When the Lamborghini Miura appeared, high-performance coupes with engines in front of the driver began to look quite old fashioned to some observers. Stung by outspoken criticism of their front-engined Daytona models, Ferrari unveiled at the 1971 Turin Motor Show the aggressive 365 BB flat-twelve, mid-engined Boxer Berlinetta. At this […]
Profiles
1959 MGA 1600 Coupe
The A was the car which put MG back on the map. It was pretty, it was contemporary, and it was fun. Top speed was 98 mph and 0 to 60 mph took 15.6 seconds, but raw performance figures are not the reason the MGA became the world’s most popular […]
1974 Maserati Merak
The Maserati Merak, announced at the Paris Salon of 1972, was a little brother to the mid-engined V8 Bora. It used the same Ital Design steel body, but with a smaller V6, 3-liter engine—as found in the Citroën SM coupe—that liberated space for two child-sized rear seats. The all-alloy powerplant, […]
1978–83 Porsche 911SC
Coupe, Targa and Cabriolet While the automotive world suffered through the 1973-1977 era of dramatically tightened emission-control laws, Porsche was busy building, piece by piece, the better mousetrap that would become the 911SC. Starting with the dramatically simplified CIS fuel injection of the ’73½ 911T, the SC included the flared […]
1973 Porsche Carrera RSR 2.8
n the early 1970s, the FIA decided sports car racing should use cars that more closely resembled production vehicles. Using the Carrera RS 2.7 as its homologation platform, the 2.8 RSR developed 300 (DIN) hp with the use of a twin-plug ignition, hotter camshafts, higher compression pistons, and many other […]
1957 Chevrolet Corvette FI Roadster
{vsig}2000-8_1882{/vsig} America was sadly without a true sports car until Chevrolet introduced the Corvette at the 1953 Motorama show and started production that year. The early Corvettes were lower and sportier than any other domestic car on the market but they lacked the innovative technology necessary to break open the […]
1956 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta “TdF”
This Ferrari is one of the diminishing number of highly original, and in many respects “unspoiled” historic cars. As such cars become increasingly rare, that very fact can surely only enhance their value. 0507, still with its original engine, and having been the last thirty-two years in a Dutch museum, […]
1968 Aston Martin DB6 Volante
Launched in 1965, the DB6 replaced the DB5 and for the first time the title “Volante” was introduced to denote the convertible model of the Aston Martin motor cars, a tradition continuing to this day. Though recognizably related to its Touring-styled DB4 ancestor, the wheelbase was now longer than before, […]
1961 Abarth Simca 1300 S1
Most people associate Abarth with Fiat, but a very successful liaison was also formed with Simca. The French company was partly owned by Fiat, and when they wanted to appeal to a younger market with a more sporting image, they turned to the Italian giant for help. Fiat in turn […]
1965 Mustang Convertible
Wilson Pickett caught the mood of the nation when, in his blues song, Mustang Sally, he sang “I bought you a brand new Mustang ’bout nineteen sixty-five.” Sally’s was only one of the 680,000 Mustangs that were sold in 1964-65 as the car that Lee Iococca and his committee of […]