Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
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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…
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1980 Triumph Spitfire 1500
They were cited by motoring journalists as an example of the thrills to be found in driving slow cars quickly {vsig}2006-5_1928{/vsig} The Triumph Spitfire 1500, according to the original brochure, is a true sports car whose classic lines express “the harmony of power and grace which is the car’s hallmark.” The brochure boasted that the…
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1974 Gaz-13 Chaika Limousine
I suspect this car falls into the same class of collectible as hearses-you can’t get away from the Dark Side {vsig}2006-5_1929{/vsig} This Russian Gaz-13 “Chaika” limousine is number 2,511 of only 3,719 built between 1959 and 1981. The Chaika-which means Gull-was favored by Kremlin officials, Soviet heads of state, and senior KGB officers. To…
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Another Soft Adventure
The two emotions dominating the market today are exuberance-especially from new collectors-and wariness, from those who have seen this all before.I’ve just finished participating in the three-day, Miles Collier-hosted symposium, Connoisseurship 2006. This was my third time attending, and the second time I have been privileged to be a member of the faculty.In addition to…
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1967-69 MGC
The MGC was the first in a string of half-baked ideas that turned the British motor industry into a historic-preservation trust Few cars have taken more of a beating right out of the box than the MGC. Already incensed by BMC’s premeditated murder of the Austin-Healey 3000 in favor of the C, journalists were out…
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1938 M-B 540K Sindelfingen Cabriolet “A”
Together with its predecessor the 500K, the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 540K was arguably the most noteworthy production model offered by the Stuttgart firm during the 1930s. A development of the 500K, whose independently suspended chassis it shared, the 540K was powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged straight-eight engine. It featured the company’s Roots-type supercharger system, in which…
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1953 General Motors “Parade of Progress” Tour Bus
One of twelve built by General Motors, this self-contained display and transport vehicle was created in 1940 by the GM design staff under Harley Earl’s direction. The Futurliner has opening sides, interior and exterior floodlights, a retractable stage, distinctive center cockpit driving position and dual-wheel front and rear axles. The buses were used in the…
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“Goodall Special Sports”
According to information supplied by the vendor, this intriguing two-seater special is believed to have been constructed in 1926 by one Cleland C. Castleman. Built around an inverted ladder frame (hence the ground-hugging stance), it’s equipped with a beam front axle, “live” rear end, leaf springs, and Andre-Hartford-style friction dampers. Clothed in a mixture of…
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2004 612 Scaglietti
Despite controversial styling, the 612’s performance is Formula One: It reaches 60 mph in just over four seconds and tops out at 199 mph {vsig}2006-4_1473{/vsig} In naming its new four-seater Granturismo after Carrozzeria Scaglietti, Ferrari acknowledged the immense contribution made by its collaborator in the past 50 years. Founded by Sergio Scaglietti in 1951 and…