Profiles
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1967 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Coupe
Why, with all its aesthetic beauty, adequate performance, and driveability, does the Ghibli continue to sell for just a quarter the price of a Ferrari Daytona? {vsig}2004-8_1214{/vsig} Giorgio Giugiaro penned the striking lines for Maserati’s Ghibli, which debuted at the Turin Auto Show in 1966. Sporting a quad-cam V8 making 335 hp, the car was…
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1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Alloy Berlinetta
The 308 was what customers told Ferrari they wanted, the Daytona was what Ferrari thought the customers wanted, but the 275 Berlinettas were what he, the man, wanted {vsig}2004-8_1215{/vsig} The 275 GTB has stood the test of time as well as any design in Ferrari history. In any of its many variations, its combination of…
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1968 Mercedes-Benz 300SE Cabriolet
The 300SE has always been a cult car, and it’s a great choice for a true open four-seater for classic events {vsig}2004-8_1216{/vsig} The Mercedes-Benz’s S-class cabriolet of the late-1960s wore the same timelessly elegant coachwork that debuted in 1959 on the 220SE, and as befitted a top-of-the-range luxury model, came equipped with automatic transmission, air…
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1949 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe de Ville
The new V8 was a landmark achievement, as it was quieter, more powerful and lighter than even the new Oldsmobile engine that was introduced at the same time It is abundantly clear that The Motor found much to commend in the Series 62 Cadillac when testing Briggs Cunningham’s personal car early in 1950: “The Cadillac…
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1957 Kurtis-Offenhauser KK 500 G2 Indy Roadster
Front-engined Indy cars are the equivalent of those big, muscular farm boys from the ’50s with butch cuts, trucker’s tans, and aggressive smiles that sort of dare you to take them on {vsig}2004-8_1218{/vsig} After World War II, Frank Kurtis saw an opportunity and began to mass-produce midget racing cars of his own efficient and beautiful…
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1976-1981 Pontiac Trans Am “Bandit”
The second-generation Pontiac Trans Am was in production for twelve years, from 1970 to 1981, and effectively captured a generation of car enthusiasts in an era when Motor City muscle was in decline. Admittedly, the Trans Am of the mid-1970s was a pale imitation of earlier models, an underpowered, portly beast that nearly fell victim…
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1983 Ferrari 400i Spyder Conversion
Open V12 Ferrari for under $40k. {vsig}2004-7_1205{/vsig} As described by the seller on eBay Motors: Here is your chance to buy a 12-cylinder Ferrari convertible. This is the best looking and performing 400i convertible in the world, a traffic stopper. I just drove the car about 100 miles and people gave me the thumbs up…
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1967 Aston Martin DB6 Mk I Volante
This car was bought over the phone, bringing to mind a favorite jest of one of my good friends: {vsig}2004-7_1219{/vsig} The new Aston Martin DB6 was introduced at the 1965 London Motor Show as a distinctively restyled development of the successful DB4 and DB5 model ranges. The flat transom Kamm-tail topped by an integral spoiler…
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1976 Porsche 914 Hot Rod
Porsche’s all-out racing machines were always mid-engined, dating back to the 550 Spyder of the 1950s. After much racing success with this configuration, Porsche management decided in the late 1960s that its future high-performance road cars would also be mid-engined, due to the inherently better weight distribution. With this theory in mind, Porsche began development…
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1950 Abarth 205A
Abarth was a master of self-promotion, he knew how to hire talented young people whose work he would later appropriate, and he knew how to make a quick buck. {vsig}2004-7_1221{/vsig} Born in Austria in 1908, Karl Abarth was a European motorcycle champion in the 1930s who fled to Italy during World War II. His firm,…