When I hear “grand luxe”, I translate it roughly as “large, luxury, top shelf”. But Frenchman Georges Mochet – who inherited his father Charles’ cyclecar business – thought differently about these things. He had evolved the business away from… more»
Survivor! 1934 Chevrolet Master Sedan
In 1934, General Motors refined an idea that revolutionized ride comfort for the average car owner. The company studied independent front suspension configurations and adopted the Dubonnet system using enclosed springs and dampers pivoting on a kingpin. The structure… more»
Gas Miser: 1992 Geo Metro Convertible
The elfish Geo Metro amounted to one of the nine lives of the Suzuki Cultus, a car that was badged variously as the Suzuki Swift, the Chevy Sprint, and the Pontiac Firefly from 1985 to 1989. General Motors, partnering… more»
Low Miles? 1993 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE
Though the Lotus Esprit was produced for twenty-eight years in 22 variants, fewer than 11,000 examples were made in total. The cars were handbuilt by a slender workforce at Hethel, Norfolk, UK, at the rate of about one per… more»
Collectible Cat: 1993 Jaguar XJ220 Coupe
Jaguar, the carmaker, has been Jaguar, the race champion, almost too many times to count. In the 1980s, the company backed Bob Tullius and Tom Walkinshaw Racing at IMSA and the World Sportscar Championship, racking up wins at Daytona… more»
Upcoming Classic? 1982 Mazda 626 Coupe
By the 1960s, the American consumer understood exactly what a no-frills economy car was, thanks to Volkswagen. The import scene became a real brawl: Toyota brought us the Crown, then the Corona, Volvo the PV444, then the 140 series,… more»
Pink 1959 Cadillac DeVille Two-Door Hardtop
Integrated into this single car is the intersection of at least three vectors of American culture: music, art, and automotive history. “Music” refers to Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac”, a hit song in 1984. But of course, long before that,… more»
1996 Toyota HiAce Bambee Diesel Camper
As the years roll by, the US rule allowing a person to import a foreign car so long as it is more than 25 years old is bringing ever more interesting metal onto our shores. From Japan, we’re seeing… more»
Rare Brit: 1959 Peerless GT Coupe
From the early 1900s, the thriving British automotive ecosystem consisted of three primary types of ventures: companies that made one-offs often from disparate parts resulting in a handful of examples; specialist makers that mustered production in the hundreds or… more»
Golden Lion V8: 1959 Chrysler Windsor Coupe
Chrysler’s Windsor nameplate stretches back to 1939 when the model was launched to occupy a niche below the New Yorker. By the mid-1940s, the Windsor accounted for 63% of Chrysler’s sales. Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” brought fins to its… more»
Two-Fer: 1937 Diamond T Model 80 Plus Parts Truck
In the 1930s, Diamond T was considered the “Cadillac of trucks”, while the company proclaimed “all truck, from the ground up! as a foil against competitors that simply appended a pickup bed to the back end of a passenger… more»
Farm Find: 1974 International Harvester Scout II 4×4
This 1974 International Harvester Scout II was found on a farm in Pennsylvania covered in about two inches of dust. The Scout’s job was hay-hauler, and that’s so appropriate since the first Scout introduced in 1961 was aimed directly… more»
Single-Family Owned For 121 Years: 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’
While those of us who yearn for a “pre-war” car are eyeing Model As or even a Model T for around $20k at the most, a select few have a different car in mind. These folks are positioning their… more»
Go-Kart Fun: 1958 Berkeley SE328
I could recount the entire history of the Berkeley Coachworks Company (headquarters: Biggleswade, England) – first using its expertise molding caravans from what we now call fiberglass, to making tiny sports cars that a few crazy people tried to… more»
Rusty Cat: 1956 Jaguar XK140 MC Drophead Coupe
How much rust is tolerable in a vintage car? I’m supposing most of you would say, depends on the car and where it is…. How about a 1956 Jaguar XK140 drophead coupe, and how about “all over”? Let’s consider… more»
















