Profiles
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1965 Lotus Elan S2 Convertible
Introduced at the Earls Court Motor Show in October 1962, the Elan roadster followed the Colin Chapman principle of lightweight aerodynamic coachwork coupled with the suspension, brakes and transmission of a race car, and a remarkable new Lotus-Ford twin-cam engine to provide the power. To put this into perspective, this was a time when disc…
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1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder
In late 1957, just as production of Pininfarina’s Series I cabriolet was getting under way, Ferrari was in the process of developing a new open 250 GT variant for the booming North American market. Ferrari’s leading United States dealers, Luigi Chinetti and John von Neumann, impressed upon the factory the need for a simple, dual-purpose…
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1994 Porsche 928 GTS Coupe
Unveiled at the Geneva Salon in 1977 and voted Car of the Year for 1978, the 928 was intended as an upmarket replacement for the long-running 911, but Porsche’s rear-engined classic would outlive its younger sibling. The front-engined 928’s stylish hatchback body featured aluminum doors, bonnet and front wings in the interest of weight saving,…
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2014 Pagani Huayra
This car has a 720-hp, 5,980-cc Mercedes-AMG V12 engine with twin turbochargers, 7-speed automated manual transmission, front and rear independent suspension with double wishbones and fully adjustable coil-over shocks, and four-wheel carbon ceramic brakes. The wheelbase is 110 inches. Less than 400 miles from new Over $260,000 in options, including $20,000 seven-piece luggage set Horacio…
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1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR IROC
In 1973, Roger Penske created a racing series called the International Race of Champions, or IROC. Equally ambitious and unique in concept, the IROC series aimed to place the world’s best racing drivers in identical cars to compete against each other over several rounds at leading U.S. venues. In so doing, Penske’s aim was to…
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1959 Fiat 1200 TV Roadster
In 1953, Fiat introduced their new 1100-103. The 1955 Trasformabile (Italian for “convertible”) is generally considered the work of Fiat’s design director Fabio Luigi Rapi. Teasingly voluptuous, it had a forward-leaning stance. Divided mesh grilles at the front were complemented by a wrap-around windshield. The haunches were understated but set off with a broad, slightly…
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1975 Fiat-Abarth 124 Sport Rally Group 4 Spider
The Fiat 124 Abarth Rally was a high-performance homologation special based on the 124 Sport Spider. First introduced in 1966 at the Turin Show and based on a shortened 124 saloon floor pan and running gear, the attractive Pininfarina-styled Sport Spider and its derivatives would prove an outstanding success for Fiat, over 200,000 being sold…
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1986 Ferrari Testarossa Spider Valeo
Ferrari never developed the Testarossa into a spider version for production. There were a handful of wealthy collectors who, wanting to own a convertible version of this sublime model, commissioned a derivative from coachbuilders such as Richard Straman in the United States. The Ferrari Testarossa on offer is exceptionally unique. It was built specially at…
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2015 Porsche 918 Spyder
In the 21st century, more than ever, cutting-edge automotive technology has been playing a massive role in the design and development of supercars. While the century’s first batch of supercars — the Porsche Carrera GT, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and Ferrari Enzo — all sported large, naturally aspirated engines, the next 10 years would see sweeping…
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1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti
With its outstanding engineering, perfectly sketched lines, charismatic proportions, breathtaking race results and great drivers, the 335 S perfectly symbolizes Ferrari in the 1950s. The heart of sporting Italians beat to the rhythm of the Mille Miglia, which was to them “the greatest race in the world.” In 1956, Ferrari entered a new V12 sports…