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85-614: The Healey Silverstone is an open, two-seat sports car produced by the Donald Healey Motor Company beginning in 1949. It is named for the Silverstone Circuit racetrack, where it appeared on its second competition outing. The car has a narrow roadster body and cycle wings . Designed as a dual purpose car for both road and track, the Silverstone became popular in club racing. Donald Healey

170-568: A wet linered light alloy cylinder block, but the cost to produce it was prohibitive, and the project was abandoned. This led Healey to look for a source of an engine with greater power potential. The Silverstone was hand-built at Healey's factory in Lower Cape, Warwick , England. 105 were produced, not including prototypes; 51 D-Types and 54 E-Types. Production ended in September 1950. In December 1949 Donald Healey sailed for America aboard

255-590: A 3.0 L (183 cu in) inline six cylinder engine from the Alvis TB 21 fed by two SU carburettors. Built on a G-Type chassis, it is commonly called the Alvis-Healey . The Alvis-Healey also used the clutch and transmission from Alvis, and replaced the Nash-Healey's torque tube rear drive with a rigid Salisbury axle suspended on coil springs and located by trailing links, with the drive reaching

340-462: A bench in E-Type cars, which also added a bonnet scoop on the top of the engine cover, and a larger windscreen. The complete car weighs 18.5 long cwt (2,072 lb; 940 kg). The Silverstone's front suspension is Healey's signature trailing arm system with light alloy arms, designed by Sampietro. The springs are coils , with lever arm dampers . An anti-roll bar is also fitted in

425-399: A controversial choice for a "purist" sports car. The Elan sold poorly and was discontinued after three years. The 1996 Lotus Elise , a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive roadster, was much more successful and remained in production until 2021. Roadsters enjoyed a resurgence in the mid-1990s, including the 1989-present Mazda MX-5 , the 1995-2002 BMW Z3 (succeeded by the 2002-2016 BMW Z4 ),

510-420: A cost of £150 per copy. The Silverstone was the first Healey to use a tubular metal structure to support the body, instead of the timber framework used on earlier cars. The body is mounted on a revision of the original Healey chassis drawn up by Sampietro in 1945. This is a ladder chassis , with central cruciform bracing. The main side members were made of an upper "Top hat" steel rail with a plate added to close

595-409: A definition. Insurance companies have also attempted to use mathematical formulae to categorise sports cars, often charging more for insurance due to the inherent risk of performance driving. There is no fixed distinction between sports cars and other categories of performance cars, such as muscle cars and grand tourers , with some cars being members of several categories. Traditionally,

680-400: A friend of Victor Riley. Other parts of the Silverstone's powertrain are also sourced from Riley Motor's cars. Miles Thomas at Nuffield agreed to supply the parts to Healey. The Healey Silverstone became so popular that several instances of other Warwick Healey cars were rebodied as Silverstone conversions. The Silverstone's roadster body was designed by Len Hodges. Hodges rounded the back of

765-460: A fuel tank that was then sent to a coachbuilder that added the body, interior and upholstery to the customers specific requests. In contrast, unibody or monocoque designs, where panels within the body supported the car on its suspension, were developed by European manufacturers in the late 1920s with Budd USA (which had a number of large factories in Europe) and its technical knowhow. Because of

850-597: A full width bench seat with a cutout in some to clear the shift lever, and in others to denote the drivers location. Instead of the Riley-based powertrain, the Nash-Healey used the same overhead valve inline six engine used in the Nash Ambassador . The engine was backed by a 3-speed manual transmission and a Borg Warner overdrive. The car's torque tube and rear axle were also supplied by Nash. The Nash-Healey went through two generations. The first instance

935-519: A larger engine of 253 cu in (4.1 L). 402 of this second generation Nash-Healey were built. In Britain, Healey sold a model with Hodges' original Nash-Healey bodywork as the Healey Sports Convertible. The Nash grille was replaced by another piece, the power bulge in the bonnet was deleted, and other minor features such as a scuttle vent, fog lamps, and revised wheel plates, were added. Power for this version came from

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1020-539: A moving assembly line. The use of steel ladder and X frame chassis allowed numerous vehicles to share a chassis and drivetrain while making changes to bodywork and interiors relatively easy, thus keeping costs down and minimizing design time. Over time the technology for unibody construction became economically feasible, assisted in recent decades by computer-aided design . in addition, modern creature comforts, luxury and power-assisted features, and extensive safety reinforcement of vehicles have all added substantial weight,

1105-495: A new world one hour speed record at Montlhéry , France in 1952. Sports car A sports car is a type of car that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling , acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1910s and are currently produced by many manufacturers around the world. Definitions of sports cars often relate to how

1190-399: A pressed-steel chassis, a gated 4-speed transmission, pushrod-actuated overhead inlet valves , a honeycomb radiator, low-tension magneto ignition , a long wheelbase, a low center of mass and a very effective suspension system. The overall result was a "safe and well-balanced machine" with a higher performance than any other contemporary production car. At the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup ,

1275-427: A production Simplex 60 hp was entered only due to a specially-built 90 hp racing car being destroyed in a fire; the 60 hp famously went on to win the race. The 1910 Austro-Daimler 27/80 is another early sports car which had success in motor racing. The 27/80 was designed by Ferdinand Porsche , who drove the car to victory in the 1910 Prince Henry Tour motor race. The Vauxhall and Austro-Daimler —like

1360-406: A total displacement of 2,443 cc (149.1 cu in). The Silverstone received a manifold of Healey's own design and two SU H4 carburettors, raising power output from the original 90 hp (67 kW) to 104 hp (78 kW). The engine is mated to a four speed Riley manual transmission . In the Silverstone the engine is mounted 8 in (20 cm) further back in the chassis than it

1445-452: Is an iconic sports car of the early 1960s, due to its attractive styling and claimed top speed of 241 km/h (150 mph). The E-type was produced for 14 years and was initially powered by a six-cylinder engine, followed by a V12 engine for the final generation. In 1962, the MG B introduced a new era of affordable lightweight four-cylinder roadsters. The MG B used a unibody construction and

1530-549: Is fitted with an enveloping ponton body designed by Hodges and produced by Panelcraft Sheet Metal of Birmingham, England, trimmed with a Nash grille. The engine in this model displaced 235 cu in (3.9 L). 104 of these cars were built. Nash then asked Italian carrozzeria Pinin Farina to restyle the car, which resulted in the Nash-Healey Farina Coupe and Roadster of 1952. In 1953 this car received

1615-406: Is notable for using a three-seat layout, where the front row consists of a centrally-located driver's seat. The location of the engine and driven wheels significantly influence the handling characteristics of a car and are therefore crucial in the design of a sports car. Traditionally, most sports cars have used rear-wheel drive with the engine either located at the front ( FR layout ) or in

1700-520: The Audi RS 2 Avant . Ford Europe withdrew from the sports car market at the end of 1986 when the Capri was discontinued after a production run of nearly two decades. There was no direct successor, as Ford was concentrating on higher-performance versions of its hatchback and saloon models at the time. In 1989, a new generation of Lotus Elan roadster was released which used a front-wheel drive layout,

1785-541: The BMW 303 , Citroën Traction Avant and Fiat 508 — offered similar handling and comfort to the more expensive sports cars. Powerful, reliable, and economical (although softly suspended) American saloons began to be imported to Europe in significant numbers. Sports car ownership was increased through models such as the Austin 7 and Wolseley Hornet six , however many of these sports cars did not offer any performance upgrades over

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1870-623: The Bentley Speed Six (1928-1930), with the former famously described by Bugatti's founder as "the fastest lorry in the world". Between the Great Depression and the World War II the pre-war era was a period of decline in importance for sports car manufacturers, although the period was not devoid of advances, for example streamlining . Cheap, light-weight family sedans with independent front suspension— such as

1955-563: The Budd Company and the Dodge Brothers . All-metal bodies became common in the 1920s, except for Europe, which followed almost a decade later. Europe's custom-made or "coachbuilt" cars usually contained some wood framing or used aluminium alloy castings. Towards the beginning of international automobile assembly and construction, most manufacturers created rolling chassis consisting of a powertrain, suspension, steering column and

2040-520: The Jensen FF became the first sports car to use all-wheel drive . The Ford Capri is a 2+2 coupe that was produced from 1968 to 1986 and intended to be a smaller European equivalent of the Ford Mustang. A main rival to the Capri was Opel Manta , which was produced from 1970 to 1988. The 1973-1978 Lancia Stratos was a mid-engined two-seat coupe that was powered by a Ferrari V6 engine. This

2125-550: The RMS ; Queen Elizabeth , hoping to persuade General Motors to provide him with a supply of Cadillac's new 331 cu in (5.4 L) V8 engine . On the trip he happened to meet George W. Mason , president of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. Hearing of Healey's plan, and anticipating GM's reply, Mason told Healey to contact him if the negotiations were unsuccessful. When GM declined to supply

2210-462: The Riley 12/4 of 1935, to 1926 and the Riley 9 . Among those features were twin camshafts mounted high in the engine block, one on either side, driving overhead valves through short pushrods and rocker arms, with two valves per cylinder at a 90° included angle in hemispherical combustion chambers. Bore and stroke for the "Big Four" are 80.5 mm × 120 mm (3.2 in × 4.7 in), for

2295-483: The purchase tax rate on automobiles costing over £1000 (£45,930 in 2023 pounds), raising it from 33.33% to 66.66%. Healey realised this created a market for a modestly priced high performance car. The result was the Healey Silverstone, which was initially priced at £975. The Silverstone was not the first car to target this market. In 1947 a sportscar, built on a Healey chassis and with the same powertrain,

2380-403: The 1905 Isotta Fraschini Tipo D, the 1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost , the 1908 Delage , the 1910 Bugatti Type 13 , and the 1912 DFP 12/15 . Early motor racing events included the 1903 Paris–Madrid race , the 1905-1907 Herkomer Trophy, the 1908-1911 Prince Henry Tour and the 1911–present Monte Carlo Rally . The Prince Henry Tours (which were similar to modern car rallies) were among

2465-426: The 1920s. The term initially described two-seat roadsters (cars without a fixed roof), however, since the 1970s the term has also been used for cars with a fixed roof (which were previously considered grand tourers ). Attributing the definition of 'sports car' to any particular model can be controversial or the subject of debate among enthusiasts. Authors and experts have often contributed their ideas to capture

2550-495: The 1921 Coppa Florio . Another approach— such as that used by Morris Garages— was to convert touring cars into sports cars. The first 24 Hours of Le Mans race for sports cars was held in 1923, although the two-seat sports cars only competed in the smallest class, with the majority of cars entered being four-seat fast touring cars. "This race, together with the Tourist Trophy Series of Races , organised after

2635-404: The 1948 Ferrari 166 S . A new concept altogether was the modern Gran Turismo class from Italy, which was in effect unknown before the war: sustained high-speed motoring from relatively modest engine size and compact closed or berlinetta coachwork. The 1947 Maserati A6 1500 two-seat berlinetta was the first production model from Maserati. In Germany, the motor industry was devastated by

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2720-540: The 1949 Veritas Scorpion, but may be best known as the designer of the Spacelander bicycle . A.C. Sampietro, known as 'Sammy', was an engineer who had worked for Alfa Romeo and Maserati in his native Italy and then with Thomson & Taylor and Talbot before applying his skills as a chassis designer to Healey's project. Sampietro went on to design a new cylinder head for the Nash inline six engine, and later emigrated to

2805-499: The 1980 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft and Giro d'Italia automobilistico marathon. The Montecarlo was a basis for the silhouette racing car , Lancia Rally 037 . In the 1970s, turbocharging began to be adopted by sports cars, such as the BMW 2002 Turbo in 1973, the first Porsche 911 Turbo in 1975, and the Saab 99 Turbo in 1978. Turbocharging became increasingly popular in the 1980s, from relatively affordable coupes such as

2890-452: The 1980–1986 Renault Fuego and 1992–1996 Rover 220 Coupé Turbo , to expensive supercars such as the 1984-1987 Ferrari 288 GTO and 1987-1992 Ferrari F40 . In the late 1980s and early 1990s, several manufacturers developed supercars that competed for production car top speed records . These cars included the 1986–1993 Porsche 959 , 1991–1995 Bugatti EB 110 , 1992–1994 Jaguar XJ220 and 1993–998 McLaren F1 . The 1980-1995 Audi Quattro

2975-506: The 1990s, all-wheel drive has become more common in sports cars. All-wheel drive offers better acceleration and favorable handling characteristics (especially in slippery conditions), but is often heavier and more mechanically complex than traditional layouts. Examples of all-wheel drive sports cars are the Lamborghini Huracan , Bugatti Veyron , and Nissan GT-R . Rear engine layouts are not typical for sports cars, with

3060-407: The 1995-2002 MG F , the 1996–present Porsche Boxster and the 1998–present Audi TT . Body-on-frame In the late 19th century, the frames, like those of the carriages they replaced, might be made of wood (commonly ash ), reinforced by steel flitch plates , but in the early 20th century, steel ladder frames or chassis rapidly became standard. Mass production of all-metal bodies began with

3145-468: The Mercedes Simplex 60 hp— were production fast touring cars. The 1912 Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII is also considered one of the earliest sports cars, as it was a "purpose built, high performance, two-seater production automobile". The model was named after King Alfonso XIII of Spain , a patron of the car's chief designer and an enthusiast for the marque. Other early sports cars include

3230-573: The Red Bug. The car that served as the official Silverstone prototype was designated X 2 , registered as JAC 100. It is at times incorrectly described as later receiving the designation "D 1" as the first production Silverstone. Victor Leverett of Triumph suggested to Healey that he use the Riley engine in his new car. Healey had a long history with Riley going back to 1924. He had owned Rileys, prepped cars for their racing team, and become

3315-420: The Riley "Big Four" four cylinder with a six-cylinder Jaguar XK engine . The original Riley four-speed gearbox was replaced by one from Moss Gear, and the live rear axle by a De Dion axle . D48 was purchased by Guy Griffiths in September 1964, who began a program of development to make the car competitive in hill climbs . This engine swap is described as a not uncommon upgrade to Silverstones. The Healey X 5

3400-607: The Triumph factory designing aero engine carburettors. He later moved to Humber Limited , where he worked on their military vehicles. During the war years Healey began planning a high performance car, envisioned as a revival of the Triumph, for the post-war market. His conception of this future car was influenced by discussions with two people he met at Humber. Benjamin Bowden was an engineer and artist who specialised in body design. Bowden spent time at Farina , and did designs such as

3485-675: The United States continued to use separate bodies on "conventional" frames. Body-on-frame remains the preferred construction method for heavy-duty commercial vehicles (especially those intended to carry or pull heavy loads, such as trucks and some sport utility vehicles (SUVs)) but as production volumes rise, increasing numbers of SUVs and crossover SUVs are switching to unibody frames. Mass-market manufacturers Ford , General Motors , and Chrysler are abandoning true body-on-frame SUVs, opting, when sales volume permits, for more efficient unibody construction. Toyota currently manufactures

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3570-711: The United States, where he was hired by Willys , and for whom he designed the single overhead camshaft six cylinder Jeep Tornado engine . After the war, while still working at Humber, Healey, Bowden and Sampietro began planning to put their new sports car into production. They formed the Donald Healey Motor Company in February 1946 in Warwick , England. The original principals were later joined by James Watt, with whom Healey had worked at Triumph, and later still by Healey's son Geoff . Sampietro designed

3655-515: The ability to offset this with unibody construction has proven advantageous. A handful of small passenger vehicles switched to unibody construction by the end of the 1930s. The trend had started with cars like the Citroën Traction Avant (1934) and Opel Olympia (a General Motors design) introduced in 1935, and the short-lived, aborted Chrysler Airflow . Trucks , bus manufacturers , and large low-volume cars or those made in

3740-599: The bottom. The chassis was shortened for use in the Silverstone by removing the rear extensions, but the car has the same wheelbase as the Westland and Abbott Healeys. The Silverstone used two different versions of the Healey chassis: the original 1949 D-Type, and the later E-Type. The E-Type chassis, released in April 1950, was wider and therefore more comfortable than the earlier D-Type. The D-Type's bucket seats were replaced by

3825-438: The car and pulled it out slightly from the sides, and cut a slot out of the rear to house the spare wheel and tyre, which protrudes from the rear of the car and acts as a bumper. The car's windscreen can be partially retracted into the scuttle. On most examples the headlamps are mounted behind the grille to improve aerodynamics. The body was produced in light alloy for Healey by Abbey Panel and Sheet Metal Co., Ltd. of Coventry, at

3910-479: The car appeared during the next year or two, all conforming to the same basic design and earning for themselves a reputation second to none for fast and reliable travel. The 60-h.p. cars were announced late in 1902. The cars were possessed of a very real performance superior to anything else which could be bought at the time... and the model achieved an almost invincible position among the fast cars of its day. The Sports Car: Development and Design The basis for

3995-405: The car design is optimised for dynamic performance, without any specific minimum requirements; both a Triumph Spitfire and Ferrari 488 Pista can be considered sports cars, despite vastly different levels of performance. Broader definitions of sports cars include cars "in which performance takes precedence over carrying capacity", or that emphasise the "thrill of driving" or are marketed "using

4080-610: The car won its class and came second overall. Three Silverstones driven by Louis Chiron , Tony Rolt and Tommy Wisdom took part in the British Racing Drivers' Club international trophy meeting at the Silverstone circuit. The team won the Daily Express team award." In 1951, Peter Riley and Bill Lamb piloted a Silverstone to a class win in the Liège–Rome–Liège rally. Tommy Wisdom drove a Silverstone to

4165-585: The chassis that became the basis for the company's subsequent cars, collectively called the Warwick Healeys. The company's earlier cars used a curvaceous design by Bowden, with open top cars' bodywork made by Westland, and saloon models' by Elliot. These were followed by a somewhat awkward looking model called the Sportmobile built on a revised B-Type chassis. In 1948 the British government doubled

4250-411: The development of performance cars such as the 1910 Vauxhall Prince Henry , 1910 Sunbeam 12/16 , 1910 Talbot 25 hp , 1910 Straker-Squire 15 hp and 1913 Star 15.9 hp . Following the halt in sports car production caused by World War I , Europe returned to manufacturing automobiles from around 1920. It was around this time that the term 'Sports Car' began to appear in the motor catalogues, although

4335-400: The early 1920s, the cost to produce a racing car was not significantly higher than a road car, therefore several manufacturers used the design from the current year's racing car for the next year's sports car. For example, the 1921 Ballot 2LS based on the racing car that finished third at the 1921 French Grand Prix. The Benz 28/95PS was also a successful racing car, with victories including

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4420-561: The end of its racing career the Cadillac V8 was removed from D15 and returned to GM. An Oldsmobile engine was installed in its place, and the car was sold. Healey received one of two Cadillac V8 engine loaned out by GM, the other going to Briggs Cunningham in the US for installation in chassis D15. Chief Engineer Roger Menadue used the engine sent to Britain to build Healey's own Cadillac-powered Silverstone, designated X 4 . The Cadillac V8

4505-463: The exact origin of the name is not known. The decade that followed became known as the vintage era and featured rapid technical advances over the preceding Brass Era cars . Engine performance benefited from the abandonment of " tax horsepower " (where vehicles were taxed based on bore and number of cylinders, rather than actual power output) and the introduction of leaded fuel , which increased power by allowing for higher compression ratios . In

4590-531: The excitement of speed and the glamour of the (race)track" However, other people have more specific definitions, such as "must be a two-seater or a 2+2 seater" or a car with two seats only. In the United Kingdom, early recorded usage of the "sports car" was in The Times newspaper in 1919. The first known use of the term in the United States was in 1928. Sports cars started to become popular during

4675-472: The first supercars . Other significant European models of the 1960s and 1970s which might be considered supercars today are the Ferrari 250 GTO (1962-1964), Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (1963-1964), Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (1966-1968), Maserati Ghibli (1967-1973), Ferrari Daytona (1968-1973), Dino 246 (1969-1974), De Tomaso Pantera (1971-1993), Ferrari 308 GTB (1975-1980) and BMW M1 (1978-1981). In 1966,

4760-528: The first World War by the R.A.C. , appealed to the public imagination and offered to the manufacturers of the more sporting cars an excellent opportunity for boosting sales of their products." The classic Italian road races— the Targa Florio , and the Mille Miglia (first held in 1927)— also captured the public's imagination. By 1925, the higher profits available for four-seater cars resulted in

4845-409: The front. The rear suspension uses more Riley parts, including a torque tube driveline and live axle . The axle is located by radius rods and a Panhard rod , and suspended on coil springs and Woodhead-Monroe telescopic dampers . The engine in the Silverstone is the Riley "Big Four" inline four cylinder engine. Introduced in 1937, it shared design elements with Riley engines going back through

4930-442: The high cost of designing and developing these structures and the high cost of specialised machinery to make the large pressings required by this style of construction it is not used by low-volume manufacturers, who might construct an equivalent by welding steel tube to form a suitable space frame. The Ford Model T carried the tradition of body-on-frame over from horse-drawn buggies, helping to facilitate high volume manufacturing on

5015-465: The hoped-for engine, Healey contacted Mason, and work began on development of the Nash-Healey sportscar. The car is built on a further evolution of the Healey chassis, called the N-Type. It is described by some as a modified Silverstone chassis, but with the original cruciform bracing deleted and the chassis reinforced by strengthening the side members. The cars are capable of seating three abreast, having

5100-573: The late 1920s were AC Cars , Alfa Romeo , Alvis , Amilcar , Bignan and Samson, Chenard-Walcker , Delage , Hispano-Suiza , Hotchkiss , Mercedes-Benz and Nazzaro . Two cars from the Vintage Era that would influence sports cars for many years were the Austin Seven and MG M-type "Midget". Successful sports cars from Bentley during this era were the Bentley 3 Litre (1921-1929) and

5185-518: The mass-produced cars upon which they were based. The highest selling sports car company of the 1930s was Morris Garages , who produced 'MG Midget' models of the M-Type , J-Type , P-Type and T-Type . The K3 version of the K-Type Magnette was a successful racing car, achieving success in the Mille Miglia , Tourist Trophy and 24 Hours of Le Mans . The Bugatti Type 57 (1934-1940)

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5270-537: The middle of the vehicle ( MR layout ). Examples of FR layout sports cars include the Caterham 7 , Mazda MX-5 , and the Dodge Viper . Examples of MR layout sports cars are the Ferrari 488 , Ford GT , and Toyota MR2 . To avoid a front-heavy weight distribution , many FR layout sports cars are designed so that the engine is located further back in the engine bay, as close to the firewall as possible. Since

5355-544: The most common layout for sports cars was a roadster (a two-seat car without a fixed roof). However, there are also several examples of early sports cars with four seats. Sports cars are not usually intended to transport more than two adult occupants regularly, so most modern sports cars are generally two-seat or 2+2 layout (two smaller rear seats for children or occasional adult use). Larger cars with more spacious rear-seat accommodation are usually considered sports sedans rather than sports cars. The 1993-1998 McLaren F1

5440-809: The notable exception of the Porsche 911 . The front-wheel drive layout with the engine at the front ( FF layout ) is generally the most common for cars, but it is not as common among traditional sports cars. Nonetheless, the FF layout is used by sport compacts and hot hatches such as the Mazdaspeed3 . Sports cars with an FF layout include the Fiat Barchetta , Saab Sonett , or Opel Tigra . The ancestor of all high-performance cars had its origin in Germany. The 28-h.p. Cannstatt-Daimler racing car of 1899

5525-473: The other going to Healey in Britain. The car debuted at Palm Beach on 3 January 1950. Driven by Cunningham, it finished second. On 23 September the same year, it was driven by Cunningham again at Watkins Glen, and finished second. The Cunningham Special also appeared at the 6 Hours of Sebring on 31 December 1950. Co-driven by Phil Walters and Bill Frick , it finished twelfth overall and third in class. At

5610-456: The philosophy of achieving performance through minimizing weight and has been rated as one of the top 10 sports cars of the 1960s. The Elan featured fibreglass bodies, a backbone chassis, and overhead camshaft engines. A different style of roadster was the AC Cobra , released in 1962, which was fitted with V8 engines up to 7.0 L (427 cu in) in size by Shelby . The Porsche 911

5695-423: The production of two-seat sports cars being limited to smaller manufacturers such as Aston-Martin (350 Astons built from 1921 to 1939) and Frazer-Nash (323 cars built from 1924 to 1939). Then by the late 1920s, the cost of producing racing cars (especially Grand Prix cars) escalated, causing more manufacturers to produce cars for the growing sports car market instead. Significant manufacturers of sports cars in

5780-560: The prototype Healey X 1 , nicknamed the Red Bug and later called the Dryden Special . Built on a Healey chassis, X 1 was a narrow roadster with cycle wings. Power came originally from a 2.4 L Riley four cylinder engine, but the displacement was said to have been reduced to 2.0 L at some point. Some reports also mention the car as having a Ford flathead V8 engine for a time. The Silverstone drew inspiration from

5865-419: The rear axle via an open Hardy-Spicer driveshaft. Approximately twenty-five examples were built. In 1949 American sportsman Briggs Cunningham brought two Silverstones to the United States; chassis D9 and D15, the latter of which was bought engineless from the factory. In 1950, Cunningham began racing D15, after having installed one of Cadillac's new V8s. The engine was apparently one of two on loan from GM,

5950-558: The sporting events of the period, bringing renown to successful entrants. The Prince Henry Tours started the evolution of reasonably large and technically advanced production sports cars. In England, the development of sporting cars was inhibited by the Motor Car Act 1903 , which imposed a speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h) on all public roads. This led to the 1907 opening of the Brooklands motor circuit , which inspired

6035-408: The sports car is traced to the early 20th century touring cars and roadsters , and the term 'sports car' would not be coined until after World War One. A car considered to be "a sports-car years ahead of its time" is the 1903 Mercedes Simplex 60 hp , described at the time as a fast touring car and designed by Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler . The Mercedes included pioneering features such as

6120-476: The sports car, but also the most important and diverse technical developments [and] very rapid and genuine improvement in the qualities of every modern production car; assisted by new design and manufacturing techniques a consistently higher level of handling properties has been achieved." In Italy, a small but wealthy market segment allowed for the manufacture of a limited number of high-performance models directly allied to contemporary Grand Prix machines, such as

6205-478: The war, but a small number of manufacturers returned it to prominence. In 1948, the Porsche 356 was released as the debut model from Porsche. The significance of the Porsche 356 and its successors was described in 1957 as "future historians must see them as among the most important of mid-century production cars". The 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL is another significant car from this era. The 1961 Jaguar E-Type

6290-505: Was a British aircraft and automobile engineer who became a rally driver, piloting a variety of marques starting with a Buick in 1921 and proceeding through Triumph and Invicta, to Riley Motor in 1933. In 1934 he became Technical Director for the Triumph Motor Company , responsible for the design of all Triumph cars until 1939, when the company was liquidated. During the early part of World War II (WWII) Healey remained at

6375-415: Was a pioneering all-wheel drive sports car. The 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo (993) saw the 911 Turbo model switch to all-wheel drive, a drivetrain layout that the model uses to this day. The BMW M3 was released in 1986 and has been produced for every generation since. The 1993-1996 Mercedes-Benz W124 E36 AMG was the mass-produced AMG model. Audi's equivalent division, called "RS", was launched in 1994 with

6460-684: Was an unusual arrangement for a car used to compete in rallying, nonetheless it was very successful and won the World Rally Championship in 1974 , 1975 , and 1976 . The Lancia Montecarlo was produced from 1975 to 1981 and is a mid-engine two-seater, available as a coupé or a targa-top. It was sold as Lancia Scorpion in the USA. Its racing variant, Montecarlo Turbo, won the 1979 World Championship for Makes in its division and overall for 1980 World Championship for Makes and 1981 World Endurance Championship for Makes . Montecarlo also won

6545-627: Was another significant sports car of the pre-war era and is now among the most valuable cars in the world. The T57 was successful in sports car races, including winning the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans . Another successful Bugatti sports car was the Bugatti Type 55 (1932-1935), which was based on the Type 51 Grand Prix racing car. The decade following the Second World War saw an "immense growth of interest in

6630-424: Was in the earlier Healeys. Promotional material from Healey indicated that the company offered a Wade Ventor supercharger as a factory installed option. To make room for the supercharger protruding from the front of the engine, the headlamps on these cars were moved to outside of the body. In another search for more power for the Silverstone, Sampietro did a preliminary design for a narrow-angle V8 engine with

6715-555: Was launched by coachbuilder Duncan Industries . Called the Healey Duncan Drone, and nicknamed the Spiv , this car had an extremely simple roadster body with minimal equipment. The Drone sold for under £1000, and the buyer could drive it as delivered, or have the chassis rebodied after purchase in a more elaborate style. Healey themselves had earlier built a similar car. This project was headed by Geoff Healey and resulted in

6800-534: Was mated to a powertrain consisting of a new transmission and rear axle from Ford. Development of this hybrid stopped when GM declined to supply engines to Healey. The Cadillac engine was removed and returned to GM. X 4 then received a Nash inline six cylinder engine, and was later renamed X 5 . Healey Silverstone chassis D48 was originally sold to Harry Mark Walker of Leicester, then passed through owners D.S. Boston and W.E.J. Allen before being bought by Alan J. Hancock in September 1959. Hancock undertook to replace

6885-694: Was produced until 1980. Other successful lightweight roadsters include the Triumph Spitfire (1962-1980) and the Alfa Romeo Spider (1966-1993). The Fiat X1/9 (1972-1989) was unusual for its use of a mid-engine design in an affordable roadster model. A late entrant to the affordable roadster market was the 1975 Triumph TR7 , however by the late 1970s the demand for this style of car was in decline, resulting in production ceasing in 1982. The original Lotus Elan (1962-1975) two-seat coupe and roadster models are an early commercial success for

6970-675: Was released in 1964 and has remained in production since. The 911 is notable for its use of the uncommon rear-engine design and the use of a flat-six engine . Another successful rear-engine sports car was the original Alpine A110 (1961-1977), which was a successful rally car during the Group 4 era. In 1965, the BMW New Class Coupes were released, leading to the BMW 6 Series which remains in production to this day. The Lamborghini Miura (1966) and Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale (1967) mid-engined high-performance cars are often cited as

7055-481: Was the prototype for the upcoming Nash-Healey, and was the result of the earlier X 4 having had its Cadillac V8 engine replaced by a Nash inline six cylinder engine. It is described as a Healey Silverstone chassis, adapted for the new drivetrain. The car was entered in the 1950 Mille Miglia , with drivers Donald and Geoff Healey. With a new exhaust manifold and the head shaved to raise compression, it finished ninth in class and one-hundred seventy-seventh overall. It

7140-446: Was then raced in the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans . As cars with cycle fenders had been banned from competing at Le Mans, the original Silverstone items were removed, and two full-length side pieces were added that gave the appearance of a full-width body. Driven by Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt, the car finished in fourth place overall. The Silverstone's debut race was the 1949 Coupe des Alpes . Driven by Donald Healey and Ian Appleyard ,

7225-417: Was without a doubt the first attempt to give real performance to a road car. Many of its features, such as a honeycomb radiator and gate gear change, were continued on the much improved version which Paul Daimler designed in 1899-1900. This was of course the famous Mercedes. It also laid down standards of chassis design which were to be followed, almost unthinkingly, for the next thirty years. Several variants of

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