Columns
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The Pleasure and the Pain
You don’t have to dig around very much to find horror stories about the Lotus Europa. Colin Chapman’s strange mid-engine “bread van” design is known for major structural problems, dodgy fiberglass and the kind of mechanical troubles only Lotus enthusiasts can tolerate. The car’s reputation has kept prices low, but the Europa also has a…
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2000 Honda Civic Si
5,600 miles shown 1.6-L B16A2 inline 4-cylinder engine 5-speed manual transaxle Electron Blue over patterned gray cloth Air conditioning Sunroof Cruise control Pioneer stereo Window sticker Partial service records
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1985 Ferrari 288 GTO
One of only 272 produced Three owners from new; driven 23,555 original kilometers Equipped with factory air conditioning and power windows Includes original owner’s manuals, toolkit, jack and spare key
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1967 Maserati Mistral 4.0 Alloy Coupe by Frua
Styled by Pietro Frua, the lithe Mistral was the first in a series of great Maserati sports cars named for fearsome winds, which went on to include the Ghibli, Bora, Shamal and Khamsin, among others. The Mistral was also the last of its kind, at least in terms of its engine. Equipped with the largest-displacement…
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1973 Ford Escort 1600 Mexico
The Ford Escort Mexico was introduced in November 1970 and was so named because of Ford Motor Company’s victory in the World Cup Rally, which started in London on April 19, 1970, and finished some 16,000 miles later in Mexico. Originally, Ford intended to use Escorts with the Twin-Cam or BDA engine, but after some…
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1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split-Window Resto-Mod
GM LS3 with 540 hp GM 4L70E automatic overdrive transmission Lokar shifter Art Morrison sport chassis Strange Engineering self-dampening shocks Six-piston polished Wilwood front brakes; four-piston Wilwood rear Power windows Air conditioning 18- and 20-inch Schott wheels with Toyo Redline tires
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La Vita Riprendo
As many who read this column know, I am a retired opera singer. One of my favorite composers is Giuseppe Verdi — not least because he wrote amazing music for the baritone voice. Verdi loved Shakespeare, and one of the best baritone roles he created was that of Macbeth. In Act Two of the opera,…
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Every Car Is a Book
Think of the world of collectible cars as a giant lending library. While every book is different, most have just five chapters. Aware. Acquire. Activate. Exult. Farewell. These are the five chapters that mark the relationship with every collector car that comes into your life. When the last chapter is completed, it’s time to close…
