Profiles
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2021 Ford GT Carbon Series
Russell Sims, an emerging Ford design-team engineer, was selected for a top-secret project code-named “Phoenix.” Operating out of the “Batcave,” the basement of the Ford design studio, to keep things as quiet as possible, Russell and team began designing the components for the 2016 Ford GT that would take on the notorious 24 Hours of…
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1953 Ferrari 166 MM/53 Spider
It was the Tipo 166, introduced in 1948 as a replacement for the 125 S, that first established Enzo Ferrari’s Modenese workshop as a leading manufacturer of racing cars. Powered by a 2-liter, Colombo-designed V12 engine, the 166 set forward a course of development that would define the look, sound and inimitable character of Ferrari…
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Don’t Call it “Cute”
The new Mini entered the market in the 2002, now under BMW ownership, and was immediately successful. This was an era of retro-fabulous versions of European classics. Volkswagen’s New Beetle had turned up a few years prior, and Fiat gave its venerable 500 the same treatment just a few years later. Europeans got a host…
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1914 Mercer Type 35-J Raceabout
The Mercer Type 35-J Raceabout offered here, chassis 1967, hails from the final year of T-head production, 1914. This car features many subtle improvements that were implemented since the model’s introduction, most notably the desirable 4-speed gearbox that was unveiled in 1913. The car’s history is known since the mid-1930s, when it was owned by…
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1957 Jaguar XKSS
Jaguar had withdrawn from racing following the 1956 season and was left with a number of D-types remaining unsold in their factory stock. An idea was had that the cars could be converted to roadgoing specification and sold into the American market. The conversion, as it were, involved removing the large headrest fairing and tailfin…
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1936 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet
Factory records on file for chassis 14018 list a delivery date of December 30, 1936, with coachwork specified by Saoutchik. Jacques Saoutchik is best known for flamboyant designs often accessorized with ornate trim. In contrast, this masterfully penned cabriolet demonstrates a great degree of restraint on the part of the designer, while incorporating a lengthy…
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1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso
The Ferrari 250 GT/L berlinetta Lusso is undoubtedly one of the most appealing grand-touring models ever built, combining the 250 GT’s developmental apogee with one of Scaglietti’s most acclaimed coachwork creations. Introduced at the 1962 Paris Salon as a replacement for the discontinued 250 GT PF coupe, the Lusso featured an all-new interior arrangement highlighted…
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1969 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 2+2 Coupe
The car on offer here was an individual commission spanning over multiple years and costing the Dutch businessman behind the commission, whose name remained a closely guarded secret, a total of 400,000 guilders. The story of this unique 300SEL 6.3 began when a Dutch lithograph company owner, impressed by Mercedes-Benz’s new flagship model, approached the…
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1995 Honda NSX Type R
Just 483 examples of the laser-focused, right-hand-drive NSX Type R are understood to have been built exclusively for the Japanese domestic market, distinguishable by their unique 10-digit chassis-number sequence. Chassis number NA11300280 is one such example, finished in the only available color of Championship White complemented by matching 16-inch front and 17-inch rear seven-spoke Enkei…
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Grace, Space and Pace
Jaguar ended production of the immortal E-type in 1974. Its immediate successor, the 1975–95 XJS, was neither as pretty nor as fun to drive. When the XK8 coupe debuted in 1996, it had styling that once again evoked Jaguar’s sporting heritage. But arguably, it wasn’t until 2005 when a truly worthy E-type successor arrived. The…