Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
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1961 Chaparral 1
There’s something romantic about cars that signify the end of an era, the last and greatest of their kind, yet doomed by the coming revolution {vsig}2005-4_1835{/vsig} The year was 1961. Jim Hall was an ambitious young man from Midland, TX, who had done well in oil and was determined to do even better in pro…
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1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B
Any time a dolled-up 6C 2300 with a short chassis sells for less then 200 grand, something stinks-and it’s usually the car Carrozzeria Touring of Milan developed and patented Superleggera body construction, working with light alloys and sparingly dimensioned components to lay up aluminum panels over a cage-like steel frame. The earliest of these bodies…
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1966 Ferrari 275 GTB
Perhaps no car better epitomizes classic Ferrari design than the 275 GTB. Penetrative nose, long bonnet, low cabin and a short, neat tail are the ingredients that make for a masterpiece of sports car design. The 275 GTB drew inspiration from the preceding 250 GTO, and along with its timeless appearance introduced a number of…
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1958 Bentley S1 Continental
Continentals were lightened versions of the standard steel-bodied cars, built for high-speed cruising {vsig}2005-4_1831{/vsig} The post-war heyday of Bentley was with the Continental models, from their introduction in 1952. The combination of sporting performance and a beautifully clothed chassis made for the ultimate in long distance luxury touring. The name itself became synonymous with elegance.With…
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1992 Lancia Hyena
Integrales of any sort are incredible performance machines, massively capable in almost all conditions, sort of the Subaru WRX of their day {vsig}2005-4_1832{/vsig} This Lancia Hyena was purchased new by the present owner from Walkers Garage, official Lancia factory-appointed Integrale specialists for the U.K., who sourced the car from Zagato. Its owner wanted a car…
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Grandpa’s Mod-Con Mercury
While I’ve never been to a 24-hour race, the Speed Channel coverage of the 2005 Barrett-Jackson auction came close. Although my duties in the broadcast booth were spread over four days, that’s a lot of hours to put in watching the world’s shiniest used car lot in action.Bob Varsha and Brock Yates, my boothmates, were…
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1967-1973 Mercury Cougar
The fiercest Cougar was an Eliminator fitted with blacked-out grille, side stripes, a spoiler and Ford’s 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air It was Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1967, and Car Life called it a “Mustang with class.” Yet the Mercury Cougar has been mostly overlooked by collectors, and this relative of Ford’s…
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1961 Porsche 356B T-5 1600
Whatever the auction catalog may say about the early 356Bs adding to the Porsche legend, at the time of its introduction, Porsche fans were aghast {vsig}2005-3_1827{/vsig} Launched in 1948, the Porsche 356 employed a platform chassis with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine and torsion bar independent suspension. In 1955 the 356A was introduced, readily distinguishable by…
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1932 Marmon Sixteen Victoria Coupe
Slowly examine one of these cars from every angle and the true genius of Walter Dorwin Teague Jr.’s design is apparent {vsig}2005-3_1823{/vsig} Howard Marmon was a brilliant engineer; he completed his first automobile in 1902 at the age of 23. It was remarkably advanced for its time, featuring an overhead-valve, air-cooled engine. This would be…
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1998 Dodge Viper Race Car
Your 16-year-old son would probably be happy lighting incense in front of it and inviting his friends over to worship {vsig}2005-3_1828{/vsig} Few cars in the history of the American automobile have captured the imagination of car enthusiasts like the Dodge Viper. What started as an outrageous concept car at the 1989 Detroit auto show led…