Buy a Ferrari 400 with needs and you may as well start thinking about ways to improve on Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme The mid 1970s were cruel to the entire auto industry, and the Italian exotics were particularly hard hit. Punitive taxes, fuel shortages, and a general reluctance to consume […]
Profiles
1937 BMW 328 Cabriolet
I’d call it heavy and ungraceful, but not ugly. As if a Bavarian housewife had muscled in on the turf of a Brazilian lingerie model {vsig}2009-6_2333{/vsig} BMW began life as an aero engine manufacturer in WWI (check out the propeller on the badge) and branched into heavy trucks and motorcycles […]
1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Street Roadster
3187 was a well-restored, correct car. Most 427 Cobras have been heavily modified or re-skinned after drivers ran out of talent {vsig}2009-6_2329{/vsig} Only 291 Shelby 427 Cobras were ever sold in America for street use, of which 31 were S/C (“Semi Competition”) cars. About one-fourth of all street cars were […]
1968 Porsche 911 Race Car
If you’re racing a 911 and it’s feeling twitchy in a high-speed turn, just hang in there, it will be okay. Above all, do NOT lift {vsig}2009-6_2335{/vsig} While the Porsche 911 has amassed an unmatched record of racing successes, its entry into road racing was not initially championed by Zuffenhausen. […]
1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe
This is an incredible drop from early 2008 prices but not terribly surprising. For Ferraris, 1,301 is a huge production number {vsig}2009-6_2332{/vsig} The ultimate expression of Ferrari’s fabulous line of V12 front-engined sports cars, the 365 GTB/4 gained the unofficial name “Daytona” in honor of the 1-2-3 finish by the […]
1954 Arnolt-Bristol Bolide
This car had come straight out of a $55,000 restoration and the restorer was on hand on sale day to answer questions, which always helps Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt made a fortune selling engines and other equipment to the armed forces during WWII. A lifelong motorhead, he set up SH […]
1940 Tatra T87
“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, […]
Worth the Weight
The Lotus Elan will forever be remembered as the ride of latex catsuit-wearing Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the BBC spy show “The Avengers” Colin Chapman’s fanaticism about keeping weight off makes the average supermodel’s interest in the same subject seem merely casual. The results he achieved without materials […]
2001 BMW Z8 Roadster
One of the most incredible modern sports cars to ever be built, the Z8 was destined to become a future classic after its debut in the James Bond film “The World is Not Enough.” The concept project was given to Henrik Fisker, who in 1997 was the head of BMW’s […]
1964 Ford Thunderbolt – Galaxie Lightweight
Thunderbolts were designed for high-profile Factory Experimental and Super Stock classes; Galaxie Lightweights targeted regional Stock-class competition {vsig}2009-5_2319{/vsig} In March 1963, General Motors dropped a bombshell by banning factory support of auto racing. Ironically, just one month later, Ford Vice President Lee Iacocca issued a press release that read, in […]