Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
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1964 Alfa Romeo TZ Coupe
It’s tempting to speculate what this car might have brought if it had retired after the 1964 season instead of being raced for years One of the most desirable of all of the postwar Alfas, TZs were—and continue to be—considered as Alfa Romeo’s version of Ferrari’s GTO. Ranking in rarity with the very best sports…
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1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder
The extraordinary Ferrari presented here, 1425GT, is the 27th of 50 California Spyders built on the long-wheelbase 250 GT chassis. Consistent with its May 1959 build date, this California Spyder benefits from a number of significant evolutionary improvements introduced throughout the model’s two-year production run. Although more than 55 years have passed since it left…
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1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder
In the pantheon of open Ferraris, the 250 California Spyder is head and shoulders above the rest. It has all the elements Ferraristi look for, the desirable Colombo V12, rarity, and a successful competition pedigree. The California Spyder, in contrast to the luxurious 250 cabriolets, was intended for those who wanted a fast, sparsely equipped…
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1958 AC Ace Roadster
One of the most influential and widely imitated classic sports car designs ever is that of the AC Ace roadster—although, of course, much of the world associates its appearance with the later Shelby Cobra derivative, which resulted when the Ace received Ford V8 power and a Carroll Shelby performance makeover in 1962. The original Ace…
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1958 AC Ace Roadster
One of the most influential and widely imitated classic sports car designs ever is that of the AC Ace roadster—although, of course, much of the world associates its appearance with the later Shelby Cobra derivative, which resulted when the Ace received Ford V8 power and a Carroll Shelby performance makeover in 1962. The original Ace…
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1938 Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupe
The Talbot-Lago T150C SS chassis is arguably one of Anthony Lago’s greatest achievements. The “C” stood for competition, a reference to the marque’s racing success, while “SS” signified “Super Sports,” the short, 8.7-foot wheelbase version of the competition chassis. Its race-bred 6-cylinder engine featured an overhead valve train, hemispherical combustion chambers, high compression, triple carburetors…
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A “B-Ticket” Ride
Old cars are admission tickets to old car events. You can’t go on the Mille Miglia unless you have a pre-1958 car similar to one that was raced in the event. Pre-1968 Alfa convertibles are the preferred ride for the local Alfa Club’s annual “Old Spider Tour.” Think horses for courses. So when the National…
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Is the TR8 Lemon Due for Some Sugar?
The last volume-produced traditional British roadster was the Triumph TR6. Even in 1969 when it was introduced, it was obsolete. Magazines such as Road & Track clamored for better, newer sports cars with modern engines, chassis and unibody construction—cars that would finally dispense with antiquated features like lever-action shocks and feeble heaters. In early 1975,…
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Compelled to Collect
With Monterey just around the corner, collectors’ thoughts have shifted from the restore-and-refurbish activities of winter to the buying and selling of summer. While car transactions happen year round, there’s no doubt they attract more attention in the warm months—and the most attention of all in August. For me, there was a time, more…
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A Truck Stuck in the 1946 Wayback Machine
By 1940, military planners all but knew that the United States was eventually going to end up embroiled in World War II. Specifications were drawn up for military-specific truck configurations, and Dodge was at the forefront. Contracts were let initially for a series of half-ton trucks based on the new-for-1940 Dodge civilian trucks with several…