AirDave's Kool Wheelz Collection

[PacificWind]

Something tells me that we will get a Lotus Esprit S1 from "The Spy Who Loved Me"...

[murphyaa]

Originally Posted by PacificWind

Something tells me that we will get a Lotus Esprit S1 from "The Spy Who Loved Me"...

Too obvious for AirDave. It'll probably be something from Mad Max.

[Vermin_King]

I am confident that it isn't the A-Team van

[Michael Bunny Exclusive D]

i think? i know what it is? is it from the movie the spy who love me! James Bond!

[airdave]

wait! ...what day is it?! isn't there something ....?

[sgoti]

Originally Posted by airdave

wait! ...what day is it?! isn't there something ....?

Allegedly there was going to be a pool party...

[airdave]

yes...its that day!

looks like nobody got very close guessing what the next Koolwheelz model is.
And thats okay...I hate it when the surprise is ruined for everyone.
But its still fun to know you are waiting anxiously and wondering aloud.

Also looks like I fooled you a bit...the last Teaser poster had absolutely nothing to do with the car model.
There was no connection between Star Trek and the Matchbox Escort.
The two just fell together into a neat little poster idea.

This time, however, I really did look for a connection...in hopes of fooling you.
And I guess I did!

In case you didn't recognize it...the poster was inspired by the movie poster for Piranha 3D.
And the Koolwheelz model is the Bertone/Jaguar Pirana road car!
Like many people, I didn't know of this car, until last year...but boy did I like it when I saw it!
Its been in my head ever since...and on the Koolwheelz drawing board just as long.



Heres the long winded back story behind this car...
1967, and the motoring staff at the Daily Telegraph Magazine dreamed up the ideal car for the Executive Playboy.
The type of car a real enthusiast would love and want to drive....powerful, yet quiet, comfortable
and fitted with all the latest features that any top executive would want in a luxury touring sports car
including a luxurious Connelly Leather interior with wood accents.

The car featured numerous modern gadgets (for 1967) and trend setting elements like:
-an opening hatch style rear window exposing a large luggage space
-an in-dash AM-FM Radio and a modern Cassette Tape Player fitted into a central Console.
-a unique cabin roof mounted air conditioning system
- triplex safety glass featuring heat absorbing tint and front and rear defroster elements.

Although the Pirana was built on a 2+2 E-Type chassis and drivetrain purchased from Jaguar,
the car is a one-off design created by renowned Italian designer Nuccio Bertone and his chief stylist Marcello Gandini.
While the aim was to utilize all off-the-shelf parts, the body panels were hand-built by Bertone,
and bears a striking resemblance to the Lamborghini Espada (also designed by Bertone and Gandini) which was released the following year.
Only one Pirana was ever produced...and was eventually sold to a public buyer in 1968.
The car was originally showcased in a special 1967 Magazine Issue called "The Telegraph's Pirana".



Did you notice how I've been incorrectly spelling "Pirana"?
According to the Daily Telegraph, they claimed (after the car debuted) Bertone's wife said the odd spelling of the Pirana
name was intentional by Bertone to separate the car from other autos with the same name...
however, the custom made chrome nameplates on either side of the car feature the correct spelling of Piranha.
Something's fishy.
Could the Telegraph have misprinted the name on their own publication and tried to hide it with this story? hmmm

Anyway, the car still exists today in pristine condition, but has been hidden away in a private collection for decades
until it was recently sold (last year) at Sothebys Auction for $324,000.
I love the length and flow of the E-Type Jaguars, and the Pirana retains that influence.
I also found the car to be nicely styled and functional, with an understated exotic appeal.
Can anyone else see the Ford Capri similarities up front?

Anyway, you'll find the Piranha(Pirana) in the Specialz-Road Cars section of Koolwheelz.

[rickstef]

I can see the Capri/Mustang II influence.
I am also getting a bit of a Jensen Interceptor vibe from it as well.

I initially thought it would have been a regular street going version of your other Piranha, didn't think to drop the h in the search though.

[airdave]

The Capri/Mustang II you are thinking of didn't appear until 1974, and only in North America.
And that was not a Capri...and the other wasn't a Mustang.
Pathetic Pinto/Bobcat replacements. lol

I was referring to the Ford (German) Capri that first appeared in 1969.
The 1969 Capri styling was influenced by the American Mustang and Bertone's designs.

Since Bertone was such a big influence through that time, I'd say the Jensen probably gets some cues too.
Apparently some of their bodies were Italian built.

If you look at the Lamborghini Espada, which appeared in 1968, you can see what this Piranha design evolved into.
Bertone has some very distinct styling cues.
The Espada is almost a clone of this.

yeah the name is odd.
If you look at vintage photos, when the car did the show car circuit in 1967,
it has the Piranha badges on it...and yet the license plate says Pirana.
I honestly think The Daily Telegraph Magazine messed up, calling it Pirana in print, and then tried to make it stick.
If Bertone himself had called it Pirana, then why would he put those badges on it?

[sgoti]

Originally Posted by airdave

If Bertone himself had called it Pirana, then why would he put those badges on it?

Who the "h" knows?