Profiles
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1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
In 1954, at the New York Motor Show, Max Hoffman unveiled two new Mercedes sports cars: the 190SL and the 300SL touring car. This car was adapted from the 300SL racing car for road use and its distinguishable feature was its “gullwing” doors. Although slightly more down to earth than the factory cars, the 300SL…
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1959 Chevrolet Impala Fuelie Convertible
The 1959 Chevrolets competed with the hugely finned Cadillacs for the most outrageous design of the 1950s. In truth, it was a close call. Once again, Chevrolet ditched every element of the previous year’s styling to emerge with cat’s eye taillights hidden beneath canted batwing fins, whose twelve-inch scalloped sides were the deepest curve ever…
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1958 AC Ace Roadster
One of the most influential and widely imitated classic sports car designs ever is that of the AC Ace roadster—although, of course, much of the world associates its appearance with the later Shelby Cobra derivative, which resulted when the Ace received Ford V8 power and a Carroll Shelby performance makeover in 1962. The original Ace…
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1938 Talbot-Lago T150C SS Teardrop Coupe
The Talbot-Lago T150C SS chassis is arguably one of Anthony Lago’s greatest achievements. The “C” stood for competition, a reference to the marque’s racing success, while “SS” signified “Super Sports,” the short, 8.7-foot wheelbase version of the competition chassis. Its race-bred 6-cylinder engine featured an overhead valve train, hemispherical combustion chambers, high compression, triple carburetors…
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1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder
In the pantheon of open Ferraris, the 250 California Spyder is head and shoulders above the rest. It has all the elements Ferraristi look for, the desirable Colombo V12, rarity, and a successful competition pedigree. The California Spyder, in contrast to the luxurious 250 cabriolets, was intended for those who wanted a fast, sparsely equipped…
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1964 Alfa Romeo TZ Coupe
It’s tempting to speculate what this car might have brought if it had retired after the 1964 season instead of being raced for years One of the most desirable of all of the postwar Alfas, TZs were—and continue to be—considered as Alfa Romeo’s version of Ferrari’s GTO. Ranking in rarity with the very best sports…
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1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 COPO Coupe
In 1969, Chevy performance guru Vince Piggins took direct aim at NHRA’s Super Stock and Pro Stock classes. His weapon of choice was the all-aluminum; big-block powered ZL-1 Camaro. Sixty-nine cars were built, four of which were finished in Dover White. This is production number 53, the only Dover White ZL-1 equipped with the M22…
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1963 Aston Martin DB4 Convertible Barn Find
Classically proportioned and instantly recognizable from the moment of its introduction in 1958, the Touring-styled Aston Martin DB4 established a look that would survive, with only minor revisions, until 1970. Designed by Tadek Marek and already proven in racing, the DB4’s new twin-cam, 6-cylinder engine displaced 3670cc while the gearbox was a new David Brown…
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1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider by Scaglietti
Following engineer Aurelio Lampredi’s departure from Ferrari in 1955, a new engineering team was formed for 1956. These highly skilled men soon came up with a new 2-liter sports racing car: the 500 TR. This was the first Ferrari designated with the now-legendary name “Testa Rossa.” The 4-cylinder-engined Type 500 TR was introduced in 1956…
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1957 Porsche 356A 1600S “Super” Speedster
By 1956, the Porsche 356 had been continually developed into one of the world’s most respected sports cars. This feat was quite remarkable considering that Porsche as a company was only celebrating its eighth anniversary. The evolution of the Porsche 356 was swift and further impelled not only by Porsche’s drive for technical improvement but…