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1929 Mercedes-Benz Type 38/250 Model SSK
In the hands of drivers like Rudolph Caracciola, the SSK was the dominant race car of its era, and came to symbolize all that was wonderful and scary about racing during the “Roaring Twenties” {vsig}2005-1_1809{/vsig} Known in period as simply, “the mighty Mercedes,” advertisements for the SSK justifiably screamed, “the fastest sports car in the…
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1959 Ford Galaxie Sunliner Convertible
In 1959, Ford kept its Blue Oval models relatively devoid of chrome, mile-high fins, and many of the other excesses that were common to the era {vsig}2005-1_1808{/vsig} New for 1959, the Galaxie began life as a variant of the highly successful Fairlane. The year is considered by many to be a high water mark…
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1968 McLaren M6B Can-Am Race Car
If you can hustle one of these babies around the track, nobody will ever question your manhood {vsig}2005-1_1810{/vsig} The Can-Am Series for unlimited sports cars began in 1966, and a year later Bruce McLaren won his first championship, driving a car bearing his own name. Teammate Denny Hulme was second, and for the next four…
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1932 Alfa Romeo P3 Bronze Sculpture
Behind the wheel of a P3, Tazio Nuvolari bested the Third Reich on its home turf, winning the 1935 German Grand Prix in one of the great come-from-behind drives of all time {vsig}2005-1_1804{/vsig} The P3 Alfa Romeo sculpture offered here is patterned after the fantastic and dominant single-seat, eight-cylinder Alfas of the early 1930s. Cast…
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1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4
I was the one who sold 308 GT4 S/N 10540 for $23,500 back in 1990 {vsig}2005-1_1720{/vsig} Ferrari’s family of immensely successful V8 road cars began in 1973 with the 308 GT4. The Maranello factory’s first V8-engined road car and first mid-engine 2+2, the 308 GT4 was styled by Bertone rather than the customary Pininfarina.…
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1962 Daimler SP250 Dart Roadster
No less an authority on grace than Sir William Lyons was rumored to have tossed his scones on his first sight of a Dart {vsig}2005-1_1803{/vsig} Daimler of England startled the automotive world in 1959 with the Dart roadster, a swoopy sports car powered by an advanced 2.6-liter, hemi-head V8. With a chassis inspired by Triumph’s…
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1925 Amilcar 4 CGS
These lightweight, small-displacement sports cars provide a true pre-war motoring experience at a fraction of the cost of their more expensive French cousin from Molsheim {vsig}2005-1_1807{/vsig} Of all the small sports-racing cars that proliferated in France after World War One, the Amilcar was the most famous and most successful. Built at St. Denis from 1921…
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Getting Our Kicks
I’m going to blame this one on Ed Welburn, General Motors design chief. The two of us were kicking tires at the RM Amelia Island auction last March, and came across a 1966 Sting Ray coupe. Welburn mentioned that it was nearly exactly what he wanted, a car in driving condition with a small-block.“But it…
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1975-1980 AMC Pacer
“You only ride like a Pacer if you’re wide like a Pacer” If you’re among the many who laugh at AMC Pacers, let us introduce you to “Weird” Harrel Lamkin of Ruston, LA. He drag-raced a 550-hp Pacer from 1987 to 1996, turning 10-second quarter miles at 124 mph. As he said, “I wanted to…
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1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
In the collector car world, there is no more immediately recognizable sight than a 300SL with its doors open. Introduced in 1954 as a coupe with signature “Gullwing” doors, the legendary 300SL was conceived as a high performance street machine that was really a thinly veiled racing car. It was fast, solid, and handled well,…