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1954 Kaiser-Darrin
The Kaiser-Darrin was America’s first production fiberglass sports car, with its prototype debuting in fall 1952 — just ahead of the Chevrolet Corvette (although production did not begin until 1954). It was powered by the reliable Willys 161-cubic inch “Hurricane” F-head 6-cylinder engine, and its design became a legend of 1950s motoring, with sweeping front…
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Civic Discourse
1995 Honda Civic Si hatchback Lot #43062. S/N 2HGEH3386SH503310. 84,000 miles shown. “1.6-liter D16Z6 VTEC inline 4, 5-speed manual transaxle, Milano Red exterior, gray cloth interior, power-operated sunroof, air conditioning, factory cassette stereo.” Condition: 1-. SOLD AT $18,900, Bring a Trailer, 2/11/2021. For two decades now, the fifth-gen Civic hatchback has been a go-to for…
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VIN-dicated
CARFAX was founded in 1984 in Columbia, MO, by a computer professional named Ewin Barnett III. He worked together with Robert Daniel Clark, an accountant from Huntingdon, PA. It started with a database of 10,000 records, but the company was soon getting reports from all 50 states. CARFAX is now headquartered in Centreville, VA, with…
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Will Your Replica Be Destroyed?
The collector-car world was recently stunned by the news that a Swedish court awarded judgment to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in its copyright infringement case against Karl and Ann-Christine Magnusson. The court ruled that the Magnussons, who were in the process of building a C-type replica, had violated JLR’s copyright in the C-type form. Their…
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My Dream Come True? Or Was it a Nightmare?
My “poster car” growing up was a silver 2002 Porsche 996. It was actually on a calendar on my bedroom wall. I remember hitting that month and never flipping to the next. Perhaps it was because my dad is a Porsche enthusiast, or maybe that car was just special. In any case, that’s the one…
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Fourth-by-Four
It’s official: Volkswagen will stop sales of its iconic hatchback, the Golf, in the American market this year. The Golf debuted in the United States as the econobox Rabbit in 1975 and has served as the base model for the higher-performance GTI since 1982. That the GTI and its even hotter platform-mate, the all-wheel-drive Golf…
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1959 Elva Mk IV
This sporting little Elva Mk IV sports racer is a well-known competitor in both period and contemporary vintage racing. Chassis no. 4L10061, offered here, had its first outing at the 1959 Sebring 12 Hours race, where it was entered by Elva Engineering as a factory racer. It fared remarkable well, finishing 2nd in class. The…
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1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E 4.2 AMG
This is a 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E 4.2 AMG Stage III finished in Black Pearl Metallic with a gray leather interior. This 400E is a Japanese-spec sedan that is titled in Delaware. Imported from Japan by the seller in October 2019, it is equipped with a metric instrument cluster and its odometer shows about 76,700 kilometers,…
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1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution
This 1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution is a homologation masterpiece forged in the red-hot fires of domestic rivalry. It is the ultimate development of BMW’s M3 (E30), itself an earlier homologation special of 5,000 units executed for the 1988 DTM season. During the interceding race season, FIA regulations lowered homologation quotas to just 500 chassis.…
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1987 Ferrari Testarossa Spider
An instant sensation when it debuted in 1984, the Ferrari Testarossa has since become automotive shorthand for the flamboyant era that created it. The car’s combination of a 4.9-liter engine and 5-speed gated gear selector promised both driving engagement and an exhilarating 12-cylinder soundtrack to back it all up. This Testarossa has been converted to…