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The Goggomobil Dart – An Unusual Australian Micro Sports Car

The Goggomobil Dart is a car almost entirely unknown outside of its native Australia. The Dart was developed in 1958 using the German Goggomobil microcar as its platform. A sleek, lightweight body was designed and manufactured using fiberglass which was then installed onto the Goggomobil chassis.

Despite the relatively short 1959 to 1961 production run, over 700 Goggomobil Dart bodies were built, and they’re now more common in Australia than the original Goggomobil they’re based on.

Fast Facts – The Goggomobil Dart

The Goggomobil Dart was first shown to the public in late 1958, it’s a car that uses a two-seater fiberglass body mounted to a Goggomobil chassis and it’s powered by the original two-cylinder, two-stroke engine in either 300cc or 400cc sizes.
The Dart proved to be an almost instant cult classic in Australia, a country known for its fondness of the underdog.
Though the Dart wasn’t fast by any means it did provide a fun, entertaining driving experience and to this day the surviving Darts are treasured by their owners.
The total curb weight of the Dart is just 380 kilograms or 840 lbs, the power output is approximately 15 hp and the top speed is listed as 53 mph (85 km/h) however this varies depending on the engine size and total occupant weight.

The Goggomobil Microcars

The Goggomobil series of microcars were a German post-WWII answer to vehicles like the Fiat 500, Iso Isetta, Citroen 2CV, and to some extent, the Messerschmitt KR200.

This is a period advertisement for the Goggomobil TS series and T series (from left to right). The TS series was more luxurious and cost a little more, however the T series vastly outsold it.

The first in this series was the Goggomobil T250, it was introduced by German automaker Glas at the 1954 IFMA International Bicycle and Motorcycle Show as a transportation option that wasn’t that much more expensive than a regular motorcycle.

Post-WWII Europe was beset by austerity and the depressed economic situation meant that many people who needed cars for transport simply couldn’t afford them. This led to the skyrocketing popularity of motor scooters from companies like Vespa and Lambretta, and small-capacity motorcycles from companies like Iso and Ducati.

Another popular solution was microcars, tiny little automobiles that were often powered by motorcycle or scooter engines and typically had space for just two adults. These microcars offered protection from the elements which was particularly welcome in wet weather and during the long European winters.

German automaker Glas had started out making tractors before diversifying into motor scooters, microcars, and full-sized automobiles. After showing their new Goggomobil T250 to the public in 1954 the company found they struggled to keep up with demand.

Weighing just 380 kilograms or 840 lbs the tiny Dart is powered by a two-cylinder, two-stroke engine mounted in the rear.

Goggomobil production would run from 1955 right the way through until 1969, a number of models were offered including the T250, T300, and T400, and the more upmarket TS 2+2, TS250, TS300, and TS400.

Over 280,000 Goggomobils were built during this time and only a tiny fraction of that number have survived to the modern day in the care of collectors and museums.

The Goggomobil Dart

The Goggomobil Dart is a uniquely Australian design developed by Bill Buckle through his company Buckle Motors Pty Ltd. based in Sydney. Buckle was a Goggomobil importer who developed a few unusual new fiberglass bodies for Goggomobil chassis. The most famous of these by far is the Goggomobil Dart.

In the 1950s there had been a surge in the use of fiberglass for automobile bodies both by major automakers themselves and by low volume sports car builders, particularly in the United States. It’s likely that these low volume production companies are what inspired Bill Buckle to create the Dart.

Each Goggomobil Dart began as the rolling powered chassis of either the Goggomobil T300 or T400 model, they key difference being the engine size of either 300cc or 400cc. Buckle’s unique Dart body was then fitted to the chassis and equipped with all the essentials like seats, a windscreen, and a basic fit out.

Above Video: This is a short film on the Goggomobil Dart by Barcroft Cars in Australia, it gives some additional history on the car and it includes footage of it being driven.

The Dart tipped the scales at just 380 kilograms or 840 lbs, it could accommodate two people, and the top speed was up to 53 mph (85 km/h) depending on engine specification and passenger weight.

Ultimately the Dart was never a serious performance car, but it was an incredibly fun sports car that remains very popular in Australia with devout fanbase.

The 1959 Goggomobil Dart Shown Here

The car you see here is one of very few that has been exported out of Australia, specifically to Northern Ireland in this case. This example is from the first year of production and it’s being offered out of 28-year ownership by the current owner.

This car is powered by the more powerful 392cc version of the two-stroke, two-cylinder engine which sends power to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission.

Since its recent restoration this Dart has covered just 170 shakedown miles and it’s now being offered for sale.

If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Above Video: This Telstra advertisement for the Yellow Pages business directly can be quoted verbatim by any Australian over the age of 30. It made the car famous all over again when it started airing in the early 1990s.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

The post The Goggomobil Dart – An Unusual Australian Micro Sports Car appeared first on Silodrome.

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The Rare Ginetta G32 – A Little Known Mid-Engined 80s Sports Car

The Ginetta G32 is an 80s sports car that remains entirely unknown to most, even those who thought their youngtimer car trivia was infallible.

At first the styling of the G32 often leads people to think it’s a Toyota MR2 or a Toyota MR2-based vehicle. It isn’t. This is a completely new car designed and built by Ginetta in England from 1989 until 1992.

Fast Facts – The Ginetta G32

The Ginetta G32 is often compared with the Toyota MR2 however the styling of the G32 was directly influenced by earlier Ginetta cars, specifically the G25 and the G26 which predate the Japanese sports car.
The G32 uses a steel chassis with a steel safety cell around the occupants for safety. The body is fiberglass and the engine is mid-mounted.
Ginetta is a low-volume British automaker that has been developing and selling unusual sports cars since 1958.
Just 115 examples of the Ginetta G32 were made and they come up for sale only rarely.

Ginetta Cars

Ginetta Cars was founded in 1958 in Suffolk, England by four brothers – Bob, Ivor, Trevers, and Douglas.

The styling of the G32 has been compared with the Toyota MR2, however it was actually influenced by the Ginetta G25 that pre-dated the Japanese sports car by a year.

The first car built by Ginetta was the G1, a very simple two-seat design based on a Wolseley Horne chassis. The G1 would set the fundamental design ethos of the company for lightweight sports cars made to a budget, typically affordable to everyday people.

The first production car was the Ginetta G2, a kit car with a tubular steel chassis, an alloy body, and Ford running gear. After the G2 would come the G3 with its fiberglass body, this would be the material used for almost all Ginettas going forwards due to its ease of fabrication, low cost, and low weight.

In 1983 the company showed the Ginetta G25 for the first time, a new model with a far more modern, angular styling than its predecessors. This model would be followed by the G26 with similar styling, and both of these would directly influence the mid-engined Ginetta G32 released in 1989.

The Ginetta G32

The Ginetta G32 is a two-seater coupe or convertible with a mid-engined configuration designed by Ivor Walklett and released in 1989 as a production sports car.

The interior is well-appointed by the standards of low-volume sports cars from the 1980s. Many Ford parts are used which makes sourcing spares far easier that it would otherwise be.

The company’s had high hopes for the G32, an advanced car with modern styling they hoped would help save the company.

The structural design of the G32 was somewhat similar to earlier Ginetta cars, it has a steel chassis with a steel safety cage around the two occupants. A fiberglass body is fitted over the top, and the car makes use of many parts from larger manufacturers to help keep costs down.

Power was provided by up to three engine options including the 1600cc Ford four-cylinder unit with a carburetor, the same engine with fuel-injection, a turbo version of the 1600cc engine, or the slightly larger 1900cc engine with fuel-injection.

All cars used a manual 5-speed transmission sending power to the rear wheels, and the car was fitted with independent suspension on all four corners, and four wheel disc brakes.

Ginetta’s hopes for the G32 would unfortunately not come to fruition, just 115 examples were made before the company ceased production, facing significant financial difficulties.

This car is fitted with a transversely-mounted Ford XR3i engine producing 135 hp – good for a 0 to 60 mph time of 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 120 mph.

The 115 cars that were built are now the subject of much curiosity when they attend shows and cars and coffee events, with very few people able to identify them on sight due to their rarity.

The Ginetta G32 Shown Here

The car you see here is a Ginetta G32 hardtop from 1989, the first year of production. It’s one of 97 coupes that were made, with the other 18 being convertibles.

Interestingly, this is one of the G32s that were used as a media demonstrator car, it was used in a number of period magazine tests and it’s featured on the front cover of the G32 brochure.

Many of the components were sourced from the Ford Fiesta or the Ford Escort, and it’s powered by the Ford XR3i engine. This typically works in the owner’s favor as it makes sourcing spare parts considerably easier.

With a weight of just 807 kilograms (1,779 lbs) and 135 bhp with 107 lb ft of torque the car can do the 0 to 60 mph dash in 8.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 120 mph.

This G32 is currently being offered for sale in a live auction by The Market by Bonhams, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of The Market by Bonhams

The post The Rare Ginetta G32 – A Little Known Mid-Engined 80s Sports Car appeared first on Silodrome.

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(via 1949 Dodge Power Wagon)

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(via MZR Roadsports Datsun 240Z)

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instacarros: Liberty Walk GTR
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For Sale: A Ferrari F2003-GA Formula 1 Engine – 845 HP at 18,300 RPM

As the model name implies, the Ferrari F2003-GA Formula 1 engine was used by the Italian team in the 2003 F1 season. This engine would prove to be a success for Ferrari, winning three of the first four races and taking the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships in a battle that came down to the wire.

The Ferrari F2003-GA engine is a 90º V10 with a swept capacity of 2,997 cc, twin overhead camshafts per bank, four valves per cylinder, Magneti Marelli electronic indirect injection, and 845 hp at 18,300 rpm.

The engine is largely made from aluminum and magnesium for keep weight as low as possible and power is sent to the rear wheels via a 7-speed semi-automatic sequential transmission and a limited-slip differential. Impressively the car weighed just 600 kilograms or 1,323 lbs.

Engine development was led by Paolo Martinelli and Giles Simon, the chassis was developed by Rory Byrne, Ignazio Lunetta, Aldo Costa, Marco Fainello, Nikolas Tombazis and James Allison, all under Technical Director Ross Brawn.

This engine comes without many of its original internal parts, however it does include the original carbon fiber air scoop, and the exhaust manifolds on each side.

The Ferrari F2003-GA was a car with its work cut out for it, the previous four years had seen four Ferrari F1 cars win the Constructors’ crown, but Ferrari’s competitors were getting closer and closer to catching them.

The 2003 Formula 1 season would boil down to a three-way battle between Ferrari, Williams, and McLaren. The championship remained undecided until the final race of the season at Suzuka, Ferrari would triumph thanks to the driving of Michael Schumacher and Reubens Barrichello, with Schumacher besting Juan Manuel Fangio’s 46 year old record of five World Drivers’ titles.

The engine you see here is an original F2003-GA unit from the 2003 season, in full race trim it was capable of 845 hp at 18,300 rpm – making a sound that even today almost 20 years later many F1 fans still miss hearing.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Collecting Cars. It’s currently being auctioned live and it’s based in Milan, Italy.

Above Video: This clip shows the highlights of the 2003 Formula 1 Grand Prix in Japan, including ample footage of the classic V10-powered cars being driven in anger.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

The post For Sale: A Ferrari F2003-GA Formula 1 Engine – 845 HP at 18,300 RPM appeared first on Silodrome.

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For Sale: A Museum-Quality Toyota Pickup With Just 94 Miles From New

This 1993 Toyota Deluxe Pickup has been remarkably well-preserved, remaining almost entirely unused in indoor storage with its first owner from when it was delivered new to when they finally parted with it early this year.

The Toyota Pickup is famous for its reliability and longevity, so it’s rare that we see one come up for sale with such incredibly low mileage – just 94 on the odometer since it was brand new in the early 1990s.

Fast Facts – A Well-Preserved 1993 Toyota Pickup

This 1993 Toyota Deluxe Pickup was kept by its first owner for almost 30 years in a state of perfect preservation – just the tires and servicing items have been replaced in all that time.
This is a fifth generation Pickup, known as the Hilux in many other world markets, and it was ordered new with the 2.4 liter 22R-E EFI engine and a 5-speed manual transmission.
This truck is finished in Forest Green Metallic with a gray cloth interior, a tilt steering wheel, chrome bumpers, an AM/FM stereo, and it’s been given a recent servicing as well as new Goodyear Wrangler tires.
It’s not stated why the first owner of this truck kept it squirreled away safely for decades without using it, but it does now present a unique opportunity for someone to buy what is essentially a brand new fifth generation Toyota Pickup.

The Fifth Generation Toyota Pickup

The fifth generation of the Toyota Pickup was released in 1988 as the replacement for the outgoing fourth generation model, a model perhaps most famous for being the pickup lusted after by Marty McFly in Back to the Future.

With just 94 miles on the odometer this is the lowest mileage Toyota Pickup we’ve seen come up for sale in recent memory.

Every new generation of the Toyota Pickup, known as the Toyota Hilux is most of the rest of the world, has its work cutout for it when it’s released.

The model series is globally renowned for its toughness and for the fact it can handle almost anything – traits that have led to it becoming a favorite for everyone from Top Gear presenters and Columbian drug cartels to Australian sheep farmers and the Taliban.

Interestingly it would be during the fifth generation that local US production would begin, in 1991 at the NUMMI Plant in California. This would also be the last generation of the Pickup offered in the United States as it was replaced by the Toyota Tacoma in 1995.

Global sales of the fifth generation Toyota Hilux ran from 1988 to 1997 when it was replaced with the slightly larger sixth generation. Production is now on the eighth generation with no signs of the model’s popularity waning.

The truck is fitted with the 2.4 liter 22R-E EFI engine with 113 bhp and 140 lb ft of torque, and the 5-speed manual transmission.

The 1993 94-Mile Toyota Pickup Shown Here

The truck you see here is the sort of thing we very rarely see – a staggeringly low milage Pickup with just 94 on the odometer. When it was ordered new this vehicle has optioned with the popular 2.4 liter 22R-E EFI engine and the highway-friendly 5-speed manual transmission.

The 22R-E EFI engine is an inline-four cylinder gasoline engine from Toyota’s R family of engines. It has a swept capacity of 2366cc, a single overhead cam, a bore x stroke of 92 mm × 89 mm (3.62 in × 3.50 in) and power output of 113 bhp at 4,800 rpm with 140 lb ft of torque at 3,600 rpm.

This truck is a short wheelbase two door finished with Forest Green Metallic paint, a gray cloth interior, a tilt steering wheel, chrome bumpers front and back, an AM/FM stereo, and it has had a recent servicing as well as a full set of Goodyear Wrangler tires.

It’s now being offered for sale accompanied by its original owners manual, original sales brochure, and a clean CarFax report by Mecum in January at their auction in Kissimmee, Florida.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.