Archives
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Ferrari Tests Its Brakes
In last month’s column I discussed how Ferraris have evolved through three distinctive eras in the past 60 years: 1. Racing-based evolution of the Enzo Ferrari era 2. Mass production of the Fiat years 3. Even-higher-volume of the di Montezemolo era I concluded, in part, that the Enzo-era cars are the most collectible and highest…
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60 Years and Three Ages of Ferrari
Over the last 60 years, Ferraris have evolved through three distinctive eras: the Enzo Ferrari era, the mass-market Fiat years, and the present high-volume exotics from Luca di Montezemolo. The Enzo era began modestly enough in 1947 with a pair of 125 Barchettas, s/ns 01C and 02C. Powered by a diminutive 1,497-cc V12, putting out…
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1962 Resto-Mod
This 1962 Corvette resto-mod is powered by a 5.4-liter, 300-hp, chromed-out small-block crate engine with two four-barrel Edelbrock carbs mated to a standard four-speed transmission and nine-inch Ford differential, and is cooled by a Be Cool aluminum radiator and fans. The car features a modified Art Morrison chassis No. 2 with Corvette C4 front suspension,…
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1963 Grand Sport Roadster #002
The culmination of the Corvette’s early development came in 1963 with the five Grand Sports. These were emblematic of the Corvette’s potential and fired public imagination that a production-based sports car could hold its own with European marques at Le Mans, Daytona, the Targa Florio, Sebring, and Monza. The first hint of ambitions came with…
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1963 327/360 Z06 Yenko Coupe “Gulf One”
When the new Corvette Sting Ray was introduced in late 1962, the Corvette was almost a perennial national champion in SCCA racing, but Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov took the game to a new level by slipping an obscurely labeled Regular Production Option (RPO) into the Corvette option list—Z06. Equipment included large heavy-duty drum brakes…
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1971 350/330 LT-1 Coupe
The C3 Corvette LT-1 has become synonymous with the idea of a high-output small-block V8, and it carried the added bonus of an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution. First appearing in 1970, the LT-1 offered 370-horsepower and 380 ft-lb of torque in a solid-lifter 350-ci small-block, along with an 11:1 compression ratio and a 0–100…
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GM Heritage Fleet: C4 Dreams and C5 Mules
General Motors captured the spotlight at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction from January 11–18, 2009, when it released 252 cars from its Heritage Fleet for no-reserve sale. (The Heritage Fleet must be differentiated from GM’s Heritage Collection; the former are surplus or less important cars, the latter are the milestone cars that represent GM’s 100 years…
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1998 Callaway C12 Coupe
Callaway has built a firm reputation for producing some of the most sophisticated and advanced Corvette-based automobiles ever to hit the road. Callaway’s C12, introduced in 1998, continued this legacy. Designed, developed, and constructed with the assistance of German engineering and development company IVM, the C12 was created from the outset to be a bespoke,…
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Restoration 101
I’ve seen $2,500 air filters, a $35,000 exhaust, $5,000 plug wires, $10,000 batteries, and $50,000 original tires {vsig}2008-12_2257{/vsig} It’s a common misconception that domestic cars are cheap and easy to restore. Unfortunately, many people have found out too late that this is not true. Let’s face facts: Most restorations are financial suicide. Unless you have…
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New Day, New Rules
Six months ago we received one or two calls or emails a day from people who wanted us to help them to market and sell their Ferraris. Today we receive half a dozen calls or emails every day, and the number is growing. With each call I laboriously explain that regardless of whether prices are…