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1961 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe
I don’t recall any stories of Porfirio Rubirosa romancing the lady of the week in his PF coupe, and there is little competition history When the 250 GT Europa was launched at the 1954 Paris Salon, it was described as the first series production car for Ferrari. The 3-liter cars were in production for 10…
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1930 Bentley 8 Litre Mayfair Coupe
To find a vintage Bentley with its original engine and original body is rare indeed-and it’s the second-to-last built Introduced at the London Motor Show in 1930, the Bentley 8-liter made an immediate impact. While the engine was an extension of the successful 6.5-liter engine that powered Bentleys to numerous race victories, the 8-liter…
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1936 Panhard X76 Dynamic
To take full advantage of the “panoramic” windows, the driver was moved to the center of the car René Panhard and Emile Levassor obtained an 1888 Daimler patent for a V-twin motor, with the idea of using it in a small car. Two prototypes were built, equipped with a front-mounted engine and a gearbox. Levassor…
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Jurassic Swamp Meet
Fifty years from now the Petersen Museum may feature a diorama dedicated to the social gathering once known as an “automotive swap meet.” Young children will tug on their daddy’s shirtsleeves and ask, “Thousands of people just showed up and walked around for hours, hoping they might find something?” And Daddy will answer, “Yes, and…
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Enzo Crashes: Repeat as Needed
This Enzo was a stunt car in the filming of “Redline,” and had unquestionably been used hard and put away wet {vsig}2007-6_2022{/vsig} As virtually everyone in the car world knows, on March 26 actor Eddie Griffin crashed a Ferrari Enzo at Irwindale Raceway in L.A. while practicing for a promotion for the movie “Redline.” The…
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Three Wheels on My Wagon.
The Scootacar was promoted as having room for a driver and groceries, but in practice, it was one or the other Sometimes I wonder how the British ever managed to produce distinguished automobiles when the government threw so many obstacles in the path of the motor industry. Perhaps the most significant was the motor vehicle…
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You Gotta Know When to Hold ’em.
One good way to judge when a car becomes collectible is to simply note when its value rises above the original purchase price {vsig}2007-6_2021{/vsig} Part I: Defining the Collectible Porsche Why do some Porsches accelerate quickly in value, while others languish? We can all agree that pedestrian models, such as the 924, will never be…
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Jaguar’s XecrableJS
A bad XJS will rip at your wallet the way an actual Jaguar tears flesh from a gazelle {vsig}2007-6_2018{/vsig} Few automakers have had a more unenviable task than that facing Jaguar when it came time to replace the E-type. Instead of taking an evolutionary approach, as Porsche did when replacing the venerable 356 with the…
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1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Convertible
There comes a time when a desirable old car just jumps in value. That time may be now for the 3.5SE The 111-series of Mercedes-Benz automobiles of the 1960s and early 1970s is much appreciated by collectors who also enjoy driving their cars. There is a solidness to the ride and handling that helped Mercedes…
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1937/40 Duesenberg Model SJ Rollson Cabriolet
This Duesenberg might be Rudolf Bauer’s best-known work; it’s certainly the most valuable Faced with the surreal scale of the Duesenberg’s chassis, some designers attempted to reduce the scale of the car. Not artist Rudolf Bauer. His intent was to create the longest, most distinctive Duesenberg ever built. And he did. Bauer emphasized the dominant…