Chysler’s financial crises of the early 1950s couldn’t stop the string of Virgil Exner’s Ghia concept cars {vsig}2009-4_2307{/vsig} In 1953, Dodge unveiled its first concept car, the Firearrow, a sleek out-of-this-world roadster that provided a glimpse of what everyone’s new automobile would look like in just a few years. While […]
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1946 Steyr-Allard Hillclimb Car
It’s shiny and extreme, weird, overdone, and in-your-face in a manner that puts a grin on you just walking around it {vsig}2009-4_2315{/vsig} Sydney Allard’s famous one-off hillclimb car, the 1947 Steyr-Allard, is the best known of all his vehicles. Allard competed in the British Hillclimb Championship with this car for […]
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car Convertible
Authentic, “no excuses” cars hold their value even in a down market, and this result bore that out, with fierce bidding from the outset {vsig}2009-4_2308{/vsig} This rare 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS NASCAR Pace Car finished in Dover White with Deluxe Blue Comfort Weave interior features its original matching-numbers 396-ci big-block […]
2003 Ferrari Enzo
Its design is pure haute couture, a cutting edge style that dances on the line between art and automobile {vsig}2009-4_2312{/vsig} In 1998, only a few years after the introduction of the groundbreaking F50, Ferrari began planning its newest limited-production supercar. The criteria for this car was similar to those […]
1932 Daimler 40/50 Double Six Sport Saloon
The long hood is a bit like a padded medieval codpiece {vsig}2009-4_2310{/vsig} This 1932 Daimler Double Six 40/50 Sport Saloon is, without question, one of the most imposing automobiles ever constructed by the legendary British marque-or any maker of exclusive luxury vehicles. While only 26 Double Sixes were built over […]
1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S
The Lamborghini Miura is where it all started-the first production automobile to earn the “supercar” tag. Prior to the Miura’s arrival in 1967, many sports cars offered high levels of performance and handling. But the Miura was the first built around the criteria that define our modern concept of the […]
Pink Slips and Red Faces
Take due diligence steps to protect yourself, even though that interferes with the red mist that materializes when you find the collector car of your dreams Most states issue certificates of title for cars, often referred to as “pink slips” because of their color (in California, at least; other states […]
The Bottom Line in Scottsdale
Last summer’s Monterey auctions defined the top of the collector car market, and Scottsdale has delivered a new bottom line. It’s pretty hard to argue the collector car market isn’t on solid ground when collector cars generate $133m in Scottsdale in one week. Barrett-Jackson did nearly $61m, Gooding just over […]
Major Charm, Minor Problems
It still conjures up Ealing Comedy images of Miss Marple meandering absent-mindedly through rustic English villages at 25 mph The whole “people’s car” thing never went over particularly well in the upwardly mobile post-war U.S. Cars like the Crosley, Citroën 2CV, and VW Beetle screamed austerity at a time when […]
1958 283/245 Convertible
Although the cars built from 1953 to 1955 introduced the Corvette to America, it was the 1956 second series that truly earned the title “America’s Sports Car.” The clean good looks of Harley Earl’s new body design struck a chord with the American public, and it quickly outsold the older […]