Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
Columns
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1954 Austin-Healey 100 Roadster
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 12th and 14th places, a…
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1971 Lamborghini Miura SV
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 leather interior. The car was…
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On the Road Again
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 busy year for me and…
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Carrera GT Crash Settled for $4.5 Million
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 at the California Speedway (June…
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Opening Pandora’s Black Box
A subscriber recently wrote, worrying about future maintenance costs of late model Ferraris: “My only fear is the outdated computer-controlled systems and the way obsolescence will drive maintenance sky-high for such systems.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 problematic, our subscriber had merely…
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Four Reasons to Buy That Sports Car Now
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 been rising on almost all…
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Putting a Price ($152,007) on Memories
This 911 wasn’t one of the good ones. It was purchased, along with a 1966 912 donor car-and a speedboat-for $1,000 {vsig}2007-12_2106{/vsig} Sometimes precious things have rather inauspicious beginnings. As you admire Porsches at various events, never forget that they can represent much more than just someone “writing the check.” There are often stories of…
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2CV: The Legend of the “Tin Snail”
Prior to WWII, the mostly rural population of France did not have a cheap and utilitarian vehicle that would allow them to embrace the automobile the way Americans had with the Model T. The 2CV was conceived as the car that would mechanize the French peasant class. Like the Volkswagen Beetle, the 2CV had its…
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1968 Porsche 911S Coupe
Cost-no-object restorations rarely make sense on production cars, even exciting ones in hot markets, like an early 911S {vsig}2007-11_2094{/vsig} Within two years of the original 911’s launch, Porsche introduced a new model that would satisfy even the most demanding drivers. The new S offered the same vault-like body and chassis, well-appointed 2+2 interior, and 2-liter…
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1903 Cadillac Runabout Rear-Entrance Tonneau
Founded by Henry Leland and Robert Faulconer, the Cadillac Automobile Company of Detroit completed its first car in October 1902. The firm’s superior manufacturing technology-precise gear cutting was Leland and Faulconer’s specialty-soon established it as the foremost builder of quality cars in the United States. The company was formed using funds supplied by two of…