In this, the third week of many 360 friday car histories, we will be going over an american cultural icon, the Ford Mustang. We are always open to suggestions for upcoming posts so if you have any car models you would like to see featured, please let us know either by contact or by comment at the bottom of the page.

The Ford Mustang was initially based on the Ford Falcon. Production started in Dearborn Michigan in 1964, and the car was showned to the public at the New York World’s fair April 17 th 1964. The Mustang is Ford’s oldest nameplate which is still in production. This is Ford’s most successful lauch since the Model A.

It was executive stylist John Najjar, who suggested the name from a WW II fighter plane the P-51 Mustang.

The Mustang created the “pony car” class of American automobile — sports car-like coupes with long hoods and short rear decks and gave rise to competitors such as GM’s Camaro, AMC’s Javelin, and Chrysler’s revamped Barracuda. It also inspired coupés such as the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri, which were exported to America.

Through the years the Mustangs grew larger and heavier with each model until, in response to the 1971-1973 models, fans of the original 1964 design wrote to Ford urging a return to its size and concept.

Although some other pony cars have seen a revival, the Mustang is the only original pony car that has remained in production without interruption after four decades of development and revision.

First generation (1964–1973)

Second generation (1974–1978)

Third generation (1979–1993)

Fourth generation (1994–2004)

Fifth generation (2005–2009)

Sixth generation (2010+) Click here

Information, Photo: 1

In this, the second week of many 360 friday car history, we will be going over an american cultural icon, the Chevrolet Corvette. 

Since 1953, General Motors (GM) manufactured the Chevrolet Corvette in six generations. This model was at the time, America’s only two seater, and went unchallenged for a few decades. The first design was made by Harley Earl and named by Myron Scott after the fast ship of the same name. The Corvette was originally built in Flint Michigan and St-Louis, Missouri, now they are built at the GM assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

In the early 1950’s Harley Earl convinced Gm that they needed to build a two seater sports car. His convincing brought a special project in the making ”Project Opel.”  The final result of this project was the 1953 Corvette C1, which was unveiled to the general public at the Motorama car show that year. 

The Chevrolet division was GM’s entry-level marque.[7] GM was seriously considering shelving the project[8], leaving the Corvette to be little more than a footnote in automotive history, and would have done so if not for two important events. The first was the introduction in 1955 of Chevrolet’s first V8 engine since 1919, and the second was the influence of a Soviet émigré in GM’s engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. The new 265 cu in (4.3 L) V8 became available with a three-speed manual transmission late in the model year turning the “rather anemic Corvette into a credible if not outstanding performer”[5]. Although not part of the original project, Arkus-Duntov was the architect of the car’s performance image and in 1956 he became the director of high-performance vehicle design and development for Chevrolet helping him earn the nickname “Father of the Corvette.”[9]

So far, six generations of the Corvette have been produced. These generations are referred to as C1 to C6, and other various versions with different features within specific generations. In the United States the Corvette is sold under the Chevrolet brand, while in Japan, Europe and others other parts of the world, the Corvette is sold under its own name. This car model is built in coupe and convertible versions.

C1 (1953–1962)

C2 (1963–1967)

C3 (1968–1982 )

C4 (1983–1996)

C5 (1997–2004)

C6 (2005–)

Photo : Net Car Show

Information : Wiki

Starting this week, every Friday 360 blog will feature the history behind a car model. Some you might know, others you might not. We are always open to suggestions for upcoming posts so if you have any car model you would like to see featured please let us know either by contact or by comment at the bottom of the page.

The Z-car refers to a series of sports car made by the Nissan Motors. The first sales of the Z started in October of 1969. This model is sold in Japan as the Nissan Fairladay Z, that model was exported as the Datsun 240 Z. Through there awesome look, great reliability, and strong performance, the Z car were always known as an affordable automobile. The Nissan Z cars currently hold the record of best selling sports car series of all time through their five generation selling more than 1 500 000 cars.

Teaming up with Yamaha, Nissan had visions of greatness. In the early 1960’s this partnership gave Nissan the opportunity to design a new sport car prototype. Nissan was a small company but they were no strangers when it came to the sports car game. By 1964 Nissan realized that Yamaha’s 2.0 liter DOHC engine was not meeting Nissan’s expectations. Without meeting their expectation Yamaha was rejected by Nissan and turned to Toyota making the 2000GT. The 2000GT was becoming a fierce competition to the Z series, by then the USA Nissan President realized the importance of an affordable sports car. The primary solution in making an inexpensive car was sharing parts among other Nissan vehicles. Here is the evolution of the Z car.

First Generation: Nissan S30

Second Generation: Nissan 280ZX

Third Generation: Nissan 300ZX (Z31)

Fourth Generation: Nissan 300ZX (Z32)

Fifth Generation: Nissan 350Z

Sixth Generation: Nissan 370Z (2010 model)