By the late 1970s, US car makers were finally figuring out how to serve up performance after the regulatory purgatory of a few years earlier. Buick began its efforts with a turbocharged V6 Regal Sport Coupe in 1978, and… more»
• For Sale • 19 Comments
Ran When Parked: 1973 Jensen-Healey Roadster
It’s Healey time! Jensen-Healey, that is. Here on eBay is a 1973 Jensen-Healey roadster, bid to $1800 with no reserve, and located in Audubon, New Jersey. The seller notes that he was told the car ran when it was… more»
• For Sale • 20 Comments
Survivor! 1942 Plymouth Special Deluxe Four-Door Sedan
By 1942, most United States manufacturers had converted operations to wartime production. Ford made bombers. Alcoa made airplanes. Not even Lionel, the toy train company, was unaffected: it made compasses for warships. In 1941, Plymouth had just introduced its… more»
• For Sale • 20 Comments
No Reserve 1968 Ferrari 206 Dino GT
The advent of the Dino marque was not only homage to Enzo Ferrari’s son. One slice of Alfredo’s legacy was his fondness for engine design; encouraged by Vittorio Jano, he was able to convince his father that a V6… more»
• For Sale • 25 Comments
Long-Term Owner: 1962 Jaguar XKE Series I “Flat Floor” Roadster
The market has sorted the XKE into what I call a “desirability stack”. At the pinnacle are the rarified – a couple of handfuls of Lightweights (the racing version), a few hundred “outside bonnet latch” (aka OBL) cars, and… more»
• For Sale • 16 Comments
Q-Code 428CID V8: 1966 Ford Thunderbird Town Landau Coupe
In the beginning, Ford’s Thunderbird established the “personal luxury” niche. The original design was inspired by the popularity of two-seat European sports cars but amended to accommodate Americans’ desire for comfort. As the years rolled by, the T-Bird gained… more»
• For Sale • 21 Comments
Garage Find: 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet
Until the 250 GT Pininfarina was launched, Ferrari model production numbers ranged from a few-handfuls to slightly less than 100 copies. Many were customized to buyers’ tastes. By the mid-1950s, the company knew it needed to sell more road-going… more»
• For Sale • 27 Comments
Bubble Car Survivor: 1957 BMW Isetta 300
Like Triumph’s Amphicar and Fiat’s Jolly, the BMW Isetta has a “coin of the realm” quality when it shows up at auctions. Once parked on the lawn at Bonham’s or Gooding, these cars are almost guaranteed to bring three… more»
• For Sale • 18 Comments
Low Mileage Original: 1940 Ford Deluxe Fordor Sedan
Here are a few conundrums wrapped up in one 1940 Ford Deluxe Fordor sedan, advertised on craigslist, with a request from the seller that prospective buyers send him a “best offer”. The car is located in Thousand Oaks, California… more»
• For Sale • 8 Comments
Twin Turbos! 2001 Lotus Esprit V8
Lotus’ long-running Esprit model incorporated more than twenty variants, many of them made in overlapping production years. For instance, in 2001, buyers could opt for the Esprit V8, the V8 GT, the V8 SE, and the tremendous Sport 350…. more»
• For Sale • 12 Comments
Unrestored 1958 Lancia Aurelia B24S Cabriolet
Lancia’s Aurelia was a kaleidoscope of models, from the slightly frumpy B10 to the luminous Spider America. Not only did the sheet metal change, but Lancia was ever in self-improvement mode, tinkering around the edges of its unique solutions… more»
• For Sale • 18 Comments
Rare Micro Car: 1952 Mochet CM 125 Grand Luxe
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»
• For Sale • 16 Comments
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»
• For Sale • 31 Comments
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»
• For Sale • 10 Comments
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»
• For Sale • 11 Comments
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»
