Columns

What Emerging Markets?

The flow of Ferraris to the U.S. began in October 1948 with Tommy Lee’s purchase of 166 MM Barchetta s/n 0002M at the Turin Auto Show, quickly followed by Briggs Cunningham’s purchase of 166 Spyder Corsa s/n 016 that November. For the next 60 years, Ferraris have gone back and […]

The Mystery of Morgan Prices

Big Healeys that cost $25,000 in 2000 are selling for $50,000 today; even pristine MG As, TR4s and TR6s cost more than Morgans {vsig}2008-5_2169{/vsig} In January 2000, a “good, clean example” of a 1966 Morgan Plus 4 sold for $26,620, and the SCM commentator remarked “Sold for quite good money. […]

Ten Rules for Porsche Flippers

Never fix anything. A true flippopath will risk his newly acquired bounty and even his life to make a flip Last month, this column offered ten rules for Porsche collectors, people who are much better at buying than at selling, and who plan to keep their cars forever. Or at […]

Too Late the Fiero.

The transformation was astonishing. The 1988 car had performance, braking, and handling to go with the good looks {vsig}2008-5_2166{/vsig} The manner in which the Pontiac Fiero was sold to the unimaginative Roger B. Smith-era GM management (now thankfully long gone)-a generation of inbred, know-nothing dullards, who nearly killed GM-speaks volumes […]

The End of No Reserve

At times, being at the epicenter of a collector car weekend is like sitting in a command bunker. In Scottsdale, SCM’s boots-on-the-ground team included nearly 20 market analysts, staff, and support crew. During the weekend, they fanned out to all the events, notebooks and cameras in hand, and began submitting […]

1955 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Convertible

The M121 4-cylinder engine produced a modest 105 hp and it desperately needed another 50-even 30 would have done the trick Available from May 1955, the 190SL convertible shared styling cues with its grander brother, the 300SL. It was a sports tourer, robustly built and designed for customers who preferred […]

1941 Chrysler Town & Country Barrel Back Estate Wagon

Built for a limited time, the Town & Country remains arguably the rarest, most desirable pre-war Woody produced   {vsig}2008-4_2154{/vsig} Conceived in 1939, the Town & Country Estate wagon represented Chrysler’s desire to create an entirely new car that was both luxurious and dramatic. It had to be elegant enough […]

1952 Glöckler-Porsche Roadster

I will argue that the Glöckler-Porsches were early flickers, puffs of smoke in the weeds, and the tinder didn’t really catch fire until the 550 came along {vsig}2008-4_2163{/vsig} Walter Glöckler occupies an honored place among Porsche owners. Not only was he one of the first to race a Porsche, he […]

Scottsdale Muscle Still Buffed

I fully expected Scottsdale to result in a dismal showing for muscle car prices. I couldn’t have been more wrong Last year’s Arizona auctions proved that we were indeed due for a well deserved and most predictable “adjustment” in many segments of the muscle car market. As such, 2007 brought […]

1963 Ferrari 400 Superamerica

5029 SA is to me the most beautiful Superamerica, a Coupé Aerodynamico with covered headlights {vsig}2008-4_2159{/vsig} The 400 Superamerica was launched in 1959. It featured a Colombo V12 displacing 3,967 cc and also boasted disc brakes, a first for Ferrari’s road cars. Over the course of a five-year “production” run, […]