Rapid response
Maserati probably isn’t the first name that springs to mind when you think of fire trucks.
But this fabulous machine was a race meeting fire tender (“autopompa anticendio”) in Italy in the 1960s, based on the Frua-designed 1967 Quattroporte.
It was equipped with four fire extinguishers and a water cannon and did duty at the Monza and Imola race tracks.
If you get things very wrong on a race track, it’s reassuring to know there’s a rapid response vehicle with a 260hp (194kW), 4.2-litre quad cam engine coming to your rescue (even if Maserati’s reputation for reliability wasn’t the best).
Apparently, five were built and some reports suggest all five were sold to an Austrian collector.
Where they are now, and whether they still exist, isn’t known.
And the latest news is…
It’s more than a little frustrating when some television shows are so out of date as to be almost irrelevant… and I don’t mean Yes, Minister.
I was watching a supposedly-current episode of The Grand Tour with the eternally childish and yobbo trio (they seem to be even more self-indulgent in The Grand Tour than they were in Top Gear, and Richard Hammond’s hair is still way too dark) when I noticed that all the “new” cars they were driving had registration plates bearing the number 67.
Since UK plates are age related, I quickly ascertained that a 67-plate denotes a car first registered between September, 2017 and February, 2018.
Of course, I could have just waited for the end of the show and noted the copyright date, but that would have been too easy…
Use it, or lose it
If you were seriously wealthy in the US in the 1950s, you’d probably have considered buying a Continental II, an ultra-luxury two-door coupe and the flagship of Ford’s luxury brand.
Priced at a hefty $US10,000 (approximately $US125,000 today), it was hand-assembled, featured a 368ci (6 litre) Lincoln Y-block V8 engine and reputedly earnt little to no profit for the Ford Motor company.
With quality rivalling that of Rolls-Royce, standard features included power steering, power brakes, power windows (including vent windows), power seats and an early form of air conditioning.
When other American cars were outrageous and flamboyant, the Continental II was known for its “understated elegance”.
One was bought new by the Saudi Royal family (who could obviously afford such indulgences).
When it was displayed at an event in 2006 (50 years after it was built), the odometer read a mere 680 miles (1095km).
They must have enjoyed polishing it more than they enjoyed driving it.
Thinking laterally
Audi resisted the move to airbags for many years after other manufacturers had embraced it.
The main reason was that in 1986, they launched the new 80 saloon (illustrated) that utilised what Audi called the “Procon Ten” safety system.
Rather than airbags, it used a system of pulleys to shift the steering column forward and tighten seatbelts in a frontal impact.
It started in 1970 when Audi’s first crash-testing hall was built.
One of the engineers studying safety research was Elmar Vollmer who directed the development of better structural design for improved crash energy dissipation.
Audi persisted with the Procon Ten supplemental restraint system (which was even more efficient thanks to Audi’s forward mounting of its engines) until 1994, at which time Audi joined the rest of the automotive world by installing airbags and Procon Ten was discontinued for good.
And yes, the Aging Audi in my garage (a 100CD Avant), being a 1988 model, is proudly fitted with Procon Ten.
So if I am unfortunate enough to be involved in a frontal impact, I won’t be head-butting a violently activated airbag. Assuming, of course, that the system still works…
More on the Stratos replica
Many thanks to Denis Basson who emailed me to explain that the original Lancia Stratos Zero was built up from a crashed Fulvia HF.
As he says, “I cannot understand anyone making a replica one and not using a crashed Fulvia, of which there must be one or two in Italy or even the UK,” and wonders how they managed to get a front-wheel drive Fulvia to work in the back of the Zero.
The background to car badges
The history of the Ford logo has been remarkably consistent since it was adopted in 1909.
The original logo from 1903 was typically florid and ornate (with a rococo border), designed by C. Harold Will and used on company correspondence before being applied to the Ford Model A.
This was replaced in 1909 with a new logo known as “script with wings” (not that far removed from today’s logo) and in 1912 another new logo was introduced, supposedly based on Henry Ford’s own signature (even closer to the current logo).
Over time, the surrounding oval became slimmer and more refined.
Rather than the standard blue, a revised colour scheme of black and white was tried out in 1961.
The current Ford logo is still that famous “blue oval”, modernised with a silver lining around the font and a white hue added to the lettering.
And that’s how the fight started…
My wife sent me a text saying “Your great”. Naturally, I texted back, “No, you’re great.” All day, she’s been happy and smiling. I’ve decided not to tell her I was just correcting her grammar.
Paul who?
Paul Murrell has a fascination with cars. Like the rest of us at Cars4starters he has been writing about them for a long time. He’s found the best stories are sometimes the small ones. Look no further.
Paul is a freelance motoring journalist who contributes to seniordriver.au, SA Life, Highlife, Survivor Car and a number of other motoring publications. Readers are encouraged to agree, disagree or express contrary points of view in writing at any time.