Profiles
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1974 Ferrari 308 GT4 Dino
Ferrari’s family of highly successful V8-engined road cars began with the 308 GT4 of 1973. Badged until 1977 as a Dino, thereafter as a Ferrari, the 308 replaced the preceding Dino 246. The Maranello factory’s first mid-engined 2+2, the 308 GT4 was the work of Bertone rather than the customary Pininfarina. By placing the front…
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1972 Jaguar XKE V12 Coupe
Since its introduction in 1961, the E-type has been critically acclaimed as having some of the finest lines ever penned for an automobile. Even today, the long, cigar-like nose and short rear deck lid remain the standard by which other sports cars are judged. Much of the design inspiration came from its racing predecessor, the…
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1937 Delage D8-120 Aerosport Coupe
he Delage D8 was a glamorous car with a very imposing radiator that had similarities to Hispano-Suiza. It was fast and had impeccable road holding. Although the Delage D8 series became one of the most desired high-performance cars in Europe, they were quite expensive. Louis Delage was reluctant to change this image to suit the…
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Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite
Want to make people smile? Just drive a Bugeye Sprite into any old-car gathering and its insouciant expression will have everyone grinning back. For eyes, it has headlamps that look as if they were pasted on as an afterthought, for a nose, a little round emblem, Ad to this the open-mouthed grin of the grilleand…
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1951 Mercedes-Benz 220 Cabriolet A
Mercedes-Benz recommenced private-car production in 1948, revamping their pre-war Type 170, which had been introduced as long ago as 1931. By 1951 Mercedes appeared to sweep away the austerity of those early post-war years and two new models appeared which made no attempt to be economy models. The cars, which were first shown at Frankfurt,…
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1953 Cunningham C-3 Coupe
Millionaire American sportsman Briggs Swift Cunningham II was determined to win the Le Mans 24-hour race in an American car. In 1950 he entered two Cadillacs, one of which finished tenth. This motivated Cunningham to develop the C-2R sports car with a Chrysler V8 engine, tubular frame, De Dion axle and full independent suspension. The…
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1965 Lotus Elan S2 Roadster
The 1960s were the brilliant Indian summer of British sports-car manufacturing, when its factories offered a fascinating choice of high-performance open two-seaters and coupes, all different in character from each other, each destined to become a valuable classic. Outstanding among them was Colin Chapman’s Lotus Elan, a sophisticated little jewel introduced in 1962. At the…
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1986 Lamborghini LM002 SUV
One of the most exciting off-road vehicles ever conceived, the Lamborghini LM-002 resulted from the marriage of the Countach QV’s 5.2-liter V12 to a functionally styled-some would say brutally styled-4 x 4. The union resulted in scintillating performance and a top speed in excess of 124 mph. The distinctive four-door body was handmade and the…
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Alfa Romeo 2600
There are collectibles that play to the crowd, leaving us all in awe of their technical and artistic mastery-and the amount of money invested in them. Other collectibles, more affordable, strike purely personal chords: a first car; the car I was married in; or the one I’ve wanted forever.Generally Alfa 2600 coupes and Spiders, as…
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1989 Porsche Carrera Speedster
The six-cylinder boxer engine was a concept originated by Dr. Porsche’s nephew, Ferdinand Piech. Thanks in large part to Piech’s engineering prowess, this aluminum-alloy, air-cooled engine remained a Porsche staple, developing and evolving while remaining true to many of its original design principles. By 1989 the engine had grown from its original 2 liters to…