Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
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1935 MG R-type
A tiny, wavering soprano has a tough time in a Wagnerian opera, no matter how good she may be Last of the Abingdon marque’s pre-WWII racing cars, the R-type was unveiled on April 25, 1935. Beautifully wrought, its revolutionary chassis boasted such advanced features as selective dampers and finned drum brakes.Powered by a supercharged 747-cc…
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1967 Ferrari 330 GTS
This series would prove to be a step away from Ferrari’s past and a step toward the future Automobili Ferrari S.p.A. has always been known for building some of the fastest and best-handling sports cars in the world. Pininfarina is a master of styling and design and surely the lines and Ferrari V12 power of…
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1952 Jaguar C-type Ecurie Ecosse racer
The needle of the rev counter can be wound to the red zone, and each gear takes the car into a new dimension Designed and built with the sole intention of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the renowned Jaguar C-type was a development of the already successful XK 120. Though the race…
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1973 Citroën DS23 IE Cabriolet
Citroën wouldn’t sell Chapron any separate chassis, so he was reduced to buying complete cars and dismantling them {vsig}2006-6_1937{/vsig} The Citroёn DS19 was launched on an unsuspecting world in 1955 and continued to be France’s car of choice well into the 1970s. There were many interpretations of the theme, but one of the most…
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Going to the Mat with a Paddle
“That’s a good piece, you should buy it.” The auction catalog description read, “Persian Heriz carpet, geometric central medallion and stylized floral decoration on madder red ground with ivory spandrels, 9′ 6″ x 11′ 9″. Estimate: $700-$900.” Offered by local auction house O’Gallerie, the rug met my three criteria: It was the right orange-red color;…
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1966-70 Datsun 1600/2000 Sports
While the Brits were still making do with finicky overdrive units, the Datsun 2000 had a five-speed gearbox designed by Porsche For a long time after WWII, Japanese products were viewed by American consumers merely as cheap copies of Western goods. Conventional wisdom held that a Nikon was a cheap copy of a Leica,…
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1957 Porsche 356A Coupe
If this car drives as the catalog says, the new owner did very well. If not get busy spending and making it right {vsig}2006-5_1931{/vsig} The 356A was Porsche’s first volume production car, in Coupe, Speedster, and Cabriolet versions. Introduced in 1956, the 356A embodied substantial revisions to the original 356 series, including a one-piece curved…
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1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt
Last year’s $3.2 million Oldsmobile F-88 sale has collectors scouring barns and museums for ’50s dream cars {vsig}2006-5_1927{/vsig} The business of building “show” or “concept” cars was in its infancy in 1940, with the notion of showcasing future styling and innovations. The idea dated back to Harley Earl and his 1938 Buick Y-Job, which was…
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1955 Maserati 300S
In 1955, after taking delivery of his most powerful Maserati to date, the three-liter 300S offered here, chassis number 3057, Benoit Musy contested eleven European Sports Car Championship events, winning five times and scoring a further five podium finishes up to the August 12, 1956, Kristianstad Swedish Grand Prix, which he won. In a cruel…
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1961 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Pininfarina Cabriolet
The car defines the scene: a little playful, a little romantic, and a serious reinforcement of privilege {vsig}2006-5_1930{/vsig} The 250 GT Cabriolet was conceived by Pininfarina as Ferrari’s semi-luxury touring car and was thus given better interior appointments and more soundproofing than the California Spyder Series. The cabriolet appearance was also created to look…