Revelations with Jason Cammisa

The Alfa Romeo 164, Lancia Thema 8.32, and Saab 9000 Aero were three of the fastest front-wheel-drive sedans available, and all were based on the same platform.

The brainchild of Italian-born, American-based engineer Claudio Zampolli, the Cizeta’s centerpiece was a 6.0-liter, 8000-rpm, 8-camshaft, 64-valve, twin-crankshaft V16 mounted transversely behind its two seats. To eliminate damaging crankshaft torsional vibrations, the engine’s power was taken from the middle of the cranks — sent to a traditional dogleg 5-speed transaxle driving the rear wheels. That's right, a V16 and a dogleg manual transmission. With four popup headlights. (And four more driving lights.) For decades, there’s been speculation that the engine was just two Ferrari V8s (from the 308 Quattrovalvole) or two Lamborghini V8s (from the Urraco P300) — but it’s neither. The cylinder block is one cast V16 — though it borrows much from both the Lamborghini and Ferrari V8s. A total of 10 Cizeta V16Ts were produced — this prototype is the only one badged Cizeta-Moroder, as chief investor and famed music producer Giorgio Moroder pulled out of the venture before the production ca

The Merkur XR4Ti was an award-winning, turbocharged home-run for Ford in the 1980s — until it landed in U.S. dealerships with a thud. How could this have happened? The XR4Ti was the German-built turbocharged, 4-cylinder version of the Ford Sierra XR4i — a futuristically styled, rear-wheel drive sporty coupe. With more power and more refinement than its European-market sibling, the Merkur was the better car. Conceived by the legendary Bob Lutz, the brand-name "Merkur" was chosen so that the XR4Ti (and later Scorpio) could be sold outside of the U.S. Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury dealerships — to compete against the E30-chassis BMW 3-series, the Audi 4000 and Coupe, and the W201 Mercedes 190E. It easily outperformed them all, using a revised version of the turbocharged 2.3-liter "Pinto" 4-cylinder also seen in the Mustang SVO, Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, and Mercury Cougar XR7. Mated to a 5-speed manual, the XR4Ti out-accelerated the contemporary Ferrari 308 GTB Quattrovalvole and won over

This is the full story of the Jeep Cherokee — the surprisingly French, world's-first 5-door, unit-body compact SUV. — responsible for cementing the recipe for today's most popular body style. Meant to replace the full-size "SJ" Jeep Wagoneer (later known as the Grand Wagoneer,) the XJ (for "Experimental Jeep") did something no other "four-wheel-drive" had: prioritized efficiency, ergonomics, and on-road driving dynamics. It was 21 inches shorter, 6 inches narrower, and 1000 lb lighter than the SJ, but had 90% as much interior volume. With an innovative new 2.5-liter four-cylinder, it was vastly quicker and more efficient, too. At the time of its late development, American Motors Corporation (AMC) was owned by the French company Renault, which certainly had an influence in the soft ride and adept handling. And also the styling — done in America, and certainly influenced by both the Land Rover Range Rover (Classic), which in turn had been influenced by the SJ Wagoneer. (To say nothin

The R129-chassis Mercedes SL should be worth a million dollars — it's timelessly beautiful, well-engineered, fast, and amazing to drive. And yet it's not: is that because it came 10 years later than planned?

This episode of "Relevations," driven by Hagerty, tells the story of Alpine, a small French manufacturer of small sports-cars. From the original Volkswagen Beetle-inspired A106 and A108, based on small Renault sedans (the 4CV and Dauphine, respectively) to the A110, which used an Alpine-designed, Lotus-like backbone chassis — and then the later A310, GTA, and A610 versions. The original A110 used a longitudinally mounted high-revving Renault four-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels and mounted completely behind them. It won the inaugural season of the World Rally Championship, not a tremendous surprise given that the "Alpine" name came from the many victories of its founder, Jean Rédélé, in Alpine rallies. The original A110 was praised for its lightness (Légèreté) — one of the founding principles of Alpine. But also its speed, build quality, ride quality, and above all, handling. The modern A110, built by Renault, possesses all of the same qualities. Weighing just 2493 lb, thi

In the 1980s, the United States Postal Service sent out a detailed list of specifications for a new postal carrier vehicle. This "Long Life Vehicle" would replace myriad of other vehicles with one, simplifying maintenance, repairs, and training — and because it had a lightweight aluminum skin, it would last longer and save fuel, too. A defense contractor named Grumman, known to many as the designer and manufacturer of the Apollo Lunar Module, won the contract to produce the LLV with its design — combining the frame and running gear of a Chevrolet S-10 pickup with a bespoke, riveted aluminum body. The Long Life Vehicle's expected 24-year service life included provisions for one replacement of the 2.5-liter "Iron Duke" 4-cylinder halfway through its life, but set out to create a uniform delivery platform for USPS postal delivery workers — one specially designed for their needs, rather than a vehicle adapted from a regular car. In this episode, automotive journalist Jason Cammisa tak