Upping the ante in the 1930s horsepower race, Mercedes-Benz designers introduced the 8-cylinder 500K (for Kompressor, or supercharger) model in 1934. The supercharger boosted power from 100 hp to 160 hp, and the external exhausts set the style that would carry the company through the rest of the decade. Two […]
For sheer giggles per lap, I don’t think there is a vintage racer around that can match the Lola Mk I {vsig}2007-12_2109{/vsig} This well-presented Lola-Climax Mk I is not only a fine example of perhaps the most sought-after of all British small-capacity sports-racing cars of the 1950s, it is also […]
Around noon, the thunder heading my way was the Detroit kind, as 20 Superbirds and Daytonas filled my parking lot {vsig}2007-12_2100{/vsig} To quote John Lennon: Imagine. if there was a club for valuable cars, whose long-term owners didn’t care about what the cars are worth. Cars worth perhaps 5,000% more […]
If you could justify paying too much money for a car, this was the one Luigi Chinetti loved the 250 GT TdF coupes and saw a market for an open top version. Many Americans lived in warm climates like Florida, Arizona, and particularly California, and so preferred the good looks […]
A 1954 BN1 fitted with the Le Mans kit from new is even rarer than the “factory” 100M model of 1955 {vsig}2007-12_2112{/vsig} Following the Austin-Healey 100’s sensational debut at the 1952 Motor Show, the Works entered two mildly modified cars in the 1953 Le Mans 24-Hour race. They finished in […]
The last SVs finally received separate lubrication for engine and gearbox, so the engine didn’t have to swallow metal shavings from missed shifts {vsig}2007-12_2103{/vsig} Factory records indicate that chassis 4882 was finished on November 29, 1971, as production number 627. The original paint color was Fly Yellow with a black […]
If you’re reading SCM, chances are you’re an enthusiast. Your friends may uncork a vintage Barolo and marvel over the bouquet; you’d just as soon go out to the garage and inhale the gasoline and oil vapors that constantly seep out of a vintage car. This has been an exceptionally […]
The attorney points out that the typical SCM subscriber, a car enthusiast who holds fast cars and racetracks dear, will never make it onto this jury {vsig}2007-12_2108{/vsig} Last summer, “Legal Files” reported about a lawsuit resulting from the fatal crash of a Porsche Carrera GT at a club track day […]
A subscriber recently wrote, worrying about future maintenance costs of late model Ferraris: “My only fear is the outdated computer-controlled systems and the way obsolescence will drive maintenance sky-high for such systems. At least the vintage V12s don’t suffer ECU and “black box” syndrome!” While computer systems will certainly be […]
The number of British cars available to sentimental Baby Boomers is fixed at the total produced between 1948 and 1981 {vsig}2007-12_2101{/vsig} Any basic economics course teaches that price is determined by supply and demand. That principle is vividly illustrated in the current market for collectible British cars, where prices have […]
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