Three factory-built Corvette L88s left the St. Louis plant for delivery to James Garner’s Los Angeles-based American International Racing (AIR) team in November 1967. These Le Mans Blue convertibles were the first production models featuring the new L88 engine with first-generation closed-chamber aluminum heads. The cars were actually picked up […]
Archives: Profiles
1992 Lingenfelter ZR-1
The catalog notes on the 1992 turquoise ZR-1 that sold at Mecum’s Bloomington Gold auction in June were brief to the point of terse, but they said everything that needed to be said: “Lingenfelter 475 hp package, 3.92 performance gears, Borla SS exhaust, Wilwood 6-piston brakes, FX3 suspension, dual removable […]
1998 Indianapolis Pace Car Convertibles
The 1997 model year remains the single most radically changed Corvette in history. Even with the transition from the C1 to the C2 in 1963 and the C3 to the C4 in 1984, the same engines were carried over from previous years. But with the introduction of the C5, everything […]
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe
At its launch, the 300SL cost more than twice the price of a Jaguar XK 140. Today, it’s worth about four times as much Mercedes-Benz returned to postwar competition in 1952, fielding two of its new 300SL (W194) sports cars in the Mille Miglia. The pair finished a creditable 2nd […]
A Beetle in a Lovely Italian Suit
The real bug with any Karmann-Ghia is rust. It’s claimed nearly all of the early cars, and it can appear anywhere on the body {vsig}2008-9_2217{/vsig} By the mid-1950s, it appeared certain that the West German economic miracle would be sustained. Luxury models from BMW and Mercedes-Benz began to reappear. Even […]
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
The aluminum heads had intakes that could swallow a tennis ball, which was great for 200-mph laps around Daytona {vsig}2008-9_2218{/vsig} In 1969, Ford introduced a limited-production model to the Mustang line. This addition was the Boss 429. It was the most powerful Mustang, and the name referred to its 429-ci […]
1961 Morgan Plus 4
If the buyer plans sedate ice-cream runs with grandkids in the back, four seats might have an advantage In 1936, the Morgan 4/4 debuted as the company’s first four-wheeled car. The designation 4/4 stood for four cylinders and four wheels. The vehicles that Morgan had produced prior to the 4/4 […]
1952 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Villa d’Este Cabriolet
Hand-built and extremely rare, it’s the last example of the kind of cars that made the company’s reputation between the wars {vsig}2008-9_2222{/vsig} In 1935, Alfa Romeo introduced a new model, the 6C 2300B. Once again, the work of the great Vittorio Jano was to take Alfa Romeo in a new […]
1951 Ferrari 340 America Coupe
“Prime Motoring Fool” Bob Sutherland took a savage pleasure in driving anything, but said his 340 Mexico was just too awful {vsig}2008-9_2223{/vsig} Intended primarily as a competition car for wealthy privateers, the 340 was directed specifically at a new and increasingly profitable market-the United States. Aptly named “America,” the 340 […]
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe
Mercedes-Benz returned to postwar competition in 1952, fielding two of its new 300SL (W194) sports cars in the Mille Miglia. The pair finished a creditable 2nd and 4th overall in this most difficult of events, and the promising start was followed up by a win in the challenging La Carrera […]