Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
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1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Berlinetta
Introduced in 1984, the 288 GTO was built for Group B racing, though most of the 272 examples made for homologation were in road-going trim. As happens occasionally, some lucky customers were able to buy a superb road car because others wanted to go to the track. In standard form, this engine produced a massive…
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1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible
The DB5 convertible may be rightly regarded as the perfected Aston Martin-the product of deliberate and steady improvement in performance, reliability, comfort and appearance to a plane unequalled by its Continental rivals. The DB5 flowed smoothly from the DB4, gaining a small measure of displacement (from 3.7 to 4.0 liters) and power (from 240 to…
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1947 Bugatti Type 73 Monoposto Race Car
In 1944 Ettore Bugatti initiated the designs of a new, supercharged 1500-cc car intended for postwar production. It was designated the Type 73, with variations ranging from a four-seater road model to a monoposto racing car. Early in 1947 an artist’s impression of a streamlined, two-door saloon appeared in a Bugatti advertisement in a Continental…
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The Cuban Galapagos of Yankee Cars
Sometimes we collectors should just leave well enough alone. A recent article in the New York Times about American cars in Cuba, written in part to preview a PBS program entitled “Classic American Cars of Cuba,” extolled the creativity of the owner/mechanics there. Since the embargo in 1959, no American cars or parts have been…
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1964-66 Mini-Cooper S
If it hadn’t been for the success of the Mini-Cooper S as driven by Paddy Hopkirk in the Monte Carlo Rally and similar challenging long-distance races in the mid-’60s, the Mini probably never would have achieved the worldwide recognition it has enjoyed. And there certainly never would have been a BMW Mini in showrooms in…
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1958 Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette saw the light of day at the 1953 Motorama, the concept coming from Harley Earl, head of GM’s Art and Color Department, who sought to produce an American counterpart to the imported Jaguar XK 120. Until then, America had been without a real postwar sports car. The Corvette was the first quantity-produced…
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1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Convertible Coupe
The Castagna-bodied 6C 1750 Alfa shown here is a triple masterpiece: its magnificent Vittorio Jano-designed engine, Alfa Romeo’s superb chassis,and the beautifully constructed and subtly detailed Castagna body. In addition, it has been fastidiously restored in Australia by marque specialists Double J. Vittorio Jano put the P2 GP project behind him and turned his talent…
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1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spyder
While Enzo Ferrari’s focus was always on Grand Prix victories, he was never reluctant to apply the lessons learned in Grand Prix-or to spread out the high cost of GP car and engine development-to large displacement sports cars.Sports cars also earned both starting and prize money for the factory, and there seemed to be a…
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1930 Bentley 6½-Liter Speed Six
Although the 6½-liter had been conceived as a touring car to compete with Rolls-Royce’s new Phantom, in Speed Six form it proved admirably suited to competition: in 1929 Barnato/Birkin’s Speed Six won the Le Mans 24 Hour race ahead of a trio of 4½-liter Bentleys and Barnato/Kidston repeated the feat in the following year’s Grand…
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1972 Maserati Boomerang
Giugiaro’s Maserati Boomerang was first displayed as a non-functional model at the Turin motor show in 1971. By the Geneva show in March,1972, it had been transformed into a fully operational vehicle. The mechanicals were borrowed from the Maserati Bora. With its 4.7-liter V8 engine developing 310 horsepower, the Boomerang was good for an indicated…