Columns
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1966 Shelby GT350 H
The Mustang was the first of the pony cars and the most charismatic. When equipped with a high-performance, 289-cubic-inch, 271-horsepower engine, they became favorites at the stoplight drags. However, once sports-car maestro Carroll Shelby got his hands on the Mustang, they entered a different league. With subtle but critical modifications to the chassis and engine,…
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1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Sport Zagato
After joining Alfa Romeo in 1923, Vittorio Jano created the all-conquering P2, an expedient design based largely on Jano’s experience with Fiat’s 1923 Tipo 805 GP car. Jano refined the best elements of the Tipo 805 and designed around some of its weaknesses. But this was not the creative Jano, it was the practical engineer…
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1959 AC Ace “Cobra” Roadster
The success of Cliff Davis’s successful Tojeiro sports-racer prompted AC Cars to put the design into production in 1954 as the Ace. The Davis car’s pretty Ferrari 166-inspired Barchetta bodywork was retained, as was John Tojeiro’s twin-tube ladder-frame chassis and Cooper-influenced all-independent suspension, but the power unit was AC’s own venerable two-liter long-stroke six. This…
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1989 Lamborghini Countach Anniversary
The Countach debuted at the Geneva Auto Salon as a show car in 1971 and was introduced to the European market in 1974. In polite terms, the name Countach is Italian slang for “Good Lord!” or simply, “Wow!” This exclamation aptly describes most car lovers’ response on seeing the car for the first time. Wildly…
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Mooners and Masterpieces
January and August are the two busiest months on the collector car calendar, but they are as different as desert and ocean. August in Monterey is a three-day spectacle of disposable wealth, with million-dollar cars selling haphazardly across the Peninsula the way oils are splashed on a Jackson Pollock painting. January in Arizona is more…
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1979-85 Mazda RX-7
In 1979 Mazda jumped into the two-seat sports car market with the basic, no-frills, rotary-powered RX-7. The car was an instant winner, and Road & Track referred to it as “a major breakthrough for the enthusiast.” Its primary competition, the once lean and mean Datsun 240Z of the early ’70s, had become the 280ZX, an…
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1955 Porsche 356
Porsche has built some wonderful cars in its half century as a manufacturer, creating a legacy revered by enthusiasts and an image that is instantly recognizable. Erwin Komenda’s first 1948 Gmund coupe is clearly echoed in Porsches right up to today’s Carreras and is still effective, efficient and attractive. Porsche’s classic profile as a blend…
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1953 Buick Roadmaster Woody
Buick marked their 50th anniversary in 1953. With V8 engines gaining popularity, it was quite natural that Buick would celebrate its golden anniversary by introducing a modern overhead-valve V8. Remarkably, in addition to the first Buick V8 engine and the first use of a 12-volt electrical system, the 1953 Buick Estate Wagon was the very…
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1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Competizione
Alfa’s 1934 6C model was conceived as a natural development of the successful 6C 1500 and 6C 1750 series, and set the pattern for post-war Alfas. With dual overhead camshafts and a 70 x 100-mm bore and stroke, Jano’s final design of a production Alfa Romeo was robust: an engine with seven main bearings and…
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1951 Ferrari 340 America Berlinetta
Ferrari S/N 0148A is part of a very aristocratic lineage of Ferraris, as it is equipped with the famous Lampredi V12, which would go on to contribute to Ferrari’s first victories in F1 in its 375 F1 version. In the 340 version, the 4101-cc engine develops 260 hp at 6500 rpm. It was a legendary…