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1945 NSU Kettenkrad
Considerable care is necessary on steep slopes. The driver is flanked by the tracks and sits ahead of the engine; he’s not likely to escape if the vehicle flips {vsig}2008-12_2262{/vsig} The Kettenkrad was typical of vehicles designed and manufactured for the German Wehrmacht during WWII-innovative, well made, and generally superior to equipment used by their…
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1937 Oldsmobile L37 Convertible Sedan
This is the only Oldsmobile to have been recognized by the Classic Car Club of America as a Full Classic {vsig}2008-12_2256{/vsig} There was a time when neither Ford nor Chevrolet were America’s leading automobile producers. You have to go back to the dawn of the auto industry, but from 1903 to 1905, Oldsmobile was…
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1964 Porsche 904 GTS Coupe
If you want to do any serious competition, you’ll need a 2-liter, 4-cam four, and that’s a $100,000 project {vsig}2008-12_2265{/vsig} Having axed its expensive Formula One program at the end of 1962, Porsche turned once more to sports car racing as a means of improving and marketing its road cars. The Type 356-based Abarth-Carreras had…
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Restoration 101
I’ve seen $2,500 air filters, a $35,000 exhaust, $5,000 plug wires, $10,000 batteries, and $50,000 original tires {vsig}2008-12_2257{/vsig} It’s a common misconception that domestic cars are cheap and easy to restore. Unfortunately, many people have found out too late that this is not true. Let’s face facts: Most restorations are financial suicide. Unless you have…
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1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III SWB
One early owner reported mile after mile in the 135 mph-150 mph range through Canada and Nevada, during cross-country drives to California {vsig}2008-12_2261{/vsig} It can be argued that the 410 Superamerica Series III was the high point of the entire line of luxury high-performance Ferraris. In his privately published book, Series III 410 America, Ferrari…
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1945 Mk XVI Supermarine Spitfire
A Battle of Britain Spitfire Mk I or Mk II would sell for two or three times this sum, and if it had a confirmed combat record, the price could be much higher {vsig}2008-12_2259{/vsig} The old engineering adage, “If it looks right, it most probably is right,” describes the Spitfire to perfection. It still looks…
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1965 Alfa Romeo TZ-1 Berlinetta
The contentious world of Alfa historians and experts had a moment of rare consensus on this TZ, and no one questioned its parentage {vsig}2008-12_2260{/vsig} Though immensely successful as a competition car, Alfa Romeo’s Giulietta Sprint Zagato had been based on the road-going Giulietta Spider platform, a compromise that suited clients who wanted a touring car…
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Who Really Owns the “Stolen” Ferrari?
Various countries take different approaches. Some protect the innocent owner whose property was stolen. Others protect the innocent purchaser Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, the Connecticut State Police obtained a warrant to search the garage of a Sharon, Connecticut, collector. Inside, they found a 1958 Ferrari 250 PF Cabriolet, s/n 0799GT, which…
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New Day, New Rules
Six months ago we received one or two calls or emails a day from people who wanted us to help them to market and sell their Ferraris. Today we receive half a dozen calls or emails every day, and the number is growing. With each call I laboriously explain that regardless of whether prices are…
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Bugeye Sprite: 50 and Counting
Healey 100 designer Gerry Coker came up with “a working man’s Ferrari,” which could be kept in a bike shed, and used standard parts from BMC sedans {vsig}2008-12_2258{/vsig} Question: What collectible automobile copied the chassis design of the Jaguar D-type, was introduced at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, took first, second, and third at Sebring…