automotivebriefs
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Railways

The technology that standardised time.

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9:22

Renault 5 Turbo

Marc Deschamps · 1980

The Renault 5 Turbo is a homologation special that reimagines the Renault 5 supermini as a mid-engined rally car. Built from 1980 to 1984, it features a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, a 1,397 cc turbocharged Cléon-Fonte inline-four, and 4,987 total units produced. Though badged as a Renault 5, its mechanicals are radically different. It was launched at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1980 and sold in street-legal form to meet homologation requirements.

9:48

Subaru WRX

Subaru · 1994

The 1994 Subaru WRX is the first-generation production expression of Subaru’s 1992 World Rally Championship effort. It is a turbocharged, all-wheel drive compact saloon built on the Impreza GC platform. Its blue-and-gold livery stems from a Singaporean cigarette sponsorship. It established all-wheel drive as a performance asset in the US compact segment—starting with its 2001 US launch—and forced rivals to follow.

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9:28

Alfa Romeo Alfetta

Alfa Romeo Centro Stile · 1972

The Alfetta is a front-engine saloon and fastback coupé produced from 1972 to 1987. It used a rear transaxle and De Dion tube rear suspension to improve weight distribution and handling. Coupé models featured a central tachometer. All models left the factory with Pirelli Cinturato 165HR14 tyres.

9:02

Alfa Romeo BAT

Franco Scaglione · 1953

The BAT series is a focused, documented exercise in aerodynamic research—not styling, not engineering for power, not market readiness. It is a rare case where form follows one measurable physical constraint, iterated across three years, with no deviation from that brief.

9:22

Alfa Romeo 105/115 Series Coupés

Giorgetto Giugiaro · 1963

The Alfa Romeo 105/115 Series Coupés are foundational Giugiaro — not as a stylistic endpoint, but as a working method: take a proven platform, impose a strong, arched silhouette, and let coachbuilders extend it. They are compact, alloy-engined, live-axle sports coupés that prioritise form coherence over mechanical innovation. Their legacy is visual, not technical.

10:49

Alfa Romeo Giulia

Giuseppe Scarnati · 1965

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Type 105 redefined what a four-door saloon could do—without electronics, without weight, without apology.