The world would be a much happier place with a little more De Tomaso Mangusta. The Pantera predecessor featured sexy Italian styling, Ford V8 power and properly scary handling. Only 401 units were built between 1967 and 1971, making the gull-wing machine a proper unicorn for any collector of Italian absurdities.

One designer and illustrator has taken it upon himself to envision what a modern interpretation of the Mangusta might look like. The result is the Mangusta Legacy. Maxime de Keiser wanted to preserve the vehicle’s low-slung, wide stance and give the Legacy an “impression of wild ferocity.”

We like the sound of that.

The illustrator’s design sketches and renderings look top notch. With its aggressive side air inlets, fiercely-raked windshield and pop-up rear wing, the machine looks like it could roll off of a production line any second. We dig it. Head over to CarBodyDesign for a closer look.

Mangusta Legacy Concept just as badass as the original originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compiling a list of automotive legends is a task that could force all enthusiasts into a debate of epic proportions. Opinions will differ, feelings will be hurt and some deserving vehicles might wind up off the ultimate list. There is one vehicle, however, that should create little debate as to its place in the annals of all-time greats. We’re talking about the original Audi Quattro, and it’s clear that the folks from the UK’s Fifth Gear agree.

The Fifth Gear crew managed to snag the keys to an Ur-Quattro for its Legends series, and set about tracking it down some of their local country roads. Cameras were powered up, lenses were clean and the resulting review is available to fawn over after the jump.

Continue reading Fifth Gear remembers what made the original Audi Quattro so special

Fifth Gear remembers what made the original Audi Quattro so special originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you had asked us just a few days ago if Giorgetto Giugiaro was behind the design of any production Lamborghini, we probably would have answered, Sure, he must have…right? Wrong. Because none of Lamborghini’s road cars ever bore the famed designer’s lines.

Bertone styled a few, but those only came years after Giugiaro left for Ghia and then went independent with ItalDesign. Over the course of his later career, he did a couple of design studies for the Raging Bull marque – like the Marco Polo of 1982 and the 1995 Cala concept. But though the latter, it could be claimed, eventually lead to the Gallardo (with a very different design), neither of these ever reached production. But this one almost did. Or at least maybe it should have.

Back in the early 1960s, Lamborghini was still making tractors. But word on the street was that old Ferruccio was bent on showing up Enzo Ferrari with a sportscar of his own. So a number of design houses started submitting proposals, unsolicited. Pininfarina, Ghia, Vignale and Michelotti were among those who vied for the contract, but Carrozzeria Touring eventually won out with the 350 GT, based on the work of former Bertone stylist Franco Scaglione.

Now, some fifty years later, an original design submitted by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro, still working at Bertone, has surfaced. And not just in renderings, either. The designer’s son Fabrizio digitized his father’s sketches, milled them into a model, painted it yellow, detailed the body and put it on a set of period-correct Borrani wires.

The design, as you can plainly see, was way ahead of its time. If you’re thinking it reminds you of the Ferrari P3 or 250 LM, or like one of the Alfa Romeo BAT designs, think again, because none of those – nor anything like it – came along until years later. The result was presented to Giorgetto as a 70th birthday present, and is now prominently displayed at the company’s design headquarters in Moncalieri, just nine miles south of Turin. But if you’re not planning on visiting the area any time soon, you can check it out in our high-resolution image gallery.

Giugiaro’s original Lamborghini design unearthed and realized 50 years later originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It would be great to have a garage so large that entire sections were devoted to specific makes or models. Jay Leno has such a place, and, as befitting one of the best-known car junkies in the world, one section of his Big Dog Garage is home to nothing but Duesenbergs.

In case you’re not familiar with the marque, the Duesenberg was (and still is by some) regarded as the absolute pinnacle of automotive engineering. One vehicle in particular has an interesting story, as it was discovered unrestored in a Manhattan garage. Suffice it to say – and you knew this was coming, right? – it’s a Duesy.

This 1931 Duesenberg Model J was parked in New York City with just a few thousand miles on the odometer. The original owner’s son attempted to restore the car sometime in the 1950s, but the car was returned to its parking spot, and left to rot. After that, Leno became the second owner when he acquired the car in 2005.

It may have come to him as the last original owner, unrestored Duesy, but per Jay, the car was too trashed to be left in that condition. So, the Model J underwent a complete restoration, and is now in better shape than when it was originally parked in that Manhattan garage. Click past the jump to learn more about the car, and how Leno’s team brought it back to life.

Continue reading Last original owner, “unrestored” Duesenberg checks into Jay Leno’s Garage

Last original owner, “unrestored” Duesenberg checks into Jay Leno’s Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pop quiz time: What vehicle holds the highest average speed on the famed Mille Miglia circuit? A BMW 328. Their average speed was 103 miles per hour, and it was set way back in 1940. That car, the BMW 328, is a legend in the automaker’s halls, and was named one of the 25 greatest cars of the century. This year marks the 328′s 75th birthday, so BMW has prepared a unique concept car to pay tribute to one of its own iconic vehicles.

Dubbed the BMW 328 Hommage, this ultra-lightweight sports car was built to mirror the principles used to create the original 328. The 328 Hommage weighs in at a svelte 1,720 pounds, accomplished through the use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. While CFRP wasn’t exactly around in the 30′s and 40′s, BMW engineers of that era kept the 328 light through the use of aluminum and magnesium. Both cars are cut from a similar cloth to achieve a lightweight end result, even if the methods to get there are very different.

Many design elements are shared between both cars. The original 328 was one of the earliest BMW vehicles to show off the now familiar kidney grilles. Those grilles nearly jump off the face of the 328 Hommage. Out back, the wide-set taillamps help close off the wide stance that runs the length of both versions.

BMW casually mentions that the 328 Hommage is powered by a 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine. Yet, we have no word on any potential output figures or what type of transmission it might be connected to. Of course, BMW fans might remember that the automaker built a similar concept a few years ago. It was called the Mille Miglia Concept Coupe. Stunning at the time, the 328 Hommage ups the wow factor several notches. Dive into the gorgeous photos in the gallery below, and click past the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading BMW 328 Hommage unveiled to celebrate 75th anniversary of original

BMW 328 Hommage unveiled to celebrate 75th anniversary of original originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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