Profiles
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1953 Cunningham C-3 Continental Coupe
It’s an exotic alternative to the hordes of Hemi-powered muscle cars-a 331-ci Hemi wrapped in an Italian body on a Le Mans-inspired chassis Wealthy American sportsman Briggs Cunningham made a heroic effort to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1950s-in cars he manufactured himself. Remarkably, he came close several times. The first…
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1962 MGA 1600 MK II Roadster
The vendor commissioned the restoration over three years to exacting standards, then only ran it to log a few break-in miles. Why? With the arrival of the MGA roadster in 1955, many MG aficionados were taken aback by the fact that the pre-war look of the company’s sports cars had been tampered with. The new…
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1947 Cisitalia 202 SMM Spider Nuvolari
This car owes its name to Nuvolari’s heroic drive in the 1947 Mille Miglia, while its aggressive shape owes a great deal to pre-WWII aerodynamics Italian industrialist Piero Dusio built up the Consorzio Industriale Sportivo Italia into a successful conglomerate before WWII. He was also an uncommonly good amateur racing driver and like many successful…
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1977 Ferrari 208 GT4
This model is rare outside Italy, but as John Apen reminds us: all valuable things are rare, but not all rare things are valuable The 308 made its entrance into the automotive world in October 1973 as Bertone combined concepts and design features from both the 246 Dino and the 365. It was handsome, sleek,…
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1927 Bugatti Type 35C
I can personally attest that it’s possible to sit for hours contemplating the Type 35 like a piece of sculpture There were 23 automobiles on the starting grid for the 1930 Monaco Grand Prix. Fourteen of them-60% of the field-were Bugattis. Bugattis were essentially graceful machines that emphasized light weight and great road holding over…
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1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
The Mercedes Benz 300SL roadster was introduced in 1957 as a direct descendant of the famous Gullwing. It’s rare in automotive history that a convertible would bring about the demise of the coupe version on which it was based, however with the 300SL it was a case of succession—the roadster replaced the Gullwing. As the…
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Avanti II-The First Continuation Car
The hurdle many owners encounter is a big one-any money spent on a restoration is just being thrown down a rat hole The Avanti may be one of the most polarizing designs ever created. Those who love it really love it and those who don’t appreciate it loathe it. But among the former, at least…
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1957 Ferrari 500 TRC Spider
Following Aurelio Lampredi’s departure from Ferrari in 1955, a new engineering team was formed for 1956. It soon came up with a new two-liter sports racing car-the 500 TR. This was the first Ferrari designated with the mystical name “Testa Rossa,” Italian for “red head,” the color the camshaft covers were painted. For the 1957…
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1929 Bentley Speed Six Cadogan 4-Seater
{vsig}2006-11_1966{/vsig} At the end of World War I, Walter Owen Bentley gathered a small group of dedicated and skilled artisans to create Bentley Motors. The first Bentleys appeared in 1919, a group of three experimental 3-liter cars. In the following decade, the 3-liter gave way to the 4 1/2-liter, the 6 1/2-liter, the Speed Six,…
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1960 Autobianchi Bianchina Cabriolet
Originally a bicycle manufacturer, and probably best known as a maker of fine racing motorcycles, Edoardo Bianchi built his first automobile in the early 1900s. A wide variety of models followed over the next 30 years, though by 1940 the firm was concentrating on motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Car manufacture resumed in 1957 under Fiat…