Profiles
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1967 Ford GT40
The early history of this roadgoing GT40 is particularly fascinating, outlined in extensive detail by marque specialist Ronnie Spain, whose report remains on file for this car and is available for review by interested potential bidders. It begins on February 16, 1967, one week before its scheduled delivery date, and its assignment by Ford to…
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1904 Napier L48 “Samson”
This “Edwardian Giant” is offered from the collection of its fifth owner in 120 years, Australian businessman Peter Briggs. The discovery of this engine in the 1950s, fit to a complete body in the 1980s, heralded the definitive rebirth into the motoring world of the L48 and its singular legacy. Any new owner must keep…
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1935 Voisin C28 Clairière Berline
Among French automakers of the Art Deco era, Avions Voisin was unique. With a background in architecture, industrial design, engineering, and a successful career in aviation, Gabriel Voisin reached the height of his automotive career in the 1930s. Each Voisin automobile was designed as a whole in response to the number of passengers and their…
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1953 Ferrari 250 Europa
From its 1947 inception, Ferrari overwhelmingly relied on a Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 that was successively developed from its original 1.5-liter displacement to 1.9-, 2.3-, 2.6- and 2.7-liter configurations. In early 1952, the engine was further enlarged with a single-cylinder volume approaching 250 cubic centimeters, and the resulting 2,953-cubic-centimeter engine became the first edition of the…
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1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60HP “Roi Des Belges”
In 1890, after parting ways with Deutz AG, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach established Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) in Cannstatt, Germany. DMG revolutionized the design and manufacture of internal combustion engines, inventing the world’s first four-stroke petrol engine and float-feed carburetor. Despite groundbreaking developments, Daimler and Maybach initially attracted little interest for their products in…
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1998 RUF Turbo R
Introduced by RUF in 1998, the Turbo R filled the hole in the company’s lineup after it discontinued the CTR2 supercar. Like its predecessor, the Turbo R is based on the Turbo version of the 993-generation Porsche 911. Available between 1998 and 2002, these special hand-built automobiles are powered by an exclusive, RUF-developed variant of…
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1966 Porsche 906
Although it was a successor to Porsche’s winning 904 GTS race car, the 906 Carrera 6 featured a nearly comprehensive redesign, with development closely supervised by Ferdinand Piëch himself in the factory experimental department. Summarized in a nutshell, the 904 was the ultimate racing variant of the 4-cylinder 356 model, while the 906 was the…
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Tuning Out the Crowd
Back in the late 1990s, before the Fast became Furious, Honda Motor Co. found itself the fortunate beneficiary of a momentous shift in car culture. Almost overnight, Honda Civics and Acura Integras became icons among a group of enthusiasts known as much for their ill-fitting pants as for their slammed hatchbacks. That these cars offered…
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1965 Jeep Wagoneer
Introduced in 1962 as a replacement for the Willys Jeep station wagon, the Jeep Wagoneer combined rugged usability with a level of comfort that distanced the model from both its predecessor and more-utilitarian rivals. Arguably kick-starting the Sports Utility Vehicle revolution, the handsome new model broke cover in both two- and four-wheel-drive guise, sporting independent…
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1957 Aston Martin DB Mark III
Two years after the introduction of the DB2/4 Mark II came the DB Mark III, 551 of which, mainly saloons, were made between March 1957 and July 1959. Externally, the most obvious change was the adoption of a DB3S-style grille, establishing the “hallmark” look of subsequent Aston Martins, which had been drawn up by Tickford…