Mercedes-Benz returned to postwar competition in 1952, fielding two of its new 300SL (W194) sports cars in the Mille Miglia. The pair finished a creditable 2nd and 4th overall in this most difficult of events, and the promising start was followed up by a win in the challenging La Carrera […]

Schwimmwagen owners seem to be an enthusiastic crowd, often seen in the company of drastically less hip Amphicars Porsche’s Type 60 (the Volkswagen prototype), with its strong backbone chassis and air-cooled engine, had been recognized as an ideal basis for the German army’s proposed Kübelwagen (“bucket car”)-a lightweight, open utility […]

Stuttgart’s choice of pre-WWII, 540K designer Hermann Ahrens masked brilliant new engineering with an image of the past {vsig}2008-7_2198{/vsig} More expensive than the 300SL sports car and almost double the price of a contemporary Cadillac, the Mercedes-Benz 300S was one of the world’s most exclusive automobiles. Elegantly styled in the […]

The most distressing point is that the whereabouts of any original parts from chassis 1316 do not appear to be known {vsig}2009-12_2395{/vsig} Porsche revived the Carrera name for its top-of-the-range 911 in 1972-73. Designated Carrera RS (Rennsport), the newcomer was intended as a limited-edition “homologation special” to enable the factory […]

This Porsche 2.7-liter Carrera RS, a left-hand “Touring” model delivered in Light Ivory, was supplied new to private owner Bernard Dulcy, who had previously raced Renault Dauphines and Alpines from 1961 to 1966. With his regular co-driver Jean-Francois Bagarry, the French privateers drove their new Porsche in a number of […]

The underbidders stopped bidding when they thought the car wasn’t selling-bad luck, as it was {vsig}2008-5_2173{/vsig} The 6.8-liter S-type was produced in four series from 1927 to 1930, with a total output of some 170 cars. This car is from the original 1927-28 series, of which just 26 were built. […]

The M121 4-cylinder engine produced a modest 105 hp and it desperately needed another 50-even 30 would have done the trick Available from May 1955, the 190SL convertible shared styling cues with its grander brother, the 300SL. It was a sports tourer, robustly built and designed for customers who preferred […]

It takes a while for enthusiasts to realize these cars are about craftsmanship and balance, rather than style {vsig}2008-3_2147{/vsig} Mercedes continued its tradition of quality in the mid-1950s with the 220S and 300 model range. The 220S was offered in saloon, coupe, and convertible form. The 220S Convertible (W128) was […]

Removing the issues of performance, reliability and dealer service-significant considerations in 1957-the 507’s charms rise to the surface {vsig}2008-2_2134{/vsig} In the early 1950s, BMW covered opposite ends of the automotive spectrum. On the one hand, R24 motorcycles and Isetta bubble cars provided inexpensive transportation for the average German citizen. On […]

BMW reckoned owners could swap body panels in hours for a color change, though people who have tried it say to allow two days {vsig}2008-1_2120{/vsig} Like its predecessor the 507, which bristled with trick technology but ultimately failed to go as well as it looked, the Z1 is a bit […]