Profiles
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Le Sport Sedan
After years of peddling a variety of stodgy semi-luxury sedans on our shores, would a sleek, rev-happy 4-door with impeccable chassis tuning be enough to reverse nearly a decade of slipping sales? Peugeot sure hoped so — which is why it sent its 405 Mi16 to America in late 1988. Modern makeover The 405 was…
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1952 Muntz Jet
Earl “Madman” Muntz was, in every sense, one of the great characters of early post-war America. His fortunes — there was more than one — were made in used cars, and subsequently in manufacturing and selling televisions; reportedly “TV” was first coined when Muntz abbreviated the name for skywriting. Muntz’s Jet was created when the…
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2003 Ferrari Enzo
This 2003 Ferrari Enzo is the very definition of exclusivity in a bespoke Ferrari, a one-of-one creation ordered new by Phil Bachman and customized through the factory to Phil and his wife, Martha’s, exacting specifications. Of the 400 examples produced from 2002 through 2004, this Enzo, S/N 135262, is one of 127 built for the…
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2009 Nissan GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is, quite possibly, the most famous Japanese sports car ever created. Known the world over for its myriad appearances in popular media and atop motorsport podiums, the GT-R’s massive mystique is founded in its monstrous performance capabilities. From humble beginnings as a modestly powered “economy” platform of the late 1950s, each…
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1994 McLaren F1
Chassis number: SA9AB5AC4R1048014 Out of just 64 road-specification examples of the pioneering McLaren F1, offered here is the 14th car completed, originally configured in the bright shade of Titanium Yellow over a black leather and Alcantara interior ahead of being delivered to the Brunei royal family. Boasting Brunei provenance and later upgraded by McLaren with…
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1978 Renault-Alpine A 442
A remarkably historic car, this A 442 competed in the 1975 endurance-racing season, raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 and was in the pits at Le Mans in 1978. It has been driven by the greatest racers of its time. Of the five Renault-Alpine A 442 and A 443 cars built with…
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Party Car
When we think of performance Fords here in the U.S., our focus is mostly on thundering V8-powered Mustangs, mid-engine GTs and the brawny F-150 Raptor. These are big cars with even bigger presence. But Ford of Europe is big on performance too, just in a smaller way. Across the pond, “Fast Fords” are most often…
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1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster
While the enlargement of the Thunderbird into a 4-passenger car proved excellent for sales, buyers continued to pester Ford for the return of a 2-passenger model. In response, for 1962, the third-generation “Bullet Bird” became available as a limited-production Sports Roadster. The “top-of-the-line” Ford featured a sleek fiberglass tonneau that fit over the rear seat,…
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1954 Swallow Doretti
The Swallow Doretti was a brief-yet-intriguing British sports car, produced in 1954–55 by Swallow Coachbuilding, then under Tube Investments. Styled by Frank Rainbow, it featured a Reynolds 531 tubular steel chassis, aluminum body and Triumph TR2 running gear. Like many Swallows, this Doretti was sold new in California. Our subject car’s buyer was Harvey M.…
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1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Spider
Only 38 examples of the 2900 were produced by Alfa Romeo, with fewer known to exist today. Some of the most desirable of these are the long-chassis Spiders — “long” being a relative term, as the wheelbase was only extended by 20 centimeters but provided the most luxurious platform for a 2-seater body. Built in…