Articles
Guides and deep dives: how cars are built, named and collected.
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A short history of the electric car: from a Paris tricycle to the Nissan Leaf
Electric cars were on the road in 1881, held the land speed record in 1899 and were 38 per cent of US cars in 1900. A guide to how they won, lost and came back, with a timeline and the milestone cars.
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Homologation specials: road cars built so a racing car could be legal
Some of the most extreme road cars were built only because a racing rule demanded them: a guide to homologation specials, the rules from 25 to 2,500 cars, and how to spot one.
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Engine layouts explained: where the engine sits and which wheels drive
Front, mid or rear engine, front, rear or all-wheel drive: what each layout does to weight, grip and handling, and the cars that made them famous.
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Muscle car engines, decoded: small-block, big-block and Hemi
Small-block, Hemi, big-block: what the numbers mean, how to read the ratings of the 1960s and why these engines became legends.
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Concept car or production car: what changes on the way to the showroom
From a design sketch to a road car, and what gets lost: four show cars, Mustang I, Corvette EX-122, Dodge Viper and Audi TT, and what each changed before sale.
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How to read a VIN: 17 characters, decoded
Seventeen characters that reveal where, when and how a car was built: a guide to the parts of a VIN, the model-year code and the check digit.
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Aston Martin in six cars: a marque history from the DB2 to the One-77
A marque history told through the models that shaped it: DB2, DB5, Lagonda, DB7, DB9 and One-77, and the owners who kept Aston Martin alive.
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Buying a classic: what to check first
Rust, paperwork and originality, in the order they matter: a practical order of checks before you buy a classic car, with a checklist you can tick off.
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Guide ·
The anatomy of a grille: how the face of a car became its signature
How the face of a car became its signature: what a grille does, how Rolls-Royce, BMW, Jeep and Alfa Romeo made theirs a trademark, and what electric cars do without one.
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