Alpina Logo

Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany selling their own cars, based on BMW cars.

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Alpina works closely with BMW and their processes are integrated into BMW's production lines, thus Alpina is recognized by TÜV as an automobile manufacturer, in contrast to other performance specialists which are aftermarket tuners. For instance, the Alpina B7 is produced at the same assembly line in Dingolfing, Germany, along with BMW's own 7-Series. For the 2011 model year, the B7's twin-turbo 4.4-litre BMW V8 is assembled by hand at Alpina's facility in Buchloe, Germany, before being shipped to BMW for installation, and the assembled vehicle is then sent back to Alpina for finishing touches.

Aston Martin Logo

Although founded in 1913, Aston Martin didn't originally start out with their prestigious name. Co-founded by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamdford, the company first started out with the name of Bamford and Martin LTD. The name change to Aston Martin occurred in 1914 when Lionel Martin had several successful runs in Buckinghamshire, England at the Aston Hill Climb. This became the inspiration to create the first Martin and register it under that name, only one year after the Aston Hill Climb. By 1920, the name Martin stuck and the company moved to Kensington.

In 1922, Aston Martin began getting involved with overseas sales, trading and competition by entering two of their cars for competition in the French Grand Prix. Alas, in 1925 the company was hit with financial woes and had to close; but that didn't deter them for long. In 1926, investors stepped in to help them out and Martin now became Martin Motors LTD. Because of their already known reputation for luxury and sports cars, their reputation led them to compete in 1928 in the 24-hour Le Mans' race.

Aston Martin's fame and popularity continued to grow as they entered more and more races and competitions, winning many of them. In 1963, the Aston DB5 began production and became what many consider to be the most beautiful vehicle ever constructed. The fame and popularity didn't stop there either as the Aston DB5 model was chosen and featured in the classic "Goldfinger" film in the popular James Bond series.
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Despite Aston Martin's popularity, 1972 saw a change with the company when ownership changed and then Company Developments LTD took over. This was also the same year that Martin started their new V8s into production. Over the next couple of decades the change of ownership continued, but production was kept alive and prosperous. In fact, the popularity of these luxury and sporty cars led to the Aston Martin's vehicles being featured in two more James Bond films including Tomorrow Never Dies and Goldeneye.

The year 1998 was also a trademark era for Martin as they were given an award that recognised their contribution not only to the industry itself, but also to the economy of the UK. This award is known as the Queen's Award for Export. They continued their popular appearances in James Bond movies with another Aston Marin in Die Another Day which featured Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

From 1913 when Aston Martin was first founded until present, they have made a name for themselves as well as popularity for such infamous movies as the James Bond series. They have won many races with their vehicles and have claimed a very prestigious reputation for quality, luxury and sporty cars. In fact, their popularity and public (and commercial) demand for these illustrious vehicles prompted the company to start providing deliveries to customers in 2011.

Bentley Logo

Have you ever seen the winged "B" badge of the Bentley and felt like flying? If yes, you are not the only one! People all around the world dream of owning a Bentley and why not, its stature is just too big not to be desired! Bentley Motors was established in England in January 1919. The founder was Walter Owen Bentley. Walter Owen was always fascinated by combustible engines and racing motorcycles, like most young boys are, and the Bentley was an outcome of this passion.

Bentley Motors has a history full of turns and twists and quite an interesting one too! Lets skim through its pages.

The manufacturing of the Bentley started with a 3-litre engine car which was very advanced for its times. It had four cylinders, single overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder and twin-spark ignition via two magnetos. But it did make some noise. It is said, that this noise once irritated a nurse who was attending to a dying patient. To everyone's surprise, a person present there had then said 'A happy sound to die to"! Such was the beginning of the Bentley!

The Bentley was and is primarily known as a racing car. It has won many Le Mans trophies. The Le Mans is a 24-hour car endurance test held in France. It tests a car to it limits and those who can sustain the grill, command tremendous respect and awe in the automobile market. These races also provided a huge advertisement for the Bentley. The first Bentley,the 3-litre car, participated and came a very respectable 4th!

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From then on, there was no looking back and Bentley motors went on to make some of the finest cars ever known. Sometimes the manufacturing was so slow that the cars were made just before delivery and at times even the demonstration cars had to be sold. But their popularity never ceased to soar. In reality fewer people bought them due to their high prices but still everyone secretly thought of taking control of one of these. After a few years, it was announced that Bentley Motors would retire from racing as they were falling short of money. As well as this, all the rash race driving was giving the common man a very bad impression about the car. Some people were wary of buying the car, as they saw it as a symbol of rough driving. Somewhat in order to break this image, Bentley Motors manufactured a bewitching limousine passenger car. But by this time, the great depression had taken its toll on Bentley Motors, leaving it in financial doldrums. Hence it was decided to sell the firm. Thus Rolls Royce took over Bentley Motors in a very dramatic manner in 1931. At that time Bentley was the most formidable rival of Rolls Royce and the world saw this as a mega deal for Rolls Royce. Actually it was good news for Bentley (in one way at least), that their baby would at least be in some experienced hands. Thus the Bentley was actually with Bentley Motors only till 1931.

The Volkswagen Group ,a German company, has been the owner of Bentley since 1998. The Bentleys are manufactured at the Crewe factory in England.

The various current and popular models of this car are Arnage, Azure, Continental GT, Continental Flying Spur and Continental GTC.

Luxury, elegance and comfort characterize all the Bentleys. Features like emergency fuel shut-off device, child safety door locks located on rear doors, engine immobilizer, front seatbelt height adjusters, fog lights, anti-theft protection, airbags with occupant sensors, computers keeping track of average speed, average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption and range for remaining fuel, keyless entry operated via key fob, tire pressure monitor, separate driver/front passenger climate controls, rear window defroster, heated washer system, bluetooth incorporated telephone system, electric foldable mirrors, ashtrays, full maps, remote controlled DVD, several speakers, headlight cleaners, leather seats, tinted glass ,a variety of interior lighting, etc. make the Bentley, a precious buy. The Azure also has a sunroof/moonroof and a removable/convertible top!

The Bentley cars are immediately recognizable by the huge headlights they flaunt. But unlike their easy to spot features, they are very difficult and intricate to make! The Bentley is known as a highly reliable, sturdy and versatile car. Versatile, as it combines uncompromising luxury with enviable performance and reliability.

Bugatti Logo

Many people may recall the Bugatti automobile company. The company was founded in the country of France by an Italian man named Ettore Bugatti. He was one of those men that have a strange character that many others would refer to as eccentric. He was also somewhat of a genius. Like many car makers at the time, Bugatti struggled to survive during World War II but that didn't stop them from producing some of the rarest vehicles in the world. After a series of ups and downs the Bugatti name remains today.

The Bugatti Company quickly became known for their well designed and engineered cars. The company participated in the Grand Prix race events that many other auto makers were associated with. They had plenty of success taking part in those races. Bugatti won the very first Monaco Grand Prix. Bugatti tried to go above and beyond what competitor's were doing with their cars. They searched for many ways to work against the disadvantage of weight by making axles of their vehicles different than others. A spring that passed through the axle made such a difference that it was noticed right away by others.

There are certain Bugatti models that were only produced in small numbers. These models of course are incredibly rare and certainly very valuable. These cars date back to the 1930s, before the war began. Only about 2000 of these models still exist throughout the world today. Bugatti made a few different types of cars. They had some that never did make it past the prototype stage but they also had a few others. Some were designed to be regular street cars that anyone could drive. Bugatti was very successful with their racing cars and earned plenty of success and recognition because of them.

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During the war Bugatti continued to manufacture cars. They worked hard on a series of race cars that had been greatly anticipated. One of these cars, a supercharged model, was cancelled after Ettore Bugatti passed away. His son had died a number of years earlier when test driving a new model for the company. The auto maker began to experience financial trouble after the death of Ettore. His family member Roland Bugatti made an attempt to resurrect the company in the 1950s. The race car that was designed in that time was unsuccessful and production had to be stopped.

The Bugatti Company did not only produce cars though that is what they are best known for. They also produced airplanes. During this time when vehicle production was not successful, they turned their attention to creating more airplanes. In 1968 the company was sold to a fellow auto maker company that also turned to airplane production.

In the 1980s an entrepreneur named Romano Artioli bought the Bugatti name. He made plans to use the name to produce race cars, like Bugatti had always been doing. That lasted until 1998 when Volkswagen bought the rights to the Bugatti name and have owned it since. The cars that have the Bugatti name are incredibly high priced. However, they are created for speed. Bugatti has a rich history that is based on the ingenious idea of one man.

Cadillac Logo

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors (GM). Cadillac currently sells vehicles in 37 countries, with its primary market being North America.In 2012, Cadillac's U.S. sales were 149,782.Globally, Cadillac's next largest market is China. The SRX crossover has been Cadillac's best selling model since 2010.

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Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest automobile brands in the world. Depending on how one chooses to measure, Cadillac is arguably older than Buick. Cadillac was founded in 1902 by Henry Leland,a master mechanic and entrepreneur, who named the company after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, the founder of the city of Detroit. The company's crest is based on a coat of arms that Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac had created at the time of his marriage in Quebec in 1687. General Motors purchased the company in 1909 and within six years, Cadillac had laid the foundation for the modern mass production of automobiles by demonstrating the complete interchangeability of its precision parts while simultaneously establishing itself as America's premier luxury car. Cadillac introduced technological advances, including full electrical systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel roof. The brand developed three engines, one of which (the V8 engine) set the standard for the American automotive industry. Cadillac is the first American car to win the prestigious Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club of England, having successfully demonstrated the interchangeability of its component parts during a reliability test in 1908; this spawned the firm's slogan "Standard of the World." It won that trophy a second time, in 1912, for incorporating electric starting and lighting in a production automobile.

Chevrolet Logo

Chevrolet was founded and incorporated on November 8, 1911 by Louis Chevrolet, Dr. Edwin Campbell who was William Durant's son in law and William Little. The company was bought by General Motors in 1917. Mr. Durant was an ousted founder of General Motors. Mr. Chevrolet was a racecar driver and the son of Cooper Chevrolet. The founder of General Motors, William Durant, had been forced out of the management of the General Motors Company in 1910. Durant used Chevrolet's reputation as a race car driver to rebuild his own reputation. Durant was the head of Buick before he founded General Motors. He had hired Louis Chevrolet to race Buicks.

The designs for the first Chevrolet automobile were done by Etienne Planche, for his friend Louis Chevrolet. Their first prototype was made and ready even before they were incorporated.

The "Bowtie" symbol that Chevrolet uses was first used in 1913. It is believed that Durant saw the design in a hotel in France and liked it. Other research shows the logo being based on "Colette's". Some believe the logo is for the Swiss Cross out of respect for Chevrolet's parent's homeland.

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Production facilities were being set up in Toronto, Canada by William Durant. At a luncheon meeting with "Colonel Sam" McLaughlin whose automobile company produced McLauglin-Buick cars later that year, the two merged and were added to the Canadian based companies car line. The two companies, (Chevrolet was part of GM by this time in the United States) were purchased by General Motors of Canada, LTD.

Chevrolet was plenty profitable by 1916 to enable Durant to by shares of GM. He bought enough to get a majority of the stock. This made him the president of GM so he merged the two. During the year 1918, Chevrolet mad Model D, which was a V8, four passenger roadster and a five passenger touring car. Chevrolet began to produce an overhead valve in line six engines. Most automobiles at that time had flat head low compression engines. They had 288in3 41(kw) 55hp engines with three speed transmissions and Zenith carburetors.

Through the 1920's-1940's they were in competition with Ford and in 1928 Chrysler Corporation was formed adding the Plymouth. Chevrolet, Ford and Chrysler were known as the three low priced car makers.

Chevrolet's V-8 small block engine has been in production since 1955, the longest time that any engine has been produced in the world.