If this car drives as the catalog says, the new owner did very well. If not get busy spending and making it right {vsig}2006-5_1931{/vsig} The 356A was Porsche’s first volume production car, in Coupe, Speedster, and Cabriolet versions. Introduced in 1956, the 356A embodied substantial revisions to the original 356 […]
Profiles
1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt
Last year’s $3.2 million Oldsmobile F-88 sale has collectors scouring barns and museums for ’50s dream cars {vsig}2006-5_1927{/vsig} The business of building “show” or “concept” cars was in its infancy in 1940, with the notion of showcasing future styling and innovations. The idea dated back to Harley Earl and his […]
1955 Maserati 300S
In 1955, after taking delivery of his most powerful Maserati to date, the three-liter 300S offered here, chassis number 3057, Benoit Musy contested eleven European Sports Car Championship events, winning five times and scoring a further five podium finishes up to the August 12, 1956, Kristianstad Swedish Grand Prix, which […]
1961 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Pininfarina Cabriolet
The car defines the scene: a little playful, a little romantic, and a serious reinforcement of privilege {vsig}2006-5_1930{/vsig} The 250 GT Cabriolet was conceived by Pininfarina as Ferrari’s semi-luxury touring car and was thus given better interior appointments and more soundproofing than the California Spyder Series. The cabriolet appearance […]
1980 Triumph Spitfire 1500
They were cited by motoring journalists as an example of the thrills to be found in driving slow cars quickly {vsig}2006-5_1928{/vsig} The Triumph Spitfire 1500, according to the original brochure, is a true sports car whose classic lines express “the harmony of power and grace which is the car’s hallmark.” […]
1974 Gaz-13 Chaika Limousine
I suspect this car falls into the same class of collectible as hearses-you can’t get away from the Dark Side {vsig}2006-5_1929{/vsig} This Russian Gaz-13 “Chaika” limousine is number 2,511 of only 3,719 built between 1959 and 1981. The Chaika-which means Gull-was favored by Kremlin officials, Soviet heads of state, […]
1967-69 MGC
The MGC was the first in a string of half-baked ideas that turned the British motor industry into a historic-preservation trust Few cars have taken more of a beating right out of the box than the MGC. Already incensed by BMC’s premeditated murder of the Austin-Healey 3000 in favor of […]
1938 M-B 540K Sindelfingen Cabriolet “A”
Together with its predecessor the 500K, the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 540K was arguably the most noteworthy production model offered by the Stuttgart firm during the 1930s. A development of the 500K, whose independently suspended chassis it shared, the 540K was powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged straight-eight engine. It featured the company’s […]
1953 General Motors “Parade of Progress” Tour Bus
One of twelve built by General Motors, this self-contained display and transport vehicle was created in 1940 by the GM design staff under Harley Earl’s direction. The Futurliner has opening sides, interior and exterior floodlights, a retractable stage, distinctive center cockpit driving position and dual-wheel front and rear axles. The […]
“Goodall Special Sports”
According to information supplied by the vendor, this intriguing two-seater special is believed to have been constructed in 1926 by one Cleland C. Castleman. Built around an inverted ladder frame (hence the ground-hugging stance), it’s equipped with a beam front axle, “live” rear end, leaf springs, and Andre-Hartford-style friction dampers. […]