Profiles
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1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
As Cadillac’s designers opted for more-restrained styling for 1960, the single-model-year styling of the 1959 Cadillacs has made those cars a true icon of the era. One of only 1,320 Eldorado Biarritz convertibles produced in 1959, this Eldorado Biarritz was one of the most expensive cars of its era and remains a highly coveted example…
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1964 MGB “Coune” Berlinetta
In 1962, Jacques Coune established his own coachbuilding firm to create body styles that were not offered in the ranges of various manufacturers. This was particularly true of the MGB, which was only available as a roadster when Coune began producing his MGB berlinetta. He produced 56 examples, one of the first being presented at…
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1974 BMW 3.0 CSL “Batmobile”
With only 1,039 CSLs produced between 1972 and 1975 compared to over 19,000 standard CS/CSi models, these “specials” will always be relatively rare, and today this ultimate BMW coupe is highly sought after. The 31st of only 57 Series 2 cars produced, chassis number 4355031 was delivered new on July 11, 1974. BMW factory records…
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1969 DeTomaso Mangusta
This DeTomaso Mangusta was delivered new in May 1969 to Ing. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Bolaños, Presidente de la Republica Mexicana, for $8,891 (copy of purchase invoice on file). Of the 401 Mangustas produced, most had the less-powerful, 271-horsepower, 302-ci Ford V8 engine, while comparatively few had the superior 289-ci version with 306 hp, like this…
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1984 Porsche 911 SC/RS
This particular example — the final SC/RS produced — was first earmarked for South African importers Lindsay Saker; however, it was diverted, eventually landing with Tycho Christian van Dijk, owner of the eponymous van Dijk Racing Team, in February 1984. Van Dijk prepared the car with subtle Dutch flag-inspired colors, a hood-mounted rally light pod,…
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Hitting the Sweet Spot
When you’ve owned a significant number of cars, there will be some that stand out in your memory, the special ones that appealed to you in a way that others did not. Like Goldilocks and her choice of porridge, they weren’t too hot or too cold, they were just right. That’s what we call the…
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1966 Shelby GT350 H
In the fall of 1965, Peyton Cramer, the general manager of Shelby American, came up with a crazy idea: Put these high-performance automobiles into the hands of rental-car customers. Cramer approached the Hertz Corporation with this idea, and they bought it. There would be a few modifications from those Shelby models sold to the general…
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1965 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT
The first of these Abarths had short-nose, roundtail bodies and either 1,300-cc or 2,000-cc Abarth engines, but during the next three years the body changed to the much more modern and attractive ducktail design and, eventually, from the end of 1964, the more-aerodynamic long-nose cars. It is estimated that only some 15 of the latter…
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1928 Lancia Lambda
This car is the only known survivor of the nine cars that Lancia prepared for the 1928 Mille Miglia. According to the consignor, it retains its original body, engine and special Mille Miglia features; it also has a continuous history from new. The special features include a cut-down driver’s door; long, flowing wings; high running…
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1998 Porsche 911 Turbo
Claus Vanderborg took delivery of his unique Turbo — the last Type 993 to leave the factory in-period — on September 5, 1998, from Porsche Centre Altötting. Twenty years later, Porsche would make the “Project Gold” 993 Turbo from OEM parts, but that one-off was built for a charity auction and could not be road-registered,…