Columns
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1918 Stutz Series S Roadster
The general public could be forgiven for thinking that the Stutz Bearcat was the only model made by the company. However, since 1911 when Harry Stutz had set up his own firm, there had always been two-seat roadsters and touring cars to keep the limited number of Bearcats made each year company. Mechanically there was…
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1959 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce
In the early 1950s, youthful sports car enthusiasts could choose between the MG TD or the XK Jaguar. The performance and price gap between those two models was only partially filled by the Triumph and Austin-Healey. Only the more affluent could enjoy the superior weather protection and comfort of a Porsche or Aston Martin. The…
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1967 Ferrari 330 GTC
What might have been called patina a decade ago had slipped to scruffy Unveiled at the 1966 Geneva Salon, the Ferrari 330 GTC allied the 275GTB chassis with a 330 2+2 engine. The Pininfarina coachwork blended the 400 Superamerica front with the tail of the 275GTS. This produced a very elegant car that is by…
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1967 Ferrari 330 GTC
Intended to fill a gap in Ferrari’s line-up between the four-seat 330 GT 2+2 and the racer-on-the-road 275 GTB, the two-seat 330 GTC debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966 and in essence was a closed version of the 275 GTS. Pininfarina’s understated coachwork combined elements of the latter at the rear, with…
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1952 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster
During the Second World War, Sir William Lyons and his colleagues envisioned a new car that would feature the world’s first high-volume twin-cam engine. Called the XK series, it would be a short-wheelbase chassis mated to a two-seat sports roadster body. When combined with the new engine, the result would be nothing less than sensational-a…
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1976 Lancia Stratos
The Lancia Stratos represents a high point in Lancia sporting history and showed the world a new definition of the ultimate rally car. Yet its birth was merely a matter of coincidence. At the 1970 Turin motor show, Bertone displayed a futuristic design study, a fabulous creation of Marcello Gandini. The Italian coachbuilder had built…
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Buicks and Pontiacs and Alfas, Oh My
General Motors recently announced that it has purchased 20% of Fiat Auto, and that Fiat has, in return, purchased 5% of GM. Buried in the body of an article in the Wall Street Journal was the following statement: “In the U.S., where Fiat hasn’t played for years, the two are likely to team up. The…
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BMW 2002
Light steering, reasonable acceleration and braking, a delightful gearbox and above-average build quality have led the BMW 2002 to cult car status. With its cohorts, the Austin Mini-Cooper and the Lotus Cortina, these classic cars reinvented the simple box as automotive performance art. In BMW’s case, the 2002 probably saved this now Bavarian powerhouse from…
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1956 Porsche 356A Speedster
The first car to carry Ferdinand Porsche’s name was the 356. With aluminum fastback coachwork, pressed-steel chassis and the engine behind the rear axle, manufacture began late in 1948 and the 356 made its debut at the 1949 Geneva Show. Its power came from a 40 bhp, 1086cc engine mated to a four-speed gearbox, with…
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1933 Cadillac V12 Sport Phaeton
Although the US was engulfed in the Great Depression in 1930-1931, Cadillac brought out an absolutely splendid line of cars. One of them, unveiled at the National Automobile Show in January 1930 was the world’s first production V16 automobile. The Cadillac V16 and V12 engines were designed by the long-time head of the engineering division,…