By Petrolicious Productions / 05.10.2013
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VW’s known for some spectacular vintage advertising, ads which were instrumental in their success as a viable large-car alternative in America. During this time, the Type 2 was merely an inexpensive workhorse (as illustrated by these print ads and brochure images), designed and developed long before its days as a counter-culture icon, a time when the idea of a 21-window bus fetching nearly six figures was simply inconceivable.

By Petrolicious Productions / 05.10.2013

We’re all pretty much just grown-up kids, our enthusiasm and excitement for shiny, loud, fast things a remnant of the childhood wonderment that many of our less-fortunate adults have sadly lost sight of. After all, how many of us refer to our wheeled pride and joys as “weekend toys”? Of course, the love of actual toy cars is still very strong for many of us as well. In that vein we introduce this week’s Crave-able collector items, vintage Schüco vehicles of varying types.

By Petrolicious Productions / 05.10.2013
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Picture an informal meet-up of vintage car enthusiasts, parked on the street outside a café are old 911s, Lancias, a Maserati or two, a Fiat 131 Mirafiori, lots of American Muscle, Alfas, a Ferrari 308, a Kermit-green 2002, and many, many others. A wide variety of different shapes, sizes, makes, and eras represented and everyone’s smiling and having a good time in anticipation of a great drive with like-minded gearheads. Where do imagine such an idyllic scene taking place?

By Petrolicious Productions / 05.09.2013
12 Comments

Bespoke 1950s and '60s GT cars are some of our favorites. The hand-fashioned detail and high-style design typified by cars of this segment are simply beyond comparison with anything made since. Coachbuilt in France and among the most exclusive cars of its day is the Facel Vega FV. Our other offering is a Maserati 3500 GT, the gorgeous A6’s replacement and Maser’s first attempt at the gran turismo market it later fully embraced. If you had to make a choice, what would it be?

By Alan Franklin / 05.09.2013
6 Comments

The S600 was Honda’s first mass-marketed car, and was heavily based on the previous S500, of which only just under 1,400 were made. Offered as a roadster or a less-common coupe, both were tiny, with dimensions similar to those defined by Kei car regulations, but were not actually of that class. Brimming with imaginative engineering wrought on a miniature scale, the S600 was heavily inspired by Honda’s contemporary work with motorcycles and Formula 1 racecars.

By Petrolicious Productions / 05.09.2013
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You already know we love the Lancia Delta Integrale for all its raw, box-flared aggression and sharp-suited style, and though much of the flying elephant’s history is either common knowledge among petrolista, or at least easily attainable through a quick browse of the internet, a lot of its behind-closed-doors history is much less well-known. Enter the subject of this week’s Crave, a very well-reviewed, informative, and entertaining read titled “The Story of a Champion”.

By Petrolicious Productions / 05.08.2013
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Many of us inherited our enthusiasm for cars from our fathers, a lucky handful may have even been handed down one of dad’s prized old machines as a reward for reaching one of life’s milestones—chances are, though, it wasn’t a Ferrari. Petrolicious friend and frequent commenter Matthew Lange lives and works in southeast England, where he ekes out the occasional fair-weather drive in his beautiful 365 GTB/4, a car with an interesting family history, of which he graciously shared with us below.

By Alan Franklin / 05.08.2013
10 Comments

Lancia was once among the greatest of all Engineering-first automobile manufacturers. Though perhaps most famous for the legendary Dino-engined Stratos and WRC-dominating Delta Integrale, both of those cars are in fact products of a post-1969 Fiat-owned Lancia, and though undoubtedly deserving of their high status, they’re not representative of a pure and undiluted Lancia bloodline. For me, the greatest true Lancia is the lovely, advanced, and utterly unique Fulvia.

By Petrolicious Productions / 05.07.2013
8 Comments

There’s no cooler way to scare yourself silly than behind the wheel of an early 911 Turbo. Big power, big lag, and a big ol’ wing took big talent and even bigger courage to tame—if you’re ready for the challenge, you’d be hard-pressed to find another 930 this clean. A 1979 model with a claimed 27k miles, the seller claims mileage and maintenance records are backed up with extensive documentation. Pictures aren’t abundant or very well composed, but it looks tasty from what we can see.

By Petrolicious Productions / 05.07.2013
3 Comments

Recently we asked, “How friendly is your city to vintage cars?”, and many of you gave thoughtful and interesting replies—thank you. Here we’ve compiled an expanded look at your two numerically scored worst and best cities in which to own and drive a vintage car. We hope you enjoy it as much as we’ve enjoyed reading your replies!