Profiles
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1958 Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette saw the light of day at the 1953 Motorama, the concept coming from Harley Earl, head of GM’s Art and Color Department, who sought to produce an American counterpart to the imported Jaguar XK 120. Until then, America had been without a real postwar sports car. The Corvette was the first quantity-produced…
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1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spyder
While Enzo Ferrari’s focus was always on Grand Prix victories, he was never reluctant to apply the lessons learned in Grand Prix-or to spread out the high cost of GP car and engine development-to large displacement sports cars.Sports cars also earned both starting and prize money for the factory, and there seemed to be a…
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1930 Bentley 6½-Liter Speed Six
Although the 6½-liter had been conceived as a touring car to compete with Rolls-Royce’s new Phantom, in Speed Six form it proved admirably suited to competition: in 1929 Barnato/Birkin’s Speed Six won the Le Mans 24 Hour race ahead of a trio of 4½-liter Bentleys and Barnato/Kidston repeated the feat in the following year’s Grand…
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1972 Maserati Boomerang
Giugiaro’s Maserati Boomerang was first displayed as a non-functional model at the Turin motor show in 1971. By the Geneva show in March,1972, it had been transformed into a fully operational vehicle. The mechanicals were borrowed from the Maserati Bora. With its 4.7-liter V8 engine developing 310 horsepower, the Boomerang was good for an indicated…
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1970-76 Porsche 914-4
It was either love or hate at first sight when the 914 was introduced in 1970. Three decades later, the situation is pretty much the same.To appreciate the 914, you have to understand its design brief: to recreate the 356 Speedster. That is, produce a simple, reliable, tossable, two-seat sports car with an immediately identifiable…
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1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 Convertible
The 1970s were the glory years for American muscle. Gas was cheap, and insurance companies hadn’t yet realized just how different an LS6 Chevelle was from a 350-cubic-inch commuter special. The 454-cubic-inch, 450-horsepower LS6 engine was put together, along with the car it rode in, at Chevrolet’s big-block V8 production plant in Tonawanda, New York.…
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1989 Ferrari Testarossa Berlinetta
Ferrari’s flagship model until recently, the Testarossa revived a famous name when it arrived in 1984. Testa Rossa (two words denoting the red valve covers) had been applied to what many regard as Ferrari’s greatest sports racer. The new “Testarossa” retained its Boxer predecessor’s mid-mounted 5-liter flat-12 enginewith power now boosted to 390 bhp at…
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1950 Allard J2 Roadster
An excellent example of a successful Anglo-American hybrid, the J2 Allard offered incredible performance for the period at a moderate cost. As a result, they were very popular in US and European racing and their list of competition successes is most impressive, including first-place finishes at Sebring, Bridgehampton and other race courses throughout America. During…
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1966 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2
In 1964, Ferruccio Lamborghini unveiled his V12 competitor to Ferrari, the 350 GT, at the Geneva Auto Show. The car, which featured a four-cam, 3.5-liter V12 engine designed by Giotto Bizzarini, a tubular steel chassis, four-wheel independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes and a ZF gearbox, was Lamborghini’s first serial-production GT. The automotive world loved it.…
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1961–73 Volvo P1800/S/E/ES
The Volvo P1800 has always been a bit of an odd duck in the sports car world. With its chrome-tipped rear wings and high belt-line, its looks were futuristic when introduced. By the 1970s they were dated, but now, 30 years later, they are pleasingly classic. Over the lifespan of the 1800, its engine grew…