If a Mercedes Gullwing is the iconic 1950s Grand Touring car, as many insist, then the ultra-exclusive, all-aluminum “alloy Gullwing” is the ultimate example. Mercedes built 29 of them in 1955 as a lightweight, racing variant on the production car. It was 175 lbs lighter than the steel car and sat on lowered suspension, with an upgraded engine, Plexiglas windows, Rudge wheels, and plaid cloth in the seats. It was frighteningly expensive, a serious uptick from the $8,500 normal Read More
This very well-documented example of the Porsche 906 — more familiarly known in period as the Carrera 6 — was supplied by Porsche Kundensport to the marque’s contemporary Australian importer, Alan Hamilton. In essence two cars emerged, both using the chassis identity 906 007. One is the entirely distinctive lightweight Spyder-bodied car nicknamed “Känguruh,” which ran so strongly with the flat-8 cylinder engine installed in the 1967 Targa Florio. The other is this now-standard Carrera 6 coupe-bodied machine offered here. Read More
The Bowes Seal Fast Special was first piloted at Indy by Louis Schneider in 1930, with Clyde Terry as riding mechanic. The car qualified 4th at a speed of 106 mph and finished 3rd on the lead lap (finished 200 laps). It ran with a Miller 8 122-ci engine.
The car is restored to its most famous livery as car number 23 and winner of the 1931 Indianapolis 500. Schneider again drove the car, this time with riding mechanic “Jigger” Read More
Among U.K. Datsun enthusiasts, particularly those with a fondness for the 6-cylinder Z series, there is no bigger name than that of Spike Anderson, legendary proprietor of Samuri Conversions and the man responsible for a succession of Z-based racers in the 1970s, most notably Win Percy’s famous “Big Sam.” Very few cars are so famous that they are commonly referred to by their registration number, but FFA196L is one such and rightly so, as it was the first Datsun 240Z Read More
It’s tempting to speculate what this car might have brought if it had retired after the 1964 season instead of being raced for years
One of the most desirable of all of the postwar Alfas, TZs were—and continue to be—considered as Alfa Romeo’s version of Ferrari’s GTO. Ranking in rarity with the very best sports cars, only about 112 were built between 1963 and 1967. TZs raced in the most important races, were driven by some of the best Read More
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 car retained its predecessor’s underpinnings and transversely mounted 3.0-liter V8 engine that now featured dry-sump lubrication. Produced initially with fiberglass bodywork—the first time this material had been used for a Read More