the very rear of the vehicle, the DMC-12 has a 35%/65% front/rear weight distribution.
The DMC-12 features power-assisted disc brakes on all wheels, with 10 in (254 mm) rotors front and 10.5 in (267 mm) rear.

Performance
John De Lorean had originally envisioned that the car would produce somewhere around 200 horsepower (150 kW), but eventually settled on a 170 horsepower (130 kW) output for the engine. However, United States emissions regulations required that parts such as catalytic converters be added to the vehicle before it could be sold there. This caused a 40 horsepower (30 kW) reduction to the vehicle's power output, a loss which seriously impeded the DMC-12's performance. When this combined with the suspension system changes, the US version was regarded as disappointing. De Lorean's comparison literature noted that the DMC-12 could achieve 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 8.8 s, respectable for the early 1980s, but Road & Track magazine clocked the car at 10.5 s. It is possible that the factory performance numbers were achieved using a European-spec car with the 200 horsepower (150 kW) engine.

Pricing
The car was named the DMC-12 because of its original price of $12,000. New DMC-12s had a suggested retail price of $25,000 ($650 more when equipped with an automatic transmission); this is equivalent to approximately $62,300 in 2007 dollars. There were extensive waiting lists of people willing to pay up to $10,000 above the list price; however, after the collapse of the De Lorean Motor Company, unsold cars could be purchased for under the retail price.
The DMC-12 was only available with two factory options including a no-cost manual transmission or automatic transmission ($650) and the choice of a grey or black interior. Several dealer options were available, including a car cover ($117); floor mats ($84); black textured accent stripes ($87); grey scotch-cal accent stripes ($55); a luggage rack ($269) and a ski-rack adapter. The standard feature list included stainless steel body panels; gull-wing doors with cryogenically-treated torsion bars; leather seats/trim; air conditioning; an AM/FM cassette stereo system; power windows, locks and mirrors; a tilt and telescopic steering wheel; tinted glass; body side mouldings; windshield wipers; and an electric rear window defogger.
Prices for DMC-12s vary widely and are dependent upon supply and demand. As of early 2007, a De Lorean in good to excellent condition can be had for around $20,000 to $29,000. Mint-condition cars can fetch up to $50,000. There are an estimated 6,500 surviving DMC-12s today. Some of the larger parts carry a steep price tag, such as the fiberglass underbody. Most parts are reasonably priced and readily available.

Production changes
Although there were no typical "yearly" updates to the De Lorean, several changes were made to the De Lorean during production. John De Lorean believed that model years were primarily a gimmick used by automobile companies to sell more cars. Instead of making massive changes at the end of the model year, he implemented changes mid-production. This resulted in no clear distinction between the 1981, 1982, and 1983 model years, but with subtle changes taking place almost continuously throughout the life of the De Lorean. The most visible of these changes related to the hood style.

Hood styles
The original hood of the De Lorean had grooves running down both sides. It included a gas flap to simplify fuel filling. The gas flap was built so that the trunk could be added to the total cargo area of the De Lorean. These cars typically had a locking gas cap to prevent siphoning. In 1981, the hood flap was removed from the hood of the cars (although the hood creases stayed). This style was retained well into 1982. Based on production numbers for all three years, this hood style is probably the most common. After the supply of locking gas caps was exhausted, the company switched to a non-locking version (resulting in at least 500 cars with no gas flap, but with locking gas caps). The final styling for the hood included the addition of a De Lorean logo and the removal of the grooves, resulting in a completely flat hood. All changes to the hood were made not to alter the look of the car, but for a much more practical reason: production of the grooveless design was faster and more reliable, as the stainless steel would often crack in the process of forming the grooves.

Other changes
John De Lorean was 6'4" (193 cm) tall, and he designed the car to comfortably fit someone of his stature. For shorter people, the addition of a pull strap made closing the doors much easier from the inside. Pull straps were manufactured as an add-on for earlier vehicles in November 1981. These attach to the existing door handle. Late-model 1981 cars, and all cars from 1982 and 1983, have doors with integrated pull straps.
The side bolstering in the De Lorean was originally separate from the main interior pieces. There is a tendency to place pressure on this piece when entering and exiting the car. This will eventually cause the bolstering to become separated from the trim panel. To help fix this problem, cars built in and after late 1981 have one solid trim piece with the bolster permanently attached.
As an addition to later cars, a foot rest or "dead" pedal - in the form of an unusable pedal - was added to the cars to help prevent fatigue while driving. This is one of the few changes that is directly tied to a model year. These were not built in to any 1981 vehicles, and were added to all cars starting with 1982 production.
Although the styling of the De Lorean's wheels remained unchanged, the wheels of early-model 1981 vehicles were painted grey. These wheels sported matching grey center caps with an embossed DMC logo. Early into the 1981 production run, these were changed to a polished silver look, with a contrasting black center cap. The embossed logo on the centre caps was painted silver to add contrast.
In 1981, the De Lorean came stocked with a Craig radio; this was a standard 1980s tape radio with dual knob controls. Since the Craig did not have a built-in clock, one was installed in front of the gear shift. De Lorean switched to an ASI stereo in the middle of the 1982 production run. Since the ASI radio featured an on-board clock, the standard De Lorean clock was removed at the same time.
The first 2,200 cars produced used a windshield-embedded antenna. This type of antenna proved to be inadequate for most motoring needs, so a standard whip antenna was added to the outside of the front right quarter panel. While improving radio reception, this resulted in a hole in the stainless steel, and an unsightly antenna. As a result, the antenna was again moved, this time to the rear of the car. Automatic antennas were installed under the grills behind the rear driver's-side window. While giving the reception quality of a whip antenna, these completely disappear from view when not in use.
The small sun visors on the De Lorean have vinyl on one side, and headline fabric on the other side. Originally these were installed such that the headliner side would be on the bottom when not in use. Later on in 1981, they were reversed so that the vinyl side would be on the bottom.
The original Ducellier alternator supplied with the early production DMC-12s could not provide enough current to supply the car when all lights and electrical options were on; as a result, the battery would gradually discharge, leaving the driver stranded on the road. This happened to De Lorean owner Johnny Carson shortly after he was presented with the vehicle. Later cars were fitted from the factory with a higher output Motorola alternator which solved this problem. This also is believed to be the reason behind the improvement in the sound quality of the horn. Earlier models emitted a weak sound, not loud or strong enough to be effective in normal traffic.

Special DMC-12s
Several special-edition DMC-12 cars have been produced over the years, and the car is most notably featured as the time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy. The PRV engines of the cars were swapped out for more powerful Porsche engines. Four De Lorean chassis were used during the production (i.e. exterior scene, stripped down for interior scenes, one decked out with time travel equipment, and one that was "wrecked" by the train).
One of several De Lorean prototypes is still in existence, and is currently for sale after undergoing a complete restoration at De Lorean Motor Company of Florida (DMCFL). There have also been major finds in the last few years of "pilot cars". These cars, used for testing of the De Lorean, had been thought destroyed. The test car featured on the front cover of Autocar in 1981 announcing the De Lorean to the world was found in 2003 in a barn in Northern Ireland; it is currently undergoing restoration. Production of the De Lorean started at VIN 500. VINs 502 and 530 were used by Legend Industries as a proof of concept for a twin-turbo version of the standard De Lorean PRV-V6 engine. VIN 530 is undergoing a restoration at PJ Grady's in New York. Vin 502 is owned by DMCFL and is going through a full Concours restoration at that location. Vin 502 has now (July 2007) been sold by DMCFL and has been exported to New Zealand. The car now resides in Wellington, and has been complied to run on New Zealand roads. Only one other twin-turbo engine is known to exist: it was purchased in the late 1990s by an individual owner. There is also another De Lorean that in its own right will soon join the ranks of becoming a Legend Car, VIN 570, which is now being converted to a full Legend(reproduction) Car by Chris Nicholson of PJ Grady Europe- the present owner of vin 00570.
VIN 500, notable for being the first production De Lorean to roll off the line in 1981, is on display in the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
Only 23 right-hand drive models were made for use in the United Kingdom, and as of 2002 these are valued at ?25,000 each.
For Christmas 1981, A De Lorean/American Express promotion planned to sell one hundred 24k gold-plated DMC-12s for $85,000 each to its gold card members, but only two were sold. One of these was purchased by Roger Mize, president of Snyder National Bank in Snyder, Texas. VIN #4301 sat in the bank lobby for over 20 years before being loaned to the Petersen Automotive Museum of Los Angeles. It has a black interior, and an automatic transmission.
The second gold-plated American Express DMC-12 is located at the William F. Harrah Foundation/National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada. This car, VIN #4300, is the only one of the three existing gold-plated examples to be equipped with a manual transmission. This car has a tan interior. Like its golden siblings, it is a low-mileage vehicle with only 1,442 miles (2,307 km) on the odometer.
A third gold-plated car exists with 636 miles (1,018 km) clocked up; it carries the VIN plate for the last De Lorean, #20105, though final assembly was actually completed in Columbus, Ohio in 1983. This car was assembled with spare parts that were required by American Express in case one of the other two that were built were damaged. All necessary gold-plated parts were on hand, with the exception of one door. The car was assembled after another door was gold-plated, though the added door does not precisely match the rest of the car in color and grain. The car was first acquired by the winner of a Big Lots store raffle. Consolidated International, which owned the department store, had purchased 1,374 DMC-12s during the De Lorean Company's financial troubles, acquiring the remaining stock after the company went into receivership. Now held by a private owner in La Vale, Maryland, the third and last gold-plated De Lorean is currently for sale at the price of $250,000. This car and the example in Reno have saddle-brown leather interiors, a color scheme which was intended to become an option on later production cars. However, these two cars were the only De Loreans to be thus equipped from factory parts.

De Lorean today
Despite a short period of production and the passage of several decades, the De Lorean has not been forgotten. Perhaps due to the continued popularity of the Back to the Future films, or simply the cars' uniqueness, the De Lorean seems to hold an indelible place in pop-culture. There are owners' groups, gatherings, and publications dedicated to the car, while a limited program for production of new vehicles and replacement parts was reinstated in 2007 after a nearly a quarter-century.
Gatherings and communications
The DeLorean Owners Association, founded in 1983, is the largest international De Lorean group. The Association produces a publication for its members, DeLorean World Magazine and has hosted many De Lorean Expos in major cities across the U. S. The group also sponsors the International DeLorean Eurofest at the original De Lorean factory site in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Association provides members and De Lorean enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase De Lorean and Association-related products from the De Lorean Store and its staff provides members with a wealth of information so they are educated about De Lorean history and the De Lorean automobile.
Most notably in the United States, owners have gathered bi-annually (in even-numbered years) for the De Lorean Car Show which draws people from all over the world to a different location each time. Back to the Future cast and crew including Bob Gale, James Tolkan, Jeffrey Weissman, and Claudia Wells have made appearances, and even John De Lorean was known to attend before he died.
On years opposite this event (odd numbered years), the De Lorean Motor Company of Texas holds an Open House at their suburban Houston location.
Besides these events, local clubs hold events throughout the year featuring driving tours, road rally scavenger hunts, tech sessions, and more. Online, the De Lorean owner base keeps in contact using a mailing list called the De Lorean Mailing List (or DML).
Magazines
The magazine of the De Lorean Owners Association is De Lorean World Magazine. De Lorean World Magazine, published twice a year, promotes the image and lifestyle of De Loreans and their owners. It includes technical information, event listings, products, history and feature stories.
DeLorean Car Show Magazine (also known as DCS Magazine) is published twice a year by Ken Koncelik. There is also , which is published quarterly by DMC (Texas). Both feature technical articles, news and updates about the De Lorean community.

Return to production
DMC Houston announced on July 30, 2007 that the car would be returning into very limited production (about 20 cars per year) in 2008. The newly produced cars will have a base price of $57,500 and have new stainless steel frames and lighter fiberglass underbodies, with optional extras such as GPS, an enhanced "Stage 2" engine, and possibly a new modern interior. The cars will be made with 80% old parts and the rest new.

De Lorean in popular culture
When founding his company, John De Lorean negotiated with many celebrities to persuade them to back the new De Lorean car and the company. Johnny Carson, talk show host/comedian, was given a De Lorean and also invested in DMC.
The DMC-12 was featured and mentioned in many films and on television, most notably as the time machine designed by Dr. Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy. Brown's rationale for choosing the De Lorean was stated in the first film: "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?" He also indicates that the stainless steel construction of the automobile is advantageous for the "flux dispersal" of a time machine. In addition to elaborate enhancements for time travel, the fictional car was later modified with flying capabilities and a "Mr. Fusion" (a fictional fusion reactor, which came from the year 2015).
Six DMC-12s were co-opted for use in the making of the films. For the second and third films, producers replaced the underpowered stock engines in their production cars with Porsche engines. The Back to the Future Part II De Lorean was seen as a prop that Amanda Bynes rested on in the movie Big Fat Liar.
In large part due to the popularity of Back to the Future, the DeLorean has been seen in many other contexts as well, including The Simpsons, The Wedding Singer, Miami Vice, The Fairly Oddparents, Monster Garage, Rocky 3, Malibu Express, Drawn Together, Family Guy, Haker, Get a Life, Matlock, Stargate Atlantis, Eerie Indiana, Donnie Darko, Harvey Birdman, Designing Women, Just Shoot Me!, Be Kind Rewind and also Minoriteam. In most of these films and television shows, actors are seen driving a DMC-12 or mentioning the De Lorean in dialogue. As well, the DeLorean is referenced during a television spot on The Learning Channel as part of their life lesson ad campaign. It can also been seen in Stuntaman's Fly, where the car is used as a time machine. The theme of the video is easily recognized as Back to the Future. Additionally, in the film Knocked Up, there is a dinner scene in which Back to the Future lines are quoted and the DeLorean is mentioned. Also, the two members of Gnarls Barkley pose (in Doc & Marty guises), with a DMC-12 in the 11/06 issue of "Spin" magazine.
The DMC-12 has also been featured in many computer games, most notably in the Back to the Future games; but also in Carmageddon: Splat Pack (1997), Duke Nukem: Time to Kill (1998), South Park Rally (1998), Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now (1998), M25 Racer (1999), Interstate '82 (1999), Vigilante 8: Second Offense (1999), Resident Evil 2 (1998), Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions (2002), Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) (lookalike, without gull-wing doors, named "Deluxo"), R Racing Revolution (2004), Gran Turismo 4 (2005), Enthusia Professional Racing (2005), FlatOut 2 (2006), Redline (2006), Scarface: The World is Yours (2006) (with scissor doors instead of gull-wing doors, named "Delphine") and Project Gotham Racing 4 (2007). It is also downloadable as an add-on car for Midtown Madness 2 in both the original DMC design and the Back to the Future design. Two versions of the DMC-12 from the second Back to the Future movies (flying mode and ground mode), (and other back to the future props) are also downloadable for The Sims from a popular fan site. In most of these video games, the cars are lookalikes or clones of the De Lorean, though not actually named "De Loreans" or featuring the De Lorean logo, to avoid trademark issues.
In the 17 October 2007 episode of The Chaser's War on Everything Craig Reucassel dressed as Doctor Emmett Brown ran after the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard with a De Lorean following. Reucassel suggested Howard could use the vehicle to travel back a year to retire from political life at a time of his choosing. The episode aired immediately following the announcement of the Australian federal election in 2007, with Howard trailing Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd in opinion polls.
Kanye West mentions hopping into a De Lorean in his song "Good Morning" from 2007 album Graduation.

The Pontiac Firebird was a pony car built in various guises by the Pontiac division of General Motors between 1967 and 2002.
The Firebird was introduced in the same year with its platform-sharing cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. This coincided with the release of the Mercury Cougar, which shared its platform with another well-known pony car, the Ford Mustang.
The vehicles were, for the most part, powered by various V8 engines of different GM divisions. While primarily Pontiac-powered until 1977, Firebirds were built with several different engines from nearly every GM division until 1982 when all Pontiac motors were dropped in favor of corporate motors.

First generation (1967-1969)
The first generation Firebirds had a characteristic "coke-bottle" styling. Unlike its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro, its bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end and its rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the Pontiac GTO. Both a two-door hardtop and a convertible were offered through the 1970 model year (the next generation, minus the convertible, being announced as 1970? models). Originally the car was a "consolation prize" for Pontiac, who had initially wished to produce a two-seat sports car of its own design, based on the original Banshee concept car. However, GM feared such a vehicle would directly compete with Chevrolet's Corvette, and the decision was made to give Pontiac a piece of the pony car market by having them share the F-body platform with Chevrolet. Somewhat disappointed at management's decision, Pontiac went about re-making the F-body in their own image with both styling and engineering changes.
The base model firebird came equipped with the OHC Inline 6 and a 1bbl carburetor.The next model, the Sprint, had a four-barrel carburetor, developing 215 hp (160 kW). But most buyers opted for one of the V8 engines: the 326 in? (5.3 L) with a two-barrel carburetor producing 250 hp (186 kW); the "H.O." (High Output) engine of the same displacement, but with a four-barrel carburetor and producing 285 hp (213 kW); or the 400 in? (6.6 L) from the GTO with 325 hp (242 kW). A "Ram Air" option was also available in 1968, providing functional hood scoops, higher flow heads with stronger valve springs, and a different camshaft. Power for the Ram Air package was the same as the conventional 400 H.O., but the engine peaked at a higher RPM. The 230 in? (3.8 L) engines were subsequently replaced by 250 in? (4.1 L) ones, the first developing 175 hp (130 kW) using a single barrel carburetor, and the other a 215 hp (160 kW) engine with a four-barrel carburetor. Also for the 1968 model, the 326 in? (5.3 L) motor was replaced by one with a displacement of 350 in? (5.7 L). A "H.O." version of the 400 in? (6.6 L) with a revised cam was also offered starting in that year, developed 330 hp (246 kW). Power output of the other engines was increased marginally. In 1969, a $725 optional handling package called the "Trans Am Performance and Appearance Package," which included a rear spoiler, was introduced. Named after the Trans-Am Series, the name was used without permission and the SCCA threatened to sue. But GM settled the deal by paying US$5 to the SCCA for every car sold. Of these first "Trans Ams," only 689 hardtops and eight convertibles were made. There was an additional Ram Air IV option for the 400 in? engine during that year, complementing the Ram Air II; these generated 345 and 335 hp respectively.
Bodywise, the styling difference from the 1967 to the 1968 model was the addition of Federally-mandated side marker lights: for the front of the car, the blinkers were made larger and extended to wrap around the front edges of the car, and on the rear, the Pontiac (V-shaped) Arrowhead logo was added to each side. Also, Pontiac stopped using wing-windows and started using single panes on the doors. The 1969 model received a major facelift with a new front end design made of an Endura bumper housing the headlights and grilles. Inside, there was a revised instrument panel and steering wheel. Also, the ignition switch was moved from the dashboard to the steering column with the introduction of GM's new locking ignition switch/steering wheel.
Due to engineering problems that would ultimately delay introduction of the all-new 1970 Firebird beyond the usual fall debut, Pontiac continued production of 1969-model Firebirds into the early months of the 1970 model year - until the end of calendar year 1969 (the other 1970 Pontiac models had been introduced on September 18, 1969). In fact, by late spring of 1969, Pontiac had deleted all model-year references on Firebird literature and promotional materials, anticipating the extended production run of the then-current 1969 models.
The first generation Firebird could be easily distinguished from the Camaro with its four round headlamps, whereas the Camaro only had two.

Second generation (1970-1981)
The second generation appeared for the 1970 model year as a mid-year introduction on February 26, 1970 - but was officially designated by Pontiac as a 1970 model, not a 1970-1/2 as many sources have reported through the years. Replacing the "Coke bottle" styling was a more "swoopy" body style, with the top of the rear window line going almost straight down to the lip of the trunk lid - a look that was to epitomize F-body styling for the longest period during the Firebird's lifetime. The new design was initially characterized with a large C-pillar, until 1975 when the rear window was enlarged. There were two Ram Air 400 engines for 1970: the Ram Air III (335 hp, 366 hp in GTO) and the Ram Air IV (345 hp, 370 hp in GTO) which were carried over from 1969. A distinctive, slant-nose facelift occurred in 1977, redone somewhat in 1979. From 1977 to 1981, the Firebird used four square headlamps, while the Camaro continued to retain the two round headlights that had previously been shared by both Second Generation designs.
The 455 engine available in the second generation Firebird Trans Am was arguably the last high-performance engine of the original muscle car generation. The 455 engine first made its appearance in 1971 as the 455-HO. In 1973 and 1974, a special version of the 455, called the SD-455, was offered. The SD-455 utilized leftover components from Pontiac's 366 NASCAR engine, and was built as a full-bore racing engine that produced over 540 hp; the engine was subsequently "toned down" to appease the EPA and to meet GM's own strict power policy, which at the time required that no GM vehicle exceed 300 hp. As a result, the PMD engineers listed the SD-455 at 290 hp, but in reality it was producing, in final form, 371 hp SAE NET (or approximately 440 gross horsepower). What made this engine even more appealing was the ease with which it could be returned to its 500+ horsepower form. The SD-455 is often considered the last of the true muscle car engines and, by many, considered to be the most powerful factory Pontiac engine ever produced. Pontiac offered the 455 for a few more years, but tightening restrictions on vehicle emissions guaranteed its demise. Thus, the 1976 Trans Am was the last of the "Big Cube Birds," with only 7,100 units produced with the 455 engine.
In 1974, Pontiac offered an inline-6, a 185 hp 350 in? V8, and 175 to 225 hp 400 in? V8 engines. The 455 produced 215 and 250 hp while the SD-455 produced 290 hp. The 400, 455, and SD-455 engines were offered in the Trans Am and Formula models during 1974, but the 400 and 455 engines were the only other options in the 1975 and 1976 models. In 1976, Pontiac celebrated their 50th Anniversary, and a special edition of the Trans Am was released. Painted in black with gold accents, this was the first anniversary Trans Am package and the first production Black and Gold special edition. In 1977, Pontiac offered the T/A 6.6 Litre 400 (RPO W72) rated at 200 hp, as opposed to the regular 6.6 Litre 400 (RPO L78) rated at 180 hp. In addition, California and high altitude cars received the Olds 403 engine, which offered a slightly higher compression ratio and a more usable torque band than the Pontiac engines of 1977.
Beginning in 1978, Pontiac engineers reversed years of declining power by raising the compression ratio in the Pontiac 400 through the installation of different cylinder heads with smaller combustion chambers (taken from the Pontiac 350). This increased power by 10% for a total of 220 during the 1978-79 model years. The 400/403 options remained available until 1979, when the 400 in? engines were only available in the 4-speed transmission Trans Ams and Formulas (the engines had actually been stockpiled from 1978, when PMD had cut production of the engine). 1979 marked the 10th Anniversary of the Trans Am, and a special anniversary package was made available: silver paint with a silver leather interior. The 10th Anniversary cars also featured a special Firebird hood decal, which extended off of the hood and onto the front fenders. In 1979 Pontiac sold 116,535 Trans Ams which still holds the record to this day. In 1980, due to ever-increasing emissions restrictions, Pontiac dropped all of its large displacement engines.
1980 therefore saw the biggest engine changes for the Trans Am. The 301, offered in 1979 as a credit option, was now the standard engine. Options included a turbocharged 301 or the Chevrolet 305 small block.
In the final year of the Second Generation Firebirds (1981), Trans Am still used the same engines as it had in the previous model year, with the only change being the addition of a new electronic carburation system.

Third generation (1982-1992)
The third generation F-body weighed less than its predecessor and offered sleek, aerodynamic styling that was particularly reflected by the Firebird. GM's CCC (Computer Command Control) engine control system also continued to evolve, simultaneously increasing engine performance, raising fuel economy, and lowering emissions. This combination of factors helped the Third Generation Firebird to re-energize its fading pony car image.
The third generation Firebirds took flight with three models: Firebird, Firebird S/E, and Firebird Trans Am. The Firebird was the base model, equivalent to the Camaro Sport Coup?; the Firebird S/E was the mid-trim-level version, which could actually be loaded with as many options as the Trans Am; and the Trans Am, of course, was the performance-level Firebird. The Firebird and Camaro had been completely restyled, with the windshield slope set at 60 degrees (about 3 degrees steeper than anything GM had ever tried before) and for the first time, a large, glass-dominated rear hatchback. Two pop-up headlights, a first on the F-Body cars, were the primary characteristic that distinguished the Firebird from its Camaro cousin; the Firebird would retain this styling characteristic until the end of production in 2002.
In addition to being 500 lb (227 kg) lighter, the Third Generation Firebird was the most aerodynamic production Firebird to date. Wind tunnels were used to form the body shape, and the aerodynamic developments extended to the finned aluminum wheels with smooth caps and a functional spoiler. The Trans Am received a "Turbo Bulge" hood, styled loosely after the earlier Turbo Trans Am. In fact, plans had originally been made to use the Pontiac 4.9 Turbo, but they were scrapped at the last minute. However, the hood bulge remained and was made functional for the Crossfire-injected 305. While the S/E could be had with every option the Trans Am could, it didn't use the bulged hood. Leather seating was also available on all models. Firebirds were available with several engines: the standard fuel-injected 90 hp 2.5L 4 cylinder Pontiac "Iron Duke" (this marked the first time a 4-cylinder engine was offered in the Firebird); a 102 hp 2.8L V6; and two 5.0L V8's. The first and most common was the LG4, a basic carburetor-equipped 305 producing 145 hp. The other was a new fuel-injected 305, which employed a fuel injection system similar to that used in the 1982 Corvette's 5.7L, and produced 165 hp. The base Firebird came standard with 14-inch steel wheels; 14-inch aluminum and 15-inch aluminum wheels were available on the S/E and Trans Am models. Pontiac had also hoped to drop all the "Trans Am" badges from the new cars to save royalties paid to the SCCA for use of the name. Early promotional cars were marked "T/A" as an alternative, however the production cars came marked as "Trans Am" regardless. The WS6 option, available on the S/E's and Trans Ams, included 4-wheel disc brakes, P215/65R15 Goodyear Eagle GT radials with 15-inch cast aluminum wheels, stiffer springs, thicker front and rear sway bars, a high ratio 12.7:1 steering box, and limited slip rear differential.
The Trans Am came standard with one of the two 305 Chevy V8's, as Pontiac V8's were no longer being produced. The four-speed manual transmission came mated to the four-barrel-carbureted version that put out a milquetoast 145 hp, while the Crossfire-injected 305, rated at 165 hp, came with the automatic transmission. But with either drive train, the newest Trans Am was still no match for the 5.0L Mustang GT that took the performance car revival by stampede that year thanks to its 157 hp High Output 302 (the Mustang was much lighter than the Camaro or Firebird, and the 302 engine had a much better assortment of high performance parts than the Chevy small block forced on Pontiac).
Still, with its dimensions reduced, wheel base shortened, and weight reduced, the Third Generation Firebird was also the closest yet in size to the original 1967 model. Road & Track selected the 1982 Firebird Trans Am as one of the "12 Best Cars" in the world (along with its cousin, the Camaro). It won "Best Sports GT" category in the $11,000 to $14,000 range (also along with the Camaro).
A modified black 1982 Firebird Trans Am appeared in the television series Knight Rider as KITT, voiced by William Daniels. For the reunion movie Knight Rider 2000, KITT underwent a makeover and became the "Knight Industries 4000," a modified red Pontiac Banshee.
1983
The Firebird remained basically unchanged from the previous model year. All automatic-transmission Firebirds now received a T-handle shifter knob, and the shift indicator changed for the Automatic Overdrive 700-R4. Midyear, the L69 high output 305 was introduced. This carbureted 190 hp V8 was virtually identical to the L69 engine in the Camaro Z28, but used a different air cleaner assembly (instead of the Camaro's dual-snorkel air cleaner, the Trans Am received yet another functional cold air intake, designed to utilize the bulged hood).
In its second year, the Third Generation Trans Am was selected as the Daytona 500 Pace Car, and Pontiac offered a total of 500 Daytona Pace Car replicas through their dealerships. The limited-edition cars featured full body ground effect skirts that extended around the entire car. The front bumper grills were replaced with molded plastic panels, with the "Trans Am" script on the right-hand panel. Also included were Recaro leather/suede seats, special 15-inch "AERO" wheels with smooth covers, red gauge lighting, leather appointments, "Daytona 500" graphics, and a unique white and charcoal paint scheme. The pace cars were only available with the LU5 Crossfire-injected 305 with an automatic, or the LG4 carbureted 305 mated to a 5-speed manual. Other special packages were also available such as the Recaro trim package, which included the Recaro seats, and black paint with gold highlights.
1984
The Trans Am was now available with the same ground effects package used on the 1983 Daytona Pace Car replica; the grill inserts in the front fascia were replaced with solid pieces, and new 20-slot, 15-inch aluminum wheels were also available. For the fifteenth anniversary of the Trans Am, Pontiac released another special, limited-edition Trans Am: using the same body as the 1983 Pace Car replicas, but with new 16-inch, 20-slot, convex aluminum wheels and Goodyear P245/50VR16 unidirectional tires (the new wheel/tire combo being very similar to the Corvette's P255/50ZR16 arrangement); it marked the first appearance of 16-inch wheels on the Third Generation F-body, and was also the first Pontiac to come with 16-inch wheels. The 1,500 15th Anniversary Trans Ams also included an upgraded WS6 suspension, with a new 25 mm rear sway bar (as opposed to the ordinary WS6's 23 mm bar). Other features included: gray multitone and white leather Recaro interior; a special steering wheel and shifter, and parking brake handle; white-striped taillight lenses; white wheels; special blue stripes and blue hood decal; 4-wheel disc brakes; and T-tops. The only available V8 engines were the LG4 and L69.
1985
All Firebird models underwent redevelopment to boost sales as a number of power train improvements were introduced. The LB9 Tuned Port Injection (TPI) 305 was released, replacing the 305 H.O. as the high-output engine: using a tuned runner design, the LB9 produced 215 hp, which brought it suitable attention from buyers despite being unavailable with a manual transmission. The carbureted V6 was replaced with a new, multi-port fuel-injected 2.8L V6 making 135 hp. A Borg-Warner 9-bolt differential was made available for the first time, and the new positive traction rear end was said to be stronger than the Dana 44. The interior evolved with the addition of new, Recaro-styled seats; a new dash with redesigned gauges that used an embossed graph patterned background; new door panels; a new T-handle shifter for automatics; a new, more ergonomic console; an updated stereo; a dash-mounted map pocket; and a new, more ergonomic steering wheel. Further attempts to put the Trans Am into higher regard included a new digital dash and a new overhead console. The console included two manually adjusted reminder wheels, a positionable map light, a removable "Firebird" flashlight, and a small pocket for a garage door opener or sunglasses. The T-tops were also redesigned to use a pin-mounting arrangement rather than the earlier latch-based setup. The Trans Am drag coefficient was measured at 0.32 but was as low as 0.29 with the standard Aero wheels instead of the High-Tech turbo aluminum rims. At the time, it was the most aerodynamically-efficient car GM ever produced.
The Firebird received a restyled nose with wrap-around inserts known as "bumperettes" to replace the old grille/solid inserts; wrap-around "bumperettes" were also added to the rear bumper. The Trans Am "Turbo Bulge" hood was discontinued in favor of a new flat hood with twin louvered "nostrils" that were non-functional. Trans Am also received a restyled nose with integral fog lights and newly redesigned ground effects now standard, and its new "low density" taillight lenses have a grid-style pattern rather than the now-familiar "slit" or "louvered" pattern. The Trans Am now received the 15th Anniversary WS6 suspension as standard, which had been upgraded with the new, larger sway bars, and aluminum 16-inch, 20-slot wheels were made available on all Trans Ams. The Recaro option package was no longer available, but Recaro seats still were.
1986
All Firebirds received center, high-mounted stop lamps to comply with Federal legislation; these were placed on top of the back hatch window. New tail light lenses were now introduced on the base Firebird, completing the replacement of the "slit" or "louvered" taillight lenses that had been a Firebird signature since 1967. The 2.5L 4-cylinder engine was dropped, replaced by the multi-port fuel-injected 2.8L V6 as the standard engine. The Firebird S/E model was discontinued. A new, optional rubber/vinyl wrap-around rear wing was introduced on Trans Am (available only in black; as these wings aged, these and those offered on subsequent model-year vehicles would suffer from cracking and splitting problems). Mid year, Pontiac introduced a new light-weight, cross-lace wheel rim, available for the Trans Am.
Only 26 Trans Ams with the 305 H.O L69 were built in 1986; it was discontinued because of fuel boiling problems(www.thirdgen.org)The 305 TPI engine output was decreased from 215 hp to 190 hp, however, the L98 TPI 350, rated at 225 hp, made its mid-year appearance in the Trans Am. Paint RPO's were changed to reflect the new base-coat/clear-coat paint process. American Sunroof (ASC), licensed by Chevrolet to build the 1987 Camaro convertible, also built 3 1986 Trans Am convertibles as a "design exercise."
1987
The Firebird body remained basically unchanged. All center, high-mounted stop lamps were relocated to a new position between the spoiler and the rear deck lid, and the large Firebird hood emblem disappeared forever. All V8's now received factory roller camshafts, and faced with consumer demands for more power, GM officially released the new 5.7L with tuned port fuel injection. Available only with an automatic transmission, it produced 225 hp and takes the top performance seat from the 5.0L TPI. L69 production is stopped, leaving the LG4 as the only remaining carbureted V8 used in the F-body. Trans Am GTA (Gran Turismo Americano) was introduced, available with the LB9 305 TPI engine (which was returned to 215 hp) or the L98 350 TPI. Gold 16-inch, flat-mesh, diamond-spoke wheels were standard on GTA, with 16-inch, 20-slot wheels standard on Trans Am. Firebird Formula was re-introduced, available with a choice of V8's (LG4, LB9 305 TPI, or L98 350 TPI), 16-inch convex wheels, and the earlier Trans Am "Turbo Bulge" hood. The wrap-around wing was updated and now standard on Trans Am and Formula; the regular, flat-surfaced spoiler from earlier Trans Am models was now made standard on Firebird. Trans Am and Formula were also offered with an optional 140 mph speedometer.
The Trans Am GTA was Pontiac's pride and joy with a standard 5.7L 350 Tuned Port Injection (TPI). The engine itself was pulled directly out of the C4 Corvette, which itself began using the engine in 1985, and gave the GTA performance numbers comparable to GM's flagship performance platform from whence it came. The GTA came with a standard TH-700R4 (4L60) automatic transmission, A/C, new seats with inflatable lumbar and side bolsters, special door panels, epoxy-filled emblems, body-colored ground effects, a special GTA horn button, and the legendary WS6 performance handling package. All of these options were packaged into the Trans Am under the RPO code Y84, and the model was produced until the end of Third Generation F-body production in 1992.
Finally, Pontiac offered a Firebird/Trans Am convertible, built after-market by ASC (of ASC McLaren fame) along-side the new Camaro convertible.
1988
The Firebird remained basically unchanged. The 170 hp LG4 carbureted 5.0L V8 was dropped in favor of the new 170 hp L03 5.0L V8 with throttle body injection. All V8's engines received serpentine belt systems and the A/C compressors were moved to the passenger's side of the engine, de-cluttering the engine compartment. The Firebird Formula received new high tech 16x8" aluminum wheels with distinctive silver "WS6" center caps. The GTA wheels were slightly restyled, and the convex 16-inch wheels were dropped as all Trans Ams received the 16x8" diamond-spoke aluminum rims, available in different colors (white, red, charcoal, and black) in addition to the GTA's gold. The GTA received new a steering wheel with integral radio controls. The Trans Am was made available with body-colored ground effects like those on the GTA. The optional convertible model also carried over, and now optional on the GTA was a new "notchback" hatch: rather than the large, glass hatchback that had been common to the Third Generation Firebird, the optional notchback consisted of a fiberglass trunk lid with a small, flat, vertical glass window. The notchback also incorporated redesigned rear seatbacks with integral headrests. The notchback became popular with onlookers, who often assumed the notchback-equipped GTA was a Ferrari, thereby encouraging some owners of the type to dub their GTA the "Ferrari Back." Many Trans Am owners were unaware that the $800 notchback option was even available, and for those who were, the vehicle typically had to be ordered from the factory, on a six-month waiting list, as the notchback was retrofitted to the vehicle. In rare instances, a dealership would get a notchback-equipped GTA on their lot. Another reason for the relative obscurity of the notchback is that the sales information was not very well disseminated to Pontiac salespeople, so many of them had no idea it was available as an option. As attractive as the notchback was, GTA owners were constantly plagued with structural and cosmetic issues with the design. The fiberglass would blister, causing surface bubbles resembling a bad case of acne. The Pontiac repair solutions were simply to sand the notchback down and repaint it, but the problem would always return, and GTA owners could expect multiple trips in order to achieve a final repair of the problem, or to have a new notchback installed. The notchback was intended to carry over and be standard-issue on the 1989 20th Anniversary GTA, but the plan never materialized; the aforementioned quality control issues apparently caused GM not to carry it over to the next year..
1989
GM made a new dual catalytic converter exhaust system (RPO code N10) available, freeing up 13% more power from some LB9- and L98-equipped Formulas and Trans Ams; so equipped, LB9 engine output was increased to 230 hp while the L98 increased to 240 hp. The N10 option remained available throughout the balance of the Third Generation production run, however the L98 powerplant was only available with an automatic transmission, whereas the LB9/N10 combination could only be coupled to a 5-speed manual (RPO code MM5) and a limited-slip differential (RPO code G80) using a 3.45 performance axle ratio (RPO code GM3). According to a March 1990 (Vol. 35, No. 9) Car and Driver article, when the latter set of options were combined into the relatively unassuming (and 300-pounds-lighter) Formula body, which shared same WS6 suspension with the top-end Trans Am GTA, it created a "sleeper" Firebird that could out-perform the heavier Trans Am GTA (even when equipped with the L98 engine) - at a roughly 30% lower sticker price. Car and Driver also reported that, aside from the special-edition Turbo Trans Am, offered only in 1989, these "sleeper" Formulas were the fastest Third-Generation Firebirds - capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in under 7 seconds (quite impressive for the day). Although not an exhaustive comparison, these claims would seem to be supported by a simple examination of the weight-to-power ratios of both models: a 230 hp Formula at a curb weight of 3,300 lb (1,497 kg) versus a 240 hp Trans Am GTA at a curb weight of 3,600 lb (1,633 kg); the weight-to-power ratio for the Formula is 14.3 lb/hp compared to 15.0 lb/hp for the Trans Am GTA. According to the same Car and Driver article, very few of these "sleeper" Formulas hit the streets; only about 50 were built each model year, as almost all LB9-equipped Formulas came with an automatic transmission - which disqualified them from receiving the high-performance N10 and GM3 options.
Firebirds optioned with T-tops received new Lexan plastic tops. The new tops were lighter in weight and tinted darker, but were more dome shaped and aged rapidly. GM replaced many sets with tops made of glass under warranty, but the Lexan tops continued as standard-issue through 1992. All Firebirds optioned with rear disc brakes now received PBR brake calipers and larger brake rotors, which resolved issues encountered with previous-model rear discs and increased stopping power. Introduction of GM's Vehicle Anti Theft System (VATS) or PASS-Key made all Firebirds more theft-resistant. The system was adapted from GM's higher-end Corvette and Cadillac vehicles in response to an escalating trend among car thieves to target the Camaro and Firebird. VATS incorporated a small resistor into the ignition key shaft which was read by a sensor when the key was inserted. VATS-equipped cars also displayed anti-theft system warning decals in the lower rear corners of the side windows. A new CD player was offered, shoulder belts were added in the back seat, and the convertible model carried over.
The Trans Am was selected to pace the Indianapolis 500, and Pontiac marketed another pace car replica. This special, 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am (TTA), based on the GTA, was only available in white with a tan interior, and came equipped with the turbocharged Buick 3.8L V6, originally developed for the Buick Regal Grand National. At the time, these replicas were as close to the actual pace car as any replica previously offered; the only differences between the replica cars and those that actually were on the track during the race were the additions of strobe lights and safety equipment to the latter. 1,555 were produced, 5 of those being test cars. Out of 1,550 cars produced by PAS, the actual pace cars were randomly selected and sent to Indy for testing and modification, and when the TTA was released to the public, they were underrated in power. Not all came with T-tops or with leather interior; there were hardtops and cloth-interior cars. But every TTA had an automatic transmission - the 200R-4. Still, the TTA was, at the time, widely regarded as the fastest production car in existence - ironically a title it had briefly (at least for 1989) usurped from its GM stablemate that had supplied the engine: the Buick Regal Grand National (although as noted above, the LB9/N10/MM5/GM3-equipped Formula was quite possibly a close contender as well). The five test TTA's, because they were for pre-production use, were pulled off of the assembly line without regard to color, and therefore were not necessarily white. At least two of these test cars were sold to private individuals, so there are at least two extremely rare, non-white, factory TTA's in existence; in fact, one is known to be red. Only three convertible TTA's were built by ASC, one of which was bought by the president of PAS, with the other two falling into private hands.
TTA production figures:
1,321 T-Top & Leather Interior
187 T-Top & Cloth Interior
24 Hardtop & Leather Interior
15 Hardtop & Cloth Interior (Base)
3 Convertible (prev. T-Top) & Leather int.
4 Test Cars with T-Top & Cloth Interior
1 Test Car with Hardtop & Leather Interior
1990
A driver's side air bag was made standard. The Firebird interior again received a re-design, this time the changes were much less drastic: the lower dash and under-dash panels were altered, and accessory switches were moved to a new panel above the heater and radio controls. The console got a new shift indicator and different leather boot, steering wheel mounted radio controls disappeared from the GTA (due to the addition of the airbag), and the L98 engine was no longer offered in the convertible due to purported torque limitations in the unibody construction. LB9 and L98 platforms were updated with new speed density fuel injection, and the elimination of the MAF sensor reduced production costs and supposedly improved performance.
Like the Camaro, the 1990 Firebird only received a half-year production run, as Pontiac labored to release the re-styled 1991 model.
1991
All Firebirds received re-styled noses loosely fashioned after the "Banshee IV" show car while Pontiac was developing the all-new Fourth Generation platform. The Trans Am's ground effects were re-styled as well, and were made available on the base model Firebird. The Trans Am and Firebird Formula received a new fiberglass-constructed, flat, wrap-around wing, and all L98-equipped cars now received the N10 dual catalytic converters as standard. The Trans Am and GTA received updated two-piece tail lights with "PONTIAC" scripted in orange across the panels, and the center, high-mounted stop lamps were moved to inside the top edge of the rear hatch. The Firebird convertible was now being built on the same production line as the coup?s (previously, ASC had been converting customer/dealer ordered T-top cars, and the convertible option was not officially offered through GM), and was offered with one of three engine options: the LHO 3.1L V6, the L03 5.0L V8, or the LB9 5.0L V8. Production improvements led to use of new body sealants that improved body rigidity, long a source of complaints with the Third Generation F-body.
The new styling brought higher sales figures, up from the previous model year.
1992
This marked the final production year for the Third Generation platform, and as release of the Fourth Generation model was imminent, Pontiac made few changes to the Firebird. Mid-year, TPI-equipped cars only received blank throttle body plates rather than ones that had been marked "TUNED PORT INJECTION" on similar engines in prior model years; and black-painted valve covers replaced the silver components from previous years. As use of the L98 in the Corvette had come to an end, rough-cast runners found their way into L98-equipped Firebirds, and some cars received special rubber snubbers on the rear hatch frame that were designed to make the hatch more stable. Ultimately, very few Trans Ams, GTA's, and Formulas were produced in this model year, as most buyers were waiting for the next-generation models.
Beginning in this year, a company named SLP Performance Parts modified a factory-built Formula into what they called the "Firehawk". Once a Formula had been order or purchased, this limited-availability option (RPO code B4U) could be specified, and the vehicle was sent to SLP to be modified. No two cars SLP produced were alike; they all were special orders. SLP had anticipated making 250 of these special Firebird Formulas, but in fact, only 27 were ordered; and of those, only 25 were ever built (numbered 1-25 for hardtops - with numbers 18 and 23 never being built - and the ONLY Firehawk Convertible was numbered 27). Of those 25 Firehawks, 21 were "Mandatory" Red, 1 Aqua, 1 White, 1 Blue, and 1 Green; 11 had the Competition Package, 3 came with Aluminum Engine Blocks, 1 had T-Tops, and as previously stated, 1 was a Convertible.
FIREHAWK SPECIFICATIONS
Standard Features: $39,995
SLP modified 350 engine rated at 350 hp @ 5500 rpm and 390 ft/lbff @ 4400 rpm
17"X9.5" Ronal Rims with Firestone Firehawk SZ P275/275/40 ZR17 tires
ZF 6-speed manual transmission with carbon fiber clutch
Stainless catalytic converter exhaust system
A performance Dana 44 rear axle with 3.54:1 Posi-gears
Special Firehawk badging decals and numbered plaque
Competition Package: $9,995
Cross-drilled 13 in Brembo Ferrari F-40 brakes
Full roll cage minus the back seat
Aluminum hood
Recaro racing seats with full harnesses by Simpson and rear seat delete.
Engine:
4-bolt main engine block
Forged steel crankshaft
1053 alloy, forged steel "Pink" connecting rods
Light-weight, high-silicon, cast aluminum pistons
Steel billet hydraulic roller camshaft
High-output aluminum cylinder heads with stainless steel valves
Port injection intake manifold designed by Ray Falconer
Performance:
Weight-to-power ratio: 9.7 lb per hp
Acceleration (0 to 60 mph): 4.6 seconds
Quarter mile: 13.2 seconds @ 107 mph (172 km/h)
Top speed: 160 mph (260 km/h)
Skid pad: 0.88g on full tread

Fourth generation (1993-2002)
The fourth generation F-body continued the aerodynamic formula initiated by the previous generation, but while still a desirable sports car, it fell victim to declining sales. As before, the Camaro kept the exposed headlights and the Firebird its pop-up units, with some minor changes. The overall styling of the Firebird more strongly reflected the "Banshee IV" concept car than the 1991 "face lift" received by the Third Generation model.
From 1993 until 1995 (1995 non-California cars), Firebirds received a 3.4L V6 with 160 hp, or the 5.7L 275 hp LT1 V8. The 1993 Firehawk (only available in Formula trim for 1993) received the SLP package with a functional hood scoop and other performance enhancements that increased power to 300 hp. Only 201 were built for 1993, and they routinely out-performed 1993 Corvettes, leading many to believe that the power rating was purposely underrated to allow the Corvette (also rated at 300 hp for the 1993 model year) to be the listed "king of power" (and price tag) for that year. In fact, the LT1 in the Formula and Trans Am was very similar to the one in the Corvette C4, except with 2-bolt mains and a more restrictive intake/exhaust system.
1994 marked the 25th Anniversary of the Trans Am, and another Anniversary Edition was released, painted white with a single blue stripe down the center of the vehicle - clearly reminiscent of the 1970 Trans Am.
1995 models were the same as that of previous years, but traction control (ASR: Acceleration Slip Regulation) was now available.
1995 (special).A freer intake/exhaust was available similar to that of the Chevrolet Corvette giving 310hp on very few models. These models were able to accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.9sec and cover a quarter-mile in 13.2@110mph. The 'Perform Transmission' button which are available in the 310hp Trans Am gave a 25% increase of torque with every kickdown. Giving a maxium of 350lb-ft of torque. Although the redline on the tachometer is 5000rpm, they were capable of 7000rpm.
1996 and later models had a 200 hp 3.8L V6 as the base engine, and the power rating of the LT1 had been raised to 285, thanks to a new dual catalytic converter exhaust system which was offered in previous years by order only.
The very rare 1997 Firehawk LT4 model made by SLP Performance Parts and sold through Pontiac dealerships had 330 hp (243 kW) and 340 ft/lbff (459 Nm) of torque.
In 1998, the Firebird received a "face lift" dominated by a new front fascia (now with four pop-up headlights) as well as other modifications, the most significant of which was the introduction of the latest Corvette small block V8 engine, the LS1. Initially, the color "Bright Purple Metallic" had been available, however it was discontinued due to production issues with the paint. The color was replaced with "Navy Blue Metallic," but not before a total of 12 Trans Am models with the WS6 Ram Air package (10 coup?s and 2 convertibles) made it out of the factory dressed in "Bright Purple Metallic." For 1998-2002 Pontiac utilized the same heavy duty brakes, steering ratios, fuel pumps and shocks (non-WS6) on both V6 and V8 models.
1999 marked the 30th Anniversary of the Trans Am, commemorated by another white Anniversary Edition, this time with twin blue stripes which more closely patterned the original paint scheme of the 1969 Trans Am.
The final model year of the Firebird, 2002, offered a distinctive "Collector's Edition" Trans Am, painted yellow. Like the Chevrolet Camaro, the Fourth Generation Firebird and Trans Am were built in Sainte-Th?r?se, Quebec, and the plant closed down after producing the last F-body cars.
The LS1 Firebirds, despite their poor sales, were among the fastest ever produced. Outfitted with the all-aluminum 5.7L V8 from the Corvette C5, and producing 305 HP @ 5,200 rpm; 335 ft lb , 454 Nm @ 4,000 rpm (310 after 2000) or 320 hp (325 after 2000) in the WS-6 "Ram Air" version, these Fourth Generation Firebirds could out-perform just about any of their predecessors (including the original "muscle car" Firebirds). In 2001 and 2002, models equipped with a V8 received the higher-flow LS6 intake manifold and a higher-performance clutch. Firebird enthusiasts believe these engines were underrated by the factory, and that these cars often produce up to 40 horsepower (30 kW) more than rated. The rare Firehawk model, made by SLP and sold through Pontiac dealerships, had 330 hp (335 after 2000, 355 in late 2002 models). Even the last of the V6-equipped Firebirds were rated at an impressive 205 hp, which was more than some of the earlier-generation V8's could muster (in fact, the final V6 Firebirds are as quick as almost any V8-equipped Firebird produced before 1990). Average quarter-mile elapsed times for the Fourth Generation Firebirds were reported as 15.2 seconds at 90 mph (140 km/h) for V6-equipped vehicles, and 13.2 seconds at 110 mph (180 km/h) for those with the V8; in the hands of an experienced driver, the latter cars have even been known to "crack" the 12-second quarter mile mark. Top speeds for both the V6 and V8 versions were generally governed according to their factory tire ratings, which were typically 118 mph (190 km/h) for the V6 models. However, with the governor programmed out and applying V8 speed rated tires, V6 Firebirds will reach in excess of 130 mph (210 km/h) (4th gear limited) with the Y-87 performance package and a 5-speed transmission, whereas V8 models that had Z-rated tires had a speed limiter set to 167 mph (269 km/h).
V6 Firebird
1993-1998 had angular cable driven throttle body units, which later changed in 1999 to a less restrictive drive by wire electronic controlled with 18 reference throttle position points. 1999-2002 also saw the change of mass airflow sensor technology. GM, ridding themselves of the cast rod Mass Airflow Sensor in the Throttle Body, chose the higher flow capacity of the top mount MAF sensor and eliminating the angled induction to a straight forward ram air style intake which removes a large portion of the restriction.
In 2000-2002 Firebird also received an upgraded exhaust manifold from rectangular cast Iron primaries to a round tubular style manifold giving further gains in performance.

Engine summary

First generation
1967: OHC 6 & Sprint, 326 in? V8, 326 in? V8 H.O., 400 in?, 400 in? Ram Air
1968: OHC 6 & Sprint; 350 in?; 400 in?; 400 in? H.O.; Ram Air II 400 in? (mid-year release; underrated)
1969: 350 in?; 400 in?; Ram Air III 400 in?; Ram Air IV 400 in? (underrated)

Second generation
1970: 250 in? I6, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8, Ram Air III 400 in? (Pontiac), Ram Air IV 400 in? (Pontiac)
1971: 250 in? six-cylinder, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8, Base 455 in?, 455 in? H.O.
1972: 250 in? six-cylinder, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8, Base 455 in?, 455 in? H.O.
1973: 250 in? six-cylinder, 350 in? V8, Base 455 in?, 455 in? H.O., 455 in? S.D.
1974: 250 in? six-cylinder, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8, Base 455 in?, 455 in? H.O., 455 in? S.D.
1975: 250 in? I6, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8, 455 in? V8
1976: 259 in? I6, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8, 455 in? V8
1977: 231 in? V6, 301 in? V8, 302 in? V8, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8 (Pontiac), 403 in? V8 (Oldsmobile)
1978: 231 in? V6, 301 in? V8, 302 in? V8, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8 (Pontiac), 403 in? V8 (Oldsmobile)
1979: 231 in? V6, 301 in? V8, 305 in? V8, 350 in? V8, 400 in? V8 (Pontiac), 403 in? V8 (Oldsmobile)
1980: 301 in? (Pontiac), 305 in? (4-speed only) (Chevrolet), 301 in? Turbo (Pontiac)
1981: 301 in? (Pontiac), 305 in? (4-speed only) (Chevrolet), 301 in? Turbo (Pontiac)

Third generation
Starting in 1982, all engines were manufactured by Chevrolet unless otherwise indicated.
1982: 2.5L 2-barrel, 2.5L Throttle Body Injection, 2.8L 2-barrel, 5.0L 4-barrel, 5.0L Cross-Fire Injection (first year for fuel injection in Trans Am)
1983: 2.5L 2-barrel, 2.5L Throttle Body Injection, 2.8L 2-barrel, 5.0L 4-barrel, 5.0L Cross-Fire Injection, 5.0L 4-barrel H.O. (only 662 were made, all 5-speeds)
1984: 2.5L Throttle Body Injection, 2.8L 2-barrel, 5.0L 4-barrel, 5.0L 4-barrel H.O. (1500 Anniversary Editions, 500 of them 5-speed)
1985: 2.5L Throttle Body Injection, 2.8L 2-barrel, 5.0L 4-barrel, 5.0L Tuned Port Injection, 5.0L 4-barrel H.O. (5-speed only)
1986: 2.8L Multi-port Fuel Injection, 5.0L 4-barrel, 5.0L Tuned Port Injection, 5.0L 4-barrel H.O. (5-speed only)
1987: 2.8L Multi-port Fuel Injection, 5.0L 4-barrel, 5.0L Tuned Port Injection, 5.7L Tuned Port Injection
1988: 2.8L Multi-port Fuel Injection, 5.0L Throttle Body Injection, 5.0L Tuned Port Injection, 5.7L Tuned Port Injection
1989: 2.8L Multi-port Fuel Injection, 5.0L Throttle Body Injection, 5.0L Tuned Port Injection, 5.7L Tuned Port Injection, 3.8L Sequential Port Fuel Injection Turbocharged (Buick)
1990: 3.1L Multi-port Fuel Injection, 5.0L Throttle Body Injection, 5.0L Tuned Port Injection, 5.7L Tuned Port Injection
1991: 3.1L Multi-port Fuel Injection, 5.0L Throttle Body Injection, 5.0L Tuned Port Injection, 5.7L Tuned Port Injection
1992: 3.1L Multi-port Fuel Injection, 5.0L Throttle Body Injection, 5.0L Tuned Port Injection, 5.7L Tuned Port Injection

Fourth generation
1993: L32 3.4L, LT1 5.7L (350 in? iron block, aluminum heads)
1994: L32 3.4L, LT1 5.7L (350 in? iron block, aluminum heads)
1995: L32 3.4L, LT1 5.7L (350 in? iron block, aluminum heads)
1996: L36 3.8L, LT1 5.7L (350 in? iron block, aluminum heads)
1997: L36 3.8L, LT1 5.7L (350 in? iron block, aluminum heads) / LT4 5.7L (350 in? iron block, aluminum heads) in Firehawk by SLP
1998: L36 3.8L, LS1 5.7L (346 in? aluminum block and heads)
1999: L36 3.8L, LS1 5.7L (346 in? aluminum block and heads)
2000: L36 3.8L, LS1 5.7L (346 in? aluminum block and heads)
2001: L36 3.8L, LS1 5.7L (346 in? aluminum block and heads)
2002: L36 3.8L, LS1 5.7L (346 in? aluminum block and heads)

Performance

Trans Am
The Trans Am was a specialty package for the Firebird, typically upgrading handling, suspension, and horsepower, as well as minor appearance modifications such as exclusive hoods, spoilers, and rims. In using the name Trans Am, a registered trademark, GM agreed to pay $5 per car sold to the SCCA. Four distinct generations were produced between 1969 and 2002. These cars were built on the F-body platform, which was also shared by the Chevrolet Camaro.
The first generation was available only in 1969. The second generation was available from 1970 to 1981 and was featured in the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit and the 1974-1980 TV series The Rockford Files. The third generation, available from 1982 to 1992, was featured in the 1984 movie Alphabet City. KITT, the automotive star of the popular 1980s TV series Knight Rider, was a modified third generation Trans Am. The fourth generation Trans Am, available from model years 1993 to 2002, offered between 275 and 325 horsepower.
Although the Trans Am nameplate was discontinued along with the Firebird in 2002, the body is still used in the IROC Racing Series.

Trans Am engines
First generation
1969: Ram Air III 400 (Pontiac), Ram Air IV 400 (Pontiac) 345 hp, Ram Air V 400 (Pontiac) 500 hp
Second generation
1970: Ram Air III 400 (Pontiac), Ram Air IV 400 (Pontiac), Ram Air V 400 (Pontiac, rare dealer-installed option)
1972: Base 455 (Pontiac), 455 H.O. (Pontiac)
1973: Base 455 (Pontiac), Super Duty 455 (Pontiac)
1974: 400 (Pontiac), Base 455 (Pontiac), Super Duty 455 (Pontiac)
1975: 400 (Pontiac), 455 (Pontiac)
1976: 400 (Pontiac), 455 (Pontiac)
1977: 403 (Oldsmobile), 400 (Pontiac), W72 400 (Pontiac)
1978: 403 (Oldsmobile), 400 (Pontiac), W72 400 (Pontiac)
1979: 301 (Pontiac), 403 Oldsmobile, W72 400 (Pontiac)
1980: 301 (Pontiac), 305 (4 speed only) (Chevrolet), 301 Turbo (Pontiac)
1981: 301 (Pontiac), 305 (4 speed only) (Chevrolet), 301 Turbo (Pontiac)
Third generation
From 1982 on all engines are Chevrolets unless stated otherwise.
1982: 305 4 barrel, 305 Cross-Fire Injection (First year for fuel injection in Trans Am)
1983: 305 4 barrel, 305 Cross-Fire Injection, 305 4 barrel H.O. (Only 662 were made all 5-speeds.)
1984: 305 4 barrel, 305 4 barrel H.O.(1500 anniversary editions, 500 of them 5 speed)
1985: 305 4 barrel, 305 Tuned Port Injection, 305 4 barrel H.O. (5 speed only)
1986: 305 4 barrel, 305 Tuned Port Injection, 305 4 barrel H.O. (5 speed only)
1987: 305 4 barrel, 305 Tuned Port Injection, 350 Tuned Port Injection
1988: 305 Throttle Body Injection, 305 Tuned Port Injection, 350 Tuned Port Injection
1989: 305 Throttle Body Injection, 305 Tuned Port Injection, 350 Tuned Port Injection, 231 Turbo (Buick)
1990: 305 Tuned Port Injection, 350 Tuned Port Injection
1991: 305 Tuned Port Injection, 350 Tuned Port Injection
1992: 305 Tuned Port Injection, 350 Tuned Port Injection
Fourth generation
1993: LT1 350
1994: LT1 350
1995: LT1 350
1996: LT1 350
1997: LT1 350
1998: LS1 346
1999: LS1 346
2000: LS1 346
2001: LS1 346
2002: LS1 346

Burt Reynolds Edition Trans Am (2007)
For the thirtieth anniversary of the hit movie Smokey and the Bandit, Year One Muscle Cars and Burt Reynolds (the movie's star) reinvented the 2nd Generation Trans Am. The revitalized classic is offered in three options: "Ban One", "Ban Two", and "Ban Three". They are restored 1977 or 1978 or 1979 Trans Ams but with a twist. This new Trans Am has many new options.
The Ban One has a 462 cubic inch traditional Pontiac V8 with aluminum heads, 9.5:1 compression and a hydraulic roller camshaft. The engine made 496 horsepower on the dyno. The transmission is a five-speed manual, and the suspension system features upper and lower tubular control arms with coil springs up front, and performance leaf springs in the rear, with sub frame connectors keeping everything properly located. Wheels are 18" x 9" billet aluminum snowflakes all the way around. It, along with all other models, come with a CB Radio.
The Ban Two has a 461 cubic inch, 430 horsepower traditional Pontiac V8, while optional powerplants include a 500-horsepower LS2 based fuel-injected engine, a 550-horsepower Pontiac V8 or a 600-horsepower supercharged LS2. A five-speed manual overdrive with short throw shifter is the standard transmission, and a four-speed automatic overdrive is optional. The suspension system is completely redesigned on Ban II-level cars, and features a tubular front subframe, rack-and-pinion steering, four-link rear suspension, with adjustable coil-over shocks all the way around. The chassis is reinforced with integrated subframe connectors and is mini-tubbed in the rear for additional wheel and tire clearance. Wheels are 18" x 10" billet aluminum snowflakes on all four corners, with 285-35-18 BFG tires. Brakes are from Baer Racing, with 13" two-piece front rotors.
The Ban Three has a 515-horsepower dry-sump LS7 7.0 liter engine, and upgrades include a 605-horsepower dry-sump LS7, or a monster 8.8 liter (540 cubic inch) Pontiac V8 making over 650 horsepower. A five-speed manual is the only transmission offered on the Ban III. Suspension consists of the Ban II's tubular front subframe, rack-and-pinion steering, and four-link rear with adjustable coil-overs on each corner. Chassis reinforcements include integrated subframe connectors and a four-point roll bar with safety harnesses. Brakes are huge Baer Racing six-piston calipers with 14-inch two-piece rotors front and rear. The Ban III offers a level of performance rarely seen in a street-legal vehicle.

Racing
Firebirds were used in the Trans-Am series in the 1960s and 1970s. When the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am came out, there was controversy over the model's inability to compete in the Trans-Am because the smallest available engine was too large for use in the series. When the Trans-Am was last seen, model year 2002 Firebirds were in use. A Firebird is currently in use in the KONI Challenge Series. Firebirds have also been used in the IROC Series for a number of years.

Future?
With the anticipated return of another iconic General Motors sports car, the Fifth-Generation Chevrolet Camaro, in 2009, there remains the possibility that the Firebird could rise from the ashes as well. However, GM has not yet officially identified whether it will be a revised Firebird or GTO that returns to the Pontiac line-up during this time period. Car and Driver magazine published an article on the issue in which it speculated that the most likely vehicle that Pontiac will revive for its Zeta-platform muscle car is the GTO. This tends to corroborate an earlier article from another automotive news source in which it was also reported that GM would reintroduce a Zeta-based GTO alongside the Fifth-Generation Camaro.

The Ferrari 250 is a series of sports cars built by Ferrari from the 1950s and early 1960s. It was the company's most successful early line of vehicles, produced for over a decade from 1953 to 1964 and resulting in several variants. The 250 was replaced by the 275 and the 330. The most celebrated 250 is the 1962 250 GTO, a true supercar that spawned numerous imitators.

Similarities
Most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases, 2400 mm (94.5 in) for short wheelbase (SWB) and 2600 mm (102.4 in) for long wheelbase (LWB). Most convertibles used the SWB type.
Nearly all 250s share the same engine: The Colombo Tipo 125 V12. At 3 L (2953 cc), it is not a large engine even for the time, but its light weight and impressive output (up to 280 hp) made a big difference. The Ferrari V12 weighed hundreds of pounds less than its chief competitors - for example, it was nearly half the weight of the Jaguar XK straight-6. The light V12 propelled the small Ferrari 250 racing cars to victory after victory.

Racing models
Typical of Ferrari, the Colombo V12 made its debut on the race track, with the racing 250s preceding the street cars by three years.

225 S
A predecessor to the 250 line was the 225 S introduced at the 1952 Giro di Sicilia. Two of the two-seat sports prototypes were built, an open barchetta and closed coupe both by Vignale. Seven 225 S cars were entered at the Mille Miglia, but these were overshadowed by their larger-engined 250 S brother. Although not as heralded as the 250 line, the 225 did play one unique historical role: A 225 S tested at Imola was the first Ferrari to drive on that course.

250 S
The first of the 250 line was the experimental 250 S berlinetta prototype entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia. The company's newest product was entrusted to Giovanni Bracco and Alfonso Rolfo and was severely tested by the Mercedes-Benz 300SL racers run by Rudolf Caracciola, Hermann Lang, and Karl Kling. The little 230 hp (171 kW) Ferrari was outgunned in the long straights but fought back in the hills and curves and Bracco emerged victorious at the end. This same car was later entered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana.
The little 250 S used a 2250 mm (88.6 in) wheelbase with a "Tuboscocca" tubular trellis frame. Underneath were double wishbones at the front and a live axle located with double longitudinal semi-elliptic springs at the rear. Drum brakes and worm and sector steering were the norm. The dry-sump 3.0 L (2953 cc/180 in?) engine used three Weber 36DCF carburettors and was mated directly to a five-speed manual transmission.

250 MM
Lauding the success of the 250 S at the Mille Miglia, Ferrari showed a more-conventional chassis for the new 250 engine at the 1952 Paris Motor Show. Pinin Farina clothed this chassis, with the celebratory 250 MM coupe launched at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show. This car was almost plain by contemporary standards, but it possessed a certain purposefulness with its small grille and compact tail complete with a panoramic rear window. Carrozzeria Vignale's open barchetta also broke new styling ground, with recessed headlights and side vents becoming a staple of Ferrari design for the 1950s.
The 250 MM's wheelbase was longer than the 250 S at 2420 mm (95 in), with the saloon 50 kg (110 lb) heavier than the 850 kg (1875 lb) barchetta on a conventional tube frame. The V12 engine's dry sump was abandoned for the production car, and the transmission lost one cog as well, but power was up to 240 hp (179 kW).
Like the 250 S, the 250 MM was a racing car, debuting at the Giro di Sicilia with privateer Paulo Marzotto. A Carrozzeria Morelli-bodied 250 MM barchetta won the 1954 Mille Miglia with driver Clemente Biondetti, living up to its name. The V12-powered 250 MM was replaced by the four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S later in 1953.
The 250 mm (9.8 in)'s wheelbase was longer than the 250 S at 2420 mm (95 in), with the saloon 50 kg (110 lb) heavier than the 850 kg (1875 lb) barchetta on a conventional tube frame. The V12 engine's dry sump was abandoned for the production car, and the transmission lost one cog as well, but power was up to 240 hp (179 kW).
Like the 250 S, the 250 mm (9.8 in) was a racing car, debuting at the Giro di Sicilia with privateer Paulo Marzotto. A Carrozzeria Morelli-bodied 250 mm (9.8 in) barchetta won the 1954 Mille Miglia with driver Clemente Biondetti, living up to its name. The V12-powered 250 mm (9.8 in) was replaced by the four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S later in 1953.

250 Monza
An unusual hybrid between the light four-cylinder 750 Monza and the 250 line was the 250 Monza of 1954. It used the short wheelbase chassis from the 750 Monza and the first two shared the Pinin Farina barchetta shape of the 750 Monza and a one-off 500 Mondial. Two more 250 Monzas were built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an early use of the now-familiar coachbuilder. Although a frequent entrant through 1956, the 250 Monzas failed to gain much success and the union of the Monza chassis and 250 engine was not pursued beyond this model.

250 Testa Rossa
See main article Ferrari TR
The racing 250 Testa Rossa was one of the most successful Ferrari racing cars in its history.

250 GTO
See main article Ferrari 250 GTO
Perhaps the most famous 250 of all was the 250 GTO, often called the first supercar. A radically-restyled GTO, properly the 250 GTO/64, was launched in 1964, but just 39 were built.

250 P
See main article Ferrari P
The 250 engine from the Testa Rossa was mounted in the midships position for the 250 P prototype racer of 1963.

250 LM
See main article Ferrari P
The mid-engined 250 Le Mans looked every bit the prototype racer but was intended to eventually be produced as a road-going GT. Descended from the 250 P, the Le Mans also appeared in 1963 and sported Pininfarina bodywork. Ferrari were unable to persude the FIA to homologate the car for GT racing, as nowhere near the required 100 examples were built. As a result, Ferrari withdrew from factory participation in the GT class of the 1965 World Sportscar Championship, leaving the way clear for the Shelby Cobra team to dominate the series.

250 Export/Europa
The 1953 250 Export and Europa were the only of the family to use a different engine. They shared the 2963 cc Lampredi V12 designed for Formula 1 use.

250 Export
The Export model was similar to the 250MM with its 2400 mm (94.5 in) wheelbase. One exception was its 220 hp (164 kW) Lampredi engine. It was launched at the Paris Motor Show of 1953.

250 Europa
The 250 Europa, also introduced in Paris in 1953, looked entirely different. With the long 2800 mm (110.2 in) wheelbase and Ferrari America-style bodies, it was designed as more of a GT car than any previous 250. Both Pininfarina and Vignale handled the coachwork, with 21 produced in total.

GT cars
The 250 design was extremely successful on the race course as well as the street. A number of GT models were built in varying states of road or racing trim.

250 Europa GT
The first street car to use Colombo's 250 V12 was the 250 Europa GT, introduced at the 1954 Paris Motor Show. Pinin Farina's sober Paris coupe was just one of many shapes for the 250 GT line, with coachbuilt production extending through 1956 before the 250 line became more of a standardized product. The original 250 Europa GT used a 2600 mm (102 in) wheelbase on a conventional chassis. The dry sump V12 was tuned to 220 hp (164 kW) with three Weber 36DCZ3 carburettors. Aping the Vignale's 250 Europa, Pinin Farina added now-familiar vents to the front fenders, a standard styling feature for many of the 250 GTs that followed.

250 GT Boano and Ellena
Pinin Farina introduced a 250-based prototype at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show which came to be called the 250 GT Boano. Intended as a styling exercise and inspiration to 250 GT Europa customers, demand soon called for construction of a series of the car. Unable to meet demand, Pinin Farina asked Mario Boano, formerly of Ghia, to handle the construction. When Fiat recruited Boano, he handed production duties of the Ferrari to his son in law, Ezio Ellena. With partner, Luciano Pollo, Carrozzeria Ellena would produce the Ferrari for another few years. Ellena redesigned the car somewhat with a higher roof and removed the vent windows from the doors.
Carrozzeria Boano built 74 250 GTs on the long wheelbase chassis. All but one were coupes, with the single Convertible, 0461 GT, sold to New York collector, Bob Lee, off the stand at the 1956 New York Auto Show. Lee purchased the car for $9,500, far below cost, at the direction of Enzo Ferrari and owns the car to this day, making it one of the oldest Ferraris still in the hands of the original purchaser.

250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France"
Named for the 10-day Tour de France automobile race, not the famous bicycle race of the same name, a number of 250 GT "Tour de France" Berlinettas were sold for GT races from 1956 through 1959. Construction was handled by Carrozzeria Scaglietti based on a Pinin Farina design. The engine began at 240 hp (178 kW) but rose to 260 hp (193 kW) by the end.
A one-off short wheelbase Tour de France was built for the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. This car, called the 250 GT Interim, would foreshadow the 2400 mm (94 in) SWB cars of 1959.

250 GT Cabriolet Pininfarina Series I
Released at Geneva in 1957, the original Pininfarina cabriolet used the 2600 mm (102.4 in) wheelbase and had distinct bodywork from the Berlinetta. About 36 examples were produced before a second series was shown at Paris in 1959. These later cars had much more in common with the production Berlinetta. About 200 of the series two cars were built.
Motor Trend Classic named the 250 GT Series I Cabriolet and Coupe as number nine in their list of the ten "Greatest Ferraris of all time".

250 GT California Spyder LWB
Designed for export to America, the 1957 250 GT California Spyder was Scaglietti's interpretation of an open-top 250 GT. Aluminum was used in the hood, doors, and trunk lid, with steel specified elsewhere for most models, though a few aluminum-bodied racing versions were also built. The engine was the same as in the 250 Tour de France racing car with up to 240 hp (179 kW). All used the long 2600 mm (102.4 in) chassis. About 45 were made before it was replaced by the SWB version in 1960, a fact mentioned by Cameron Frye in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day off." This film made that car famous. Today the car is worth in the neighborhood of 2-4 million dollars, a recent car selling for 1.2 million dollars at an RM Auction in Florida.
Since a replica of one of these called a "Modena" appeared in the 1980's as Cameron's father's dream car in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the Ferrari 250 GT California may be the most widely recognized of the various models produced.
This car was sold at a RM Auction during the Concorse d'Eligance on August 18 2007 at monterey for 4.5 milliion dollars, setting a record for sale price at the auction

250 GT Coupe Pininfarina
Desiring to enter series production in order to stabilize the company's finances, Enzo Ferrari asked Pininfarina to design a simple and classic 250 GT coupe. The resulting car was introduced at Milan in 1958, and 335 nearly-identical cars were built by 1960, one buyer was Prince Bertil of Sweden. The GT Coupe eschewed the fender vents for simple and clean lines and a notchback look with a panoramic rear window. The oval grille was gone, replaced by a more traditional long narrow look with protruding headlights. Traditional telescoping shock absorbers were also fitted instead of the Houdailles found on previous 250s, and disc brakes were added in 1960. The final 250 GT Coupe had a Superfast tail and was shown at the 1961 London Motor Show.

250 GT Cabriolet Pinifarina Series II
In line with the high-volume coupe, Pinin Farina also designed a plainer 250 GT Cabriolet for series production. Introduced at the 1959 Paris Motor Show, the GT Spider sported a look similar to the GT Coupe of the previous year, including the removal of the side vents. About 212 were produced.

250 GT Berlinetta SWB
One of the most important GT racers of its time, the 1959 250 GT Berlinetta SWB used a short (2400 mm) wheelbase for better handling. Of the 176 examples built, both steel and aluminum bodies were used in various road ("lusso") and racing trims. Engine output ranged from 240 hp (178 kW) to 280 hp (208 kW).
Development of the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta was handled by Giotto Bizzarrini, Carlo Chiti, and young Mauro Forghieri, the same team that later produced the 250 GTO. Disc brakes were a first in a Ferrari GT, and the combination of low weight, high power, and well-sorted suspension made it a competitive offering. It was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October and quickly began selling and racing. The SWB Berlinetta claimed GT class of the Constructor's Championship for Ferrari in 1961.
In 2004, Sports Car International named the 250 GT SWB number seven on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. Motor Trend Classic named the 250 SWB as number five in their list of the ten "Greatest Ferraris of all time".
On June 28, 2005, a pristine 250 SWB Berlinetta sold for euro 1,099,000 (US$1,328,000).

250 GT Spyder California SWB
Replacing their LWB California Spyder with a SWB version, Scaglietti showed a new Spyder California at Geneva in 1960. Based on the 250 GT SWB, it also introduced disc brakes and a 280 hp (209 kW) version of the 250 V12. About 55 were built. A replica of the 250 GT Spyder California called the "Modena" was featured as the untouchable car owned by Cameron Frye's dad in the teen movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

250 GT/E
The LWB 250 GT theme was expanded with the 2+2 model 250 GT/E. The first large production four-seat Ferrari (earlier four seaters were made in very small numbers). Interior space was increased by moving the engine forward in the chassis. The rear seats were ideal for children but rather tight for adults. Engine output was listed at 240 hp (178 kW).
Almost 1,000 GTEs were constructed by Pininfarina with prototypes starting in 1959 and continuing through three series until 1963. The model was followed by the visually similar 330 Americas. The large production run of the GT/E was a major contributor to the financial well being of Ferrari in the early 1960s. MSRP of the GT/E was $11,500.

250 GT Lusso
Pinin Farina updated the 250 GT with the GT Lusso or GTL. Introduced at the 1962 Paris show, the car sported flowing lines and a fastback shape typical of the GT cars of the mid-1960s. Under the hood was the 250 GTO's Tipo 168 engine with 250 hp (186 kW) and three Weber 36DCS carburettors. Scaglietti handled construction of the Lusso which lasted through 1964 with few modifications.
In 2004, Sports Car International named the 250 GT Lusso number ten on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.
Considered by many to be the most beautiful of all Ferraris , they can fetch over ?200,000.

330 America
A 250 in all but name, the 1963 330 America shared the outgoing model's chassis if not its engine. Powered by the new 4.0 L engine of the later 330 cars, 50 330 Americas were built. Likely the most famous 330 America is that belonging to California socialite Sandra Ilene West. Mrs. West was buried at the wheel of her car following a 1977 drug overdose. Her instructions specified that she be clad in her lace nightgown with the driver's seat "slanted at a comfortable angle". The car (and driver) is interred at the Alamo Masonic Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas. In the early 1990's (as reported in Classic Car magazine), a green-metallic 330 coupe was regularly abandoned, claimed and then re-abandoned in Melbourne over the course of 4 years. Its ultimate fate is not known.

Trivia
Tractor manufacturer Ferruccio Lamborghini owned at least three Ferrari 250s: a 250GT coupe by Pininfarina, one or two 250 SWB Berlinettas by Scaglietti, and a 250GT 2+2 by Pininfarina. He was frustrated by frequent clutch problems and complained to Enzo Ferrari. Ferrari insulted Lamborghini, who then resolved to build better GTs and sports cars than Ferrari. Lamborghini hired ex-Ferrari engineers to design and develop his Lamborghini cars.
A replica Ferrari 250 California Spyder was used in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It was Cameron Frye's dad's car. Apparently, the company that produced the replica was sued by Ferrari for the unlawful use of the Ferrari logos. Soon after this the company shut down to avoid further payout.
A 250 GTE can be seen in Peter Seller's Wrong Arm of the Law
Eric Clapton once owned a 250 GT Lusso
Steve McQueen's 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso was auctioned off by Christie's on 16 August 2007 for $2.3 m

The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was an improved DB4. The DB5 is famous for being the first and most recognised James Bond car, it has been featured in several films most notably: Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Casino Royale.
The principal differences between the DB4 and DB5 are (i) the engine - the DB5's was enlarged from 3.7 L to 4.0 L, (ii) the addition of a five-speed transmission, and (iii) three SU carburettors, producing 282 hp (210 kW), propelling the car to 141 mph (238 km/h).
Standard equipment on the DB5 included reclining seats, pile carpets, electric windows and a fire extinguisher. All models had 4 seats and 2 doors. The UK recommended list price of the sports saloon (coupe) in December 1963 was ?4,248 including Purchase Tax, the convertible was ?4,562.
A very unusual DB5 was the "shooting brake" station wagon, a dozen of which were produced by independent coachbuilder, Harold Radford. A design flaw with the station wagon was that there was no change to the rear suspension. Drivers of the shooting brake would find this out when the load in the rear shifted at high speed in a corner with a resultant loss of control.

Specifications
Weight: 1565 kg (3450 lb)
Engine: 4.0 L (3995 cc/243 in?) straight-6
Power: 282 hp (210 kW) at 5500 rpm
Torque - 390 N/m (288 ft/lbf) at 3850 rpm
Top Speed: 230 km/h (143 mph)
0-60 mph (97 km/h) Acceleration: 8.1 s

DB5 Vantage
The high-performance DB5 Vantage was introduced in 1964 and featured three Weber carburettors. This engine produced 314 hp (234 kW). Only 65 DB5 Vantage coupes were built. However, more are in production.

DB5 Convertible
Just 123 convertible DB5s were produced, though they never used the typical "Volante" name. The convertible was offered from 1963 through to 1965. Only 19 of the 123 DB5 Convertibles made were LHD.

James Bond's DB5
The Aston Martin DB5 is the most famous Aston Martin car due to its use by James Bond in Goldfinger (1964). Although Ian Fleming had placed Bond in a DB Mark III in the novel, the DB5 was the company's newest model when the film was being made. The car used in the film was the original DB5 prototype, with another standard car used for stunts. Two more modified cars were built for publicity tours after the film's release. In January 2006, one of those cars was auctioned in Arizona for US$2,090,000. The same car was originally bought in 1970 for ?5,000 from the owner, Sir Anthony Bamford, by a Tennessee museum owner. The other car is located in the Netherlands in the Louwman Collection Museum.
When the movie came out in Asia, especially India, the car's name was incorrectly communicated as "DB2E3". The wrong name was reinforced when the replica of the car from the movie went on tour. The DB5 was unintentionally thought of as a version of the earlier DB2 and hence was known by the moniker DB2E3. While many think that "E" refers to Edition, it actually refers to the chassis model as part of the chassis naming system that automakers once used. As time passed, DB2E3 became an established reference, at least in India and parts of Asia, as a synonym for a DB5. Today, most car enthusiasts will not recognize the model DB2E3, instead preferring the official name of DB5.
Within the universe of James Bond, the same car was used again in the following film, Thunderball (registration BMT 216A). A different Aston Martin DB5 (registration BMT 214A) was used in the 1995 Bond film, GoldenEye in which three different DB5s were used for filming. The BMT 214A also returned in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and was set to make a cameo at Castle Thane in The World Is Not Enough (1999), but the scene was cut. Yet another DB5 appeared in Casino Royale (2006), this one with the steering wheel on the left side versus the previous British versions.
For Goldfinger, the car featured a number of "optional extras", as Q reveals to Bond:
Front firing Browning .30 caliber machine guns behind the front indicators
Retractable blades in the tire spinners
Rising bullet-proof rear screen
Radio telephone
Radar scanner and tracking screen
Passenger ejector seat
Oil slick spray from rear light cluster
Caltrops from rear light cluster
Smoke screen from exhaust pipes
Revolving number plates - "BMT 216A" UK, "4711-EA-62" France, and "LU 6789" Switzerland
Front and rear extending rams
Gun cabinet under driver's seat
Bullet-proof windshield and rear windscreen
A rear water cannon was added for Thunderball.
The first DB5 prototype used in Goldfinger with the chassis number DP/216/1 was later stripped of its weaponry and gadgetry by Aston Martin and then resold. It was then retrofitted by subsequent owners with nonoriginal weaponry. The Chassis DP/216/1 DB5 was stolen in 1997 from its last owner in Florida and is currently still missing.

Miscellanea
The DB5 has the dubious honour of being the slowest car ever in the Top Gear Power Laps segment with a time of 1 minute 46 seconds exactly.
Ian Fleming actually referred to the Aston Martin DB Mark III throughout the novel "Goldfinger" incorrectly as an Aston Martin DBIII
There are a number of "Goldfinger" Aston Martin DB5s - one of them actually started life as a DB4 Vantage. A new production DB5 was used for close up shots whereas the gadgetery was added to a prototype DB5 which had originally started life as the DB4 Vantage. After the film was made there were also a number of publicity DB5s. These can be identified as they have the DB5 badge on the sides whereas the cars in the film did not.
Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin use a DB5 in the first-ever MB comic strip La Machine, published in 1963, and therefore pre-dating Bond's use of the car.

I ntroduced in the spring of 1964 as an early 1965 model, Ford's Mustang created the pony car category. Its popularity was so overwhelming that after only 2? years of production, a new body was introduced in 1967, giving Ford greater flexibility in equipment, particularly powertrains. This greater flexibility helped Ford counter increasing competition from Chrysler's established Dodge Charger and Plymouth Barracuda, as well as from GM's new-for-'67 Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. While the first-generation Mustangs were derived from the Falcon and were limited by their layout only to Ford's remarkable 260-289ci small-block V8 engines, the 1967 Mustang would accept larger powerplants derived from the Thunderbird Special engines, known for their great low-end torque. The combination of the big-block 390 V8 and 4-speed produced 0-60mph times in the low seven seconds, very competitive performance for a comfortable and well-equipped street car. A long option...

The AMC Pacer is a two-door compact automobile produced in the United States by the American Motors Corporation between 1975 and 1980. Its initial design idea was started in 1971. The car's unusual rounded shape with massive glass area greatly contrasted with the mostly boxy, slab-sided models of the era. The Pacer's "jellybean" body style is a very easily recognized icon of the 1970s.

Design history
Designed to appear futuristic, the shape was highly rounded with a huge glass area, and was very unusual for its time. The Pacer was unusually wide for a small car; roughly as wide as an American full-size car, since drivers were accustomed to large cars. The Pacer's width was the result of factory settings and marketing strategy. Manufacturing assembly lines for the Pacer were also used for full-size cars. Development was under Product Group Vice President Gerald C. Meyers, whose goal was to develop a car that was truly unique: "...everything that we do must distinguish itself as being importantly different than what can be expected from the competition..."
One of its many unusual features was that the passenger's side door was four inches (101 mm) longer than the driver's side. The longer door opening made entry easier for rear-seat passengers and they would also tend to enter from the safer curb side in nations that drive on the right. Ford later used this design element in their 1990s Windstar mini-van. The Pacer was also among the first production cars in the U.S. to feature rack-and-pinion steering.
AMC's chief stylist, Richard A. Teague, began work on the car as early as 1971, anticipating an increased demand for smaller vehicles in the 1970s. In the mid-1970s, the U.S. government mandated some serious safety improvements for the 1980 model year, including 50-mile-per-hour (80 km/h) front end crash testing, 25-mile-per-hour (40 km/h) side crash testing, 30-mile-per-hour (48 km/h) rollover, as well as damage resistant 10-mile-per-hour (16 km/h) front and 5-mile-per-hour (8 km/h) rear bumpers. The Pacer was designed to meet these requirements, and also included a new windshield safety glass that broke into small round beads instead of sharp edges, and a plastic sandwich that stretched to keep passengers in the vehicle. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler convinced the government that the new safety rules could not be met with financially viable modifications to existing production cars. Instead, all the companies would be faced with designing new vehicles that could meet the proposed regulations, a very costly move. Therefore, some of the safety features were pulled out of the actual production version of the Pacer after the requirements were revised (reduced). For example, the original Pacer had a roof bump between the front and rear, intended for the roll bar, which was deleted from the production model. The Pacer's safety features were not advertised well and very few people were willing to buy one for its safety. The extra weight of the Pacer, which was caused in part by these features and because of all the heavy glass, hurt its fuel economy. Production models tested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) managed 16 mpg-U.S. (14.7 L/100 km / 19.2 mpg-imp) in the city while on the highway drivers could get 26 mpg-U.S. (9.05 L/100 km / 31.2 mpg-imp) or better, all depending on driving habits and transmission used.
The one unique design feature that survived into all cars today is the aerodynamics. The Pacer had a drag coefficient of only .32, which was outstanding for a fairly large car, especially at the time. Part of this design was the elimination of rain gutters with the top of the doors blending into the roof for better aerodynamics. This was criticized as potentially allowing rain in on the front seat, but is now standard on all current cars, none of which now have rain gutters. This was before the fuel crisis or the flood of small foreign imports into the American market, so this innovation was also rather forward-thinking for the time.
Teague's original design featured a Wankel rotary engine. In 1973, AMC signed a licensing agreement with Curtiss-Wright to build Wankels for both passenger cars and Jeep vehicles, as well as the right to sell any rotary engines it produces to other companies. Later, AMC decided it would purchase the engines from General Motors (GM). At the time, GM was seriously intending wide-scale use of rotary engines in its own production cars. However, durability issues, the fuel crisis, and upcoming emissions legislation in the U.S. killed off the introduction of GM's rotary engine. General Motors canceled development in 1974, after being unable to make their version meet upcoming late 1970s emissions levels within an acceptable period of time (others were having trouble with emissions too, but Mazda finally solved the problem). Fuel efficiency of the rotary was no better than existing engines of the same power level. While the rotary was more compact and lighter than contemporary piston engines, and potentially cheaper to build, GM felt there was no compelling reason to spend the money required to tool up for producing an engine that needed to have a car designed around it for any significant advantage over existing engines. Although power output of the Wankel design is rather high for its displacement (there is some dispute over how rotary displacement is calculated), power output is at high RPM. Americans, who were used to low-revving, high-torque engines, would have probably taken some time to get used to a totally different way of driving with rotary powered vehicles.
General Motors' rather sudden cancellation of the rotary left the Pacer - which was designed around the rotary - without an engine. American Motors had invested too much money and effort into the car's design to scrap it. The Pacer was hastily reconfigured to accept existing AMC Straight-6 engines. This necessitated a complete redesign of the drivetrain and the car's firewall to keep the longer straight-6 engine within the sleek envelope of the body. The design also allowed the Pacer to share many mechanical components with other AMC models.
Contrary to popular myth, the Pacer was not widened six inches (152.4 mm) to make room for the rear-wheel drive configuration. According to an AMC market study from the early 1970s, front-wheel drive was never a consideration. Rear and mid-engined layouts were explored, but the AMC found that Americans at the time were not comfortable with the front-wheel drive layout, preferring more the traditional and familiar rear-wheel drive. The car was designed from the start to be as wide as contemporary mid-size (and some full-size) sedans. This was done mainly for comfort and to give the impression of being in a much larger car - at least from the front seat.

Production
Introduced in showrooms on February 28, 1975, the Pacer was designed to attract buyers of traditional large cars to a smaller package. In its first year of production, the Pacer sold well, with 145,528 units. Some reviewers referred to it as a "fishbowl on wheels" or a "jellybean in suspenders" because of its unconventional styling, while some described it as a "cute" car. There was little competition from other American manufacturers, most of whom had been blindsided by the oil crisis. The increased demand for compact, economy vehicles was growing rapidly. However, Pacer sales fell after the first two years, and it was available through the 1980 model year. Similar to its mid-year introduction, on December 3, 1979, production of the Pacer ended at the Kenosha, Wisconsin assembly plant where it had begun five years earlier. A total of 280,000 cars were built. Increasing competition from the Big Three U.S. automakers and the rapid consumer shift to imported cars during the late 1970s are cited as the reasons for this outcome.
The Pacer's unconventional styling was also commonly cited as an issue in its success. Other concerns included a lack of cargo space when carrying a full load of passengers (because of its short wheelbase). Cargo space could be increased to 29.5 cubic feet (835 L) by folding down the back of the rear seat to form a flat floor. Drivers also cited a lack of power. The Pacer was rather heavy and the standard 232 cu in (3.8 L) I6 with a small single-barrel carburetor was optimized for low-emission standards and seemed to make the car underpowered. In 1976, a High Output version of the 258 cu in (4.2 L) engine was offered, which helped the performance at the cost of higher fuel consumption. All vehicles at that time were loaded down with devices intended to reduce emissions. By the time a 304 cu in (5 L) V8 was offered in 1978, AMC introduced a successful line of "luxury-compact" models (the AMC Concord). Additionally, gasoline prices remained high, limiting demand for V8-powered vehicles.
A station wagon body style was offered from 1977, featuring a longer length, increased cargo capacity, and a less unusual design. While the rear side windows on the coupe curved down and around the rear corners of the car, the wagon had a squared off back with almost upright and straight rear side windows. Although a small vent window in the front door was an option on all Pacers, rear seat passengers in the wagon had a push out vent window, at the front of the side quarter glass as standard equipment. The big rear hatch opened to an extended cargo area that was also wide and flat with 47.8 cubic feet (1354 L) of space. The rear seat also folded down even with the load space floor. Some wagon models featured simulated wood-grain trim on the lower body sides and the liftgate.
Intriguingly, in late 1980, well after the production had ceased, the well-noted Californian freelance designer, Mark Stehrenberger drew up a proposal for an early 1980s Pacer.

International markets
The Pacer was produced in Mexico by Veh?culos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) starting in 1976. The cars came with different engines, interiors, and other components because vehicles made in Mexico had to have at least 50% locally sourced parts. The engine was an AMC design, but modified and built by VAM. A unique to Mexico 282 cu in (4.62 L) I6 engine was standard. It was designed to cope with low octane fuel and high altitudes. All Pacers built by VAM came with the following standard equipment: power disk brakes, power steering, handling package, slot wheels with ER78x14 radial tires, reclining front seats, and a radio.

Media appearances
AMC Pacers continue to be featured, referenced, shown, or used in nearly all forms of media. It is used often as a recognizable 1970s icon and sometimes considered a unique or weird-looking car. Perhaps the best known feature film appearance was as the "Mirthmobile" in the popular 1992 comedy Wayne's World, as well as its sequel that also had a customized Pacer convertible and a Pacer stretch limousine. A Pacer was also featured on an episode of Pimp My Ride. The most notable part of the episode is when the West Coast Customs crew finds a live rat in the dashboard of the car. The Pacer has also appeared in the movie Good Burger.

Collectability
The Pacer has reached "classic" status (25 years old or more), and many of them were still on the road well into the 1990s, especially in Midwest college towns like Ann Arbor, Michigan. The cars have a cult following, especially among fans of 1970s popular culture, and the cars are easily recognizable. There are many active AMC car clubs that welcome Pacers, as well as vendors with new, used, and reproduction parts.
According to Business Week magazine, attraction to cars such as the Pacer is now increasing and the values of the vehicles are climbing. The same article describes that McKeel Hagerty, chief executive of Hagerty Insurance (a provider of coverage for car collectors), began noticing the trend a few years ago and he purchased a dark green 1976 Pacer, stating "I happen to think it's a cool car,"

This was one Great Looking 1932 Ford Coupe that was present at the 2006 Raceway Park Car Show. The finish was nice and polished showing a deep red paint, that seemed to mirror all objects around the car. Inside this car was also kept in awesome condition with its red and white interior upholstery finish that just seemed like the owner never drove this car anywhere.

Just Looking at this 1932 Ford Engine you can clearly see it was totally chromed out and kept in near perfect driving condition. With an engine looking this shiny its hard to even imagination what the rebuild cost of this coupe was. In addition, looking at the exhaust manifold in near perfect condition I'm willing to bet that this car doesn't get pushed to the limits as much as we may think, besides I would want to take it easy on this old gal since we all would hate to see a rock bounce up at ruin this paint job just for a little "Show and Tell"

The Dodge Monaco was a full-size automobile built and sold by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation between 1965 to 1978 and 1990 to 1992.

A Grand Prix competitor
The Dodge Monaco was originally intended to compete with Pontiac's Grand Prix model in what came to be known as the personal luxury market. Introduced on September 25, 1964, the 1965 Monaco was based on the Custom 880 two door hardtop coupe body. The Monaco received special badging, different taillight and grille treatment, and a sportier interior with a full-length center console, as well as a 383 cid/315 hp V-8 engine as standard equipment. Larger, more powerful engines were also available as options.
Chrysler Canada Ltd. fielded a Dodge Monaco which was Dodge's version of the Plymouth Sport Fury in Canada. It was available in hardtop coupe or convertible body styles. However, Canadian Monacos were equipped with Plymouth dashboards in 1965 and 1966. Unlike the American Monaco, the Canadian Monaco could be had with the 318 in? V8 or even the slant six.

Taking over for the Custom 880
For 1966, in the U.S., the Monaco replaced the Custom 880 series and the former Monaco became the Monaco 500. The basic Monaco was available in hardtop coupe, 4-door (pillarless) hardtop sedan, conventional 4-door (pillared) sedan, and 4-door station wagon bodystyles. In the U.S., the Monaco 500 was available only as a hardtop coupe. The Canadian Dodge hung onto the "Monaco" name for the Sport Fury equivalent and Polara 880 for the Fury III competitor.
For 1967, all full-sized Dodges, the Monaco included, would receive a significant face-lift with all-new exterior sheet metal. The hardtop coupes would adopt a new semi-fastback roofline with a reverse slanted rear quarter window.
In Canada, the Monaco name was finally applied for '67 to all of the premium full-sized Dodge products (sedans, coupes, and station wagons), replacing the Polara 880 at the top of the Dodge line. Taking the Monaco's place as a premium full-size model was the Monaco 500, which was available only as a two-door hardtop and convertible.
Changes would be minimal for 1968. Dodge would discontinue the Monaco 500 model at the end of the 1968 model run in the United States and at the end of the 1970 model run in Canada.

The "fuselage look", 1969-73
For the 1969 model year, all full-sized Chrysler cars, including the Dodge Monaco, would adopt Chrysler's new "fuselage" styling. The theme of the design was to integrate the upper- and lower-body into one cohesive, gracefully curved unit. Curved side glass added to the effect, as did the deletion of the "shoulder" which had made the design of the 1965-68 Dodges (and, for that matter, all Chrysler Corporation full-size cars) look like boxes stacked upon one another.
However, the new big Dodges were very bland and had very little definition in their design. Unlike the gracefully-curved intermediate-sized Coronet and Charger which had debuted the year before with very distinctive lines, the Monaco was very plain and featureless.
The look started in the front of the car, with a nearly straight-across bumper (demanded by a Chrysler executive after a Congressional committee attacked him over the seeming inability of car bumpers to protect cars from extensive damage in low-speed collisions) and a five-segment eggcrate grille that surrounded the headlamps. When the cars failed to spark buyers' interest, Dodge executives demanded a change. By the summer of 1969, the division released new chrome trim for the front fender caps and leading edge of the hood as an option, which gave the appearance of a then-fashionable loop bumper without the tooling expense.
At the rear, continued with Dodge's signature delta-shaped taillamps, this time in a new form that required the top of the bumper to slope downward toward each end. With nicely-tailored chrome moldings surrounding the lamps, the rear end was arguably more distinctive and better executed than the front.
Available models for 1969 included a two-door hardtop coupe, four-door hardtop sedan, four-door pillared sedan, and two four-door station wagons (six- or nine-passenger). A new Brougham option package debuted, which included a vinyl roof (on sedans and hardtops) and a split-bench front seat with a reclining mechanism for the passenger's side (except on the two-door hardtops). Monaco wagons, befitting their top-of-the-line status among Dodge station wagons, received woodgrained vinyl trim along their sides and across the dual-action tailgate.
Returning for '69 was the "500" option, which in the U.S. market gave the Monaco front bucket seats and a center armrest. In Canada, the Monaco 500 was a separate series that used the side trim of the Polara 500 sold in the U.S. Canadians could also buy a Monaco convertible; U.S. Dodge full-size convertible shoppers had only the lower-end Polara and Polara 500 to choose from.
As Dodge's top-of-the-line, Monacos came standard with Chrysler's corporate 383-cubic-inch V8 B-block engine with a two-barrel carburetor, which delivered 290 horsepower. Buyers could order their 383 with a four-barrel carb that increased horsepower to 330, or they could go all the way and opt for the 375-horse 440-cubic-inch Magnum RB-block engine. Wagon buyers choosing the 440 got a 350-horsepower version.
Dodge topped off the new cars with a new option, which forecasted the projector-beam halogen headlamps that came into use years later. It was called "Super-Lite," and consisted of a $50 optional road lamp mounted in the driver's side of the grille. The premise behind the Super-Lite was to enhance visibility at night in situations where more light than the standard low beams was needed but the high beams would cause glare to oncoming drivers.
As mentioned above, the new-look '69 big Dodges did not set the world - or the sales charts - on fire. Sales of the Polara and Monaco were off by nearly 20,000 cars compared with 1968, with the Monaco line accounting for 38,566 of the 127,252 full-size cars made by Dodge for the year.
1970
In order to add some flair to the cars, the 1970 models got completely new front and rear styling that included expensive-to-make loop bumpers front and rear. In the front, the new bumper enclosed a new diecast grille and the headlamps. At the rear, the double-loop bumper enclosed the taillamps. Backup lamps were moved up into the endcaps that terminated the quarter panels, in slotted body-color housings that mimicked the parking lamps of the 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix, although the look was certainly unique and tasteful.
The designers chose to emphasize the length of the hood this year, which meant that the redesigned front end grew by three inches. However, the new rear end was four inches shorter in length. The new dimensions were much more pleasing than the nearly equal-length front and rear ends of the '69s.
Chrysler's engineering staff didn't let the designers have all of the fun for '70. They had been busy improving the corporate torsion-bar front suspension system. The new "Torsion-Quiet" system used strategically-placed rubber isolators to seal out road noise and vibrations, which are the bane of unibody automobiles. The rear wheel track was broadened by nearly three inches as Dodge installed the same rear axle on all Monaco models (the wider axle had been used solely in wagons the previous year).
On the option front, the Brougham and 500 packages continued, but the 440 Magnum V8 was dropped. The 350-horse 440, available only in wagons for '69, became the new top engine for all Monacos. And, despite the fanfare surrounding the Super-Lite that had been introduced the previous year, Dodge dropped the light option at the end of the model year because of a lack of consumer interest and challenges to its legality in some states.
Despite all of the changes, which cost Chrysler a rather large sum of money, Monaco (and Polara) sales tanked. Only 24,692 Monacos were built for the model year.
1971
The 1971 Monaco, which got less of a facelift than had been originally planned, got a new grille within the bumper that had been used the previous year, and other minor styling changes that were focused mainly at the rear. A new single-loop rear bumper and larger taillamps were installed.
The 500 option package was deleted, along with the Super-Lite, although a stereo cassette player/recorder with microphone was new on the option list. Bucket seats remained available despite the loss of the 500 package, and the Brougham package was also still available (and a good value at $220) despite the addition of a separate Polara Brougham series.
Under the hood, all of the engines had their compression ratios reduced so they could all use regular fuel. As a result, the two-barrel 383 lost 15 horsepower (to 275), the four-barrel 383 lost 30 horsepower (to 300), and the 440 lost 15 horsepower (to 335).
In an interesting change, Monaco station wagons, which in 1969 and '70 had worn their woodgrain trim on the lower bodysides, got completely new woodgrain up high on the sides - even around the windows! The new vinyl decals were translucent, allowing some of the paint color to show through. Not everyone liked the new look, but it was certainly distinctive.
Despite the horsepower losses and mild styling change, sales picked up a bit. About 900 more Monacos were built for '71(approximately 25,544 - an exact number isn't known - versus 24,692 the previous year).
1972
For the 1972 model year, the full-sized Dodges finally got the all-new sheetmetal that had originally been planned for 1971 but delayed when Chrysler started facing the first of its soon-to-be epidemic financial crises.
Setting off the new look for the Monaco was a new front end with concealed headlamps set above a completely new bumper-grille. It looked expensive and impressive. The sides of the car did away with their previous plump appearance in favor of a new, lean look with a sharp new feature line that started on the front fenders and ran back through the doors, kicking up ahead of the rear wheels. Sedan and hardtop rooflines were new and more formal-looking. At the rear, there was yet another new loop bumper and car-wide taillight and lens ensemble, which, like the rest of the car, looked much more expensive and impressive. Station wagons got a new rear appearance, too, with stacked vertical taillamps.
The Monaco got a smaller standard V8 for '72; the long-lived 383 was out of the picture. This 360-cubic-inch engine, which had been introduced in '71 as an option on Polaras, developed 175 horsepower (now measured as net instead of gross). Replacing the 383 was a new 400-cubic-inch, 190-horsepower V8. The 440 remained available, but it now turned out 230 net horsepower.
Despite the on-paper horsepower reductions, buyers fell hard for the new-look Monacos. Sales surged, nearly reaching 1969 levels, with 37,013 built for the model year.
1973
For its last year in the fuselage body, the Monaco continued with its 1972 styling, except for another new rear bumper with sharp new taillamps, along with a surprisingly sharp-looking new decklid and rear-quarter endcaps. The only sour points on the exterior were the large, awkward-looking black-rubber-on-chrome bumper guards that were added front and rear to meet new federal five-mile-per-hour impact standards. The cars gained a substantial amount of length this year - some six and a half inches on hardtops and sedans - due mostly to the bumper guards.
Inside, new fire-retardant materials in virtually every visible part of the interior meant added safety. Under the hood, while all three available engines lost power, they gained reliability with the addition of Chrysler's new electronic ignition system, which virtually eliminated ignition system maintenance (except, of course, for changing spark plugs).
Sadly, not as many buyers were willing to pony up for the '73 Monacos, despite the cars' improvements. Sales dropped again, this time to 29,396.
1973 proved to be the Monaco's final year as Dodge's top-of-the-line full-size car. After 14 years, the Polara name was dropped and, for 1974, all big Dodges would carry the Monaco name.

Last of the big Monacos, 1974-77
The 1974 model year Dodge was completely redesigned with an all-new unibody platform and all-new sheet metal. However, the new cars debuted at precisely the wrong time. Within days of their introduction, the 1973 oil crisis began and, suddenly, big cars became the pariahs of the auto industry. Chrysler was excoriated in the media for bringing out huge new cars, and sales suffered accordingly. In truth, it was just bad timing, as the new Monacos were very good cars, but they had been designed for a different era, and they quickly faded away.
As mentioned above, for 1974, the long-running Polara and Polara Custom models were discontinued. They were replaced by a basic Monaco and Monaco Custom respectively. The previous Monaco was renamed Monaco Brougham. The Brougham name had long been used on the luxury option package which was available from 1969 to 1973. Gone were the hidden headlamps of the previous models, replaced by fixed headlamps on all Monacos, but that would change.
For the 1975 model year, changes to the base Monaco were minimal. However, the Monaco Custom got a new name - Royal Monaco -and the Monaco Brougham became the Royal Monaco Brougham. These newly-named models featured, as Monacos had in 1972 and '73, concealed headlamps. 1975 would be the last year that the four-door hardtop would be available. After the start of the 1975 model year, a limited prouction option for Royal Monaco Brougham coupes was introduced. The Diplomat package featured a landau vinyl roof with opera windows and a wide steel roof band.
Changes to the 1976 model would be minimal, and the virtually-unchanged 1977 models proved to be the last true full-size Dodges. However, all full-size models were Royal Monacos for '77, as the mid-size Coronet was renamed Monaco.

Downsized: The 1977-78 Monaco
As a lingering result of the 1973-74 energy crisis, Chrysler decided to shift the Monaco nameplate to the mid-size B platform for 1977. The "new" 1977 mid-sized Monaco replaced the previous Coronet 4-door sedan, 4-door station wagon and Charger hardtop coupe. The Monaco Brougham replaced the previous Coronet Brougham 4-door sedan and Charger Sport hardtop coupe, while the Monaco Crestwood station wagon replaced the previous Coronet Crestwood. The Charger S.E., which at this point became the sole Charger still available, continued unchanged.
The "new" Monacos, for all of the marketing hype, were little-changed from the Coronets which had gone before. A revised front-end design with stacked rectangular quad headlamps gave the cars an uncomfortable resemblance to the contemporary Chevrolet Monte Carlo when viewed head-on. With Chrysler Corporation in dire financial straits during these years, there was little that could be done to give the cars a fresh look, so changes had to be minimal and as inexpensive as possible.
The 1977 and 1978 models can be seen as the police vehicles in the 1980-1985 seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard.

The St. Regis takes over ... and fails
The Monaco nameplate disappeared at the end of the 1978 model year. Both the mid-sized Monaco and the full-sized Royal Monaco were replaced by the St. Regis for the 1979 model year.
Available in only a single bodystyle, a four-door pillared hardtop sedan with frameless door windows, the St. Regis was marketed and priced as a full-sized car. It was also considered to be a full-sized car by the U.S. E.P.A. based on its passenger compartment and trunk volumes. In size, it was comparable to, but typically larger than, the competing downsized full-sized models from GM and Ford.
Stylewise, from the side, the St. Regis looked nearly identical to the concurrent Chrysler Newport and Plymouth Gran Fury (which debuted for 1980). Only from the front and rear could one tell the three apart. The St. Regis, arguably, had the most stylish front end, with headlamps mounted behind swing-away plexiglas doors. It was nothing if not bold, but the rest of the car was, to many eyes, a disappointment.
As if the new car needed any further handicaps against the competition, which rode on all-new platforms, the St. Regis (along with Chrysler's Newport and Plymouth Gran Fury) was built, by necessity, on basically the same unibody platform as the old B platform Monaco, although the new car was slightly longer in both wheelbase and overall length. This basic platform, which had been rechristened the R-body, dated to Virgil Exner's "plucked chicken" 1962 Dodges and Plymouths! To be fair, it had been updated several times and, despite its age, was still a very competent chassis.
While it never came close to matching the Monaco it replaced in sales to the general public, the St. Regis did relatively well as a police car. In fact, after its first year, the vast majority of St. Regis sales were to law enforcement agencies. However, even those sales couldn't save the car, which, along with its Chrysler and Plymouth siblings, was killed off halfway through the 1981 model year.

Revival, 1990-1992
In 1987, Chrysler purchased the assets of American Motors, mostly for the Jeep brand. However, along with Jeep came the new Eagle brand of cars, which were a mix of models designed and produced by Renault and Mitsubishi Motors. As part of the purchase, Chrysler agreed to purchase a set number of Renault drivetrains for use in the Eagle Premier.
It soon became obvious to Chrysler management that there was no way that the Premier alone would sell in sufficient numbers to meet the requirements of the Renault contract. Chrysler needed to find a way to take care of this problem as quickly and cheaply as possible. Company executives soon figured that the only way to fulfill their obligation was to create another model using as many Premier parts as possible.
With Dodge being the company's highest-volume division (and despite the fact that Dodge already had a large front-wheel-drive car in the Dynasty), it was decided to give the new rebadged Premier to Dodge. The Monaco name was revived for the car, which differed from the Premier only in its crosshair grille, different taillights and badging. The car became Dodge's top-of-the-line model and replaced the rear-wheel drive Diplomat, which was discontinued after the 1989 model year.
Despite Dodge's larger dealer network, even fewer Monacos were sold than Premiers. To almost no one's surprise, the similarly-sized yet less technically-sophisticated K-car based Dynasty, which had been introduced only two years earlier as a 1988 model, vastly outsold the new Monaco. Fleet buyers (mainly rental companies and governments) liked the fact that the Dynasty could be equipped with any of three different engines and sold for a lower price. The Monaco, on the other hand, despite being very roomy, came with only one engine and was considerably more expensive.
Despite its clean lines and high level of sophistication and equipment, the Monaco simply failed to gain wide acceptance from a public that was already wary of the reliability of previous French-designed AMC cars. The Premier and Monaco did indeed suffer from significant mechanical and electrical problems related to the mandated Renault-based components, which only cemented their poor reputation.
Interestingly, even though the Monaco was built at the Brampton, Ontario plant alongside the Premier, the Monaco was never sold in Canada. At that time, the Mitsubishi Galant-based 2000GTX was Dodge's top-line sedan in that market. The Monaco (and, for that matter, the Premier as well) was discontinued during the 1992 model year and dismissed by many outside of Chrysler as a market failure.
That would not be the end, however. The French-designed platform, its state of the art manufacturing plant, and the key executive from American Motors behind the Premier/Monaco design, Francois Castaing, would form the key points to what many assumed was a completely new design, the very successful and highly rated "cab-forward" LH Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler Concorde and Eagle Vision in late 1992 when production resumed at Brampton Assembly.

first saw this ambulance back in 1995. As soon as I saw it, I just had to buy it! When I bought it, my rig was only barely driveable -- the adjacent picture was taken when it was delivered to me on August 1, 1995. I had planned on restoring it myself, but quickly discovered that I was missing one key item -- mechanical aptitude! To my dismay, I also discovered that there are very few repair shops in the Berkeley / Oakland area that will work on any old American cars, let alone one that is over 7 feet tall and nearly 21 feet long!

After letting the car sit around in storage for over two years, I finally bought the (expensive) bullet and decided to have it professional restored. In early September of 1997, I had my rig delivered to Pilgrim's Auto Restorations (aka Pilgrim's Special Interest Autos) in Lakeport, California. As I followed the flatbed truck on the 120-mile trip to Lakeport, I noticed drivers slowing down and staring at my car. One couple even brought out their camera and took a picture of it as they were driving on the freeway! That is one of the main reasons why I bought her -- to attract attention. Also, I've had a fascination for hearses and ambulances for years, and I just love old Cadillacs -- especially the '59s. By the way, if you have a similar interest, be sure to check out the official (and recently updated!) website for the Professional Car Society.

A number of people asked me if I planned to turn the ambulance into yet another replica of Ecto-1. In case you don't know, Ecto-1 was the 1959 Miller-Meteor combination that, in my mind, was the star of the original Ghostbusters movie. To that question, I had only one answer: Not a chance! My plan was always been to restore my rig to its original condition, including repainting it in its original green color. Besides, Ecto-1 was a standard low-top car, which needed extra equipment added on top to make it impressive. This rig is over a foot taller, with 53 inches of headroom in the "passenger" compartment. According to the former chief engineer of Eureka, which went out of business in the early '60s, they only made three rigs like mine in 1959! Each one sold for more than $14,000.

This ambulance was originally used by the Bogota Volunteer First Aid Squad in the town of Bogota, New Jersey. It took me a while to get this information. When I bought the ambulance, it had a sticker from an oil change it received in 1972 in Bergenfield, New Jersey. That was my only clue to where my rig came from. I tried for a couple of years to get more information, but had no luck. Finally, in response to an advertisement in the newsletter for the Association for the Preservation of Historic Ambulances (APHA), another member mailed me copies of a 25-year old brochure from the Bogota Squad -- which included a photograph of the Squad's 1959 Eureka hightop ambulance, and also mentioned that the Squad's first ambulance was a green 1948 Buick.

I was fairly certain that the brochure showed my car, but I needed more proof. Back in 1998, I was contacted by Ray Dwyer, a former member of the Squad (whose grandfather was also in the Squad). Ray confirmed that the Bogota Squad's 1959 ambulance was also green. I also found some pencils from a Bogota funeral home stuck in my car's dashboard. We later visted Ray in Bogota, and Ray showed me the original call sheets from my rig's service in Bogota. Ray plans to make copies of these sheets for my files.

By the way, faded red paint job the ambulance had when I bought it is presumably the handiwork of a previous owner, who owned the ambulance in 1984 and 1985. He was a student who lived in the dorms at Stanford University, and also painted a red "S" on the top. I still don't know how the car got from New Jersey to California. In the pictures on this page, you can see that there was some rust on my ambulance. Unfortunately, the actual amount of rust was much worse than even these pictures show. This delayed the restoration process, but it's finally done!

In June of 1999, my restoration shop completed a three-year, $65,000 restoration of this beautiful ambulance (over a third of that cost was to remediate the rust). The timing was such that the job was completed just about the same time my son Ross was born. Below are the only post-restoration pictures of this car that I have managed to get online.

The Mini was a small car produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 to 2000. The most popular British-made car ever, it has since been replaced by the New MINI, which was launched in April 2001. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage), influenced a generation of car-makers.
This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in the United Kingdom, the Victoria Park / Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The Mini Mk I had three major UK updates: the Mk II, the Clubman and the Mk III. Within these was a series of variations including an estate car, a pickup truck, a van and the Mini Moke - a jeep-like buggy. The Mini Cooper and Cooper "S" were sportier versions that were successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally three times.

Design and development
Designed as project ADO15 (Austin Drawing Office project number 15), the Mini came about because of a fuel shortage. In 1956, as a result of the Suez Crisis which reduced oil supplies, the United Kingdom saw the re-introduction of petrol rationing. Sales of large cars slumped, and there was a boom in the market for so called Bubble cars, which were mainly German in origin. Leonard Lord, the somewhat autocratic head of BMC, decreed that something had to be done quickly. He laid down some basic design requirements: the car should be contained within a box that measured 10 ? 4 ? 4 feet (3 ? 1.2 ? 1.2 m); and the passenger accommodation should occupy six feet (1.8 m) of the 10 foot (3 m) length; and the engine, for reasons of cost, should be an existing unit. Issigonis, who had been working for Alvis, had been recruited back to BMC in 1955 and, with his skills in designing small cars, was a natural for the task. The team that designed the Mini was remarkably small: as well as Issigonis, there was Jack Daniels (who had worked with him on the Morris Minor), Chris Kingham (who had been with him at Alvis), two engineering students and four draughtsmen. Together, by October 1957, they had designed and built the original prototype, which was affectionately named 'The Orange Box' because of its colour.
The ADO15 used a conventional BMC A-Series four-cylinder water-cooled engine, but departed from tradition by having it mounted transversely, with the engine-oil-lubricated, four-speed transmission in the sump, and by employing front-wheel drive. Almost all small front-wheel-drive cars developed since have used a similar configuration. The radiator was mounted at the left side of the car so that the engine-mounted fan could be retained, but with reversed pitch so that it blew air into the natural low pressure area under the front wing. This location saved precious vehicle length, but had the disadvantage of feeding the radiator with air that had been heated by passing over the engine.
The suspension system, designed by Issigonis' friend Dr. Alex Moulton at Moulton Developments Limited, used compact rubber cones instead of conventional springs. This ingenious design shrank the overall size of the suspension, meaning that it could take up less space. It was built into the subframes. The use of the rubber cones led to a rather raw and bumpy ride, but this rigidity, together with the wheels being pushed out to the corners of the car, gave the Mini its famous go kart-like handling. It was initially planned to use an interconnected fluid system - similar to the one which Issigonis and Moulton were working on in the mid-1950s at Alvis - but the short development time of the car meant this was not ready in time for the Mini's launch. The system intended for the Mini was further developed to become the hydrolastic system and was first used on the Austin 1100, launched in 1962. Ten-inch wheels were specified, so new tyres needed to be developed, the initial contract going to Dunlop.
The Mini was designed with sliding windows in the doors, thus allowing for storage pockets to be fitted in the space where a winding window mechanism would have been. Issigonis is said to have sized the resulting storage bins to take a bottle of his favourite Gordon's Gin. The boot lid was designed with the hinges at the bottom so that the car could be driven with it open to increase luggage space. On early cars the number plate was hinged so it swung down to remain visible when the boot lid was open. Although it has to be mentioned that this design was later discontinued as it was discovered that exhaust gasses could leak into the cockpit while the boot was open.
The Mini was designed as a monocoque shell with welded seams that are visible on the outside of the car running down the A and C pillars, and between the body and the floor pan showing where the joins are. To further simplify construction, the car had external door and boot hinges.
All of these novel and elegant technical innovations resulted in a car with minimum overall dimensions yet maximised space for passengers and luggage.
Production models differed from the prototype by the addition of front and rear subframes to the unibody to take the suspension loads, and by turning the engine around with the carburettor at the back rather than at the front. This required an extra gear to be placed between engine and transmission to reverse the engine direction. Making this a reduction gear had the beneficial effect of reducing loads on the gearbox and preventing the rapid wear on the synchromesh which had been a problem on early prototypes. Having the carburettor at the rear helped to reduce carburettor icing, but did expose the distributor to water coming in through the grille. The engine size was reduced from 948 to 848 cc, which reduced the top speed from an unprecedented 90 mph (145 km/h) to a more manageable (for the time) 72 mph (116 km/h) - a decision that was reversed in 1967.
Despite its utilitarian origins, the classic Mini shape had become so iconic that by the 1990s, Rover Group - the heirs to BMC - were able to register its design as a trade mark in its own right.

The Mk I Mini: 1959-67
See also: Mk I Mini
The production version of the Mini was demonstrated to the press in April 1959, and by August several thousand cars had been produced ready for the first sales.
The name Mini did not appear by itself immediately - the first models being marketed under two of BMC's brand names, Austin and Morris. The name Austin Seven (sometimes written as SE7EN in early publicity material) recalled the popular small Austin 7 of the 1920s and 1930s. The other name used in the United Kingdom, Morris Mini-Minor, seems to have been a play on words. The Morris Minor was a well known and successful car, with the word minor being Latin for "smaller"; so an abbreviation of the Latin word for "smallest" - minimus - was used for the new even smaller car.
Until 1962, the cars appeared as the Austin 850 and Morris 850 in North America and France, and in Denmark as the Austin Partner (until 1964) and Morris Mascot (until 1981). The name Mini was first used to name the car in 1961, somewhat to the surprise of the Sharps Commercials car company (later known as Bond Cars Ltd) who had been using the name Minicar for their three-wheeled vehicles since 1949. However, legal action was somehow averted, and BMC used the name Mini for the remainder of the car's life.
In 1964, the suspension of the cars was replaced by another Moulton design, the hydrolastic system. The new suspension gave a softer ride but it also increased weight and production cost and, in the minds of many enthusiasts, spoiled the handling characteristics for which the Mini was so famous. In 1971, the original rubber suspension reappeared and was retained for the remaining life of the Mini. From October 1965 the option of an Automotive Products (AP) designed four-speed automatic transmission became available.
Although they were slow at the outset, sales were strong across most of the model lines in the 1960s, with a total of 1,190,000 Mk I's being produced. The basic Mini never made money for its makers because it sold at less than its production cost. This may have been necessary in order to compete with its rivals, but it is rumoured that it was due to an accounting error. Some profits came from the popular deluxe models and from optional accessories, which included items such as seat belts, door mirrors and a radio that would be considered necessities on modern cars.
The Mini etched its place into popular culture in the 1960s with well-publicised purchases by film and music stars.

The Mk II Mini: 1967-69
From 1967 to 1970, Issigonis had been designing a replacement for the Mini in the form of an experimental model called the 9X. It was shorter and more powerful than the Mini, but due to politicking inside British Leyland (which had now been formed by the merger of BMC's parent company British Motor Holdings and the Leyland Motor Corporation), the car did not reach production. It was an intriguing "might-have-been"; the car was technologically advanced, and many believe it would have been competitive up until the 1980s.
The Mk II Mini featured a redesigned front grille which remained with the car from that point on. Also, a larger rear window and numerous cosmetic changes were introduced. 429,000 Mk II Minis were made.
A bewildering variety of Mini types were made in Pamplona, Spain, by the Authi company from 1968 onwards, mostly under the Morris name.
The Mini was arguably the star of the 1969 film The Italian Job, which features a car chase in which a gang of thieves drive three Minis down staircases, through storm drains, over buildings and finally into the back of a moving bus. This film was remade in 2003 using the new MINI.

Variants
See also: Mini Moke
The popularity of the original Mini spawned many models that targeted different markets:
The Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf (1961-69): These were intended as small, luxurious cars, having a larger boot and a more sophisticated looking front. The name "Wolseley Hornet" was a revival of one first used on a 1930s sports car, while the name "Elf" recalled the Riley Sprite and Imp sports cars, also of the 1930s. Both cars went through three versions. Initially, they used the 848 cc engine, changing to a single carburettor version of the Cooper's 998 cc power unit in the MkII in 1963. The MKIII facelift of 1966 brought wind-up windows and concealed door hinges two years before these were seen on the mainstream Mini. 30,912 Riley Elfs and 28,455 Wolseley Hornets were built.
The Morris Mini Traveller and the Austin Mini Countryman (1961-69, UK only): Two-door estate cars with double "barn"-style rear doors. Both were built on a slightly longer chassis of 84 inches (2.14 m) compared to 80.25 inches (2.04 m) for the saloon. The luxury models had decorative, non-structural wood inserts in the rear body which gave the car a similar appearance to the larger Morris Minor estate which had some of the look of an American-style 1950s Woodie. Approximately 108,000 Austin Mini Countrymen and 99,000 Morris Mini Travellers were built.
The Mini Van (1960-82): A commercial panel van rated at ?-ton load capacity. Built on the longer Traveller chassis but without side windows, it proved popular in 1960s Britain as a cheaper alternative to the car as it was classed as a commercial vehicle and carried no sales tax. It was renamed as the Mini 95 in 1978, the number representing the gross vehicle weight of 0.95 tons. 521,494 were built.
The Mini Pick-up (1961-82): A pick-up truck derivative, which was also built on the longer chassis but with a flatbed and tailgate. Like the van, it was renamed as the Mini 95 in 1978. Neither the van nor the pickup had a costly chrome grille - a simple set of stamped metal slots allowed airflow into the engine compartment. 58,179 Mini pickups were built.
The Mini Moke (1964 and 1968 in the UK, 1966-82 in Australia and 1983-89 in Portugal):
A bizarre utility vehicle, this jeep lookalike was first designed for the British Army. But without good ground clearance or four-wheel drive, it proved unsuitable for military use, although it enjoyed some popularity in civilian production. About 50,000 Mokes were produced. The Mini Moke featured in the cult 1967 TV series The Prisoner, and has proved popular in holiday locations such as Barbados and Macau - where Mokes were used as police cars and could be rented as recently as March 2006.

The Mini Cooper and Cooper S: 1961-2000
Issigonis' friend John Cooper, owner of the Cooper Car Company and designer and builder of Formula 1 and rally cars, saw the potential of the Mini for competition. Issigonis was initially reluctant to see the Mini in the role of a performance car - but after John Cooper appealed to BMC management, the two men collaborated to create the Mini Cooper, a nimble, economical and inexpensive car. The Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in 1961.
The original 848 cc engine from the Morris Mini-Minor was increased to 997 cc, boosting power from 34 bhp to 55 bhp (25 to 41 kW). The car featured a racing-tuned engine, twin SU carburettors, a closer-ratio gearbox and front disc brakes, uncommon at the time in a small car. One thousand units of this version were commissioned by management, intended for and designed to meet the homologation rules of Group 2 rally racing. The 997 cc engine was replaced by a shorter stroke 998 cc unit in 1964.
A more powerful Mini Cooper, dubbed the "S", was developed in tandem and released in 1963. Featuring a 1071 cc engine and larger servo-assisted disc brakes, 4,030 Cooper S cars were produced and sold until the model was updated in August 1964. Cooper also produced two models specifically for circuit racing, rated at 970 cc and a 1275 cc, both of which were also offered to the public. The smaller-engine model was not well received, and only 963 had been built when the model was discontinued in 1965. The 1275 cc Cooper S models continued in production until 1971.
Sales of the Mini Cooper were as follows: 64,000 Mk I Coopers with 997 or 998 cc engines; 19,000 Mk I Cooper S with 970, 1071 or 1275 cc engines; 16,000 Mk II Coopers with 998 cc engines; 6,300 Mk II Cooper S with 1275 cc engines. There were no Mk III Coopers and just 1,570 Mk III Cooper S's.
The Mini Cooper S earned acclaim with Monte Carlo Rally victories in 1964, 1965 and 1967. Minis were initially placed first, second and third in the 1966 rally as well, but were disqualified after a controversial decision by the French judges. The disqualification related to the use of a variable resistance headlamp dimming circuit in place of a dual-filament lamp. It should be noted that the Citro?n DS that was eventually awarded first place had illegal white headlamps but escaped disqualification. The driver of the Citro?n, Pauli Toivonen, was reluctant to accept the trophy and vowed that he would never race for Citro?n again. BMC probably received more publicity from the disqualification than they would have gained from a victory - but had the Mini not been disqualified, it would have been the only car in history to be placed in the top three on the Monte Carlo for six consecutive years.
In 1971, the Mini Cooper design was licensed in Italy by Innocenti and in 1973 to Spain by Authi (Automoviles de Turismo Hispano-Ingleses), which began to produce the Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300 and the Authi Mini Cooper 1300, respectively.
A new Mini Cooper named the RSP (Rover Special Products) was briefly relaunched in 1990-91, with slightly lower performance than the 1960s Cooper. It proved so popular that the new Cooper-marked Mini went into full production in late 1991. From 1992, Coopers were fitted with a fuel-injected version of the 1275 cc engine, and in 1997 a multi-point fuel injected engine was introduced, along with a front-mounted radiator and various safety improvements.

The Mini Clubman and 1275GT: 1969-80
In 1969, under the ownership of British Leyland, the Mini was given a facelift by stylist Roy Haynes, who had previously worked for Ford. The restyled version was called the Mini Clubman, and has a squarer frontal look, using the same indicator/sidelight assembly as the Austin Maxi. The Mini Clubman was intended to replace the upmarket Riley and Wolseley versions. A new model, dubbed the 1275GT, was slated as the replacement for the 998 cc Mini Cooper (the 1275 cc Mini Cooper S continued alongside the 1275GT for two years until 1971). The Clubman Estate took over where the Countryman and Traveller left off.
The 1275GT is often incorrectly described as the "Mini Clubman 1275GT". The official name was always just the "Mini 1275GT", and it was a separate, distinct model from the Clubman (albeit, it shared the same frontal treatment as the Mini Clubman, and was launched at the same time).
In 1971, the 1275 cc Mini Cooper S was discontinued, leaving the Mini 1275GT as the only sporting mini on sale in the UK for the rest of the decade. (Innocenti in Italy, however, continued making their own version of the Mini Cooper for some time, and also in Australia during the early seventies, where they made a unique Cooper with Clubman front named the Clubman GT, equipped with the twin-carb version of Cooper 1275 S). While not nearly as quick as a 1275 Mini Cooper S, the 1275GT was cheaper to buy, run, and insure. It was the first Mini to be equipped with a tachometer. It also featured a standard-fit close-ratio gearbox. Performance of the 1275GT was lively for the time, achieving 0-60 mph in 12.9 seconds, and the excellent midrange torque offered a 30-50 mph time in top gear of only nine seconds. The bluff front, however, meant that the model struggled to reach 90 mph. The 1275 cc A-series engine could be cheaply and easily tuned, though the cheap purchase price and prominent "sidewinder" door stripes meant that this model developed a reputation as something of a "boy-racer special" during the '70s and into the '80s.
The Mini Clubman and 1275GT were responsible for two motoring "firsts": they were the first vehicles to use a flexi printed-circuit board behind the dash instruments (universal nowadays, but technically advanced for 1969). Secondly, the 1275GT was the first vehicle to be offered with run-flat tyres; from 1974 this model could be ordered with optional Dunlop Denovo tyres on 12-inch diameter rims. In the event of a puncture, the Dunlop Denovo tyre would not burst and quickly deflate, but could continue to be used safely at speeds of up to 50 mph. This was a useful safety feature, although the increased road noise and relatively poor grip of this tyre meant that many 1275GT buyers ignored this option.
Throughout the 1970s, British Leyland continued to produce the classic 1959 "round-front" design, alongside the newer Clubman and 1275GT models. On the Australian market however, all Minis (including the commercial derivatives) gained the Clubman front.
The long-nose Clubman and 1275GT offered better crash safety, were better equipped, and had vastly better under-bonnet access, but they were more expensive and aerodynamically inferior to the original 1959 design. The Mini Clubman and 1275GT were replaced in 1980 by the new hatchback Austin Metro, while production of the original "round-front" mini design continued for another 20 years. At the end of Clubman and 1275GT production, 275,583 Clubman saloons, 197,606 Clubman Estates and 110,673 1275GTs had been made.

The Mk III and onwards: 1970-2000
The Mk III Mini had a modified bodyshell with enough alterations to see the factory code change from ADO15 to ADO20 (which it shared with the Clubman). The most obvious changes were larger doors with concealed hinges. Customer demand led to the sliding windows being replaced with winding windows - although some Australian-manufactured Mk I Minis had adopted this feature in 1965 (with opening quarterlight windows). The suspension reverted from Hydrolastic to rubber as a cost-saving measure.
Production at the Cowley plant was ended, and the simple name Mini completely replaced the separate Austin and Morris brands.
MkIII (introduced in November 1969) had wind up windows with internal door hinges except for the van and pickup models. The bootlid lost the original hinged number plate and its recess shape and a large rear colour coded lamp was fitted in its place, along with larger rear side windows.
MkIV (introduced in 1976) had a front rubber mounted subframe with single tower bolts and the rear frame had some larger bushes introduced. Twin stalk indicators were introduced with larger foot pedals. From 1977 onwards, the rear indicator lamps had the reverse lights incorporated in them.
MkV: all cars had 8.4 inch brake discs and plastic wheel arches (mini special arches) but retained the same MkIV body shell shape.
MkVI (from 1990): the engine mounting points were moved forward to take 1275 cc power units, and includes the HIF carb version, plus the single point fuel injected car which came out in 1991. The 998 cc power units were discontinued. Internal bonnet release were fitted from 1992.
MkVII was the final twin point injection with front mounted radiator.
In the late 1970s, Innocenti introduced the Innocenti 90 and 120, Bertone-designed hatchbacks based on the Mini platform. Bertone also created a Mini Cooper equivalent, christened the Innocenti De Tomaso, that sported a 1275 cc turbocharged engine.
By this stage, the Mini was still hugely popular in Britain, but it was looking increasingly outdated in the face of newer and more practical rivals including the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Chevette, Chrysler Sunbeam, Volkswagen Polo and Renault 5. Since the late 1960s, plans had been in place for a newer and more practical supermini to replace it, though the Mini was still the only car of this size built by British Leyland for the home market.
Reports of the Mini's imminent demise surfaced again in 1980 with the launch of the Austin Mini-Metro (badging with the word mini in all lowercase). In New Zealand in 1981, the Mini starred in a road trip movie directed by Geoff Murphy called Goodbye Pork Pie. The Mini was beginning to fall out of favour in many export markets, with the South African, Australian, and New Zealand markets all stopping production around this time.
Although the Mini continued after the Metro's launch, production volumes were reduced as British Leyland and successor combine Austin Rover concentrated on the Metro as its key supermini. Indeed, 1981 was the Mini's last year in the top ten of Britain's top selling cars, as it came ninth and the Metro was fifth.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the British market enjoyed numerous "special editions" of the Mini, which shifted the car from a mass-market item into a fashionable icon. It was this image that perhaps helped the Mini become such an asset for BMW, which later bought the remnants of BMC as the Rover Group. It was even more popular in Japan, where it was seen as a retro-cool icon, and inspired many imitators. The ERA Mini Turbo was particularly popular with Japanese buyers.
In 1994, under Bernd Pischetsrieder, a first cousin once removed of Issigonis, BMW took control of the Rover Group, which included the Mini, fitting an airbag to comply with European legislation.

The end of production
By March 2000, Rover was still suffering massive losses, and BMW decided to dispose of most of the company: MG and Rover went to Phoenix, a new British consortium; and Land Rover was sold to Ford Motor Company. BMW retained the Mini name and the planned new model, granting Rover temporary rights to the brand and allowing it to manufacture and sell the run-out model of the old Mini. By April 2000, the range consisted of four versions: the Mini Classic Seven, the Mini Classic Cooper, the Mini Classic Cooper Sport and - for overseas European markets -the Mini Knightsbridge. The last Mini (a red Cooper Sport) was built on October 4, 2000 and presented to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust in December of that year . A total of 5,387,862 cars had been manufactured.
After the last of the Mini production had been sold, the 'Mini' name reverted to BMW ownership. The new 'BMW' MINI is technically unrelated to the old car but retains the classic transverse 4 cylinder, front-wheel-drive configuration and many stylistic elements.
The Mini was a cultural icon and shows up in movies such as The Bourne Identity (2002) as a beat-up but surprisingly capable vehicle for a car chase, or as in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) as a collectible fashion icon garaged alongside other classic sports cars. It has also featured in television shows such as Mr Bean and (as the Mini Moke) in The Prisoner.

Timeline
August 1959: Introduction of the Austin Seven, Morris Mini-Minor and Morris Mini-Minor DL 2-door saloons, all with transversely mounted 848cc engine and 4-speed gearbox.
1960: Introduction of the Austin Seven Countryman and Morris Mini-Minor Traveller 3-door estates, both with 848cc engine from the saloon models.
1961: Introduction of the Austin Seven Super and Morris Mini-Minor Super 2-door saloons.
1961: Introduction of the Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper 2-door saloon, both with larger 997cc 55bhp engine.
January 1962: All former Austin Seven models now officially called Austin Mini.
1962: Introduction of the Morris Mini-Minor SDL 2-door saloon.
March 1963: Introduction of the Austin Mini Cooper 1071 S and Morris Mini Cooper 1071 S 2-door saloons, both with larger 1071cc 70bhp engine.
1964: Introduction of the Mini Moke.
April 1964: Introduction of the Austin and Morris Mini-Cooper 998, Mini-Cooper 970 S and Mini-Cooper 1275 S. 1275 S models have 1275cc 76bhp engine. Automatic transmission available as an option for the 998cc Austin Mini-Cooper 998 and 1275 S. Previous Mini-Cooper 997 and 1071 S models dropped.
1965: Mini Cooper 970 S discontinued.
October 1965: Automatic transmission now available as an option on standard Austin/Morris Mini and Morris Mini SDL.
October 1967: Mark 2 range launched with facelift and upgraded equipment. Austin Mini range as follows: 850, 1000, Cooper 998 and Cooper 1275 S 2-door saloons and 1000 Countryman 3-door estate. Morris Mini range as follows: 850, 850 SDL, 1000 SDL, Cooper 998 and Cooper 1275 S 2-door saloons and 1000 Traveller 3-door estate. Optional automatic transmission available on all Austin models (except 850) and Morris Mini 1000 SDL saloon.
October 1969: Separate Austin and Morris badging now merged into Mini 850/Mini 1000 badging. Range reduced to: 850, 1000, Clubman, Cooper S and 1275 GT 2-door saloons and Clubman 3-door estate. Optional automatic transmission available on all except 1275 GT.

Unproduced prototypes
A number of prototypes produced for vehicles based on the Mini but which never saw production are held and sometimes displayed at the British Heritage Motor Centre museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire. These included the Twini, a re-engineered four-wheel-drive Moke with two engines - one at the front and another at the back; the Austin Ant, a second attempt to produce a four-wheel-drive vehicle, this time using a transfer case; and a two-seater convertible MG edition of the Mini, cancelled due to it being perceived as competition for the MG Midget.

Exotic Minis and celebrities
In the 1960s and 70s, the Mini, in addition to being a cultural icon, also became a veritable 'fashion statement'. Many celebrities of that era drove Minis that had been customised by famous British coachbuilders. Examples include Peter Sellers' wicker side-panelled Mini built by Hooper (the Rolls-Royce coachbuilder) which appeared in his movie A Shot in the Dark. Ringo Starr's hatchback designed by Radford who also built a Mini de Ville for Britt Ekland, Peter Sellers' wife, with a special rear estate wagon door. Radford also built Mini de Villes for John Lennon, Marianne Faithfull and a psychedelic version that appeared in the Beatles movie Magical Mystery Tour owned by George Harrison who maintained it through the years and had it restored, including the art, prior to making an appearance with it at Goodwood as late as June 1998. Marianne Faithfull drove her duo-tone de Ville to the Law Courts to hear Mick Jagger's appeal of his drug conviction in 1967. The same year John Lennon drove his de Ville hatchback to Apple studios after hearing of Brian Epstein's death. In 1969 the Mini became an iconic part of the cult film The Italian Job. The exclusive (and expensive) Margrave and Margrave SE from Wood & Pickett should be mentioned, found at Mayfair dealerships in mod London and elsewhere.
Niki Lauda, Enzo Ferrari and Steve McQueen all owned (and regularly drove) Mini Coopers.

Kit cars and customisation
The cheapness, simplicity and easy availability of used Minis make it an ideal candidate for body replacement. There are over 120 Mini-based kit cars from various small companies and individual enthusiasts. There are also numerous dramatically modified Minis such as a set of three street-legal cars made up to look like giant oranges as a promotion for the Outspan company, a Mini that was made to look like a half-timbered cottage, complete with thatched roof and windows with curtains. Some enthusiasts have drastically shortened or lowered their cars to make them yet smaller - others make small versions of stretched limos, double-decker busses, monster trucks, motor homes and many other kinds of vehicles from used Minis.
Years after the Mini finally ended its production run, there are still ample third-party parts - both spares for restoration and performance parts for race tuning.
Given the low weight and good handling of the Mini it is also popular to do an engine swap putting in a modern, high performance engine like the Honda VTEC B16A2 or Suzuki Swift GTi and a rear mounted Yamaha R1 motorbike engine. Or the Vauxhall 16v 2ltr c20 XE "red top" engine

Awards
The Mini has won many awards over the years, perhaps the most notable include: "Car of the Century" (Autocar magazine 1995), "Number One Classic Car of All Time" (Classic & Sports Car magazine 1996) and "European Car of the Century" in a worldwide Internet poll run by the prestigious Global Automotive Elections Foundation in 1999. The Mini managed second place (behind the Model T Ford) for "Global Car of the Century" in that same poll.
In the end 5.3 million Minis were sold, making it by far the most popular British car ever made. Many of these are still on the road, with the remaining pre-1980s versions being firmly established as collector's items.

Minis in the United States
Between 1960 and 1967, BMC exported approximately 10,000 left-hand drive BMC Minis to the United States. Sales were discontinued when stricter federal emission standards were imposed; BMC felt that it would be too expensive to make the Mini's engine compliant. Similar legislation was later introduced in Europe, and the A-series engine, with minor modifications, proved perfectly capable of complying with it.
Despite this, a small band of enthusiasts keep the legacy of the original car alive in the U.S., where cars more than 25 years old are generally exempt from emissions regulations. Minis that were originally sold in the U.S. are becoming hard to find, so most of the restored Minis now running in the U.S. have been imported by individual enthusiasts - typically from Australia or New Zealand where the climate has limited the amount of rust formation and cars are available for relatively low prices. There is increasing difficulty in finding cars that are old enough to meet the 25 year emissions exemption and yet are still in a reasonable condition. This has led some unscrupulous importers into employing the Theseus paradox, in which they place the vehicle identification number (VIN) plates from older cars onto Minis that are less than 25 years old - claiming that the car was "repaired" by replacing every single part with the exception of the VIN plate. Such vehicles are termed "re-VINs" and are surprisingly common.

The new MINI
When production of the classic Mini ceased in 2000, BMW (the new owner of the brand) announced the successor to the Mini - which is variously called the "BMW MINI" or the "New MINI". The brand name for the new car is MINI (written in capital letters).
Some Mini enthusiasts reject the claim that the MINI as the natural successor of the original car - others simply dislike it - yet others were amongst the first to buy the new MINI when it was launched. There are many reasons offered for the negative point of view. One notion is that the classic Mini could have continued in viable production for many more years had it not been 'killed off' to make way for the MINI. The new MINI is larger than the classic Mini. It is around 55 cm longer, 30 cm wider, weighing 1050 kg rather than 650 kg. That, together with the departure from the spartan minimalism of the original, has proven objectionable to some enthusiasts. Others resent the manner in which BMW took the Mini brand name from the Rover group. However, many Mini owners take the opposite view and embrace the new car as a logical succession of the original and view it as the only way the concept could have continued in the light of modern safety, emissions and manufacturing principles. Some Mini clubs go so far as to ban MINIs from their club meetings - others actively seek car enthusiasts from both camps. This spectrum of attitudes has been noted with other retro-car releases such as the Volkswagen Beetle and is far from being unique to the Mini community.
On 3rd April 2007, the one millionth MINI rolled out of the Oxford Plant after six years of production - just one month longer than it took the classic Mini to reach the same total in March 1965.

Popularity
At its peak, the Mini was a strong seller in most of the countries where it was sold, with the United Kingdom inevitably receiving the highest volumes.
It was a huge seller in the mini-car market, which it virtually monopolised until the arrival of the Hillman Imp in 1963. It comprehensively outsold the Imp, and it was 16 years before the Mini received a serious threat to its sales success. This threat came in the shape of the much more modern and practical Vauxhall Chevette of 1975, but the Mini continued to sell in huge volumes and was still very popular when its "replacement" - the Metro - arrived in 1980. By this time, the Mini's design had been overtaken by numerous more modern and practical efforts, but it still offered sheer driving fun that was almost unbeatable in this size of car.
Although the Metro never actually replaced the Mini, production figures for the Mini dipped during the 1980s, and interest in the now-iconic design was not revived until the re-introduction of the famous Mini Cooper in 1989. This helped the car retain its desirability and driver appeal throughout the 1990s, right up to the end of production on 4 October 2000.
Seven years after its demise, the Mini is still a common sight on Britain's roads, and the surviving pre-1980s models in particular are now widely regarded as collector's items.

Safety
Active safety: Alec Issigonis designed the Mini with an emphasis on active safety. Asked about the crashworthiness of the Mini he said "I make my cars with such good brakes, such good steering, that if people get into a crash it?s their own fault and "I don't design my cars to have accidents" .
Issigonis focused on active safety, therefore he provided the Mini with excellent handling .
Passive safety: According with the latest Road accident statistics on a model-by-model basis published by the British government, the Mini is the car that offers least driver protection among those studied in the case of a two car accident. These statistics do not address the risk of getting into an accident (i.e., the active safety), nor the outcome of single vehicle crashes.
Murray Mackay, the Britain?s first automobile accident investigator said this about the Mini that was being sold before 1967 (the year the Mini stopped being sold in the U.S. market):
The filler cap gets sheared off, you?ve got fuel pouring out, you?ve got an electrical source and you?ve got a big fire immediately. The door latch is just like an ordinary house latch so if the door gets stretched, then the door just open out and people will be ejected and fall out without any resistance at all...[]...The engine comes back against the far wall and then the whole lot comes forward into the interior of the vehicle. So we said some very unpleasant things about the Mini in the local newspapers...[]...the Mini was a failure in North America. It was withdrawn because it couldn?t meet even the safety regulations at that time
The BBC also claimed that the Mini failed to meet the 1968 U.S. safety regulations, and was never updated to comply with those regulations.. Other sources also claim that the Mini was withdrawn from the U.S. market in the 1960?s due to its inability to pass new safety and pollution regulations .
The 1974 Mini Clubman SRV4 Experimental Safety Vehicle featured a longer crumple zone.
Jack Daniels, the engineer who helped in the design of the Mini and retired in 1977 , also had a hand in the safety improvements he said the Mini benefited in the 1970s:
The last job I had when I was in the factory was there was to have a go at even further safety for the Mini. They were trying to make all cars, including the Mini, strong enough to absorb shocks of up to 40 m.p.h. We got the Mini up to 38 miles per hour, which is something like 80 per cent stiffer than it was before
The magazine Which? lists the Mini among the 5 worst cars for safety since 1983.
Several times it was thought that safety regulations would prevent the production of Minis. Safety improved in 1996, with the introduction of Airbags and side impact bars . The Mini, challenged by increasingly demanding European safety and pollution standards, was planned by British Aerospace to be taken out of production in 1996, but BMW choose to invest to keep the Mini legal until the launch of the MINI