The drophead top doesn't compress very well, and in the "down" position often gives the appearance of a car packing a mattressHF. S. Morgan couldn't have guessed back in 1910 that the DNA of his first trike would form the basis of generations of...
[read more]

Dynamically, the transformation wrought by Lotus was amazing. On a twisty road, the dumpy little Cortina could shame cars costing four times as muchOf the 2,894 Mk 1 Lotus Cortinas produced, only 64 were built by the factory as Special Equipment...
[read more]

Bonhams exhibited British understatement when it said, "Prospective buyers are advised not to rely heavily on the front brakes, which are not connected"Once described by Lawrence of Arabia as "above rubies in the desert," Rolls-Royce's WWI armor...
[read more]

The vendor commissioned the restoration over three years to exacting standards, then only ran it to log a few break-in miles. Why?With the arrival of the MGA roadster in 1955, many MG aficionados were taken aback by the fact that the pre-war loo...
[read more]

At the end of World War I, Walter Owen Bentley gathered a small group of dedicated and skilled artisans to create Bentley Motors. The first Bentleys appeared in 1919, a group of three experimental 3-liter cars. In the following decade, the 3-lit...
[read more]

A pre-war sports car requires more skill and nerve than newer machinery, but the rewards can be enjoyable at speeds just over the legal limitBy the mid-1930s, Aston Martin was one of the most admired British sporting makes. Solidly engineered, l...
[read more]

Two years ago, $60,000 would have been a good price for this concours-winning BJ8. By waiting, the seller's return increased by more than 50%The new Austin-Healey went into production in 1953 and was immediately popular in the U.S. The cars were...
[read more]

It sold for $97,200 because someone decided that it was worth it to him or her. That's it. Period. End of storyThis Triumph TR4 is a two-year, frame-off restoration. Everything on this vehicle is new or rebuilt, including the engine, transmissio...
[read more]

It bears no resemblance to a standard steel Mark VI, and may be the most valuable Bentley in existenceThis elegant 1947 Bentley Mk VI Franay Drophead Coupe, with its outrageous coachwork and curlicue trim, really belongs with Figoni et Falaschi ...
[read more]

The needle of the rev counter can be wound to the red zone, and each gear takes the car into a new dimensionDesigned and built with the sole intention of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the renowned Jaguar C-type was a development of the alread...
[read more]

They were cited by motoring journalists as an example of the thrills to be found in driving slow cars quicklyThe Triumph Spitfire 1500, according to the original brochure, is a true sports car whose classic lines express "the harmony of power an...
[read more]

We secretly longed for a world where martinis were specifically ordered by dashing secret agents who wore white dinner jackets under their wetsuitsJames Bond's Aston Martin DB5, which roared into the public consciousness in the 1964 movie "Goldf...
[read more]

Looking at the clumsy double tops I wonder: What were they thinking?When electrical engineer F. H. Royce joined forces with well-known motoring sportsman the Hon. C. S. Rolls to form Rolls-Royce Motors in 1905, it took them two years to hit thei...
[read more]

In the end, who cares about their pug-like looks. They work and they can't be killedLand Rover is one of the most charismatic names in the motoring world, with a rich history around the globe. Its beginnings were humble-it was designed as a util...
[read more]

An Esprit makes sense based on performance and price, but it falls short on craftsmanship and materialsAlthough the wedge-shaped Lotus Esprit has been around long enough to be something of a 1970s retro car, it has gone through significant chang...
[read more]