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1990 Alfa Romeo SZ
This modern interpretation of the Sprint Zagato was also known internally as the ES-30, or Experimental Sports Three-Liter. This low-production, high-performance automobile was designed by Robert Opron and Antonio Castellana, who had based it on the floorpan of the Group A/IMSA Alfa 75. The front-engine/rear-drive design also borrowed that model’s 5-speed manual rear transaxle and…
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1914 Mercedes 28/95 Phaeton
Readied in 1914 to replace the 4-cylinder 37/90, for all intents and purposes, the Mercedes 28/95 did not reach production until after World War I. By the time it did reach its customers, the big 7,280-cc, 90-bhp overhead-camshaft 6-cylinder engine had been fitted with a cover to enclose the previously exposed shaft-and-bevel gear-driven valve-gear. Two…
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1960 Chrysler 300F Hard Top
Road & Track magazine called out the Chrysler “letter cars” as being a very significant automobile. They stressed to their European-favoring readers that it was not a sports car, but it was the best that Detroit had to offer in its luxury “sedan class.” They succinctly summed up an evaluation as “an athletic, but lovable…
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Auction Tips and Traps
January is nearing, and a good percentage of us will be making the annual pilgrimage to Scottsdale auction week. Great cars in the winter desert is tough to beat, especially when you board your plane in single-digit weather. But with thousands of bidders chasing fewer cars, well-stocked bidders’ bars and many millions of dollars changing…
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Something Lost, Something Gained
My 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce, s/n 390290, left the factory in Arese, Italy, on January 28, 1965. It was one of 1,096 Giulia Veloces built. It was painted the unusual and highly attractive color of Grigio Mare, with a lipstick red/orange interior. It was just a nice used car when I bought it…
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1959 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Sedan
Under the bonnet of this German-engineered car is an inline 6-cylinder engine that is extremely detailed. Connected to the engine is a smooth- shifting 4-speed manual transmission. The burgundy exterior shows really well, along with the brightwork, whitewall tires, color-keyed wheel covers and the factory road lights. The interior is tailored with tan leather upholstery,…
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1966 Shelby GT350 “Change-Over”
To ensure that Shelby American would have its 1966 GT350 models in dealerships when Ford released the new ’66 Mustangs, Shelby ordered an additional 252 cars from Ford’s San Jose plant at the very end of 1965 production. These change-over cars (often referred to as carry-overs) were essentially Shelby-spec ’65 GT350s. They received the same…
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1963 Lotus Super Seven Series 2 1500 Cosworth
The Lotus Seven is a small, simple, lightweight two-seater open-top sports car produced by Lotus Cars (initially called Lotus Engineering) between 1957 and 1972. It was designed by Lotus founder Colin Chapman, and has been considered the embodiment of the Lotus philosophy of performance through low weight and simplicity. The original model was highly successful,…
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1962 Ferrari 250 GTE Series II 2+2 Coupe
Although several special-order 2+2s had been produced in the 1950s, the 250 GTE was Ferrari’s first true production 2+2, and it enabled them to widen their potential market and compete directly with Aston Martin, Maserati and Facel Vega. The new 2+2 would bring for the first time wide-scale production, with 953 examples in total, across…
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1968 Triumph TR5 Roadster
Similar to the preceding TR4A — the first TR with independent rear suspension — but with Triumph’s 2.5-liter, 6-cylinder engine installed in place of the old 2.1-liter four, the TR5 was produced during the 1968 model year only (October 1967 to November 1968) pending the arrival of the restyled TR6. The bulk of production was…