Columns


  • 1936 MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe

    1936 MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe

    It could easily be argued that one of the prettiest swept-back designs of the 1930s was on the very few Airline Coupes that graced MG chassis. The design was created by H.W. Allingham, and the cathedral-style lighting panels on the sliding sunroof, the spare tire neatly blended into the swept-back tail underneath a metal cover,…

  • 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 S Spider America

    1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 S Spider America

    Lancia Aurelia B24 S Spider America 1131 This car is among the rare survivors, having resided for its entire life in the forgiving western United States. In 1992, it was owned by the president of the U.S. Lancia club, who also was an avid vintage racer. He had the car cosmetically restored by Italian Lancia…

  • Cacti and Campari

    Cacti and Campari

    Just weeks ago I was toodling through the Arizona desert, sneaking away from the auctions for a quick drive to Sedona in a lovely dark blue Aston Martin V8 Vantage. I was seeking a brief respite from the ceaseless shattering of world records at the auctions being held, where one high sale after another was…

  • The $175k Missed Shift

    The $175k Missed Shift

    Sports car racing driver David Piper (a former F1 driver who lost a leg below the knee in an accident driving a Porsche 917 during the filming of Steve McQueen’s 1971 film “Le Mans”) recently won an important case in The Royal Courts of Justice in London. The high court awarded damages and legal costs…

  • The Not-So-Affordable Trends of Arizona

    The Not-So-Affordable Trends of Arizona

    The USA, China and the European nations have each all printed over a trillion dollars in the past few years. We are in a cash crisis, with no place for this cash to go,” quipped one of my longtime automotive writer colleagues. “This has to account for some of the big-dollar cars again being classified…

  • 1930 Cadillac 452 V16 ambulance

    1930 Cadillac 452 V16 ambulance

      Quiet, strong, flexible and powerful, the Cadillac V16 defined luxury in the golden age of classic luxury automobiles. As brilliantly styled under the hood as its Harley Earl exterior, it exuded quality and exclusivity that were reinforced by the refinement of its drivetrain and chassis. The Cadillac V16 was also durable, which explains the…

  • 2005 Porsche Carrera GT

    2005 Porsche Carrera GT

    When Porsche decided to attach the GT appellation to Carrera in 2004, it marked a return to its competition roots, the new flagship supercar’s looks recalling those of the original Type 550 of 50-plus years ago. Known as “Project Code 80,” the program to develop a front-ranking supercar had begun following Porsche’s Le Mans win…

  • 1958 Chrysler 300D Convertible

    1958 Chrysler 300D Convertible

    For much of its history, Chrysler was a frontrunner in building some of the most interesting and exciting high-performance cars Detroit had to offer. Foremost among them are the formidable early Hemi-powered Chrysler 300 “letter cars” of the 1950s, which, by virtue of their cost and long list of standard and optional features, were reserved…

  • 1952 “Wagner Special” BMW Racer

    1952 “Wagner Special” BMW Racer

    This car appeared on the grid at the 1952 Eifelrennen at the famous Nürburgring complex in Germany. It finished 5th, in the middle of a collection of BMW-powered race cars. This is a unique opportunity to own a contemporary racer to the Veritas racer — and at a comparably bargain price. This example is a…

  • 2004 Ferrari 360 Modena Spider F1

    2004 Ferrari 360 Modena Spider F1

    Maranello Motors in England delivered this superb cabriolet to its first owner, an emir of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. It formed part of a large fleet of vehicles and was rarely used. In 2008, a French industrial company specializing in steel production bought the car, which was kept for special occasions as part of an…