Columns


  • 1972 Maserati Boomerang Coupe

    First seen as a concept car at the Turin Motor Show in 1971, the Maserati Boomerang was a typically adventurous work by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Boomerang borrowed its mechanical underpinnings and 4.7-liter V8 engine from the recently introduced Maserati Bora coupé, the Italian firm’s first mid-engined production car. With 310 hp on tap, the Boomerang…

  • From Wide-Eyed to Bugeye

    Being a part of the collector car world offers a multitude of experiences, from the grand to the familiar. During the past month, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of the absolute high end of the collector car world, which included watching the car-as-art Maserati Boomerang sell as a part of the Chantilly…

  • Your Year-End Car Collection Checklist

    It’s the end of a great year for the collector car market. As it winds down, readers should take the opportunity to focus on a number of planning details. Tax rates likely to stay the same Year-end tax planning doesn’t look terribly complicated this year. Election season is in full swing — even though the…

  • Volkswagen’s Hot Hatch Turns Collectible

    Volkswagen’s Hot Hatch Turns Collectible

    By 1970, Volkswagen’s “People’s Car,” the venerable Type 1 Beetle, was long in the tooth. The company knew it was time for a successor — something cleaner than the stinky old air-cooled model, with a modern body design. The company got to work on a new project called the Type 17. The new car used…

  • 1988 Porsche 930 “Slantnose” Coupe

    Styling for the “Slantnose” 911 Turbo came from the legendary Porsche 935 race car. This factory option was executed on the raw body shell, allowing Porsche’s anti-corrosion warranty to be retained. Included in the price of $23,244 were sloped front fenders, retractable headlamps and air vents to ensure efficient cooling for the brakes and engine.…

  • Tank Swap
    ,

    Tank Swap

    The average muscle car is over 40 years old now, and it’s easy to forget that it lived a full life during that time — a life that likely filled its original fuel tank with rocks and rust scale. If you’ve ever run an old car out of gas, you probably cursed this stuff as…

  • 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL

    The early 1970s were landmark years for BMW, for not only did the German manufacturer power Jean-Pierre Jarier to the European Formula 2 Championship, it also captured the European Touring Car Championship using one of the most iconic racing saloons of modern times: the 3.0 CSL, known popularly as the Batmobile. BMW had returned to…

  • 2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo

    The S7 Twin Turbo presented here stands out from the rest of S7 production for several reasons. Primarily, it was the first S7 to be fitted with the Competition Package upgrade, and according to Saleen, it is one of only two such cars to produce 1,000 horsepower via increased turbocharger boost and revised engine mapping.…

  • 1982 Porsche 956

    The history of 956003, and the Porsche 956 program at large, can be tracked back to 1981. That year, the FIA began to roll out regulations for its new Group C category for sports car racing, designed to replace both Group 5 (closed touring prototypes like the 935) and Group 6 (open sports car prototypes…

  • 1927 Bentley 6½ Litre Le Mans Sports

    As with all great W.O. Bentley-era cars, the legendary 6½ Litre owes its existence to the original 3-liter design. Racing success, including the 1924 and 1927 Le Mans wins, quickly drove sales, with buyers soon demanding ever-more luxurious and heavy custom coachwork, resulting in the more powerful 4½ Litre, which in modified form earned Bentley’s…