Author: Jeff Zurschmeide

Jeff is a lifelong automobile enthusiast with a penchant for sports and racing cars. He has raced SCCA, local circle track, and stage rally as a co-driver. He makes his living as a freelance automotive journalist and is the author of six books on automotive topics. As a rule, he practices catch-and-release fishing when it comes to collectible automobiles, trying to leave each one in better condition than he found it. Enduring passions include his MGA and Austin Mini, and his 1969 Corvette. He recently purchased a 1920 Ford Model T Touring because “you just have to have one of these once in your life.”

2016 Ford Shelby Mustang GT-H Coupe “Executive Car”

The run of 2016 Shelby Mustang GT-Hs for Hertz included 140 examples delivered into the rental fleet for allocation day-by-day to mere mortals, and then 16 of the “Executive Cars,” a name that to the Hertz Shelby enthusiast has a special aura. These 16 cars were not rented but were […]

One Impressive Impreza

Mention Subaru to most people and they’ll think of an Outback station wagon-cum-crossover. Tighten it up to Subaru sports cars and they will usually think of the WRX and WRX STI hot rods, or the strangely sci-fi SVX of the 1990s. But there was a brief period at the turn […]

Guest Blog: SCM Goes Gambling

The Gambler 500 Rally is in some ways the polar opposite of Sports Car Market. Where we mainly concern ourselves with highly collectible cars in top condition, the cars of the Gambler lean mightily towards the “disposable” end of the spectrum. While the event no longer has a $500 rule, […]

The Sweet Spot

BMW is well known for building performance cars, but it was the E30-generation 3 Series of the 1980s that really put the German automaker on the map for affordable performance. When the succeeding E36-generation 3 Series was unveiled, BMW fans expected something spectacular. What they got was not the lightweight, […]

Hot Hatch Fever

It takes some guts to walk away from everything that made your car company great, but that’s what Volkswagen did in the early 1970s. The 1974 Rabbit (or Golf, depending on your continent) was the replacement for the antiquated air-cooled Beetle. The all-new A1 platform was a complete departure for […]

Depreciation, Italian Style

When Maserati returned to America in 2002, the company ended an 11-year absence from our market. A lot happened in those years, most notably an ownership transfer from Fiat to Ferrari. That change has been crucial to Maserati ever since. For one thing, it gave Maserati a ready-made dealership and […]

2012 Aston Martin One-77

This 2012 Aston Martin One-77 is the 25th of just 77 examples ever made. It was delivered to Switzerland in 2012. According to the accompanying Certificate of Authenticity, it was ordered in the subtly luxurious colors of Bronze Pearl over Bitter Chocolate leather with Cream Truffle trim, with brushed-metal exterior […]

2002 Lamborghini Murciélago

As the Lamborghini story goes, the “Murciélago,” or “bat” in Spanish, was named after a famous bull that survived its matador in 1879 in the Cordoba arena. When it was launched in 2002, this was one of the fastest supercars of its day, capable of over 330 km/h thanks to […]