Columns

1988 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante “X-Pack”

Bolstered by the on-screen exploits of Sean Connery in the box-office hit “Goldfinger,” every man, woman, and child with a pulse yearned to own an Aston Martin DB5 in the mid-1960s. But it didn’t take long before the English marque’s premier grand tourer — and the remarkably similar DB6 that […]

1927 Bugatti Type 35B

The magnificent car we are privileged to offer here is an early Bugatti Type 35B. The 2.3-liter Type 35T engine, number 127, was modified at the factory on April 15, 1927, as a Type 35B unit with a supercharger added. Its proud owner since 1975, Baron d’Huart, a true Bugatti […]

1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider

Built to do battle with the futuristic, mid-engined Miura, the Ferrari GTB/4 berlinetta was something of a bruiser compared with its Lamborghini rival. In open GTS/4 guise, the car that would later be coined the “Daytona” by enthusiasts combined thundering V12 performance with beautiful design to incredible effect. Chassis 16839 […]

1989 Porsche 930 Turbo Slantnose Coupe

A total of 1,945 Porsche 930s were imported to the U.S. in 1989; only 147 of them were Slantnoses, of which just 34 were coupes. Well-documented and highly equipped Porsches are definitely getting harder to find, and this lovely 930 Turbo has all of the most desirable features in place. In […]

1988 Lamborghini LM002

Few could have anticipated the imposing sight of a six-foot-tall, nearly three-ton, V12-powered, four-wheel-drive behemoth at the 1986 European Motor Show Brussels — much less one appearing on the Lamborghini stand. But then, Lamborghini was never one to follow convention, and rarely has this free-thinking approach been embodied more completely […]

1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3

Having completed construction under the watchful eye of Carlo Chiti and his Autodelta outfit in 1969, this car joined the ranks of the other Tipo 33/3 factory cars in service at the time. Lining up against rival marques such as Ferrari and Porsche, Autodelta boasted a team of talented drivers […]

The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship?

Just in case you’re one of the few SCMers who haven’t heard about it, RM Sotheby’s set a new world record for the highest automobile sales price ever achieved. On May 5, it auctioned a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe that was part of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Collection, selling it […]

Movin’ On Up

1983 Datsun 280ZX Lot 71890, s/n JN1HZ04S8DX576102. 8k miles. “Fuel-injected 2.8-liter L28E inline-6, 5-speed manual transmission, French Beige Metallic paint, red velour upholstery, removable glass roof panels, 14-inch alloy wheels, power windows and mirrors, A/C, window sticker.” Condition: 1. SOLD AT $58,800. Bring A Trailer, 4/29/22. High prices for earlier […]

The Original Jaguar

This is all Miles Collier’s fault. I attended one of his early symposiums on collecting. I was the guest of noted collector and Lamborghini expert Simon Kidston. During the seminar, I was first introduced to the notion that we were not owners, but just the current caretakers of our cars. […]

Fact or Fiction?

In my just-released book The Archaeological Automobile, I write that all restoration is fictional. What I mean is that despite the most careful effort and the most meticulous research, the resultant job will be no more than an approximation of the automobile’s lost reality. “But surely not!” I hear hundreds […]