Columns
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1936 SS Jaguar 100 Two-Seater Sports Roadster
When the young William Lyons introduced his devastatingly handsome SS Jaguar 100 sports two-seater in the fall of 1935, it was viewed with some skepticism by the rather conservative English sporting motorists of the day. Rakishly low, with 90 mph plus readily available and acceleration to match, it was well-equipped and finished, yet cost a…
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1957 Lancia Aurelia B24S Convertible
Italy’s idea of a fast touring motor car, the 115 mph, 2.5-liter Lancia Aurelia “provides rapid, effortless, and very secure travel for two and masses of luggage in a car which is responsive, stable and well braked.” So pronounced “Motor Sport” when they Italy’s idea of a fast touring motor car, the 115 mph, 2.5-liter…
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1959 BMW 507 Series II
It would indeed have been a shame if BMW had confined the use of its first V8 engine range merely to its saloon cars of the 1950s. Had that been the case, the world would have been denied what is arguably the Bavarian marque’s finest post-war sports car-the glamorous, high-performance 507. The V8, the work…
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1959 BMW 507 Series II
It would have been a shame if BMW had confined the use of its first V8 engine range merely to its saloon cars of the 1950s. Had that been the case the world would have been denied what is arguably the Bavarian marque’s finest post-war sports car – the glamorous high performance 507. The V8,…
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1929 Cadillac 341B Sport Dual-Cowl Phaeton
Cadillac cars were the inspiration of Henry M. Leyland and established the tradition of interchangeability of components. They became part of General Motors in 1909 and were soon the leaders of that group. In 1914 they introduced the world’s first commercially successful V8 engine, which stayed into production in its first series until 1926. In…
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1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale
The car pictured here was prepared by the well-known Roman specialist Franco Angellini for participation in European GTS Historic Racing. Modifications from original specification include stiffening of the chassis and mounts, the fitting of a Colotti limited-slip differential, a close-ratio gearbox, improved braking system, steel exhaust, oil cooler and, importantly, the blueprinting of the engine.…
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1964 Ferrari 250 Le Mans
By the end of 1963 it had become apparent to Ferrari that a successor to the 250 GTO would be needed in order to counter increasing opposition in the GT class, particularly from the massive onslaught of Carroll Shelby’s Cobras. It was thus that the new Ferrari 250 Le Mans was introduced to the public…
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1930 Bentley 4.5-Liter Supercharged Tourer
Perhaps the worst-kept secret among “the right crowd” in motor sport circles in 1929 was the development of the supercharged Bentley. As early as 1 January, 1929 the “Morning Post” suggested that two UK companies would be entering supercharged cars for Le Mans that year and in July 1929, when the “Morning Post” announcement had…
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1954 Maserati A6G/54 Zagato
Of the Maserati sports racing cars that took part in competition during the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the most successful was the A6G/CS of 1947. On its debut in the 1947 Circuit of Modeno Alberto Ascari and Luigi Viloresi finished 1st and 2nd overall, while regular class wins included such events as…
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1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
I drove one cross-country and did four straight hours in Nevada at 110 mph. With the car singing through its original mild-steel exhaust system, the sound is as unique as the rest of the car {vsig}2004-12_1540{/vsig} In the collector car world, there is no more immediately recognizable sight than a 300SL with its doors open.…