Miles Collier came from a family that helped launch American sports car racing back in the 1930s. His father and uncle were early members of the Sports Car Club of America. Miles also raced vintage cars extensively, receiving the inaugural SVRA Driver of the Year Award in 1984.
Miles acquired the legendary Cunningham Museum collection from longtime family friend Briggs Cunningham in 1986. He founded Revs Institute in Naples, Florida, a center for scholarly study, with over 100 historically significant, fully operational automobiles along with extensive automobile archives. He’s also the author of the book The Archaeological Automobile.
See this interview with Miles on Cars Yeah, and listen to this podcast with Miles on Our American Stories.
Books
Articles in Sports Car Market
Here are the latest articles from Miles:
Racing the Past into the Future – An increasingly rare sight as old racers become too expensive or delicate to risk driving in anger. Photo courtesy Rolex. Vintage racing faces inherent challenges — and a major question about where it goes from here Any longtime historical-racing devotee will tell you that things aren’t like they used to be. The grid of 2026… Read more
One Too Many Times to the Well? – This coming September, I will be sending my precious and rare unrestored 1964 Abarth-Simca 2 Mila Corsa Short Nose to the Duke of Richmond’s motorsports soirée, the Goodwood Revival. Alert readers will immediately recognize that this is the self-same Goodwood Revival defined by “racing, red in tooth and claw.” There may be old cars there,… Read more
1904 Napier L48 “Samson” – This “Edwardian Giant” is offered from the collection of its fifth owner in 120 years, Australian businessman Peter Briggs. The discovery of this engine in the 1950s, fit to a complete body in the 1980s, heralded the definitive rebirth into the motoring world of the L48 and its singular legacy. Any new owner must keep… Read more
Unconsciously Bought – I bought a new addition for my automobile collection from RM Sotheby’s at its recent Amelia Island sale. Parked in a corner of the viewing tents was a dark blue 1934 Tatra 77 that, through some combination of pheromones and kismet, I knew was going home with me. I have written about the process of making… Read more
Fact or Fiction? – In my just-released book The Archaeological Automobile, I write that all restoration is fictional. What I mean is that despite the most careful effort and the most meticulous research, the resultant job will be no more than an approximation of the automobile’s lost reality. “But surely not!” I hear hundreds of SCMers cry out. “My… Read more
What Makes an Automobile Collectible? – “That’s a really valuable collector automobile.” Or, “This car will be a very important addition to a collection.” What do we really mean when we make such judgments? Whenever we go to shows, auctions, tours, and races, we hear these remarks. But have you ever wondered what goes into making a car important or valuable,… Read more
Tragic Transmission – One of the more jaw-dropping automotive transactions to occur in 2021 has to be the sale of James Dean’s Porsche 550 transaxle for $387,000 (including buyer’s premium) on Bring a Trailer. While the James Dean Porsche 550 story is well known in automobile collecting circles, a bit of background may be helpful so that the… Read more
The “Bullitt” Mustang Thrills Again – The iconic Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang fastback that co-starred with Steve McQueen in the car-chase movie classic “Bullitt” sold for $3.74 million at Mecum Auctions’ Kissimmee, FL, auction in January. This sale was the culmination of an extensive, sometimes heart-rending story that is like something from the golden age of Hollywood. This sale was… Read more
The New Normal for Porsche Spyders – There has been a small batch of Spyder sales since March 2012, when David Gooding auctioned a Porsche 550 at triple the SCM Pocket Price Guide number. The question then was whether the $3,685,000 price was an aberration or a new reality. Subsequent Spyder prices have shown that David Gooding’s sale indeed marked a new… Read more The Heavy Price Paid for a Pickled Car – A 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS sold for $140,000 at the Auctions America sale in Fort Lauderdale, FL, on March 28, 2015. The car showed a mere 1,248 kilometers (775 miles) on the odometer, which was the focal point of this extraordinary transaction. Now, does it make any sense to pay well over the odds for… Read more
1952 Cunningham C-3 Coupe – Cunningham C-3s have picked up a bit of a tail wind recently, as seen during the Gooding sale at Pebble Beach in 2012, where a yellow coupe sold for $341,000 with commissions. Our subject car, a 1952 Cunningham C-3 Vignale coupe, s/n 5210, sold at Gooding & Company’s Scottsdale auction on January 17, 2014, for… Read more
The Porsche 906 and Its Kin – This 1966 Porsche 906 sold in Paris at Bonham’s Grand Palais sale on February 7, 2013, for $732k, including buyer’s premium. At first glance, that price appears awfully favorable for the buyer. Was no one awake in the room, or is there an issue with the car? There have been enough major adjustments in the… Read more
1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Berlinetta Aerodinamica – The Berlinetta Aerodinamica was the ultimate evolution of Carrozzeria Touring’s technical and aesthetic achievements prior to WWII. Conceived for the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1939, the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Berlinetta Aerodinamica was the refined successor to the 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 Le Mans Berlinetta. It is the pinnacle of pre-war… Read more1961 Porsche RS 61 Spyder – One of the last 4-cam Spyders built, this tidy RS 61, chassis 718070, possesses a proud racing pedigree, an impressive list of owners, and a degree of authenticity found in few others. Constructed in the winter of 1960, 718070 first appeared in the hands of one Bob Holbert of Pennsylvania. Holbert’s Garage, one of the… Read more
1925 Bugatti Brescia Type 22 Roadster – This car has become one of the most celebrated of all Bugattis, having lain submerged beneath the waters of Lake Maggiore in Switzerland for more than 70 years. Its whereabouts had been known to the local dive club for years, but in February 2008 a tragedy occurred which led to its retrieval. Club member Damiano… Read more
1901 Argyll Spindle Seat Rear-Entrance Tonneau – Scotsman Alexander Govan obtained financial backing from Warren Smith of the National Telegraph Company in 1899 and designed and built his first voiturette using De Dion and MMC engines. A vertical, single-cylinder engine was forward mounted, driving through a 3-speed gearbox with shaft drive to a live rear axle. A distinctive wrap-around radiator cooled on… Read more
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL AMG Coupe – The original Mercedes-Benz 300SL is rightly regarded as one of the most brilliant and iconic sports cars of the 20th century. Representing a fusion of competition success with elegance and inspired design, the 300SL, in Coupe or Roadster form, is one of the most coveted automobiles on today’s collector car market. So why was this… Read more
1934/37 MG K3 Magnette Roadster – Determined to extend MG’s racing and record-breaking activities into Class G (1,100 cc), Managing Director Cecil Kimber announced the MG K-series “Magnette” range at the October 1932 London Motor Show. It comprised the roadgoing K1 (four-seater) and K2 (two-seater), as well as the sports racing K3. Two of the first three production MG K3s finished… Read more
1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe – In 1963, Shelby’s new Cobra had established its supremacy on the short road courses of America, but Shelby and Ford shared a more ambitious goal-to beat Ferrari to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) World Manufacturer’s Championship for GT cars. After victories at Le Mans and Goodwood, Shelby narrowly missed the 1964 championship, vowing to… Read more1939 Talbot-Lago T150C SS Aerocoupe – Three primary factors led to this impressive sales price; good unrestored condition, an exciting competition history, and immaculate provenance{vsig}2008-11_2248{/vsig}There were four Talbot-Lago T150C SSs made with Pourtout Aerocoupe bodies. Two are in private collections, and there are shadowy rumors of another in pieces, although no one has seen so much as a picture. The last… Read more
1923 Miller 122 Supercharged – Estate sales can recirculate heretofore unobtainable cars, which-absent their owners’ passing-would have remained tucked away indefinitely{vsig}2008-9_2227{/vsig}Harry Miller’s name may not ring a bell as loudly as Ettore Bugatti’s, but Bugatti acquired Miller race cars to study before producing his first dual overhead camshaft engine in the Type 50 of 1930. New Indianapolis 500 competition rules… Read more
1911 Oldsmobile Limited 7-passenger Touring – Without evidence of time, what does a real object offer the collector that a perfect replica does not as well?{vsig}2008-1_2114{/vsig}Oldsmobile made its name with the tiny single-cylinder “curve dash” buckboard in the early years of the 20th century, but went on to produce one of the most significant and largest early American cars.Based on the… Read more
1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Replica – When Karl Benz applied for a patent on January 29, 1886, for his “vehicle with gas engine operation,” little did he realize that his invention would change the world. Patent DRP 37435 is regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile. The Benz Patent Motor Car, test drives of which were already carried out in… Read more1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental Coupe – It’s an exotic alternative to the hordes of Hemi-powered muscle cars-a 331-ci Hemi wrapped in an Italian body on a Le Mans-inspired chassisWealthy American sportsman Briggs Cunningham made a heroic effort to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1950s-in cars he manufactured himself. Remarkably, he came close several times.The first Cunningham was… Read more
1954 Porsche 550/1500RS Spyder “Le Mans Prototype” – Porsche built four 550 Spyders for the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hours, numbered 10 through 13. This car, S/N 550-10, was assigned to Richard von Frankenberg and Helm Glockler. In practice, it was the fastest of the 1,500-cc 550s, but it was also the first to retire. Only 20 minutes into the race, a holed… Read more