Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
Columns
-
Buy the Car, Start the Journey
{vsig}2010-9_2530{/vsig}There are two new members of the SCM menagerie, aka collection, representing opposite ends of the car world. The first is a 2006 Lotus Elise, the best new vintage car you can buy. The second is a 1958 Mercedes 220S, the beginning of the fabled S-class model that continues today. Each of these cars has…
-
Greece and the Ferrari Market
How quickly the tides do turn. Only six months ago, in my March SCM column, Dashing Euro Dreams, I wrote, “As the dollar had declined over the last eighteen months, the asking prices of American-based collector cars suddenly look like bargains” The lead time on my column is thirty to forty-five days, and as I…
-
The “Jay Leno Special Edition” that Wasn’t
Our sister publication, Corvette Market, reported the sale of a 2007 “Jay Leno Special Edition” Corvette at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction in April. The well-optioned, 1,873-mile Corvette was in show-car condition. Leno reportedly “handpicked” the car from a Carson, California Chevrolet dealer. The Corvette was autographed on the valve cover by Leno, carried Jay…
-
BMW M6: Still Hot After All These Years
{vsig}2010-9_2521{/vsig}For BMW enthusiasts, the E-24 generation 6-series is one of the marque’s most beloved models, introduced in 1976 to replace the outgoing 3.0 CS and CSL. In 1983, BMW unveiled the ultimate specification of the series, the M635CSi. Specially outfitted by the “M” division with the 3.4-liter DOCH six-cylinder engine of the legendary M1, this…
-
Looking Into The Crystal Piston
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 a falling-down garage. You find…
-
1996 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe
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, and additional light-level front air…
-
1963 Shelby Cobra 289 “Le Mans” Roadster
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 Stirling Moss and driven by…
-
1960 Maserati Tipo 61 “Birdcage”
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 1958, created this stunning sports…
-
1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta
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 class wins at Le Mans…
-
1950 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage Coupe
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, an original right-hand drive example…