Profiles

1951 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT

Any student of automotive design or engineering will readily acknowledge the contribution that the Lancia Aurelia, with its ground-breaking technology, has made to the field. Even today, collectors of the Lancia marque agree that it is one of the all-time greats. With marvelous road manners, the Aurelia is a pleasure […]

1966–80 Fiat 124 Spider

Introduced in 1966 in Europe and hitting our shores in 1968, the Fiat 124 was the thinking man’s MGB. Obvious styling cues notwithstanding, the 124 offered an astonishing host of improvements over its traditional British rivals. Testifying to the strength of the American economy, more than 170,000 of the approximately […]

1960 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Cabriolet

The 220S Mercedes-Benz was introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in April 1956 and was the first model from this famous manufacturer to have a unitary construction body shell. It succeeded the 220 model of 1951 with its traditional tubular chassis frame, and it shared some of its mechanical specifications. […]

1967 Ford Mustang GT 390

Introduced in the spring of 1964 as an early 1965 model, Ford’s Mustang created the pony car category. Its popularity was so overwhelming that after only 2½ years of production, a new body was introduced in 1967, giving Ford greater flexibility in equipment, particularly powertrains. This greater flexibility helped Ford […]

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona

One of Ferrari’s most popular models debuted at the Paris Salon in 1968, soon acquiring the “Daytona” nickname. Pininfarina designed the fastback coupe, but the body was built by Scaglietti. Layout and chassis were essentially that of the former 275 GTB, but power came from the new twin-cam 4390cc V12 […]

1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Flat-Floor Convertible

Introduced in 1961, the Jaguar E-Type caused a sensation when it appeared, with instantly classic lines and a 140 mph-plus top speed. The newcomer’s design owed much to that of the racing D-Type: a monocoque tub forming the main structure, while a tubular spaceframe extended forward to support the engine. […]

1921 Peugeot 3-Liter Racer

Before the First World War it can be argued that the French firm Peugeot was more successful in motor racing than any other manufacturer. In the Paris-Rouen trial of 1894, Peugeot shared first prize. Peugeot won the 1895 Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race, and there were numerous other successes, not least the French […]

Mercedes 230/250/280SL

Representing a gigantic step forward over the four-cylinder 190SL, the six-cylinder 230SL appeared in the early ’60s as a dramatic styling statement that still is striking today. This supurbly built car with decent-but-not-shattering performance remains quite affordable, with usable examples starting at $15,000, nice cars at $20,000 to $25,000, and […]

1983 Porsche 930 Turbo

The 1976 production year brought the 930 Turbo to North America for the first time. Using developments Porsche had been perfecting for its racing cars, the 930 was the quickest, quietest, and fanciest high-performance street car Porsche had ever offered. It was also the first standard production Porsche to offer […]

1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS

In 1966 Chevrolet offered a full range of 396 cubic inch ‘Porcupine Head’ engines in the mid-size Chevelle line. With up to 375 bhp, the SS 396 put real power into the line that has come to epitomize Chevy’s muscle car heritage. Dubbed ‘Porcupine Head’ because of its different stem […]