The Giulia Tubolare Zagato, or TZ, emerged victorious from its racing debut at Monza in November 1963, and from then on proved a competent competitor. Of the 112 TZs made, approximately two thirds survive. Chassis number 085 was completed on March 9, 1965, but was not officially sold to Autodelta until December 31 of that…
The Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet occupied a unique niche in the luxuxy car market: a four-seat mid-engine Cabriolet with pedigree. The improved Mondial T received a 296-hp, 3405 cc V8 engine mounted longitudinally in the frame. Along with a new engine came a completely new five-speed transmission, electronically controlled variable suspension, and a three-position manual suspension…
The first Abbott two-door coupe to grace the R-type chassis made its debut at the 1952 Earls Court Motor Show, alongside an equivalent drophead design. The chassis on which these and the fourteen subsequent cars built differed from standard, having a lowered radiator and steering column rake, and carrying a 3.41 rear axle ratio. The…
I have long argued that cars are machinery first, and art second. With the very rare exception of pure show cars, they were designed to be driven, not to be displayed for gawking passersby. It is only through the use of a car that its underlying magnificent strengths and disappointing weaknesses emerge.Our Ferrari is nearly…
Renzo Rivolta made a considerable fortune following World War II. He also loved cars. In the early ’60s, he became a victim of the popular musing that begins with, “Let’s marry a sophisticated European chassis and coachwork with a cheap, reliable, and powerful American V8.”Giotto Bizzarini, father of the 250 SWB and the immortal 250…
Nine seventeen! Two words that spell out the best of the big racing sportscars. Two words that conjure up images of a Pedro Rodriguez Gulf coupe averaging over 160 mph at the formidable Spa-Francorchamps circuit in 1971. Langhecks (longtails), running at over 240 mph down the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans; eleven hundred horsepower unleashed…
Capturing the essence of the era’s themes, the ’57 Chevrolet Bel Air represented the pinnacle of ’50s automotive styling. Today, this model remains one of the single most recognized icons of the tall tail fins and excessive chrome age—a time when bigger meant better and there was not a doubt that America built the best…
A replacement for the 1900 line, the 102-series 2000 cars first appeared in 1958 and were unusual in so far as production of the Touring-bodied Spider version outstripped that of the four-door Berlina. A Bertone-bodied Sprint coupe followed in 1960. Nowadays referred to as the “Cast-Iron 2-liter,” the twin-cam 2000 engine combined elements of the…
Unveiled at the Geneva Salon in March 1966, the 330 GTC (Gran Tourismo Coupe) allied the 275 GTB chassis with the basic engine from the 330 GT 2+2. Coachwork was a compromise of the 400 Superamerica front blended to the rear tail treatment of the 275 GTS. The new car was a capable performer—fast, quiet,…
A direct descendant of the Silver Ghost, the Rolls-Royce Phantom I was launched in May 1925. For the most part, the Phantom I chassis was identical to that of its predecessor. It did offer customers two different wheelbase lengths from which to choose: 143.5 inches or 150.5 inches. The Phantom I’s transmission was also the…