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 […]
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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, […]
1929 Bentley 4½-Liter Tourer by Vanden Plas
I’d put this price down to the mystique of an auction and congratulate the owner on courage worthy of a Bentley Boy {vsig}2008-4_2157{/vsig} Walter Owen Bentley’s automotive efforts were directed from the outset toward sporting motor cars, and the initial 4-cylinder, 3-liter models proved lively until burdened with saloon bodies. […]
1959 Fiat Abarth 750 Double Bubble
Values have been rising steadily for the least expensive coachbuilt Italian racing car with a decent history {vsig}2008-4_2158{/vsig} Abarth was an Italian tuning company founded in 1950 by engineer and designer Carlo Abarth. His 750 Zagato was designed to be equally at home on the track as on the street. […]
When Title Tricks Won’t Wash
California extradited the Titles Unlimited president from Alabama. He was convicted and spent a year in jail Say you hit the proverbial collector car lottery and find a 1957 Porsche Speedster that has been sitting in a barn for 40 years. The only problem is that the farmer lost the […]
Crunching Ferrari’s Global Numbers
Decades ago, when negotiating with bankers for our first seven-figure credit line, I was asked, “What is the annual global Ferrari market, in both dollars and cars?” While I’ve long since forgotten the figures for that period, it was an interesting exercise to calculate then, as it is today. We […]
Healey Prices on Cruise Control
Many cars sell for $60,000 to $75,000-about the cost to restore a solid original car, if you know what you’re doing With only one “Gee whiz, what-was-he-thinking? over-six-figures” Austin-Healey sale price in Scottsdale in January and one fairly respectable car that sold for less than $25,000, some folks are asking […]
Grokking the Porsche Collector’s Gestalt
Buy what you like and you can’t do that well unless you buy what makes you happy. It’s a blend of emotion and rational thought Not everyone can make it as a successful Porsche collector. It takes a blend of emotion, knowledge, and temperament to put together the right cars […]
Avoidable Classic: GM Diesels
Have I Got a Smokin’ Deal for You. {vsig}2008-4_2153{/vsig} When pundits ponder why diesel cars failed in the U.S., the infamous engines built by Oldsmobile from 1978 to 1985 come to mind instantly. Critical engineering flaws, consumers who ignored strict maintenance schedules, and the handicap of a casually water-logged diesel […]
Elfi Duntov’s 1955 Roadster
Inspiration for the introduction of the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette was attributable to a flood of young Americans arriving home after World War II who craved nimble, athletic sports cars. A team of General Motors engineers, under the leadership of Harley Earl, set about creating a car bodied in fiberglass, with […]