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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.…
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1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
When Mercedes-Benz introduced their new range of cars in 1951 it included the 3-liter six-cylinder 300S model which was to become the basis of their return to motor sport in 1952. Rudi Uhlenhaut, the Competition Director, was obliged to use production components for his new sports racecar and to compensate for the weight penalty he…
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1966 Shelby GT350 H
In 1964, Ford Motor Company produced one of the most successful cars in history – the Mustang. It sold 22,000 cars the first day! At that same time, Ford had Texan racecar driver Carroll Shelby under contract. They were already selling his AC Cobra in Ford dealerships. Ford decided to have Shelby experiment with the…
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1962 Ferrari 250GT SWB Competizione
The Paris Salon in 1959 saw the introduction of a Ferrari 250GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta, a direct development of the Long Wheelbase car known as the Tour de France. Built on the 94.5-inch wheelbase chassis powered by the 3-liter V12 engine, the new and exciting Gran Turismo car was destined for many racing successes. Perhaps…
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1947 MG TC
MG recovered quickly after the Second World War and began production on its new TC series which were among the first cars built anywhere following the war. The TC Midget was, and is still, aesthetically pleasing with its distinctive radiator and sweeping wheel arches framing the spider, 19-inch wire wheels. Even with windscreen raised and…
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1956 Maserati 300S
The Trident symbol, representing the city of Bologna, features foremost on the Maserati emblem and is often referred to as the heartbeat of Italian motoring – in that Bologna is situated in the central part of Italy and the Maserati name has been associated with racing since the early 1920s. Certainly the name Maserati has…
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1974 Porsche Carrera 3.0 RSR
{vsig}1997-7_1638{/vsig} The 3-liter Porsche Carrera RSR was one of the great long distance sports-racing cars of the early 1970s. Just 57 of these 330 bhp “evolution” versions of the already exciting Carrera RS were built, but they were successful beyond all expectations, winning every GT championship entered throughout the world. The engine received a secondary…
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1961 Chevrolet Corvette
{vsig}1997-7_1640{/vsig} After the war, America started its love affair with the British sports car and it did not go unnoticed that sports cars attracted customers to showrooms. At the time “dream cars” were a feature of American motor shows and late in 1951 Harley Earl, General Motors’ chief stylist, sketched out a sports car named…
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1995 Alfa Romeo Appennine Three Nine
Probably the greatest sports car of the pre-war years was Alfa Romeo’s 8C 2900B, a supercharged straight-eight grand prix racing car with two-seater sports body, versions of which were designed by several of Italy’s finest coachbuilders. While some of these designs were winning the prestigious Concours d’Elegance at the celebrated Villa d’Este, others were winning…
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1961 Ferrari 250GT Cabriolet Series II
{vsig}1997-7_1639{/vsig} Probably the most comprehensive range of any Ferrari type was the 250 series, with every derivation imaginable, from racing cars such as the LM, GTO and Testa Rossa to the civilized 2+2 Coupe. All of these models, though diverse in application, shared a basically similar engine, the magnificent 3-liter single-overhead-cam V12 designed by Gioachino…