Profiles
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1973 Citroën SM Coupe
The SM is the symbol of demise of Citroën as an independent company. It is also the story of corporate management embracing the “bigger is better” theory, and the engineering department wanting to make a better and more sophisticated car, but ending up with something that was just more complex, less reliable and infinitely more…
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1964 Porsche 904 GTS
In 1963, the imminent threat of Abarth’s Simca 2000, which was to be raced in the European 2-liter championship, was the impetus for Porsche’s creation of the Carrera GTS. Porsche chassis designer Hans Tomala decided the required production run of 100 cars could not be quickly and cost-effectively produced in the traditional welded-tube frame format.…
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1948 Lincoln Convertible V12 Coupe
1942 was a tough year to introduce a new model, as the advent of WWII led to the cessation of all passenger automobile production. When Lincoln resumed production in 1946, what had been a bold restyling of the Zephyr model in 1942 was already starting to look dated. The front end retained the massive appearance…
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1967 Ferrari 330 GTC
After being imported from California in 1968, some mechanical work was done to this car and it was repainted. The present vendor purchased it in 1995 with 54,414 miles, and in 1998 spent $58,000 on the engine, chassis and a retrim of the interior. $34,500 was for rebuilding the engine, including replacement of both heads…
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1978 Ferrari 400A 2+2 Coupe
From the onset, the intention of the 400 had been to challenge the finest luxury saloons available. It was anticipated that a large demand would come from the lucrative American market, though sadly the cost involved in meeting the stringent US regulations denied this option. Introduced in 1976 at the Paris salon, it was available…
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1926 Bentley 3-Liter Speed Model
In 12 short years, Bentley became one of Britain’s most revered marques through its cars’ technical sophistication and enviable record in long-distance racing events, including winning the Le Mans 24-hour race five times. Designed by Walter Owen Bentley and his colleagues, the 3-Litre was the progenitor of the 4.5-, 6.5- and 8-Litre Bentleys. The 3-Litre…
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1964 Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia Coupe
After the second World War and into the 1960s, as prosperity increased with the car-buying public, the demand rose for better, more elegant and entertaining vehicles. Up until this time, most manufacturers concentrated on rather bland and functional cars. Volkswagen, of course, produced the Beetle and a Microbus. Looking for a new “image” car, Volkswagen…
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1996 Lamborghini Diablo SV-R
The Diablo was introduced in 1991 under Lamborghini’s brief period of Chrysler ownership, preserving but refining its layout, smoothing out the body’s humps and bumps and improving occupant accommodations. In the middle of the ’90s, Lamborghini built 31 Diablos prepared for use on the racetrack. The race version, known as the SV-R (for Sport Veloce,…
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1959-61 Chevrolet Impala Two-Door Hardtop
The 1959 Chevrolet was designer Harley Earl’s final, dramatic statement before his retirement. While “all new all over again” was GM’s apt description of its entire 1959 model series, it was the full-size Chevrolet that sparked the most controversy both within the industry and from observers.With its signature cat’s-eye taillights, it was called “the wild…
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1973 Ferrari 246 GTS Dino
This European-registered car has a 2,418-cc V6, double overhead camshaft, cast iron block and light alloy heads, and produces 178 bhp at 7,000 rpm. It has a five-speed manual gearbox with front and rear independent suspension with unequal-length A arms, coil springs, tubular shock absorbers and four-wheel disc brakes. The forerunner to the hugely popular…