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It’s a Jungle Out There
While getting ready to take our Healey to the frame shop (more on that later), I thought back on the collector cars Ms. Banzer and I have owned over the past few years.A few, like the ’72 Datsun 240Z, were painless experiences. Others, including our ’59 Isetta and ’72 Chevy Impala convertible, involved minor automotive…
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1974-79 Ferrari 308 GT4 2+2
In 1973 Ferrari replaced the Dino 246 GT V6 with the Dino 308 GT4 V8. Unusually, they did not choose Pininfarina to style the car, instead opting for Bertone, where a young Marcello Gandini did the actual design. In typical Ferrari practice, construction was done at the Scaglietti works. Oddly, Ferrari asked Bertone to make…
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1963 Porsche 356 GS/GT Coupe
Porsche had great success racing 356 Carreras in many different venues. In 1961 at Sebring, Porsche had two class wins with the Carrera 2: the GT class with Ben Pon and Joe Buzzetta, and the Prototype class with Don Webster and Bruce Jennings. After Joe Buzzetta’s win, he remarked of the Carrera: “If I had…
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2002 Chrysler Prowler
The Prowler, approved for concept in July 1992, was a showstopper in January 1993 when it made its debut at the North American International AutoShow in Detroit. In September 1994, top management officially approved the Prowler for production and it was in 1997 that the first production version of the Prowler rolled off the line…
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1967 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Veloce
{vsig}2002-8_1360{/vsig} As described by the seller on eBay Motors: This rare Alfa is a complete car. All bits and pieces are intact. No alterations or modifications have been made, inside or out. It has been well kept and always garaged. It is in daily-driving condition, and is rarely driven except in dry weather. The car…
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1989 Ferrari 328 GTS
Ferrari’s line of highly successful V8-engined road cars began when the 308 GT4 of 1973 took over from the preceding 246 Dino V6. The newcomer’s wedged-shaped styling, by Bertone, was not universally well received, but the performance of the 3-liter V8 certainly was. A new two-seater car using the same power unit, the 308 GTB,…
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1963 Morgan Low-Body +4 Super Sport
The Morgan Plus 4 Super Sports model was introduced late in 1961, offering arguably the best price-for-performance value available at that time. Its lightweight aluminum body provided crisp handling in a design reminiscent of the great fully fendered sports cars of the 1930s. Between 1961 and 1968 only 104 Triumph TR4A-engined aluminum-bodied Super Sports were…
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1956 OSCA 1.5 Tipo MT4 Sports Racer
This wonderfully useable, well-presented and historic product of the world-famous Maserati brothers’ company “Officina Specializzata Costruzione Automobili,” better known as “OSCA,” was purchased new from the Bolognese factory in Italy by Kleenex millionaire James H. “Gentleman Jim” Kimberly, in 1956. At the Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, that September, Kimberly and his brilliant…
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Quality Seat Time
We hadn’t gotten more than 20 miles from our Portland, Oregon, home. Trapped by rush-hour traffic, the big Healey’s temperature started to climb. The needle on the gauge quickly passed the 212-degree mark, and visions of warped heads and steaming radiators danced in my head. “Just drive on the shoulder, around the traffic,” offered my…
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1980-85 Mercedes-Benz 380SL Convertible
If you are looking for a practical roadster with style, fine handling, comfort, reliability and high build quality, the Mercedes-Benz 380SL is the answer. For less than $15,000, nothing touches it in terms of an overall package. The 380SL is part of the fourth generation of the Mercedes-Benz SLs. Designated the type R107 chassis, it…