Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
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1973 Datsun 240Z Race Car
Trailing throttle oversteer resulted in far more of them leaving the track backwards than ever drove off straight {vsig}2006-1_1909{/vsig} When Spike Anderson went trawling for a bottom-feeder race car in England, he started at a fish-and-chip shop.Anderson bought “LAL,” a four-year-old Datsun 240Z from a Greek fish-and-chip shop owner, a Mr. Michael. Stripped, prepared, and…
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2005 Enzo Ferrari
Prospective purchasers were selected based on their importance to the dealer; we assume the Pope was pre-qualified {vsig}2006-1_1907{/vsig} Chassis number: ZFFCZ56B000141920 Ferrari entered the third millennium during an incredible phase of competition. In fact, Formula One has never offered the company such a true laboratory for advanced research. I decided that this car, which embodies…
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2001 Lotus Esprit
An Esprit makes sense based on performance and price, but it falls short on craftsmanship and materials {vsig}2006-1_1905{/vsig} Although the wedge-shaped Lotus Esprit has been around long enough to be something of a 1970s retro car, it has gone through significant changes since it first appeared in 1976. To most people the Esprit conjures up…
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1963 Fiat 750/850 Abarth Berlina
Lack of records makes it very difficult to tell a factory Abarth from one built by Uncle Giorgio’s Garage (Note: In the auction catalog, there was an addendum that declared that this particular car was in fact a Fiat 750 rather than an 850. As its model year was appropriate for an 850, we can…
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Frommer, Zagat, and Me
What makes a car collectible? And what makes one car more desirable than another? We all might agree that a 1967 911S is more desirable that a 1977, but exactly why? At SCM, we have long felt there was a need for an evaluation and rating system for collectible cars that considered more than just…
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1961-1972 Volvo 1800
Enough pipe-smoking, record-keeping professors bought 1800s to assure a decent supply of well-maintained examples In 1961, Volvo was Swedish for “stodgy,” and a sports car from these practical folks in a cold climate seems about as likely as tailfins on a reindeer. But that’s what happened-right down to the fins.Volvo had attempted a sports car…
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1956 Mercedes-Benz 220S Sedan “Zippo”
In 1953, Mercedes-Benz introduced the line of mid-sized automobiles that would be its mainstay for nearly a decade. Built using unit-body principles, they were lightweight yet strong and utilized a front sub-frame for mounting the engine. These “ponton” or “roundie” models received a number of motors, from 48-hp diesels in the 180D taxi models to…
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1947 Buick Super Series 50 Woody Wagon
This was the Mercedes G-Wagen of its day, most often sold in high trim levels to affluent customers {vsig}2005-12_1898{/vsig} Buick’s biggest and most elegant woody wagons owe their genesis to a cocktail party in Hollywood in 1941. Movie director Norman McLeod and his wife Bunny invited Buick designer Harley Earl over as part of…
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1965 Shelby Daytona 427 Coupe
Those who worship at the altar of the Snake will kneel and genuflect, but was it ever a real car? {vsig}2005-12_1903{/vsig} This prototype is the only 427 Cobra Daytona Coupe in existence. Following the successful campaign of the small block Cobra Daytona Coupes in 1964, Shelby’s Director of Special Projects Peter Brock penned new…
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1959 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider
Alfa Romeo’s reputation is built on performance. From the earliest days as Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobile (ALFA), the company dedicated itself to racing as a way to improve its road cars and earn a reputation among enthusiasts. A long string of superb cars followed-the 22/90 RLSS, 6C 1750 Gran Sport, Tipo B (P3), the 8C…