SCM Contributor
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1966 DeTomaso Vallelunga
The DeTomaso Vallelunga is a particularly rare and interesting car, and we are delighted to present this example, sold in 1966 to its first owner, probably in France. It was bought by the second owner in 1971, in the Haut-Rhin, where it remained until the owner died. At this point it was being prepared for…
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The Infinite Pleasures of the Open Mind
You may recall the reason why I chose the name “Unconventional Wisdom” for this column — it was because I had long ago tired of assumptions mistaken for presumptions that so often arise in the collector-car world. Usually the province of the “always/never” crowd, conventional wisdom most often leads to rock-solid opinions based on sand.…
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1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Turismo Ministeriale
Presented is a fascinating pre-war Alfa Romeo, underpinned by the final 6C 2500 Turismo chassis built in 1939. Its rare Ministeriale six/seven-seater coachwork was only built for 1939–40, and its coachwork was designed and built by Alfa’s own Carrozzeria Alfa Romeo. Only 81 examples of this body style were completed. It is believed that two…
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Finding Perspective Through Your Passion
The past few months have given me, as they have to many others, time to reflect on what is truly important and meaningful in my life — and the way I interact with the community of the world. That’s sort of a grand statement, but it actually brings home to me how a series of…
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1967 Maserati Mistral 4.0 Alloy Coupe by Frua
Styled by Pietro Frua, the lithe Mistral was the first in a series of great Maserati sports cars named for fearsome winds, which went on to include the Ghibli, Bora, Shamal and Khamsin, among others. The Mistral was also the last of its kind, at least in terms of its engine. Equipped with the largest-displacement…
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La Vita Riprendo
As many who read this column know, I am a retired opera singer. One of my favorite composers is Giuseppe Verdi — not least because he wrote amazing music for the baritone voice. Verdi loved Shakespeare, and one of the best baritone roles he created was that of Macbeth. In Act Two of the opera,…
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1984 Lamborghini Jalpa 3.5 Targa
3.5-liter V8 engine; 5-speed manual transmission, beneficiary of a professional restoration completed in 2016 Odometer displays 80,021 kilometers (about 49,723 miles). Removable targa top, Carello fog lights, and Ruote O.Z. wheels Equipped with Alpine radio with cassette and Alpine car phone; retains $5,000 optional rear wing Accompanied by owner’s manual and binder of documentation One…
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Color Madness
I named this column “Unconventional Wisdom” for a specific reason. So often through the years, I have been involved in situations in which statements were made that were considered absolute by the speaker. “They never did that.” Or its inevitable twin, “They always did that.” The topics that engender these absolutes can wildly vary, but one that comes up time…
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1972 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS Spyder
With just 46 examples built, the Ghibli 4.9 SS Spyder is among the most exclusive of all road-going Maseratis and one of the most sought-after high-performance Italian exotics of the early 1970s. These extraordinary automobiles rarely appear for sale, either at auction or privately, as most are fixtures in major collections. This particular example, with…
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Making Connections from a Distance
By all accounts, Dean S. Edmonds Jr. was quite a man. Briefly summarized, he earned his Ph.D. at MIT in 1958 for work on the cesium atomic clock, following his U.S. Army service from 1943 to 1947. He was a professor of physics at Boston University for 30 years until his retirement in 1991. An…