Here’s one more car straight from our archives, the
1991 Baltazar Zeppelin
Zeppelin 2.0S in Midnight Purple with Deep Black Roof
Introduced in the 1990 Paris Motorshow, the Baltazar Zeppelin was the brand’s attempt to rejuvenate its image, by introducing a sporty and lightweight sports car. Designed from scratch with a unique steel monocoque, the elegant and smooth bodywork was made from aluminium, enhancing the lightweight theme further.
As the flag-bearers of the small, lightweight sports car, assembly took place in the UK, within the terrain of the Baltazar-Bonham complex in , Worcestershire, in a small assembly line dedicated to this model.
Inside, it was a lesson in minimalism. The interior had creature comforts like a simple, 2-speaker, cassette radio, electric windows and power locks, but aircon was an optional extra. The seats were sportier than in your average Baltazar and finished in a mixture of cloth and velour. In order to keep costs down, however, a lot of the switchgear, instruments and some other trim pieces could be recognised from other models.
Zeppelin 2.0S in Midnight Purple with Deep Black Roof
The suspension was independent all-round, with double wishbones on all four corners. The engine was mounted in the middle, transversely, with the 5-speed gearbox next to it. This configuration allowed the use of some of the engines already found in the rest of the Baltazar range.
Chosen for the mission was a short-stroke version of the Baltazar Large Inline 4 engine, a proven and trusty engine, built in several iterations since 1977. The cast-iron, SOHC, 2-valve per cylinder base perhaps wasn’t the most cutting-edge in engine technologies, but it was heavily reworked by the engineers from Baltazar Racing to deliver two very different flavours.
Zeppelin 2.0S in Midnight Purple with Deep Black Roof
The entry level model, 2.0S, feature a naturally-aspirated version of this engine, designed to provide mid-range pull and good fuel economy, with features like an exclusive coating on the pistons to minimize friction. The resulting output was 140 hp @6,200 rpm and 172 Nm @4,500 rpm. That power was enough to bring the 976 kg car from 0-100 in 7.4s and onto a top speed of 211 km/h.
Despite those good numbers, especially for the era, many felt something was missing and some of the press urged Baltazar to make a faster model.
More to come…