Columns
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How Many Ferraris?
In my two previous columns, I divided Ferraris into the Enzo-era cars (1947-73), the Fiat-era cars (1973-91), and the Montezemolo-era cars (1991-present), and I outlined how each generation fared differently in the current economy. But I didn’t go into how many Ferraris exist and where they are, which elicited a request from Chris Current, Chief…
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THE One in a 100
The Austin-Healey 100S is undoubtedly the most prized model of the marque, with prices far exceeding any other model. While Healey prices have risen significantly in the past few years, the 100S remains clearly in the lead. The 100S was the result of a project undertaken by the Donald Healey Motor Company with financing from…
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The Last Real Jaguar Sedan
The DOHC six was proven technology, and even the collection of boobs and Marxists assembling cars for British Leyland in the 1970s couldn’t screw it up In the opinion of many, the Series I E-type of 1961-67 was the high-water mark for Jaguar. Thereafter, the company irretrievably jumped the shark in 1968 with the Series…
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“As on a Darkling Plain.”
If ever we needed a respite from being pummeled by bad news, it is now. Scarcely a day goes by without a headline about an investment firm failing, a newspaper declaring bankruptcy, or a car company down to its last few billion dollars. The Dow continues to swing unpredictably like the needle of a magnet…
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1959 Volkswagen Beetle 1200 2-Door Sedan
The pool of original cars continues to shrink, thanks to fires, floods, rust, and kids with a hankering to build a sand rail {vsig}2009-2_2282{/vsig} The Volkswagen Beetle sedan inspired unusual loyalty and enthusiasm based on its practicality, reliability, adaptability, and affordability. Originally conceived by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in the earliest days of his consulting…
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1967 Chevrolet Stage III Nickey Camaro
To those not familiar with the documented, dealer-converted supercar market, $446,250 would appear to be a staggering amount for a lowly Camaro {vsig}2009-2_2279{/vsig} Nickey Chevrolet of Chicago was one of the largest Chevy dealers in America and had big plans for Chevrolet’s new pony car in 1967. Working with legendary Chevrolet engine builder Bill Thomas…
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1965 Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta
Cars that were once wild girlfriends have become trophy wives, with all the cattiness that accompanies competitive collecting {vsig}2009-2_2283{/vsig} By 1962, it was becoming clear that the 250 GTO was no longer competitive, and something completely new was required. So starting in 1961, Ferrari began experimenting with a rear-engine design. A series of V6 and…
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1996 Ferrari F50
Rather than producing a car that would be compared to the F40, Ferrari chose a different path and decided to build a Formula One car for the street {vsig}2009-2_2285{/vsig} Fifty years of racing, 50 years of winning, 50 years of hard work.” With these words, Luca di Montezemolo introduced the F50 on March 6, 1995,…
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1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Re-creation
I doubt whether anybody could tell the difference between this and aSanction II without looking at the chassis number {vsig}2009-2_2281{/vsig} The competition variant of the legendary Aston Martin DB4, the DB4GT, was introduced in September 1959 at the London Motor Show. It was based on the race-winning prototype DP199/1, which won in its first outing…
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1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet
No member of the German General Staff would have ordered a fire engine red Italian convertible in the middle of a war Virtually identical in displacement to the 8C 2300 Monza, Vittorio Jano’s new 6C 2500 was simpler to produce and designed to be inherently reliable and capable of excellent performance. The 6C 2500 employed…