Profiles
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1936 Panhard X76 Dynamic
To take full advantage of the “panoramic” windows, the driver was moved to the center of the car René Panhard and Emile Levassor obtained an 1888 Daimler patent for a V-twin motor, with the idea of using it in a small car. Two prototypes were built, equipped with a front-mounted engine and a gearbox. Levassor…
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1961 Mercedes-Benz 300d “Adenauer”
From the onset, the 1951 Mercedes-Benz 300 was aimed at the American market. The car’s outstanding quality was matched only by its breathtaking price-it cost as much as three Cadillacs. But the price ensured exclusivity, and early customers ranged from renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright to actor Yul Brynner. The 300 was also the choice…
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1965 Shelby GT350 “Supercharged”
Unveiled by Carroll Shelby on January 27, 1965, the GT350 fastback had a fiberglass hood and functional scoop, and a clean-looking grille with a tri-color horse on the driver’s side. All 1965 Shelbys were Wimbledon White with a blue GT350 side stripe below the door. Dealer option Le Mans stripes were available, running down the…
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1963 Shelby King Cobra Cooper Type 61M
Film clips show MacDonald almost sideways and he never lifts or moves the wheel as he slides through the turn, lap after lap. It is breathtaking to watch In 1963, Carroll Shelby needed a car to compete in the USAC-sanctioned Fall Series on the West Coast, which evolved later into the SCCA Canadian American Challenge…
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Jaguar’s XecrableJS
A bad XJS will rip at your wallet the way an actual Jaguar tears flesh from a gazelle {vsig}2007-6_2018{/vsig} Few automakers have had a more unenviable task than that facing Jaguar when it came time to replace the E-type. Instead of taking an evolutionary approach, as Porsche did when replacing the venerable 356 with the…
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When AMC Got the Point
Mechanically, the Javelin is closer to a catapult than a javelin-heavy duty and pretty much unbreakable Some people claim that AMC invented the muscle car with the Rambler Rebel of 1957. Even if we give them that, they certainly came late to the pony car craze of the mid-1960s. Plymouth and Ford were first with…
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2004 Ferrari 575 GTC Competizione
I’m told that four friends from Switzerland bought the car for $144,000 over the estimated price. What were these guys thinking? Following the success of privately-entered 550 Maranellos in international GT racing, including an historic class win in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2003, Ferrari developed its own in-house evolution of the successful 575M…
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1972 Lancia Stratos H.F.
It’s one of the most successful rally cars ever built, wicked and unforgiving to drive, a spaceship for the road Lancia was struggling when Sandro Fiorio, the company’s director of public relations, and his son Cesare, head of Lancia’s rally team, spied the Fulvia-based “Stratos” concept on the Bertone stand at the 1970 Turin Motor…
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1963 Aston Martin DB4GT
It was the last standard-bodied DB4GT produced-cool beans. The first or last always generates more buzz and is a nice fact for collectors Introduced in September 1959 as a higher-performance version of the DB4, the DB4GT took the already-powerful (240 hp) DB4 engine, added twin ignition from two distributors/coils and twelve small (10 mm) spark…
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1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Convertible
There comes a time when a desirable old car just jumps in value. That time may be now for the 3.5SE The 111-series of Mercedes-Benz automobiles of the 1960s and early 1970s is much appreciated by collectors who also enjoy driving their cars. There is a solidness to the ride and handling that helped Mercedes…