Columns
-
1953 Fiat 8V Ghia Supersonic
This car is a stunning styling statement, a jet-age objet d’art very much of its time that has also proven timeless One of Ghia’s most famous designs, the Supersonic was not merely a brilliant fashion statement; it was, in many ways, the result of economic necessity. The two-seat sports car featured stylized, streamlined forms, subtle…
-
1967 Jaguar E-type Series 1 Roadster Race Car
This month’s column is a tale with both tragic and cautionary threads for those who play in the vintage racing car hobby This Series 1 E-type roadster was purchased from its second owner in 2005 after being discovered in a garage where it had remained since the mid-1980s. The car was immediately sent to the…
-
1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E 427 Coupe
This rare cat—the last Ford car equipped with the 427-ci engine—brought enough money to shake a few more of its kind onto the market Coming off winning Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award in 1967 with the Cougar, Mercury designers wanted to create something in 1968 that would set the automotive world on its…
-
A Well-Sorted MGB is a Great Start to Collecting
Much like Morgan fans remain to this day, the MG faithful of the 1950s were committed masochists. Fans of the T-Series cars were positively aghast when the envelope-bodied MGA replaced the TF. When the inevitable wheel of progress hit Abingdon-on-Thames once again in 1962, the faithful were horrified to find that the new MGB came…
-
A Princely Collection of Rotting Cars
The air conditioning was off, but the tropical sun was not, so the Ferraris and McLaren F1s sat and cooked Prince Jefri’s 550 Spider at Monaco Imagine seeing hundreds of high-end Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens—many with hardly any miles on the odometer—rotting away in tropical heat and humidity. While much has been written of the…
-
Long-distance Car Deals Can Burn Money
Internet buyers think that when the car doesn’t meet their fantasy image they can return it for a full refund, just like sale pants at Nordstrom’s 1940 Ford Deluxe Convertible. Just redone by a well-known local shop. Beautifully restored with no expense spared. All aspects are correct and highly-detailed. Undercarriage immaculate, etc., etc. $58,950. Sound…
-
Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupes All Over the Arizona Map
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe, Lot 284 at RM Auctions Phoenix, sold for $544,500, including premium A full-bore restoration project, an all-out bidder’s war and a nicely restored car blow the Gullwing market around like desert sand Chassis number: 4500049Engine number: 4500052 The prices for 300SL Gullwings were all over the map in Arizona this year,…
-
1958 Corvette 283/245 Convertible
For 1958, only 190 Corvettes had the Panama Yellow paint with white contrasting coves combination, making this a very rare car. Even more rare, this car was ordered without a radio or heater. Its period-correct 283/245 engine is now equipped with a single carburetor, but a dual-carburetor setup goes with the sale. The engine is…
-
1965 Corvette 396/425 Convertible
Here’s the provenance: Bloomington Gold Survivor Certification, June 28, 1997 Bloomington Gold Certification, June 29, 1997 Bloomington Gold Benchmark Certification, June 29, 1997 The coveted Benchmark Certification has been awarded to less than 100 Corvettes The only Benchmark red/red big-block convertible NCRS Top Flight award, October 25, 2008 Original engine and transmission Matching-numbers 396/425 HP…
-
1969 Corvette “Hell Fire” Funny Car
Here’s the provenance: Jim Shue’s original “Hell Fire” Corvette 426-ci Hemi Reath engine Unmolested nostalgia funny car Hilborn injected Mike Kase chassis Clutchflite set up Ran 7.14 quarter-mile at 200 mph on nitromethane In storage for 40 years This is a time capsule and the dawn of funny car racing A great Southern California drag…