Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
Columns
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The Lambo Dealer, the $12m Swindle, the Slammer
In early November 2008, I received multiple early morning phone calls and emails telling me that Lamborghini of Orange County had just closed its doors. My first thought was how could the largest Lamborghini dealership in the world possibly go broke? My second thought was, why had it taken so long? We begin with a…
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Worth the Weight
The Lotus Elan will forever be remembered as the ride of latex catsuit-wearing Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the BBC spy show “The Avengers” Colin Chapman’s fanaticism about keeping weight off makes the average supermodel’s interest in the same subject seem merely casual. The results he achieved without materials like carbon fiber and the…
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Far From the Madding Crowd
I propose we take a break from the constant bric-a-brac of the market. At least for a few days, let’s transport ourselves back to a simpler era, when the fundamental question wasn’t how much your motorcar was worth, but whether it could actually travel 60 miles without breaking down. In conjunction with Steve Austin, we…
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2001 BMW Z8 Roadster
One of the most incredible modern sports cars to ever be built, the Z8 was destined to become a future classic after its debut in the James Bond film “The World is Not Enough.” The concept project was given to Henrik Fisker, who in 1997 was the head of BMW’s U.S. design studio in Newbury…
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1964 Ford Thunderbolt – Galaxie Lightweight
Thunderbolts were designed for high-profile Factory Experimental and Super Stock classes; Galaxie Lightweights targeted regional Stock-class competition {vsig}2009-5_2319{/vsig} In March 1963, General Motors dropped a bombshell by banning factory support of auto racing. Ironically, just one month later, Ford Vice President Lee Iacocca issued a press release that read, in part: “Our attitude is based…
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1969 Matra MS650 Barquette
It was a glorious combination of beauty, speed, sound, and comfort, a proper object of Gallic pride, and almost (but not quite) the equal of Porsche’s 908 {vsig}2009-5_2325{/vsig} Only three Matra 650s were built. After a successful racing career, one is kept in the Matra museum at Romorantin, while the second belongs to a racing…
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1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Coupe
Launched at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, the Ferrari 365 GTC/4 ostensibly replaced the 365 GT 2+2. Technically a four-passenger car, its eight-inch-shorter wheelbase and lower, sloping roofline made the tiny rear seats token at best. Ferrari compensated by having the rear seatbacks flip down to make a storage tray. Pininfarina’s coachwork featured a swooping…
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1939 Jaguar SS 100 3½-Liter Roadster
Any patina has been lost in a slightly over-shiny restoration and repaint, though it does have a big history file and is eligible for many prestige events {vsig}2009-5_2320{/vsig} Launched for 1936, the SS 100 was the first real high-performance model produced by SS Cars Limited, and used a new Weslake-developed overhead-valve engine in a shortened…
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1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe
It may not have been quite the “discovery” that the press suggested, but it was eagerly awaited {vsig}2009-5_2321{/vsig} Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon succeeded to the peerage in 1929 on the death of his father, becoming the Fifth Earl Howe. At that time he resigned his seat in the House of Commons and began…
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How to Avoid Sales Tax, Part II
A better alternative for Californians may be the use of a Montana business entity, because Montana would allow a legal, tax-free registration of the car The March 2009 “Legal Files” regarding sales tax triggered two helpful responses from attorneys, which suggested the need for a follow-up on this subject of great interest to car collectors.…