The ultra-glamorous French coupe became the car of choice for owners including Picasso, Tony Curtis, Ava Gardner, and Stirling Moss Almost all automobile marques carry the name of their creator. But that’s not the case of FACEL (Forges et Ateliers de Construction d’Eure-et-Loir), the company founded in 1939 by […]
Archives: Profiles
1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa
Phil Hill’s 1962 Le Mans winner-the last of its line-sells for a cool$9.25 million and heads for a museum in Argentina The first car in a series is good. But the last car is best. A real, documented and important history makes it better. Commercial success is good, but success […]
1974 Porsche 914 2.0 Roadster
The 914 changed the rules. For starters, you paid extra for chrome bumpers and vinyl-covered roof sections. Excuse me? Porsche introduced the 914 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1969, and it became available in the U.S. in the spring of 1970. Priced at just under $3,500 (for the 4-cylinder […]
1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spyder Corto
The Alfa is so light and quick, you almost forget it’s pre-war. Imagine a tall Lotus 7 with 19-inch tires and a lot more horsepower The chassis serial associated with this 8C 2300 is 2211051. This serial was the earliest number applied to the second-series of 8C 2300s, the brainchild […]
Beta Than You Think
Even rubber-bumper MG prices have left Betas in the dust, though its DOHC engine was designed by Aurelio Lampredi of Ferrari fame {vsig}2007-9_2063{/vsig} For most collectors, the Lancia story effectively ends if not with the Fiat takeover in 1969, then certainly with the end of Fulvia production in 1976. The […]
Hi-Tech English Electronics? Oh, Please
The first Lagondas used red LEDs that failed with alarming regularity, but the CRTs that replaced them cost a fortune to repair {vsig}2007-8_2026{/vsig} Every so often, British industry has an epiphany and produces something truly groundbreaking. While perhaps not as significant as the introduction of radar or disc brakes, the […]
1935 MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe
The estimate of $200,000-$250,000 was aggressive; the nearly $400,000 realized for this car is a high point for the marque After the introduction of the new P-type Midget early in 1934, the N-type 6-cylinder Magnette appeared, replacing the L-types and the K-types. Originally, these models were fitted with a 56 […]
1956 Arnolt-Bristol Coupe
The greatest attraction of the car is that it is ideal for vintage tours and rallies, offering protection from the elements and reasonable luggage space In 1955, Road & Track described the Arnolt-Bristol as “American designed, British powered and Italian styled.” Offered as a coupe or roadster, it combined the […]
1967 Ferrari 330 GTS Spyder
The 330 GTS has all the 275 Berlinetta chassis specifications, clothed in a superbly built Pininfarina body, with a/c and power windows The 330 Coupe was unveiled in Geneva in March 1966, while the seductive Spyder appeared at the Paris Auto Salon six months later. Styled and built by Pininfarina, […]
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 […]