BMC ADO 16 (1100 – 1300)

BMC ADO 16 (1100 – 1300)

The BMC ADO 16 (Austin Drawing Office 16) Morris 1100 car was revealed to the international motoring press on 15th August 1962, a larger and worthy companion to the BMC Mini which had been launched in 1959 to worldwide acclaim. Both designs were the work of Alec Issigonis and featured transverse engines with the gearbox in the sump, driving the front wheels, groundbreaking technology at the time which has been universally adopted since, though not the gearbox in the sump. A further revolution was the suspension; the Mini had progressive springing by rubber cones, the work of rubber technician Dr. Alex Moulton which, together with rack-and-pinion steering, was responsible for the Mini’s incredible road-holding. The larger Morris/Austin 1100 series cars were fitted with a developed version named “Hydrolastic”. Suspension was still by Dr. Moulton’s rubber cones, but associated with a chamber filled with water and antifreeze and incorporating damper valves, which was connected to similar rear units via pipes and was a form of self-levelling. A unique solution to the problems associated with large differences between laden and unladen weights in small family cars.

Bernard Vermeylen’s fascinating book, with English and French text, studies the design, technologies and development of Issigonis’s and BMC’s hugely-successful ADO 16 design, which lasted for over 10 years and evolved from the Austin/Morris 1100 to the 1300 cars, which in turn were built in a bewildering variety of badge-engineered makes; Vanden Plas Princess, MG, Riley Kestrel and Wolseley, as well as being licence-built in Italy (Innocenti), Spain (Authi), Australia (Nomad), New Zealand and South Africa (Apache). BMC themselves produced GT versions, Traveller and Countryman estate cars and a variety of different spec. models for various markets.

Most of the illustrations in this book take the form of images from factory brochures and press photos, detailing the many changes BMC made to the ADO 16 in the decade it was in production. Specifications of different models, paint colours and sales prices are all listed in Bernard Vermeylen’s book, it is as comprehensive a survey as is possible and particularly interesting for the details published on the many export and licence-built variants of BMC’s 1100/1300 cars.

Ferrari 328, 348 & Mondial 1986-1994 Ultimate Portfolio

Ferrari 328, 348 & Mondial 1986-1994 Ultimate Portfolio

The articles in this book tell the story of the cars which used the 3.2-litre and later 3.4-litre editions of Ferrari’s twin-overhead-camshaft V8 engine. There were essentially three ranges, the classic GTB/GTS models, their tb/ts replacements, and the controversial four-seater Mondial. The GTB coupe and GTS targa-top models were beautiful creations by Pininfarina which first appeared in the mid-1970s with a 3-litre dry-sump V8 mounted transversely behind the seats. Re-engined with the bored and stroked 3.2-litre V8 in 1985, these models carried on as the 328 GTB and 328 GTS until 1988. Their replacements were the 348tb targa-top cars, which featured longitudinally mounted V8 engines, now further developed as 3.4-litre types. Time will tell how these cars are viewed in the overall context for Ferrari history, but when new they were often criticized for undistinguished styling and for performance which was not sufficiently ahead of that offered by rival machinery. Like the GTB/GTS range, the Mondial was a well-established model by the time it was equipped with the 3.2-litre V8 in 1985. First introduced in 1980 with the older 3-litre engine, it never quite had the elegance of the two-seater cars, although in cabriolet form it was an extraordinarily attractive machine. The Mondial retained the transverse 3.2-litre V8 until 1989, when it was re-engineered to take the new longitudinal 3.4-litre engine. These later cars were known as Mondial t models, that additional letter standing somewhat illogically for the transverse gearbox which went with the new engine. Were the GTB and GTS models among the most attractive Ferraris ever built? In my opinion they were – and an aggregate sales figure of 7,412 examples with the 3.2-litre engine suggests that Maranello’s customers thought so too. By contrast, the Mondial sold just 987 copies in 3.2-litre coupe form, plus a smaller number of cabriolets. And what of the 3.4-litre engined cars, for which sales figures are not yet available. Read this fascinating collection of reports and form your own views of the mainstream Ferraris built between 1985 and 1994. Models covered: 328, 348 and Mondials including the GT, GTB, tb, ts and GTS.