Etceterini

A curious mixture of romantic visionary and practical businessman, André Citroën knew a promising invention when he saw one. French-born Adolphe Kégresse had developed an idea at the behest of his erstwhile employer, Czar Nicholas II, who had wanted a means of adapting his cars to drive across deep snow. Rather than use the heavy…

A growing audience is succumbing to the lure of early steamers, resulting in some remarkable transactions {vsig}2009-7_2342{/vsig} When eccentric collector George Milligen died in 2004, his family kept one of his cars when the others were sold. Five years later, they have decided to sell George’s 1905 Gardner-Serpollet Type L steam car, only one of…

“Matching numbers” cars are rarely seen, as most were behind the Iron Curtain and kept running by any means possible {vsig}2009-6_2331{/vsig} Tatra manufactured some of the most technically sophisticated cars of the 1930s, with a decidedly unusual approach to automotive design. That can be attributed to Austrian engineer Hans Ledwinka, who spent his early years…

The Lamborghini Miura is where it all started-the first production automobile to earn the “supercar” tag. Prior to the Miura’s arrival in 1967, many sports cars offered high levels of performance and handling. But the Miura was the first built around the criteria that define our modern concept of the supercar: massive speed, jaw-dropping design…

The Merak gives an air of confidence and power, which is quintessentially Italian. But if you like the looks, why not get the power and buy a Bora instead? {vsig}2009-3_2299{/vsig} In the world of auto design, the Italians are the acknowledged masters, and Giorgetto Giugiaro will always be at the top of the list. In…

No member of the German General Staff would have ordered a fire engine red Italian convertible in the middle of a war Virtually identical in displacement to the 8C 2300 Monza, Vittorio Jano’s new 6C 2500 was simpler to produce and designed to be inherently reliable and capable of excellent performance. The 6C 2500 employed…

While lacking the race-winning cachet of later cars, this little Isotta will get its owner into every vintage race, tour, and concours he fancies   Perhaps the most influential light car design of the first decade of the twentieth century, the Tipo FENC Isotta Fraschini was derived from the Tipo FE Isottas built for the…

The contentious world of Alfa historians and experts had a moment of rare consensus on this TZ, and no one questioned its parentage {vsig}2008-12_2260{/vsig} Though immensely successful as a competition car, Alfa Romeo’s Giulietta Sprint Zagato had been based on the road-going Giulietta Spider platform, a compromise that suited clients who wanted a touring car…

Three primary factors led to this impressive sales price; good unrestored condition, an exciting competition history, and immaculate provenance {vsig}2008-11_2248{/vsig} There were four Talbot-Lago T150C SSs made with Pourtout Aerocoupe bodies. Two are in private collections, and there are shadowy rumors of another in pieces, although no one has seen so much as a picture.…