Cadillac cars were the inspiration of Henry M. Leyland and established the tradition of interchangeability of components. They became part of General Motors in 1909 and were soon the leaders of that group. In 1914 they introduced the world’s first commercially successful V8 engine, which stayed into production in its […]
Profiles
1964 Ferrari 250 Le Mans
By the end of 1963 it had become apparent to Ferrari that a successor to the 250 GTO would be needed in order to counter increasing opposition in the GT class, particularly from the massive onslaught of Carroll Shelby’s Cobras. It was thus that the new Ferrari 250 Le Mans […]
1930 Bentley 4.5-Liter Supercharged Tourer
Perhaps the worst-kept secret among “the right crowd” in motor sport circles in 1929 was the development of the supercharged Bentley. As early as 1 January, 1929 the “Morning Post” suggested that two UK companies would be entering supercharged cars for Le Mans that year and in July 1929, when […]
1954 Maserati A6G/54 Zagato
Of the Maserati sports racing cars that took part in competition during the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the most successful was the A6G/CS of 1947. On its debut in the 1947 Circuit of Modeno Alberto Ascari and Luigi Viloresi finished 1st and 2nd overall, while regular class […]
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
I drove one cross-country and did four straight hours in Nevada at 110 mph. With the car singing through its original mild-steel exhaust system, the sound is as unique as the rest of the car {vsig}2004-12_1540{/vsig} In the collector car world, there is no more immediately recognizable sight than a […]
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
When Mercedes-Benz introduced their new range of cars in 1951 it included the 3-liter six-cylinder 300S model which was to become the basis of their return to motor sport in 1952. Rudi Uhlenhaut, the Competition Director, was obliged to use production components for his new sports racecar and to compensate […]
1966 Shelby GT350 H
In 1964, Ford Motor Company produced one of the most successful cars in history – the Mustang. It sold 22,000 cars the first day! At that same time, Ford had Texan racecar driver Carroll Shelby under contract. They were already selling his AC Cobra in Ford dealerships. Ford decided to […]
1962 Ferrari 250GT SWB Competizione
The Paris Salon in 1959 saw the introduction of a Ferrari 250GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta, a direct development of the Long Wheelbase car known as the Tour de France. Built on the 94.5-inch wheelbase chassis powered by the 3-liter V12 engine, the new and exciting Gran Turismo car was destined […]
1947 MG TC
MG recovered quickly after the Second World War and began production on its new TC series which were among the first cars built anywhere following the war. The TC Midget was, and is still, aesthetically pleasing with its distinctive radiator and sweeping wheel arches framing the spider, 19-inch wire wheels. […]
1956 Maserati 300S
The Trident symbol, representing the city of Bologna, features foremost on the Maserati emblem and is often referred to as the heartbeat of Italian motoring – in that Bologna is situated in the central part of Italy and the Maserati name has been associated with racing since the early 1920s. […]