Que SEra SeRA Well, it's always interesting to talk about the sports cars is featured with the butterfly door types. It's complicated but that's the automaker prerogative to pin such a spectacular door on its car model. Usually, these butterfly doors are exclusive attached on the premium sports cars but there is one car is said to be some kind of out of the box against those standards, namely the Toyota Sera.
Toyota Sera is the C-class four-seater fastback featured with the unique butterfly doors style and only sold for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM). (Picture from: Drive2)
In fact, the Toyota Sera is not a car that belongs to the premium car category, and you could say the car can be purchased at an affordable price by everyone, but unfortunately few of us know about it in detail because actually the car is only sold in Japan (Japanese domestic market/JDM) as the C-class model.
Toyota Sera is powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder front-mounted engine coupled with the 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission and capable to burst the power of 104 hp and 130 Nm of torque. (Picture from: OutstandingCars)
There are many interesting things that we can discuss from this Toyota compact car, for example from the name alone it is interesting to discuss. At first glance, Toyota wants to use the vocabulary of the Italian, namely Sera, which means 'evening at sunset.' However, we certainly doubt that the Toyota Sera is correlated with the Italian vocabulary. Obviously not suitable.
Beside its butterfly doors style, the Toyota Sera also has futuristic styling in the form of a glass roof and a cool tailgate. (Picture from: OutstandingCars)
If so, it means that we have to find out which language matches to the meaning of the 'Sera' word. Then, it was found in French, that Sera means 'will be.' Or also the Será of the Spanish which also means 'will be.' Wow, this reminds us of the 1950s Doris Day's song titled Que Será, Será. This seems appropriate to describe a positive determination in the future. Is this what Toyota meant to describe the meaning of its Sera car model? Who knows?
A wide angle shot of the interior of the Toyota Sera, showing the aircraft cockpit-like view. (Picture from: Flickr)
To be sure, the Toyota Sera had become one of Toyota's icons that came from the era of the 1990s. This car model was released in 1990, as the 2 + 2 fastback, with three doors featured with butterfly door-style as the passangers access to its cabin accompanied by futuristic styling in the form of a glass roof and a cool tailgate.
Toyota Sera's butterfly-style door uses hinges, both at the base of the pillars
and on the roof, which requires only 43 centimeters of space to open. (Picture from: OutstandingCars)
Meanwhile, the Sera's butterfly-style door uses hinges, both at the base of the pillars and on the roof, which requires only 43 centimeters of space to open. A solution that was later adopted the legendary British automotive designer, Gordon Murray as a model for his McLaren F1 project in the 1992.
The Toyota AXV-II Concept is the forerunner of the Toyota Sera which debuted in 1988. (Picture from: ToyotaAutomobileMuseum)
Before being produced, the Toyota Sera had appeared as a concept car called the Toyota AXV-II in 1988 which in general was very identical to the production version. And mechanically, the Toyota Sera is a vehicle with an FF configuration (front engine, front wheel drive) similar to the Toyota Tercel and Toyota Paseo. And for the suspension, the Sera used the independent suspensions at front and rears. While the brakes, the car has ventilated disc brakes on the front wheels and drum brakes at the rear.
Furthermore the Toyota Sera is powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine coupled with the 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission and capable to burst the power of 104 hp and 130 Nm of torque. The Sera weight is also fairly light, which is only 890 kg which is achieved thanks to sophisticated lightweight body construction techniques. The Toyota Sera is also one of the first cars had applied with projection headlights.
Indeed, initially Toyota really hopes to market the Sera in large numbers. Unfortunately, the Japanese economy was experiencing a heavily depression at that time which forced the Jap automotive giant to stop production of the Sera in 1995, with a total production of 15,941 units (consisted of 3 variants) in the period 1990-1995. It is only natural that the Toyota Sera is now being one of the most sought after and hunted cars by the JDM's car collectors. Are you one of those looking for this car? *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ID.MOTOR1 ]
Unique ONES As we all know, in the 1960s the world's automotive was rife with the European-styling sports car is powered by an American engine. This was driven by the success of De Tomaso who managed to gain popularity at that time through its Pantera sports car, which was then followed by sports cars such as the Cobra, TVR, up to Jensen Interceptor.
The Intermeccanica Italia (in pictured Coupe-style) is a two-seater sports-style car produced by Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica from 1962 to 1972. (Picture from: Intermeccanica.org)
It seems that Intermeccanica also intends to participate in tasting similar success by launching the sports car named Intermeccanica Italia. Initially the Turin-based manufacturer named it 'Torino,' but later changed to 'Italia' because previously the name of 'Torino' had been patented by the American automotive giant Ford Motor Company for one of its production models.
The Intermeccanica Italia (in pictured Coupe-style) sports car combines the dynamic bending lines of a typical Italian
sports car style, with the high-performance of the Ford V8 engine. (Picture from: Flickr)
The Intermeccanica Italia is a two-seater sports-style car produced from 1962 to the early 1970s (exactly the 1972), with a total of about 425 units ever built in coupe and spyder models. If you look closely, the Italia sports car combines the dynamic bending lines of a typical Italian sports car style, with the high-performance of the Ford V8 engine (in this case the 289 cubic-inch small block Ford engine).
The Intermeccanica Italia (in pictured Spyder-style) is a sports car that is able to make an extraordinary achievement for
the 1960s, due to it is able to reach a top speed of 150 mph or 241 kph. (Picture from: Wikipedia)
Like most car development projects combining American engines with European styling, the Italia sports car was originally born out of the ambition of a rich man who ran out of money before he could see the car into real, later the project taken over by Frank Reisner through his Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica whose went on to build and bring it to market.
The Intermeccanica Italia (in pictured Spyder-style) is produced with a total of about 425 units ever built in coupe and spyder models during its production periods. (Picture from: MyCarQuest)
Although it did not achieve great success in the automotive global market, but this Intermeccanica Italia is a sports car that is able to make an extraordinary achievement for the 1960s, due to it is able to reach a top speed of 150 mph or 241 kph. Well, it's rare if the 1960s sports car able to run up to the such numbers of top speed.
During 1969 to 1970, Intermeccanica Italia sports cars started to sell in Europe, especially in Germany through the newly appointed distributor, Erich Bitter. And the first Intermeccanica Italia sports were shipped to the US for sale in 1968, and by March of the same year the Italian company had sold more than 40 units of this car in the United States.
The one-off Intermeccanica Italia IMX is modified model with a few features added, such as a rear movable airfoil. (Picture from: Carstyling.ru)
Besides being built in the Coupe and Spyder styles, it turned out that in 1969 the Intermeccanica manufacturer had also realized the one-off Italia sports car model that had been modified and was named Intermeccanica Italia IMX, with a few features added, such as a rear movable airfoil and is debuted at the 1969 Turin Auto Show. The Italia IMX never went into production.
The succesor of Italia sports car named Intermeccanica Indra (in Spyder and Coupe style) while on display at the Geneva Motor Show 1971. (Picture from: Intermeccanica.com)
After being commissioned by Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors, Intermeccanica started a very interesting new project called Indra, which was then mass-produced by the Turin-based automotive manufacturer to replace the Intermeccanica Italia models. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | INTERMECCANICA | CLASSICVIRUS | GATSBY | CARSTYLING.RU | MYCARQUEST | WIKIPEDIA ]
ONE-OFF For those of you who have the opportunity to visit the automotive museum of the famous German car manufacturer Porsche in Stuttgart, you may have seen this unique sports car. There is only one that has ever been made by Porsche.
The 996-generation Porsche 911 is the only-one 911 model produced by Porsche with an original bullet-proof body. (Picture from: AutoEvolution)
The car mentioned above is the Porsche 996 (the Porsche's internal designation for its 911 model produced from 1997 to 2006 ). It might be this is one of the least interested Porsche products. Maybe because the appearance of the "eye egg" headlights that look strange, had a kind of reliability problems, or because of the application of a different type of water cooled engine from its predecessor.
The 996-generation Porsche 911is capable of withstanding the burst of the NATO's 9 mm caliber bullets
from pistols and SMGs and bullets from 44 Magnum revolvers. (Picture from: AutoEvolution)
But whatever the reason, the 996-generation Porsche 911 is ready to surprise everyone. Today, one-of-the-kind-car has become one of the rare collections of the Porsche Museum, because the 996-generation Porsche 911 is the only Porsche 911 produced by Porsche with an original bullet-proof body, which is not the result of third-party modifications.
The 996-generation Porsche 911 ia installed a layer of 20mm thick bullet-proof glass materials named Dyneema. (Picture from: Total 911)
The bullet-proof bodied Porsche 911 started as a special project to fulfill a customer's special order for the Stuttgart-based automaker to build the bullet-proof bodied Porsche 911 in the mid-1990s. Answering the request, then Porsche built the mentioned car in question by using an early version of the Porsche 996 Carrera in Dragonfly Turquoise Metallic color which was taken directly from the production line as a donor car.
This is because as a composite material, Dyneema is able to absorb
bullet energy of 15 times stronger than bullet-proof steel of the same
weight. (Picture from: CarBuzz)
Then, the Porsche's engineering team installed a layer of 20mm thick bullet-proof materials that was made specifically for the 996-generation Porsche 911. The German automaker chose the Dyneema as a bullet-proof coating. This is because as a composite material, Dyneema is able to absorb bullet energy of 15 times stronger than bullet-proof steel of the same weight.
The 996-generation Porsche 911 is powered by a 3.4-liter six-cylinder boxer engine capable of pumping power up to 296 hp and 350 Nm of torque. (Picture from: AutoEvolution)
Uniquely, the interior of this car is then made exactly the same as the standard production car except the sunroof is removed. As a result, a package of cabin options remains available such as a high-end audio system, electric heated seats and cruise control. The exterior appearance of the bullet-resistant Porsche 911 996 Carrera also looks the same as the standard version of the normal Porsche 911 996 Carrera. So it's almost hard to differ if the body panels are bullet-proof panels.
The 996-generation Porsche 911 bulletproof model look the same as the standard version of the normal Porsche 911 996 Carrera. (Picture from: Total 911)
From the results of tests carried out by Porsche, it has been proven that the 996-generation Porsche 911 is capable of withstanding the burst of the NATO's 9 mm caliber bullets from pistols and SMGs and bullets from 44 Magnum revolvers. As a consequence of using decay-resistant body panels, the car becomes heavier. Well, when compared to the normal 996 Carrera which weighs around 1,317 kg, this bullet-resistant version weighs 2,722 kg.
Meanwhile for the drivetrain, the bullet-proof bodied Porsche 911 still uses its original engine, ie a 3.4-liter six-cylinder boxer engine capable of pumping power up to 296 hp and 350 Nm of torque. Unfortunately, this particular project had to end with only one car ever being made as there was no longer any demand from the consumers. This may be due to the high cost of production.😥 *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | MOTOR1 | THE DRIVE | AUTOEVOLUTION | TOTAL 911 | CARBUZZ ]
ONE-OFF When we talk about the 2000s iconic SUV, nothing is more phenomenal than the Hummer H1 and H2 SUT (the civilian version of the Humvee). The story of the Hummer begins with the figure of an American military tactical vehicle called the HMMWV (High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle) or Humvee which made history when it acted in the conflict in Panama in 1989 and the Gulf War in 1991. The success of the Humvee then prompted the presence of its civilian version under the name Hummer which also succeeded in creating the perception of an ideal SUV.
Fiat Oltre is built in collaboration with Iveco, and inspired by the American Hummer SUV. (Picture from: Otomotif)
The Hummer's success story then inspired the Italian automaker giant Fiat to make a similar SUV. Whereas so far Fiat is better known as the compact car manufacturer, does not mean that they never made the 4x4 SUVs, even one of their production cars named Fiat Campagnola AR 76 is used by the Italian Army. In short, the Italian company managed to build a Hummer-like SUV concept called the Fiat Oltre and is debuted at the 2005 Bologna Motor Show.
Fiat Oltre is based on the Iveco LMV military vehicle platform (which is also the
collaboration result of Fiat and Iveco which is prepared for the FCLV
procurement for the British and Italian militaries). (Picture from: TopGear)
So how was the Oltre look like at the time? The Oltre's appearance really like a Hummer or some say it looks like a Lamborghini LM002. What do you think? The Fiat-made SUV concept appears as a large-sized off-road car that has special cruising capabilities. Although it is called a concept car, the Oltre is actually more worthy of being a "show car" because it is able to fascinate the world's automotive audiences through a tremendous cross-country capability.
Fiat Oltre concept appears as a large-sized off-road car that has special cruising capabilities. (Picture from: TopGear)
Seeing from its history, to build the Oltre, the Italian automotive manufacturer collaborated with another compatriot car manufacturer, Iveco. As it is known that Iveco is a specialist in producing large vehicles such as trucks and vans. The Oltre is based on the Iveco LMV military vehicle platform (which is also the collaboration result of Fiat and Iveco which is prepared for the FCLV procurement for the British and Italian militaries).
Fiat Oltre is powered by an Iveco's common rail 3.0 liter turbo diesel engine, which
is capable of spitting out power of up to 185 hp and torque of 456 Nm. (Picture from: TopGear)
It's no wonder that the technical aspects of the Fiat Oltre are very similar to the Iveco LMV ((Light Multirole Vehicle), such as its dimensions (4,870 mm long, 2,200 mm wide, 2,050 mm heigh, and 3,230 mm wheelbase), the cruising ability (incline gradient of 40%, climbing gradient of 80%, ground clearance of 500 mm, and fording depth of 850 mm).
Fiat Oltre's cabin can accommodate 4-5 passengers, in which are also featured with
several comfort features such as the sports seats and multimedia
devices. (Picture from: TopGear)
Furthermore, the Fiat Oltre is powered by an Iveco's common rail 3.0 liter turbo diesel engine, which is capable of spitting out power of up to 185 hp and torque of 456 Nm and is coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission system, so it capable to make car run up to a top speed of 130 kph. Similar to the Hummer, the Fiat Oltre is also equipped with a permanent 4WD system and independent suspension with adjustable height features plus a locking differential to maximize its off-road cruising capability.
Fiat Oltre is also equipped with a permanent 4WD system and independent suspension
with adjustable height features plus a locking differential to maximize
its off-road cruising capability. (Picture from: TopGear)
Meanwhile, the Oltre's cabin can accommodate 4-5 passengers, in which are also featured with several comfort features such as the sports seats and multimedia devices. Unfortunately, Fiat canceled the Oltre mass production. According to the Top Gear, the fact is that the market for cars like the Hummer or vehicles for military purposes is very small. So it is not profitable for Fiat to mass produce Oltre, because the production cost is too large which is not proportional to the small market share. As a result, the Fiat Oltre can now only be history for Fiat.
It's just that the opportunity to the Fiat Oltre revival is wide open. The reason is, Fiat is one of the automotive subsidiaries under the FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) flag, so does the legendary American SUV manufacturer, Jeep. So that it is possible to share technology in between the two companies that makes the Italian company more sophisticated in making SUVs. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | TOPGEAR ]
Unique ONES Currently, perhaps some of the automotive enthusiasts have never known or heard of the Italian car brand Intermeccanica (officially named 'Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica'). It is a car manufacturer founded in Turin, Italy, in 1959 by Frank Reisner. Then in the 1970s, the company moved to the United States, before finally settled in Canada, and since then building many special-commisioned replica automobiles. Currently, the company led by Frank's son, Henry Reisner.
Intermeccanica Indra and all-its variants (in pictured is a two-seater coupe model) is designed by Franco Scaglione. (Picture from: ClassicCarsWeekly)
During the 1960s, the prancing bull logoed company had very little automotive production activity, only a few models such as the Titania Veltro GTT 1500 Coupe show car which debuted in 1966, Intermeccanica Apollo, and continued by Intermeccanica Italia in 1968. Uniquely, one of the company's production cars is carried a slightly uncommon name for an Italian sports car, here she is Intermeccanica Indra. The name 'Indra' was probably given to it in honor of one of the Hindu deities of the same name. Who knows.
Intermeccanica Indra and all-its variants (in pictured is a two-seater coupe model)is produced in between the 1971 to 1974. (Picture from: ClassicBid)
This is an Italian sports car model built based on the Opel Diplomat platform which was entirely designed by renowned Italian automotive designer Franco Scaglione. Yes, from the touch of his magical hands besides the figure of Indra and the Titania Veltro show car, he has also given birth to many other legendary car designs such as the Abarth 1500 Biposto Coupe of 1952 which is the first concept car from the B.A.T. (Berlina Aerodinamica Technica) car series, and later the world's most beautiful car ever, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale which debuted in 1967, and many others.
Intermeccanica Indra and all its-variants (in pictured is a two-seater spyder model) has a a long tapered wedge-shaped body, twin pop-up headlights, halved chrome-plated bumper, low taillights and horizontal grille on the Indra front wing. (Picture from: VehicleNews)
At first glance, the Indra's design has similarities to the Maserati Ghibli (of the profile) and the Lamborghini Islero (from the rear view). With a long tapered wedge-shaped body, twin pop-up headlights, halved chrome-plated bumper, low taillights adopted from the Alfa Romeo Giulia and horizontal grille on the Indra front wing, this car looks very sporty and aerodynamic. The car's body is made of steel and welded to a tubular frame with a wheelbase of 2,500 mm.
Intermeccanica Indraand all its-variants(in pictured is a two-seater spyder model) is made of steel and welded to a tubular frame with a wheelbase of 2,500 mm. (Picture from: TheTruthAboutCars)
The Intermeccanica Indra is offered in three bodystyles, ie a two-seater convertible, a two-passenger coupe, and a 2+2 fastback with a glass-covered third door. The model car made its debut at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, a car intended to replace the Intermeccanica Italia that had been circulating previously.
Intermeccanica Indra and all its-variants (in pictured is a 2+2 fastback coupe model)is equipped with a choice of a 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder Opel engine
with a power of 180 hp, or a Chevrolet V8 327 engine with a 5.4-liter
capacity of 250 hp. (Picture from: Silodrome)
Under the hood, the car is equipped with a choice of a 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder Opel engine with a power of 180 hp, or a Chevrolet V8 327 engine with a 5.4-liter capacity of 250 hp. The former is offered only with a 4-speed manual gearbox, while the second option is also available with a 3-speed automatic transmission. The car is also equipped with independent front suspension on double wishbone and springs, rear axle and De Dion disc brakes on all wheels.
Intermeccanica Indraand all its-variants(in pictured is a 2+2 fastback coupe model) is equipped with independent front suspension on double wishbone and springs, rear axle and De Dion disc brakes on all wheels. (Picture from: Silodrome)
Then to meet the needs of the spare parts, then Frank Reisner cooperated with General Motors through the intermediary of a German dealer named Erich Bitter and signed a contract for the spare parts supply with General Motors. At the same time, Intermeccanica received the rights to sell its models in Europe through the Opel (a General Motors subsidiary at the time) dealers, before he made a successful return to the American market in 1973.
The collaboration between Intermeccanica and General Motors was actually somewhat similar to the partnership between De Tomaso and Ford, but the partnership didn't last long and ended two years earlier due to the fact that Intermeccanica's engines had frequent problems which ultimately cost him huge warranty costs.
Further interaction with the American auto giant GM was continued by Bitter, who later launched his own sports car under the name Bitter CD. But for Intermeccanica, this means the 'final chapter,' at least in their decades-long history in Italy. From 1971 to 1974, a total of only 127 Intermeccanica Indra units were ever produced, consisting of 60 convertibles, 40 two-seater coupes, and 27 units of 2+2 fastback. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | INTERMECCANICA | SILODROME | THETRUTHABOUTCARS | CLASSICCARSWEEKLY | VEHICLENEWS ]
Weird ONES Indeed, the Bulldog was a fairly unique name to be pinned on a supercar. Especially for a supercar made by Aston Martin, where usually this British manufacturer always names its production cars with more exclusive one.
The Aston Martin Bulldog experimental supercar while on the restoration process at the Classic Motor Cars workshop in Bridgnorth, England. (Picture from: Otoblitz)
Perhaps this is an exception, when the British manufacturer in the end of 1970s took part in a kind of "competition" among the world's automotive manufacturers to create a supercar capable of breaking the 200 mph speed limit.
The Aston Martin Bulldog experimental supercar featured with gull-wings doors and is built intended to pass the 200 mph speed limit back in the end of 1970s. (Picture from: IconWheels)
Well, as we know that in the 1980s the top speed of 200 mph was still hard to achieve, but that's what then made Aston Martin become interested in building a supercar capable of breaking the 200 mph speed limit through one-off supercar concept called the Aston Martin Bulldog.
The Aston Martin Bulldog while on restoration at Classic Motor Cars in Bridgnorth, England posed along with the project leader Nigel Woodward (right) and workshop Director Tim Griffin (left). (Picture from: BlackXperience)
This ruthless-name supercar born by the design of William Towns, who also did the wedge-shaped design on the Lagonda, the Bulldog is an aggressive mid-engine supercar with an angular design and gullwing-doors style. The supercar's drivetrain embedded in this project is a 5.3 liter twin-turbo V8 engine that is ready to burst power of 700 hp. That's numbers are probably a very large power output at that time.
The Aston Martin Bulldog experimental supercar cabin featured with the modern expression layout of the 1980s. (Picture from: IconWheels)
The British automaker is very confident that the engine will carry the Bulldog to exceed the 200 mph speed limit, and will use the fastest production car of its time. But, what happened next was very dissapointed, due to the Bulldog only capable reached average top speeds of 191 mph on the MIRA test track in 1979. Furthermore, the project was canceled by Aston Martin's chairman, Victor Gauntlettbefore Aston Martin Bulldog concept reached its goal due to exorbitant developing and operating costs of the car.
The Aston Martin Bulldog experimental supercar is powered by a 5.3 liter twin-turbo V8 engine that is ready to burst power of 700 hp. (Picture from: ClassicMotorCars)
Now, more than 40 years later, the British automaker announced the Aston Martin Bulldog concept is ready to make amends for its failure to fulfill its destiny. This one-of-a-kind prototype is undergoing a complete its 18-month restoration at Classic Motor Cars.
Now, more than 40 years later, the British automaker announced the Aston Martin Bulldog concept is ready to make amends for its failure to fulfill its destiny to break the 200 mph speed limit. (Picture from: EVO)
The Bulldog restoration process was supervised directly by Victor Gauntlett's son, Richard Gauntlett. The project progress is going very well and Gauntlet is confident that the one-off supercar concept will be ready to go by the end of the year before it goes on record trials.
The testing will be carried out by Aston Martin's factory test driver, named Darren Turner, who is also involved in overseeing the final preparation and testing phase of the Bulldog breaking record project.
At this time, the British automaker has not revealed yet when its Bulldog concept car would try once again its 200 mph breaking record efforts, but if all goes well, the record breaking test could be carried by the end of this year.*** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ICONWHEELS | CLASSICDRIVERS | CLASSICMOTORCARS | GOODWOOD ]
Indeed, initially Toyota really hopes to market the Sera in large numbers. Unfortunately, the Japanese economy was experiencing a heavily depression at that time which forced the Jap automotive giant to stop production of the Sera in 1995, with a total production of 15,941 units (consisted of 3 variants) in the period 1990-1995. It is only natural that the Toyota Sera is now being one of the most sought after and hunted cars by the JDM's car collectors. Are you one of those looking for this car? *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ID.MOTOR1 ]
