Profiles
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1967 Lotus Type 51 FF
It was a class where being faster than the other guy meant you were a quicker driver, not that you had spent more money {vsig}2006-2_1915{/vsig} Introduced in 1967, the Lotus Type 51 was the Norfolk concern’s first specific Formula Ford design. Derived in part from the earlier Type 31 Formula 3 cars, it utilized a…
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1961-1972 Volvo 1800
Enough pipe-smoking, record-keeping professors bought 1800s to assure a decent supply of well-maintained examples In 1961, Volvo was Swedish for “stodgy,” and a sports car from these practical folks in a cold climate seems about as likely as tailfins on a reindeer. But that’s what happened-right down to the fins.Volvo had attempted a sports car…
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1937 Cord 812 SC Convertible Coupe
E. L. Cord was a master salesman who acquired Auburn in 1928 after saving it from bankruptcy by unloading about 700 sedans languishing on the lot. He spiffed up the orphans with bright paint schemes and applied his considerable sales talent to move them. His reward was the company, which he revitalized. In 1929 he…
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2001 Lotus Esprit
An Esprit makes sense based on performance and price, but it falls short on craftsmanship and materials {vsig}2006-1_1905{/vsig} Although the wedge-shaped Lotus Esprit has been around long enough to be something of a 1970s retro car, it has gone through significant changes since it first appeared in 1976. To most people the Esprit conjures up…
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1963 Fiat 750/850 Abarth Berlina
Lack of records makes it very difficult to tell a factory Abarth from one built by Uncle Giorgio’s Garage (Note: In the auction catalog, there was an addendum that declared that this particular car was in fact a Fiat 750 rather than an 850. As its model year was appropriate for an 850, we can…
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2005 Enzo Ferrari
Prospective purchasers were selected based on their importance to the dealer; we assume the Pope was pre-qualified {vsig}2006-1_1907{/vsig} Chassis number: ZFFCZ56B000141920 Ferrari entered the third millennium during an incredible phase of competition. In fact, Formula One has never offered the company such a true laboratory for advanced research. I decided that this car, which embodies…
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1939 BMW 327 Cabriolet
Because this car is a 2+2 and a cabriolet it weighs several hundred pounds more than a 328, and acceleration will be leisurely {vsig}2006-1_1908{/vsig} BMW’s first six-cylinder engine was launched in 1934, and formed the backbone of the company’s racing legacy. A modified version of the new powerplant was developed by Rudolf Schleicher and would…
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1973 Datsun 240Z Race Car
Trailing throttle oversteer resulted in far more of them leaving the track backwards than ever drove off straight {vsig}2006-1_1909{/vsig} When Spike Anderson went trawling for a bottom-feeder race car in England, he started at a fish-and-chip shop.Anderson bought “LAL,” a four-year-old Datsun 240Z from a Greek fish-and-chip shop owner, a Mr. Michael. Stripped, prepared, and…
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1964-1970 Maserati Mistral
If you decide to restore a Mistral, forget the scuba gear and go find Alvin, the Titanic submersible. You will be that far under water The cold wind that gave its name to Maserati’s 1964 Mistral spells the end of summer in the south of France. The model heralded an even colder and more inhospitable…
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1947 Buick Super Series 50 Woody Wagon
This was the Mercedes G-Wagen of its day, most often sold in high trim levels to affluent customers {vsig}2005-12_1898{/vsig} Buick’s biggest and most elegant woody wagons owe their genesis to a cocktail party in Hollywood in 1941. Movie director Norman McLeod and his wife Bunny invited Buick designer Harley Earl over as part of…