Buick marked their 50th anniversary in 1953. With V8 engines gaining popularity, it was quite natural that Buick would celebrate its golden anniversary by introducing a modern overhead-valve V8. Remarkably, in addition to the first Buick V8 engine and the first use of a 12-volt electrical system, the 1953 Buick Estate Wagon was the very…
Ferrari S/N 0148A is part of a very aristocratic lineage of Ferraris, as it is equipped with the famous Lampredi V12, which would go on to contribute to Ferrari’s first victories in F1 in its 375 F1 version. In the 340 version, the 4101-cc engine develops 260 hp at 6500 rpm. It was a legendary…
The “Missing Squire,” S/N X-103, was the second of seven cars built by the fledgling Squire Car Manufacturing Company in 1935 and was purchased by one of the company founders, G.F.A. “Jock” Manby-Colegrave. While the other six of the original Squires were known, the whereabouts of X-103 haven’t been so certain for the last 25…
Fresh thinking in road-car design and success in both racing and rallying are the hallmarks of Lancia, which has always been known for innovative and advanced designs. By the 1950s the company was fully involved in motorsport, with Lancia winning the great Targa Florio, the Carrera Panamericana, the Liege-Rome-Liege and the Mille Miglia. The road…
After the success of the Volkswagen Beetle in the 1960s, VW resurrected the idea of an on- and off-road car, and called it the Type 181 “Thing.” Inspired by the WWII Type 82 Kübelwagen, the Thing was updated with the Beetle baseline engine and running gear, but with the beefier Transporter/Microbus suspension. Also along the…
At the Monterey auctions this year, roadster-bodied Series I Jaguar E-types that were brilliantly restored were selling for $75,000 to $100,000. Yet at the same auction, a Series I E-type coupe in similar condition sold for less than $30,000. For the motoring enthusiast, as opposed to the investor, this anomaly is one of the great…
In theory, the marriage of a Ferrari drive-train with an inexpensive Fiat body should have resulted in an affordable sports car with sparkling performance. Over the years, though, the initial promise of the Fiat Dino has simply not been kept. The Ferrari engine has proven expensive to maintain and the Fiat bodies have disintegrated.By now,…
When introduced in 1978, marque enthusiasts didn’t know what to think of the 928. Like the four-cylinder 924 offered the prior year, the new car was front-engined with a water-cooled power plant. This, then, was the future for Porsche, as the company appeared to have plans to phase out the 911, which even then had…
Earl “Madman” Muntz is the type of all-American character that we would have to create had he not already existed. In a career that lasted more than six decades, Madman Muntz made and lost many fortunes, in a bewildering variety of businesses. A few highlights of Muntz’s entrepreneurial endeavors include numerous used car operations, both…
From the stable of arch enthusiast and consummate perfectionist, the late Aldo Cudone, this fearsome Daytona was prepared to competition specification in 1981 for Signor Cudone in the workshops of Giuliano Michelotto, the factory-appointed tuner responsible for the 308 Group 4, F40 LM, 333SP and many other Ferrari racing cars. This work was carried out…