Profiles
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2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale
Introduced four years after the Ferrari 458 Italia as a 2013 model, the 458 Speciale is indeed special. Though quite similar in appearance to its predecessor, the mid-engine supercar benefits from numerous advancements that elevate its performance to another level. Ferrari engineers upgraded the F136 4.5-liter V8 with enhanced components and a lofty 14:1 compression…
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1923 Mercedes Type 122 Indianapolis Racer
Following the Great War, Daimler began to consider forced induction using a supercharger. Renowned engineer Paul Daimler’s development path was further justified in 1922 when the Automobile Club de France issued new Grand Prix rules for the following season limiting engine capacity to 2 liters. Daimler designed an extraordinary 4-cylinder engine, featuring twin-overhead cams which…
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All in the Family
The 1990s were an important time in Mercedes-Benz history. Since the late 1960s, AMG had been modifying Mercedes vehicles as an independent performance shop, but in 1993 the plucky tuner signed a contract of cooperation with Mercedes-Benz to gain access to its dealer network and to co-develop AMG-branded models. By 1999, Mercedes owned the majority…
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1970 Chevrolet Nova Yenko Deuce
Built upon a lightweight, base-trim Nova with bench seats and rubber floor mats, each Yenko Deuce was assembled at the factory with the impressive LT-1 engine, dual exhaust, power brakes with front discs, heavy-duty springs, front and rear sway bars, and an upgraded cooling system. Power met the road through a robust 12-bolt Positraction rear…
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1989 Ferrari F40
Throughout Ferrari’s illustrious history, few — if any — models have encapsulated the mystique of the Prancing Horse quite as succinctly as the F40. Outrageous in appearance, uncompromising in philosophy and otherworldly in performance, the F40 was everything a Ferrari should be. The tragic 1986 World Rally Championship season had led to the abandonment of…
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2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR
This 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR was purchased new by the seller from Anaheim Mitsubishi in California on September 3, 2007, and it now has 461 miles. Finished in Apex Silver over black leather and Alcantara upholstery, the car is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 mated to a 6-speed manual transaxle, an active…
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2022 Aston Martin Valkyrie
A truly astonishing feat of engineering, this 2022-model-year example has been consigned to auction by its original owner. The Valkyrie’s odometer remarkably reads just 109 kilometers at the time of cataloging. Ordered new to Japan, factory records show that this left-hand-drive, European-specification car carries an October 19, 2022, build date. It was finished predominantly in Lunar…
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Hidden Dragon
The Nissan 240SX wound up being a commercial failure over its 10-year production run, yet it was a cultural success long into the decade that followed. After years of strong sales of its inexpensive front-engine, rear-drive Silvia in Japan and other markets, Nissan decided to bring the car to the United States in 1989. It…
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1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged Speedster
In the days when Bugattis crossed France and 4½ Litre Bentleys tore through the British countryside, the American equivalent was the Auburn Speedster. The 1935–36 Speedsters were designed by the legendary Gordon Buehrig. Audacious by the standards of their time, they featured curvaceous bodywork with a straight hood line shooting back from the radiator to…
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1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Alloy
Completed on January 12, 1956, this was the 26th alloy-bodied Gullwing off the Untertürkheim production line, and actually the first completed in 1956. Its data card, a copy of which is included in the file, records all of the usual Leichtmetallausführung glories — alloy body, NSL engine, sports suspension, Rudges, etc. — as well as…