I doubt whether anybody could tell the difference between this and aSanction II without looking at the chassis number {vsig}2009-2_2281{/vsig} The competition variant of the legendary Aston Martin DB4, the DB4GT, was introduced in September 1959 at the London Motor Show. It was based on the race-winning prototype DP199/1, which […]
Archives: Profiles
1959 Volkswagen Beetle 1200 2-Door Sedan
The pool of original cars continues to shrink, thanks to fires, floods, rust, and kids with a hankering to build a sand rail {vsig}2009-2_2282{/vsig} The Volkswagen Beetle sedan inspired unusual loyalty and enthusiasm based on its practicality, reliability, adaptability, and affordability. Originally conceived by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in the […]
1965 Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta
Cars that were once wild girlfriends have become trophy wives, with all the cattiness that accompanies competitive collecting {vsig}2009-2_2283{/vsig} By 1962, it was becoming clear that the 250 GTO was no longer competitive, and something completely new was required. So starting in 1961, Ferrari began experimenting with a rear-engine design. […]
1942 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet
No member of the German General Staff would have ordered a fire engine red Italian convertible in the middle of a war Virtually identical in displacement to the 8C 2300 Monza, Vittorio Jano’s new 6C 2500 was simpler to produce and designed to be inherently reliable and capable of excellent […]
1996 Ferrari F50
Rather than producing a car that would be compared to the F40, Ferrari chose a different path and decided to build a Formula One car for the street {vsig}2009-2_2285{/vsig} Fifty years of racing, 50 years of winning, 50 years of hard work.” With these words, Luca di Montezemolo introduced the […]
When Buick Went South
In GS form, with two four-barrel Carter carburetors, the Riviera put out a mighty 360 hp and generated an equally hefty 475 ft-lb of torque Legend has it that the 1963 Riviera (originally supposed to be a revival of the LaSalle marque) was the result of a trip that Bill […]
1933 Duesenberg SJ LaGrande Phaeton
Duesenberg expert Randy Ema affirms that cars like this, with original major components-chassis, body, engine-are at the top of the scale Duesenberg Automobiles was plucked from the post-World War I recession by Errett Cord, the savior of Auburn. By 1927, he was looking to build a more prestigious car and […]
1997 McLaren F1
The buyer wouldn’t be beaten. He replied “Yo” to each raise of $150,000, all the way to $4 million, winning a lot of affection from the crowd No ABS. No traction control. No power steering. No airbags. No add-on spoilers. The McLaren F1 didn’t need them. The thinking man’s supercar […]
1908 Isotta Fraschini Tipo FENC Semi-Racer
While lacking the race-winning cachet of later cars, this little Isotta will get its owner into every vintage race, tour, and concours he fancies Perhaps the most influential light car design of the first decade of the twentieth century, the Tipo FENC Isotta Fraschini was derived from the Tipo […]
1972 Ferrari 246 GTS Dino
In May 2003, I wrote that $86,000 was “all the money” for an equivalent car; boy, was I wrong. $153,000 for this example is not over the top As the first series-produced, mid-engined Ferraris, the early Dino V6s are landmark cars, and the line they founded would prove to be […]