Affordable Classics

Mine had a habit of popping its pop-up headlights when going over bumps TVR was founded by Trevor Wilkinson in the late 1940s, and has since endured more receiverships, changes in ownership, and near-liquidations than probably any other car company-Lamborghini included. Yet no matter how close to financial ruin the Blackpool, England, firm has veered,…

The fiercest Cougar was an Eliminator fitted with blacked-out grille, side stripes, a spoiler and Ford’s 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air It was Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1967, and Car Life called it a “Mustang with class.” Yet the Mercury Cougar has been mostly overlooked by collectors, and this relative of Ford’s…

Like Earth shoes, pet rocks and other inexplicably dopey fads of the time, the TR8’s wedge styling was all the rage in the mid-1970s Good news from the other side… Just when we thought we’d never see another lusty, open-top British sports car, along comes the Triumph TR8.” That’s my recollection of how the buff…

The final iteration of the RX-7 was either the greatest track weapon the world has ever known or the harshest street machine to bottom out on the lip of a driveway The mid-priced sports car market of the early 1990s was one the meanest parties on the planet. Japanese supercars like Mitsubishi’s 3000GT, Toyota’s Supra…

“You only ride like a Pacer if you’re wide like a Pacer” If you’re among the many who laugh at AMC Pacers, let us introduce you to “Weird” Harrel Lamkin of Ruston, LA. He drag-raced a 550-hp Pacer from 1987 to 1996, turning 10-second quarter miles at 124 mph. As he said, “I wanted to…

The 190SL’s designers had a challenge on their hands-to echo the 300SL’s styling, but not copy it Close your eyes and picture your local main drag on a Saturday afternoon. Parked outside the neighborhood coffee shop, what do you see? Likely one or two Mercedes SLs, 280s. 560s. 450s. 380s. They’re a breeze to own…

Above 3,000 rpm driving a Sonett II is like hanging onto an out-of-control chainsaw The words “Swedish” and “sports car” seem entirely uncomfortable bedfellows. But back in the 1950s, before Saab and Volvo had acquired the safe-and-sane reputations that still accompany their current American parents, both companies set off to create their version of a…

The most controversial car of the 20th century Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: Ralph Nader didn’t kill the Corvair. Blame can be more squarely placed on the Camaro, the pony car that rendered Chevrolet’s weird, rear-engine small car irrelevant to its product planners. Indeed, when the Camaro was introduced…

A used 328 can be affordable because the depreciation over a year or two may be small to non-existent for a moderate amount of driving Every man should have one before he dies.” When I sold used Ferraris, this is what I used to say to close the deal. “You owe it to yourself to…

Even when compared to cars of today, 3.0 CS coupes are capable enough in both performance and handling, and drive like a BMW should, with good steering feel and solid roadhandling In 1968, $8,178 would buy you a finely engineered German luxury coupe, the new six-cylinder BMW 2800 CS. Or, you could save yourself $300…