Art & Inspiration Swoopy cars

[50Fraud]

I started this thread, but I did a piss poor job of moderating it. I think a lot of you who responded got the swoopy part exactly right, but relatively few caught the swoopy/athletic combination. Permit me to get back in, and I'll make some comments to what has been posted.

Originally Posted by Algon

Here are a few.

Ah. Too bad your pictures didn't show up in this quote, Algon. You showed a couple of shots of a hot rod Healey, and I think that's a great choice. They offend hot rodders and sporty car guys alike, but I think they end up with a great combination of graceful lines and implicit power -- which, of course, they have. Here's a nice one:


The A6GCS Maserati (your 10th picture -- I think I got the model right) is right up there with the Ferrari TR as a wonderfully swoopy/agile sports racing car, too.

Originally Posted by Deuces

I'll probably get an ass chewin' for this one...

Deuces, I think that Camaros have these qualities in spades, and I would love to do a Camaro some day. I like '67-69 Barracuda fastbacks, too, but they are definitely not the subject of this board.

Originally Posted by Algon

Talbot...

Oh, yeah. The Figoni Falaschi Talbot is certainly one of the great swoopy cars of all time, and they are actually quite agile, too. I saw Phil Hill drive one at Monterey years ago, and he was haulin'! I wonder what one would have looked like with un-skirted rear wheels and a little longer wheelbase? Maybe a little more tire at the rear?

Originally Posted by JeffreyJames

Did someone call for Swoopy?

No question, Mr. Timbs got the swoopy thing down cold with his special. Doesn't much qualify as agile looking, though, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by falcongeorge

How about the Costin bodied Maser?? Oh yea...

I'm with you there. By coincidence, I worked as a gofer for Frank Costin briefly in 1961. He had almost no sense for aesthetics; he was what you might call a "pure engineer", but many of his cars turned out quite beautifully almost by accident. He was a genius, though, absolutely!

Originally Posted by falcongeorge

Might be straying out of bounds here, but always thought this was one of the swoopiest looking Can-Am cars. Most guys dont realize one of these also ran the series with Chevy power. Both were a total flop on the track, but looked GREAT as they were getting lapped by Mclarens and T-70's.

I thought about Can-Am cars when I made my original selections, but forgot about them before I finished. I particularly liked this version of the McLaren and the Lola T70:

Originally Posted by Gotgas

'59 Stingray

I agree with this one, too. Got to see it run at Marlboro in 1958, and thought it was gorgeous.

Gonna go eat dinner now. I'll be back with more later.

[rick finch]

Tony, can I play?

'54 Kurtis KK500.....


'66 GT40 MKI.....


Ferrari 330 P4.....


'58 Sadler....


Lola T70 MK3B.....


Jaguar XJ13.....

[rick finch]

Ferrai 400.....


Bizzarrini P538 Barchetta.....


Porsche 962.....


Ferrari 250TR.....


Shelby Daytona coupe.....


Scarab MKI.....


Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder.....(not "swoopy" just one of my favs.)

(top down.)

[50Fraud]

Welcome aboard, Rick! You have great taste and a huge photographic library, so I'm delighted to see whatcha got. All of what you've shown are sports racing cars (except the California), which I love too, but can you think of any more HAMBish cars that have these qualities?

[50Fraud]

To resume my commentary/pontification about the comments added to the thread, starting with page 2:

Originally Posted by Spoggie

Anyway, back to topic- swoop- Lincoln Zephyrs,as stated, definetely! How about Ghia Mopars & that very finny Farina Ferrari?

Again, too bad the pictures didn't show up in the quote, but I second your inclusion of the Lotus Elite and the original E-Type coupe. Zephyrs, swoopy but hardly agile.

Originally Posted by falcongeorge

This what you were thinking of? Real Ferraris have one cam per bank, webers, and borranis. GTB's be damned.

Arrrgggh -- no picture. But the TDF Ferrari, clearly the inspiration for the Scaglietti Corvette, is a great choice.

Originally Posted by Spoggie

However check the wicked flow on father Ettore's Brescia models ( hoping folks can find 'swoop' in vintage cars..heck, I can see it in a 1903 Mercedes).

In my opinion swoop is pretty scarce among the mechanical-looking cars of the early '30s, but Alfa and Bugatti were the most likely to have it.

Originally Posted by Jimmy B

Delahaye's have that fast swoopy feel
Talbot Lago I feel is the slipperiest looking coupe ever

I already acknowledged both of these -- I agree with you, of course.

Originally Posted by Jimmy B

I love the front ends of 50s, early 60s Ferrari's they have that at speed look

Yes! Some of the prettiest front ends EVER.

Originally Posted by Jimmy B

Alfa Romeo

The Alfa 8C2800B could be the poster child for swoopy/agile. Not only were they incredibly beautiful, they were the fastest road cars of their day. They were, after all, GP cars with road bodies on them.

Originally Posted by Jimmy B

Ralph Schenck's streamliner

A long time favorite of mine. I actually went looking for the original car in the late '60s with an eye to buying and restoring it; I was crushed to learn that it was destroyed in a trailering accident. Kudos to Terry Baldwin for re-building the car.

Originally Posted by BeatnikPirate

Swooopy!!.....

Well, sure. Streamliners actually are what swoopy is trying to be.

Originally Posted by Zerk

Looked everywhere for a picture of Bill Mitchell's retirement car, to no avail. That thing makes a boattail Riv look like a London taxi. Bill Mitchell=Swoopmaster General.

I like Mitchell's designs a lot, but I'm not sure I know this car. Can anybody post a picture?

Originally Posted by falcongeorge

Prehistoric swoop

Well, sure, again. This was certainly the inspiration for the Ralph Schenck car.

Originally Posted by falcongeorge

innovative swoop 1920s style

I love this thing.

Originally Posted by 39Deluxe

I dunno - I think this is sorta swoopy for stock....

Ya know, Ford V8's have some of the qualities I'm talking about, right out of the box -- and '39-40 coupes probably are at the top of the list. Unfortunately, we all know that in terms of handling/cornering, they aren't very agile in stock form.

Originally Posted by skywolf

Alfa Romeo had some serious swoop going on in the 1950's.

1956 Alfa Romeo 6C 3500 CM Superflow II

Amazingly, I once worked with a guy who bought that car off a used car lot in Denver. And he was NOT a car guy!

Originally Posted by falcongeorge

More Hamb swoop. Iconic.

Yeah, nice.

Enough for now.

[Hans Buscher]

1903 swoop.

[rick finch]

Ahhh Tony, you're gonna make me dig deep huh? Okay, in for a penny, in for a pound......

Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic Coupe....


Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona.....


Lamborghini Muira S......


How about a Muntz Jet.....


Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta......


THIS is the car I would trade my wife and 1st. born male child for.....
Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (Steve McQueen brown, of course.)

[rick finch]

Can't say how "agile" this is, but it'll kick ass on the Autobahn......

Mercedes Benz 540K Autobahn Kurier......


DeTomaso Pantera GTS.....


BMW 328MM Touring Coupe.....


ATS 2500 GT.....


Toyota 2000 GT.....


Bugatti Type 57C Aravis Cabriolet.....


Ferrari 250 GTO.....

[Kerry]

[Hemi325]

1958 Bocar-Chevy, 1954 Victress-hemi

[falcongeorge]

Digging the black GTO. Innes Irelands mint green one was always my fave...

[Steves32]

Uh oh
If Rick Finch is playing, better get my A game ready.

1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster

[Steves32]

1935 Auburn Model 653

[Steves32]

1937 Auburn 852 Speedster

[Steves32]

1937 812 Cord

[Steves32]

1938 Lagonda LG6

[rick finch]

Originally Posted by Steves32

Uh oh
If Rick Finch is playing, better get my A game ready.

1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster

Ach......game on swinehund!

[34andy]

1937 Bugatti. Great curves. Also great use of louvers & rivets.

-Andy

[rick finch]

1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe.....


1937 Delage D8 120S Pourtout Aero Coupe.....
'

1950 Abarth 205 Vignale Berlinetta.....


1935 Delahaye 135 Competition Court Figoni & Falaschi Coupe.....


1954 Maserati A6 GCS/53 Pinin Farina Berlinetta......

[50Fraud]

Originally Posted by Steves32

Uh oh
If Rick Finch is playing, better get my A game ready.

1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster

Steve, that's not a Delage. It's a Horch.