Columns
-
1998 McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is a wreck just waiting to happen – while names can’t be named, over a dozen cars were crashed by their over-exuberant owners soon after delivery {vsig}2004-8_1213{/vsig} The idea of creating the ultimate and most exciting road car was conceived as early as 1988. Following a meeting of minds led by designer…
-
1967 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Coupe
Why, with all its aesthetic beauty, adequate performance, and driveability, does the Ghibli continue to sell for just a quarter the price of a Ferrari Daytona? {vsig}2004-8_1214{/vsig} Giorgio Giugiaro penned the striking lines for Maserati’s Ghibli, which debuted at the Turin Auto Show in 1966. Sporting a quad-cam V8 making 335 hp, the car was…
-
Monterey, Then and Now
It was July of 1985, and the Monterey Historics were just a few weeks away. The featured marque was Alfa Romeo, and for the first time in a decade, I didn’t own one. My 1969 boat-tailed Spider with rusty floors had just gone away, and I was desperate.In those days when my day job was…
-
1968-1975 BMW 2800/3.0 CS
Even when compared to cars of today, 3.0 CS coupes are capable enough in both performance and handling, and drive like a BMW should, with good steering feel and solid roadhandling In 1968, $8,178 would buy you a finely engineered German luxury coupe, the new six-cylinder BMW 2800 CS. Or, you could save yourself $300…
-
1976 Porsche 914 Hot Rod
Porsche’s all-out racing machines were always mid-engined, dating back to the 550 Spyder of the 1950s. After much racing success with this configuration, Porsche management decided in the late 1960s that its future high-performance road cars would also be mid-engined, due to the inherently better weight distribution. With this theory in mind, Porsche began development…
-
1948 Tucker 48
If I had a wayback machine, I can think of no one I would more like to buy a beer for than Preston Tucker {vsig}2004-7_1223{/vsig} The name Tucker strikes a chord in the heart of every true car enthusiast. One of the final hand-built models to roll off the line, Tucker no. 1043 is probably…
-
1984 Audi Quattro Sport
Anyone who’s ever stood in the cold on the side of a dark mountain road waiting for those headlights to come flashing by can understand the desire to own this car. {vsig}2004-7_1224{/vsig} This 1984 Audi Sport Quattro is not only the works car of world champion Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz, but is probably the…
-
1983 Ferrari 400i Spyder Conversion
Open V12 Ferrari for under $40k. {vsig}2004-7_1205{/vsig} As described by the seller on eBay Motors: Here is your chance to buy a 12-cylinder Ferrari convertible. This is the best looking and performing 400i convertible in the world, a traffic stopper. I just drove the car about 100 miles and people gave me the thumbs up…
-
1967 Aston Martin DB6 Mk I Volante
This car was bought over the phone, bringing to mind a favorite jest of one of my good friends: {vsig}2004-7_1219{/vsig} The new Aston Martin DB6 was introduced at the 1965 London Motor Show as a distinctively restyled development of the successful DB4 and DB5 model ranges. The flat transom Kamm-tail topped by an integral spoiler…
-
1950 Abarth 205A
Abarth was a master of self-promotion, he knew how to hire talented young people whose work he would later appropriate, and he knew how to make a quick buck. {vsig}2004-7_1221{/vsig} Born in Austria in 1908, Karl Abarth was a European motorcycle champion in the 1930s who fled to Italy during World War II. His firm,…