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Car Collecting in the 21st Century
Isn’t it time to give the Monterey weekend an official name? Let’s get the folks from Pebble Beach, Concorso Italiano, the auctions and Laguna Seca together and keep them sequestered until the white smoke from the chimney indicates they’ve chosen something that encompasses the myriad activities that go on. It doesn’t have to be complicated;…
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1966–80 Fiat 124 Spider
Introduced in 1966 in Europe and hitting our shores in 1968, the Fiat 124 was the thinking man’s MGB. Obvious styling cues notwithstanding, the 124 offered an astonishing host of improvements over its traditional British rivals. Testifying to the strength of the American economy, more than 170,000 of the approximately 198,000 made ended up here.…
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1960 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Cabriolet
The 220S Mercedes-Benz was introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in April 1956 and was the first model from this famous manufacturer to have a unitary construction body shell. It succeeded the 220 model of 1951 with its traditional tubular chassis frame, and it shared some of its mechanical specifications. After two years in production,…
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1967 Ford Mustang GT 390
Introduced in the spring of 1964 as an early 1965 model, Ford’s Mustang created the pony car category. Its popularity was so overwhelming that after only 2½ years of production, a new body was introduced in 1967, giving Ford greater flexibility in equipment, particularly powertrains. This greater flexibility helped Ford counter increasing competition from Chrysler’s…
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1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300
This amazingly rare and elegant Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 was owned by the late Mr. Brian Eckersley, Surrey chimney sweep, for some 42 years, from the time he purchased it from a dealer in Warren Street, London, in 1956 to his untimely death last November. With supercharged 2.3-litre straight-8 engine, long-wheelbase chassis and rakish Cabriolet…
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1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
One of Ferrari’s most popular models debuted at the Paris Salon in 1968, soon acquiring the “Daytona” nickname. Pininfarina designed the fastback coupe, but the body was built by Scaglietti. Layout and chassis were essentially that of the former 275 GTB, but power came from the new twin-cam 4390cc V12 with six Weber carburetors that…
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1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Flat-Floor Convertible
Introduced in 1961, the Jaguar E-Type caused a sensation when it appeared, with instantly classic lines and a 140 mph-plus top speed. The newcomer’s design owed much to that of the racing D-Type: a monocoque tub forming the main structure, while a tubular spaceframe extended forward to support the engine. The latter was the same…
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1921 Peugeot 3-Liter Racer
Before the First World War it can be argued that the French firm Peugeot was more successful in motor racing than any other manufacturer. In the Paris-Rouen trial of 1894, Peugeot shared first prize. Peugeot won the 1895 Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race, and there were numerous other successes, not least the French Grand Prix wins in 1912…
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An L.A. Weekend
It has long seemed strange that Los Angeles, the first metropolis in the U.S. shaped by the motorcar, and the birthplace of nearly every automotive trend from hot rods to low riders, should have a paucity of high-end automotive activities. Auction companies have tried and failed to establish a regular foothold, concours have come and…
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Mercedes 230/250/280SL
Representing a gigantic step forward over the four-cylinder 190SL, the six-cylinder 230SL appeared in the early ’60s as a dramatic styling statement that still is striking today. This supurbly built car with decent-but-not-shattering performance remains quite affordable, with usable examples starting at $15,000, nice cars at $20,000 to $25,000, and first rate examples going for…