Columns

1969 Lamborghini Islero S

One of the least-known Lamborghini models, the Islero GT is generally agreed to be the company’s hidden gem. Only 226 were built—including 100 of the powerful “S” editions—and the model was named after the legendary bull that killed Manolete, the best matador in the world. Ferruccio Lamborghini himself even drove […]

1957 Corvette 283/283 Airbox Convertible

1957 Corvette 283/283 Airbox Convertible

In the world of 1957 Corvettes, there are Fuelies and then there are Airboxes. Fuelie, of course, is collector-speak for fuel injection, which was a brand-new and milestone status for 1957 Corvettes. The collector’s term “Airbox” refers to fuel injection plus factory Ram Air, which was a brand-new feature that […]

1967 Corvette 427/435 Convertible

In 1967, the big-block Corvette was king of the road. Brutally fast, with nimble handling and stopping power to match with four-wheel disc brakes, Corvette truly earned the title “America’s Sports Car.” Yes, it was expensive, but the Corvette was the car for buyers who wanted speed, and for the […]

1982 Corvette Collector Edition

Patterned after Larry Shinoda’s “Shark II” prototype, the third-generation Chevrolet Corvette production run started in 1968 and continued with few aesthetic modifications through the 1982 model year. The final year of the C3 car offered factory “Cross-Fire” electronic fuel injection that gave them a boost for the first time in […]

1996 Corvette Grand Sport Coupe

This 1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is number 127 of 1,000 1996 Grand Sports produced. In addition to the 350-ci, 330-horsepower LT4 engine and 6-speed manual transmission, this particular vehicle is equipped with the F45 Selective Real Time Damping suspension system—and power driver and passenger seats. It is all original […]

2003 Corvette 50th Anniversary Edition Coupe

The all-original 50th Anniversary Corvette coupe offered here incorporates the 1SC Equipment group, combining the Anniversary package with special Indianapolis 500 Pace Car graphics over Xirallic Crystal Red paint, special fender emblems and Champagne-colored aluminum wheels—identical to that used on the official pace car. This 4-speed automatic-equipped coupe has been […]

A Fiat or a Ferrari?

The foibles of “production” car racing and homologation rules have given rise to some rather interesting machinery over the years. Nutty Plymouth Superbirds and road-going Ford GT40s are at one end of the spectrum, and Ferrari’s first V6 engine is at the other. Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari envisioned the V6 as […]

Cracking Ferrari’s Enigma Codes

In my October column, I wrote that the factory laptop used to diagnose electrical and mechanical systems of modern Ferraris does not give definitive answers to problems. Instead, the computer merely gives a list of as many as 1,500 options and possibilities. To understand how this situation came about, let’s […]