American

It’s an exotic alternative to the hordes of Hemi-powered muscle cars-a 331-ci Hemi wrapped in an Italian body on a Le Mans-inspired chassis Wealthy American sportsman Briggs Cunningham made a heroic effort to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1950s-in cars he manufactured himself. Remarkably, he came close several times. The first…

Felice Mario Boano and his coachworks may be little known but the influence that he, his son Gian Paolo and their companies had on the evolution of modern automotive design is vastly out of proportion to their size. Felice Mario Boano and his coachworks may be little known but the influence that he, his son…

Without hard evidence of Babe Ruth’s ownership, the extra $300,000 paid for this car represents a giant leap of faith The Continental is acknowledged as the crowning achievement of Edsel Ford and the head of his design department at Ford, Eugene T. “Bob” Gregorie. Like many great accomplishments, it was the creation of a gifted…

If missing the original Ram Air hood and Ram Air air cleaner parts, you are looking at spending $10,000-$15,000 if you can find the right originals In March of 1969, Pontiac released a little publicized option package, the Trans Am Performance and Appearance Package. Only two ads were published, one in Road and Track and…

This extravagant one-year-only styling has come to represent the risk-taking, change-making zeitgeist of the late ’50s and early ’60s {vsig}2006-8_1948{/vsig} The Chevrolet Impala was introduced in 1958 as a sporty trim package for Bel Air coupes and convertibles. Unique to the model were its six taillights, a classic styling cue that became its trademark. Named…

“I’m a real Southern boy. I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer” My mother went into the Peace Corps when she was sixty-eight. My one sister is a motorcycle freak, my other sister is a Holy Roller evangelist, and my brother is running for President. I’m the only sane one in…

Was this sale a market indicator or auction fever carried to an extreme? {vsig}2006-6_1939{/vsig} There were just 836 Buick Skylarks produced in 1954. Each came fully equipped with leather interior, full power equipment, special ornamentation, and open wheel wells with Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels. This low-mileage 1954 Buick Skylark received a complete professional restoration, which was…

Last year’s $3.2 million Oldsmobile F-88 sale has collectors scouring barns and museums for ’50s dream cars {vsig}2006-5_1927{/vsig} The business of building “show” or “concept” cars was in its infancy in 1940, with the notion of showcasing future styling and innovations. The idea dated back to Harley Earl and his 1938 Buick Y-Job, which was…

Even if the Commies had beaten us in space exploration, we had both the hideaway hard top and the Edsel The Ford Fairlane Skyliner can claim to be America’s first production convertible to feature a retractable hard top. Introduced as Ford’s top-of-the-range model in 1955, the Fairlane was rival to Chevrolet’s successful Bel Air and…