Affordable Classics

The Triumph TR3 may be the last real bargain among English sports cars. For reasons Triumph lovers can’t understand but don’t complain much about, these cars never caught the tide that swelled prices of Austin-Healeys and Jaguars. Nevertheless, the TR3 offers all the quirky touches so dear to an Anglophile’s heart, is capable of hearty…

In April 1964, Ford introduced the Mustang and started the pony car era. It set sales records that have yet to be broken and caught the powers-that-be at General Motors completely off guard, as they had nothing in their line-up that could compete.A contingent within Chevrolet wanted to counter with a modified Chevy II but…

630 (1977), 633 (1978-84), 635 (1985-89) As the logical extension of the exquisite 2800/3.0 CS coupes, the 6 Series brought the new look of the 7 Series to BMW’s large two-door grand touring machine. Even more than the earlier coupes, the 6 Series traded tossability for comfort, sophistication and interior room.The 3.3- and 3.5-liter straight…

The Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider, introduced in 1966, continued in production until Alfa withdrew from the US market after 1994. A 28-year run for one model is a notable accomplishment, similar to the Model T and VW Beetle. The original Duetto (a name which Alfa only officially used for the 1967 models) drew mixed reviews.…

The introduction of the MGC is a tribute to how royally confused British Motor Holdings had become by the mid-’60s. The Austin-Healey, introduced in 1952, was getting long in the tooth by 1964, even with its new convertible top and roll-up side windows. Marketing managers also recognized that there was a slot in the market…

Renzo Rivolta made a considerable fortune following World War II. He also loved cars. In the early ’60s, he became a victim of the popular musing that begins with, “Let’s marry a sophisticated European chassis and coachwork with a cheap, reliable, and powerful American V8.”Giotto Bizzarini, father of the 250 SWB and the immortal 250…

Born out of desperation and existing in chaos, it is surprising that the Jensen-Healey and Jensen GT came into being at all. That today, thirty years later, they can be inexpensive and thoroughly enjoyable cars to own and drive is nothing short of amazing. And yet they are. If the original Lotus engine is in…

In the mid-’70s, emissions regulations caused engineers at General Motors and elsewhere to spin their wheels (without horsepower) trying to make old-technology engines burn clean. They did it by robbing vast amounts of performance. To keep selling cars, they had to offer something new to the public. It wasn’t ponies, it was styling.1978 was the…

The Alfa Romeo GTV-6 was produced at a time when Alfa Romeo was hemorrhaging money. Yet, the engineers at Alfa managed to create one of the most sophisticated sports cars of its era. An all-alloy SOHC V6 engine driving a rear five-speed transaxle with deDion suspension is world-class engineering. This was also the last two-door…