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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. Bentley’s solution was to double…
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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. The cars were built on…
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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 title 38 years ago. Like…
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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 start by breaking Ferrari sales…
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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 whether the recent run-up in…
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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 at the right time to…
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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 supply turned the cackling diesels…
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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 enough appeal to compete with…
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1963 Corvette “Rondine” Concept
The one and only 1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Rondine” coupe was built for the Paris Auto Show by renowned design house Pininfarina for Chevrolet. The car features a 327-ci, 360-hp fuel-injected V8 with 4-speed and power brakes. This historically significant prototype has been stored and preserved at the Pininfarina Museum since new and is being offered…
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1971 ZR2 454/425 Coupe
The C3 arrived in 1968, sporting the Corvette’s first major restyling since ’63. Obviously based on the Mako Shark II show car, the new ’Vette had an aero front end with hidden headlights and disappearing wipers. Except for fender air vents and chrome on the rocker panels, the undulating body sides were plain. The blunt,…