
Although founded in the 1920s, the company that would become Mazda Motor Corporation did not commence series production of passenger cars until 1960. Only four years later, the Japanese firm exhibited its first rotary-engined prototype, having acquired the rights to produce NSU’s Wankel-designed engines. In 1966, Mazda launched its first rotary engine, the Cosmo L10A,…

Many years ago, I was considering buying a Mercedes 230SL and called Mercedes guru, SCM contributor and collector Alex Dearborn to ask for his advice. I told him the car was straight enough, a little scruffy in and out, would need a torn swing-axle boot replaced, had a 4-speed and both tops. At that…

We recently reported on the status of a lawsuit involving the Briggs Cunningham Corvette, which is ongoing (December 2013, p. 40 and January 2014, p. 42). Domenico M. Idoni, one of the plaintiffs in that case, is now the plaintiff in another lawsuit involving another Corvette, the “Real McCoy.” That’s either bad luck or…

While it is common today to think that the introduction of Jaguar’s new “sporting” model in 1975 was greeted with jeers, the truth is rather different. Certainly the XJ-S (the name carried a hyphen until 1991, when it became the XJS) was a notable departure from the XKE. The nomenclature clearly indicated that it was…

For the 1996 model year, Chevrolet decided that a very special Corvette was needed to commemorate the end of the highly successful C4 generation. Dubbed the Grand Sport, this special car was named after the famous lightweight factory Corvette racers of the early ’60s. Echoing the original, the new Grand Sport featured a special Admiral…

• True one-owner Trans Am purchased new at Jules Meyers Pontiac in West Los Angeles • Original owner, Jaques Toulet, owned the car from 1969 until 2013. • The car spent its entire life in California and Arizona and is completely rust-free • Number-matching original engine, transmission, rear end, heads, intake, carburetor and exhaust manifolds •…

• 225-hp, 332-ci overhead-valve V8 engine • 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission • Independent front suspension, live axle rear suspension with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel drum brakes • Offered from the collection of Richard and Linda Kughn • Ford’s famed “Hide-Away Hardtop” • An outstanding restoration; well equipped with accessories and options • Displayed at…

• Seamless joining of a 1969 Road Runner body to a 2008 Charger SRT8 • “Cars on Ice” Top 20 award • Professionally built by David Rodriguez • Hemi 6.1L engine • New AMD sheet metal with superb body gaps • SRT8 leather trimmed front bucket seats with SRT badging • Kicker sound system with…
• One of the very first California customs • Built in 1940 by Charles Marr and Gerry Huth • Owned for four decades by Carl Morton • Equipped with the best speed equipment and trim of the period This Mercury is a work of art and one of the earliest, most important “lead sleds.” It…

This Packard pickup is based on the 138-inch wheelbase 138D One-Twenty chassis. The original, factory touring limousine bodywork was truncated aft of the front doors and the back of a compatible pickup cab was grafted on. An original box from another period truck of comparable size was added, and it features a ribbed steel floor.…