Columns

A “B-Ticket” Ride

Old cars are admission tickets to old car events. You can’t go on the Mille Miglia unless you have a pre-1958 car similar to one that was raced in the event. Pre-1968 Alfa convertibles are the preferred ride for the local Alfa Club’s annual “Old Spider Tour.” Think horses for […]

Is the TR8 Lemon Due for Some Sugar?

The last volume-produced traditional British roadster was the Triumph TR6. Even in 1969 when it was introduced, it was obsolete. Magazines such as Road & Track clamored for better, newer sports cars with modern engines, chassis and unibody construction—cars that would finally dispense with antiquated features like lever-action shocks and […]

Compelled to Collect

  With Monterey just around the corner, collectors’ thoughts have shifted from the restore-and-refurbish activities of winter to the buying and selling of summer. While car transactions happen year round, there’s no doubt they attract more attention in the warm months—and the most attention of all in August. For me, […]

A Truck Stuck in the 1946 Wayback Machine

By 1940, military planners all but knew that the United States was eventually going to end up embroiled in World War II. Specifications were drawn up for military-specific truck configurations, and Dodge was at the forefront. Contracts were let initially for a series of half-ton trucks based on the new-for-1940 […]

1957 Porsche 356A 1600S “Super” Speedster

By 1956, the Porsche 356 had been continually developed into one of the world’s most respected sports cars. This feat was quite remarkable considering that Porsche as a company was only celebrating its eighth anniversary. The evolution of the Porsche 356 was swift and further impelled not only by Porsche’s […]

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 COPO Coupe

In 1969, Chevy performance guru Vince Piggins took direct aim at NHRA’s Super Stock and Pro Stock classes. His weapon of choice was the all-aluminum; big-block powered ZL-1 Camaro. Sixty-nine cars were built, four of which were finished in Dover White. This is production number 53, the only Dover White […]

1976/1983 Ferrari 308 GTB Group B Michelotto

Introduced at the Paris Salon in 1975, the stunningly beautiful 308 GTB—Ferrari’s second V8 road car—marked a welcome return to Pininfarina styling following the Bertone-designed Dino 308 GT4. Badged as a proper Ferrari rather than a Dino, the newcomer had changed little mechanically, apart from a reduction in wheelbase. The […]

1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider by Scaglietti

Following engineer Aurelio Lampredi’s departure from Ferrari in 1955, a new engineering team was formed for 1956. These highly skilled men soon came up with a new 2-liter sports racing car: the 500 TR. This was the first Ferrari designated with the now-legendary name “Testa Rossa.” The 4-cylinder-engined Type 500 […]

1963 Aston Martin DB4 Convertible Barn Find

Classically proportioned and instantly recognizable from the moment of its introduction in 1958, the Touring-styled Aston Martin DB4 established a look that would survive, with only minor revisions, until 1970. Designed by Tadek Marek and already proven in racing, the DB4’s new twin-cam, 6-cylinder engine displaced 3670cc while the gearbox […]

1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero

  That windshield does tilt up, and once inside, a turn of the key starts the engine, and you can drive off across town. It’s the future come to vivid life Chassis number: C1160 With the Stratos Zero, Bertone transcended the limits of automotive styling and chiseled a shape that […]