Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
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Auf Wiedersehen
We filled the tank of our 2004 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG for the first time on July 1, 2020. The odometer read 45,389 miles. We had purchased it from a collector in the Los Angeles area for $22,500. SCM Contributor Philip Richter had urged — no, commanded — me to buy the car. He said the…
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1965 Dodge Coronet A990 Lightweight
Chrysler allowed the development of its Hemi engine for one real purpose: to win races. However, NASCAR in 1964 decided that Chrysler’s engine was not acceptable on its racetracks. Plan B was to build a factory car that would dominate the stock classes in NHRA-sanctioned drag racing. Thus was born the era of “A990” Super…
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1961 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Convertible
Sir William Lyons’ leadership allowed Jaguar to flourish. He had appointed the gifted engineer, pilot and racing technical wizard Frank RW “Lofty” England to lead the company’s racing department. Applying his experience working with Tim Birkin’s team and the Blower Bentley cars, as well as Prince Bira’s White Mouse Stable, in preparing his ERA race…
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1961 Maserati 5000 GT Indianapolis Coupe by Allemano
This 1961 Maserati 5000 GT is one of 34 examples built between 1959 and 1966 and is the first among 22 coupes constructed with Carrozzeria Allemano bodywork penned by Giovanni Michelotti. Named the Indianapolis as a nod to Maserati’s Indy 500 legacy, chassis 103014 was completed in September 1961 before being showcased in the factory…
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1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
This 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 is one of approximately 410 examples built with fixed headlights behind a plexiglass nose panel before a pop-up headlight configuration was adopted in 1971. Chassis 13231 was completed on March 6, 1970, before being delivered new in Bologna, Italy. It was imported later that decade to the U.S., where it…
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1959 Porsche 356 Convertible D
Porsche’s 356A is truly the most swoon-worthy production automobile the Stuttgart firm ever created. The D was only produced in 1959 before the model was transformed into the 356B in 1960; at a mere 1,331 manufactured, it is one of the rarest production automobiles to ever don the Porsche badge. Dennis Collins has a passion…
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2021 Ford GT Carbon Series
Russell Sims, an emerging Ford design-team engineer, was selected for a top-secret project code-named “Phoenix.” Operating out of the “Batcave,” the basement of the Ford design studio, to keep things as quiet as possible, Russell and team began designing the components for the 2016 Ford GT that would take on the notorious 24 Hours of…
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1953 Ferrari 166 MM/53 Spider
It was the Tipo 166, introduced in 1948 as a replacement for the 125 S, that first established Enzo Ferrari’s Modenese workshop as a leading manufacturer of racing cars. Powered by a 2-liter, Colombo-designed V12 engine, the 166 set forward a course of development that would define the look, sound and inimitable character of Ferrari…
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A Prelude to Collectibility
1987 Honda Prelude 2.0 Si S/N JHMBA3146HC005396. 4,200 miles. “2.0-liter inline-4, 5-speed manual transaxle, Phoenix Red paint, black cloth upholstery, 13-inch alloy wheels, power-operated sunroof, rear spoiler, A/C, cruise control, AM/FM cassette stereo with graphic equalizer, window sticker.” Condition: 1. SOLD AT $82,950. Bring a Trailer, 7/26/23. If there was a car you could point…
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Don’t Call it “Cute”
The new Mini entered the market in the 2002, now under BMW ownership, and was immediately successful. This was an era of retro-fabulous versions of European classics. Volkswagen’s New Beetle had turned up a few years prior, and Fiat gave its venerable 500 the same treatment just a few years later. Europeans got a host…