One of my passions is my retro mobile, my MK2 Volkswagon Scirocco Scala and as such I can be found on the Scirocco Register, on Saturday just gone it was that time of year for the national meet where over 40 Scirocco's met up at RAF Cosford near Telford. We had a great day catching up and discussing all things Scirocco.
Here's a few pictures of the day-
And mine-
Link to slideshow can be found in the 2010 Galleries section for all the pictures-
Personally I’ve never actually seen one of these in the flesh, most probably because Subaru only sold 25000 of which only 2500 were sold in Europe!!!! It was Subaru’s attempt to enter the US luxury/performance sector. Unfortunately this good looking car with Eastern and European styling was released on the public in 1991 just in time for a recession. The low sale number should detract from a good car from all accounts, with a flat Boxer 6, 3.3ltr engine producing 230bhp, it certainly was no slouch and in looks department it was a departure from the usual US 3 box or jelly mould cars for sale in the US at the time. Infact it seems to have taken a few styling cues from the Renault Alpine GTA released only a few years before. It just goes to prove that Subaru had a number of irons in the fire at this time along with the legendry Impreza, which seems to have lost its way in its current incarnation.
The very name brings in to mind a romantic simpler time when cars were crafted and not designed for the masses. Rolls Royce’s, Maybach and Bentley rulled the roost with their large limousines or manly sports cars. In 1930's however Rust Heinz (member of the Heinz dynasty) decided to design and build a car that would be more advanced than its competition and rewrite the styling book, the car produced was The Phantom Corsair produced in 1938. Looking like its out of the 1950's/60's than the late 30's, it went away from the norm at the time having no running boards, door handles or exposed wheels. Even its chassis was a hybrid part traditional part space frame sat on independent suspension. It was even design to seat 6 people. With its aerodynamic body and 190bhp supercharged V8 it was capable of 115mph. It was planned to have a limited production run, but due to untimely death of Rust at just 25, the project never got past this prototype.
I think you'll agree it’s an awesome looking car that even today would turn heads and still has a modern feel about it with that swept back windscreen and stance. It’s like someone took the evil tyrants car out of the comic strip of the time, The Shadow, and built it for real.
One of my passions is my retro mobile, my MK2 Volkswagon Scirocco Scala and as such I can be found on the Scirocco Register, on Saturday just gone it was that time of year for the national meet where over 40 Scirocco's met up at RAF Cosford near Telford. We had a great day catching up and discussing all things Scirocco.
Personally I’ve never actually seen one of these in the flesh, most probably because Subaru only sold 25000 of which only 2500 were sold in Europe!!!! It was Subaru’s attempt to enter the US luxury/performance sector. Unfortunately this good looking car with Eastern and European styling was released on the public in 1991 just in time for a recession. The low sale number should detract from a good car from all accounts, with a flat Boxer 6, 3.3ltr engine producing 230bhp, it certainly was no slouch and in looks department it was a departure from the usual US 3 box or jelly mould cars for sale in the US at the time. Infact it seems to have taken a few styling cues from the Renault Alpine GTA released only a few years before. It just goes to prove that Subaru had a number of irons in the fire at this time along with the legendry Impreza, which seems to have lost its way in its current incarnation.
The very name brings in to mind a romantic simpler time when cars were crafted and not designed for the masses. Rolls Royce’s, Maybach and Bentley rulled the roost with their large limousines or manly sports cars. In 1930's however Rust Heinz (member of the Heinz dynasty) decided to design and build a car that would be more advanced than its competition and rewrite the styling book, the car produced was The Phantom Corsair produced in 1938. Looking like its out of the 1950's/60's than the late 30's, it went away from the norm at the time having no running boards, door handles or exposed wheels. Even its chassis was a hybrid part traditional part space frame sat on independent suspension. It was even design to seat 6 people. With its aerodynamic body and 190bhp supercharged V8 it was capable of 115mph. It was planned to have a limited production run, but due to untimely death of Rust at just 25, the project never got past this prototype.
