Profiles
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1938 M-B 540K Sindelfingen Cabriolet “A”
Together with its predecessor the 500K, the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 540K was arguably the most noteworthy production model offered by the Stuttgart firm during the 1930s. A development of the 500K, whose independently suspended chassis it shared, the 540K was powered by a 5.4-liter supercharged straight-eight engine. It featured the company’s Roots-type supercharger system, in which…
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“Goodall Special Sports”
According to information supplied by the vendor, this intriguing two-seater special is believed to have been constructed in 1926 by one Cleland C. Castleman. Built around an inverted ladder frame (hence the ground-hugging stance), it’s equipped with a beam front axle, “live” rear end, leaf springs, and Andre-Hartford-style friction dampers. Clothed in a mixture of…
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1969-73 Opel GT
Over 70,000 GTs were peddled in the U.S. from 1968 to 1973. The history of captive imports is a tale of ill-starred orphans. If you recall the Plymouth Cricket (née Hillman Avenger), Plymouth Fire Arrow, (aka Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste), or the Ford Sierra sold here as the Merkur XR4ti (complete with pronunciation guide), you need…
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1952 166/330 MM Touring Barchetta Recreation
These rebodies are selling far below construction costs and will deliver miles of smiles. But don’t go near Pebble Beach, and don’t expect to make money Carrozzeria Touring’s 1949-53 Barchetta is considered one of Ferrari’s classic models. Only about 35 Touring Barchettas (literally translated as “little boat”) were produced using Touring’s patented Superleggera or super…
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1960 Volkswagen Split-Window Pickup
1960 Volkswagen Split-Window PickupVolkswagen pickups were worked to death and their lifespan was shorter than that of a Roman slave {vsig}2006-3_1917{/vsig} Unquestionably among the most innovative designs of its day, the Volkswagen “dropside” pickup stretched the definition of full-service utility vehicles. Production of the pickup was started in 1952, and it borrowed the cab from…
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1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner Retractable
Even if the Commies had beaten us in space exploration, we had both the hideaway hard top and the Edsel The Ford Fairlane Skyliner can claim to be America’s first production convertible to feature a retractable hard top. Introduced as Ford’s top-of-the-range model in 1955, the Fairlane was rival to Chevrolet’s successful Bel Air and…
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1965 Ferrari 1512
Ferrari built three of these cars 40 years ago and never used the engine again. If you blew it up, it would be a very long walk home In an attempt to curb the ever-increasing speeds of Formula One, engine regulations were changed in 1961 to a maximum capacity of 1.5 liters. By the time…
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1901 Panhard et Levassor Rear-Entrance Tonneau
The first Panhard rolled out in 1891, and in 1892 this pioneer firm created the mechanical layout nearly all other successful manufacturers would follow: front engine, midships transmission, and driven rear wheels. Called “La Systeme Panhard,” it was the beginning of many innovations this company would bring to automotive development, such as wheel steering and…
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1925 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Scaphandrier-style tourer
Looking at the clumsy double tops I wonder: What were they thinking? When electrical engineer F. H. Royce joined forces with well-known motoring sportsman the Hon. C. S. Rolls to form Rolls-Royce Motors in 1905, it took them two years to hit their stride with the 40/50 HP model, now commonly called the “Silver Ghost.”…
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1966-67 Oldsmobile Toronado
How can muscle car collectors overlook anything this big? The 1966 Toronado was America’s first front-wheel drive car since the Cord 810, 30 years earlier. It was certainly Oldsmobile’s (and possibly GM’s) last stylistic tour de force. The post-1967 years became increasingly unfriendly to this type of individuality as committees, legislators, and focus groups took…