In light of its popularity, and taking into consideration the potential of its rigid and low-frame chassis, the 4-cylinder Austin-Healey gave way in 1956 to the first 6-cylinder version, the 100-6, which boasted a BMC C-Series engine with a cubic capacity of close to 2.7 liters.
The success of the Austin-Healeys across the Atlantic was such that most of the cars produced between 1953 and 1968 were sold in the United States—mainly in California, where the climate was conducive Read More
This month’s column is a tale with both tragic and cautionary threads for those who play in the vintage racing car hobby
This Series 1 E-type roadster was purchased from its second owner in 2005 after being discovered in a garage where it had remained since the mid-1980s. The car was immediately sent to the restoration shop for what became a five-year, race-prepared restoration. This Jaguar is presented with a very high level of finish, Read More
The few alloy-bodied cars were essentially prototypes sold to raise desperately needed foreign currency for the factory design team
During the difficult period after World War II, Jaguar Cars became the United Kingdom’s biggest U.S.-dollar earner, thanks in no small measure to the success of its XK120 sports car. Ironically, the XK120’s creation had only come about because delays in developing the Mk VII saloon had forced William Lyons to find an alternative method Read More
We don’t need to introduce the Aston Martin DB5, the epitome of British style and performance in the 1960s, and the catalog description ran to a couple thousand words, so here is the quick version:
“The Most Famous Car in The World” as arch-Bond fan Dave Worrall’s book of the same name termed it, is the most authentic example of the DB5s used in the filming and promotion of the 1960s James Bond movies “Goldfinger” and “Thunderball.” During the filming Read More
Classically proportioned and instantly recognizable from the moment of its introduction in 1958, the Touring-styled DB4 established a look that would survive, with only minor revisions, until 1970.
A new design by Tadek Marek, the DB4’s all-alloy, twin-overhead-camshaft 6-cylinder engine featured “square” bore and stroke dimensions of 92 mm for a displacement of 3,670cc and developed its maximum output of 240 bhp at 5500 rpm. The David Brown gearbox was a new four-speed, all-synchromesh unit.
An immensely strong Read More
The last surviving 1962 team car has rally provenance in abundance, but it doesn’t have an original chassis
The Big Healey’s first major success was in 1960, when Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom made history by winning the grueling Liège-Rome-Liège (Marathon de la Route) event outright. It was the first occasion that a woman had won a major international rally. The following year the Morley twins—Don and Erle—won the Austrian Alpine Rally, a feat they Read More
The new cars were assembled from parts from many suppliers, and they might have looked more hand-finished than this piece of perfection.
This absolutely stunning SS100 stands today as what must be the finest example anywhere in the world. The quality and detail of its restoration rivals the finest ever performed on any motorcar. With the aim of presenting the car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the ultimate goal of the restoration was to set a Read More
The sale price is the result of multiple well-heeled bidders, all of whom value immediate acquisition of a handsome toy more than fiscal prudence
Walter Owen Bentley began his career as a railway engineer before going into automobiles (then airplane engines during World War I). He made full use of all his mechanical experience in 1919 to design a sports car with a 4-cylinder, 3-liter engine, much influenced by the Mercedes overhead camshaft engine of 1914. The Bentley Read More
Introduced for 1956, the 100-6 represented the most radical step forward in the “Big Healey” sports car development. Despite its initial success, sales of the original Austin-Healey 100 had begun to decline by the mid-1950s, so the model was revamped as the 100-6, BMC’s 2.6-liter C-series six-cylinder engine replacing the original four-cylinder Austin Atlantic unit. At the same time, the wheelbase was lengthened from 7ft 6in to 7ft 8in, which enabled the inclusion of two occasional seats in the rear Read More
This superb DB2 was sold new to William “Bill” Spear, wealthy amateur American racer and a close friend of Briggs Cunningham, the famed American gentleman racer and sports car builder. In fact, the two of them each ordered a new DB2 in November 1950.
LML/50/19 is the 19th car built, an original right-hand drive example – and one of the very rare cars with the early three-piece front grille and side vents. It was supplied to Spear through New York Read More
Sign up for a free weekly insider's report on the collector car market — and get a free gift.
