Axon's Automotive Anorak: a look ahead to 2019's motoring birthdays

Other anniversaries include 125 years since the patented Benz ‘Motorwagen’ three-wheel was revealed, and the 120^th year since the founding of Fiat – for many years Europe’s largest and most important vehicle maker with an enviable roll-call of great cars to its name – plus 110 years of American sports car maker Mercer, with Suzuki being established the same year although not making its first vehicles until the 1950s.

Back in 1919, French industrialist and entrepreneur André Citroën turned his attention away from his double helical gears to concentrate on making motor vehicles, introducing Europe’s first mass-production car plant, based in Paris and inspired by Henry Ford’s Model T. This was the first of many Citroën innovations that helped shape the motor cars we drive today, with a trio of the marque’s pioneering models – the 7CV-11CV ‘Traction Avant’, 2CV and DS – being widely regarded and expertly voted as three of the most important cars of the 20^th Century, not dismissing other significant Citroën models such as the advanced GS, SM, CX, plus of course the charismatic HY van.

Bentley’s mark on motoring has been a rather more exclusive and prestigious one than its fellow centenarian Citroën, with gifted engineering founder W.O. Bentley famously putting his cars on the map by taking a series of decisive victories at Le Mans in the 1920s, before Rolls-Royce took over his business in the 1930s to continue making luxury Bentleys. Today the Crewe-based firm forms part of the mammoth VW empire and enjoys worldwide sales that W.O. Bentley could only have dreamed of.

Other centenaries in 2019 include the distinctive and talented automotive creations of the Milan coachbuilder and design house Zagato, along with the crazy workings of the propeller-driven French Leyats, plus the stunning automotive creations of the gifted aviation pioneer Gabriel Voisin; some of the above due to appear at Goodwood to admire in person during some of this year’s motoring events.

Post-war automotive celebrations for 2019 will include the 70^th anniversary since Austrian-born engineer Carlos (Karl) Abarth established his specialist tuning and sports car firm in Turin in 1949, along with the first reveal of VW’s now-iconic ‘Type 2’ air-cooled commercial vehicle range. 

Ten years later saw the launch of a number of interesting and important new models, with 1959 debuts for the Jaguar Mark 2 and IX, Maserati 5000 GT, Daimler SP2350 ‘Dart’, BMC ‘Farina’ saloons, Austin-Healey 3000, Fiat 1800-2100, Studebaker Lark, Triumph Herald, Ford Anglia, Citroen Bijou, BMW 700, Lloyd Arabella, and so on.

The most significant of all 1959 entrants though proved to be BMC’s Austin-Morris Mini, the revolutionary front-wheel-drive city car with Issigonis’ innovative transverse engine layout. We can look forward to celebrating the Mini’s 60^th birthday with a dedicated race at the 77^th Goodwood Members’ Meeting over the weekend of 6-7 April, which promises to be extremely entertaining.

This year also sees the 50^th anniversary of a range of front-wheel-drive family cars, some of which enjoyed significant sales success, like the Fiat 128, Renault 12 and Autobianchi A112, along with the less popular Austin Maxi and boxy-but-good Autobianchi A111. Aston Martin’s first of numerous V8-powered models was also launched in 1969; the handsome William Towns-designed DBS V8.

Forty years ago the Astra (Vauxhall-Opel’s first front-wheel-drive model), Citation (likewise for Chevrolet), the Lancia Delta (European Car of the Year), Peugeot 505 and unloved Alfa Romeo Alfa 6 were all launched. A decade on from that, in 1989, the Lexus prestige brand was introduced, along with Mazda’s sensational reinvention of the classic ‘British sports car’, the first MX-5/Eunos Roadster.

A quarter of a century ago saw the new-in-1994 Alfa Romeo 145, Audi’s RS2 Avant, the Chrysler Neon, Ferrari F355, Jaguar XJ (X300), Lancia Kappa, Vauxhall-Opel Tigra, Skoda Felicia and third-generation Volkswagen Polo, so not too much to get worked-up about there then.

However, with plenty of other exciting anniversaries to enjoy throughout 2019, this year should make for one to remember and cherish for all true petrolheads. I for one can’t wait to see how the motoring events of 2019 unfurl.