Columns


  • VIN-dicated

    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…

  • Will Your Replica Be Destroyed?

    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…

  • My Dream Come True? Or Was it a Nightmare?

    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…

  • Fourth-by-Four

    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…

  • 1959 Elva Mk IV

    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…

  • 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E 4.2 AMG

    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,…

  • 1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution

    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.…

  • 1987 Ferrari Testarossa Spider

    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…

  • 1993 Cizeta V16T

    1993 Cizeta V16T

    Given the Cizeta’s cost and exclusivity, it is no surprise that each V16T produced has an interesting backstory. This car, chassis 101, is no exception. After Brunei became an independent country in 1983, the Sultan of Brunei and his family used a portion of their vast oil wealth to build the largest car collection the…

  • 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Drophead Coupe

    1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Drophead Coupe

    The Bertone-bodied Aston Martins of the 1950s paired Italian design flair with solid British engineering. One of only two DB2/4 chassis built with this striking convertible body style, and possessing a fascinating provenance, LML506 is an important coachbuilt Aston Martin from the early years of the David Brown era. Based in Chicago, S.H. “Wacky” Arnolt…