Profiles
-
1962 Daimler SP250 Dart Roadster
No less an authority on grace than Sir William Lyons was rumored to have tossed his scones on his first sight of a Dart {vsig}2005-1_1803{/vsig} Daimler of England startled the automotive world in 1959 with the Dart roadster, a swoopy sports car powered by an advanced 2.6-liter, hemi-head V8. With a chassis inspired by Triumph’s…
-
1925 Amilcar 4 CGS
These lightweight, small-displacement sports cars provide a true pre-war motoring experience at a fraction of the cost of their more expensive French cousin from Molsheim {vsig}2005-1_1807{/vsig} Of all the small sports-racing cars that proliferated in France after World War One, the Amilcar was the most famous and most successful. Built at St. Denis from 1921…
-
1959 Ford Galaxie Sunliner Convertible
In 1959, Ford kept its Blue Oval models relatively devoid of chrome, mile-high fins, and many of the other excesses that were common to the era {vsig}2005-1_1808{/vsig} New for 1959, the Galaxie began life as a variant of the highly successful Fairlane. The year is considered by many to be a high water mark…
-
1929 Mercedes-Benz Type 38/250 Model SSK
In the hands of drivers like Rudolph Caracciola, the SSK was the dominant race car of its era, and came to symbolize all that was wonderful and scary about racing during the “Roaring Twenties” {vsig}2005-1_1809{/vsig} Known in period as simply, “the mighty Mercedes,” advertisements for the SSK justifiably screamed, “the fastest sports car in the…
-
1968 McLaren M6B Can-Am Race Car
If you can hustle one of these babies around the track, nobody will ever question your manhood {vsig}2005-1_1810{/vsig} The Can-Am Series for unlimited sports cars began in 1966, and a year later Bruce McLaren won his first championship, driving a car bearing his own name. Teammate Denny Hulme was second, and for the next four…
-
1954-1963 Mercedes-Benz 190SL
The 190SL’s designers had a challenge on their hands-to echo the 300SL’s styling, but not copy it Close your eyes and picture your local main drag on a Saturday afternoon. Parked outside the neighborhood coffee shop, what do you see? Likely one or two Mercedes SLs, 280s. 560s. 450s. 380s. They’re a breeze to own…
-
1964 Buick Riviera
GM design chief Bill Mitchell’s “personal luxury” land yacht set sail as a sophisticated merger of Ferrari GT car style with Rolls-Royce luxury {vsig}2004-12_1536{/vsig} Although Buick was primarily a luxury line, in 1963 it issued a sports model, a beautiful coupe called the Riviera. It was America’s answer to the Ferrari GTs, a car for…
-
1955 Triumph TR2 Roadster
Some early TR2s were immediately re-sprayed by their owners, changing effeminate colors like Olive Yellow and Geranium to more traditional ones like British Racing Green The post-war Standard-Triumph company, like most manufacturers of the period, found strong demand for its products. Exports were critical to the survival of the English auto industry and Triumph knew…
-
1955 OSCA Mt4 Spider Morelli
The little jewels from Bologna won everywhere-from the small regional Italian events to major international venues like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Le Mans and Sebring {vsig}2004-12_1538{/vsig} A tiny bantam of a racing car, the OSCA Mt4 was ahead of its time, winning overall at Sebring in 1954 with Stirling Moss and Bill Lloyd behind…
-
1959 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder LWB
It lacks reasonable weatherproofing, rusts easily, and has a chassis that is way too flexible, but the California Spyder proves that people will always buy beauty and performance over practicality {vsig}2004-12_1539{/vsig} Convincing Enzo Ferrari to produce an open version of the highly successful competition 250 GT Berlinetta was an effort credited to the famous…