Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
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1955 OSCA Mt4 Spider Morelli
The little jewels from Bologna won everywhere-from the small regional Italian events to major international venues like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Le Mans and Sebring {vsig}2004-12_1538{/vsig} A tiny bantam of a racing car, the OSCA Mt4 was ahead of its time, winning overall at Sebring in 1954 with Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd behind…
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Giuliettas, GTs and Gullwings
Imagine a car collection to be like a well-stocked wine cellar, with each flight contributing its own particular palate, body and boquet. During the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to drink deeply from three quite different appellations, that of the Ford GT, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.I was just…
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1954-1963 Mercedes-Benz 190SL
The 190SL’s designers had a challenge on their hands-to echo the 300SL’s styling, but not copy it Close your eyes and picture your local main drag on a Saturday afternoon. Parked outside the neighborhood coffee shop, what do you see? Likely one or two Mercedes SLs, 280s. 560s. 450s. 380s. They’re a breeze to own…
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1970 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible
Not only will your collegiate daughter love it for its looks, but it certainly isn’t powerful enough for her to get into too much trouble {vsig}2004-11_1466{/vsig} Volkswagen’s popular Beetle spawned a number of other automobiles, creations like the Thing, Microbus, and most interesting of all, the Karmann Ghia. One of the most sought-after air-cooled convertibles…
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1935 Mormon Meteor Duesenberg SJ Speedster
Prior to the auction, guesses as to its eventual selling price were rampant, and the result was a staggering achievement for a Duesenberg. {vsig}2004-11_1470{/vsig} In an era of record-setters, Ab Jenkins and his Duesenberg Special surpassed them all. Racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats, he performed landmark miracles of speed and endurance. The Model J…
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1969 Chevron B16
Chevron B16s are just about the coolest, most beautiful, fastest little fantasy of a race car that you can get your hands on {vsig}2004-11_1475{/vsig} Only 23 Chevron B16s were built and today they are universally praised by their drivers for handling, performance, and-most elusive of all-an exceptionally graceful design. Indeed, the Chevron B16 is among…
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1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce
The Giulietta Spider was indeed a delightful automobile, redefining the essence of Alfa Romeo as a beautiful, responsive and brilliant-driving open car {vsig}2004-11_1463{/vsig} Introduced in 1956, the Giulietta Spider Veloce featured hotter cams, higher compression and a pair of Weber dual-choke carburetors, which boosted output to 90 horsepower at 6,500 rpm-well more than one horsepower…
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1966 Ferrari 275 GTS Spyder
The GTB/GTB4 has catapulted in value over the past 18 months and dragged the GTS along with it {vsig}2004-11_1457{/vsig} Ferrari introduced the 275 GTS at the October 1964 Paris show alongside its sibling, the 275 GTB. The two shared the same chassis and driveline, although the GTS engine was more mildly tuned to give 20…
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1962 Jaguar XKE SI 3.8 Convertible
Raise the bonnet and you are treated to one of the most beautiful engine layouts in sports car motoring. As Sir William Lyons was rumored to have said, “It costs no more to make it pretty” {vsig}2004-11_1461{/vsig} The E-type is one of those rare gifts to the automotive world, the result of a passionate team…
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1974 Lamborghini LP400 Countach
At the sub-$40,000 price, this car is cheap sculpture, a conversation piece in the garage, something fun for the kids so they can play “let’s pretend we’re Valentino Balboni” {vsig}2004-11_1452{/vsig} Offered for sale direct from the museum to which it was donated in 1999, this Lamborghini LP400 Countach is somewhat of a sad and confusing…