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Damaged at the Concours
“Bob” was pretty excited about showing his car at a concours. His 1967 Alfa Duetto Spider Veloce was in exceptional condition. Never wrecked, it still sported the shiny, original red lacquer paint with no significant flaws from the car’s 120,000-mile life. It was highly original — all the way down to the hose clamps and…
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A Great Beater Sports Car
This First World question is posed to me frequently: Which Mercedes-Benz convertible should I purchase as my daily driver? It’s a tough question. High-quality examples of the Mercedes-Benz R107 are seemingly doubling in value overnight. The R129 Series is doing what it was designed to do, which is spray hydraulic fluid from the top actuators…
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2012 Lola B1280 IMSA Racer
Available with powerplants from Nissan, Honda HPD, Lotus and, as with this example, the Judd BMW M3 V8, the Lola B1280 was the LMP2 version of the larger B08/60 chassis. With the large spinal fin, the car featured excellent stability at speed — a must for a car designed to go nearly 200 mph down…
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2001 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-Spec II
Turbocharged (Precision) 2.6-liter inline 6-cylinder engine 6-speed manual transmission Worldwide icon in the tuning world Front and rear spoilers Lower body aero elements Brembo 4-wheel disc brakes Nitto tires RAYS alloy wheels Air conditioning AM/FM/CD Power windows Reported as fewer than 2,000 V-spec IIs built The first cars named “Skyline GT-R” were produced between 1969…
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1966 Volkswagen Type 2 21-Window Samba Bus
Presented here is a 1966 Volkswagen Type 2 21-Window Samba fitted with the M164 sliding-door option from new. Only available on the 21-window Deluxe Samba model during production years 1966–67, the M164 sliding-door addition represented an expensive option and consequently, not many non-commercial customers ticked this box, meaning this model represents one of the rarest…
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2012 Ferrari 458 Challenge
1/23/2014: 1st Overall at the Ferrari Challenge, Race 1, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, FL, USA 1/24/2014: 11th Overall at the Ferrari Challenge, Race 2, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, FL, USA 1/11/2014: 4th Overall at the Ferrari Challenge, Race 1, Circuit of the Americas, TX, USA 2/11/2014: 2nd Overall at the Ferrari Challenge, Race 2, Circuit…
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1970 Volvo 122S Amazon Group 2 Rally
Introduced in 1956, the Volvo 120 Series lasted in production until 1970, by which time around half a million had been built. Its build quality, toughness and longevity helped to establish the Swedish company’s reputation worldwide. Marketed in Sweden as the Amazon, this model was the first car to feature modern seat belts as standard…
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1964 Aston Martin DB5
Introduced in July 1963, the Aston Martin DB5 boasted a 4-liter engine, this enlarged unit having been seen first in the Lagonda Rapide of 1961. Equipped with three SU carburetors, the 400 engine produced 282 bhp at 5,500 rpm and was mated to a 4-speed/overdrive gearbox, a ZF 5-speed unit being standardized later. The DB5’s…
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1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin
The Packard Darrin was a special automobile in the maker’s lineup. It was a blending of all the glory that was Packard in the Classic Era and the stunning design work of Howard “Dutch” Darrin. The result was one of the more glamorous cars of the 1940s. According to its body tag, this Darrin was…
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A Heads-Up on Hoods-Up
I have a pet peeve at concours. It’s owners who insist on leaving the hoods of their cars open all day long. It’s hardly the way designers would want their cars seen. Further, the hoods jutting upwards are a jarring contrast to the elegant setting of a concours field. A few weeks ago, I wrote…