Mar
31
The 190SL utilized some of the features of the 300SL like its independent rear suspension but the 190 was built on a shortened sedan platform and not a trick space frame. It is powered by a carbureted four-banger breathing through twin Solex carburetors. The 190SL was a bit of a poser. It had lots of styling cues from the 300SL but it was more of a cruiser than a fire breather. It also shared the 300SL’s incredible build quality. Read More
Mar
31
The 1954 Carrera Panamericana was the fifth and final running of the Carrera Panamaricana Mexican sports car racing event. The race was won overall by Umberto Magioli in a Ferrari 375. Ray Crawford and Enrique Iglesias won the over-3500 stock car class in a ’54 Lincoln. Now that should be part of the Lincoln Rebirth Campaign instead of a shadowy image of our dearly departed President in a stovepipe hat. Read More
Mar
30
One of our favorite Elvis movies is Blue Hawaii. Elvis is seen driving a red MGA in a good portion of the early scenes in the movie. MGA legend has it that Elvis liked it so much he bought it. It is now part of the permanent collection of Elvis cars at Graceland. The MGA is the quintessential British sports car. And the 1600 is one of the nicer versions. It has 78 hp and disc brakes up front. Read More
Mar
30
In its lifespan, over 86,000 Triumph TR-6s were exported. Not bad for a British sports car. The TR-6 styling is much like the TR-4/TR-250. Michelotti was hired to give it a face and tail lift and their work has been universally admired. The Kamm-tail Michelotti used was a popular design trend in the ’70s. There are tons of TR-6s available everyday in the marketplace, so why did this one catch our eye? Read More
Mar
30
In 1964, the 356 was pretty much nearing the end of its run. The 911 was introduced only a year later. There was still demand for the traditional 356 so production continued along side the 911 for a year. The 356C version like our featured car has disc brakes all-around and a powerful pushrod engine. An even more powerful engine was available and those 356s have an SC designation. Read More
Mar
30
These trucks are extremely popular and almost impossible to kill. We’ve posted it here because we think like minded car enthusiasts will probably find it interesting. It is probably one of the best FJ80 Cruisers available anywhere. Therefore it fits the criteria for a post on Mint. And since it is ours, we can do what we want. Insert smiley face emoticon here. We are offering for sale our 1993 Land Cruiser in exceptional condition. Read More
Mar
29
We’ve had a number of Pagoda SLs on Mint. Most of them of a pretty high caliber. One of our regular readers, Brian P., is a recognized expert on this model. So it will be interesting to hear his opinion on this one. Why did we decide to feature this one when there are dozens of SLs currently on the market? This one came from Bremen, Germany, it has big driving lights and a 4-speed manual. If we lived around the corner, we would go look at it. Read More
Mar
29
This was some kind of car back in the day. So much so, it won the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award. We know what unique cars Citroens are. That’s exactly why its fans are so passionate. And the SM is the most extreme and its fans the most passionate. We don’t mean extreme in a bad way. In fact, you have to hand it to Citroen for not caring how other car companies did things. They emulated no one. Brake pedals in regular cars? – oui. Brake pedals in Citroens? – non. They have a button shaped like a mushroom to do the job. Read More
Mar
29
Alfa was having some hard times during the development of the GTV. They wanted it to be perfect when it came to market. They get an A for effort. Like all new models, it had some quirks and most of them were resolved by 1984. Unfortunately, Porsche’s 944 was introduced at the same time so competition was tough. Today’s featured GTV-6 is a bit unusual for us. Read More
Mar
28
We’ve owned lots of Volvos. Probably can’t count how many have taken residence in our garage. The oldest was a ’52 PV444 that we found in the high desert in California. Most of the others were station wagons – the 240 and the 740 – plain and turbocharged. We had a Bertone 780 Coupe in a pretty dark red metallic too. But we have never owned an 1800. We think we may have missed a really neat experience. The 1800 acquired its name from the displacement of the engine. It was called a P1800S. The S is for Sweden. Read More
Mar
28
Talk about living in the shadows! The Lancia Fulvia has long been overlooked by enthusiasts in favor of Alfa Romeos. Sure, other Lancias have found a loyal following like the Aurelia B20GT and the Spider with valuations going through the roof. Only recently has the Fulvia found some love. It should because this is one jewel of an automobile. Italian car aficionados who like Alfas now have a ton of respect for the Lancia Fulvia. Read More
Mar
28
Really early 911/912s came with three round gauges and a nice script on the lower right of the engine lid declaring 911 or 912. There are not a lot of survivors particularly in the condition of this featured car – a 912. The 912 is the most susceptible to being either heavily modified or cobbled up for parts. One of our favorite dealers in California always seems to find the true survivors like this really early 912. We like it big time.
Mar
28
This question always solicits opinions. Of course, the answer depends on the significance of the vintage car we are talking about. Or does it? There is no right or wrong answer. We came across this YouTube video that demonstrates how the Ford Motor Museum deals with one of its most significant residents – particularly when its damaged in shipping.
Mar
28
Mint’s intrepid reporter, Evan G., chatting up Irv Gordon at the Volvo Exhibit.
We always enjoy attending Press Days at The New York Auto Show. We get to meet old friends and see all of the new cars without crowds and with all of their removable parts intact. Not too much on the vintage side except we ran into our old friend Irv Gordon at the Volvo Exhibit. In case you don’t know Irv, he is the Guinness Book of Records holder for high mileage passenger cars. He is 8,732 miles away from hitting 3 million miles in a Volvo P1800 he bought new from Volvoville on Long Island. We do not know how many Waffle House stops that translates to.
Mar
27
Production of the Willys B, better known as Jeep, began in 1941, shared between Willys, Ford and American Bantam which had initiated the original Jeep body design. 8,598 units were produced that year, and 359,851 units were produced before the end of WW II. In total, 653,568 military Jeeps were eventually manufactured. The origin of the name “Jeep” has been debated for many years. Some people believe “Jeep” is a phonetic pronunciation of the abbreviation GP, from “General Purpose”, that was used as part of the official Army nomenclature. Read More
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