Many of the improvements the 928 introduced were just not the kinds of things most owners were looking for-at least not in 1978 Porsche’s distinctive 928 was announced in 1977 and followed the pattern of the groundbreaking but underwhelming 924, with a forward-mounted, water-cooled engine. Although similar in basic layout, […]

The Z1’s clean lines are less contrived than the Bubba-built Z3’s cow-catcher face-and we won’t even mention the Z4 {vsig}2005-4_1834{/vsig} BMW’s sensational Z1 sports car was essentially a concept car that went into production. The Z1 was special indeed, a front-mid-engined sports car with rear-wheel drive and excellent handling. Its […]

Whatever the auction catalog may say about the early 356Bs adding to the Porsche legend, at the time of its introduction, Porsche fans were aghast {vsig}2005-3_1827{/vsig} Launched in 1948, the Porsche 356 employed a platform chassis with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine and torsion bar independent suspension. In 1955 the 356A […]

$726,000 is a lot of money no matter how you slice it, but this car has it all-an important place in Porsche’s history, racing success, good documentation and a professional restoration {vsig}2005-2_1820{/vsig} The 1956 Porsche 550/1500RS prototype was first introduced at the Paris Salon in October of 1953. Although it […]

In the hands of drivers like Rudolph Caracciola, the SSK was the dominant race car of its era, and came to symbolize all that was wonderful and scary about racing during the “Roaring Twenties” {vsig}2005-1_1809{/vsig} Known in period as simply, “the mighty Mercedes,” advertisements for the SSK justifiably screamed, “the […]

In the collector car world, there is no more immediately recognizable sight than a 300SL with its doors open. Introduced in 1954 as a coupe with signature “Gullwing” doors, the legendary 300SL was conceived as a high performance street machine that was really a thinly veiled racing car. It was […]

Not only will your collegiate daughter love it for its looks, but it certainly isn’t powerful enough for her to get into too much trouble {vsig}2004-11_1466{/vsig} Volkswagen’s popular Beetle spawned a number of other automobiles, creations like the Thing, Microbus, and most interesting of all, the Karmann Ghia. One of […]

Electronic gadgetry in late-model Mercedes has recently taken its toll-the latest J.D. Power numbers finds Mercedes lagging behind such stalwart marques as Hyundai and Mercury {vsig}2004-10_1445{/vsig} When Mercedes-Benz set out to build the finest sports coupe in the world they came up with the CL500 and its V12-powered sibling, the […]

Before the Ferrari F40, before the McLaren F1, almost before the term “supercar” was invented, there was the Porsche 959, an expression of extensive development, technical competence, and competitiveness that brought a new excitement to road-going automotive pursuits. The Porsche 959 odyssey started in 1983 and involved many pioneering techniques, […]

The 300SE has always been a cult car, and it’s a great choice for a true open four-seater for classic events {vsig}2004-8_1216{/vsig} The Mercedes-Benz’s S-class cabriolet of the late-1960s wore the same timelessly elegant coachwork that debuted in 1959 on the 220SE, and as befitted a top-of-the-range luxury model, came […]