Extreme Cars....

[Grendelmort]

Extreme Cars only...

The Bughati S-14
1923, 14 cylinders and had a top speed of - 61 mph !

[Oldcynic]

Extreme Cars only...

The Bughati S-14
1923, 14 cylinders and had a top speed of - 61 mph !

This looks more like a 1930s Royale.  



To the best of my recollection, they were 7 liter "straight eights" with dual overhead gear driven camshafts. I never saw a 14 cylinder engine, not even a radial. If it were in a Vee, that would be seven cylinders per bank, imbalanced. Check your reference source. The modern Bugatti (Volkswagen) is a Vee16, made from the VAG parts bin.

To this day, I have lusted over the original Lamborghini Miura SV with its (first of its kind) TRANSVERSELY mounted 4 liter V12.  The engine block and transaxle were cast in ONE PIECE of aluminium.  When sitting in the driver's seat, the rear 'cab" window exposed the 12 carb throats and you can watched the throttle open and shut in the rear view mirror!

[Wingsprint]

1911 28.4 litre Fiat S76 first start up - 28 November 2014

One of a kind....assembled from the only two known original cars....Story of how the car got restored is great...

The shape of things to come....all race cars copied it ...and the Rear tanks still has its place in Sprint car Design Today....








The Beast of Turin awakens: Fiat S76 driven for the first time in a century -- and it’s very, very angry

[Wingsprint]

Offenhauser. The Greatest Racing Engine Ever Built? - EngineLabs

[=42]

[Oldcynic]

The Italian designers/coachbuilders were the finest.  Their organic, creature-like, almost provocative lines were the most beautiful shapes on four wheels. 

The original British E-Type Jaguar was the exception.  Even Enzo Ferrari said it was the most beautiful car in the world.

Design geniuses such as Bertone, Superleggera, Pininfarina, Scaglietti, Ghia and others, created designs that were timeless and sexy.

Marcello Gandini penned most of the beloved classic Lamborghinis.  His designs were probably the most imitated and influential.

[counterintelligence]

[Wingsprint]

[=42]

The Italian designers/coachbuilders were the finest.  Their organic, creature-like, almost provocative lines were the most beautiful shapes on four wheels. 

The original British E-Type Jaguar was the exception.  Even Enzo Ferrari said it was the most beautiful car in the world.

Design geniuses such as Bertone, Superleggera, Pininfarina, Scaglietti, Ghia and others, created designs that were timeless and sexy.

Marcello Gandini penned most of the beloved classic Lamborghinis.  His designs were probably the most imitated and influential.

IMO, you can say there are 4 major "food" groups of performance cars, each with their own general strengths comparatively. Of course there are specific examples like the E type Jag that defy the generalities. Here's how I break it down in no particular order.

German - Chasis, powertrain & handling.
Brittish - Luxury, exquisite interiors, fit & finish.
Italian - Coach design, stunning good looks. Amazing exhaust notes.
American - Brute power, straight line speed.

[Oldcynic]

The Italian designers/coachbuilders were the finest.  Their organic, creature-like, almost provocative lines were the most beautiful shapes on four wheels. 

The original British E-Type Jaguar was the exception.  Even Enzo Ferrari said it was the most beautiful car in the world.

Design geniuses such as Bertone, Superleggera, Pininfarina, Scaglietti, Ghia and others, created designs that were timeless and sexy.

Marcello Gandini penned most of the beloved classic Lamborghinis.  His designs were probably the most imitated and influential.

IMO, you can say there are 4 major "food" groups of performance cars, each with their own general strengths comparatively. Of course there are specific examples like the E type Jag that defy the generalities. Here's how I break it down in no particular order.

German - Chasis, powertrain & handling.
Brittish - Luxury, exquisite interiors, fit & finish.
Italian - Coach design, stunning good looks. Amazing exhaust notes.
American - Brute power, straight line speed.

I agree with your categorization 100%.
European cars were part of my life since the early 50s.  Fascinated and impressed, they were my profession for 50 years.

There can also be a mechanical architecture comparison.

Each nation seems to have had a signature method of engineering systems.  Not so much with contemporary "computer cars."

The Germans and the Swedes had an "owner friendly" layout so the weekend tinkerer could easily perform minor maintenance.

Seems each street car or race car from Europe reflected its origins in an obvious, artistic way.