Archives
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Living the 356 Dream
One of the best things is just banging around local roads and pretty scenery with a few 356s running along with you The Gathering of the Faithful. That’s what they used to call the annual meeting of 356 owners 30 years ago. Everyone got together, looked at each other’s cars, swapped tall tales, and generally…
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1967 Corvette 427/435 L71
In the Corvette world, three models have dominated the collector market: the 1957 with fuel injection, the 1963 Split-Window Sting Ray with fuel injection, and the 1967 Sting Ray with the top horsepower 427 engines. Other years may have offered better performance, superior features, or better styling, but this threesome tops the value list.…
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1953 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster
The Corvette was introduced at the General Motors Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York and it was a sensation. Its two-seater body was wrapped around the conventional perimeter frame chassis with independent front suspension and live rear axle. The body itself was a revelation, constructed from a revolutionary material called fiberglass that was…
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Fuelies-The Story Behind the Story
So is it worth paying a 15%-20% premium for a car with a notoriously troublesome FI system? The market seems to say it is {vsig}2007-9_2065{/vsig} In the early years of the horsepower wars, in the mid-1950s, Detroit was looking for ways to get a jump on the competition. The new frontier was fuel injection, with…
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4-Seat Supercars
Most 456 owners go straight to the 30,000-mile service, at a “starting” cost of about $5,000 (Part II: Bring the kids. Contemporary 2+2s) Modern four-seat Ferraris are user-friendly, entry-level supercars. You might compromise on the number of seats, but not on performance. Last month I reviewed Ferraris with more seats than doors, starting with the…
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Sunbeam’s Snakebit Tiger
I asked a group of gearheads why Tigers can be bought so cheaply, and almost in unison they said: “Because of the styling” The story of the Sunbeam Tiger remains a frustrating one to aficionados, who struggle with a version of the Rodney Dangerfield Syndrome. If the car can win respect for its performance, why…
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Best Investments? Dial 911
Low-mileage cars are a funny part of the hobby; you can’t use your new toy or you drive away its distinction All 911s were not created equal, and they are not treated equally by vintage car buyers. Each move in the market favors certain models, making superstars out of some and leaving others behind. Herewith…
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When Size Does Matter
How to decode the evolution of Ford’s 427, 428, and 429 big block muscle {vsig}2007-8_2040{/vsig} Ford 427, 428, 429. What do these similar numbers tell us about very different engines? To the uninitiated, Ford’s big inch performance motors all seem basically the same, with slightly different displacements. Nothing could be further from the truth. That…
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Room for Four
Mechanics, parts suppliers and restoration shops do not discriminate; Ferrari parts and labor do not relate to market value (Part I: More seats, less money. The early 2+2s) {vsig}2007-8_2044{/vsig} In the late 1950s, Aston Martin and Maserati found a very lucrative market niche supplying GT cars to owners who wanted to bring the occasional extra…
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REALLY Basic British Fords
The Ford Popular was happy only on the crown of the road, and steering one was likened to stirring jam with a rubber spoon {vsig}2007-8_2041{/vsig} The British must truly love their Fords, since the models produced after the end of World War II appear so frequently in popular media. One definition of “icon” is a…