Here are two extremes of collector car acquisition. The first is the barn find, where, wearing your “Tom Cotter Taught Me How to Buy Cars” T-shirt, you slog through the backwoods of the (usually southern) countryside, until you see the back of a Ferrari 250 Monza or Split-Window Fuelie inside […]
Based on the all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo, the Turbo S was the most exotic and powerful Porsche production car offered for sale in North America. Externally, it was distinguished from the Turbo by its unique bodywork featuring Aerokit II front and rear spoilers, left and right rear side panel air ducts, […]
In April 1963, Shelby prepared two cars for Le Mans that summer. Features included Dunlop magnesium wheels with larger fender flares, FIA hood scoops and a 37-gallon fuel tank. The engines, stated to be “moderate tune,” had four Weber downdraught carburetors. One team car entered by AC Cars, managed by […]
With the introduction and sales success of the road-going 3500GT, however, the company’s health improved drastically, prompting a renewed interest in creating a sports car that could be raced, not by the factory, but by privateers. Credit for the resulting Tipo 60/61 goes to engineer extraordinaire Giulio Alfieri, who, during […]
The 250 GT Short-Wheelbase Berlinetta (SWB) is a great dual-purpose gran turismo and the logical evolution of the long-wheelbase Berlinetta, popularly known as the “TdF” because of its four consecutive wins in the Tour de France from 1956 to 1959. The SWB was even more successful than its predecessor, posting […]
This superb DB2 was sold new to William “Bill” Spear, wealthy amateur American racer and a close friend of Briggs Cunningham, the famed American gentleman racer and sports car builder. In fact, the two of them each ordered a new DB2 in November 1950. LML/50/19 is the 19th car built, […]
This rare Nardi converted and meticulously restored Lancia Aurelia B20GT Series IV was imported into the Netherlands from Nice (France) approximately 20 years ago. Its last known owner in France was Mr. Jean Pierre Cornu, who acquired the car in the early 1970s. The present owner, a well known collector […]
Holding onto the certificate of title until you get paid is no legal protection. Once the buyer pays the broker, that certificate of title is worthless The Oregon Court of Appeals recently decided a case of interest to car collectors. The case involved a 29-foot Sea Ray boat, but the […]
Thanks to well over 17 years of monthly columns for Sports Car Market, I’ve slowly become the Ann Landers or “Dear Abby” of the Ferrari world, and with an average of 200 emails a day, there is never a lack of questions. This month’s “reply” started with the following email, […]
During the 1950s, the people charged with the task of selling imported cars were often more in tune with what the market wanted than the manufacturers. Witness the string of successes that U.S.-based BMW and Porsche importer Max Hoffman had with the Porsche Speedster, BMW 2002 and Bavaria. In the […]
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