Carl Abarth (Carlo) was born in Vienna in 1908 and his formative years were punctuated by the two world wars. In the aftermath of the first he started racing cycles and motorcycles, which resulted in his apprenticeship at Castagna, more notable for their coachworks, designing frames for them, and even […]
Profiles
1980 Ferrari 308 GTSi
The V8 powered, Pininfarina-styled Ferrari 308 had been on the market for five years when the 308 GTSi was introduced in 1980. Offered in both coupe (GTB) and Spyder versions (GTSi), the big difference between the “i” and its earlier Weber-carbureted brethren was the switch to Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection. […]
Alfa Romeo Duetto
Pininfarina died just a month after the Duetto’s introduction in March, 1966, so the model carries the distinction of being his last design. Its design is virtually perfect in concept: an aerodynamic profile with a dramatic blood trough down the sides that ties the symmetrical front and rear together.The Duetto, […]
1959 BMW 507 Series II
It would indeed have been a shame if BMW had confined the use of its first V8 engine range merely to its saloon cars of the 1950s. Had that been the case, the world would have been denied what is arguably the Bavarian marque’s finest post-war sports car-the glamorous, high-performance […]
1969 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2
With the intention of competing in the worldwide luxury car market, Ferrari introduced the totally new 365 GT 2+2 at the Paris Salon in October 1967. It bore a strong resemblance to both the 330 GTC Special built for Belgium’s Princess de Rethy and to the famous 500 Superfast. The […]
1964 Aston Martin DB5
The DB5 Aston Martin rapidly became the very essence of the hand-built English classic car. Very expensive, built in tiny numbers by dedicated craftsmen, it was also an apt choice of mount for the suave secret agent James Bond. Equally deft was the director’s decision in 1995 to hark back […]
1966 Lancia Flaminia Zagato SS
A left hand-drive model first registered in France, this striking Zagato-bodied Lancia features the Milanese styling house’s renowned double-bubble body form in which low overall lines and rounded streamlined shape are achieved by the simple but ingenious A left hand-drive model first registered in France, this striking Zagato-bodied Lancia features […]
1969-76 Triumph TR6
The loss of the Healey 3000 Mk III at the end of 1967 left a void in the six-cylinder sports car line-up. Sure, there was the Jaguar Series II XKE ($5,500 in 1969) and soon a new upstart from Japan, the Datsun 240Z, would show the world how much GT […]
1958 Porsche 356A Cabriolet
Having commenced manufacture with a short run of aluminum-bodied cars built at Gmund, Porsche began volume production of the steel-bodied 356 coupe at its old base in Stuttgart. The work of Ferry Porsche, the 356 was based on the Volkswagen designed by his father. Like the immortal Beetle, the 356 […]
1949 Mercury V8 Lead Sled
The car pictured sold at Dana Mecum’s Arlington Premier Auction in Arlington, Illinois on November 7, 1998 at no reserve, bringing $23,625, including buyer’s commission. Estimated at $30k–$35k, a value that even at this level is probably less than half what’s invested in it, this is typical of the re-sale […]