Columns

1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider by Touring

The 8C 2900 was not a mere sports car, but the most advanced, modern and compelling sports car that money could buy. To the gentleman who was accustomed to watching the workings of his Swiss watch or mastering the intricacies of his yacht’s sails, it was a symphony. It is […]

1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Spider

In 1953, Stanley Arnolt purchased five sequential Aston Martin DB2/4 chassis and sent them to Carrozzeria Bertone to be fitted with custom coachwork. While the even-numbered chassis were fitted with opulent, luxurious bodies, 503, 505, and 507 were fitted with a distinctive sporting design penned by one of the most […]

1962 Shelby Cobra CSX2000

This very first Cobra, CSX2000, arrived in the United States in February 1962. It was personally picked up at the Los Angeles airport by Carroll Shelby and Dean Moon before being brought back to Moon’s shop, where they installed the 260-ci V8 Ford engine with a Ford gearbox in a […]

The Best Buys at Any Price

1972 Iso Grifo Series II Gooding & Company Lot 66, which sold for the “was everyone sleeping?” price of $511,500 Earlier this year, a good friend — and wonderfully overzealous lover of all things Iso — asked me if there was any chance this car could be worth $1 million, […]

Retro Looks, Modern Sound

Classic cars and music go hand-in-hand. What fun is driving your ’57 Chevy without Buddy Holly, or your ’65 Mustang without the Beach Boys, or your ’70 Charger without the Stones? Chances are your classic car still has its original AM radio. They just look right — better than a […]

I’ll Build it Someday

A few weeks ago, while on a walk with my daughter in my neighborhood, I caught a glimpse of a rounded metal roof peeking out from behind a fence. I stood up tall to look over and saw a ’56 Chevy 2-door post. Half-consumed by blackberry bushes, it sat with its […]

Requiem for the Car Club?

I like to think I’m not getting old, but unless I stop looking in mirrors (and change my diet to 100% Ibuprofen), I can’t help but face the fact that I am. Along with that, I suppose, comes the responsibility to bitch about how much better it was in “the old […]

Making It Personal

Custom vans defined the 1970s. You can chalk that movement up to a number of factors: withdrawal from the hippie movement or the disappearance of muscle cars, a market glut of used first- and second-generation American work vans, and a burgeoning interest in light-duty trucks despite the OPEC oil crisis. […]

Plastic Fantastic

For an English major, I sure did lousy in Ye Olde English Literature. Byron, Keats, Milton and the rest seemed unbearably stuffy compared to my favorite authors of the period — the editors of Hot Rod, Road & Track and Car and Driver — in particular, Brock Yates. But one […]

Courtesy of Mecum Auctions

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

638-hp supercharged LS9 engine 6-speed transmission, twin-disc clutch Selective Magnetic Ride Control Aluminum chassis, 3,324-lb curb weight Carbon-fiber hood, front fenders, roof panel, rocker moldings and front splitter Brembo four-wheel disc brakes Chrome 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels Blade Silver with black leather interior Bose seven-speaker sound system Keyless […]