Jan
23
We’ve been watching the Mecum Kissimmee Auction. Mecum is known for Muscle Cars so it is not surprising there would be a ton of Mustangs. We are huge Mustang lovers but very picky when it comes to what flavor we like. For us, it has to be a 4-speed Top-Loader and it needs to be either an A or K-Code V-8. You can keep the convertibles ’cause they do nothing for us. Inspired by Mecum, we did a search for a nice Mustang on Craigslist. Read More
Jan
23
In 1937, the brothers Maserati unburdened themselves of the day-to-day financial chores and gave that task to the Orsi family. They stayed involved in the area they knew best – engineering. Smart move because that additional amount of focused brainpower resulted in two successive race wins on United States soil. In 1939 and 1940, Maserati won the Indianapolis 500 with Wilbur Shaw in an 8CTF. That made Maserati the first and the only Italian constructor to win the legendary American race. Read More
Jan
23
When we featured a Mercedes-Benz 600 SWB last week we also mentioned in addition to the 600, we would really enjoy owning a 6.3. In 1968, Road & Track headlined their coverage of the 6.3 with “a big-engined option for a semi-big sedan.” By the time they had major seat time in it for the November issue, they were in love, concluding that it was “merely the greatest sedan in the world.” Read More
Jan
22
Some sports cars lose something when translated into a race car. They look muscular but they don’t look as handsome. Not all cars but some. You have to try hard to screw up the lines of an E-Type. Today’s featured Jaguar, has managed to stay fabulous. It is an immaculately prepared racer campaigned by Brian Donovan as part of JCNA’s Vintage Racing Team from ’03 to ’05. Donovan is so well-known in the Jaguar world that one can be assured this is the real deal. Read More
Jan
22
Ronald Reagan had a ’78 BRAT at his ranch for 20 years. Actually, President Reagan’s BRAT was restored and returned to the ranch. The BRAT had these unusual rear facing seats in the bed area. That was to avoid the chicken tax imposed on commercial vehicles imported to the US. The seats, however ridiculous, made the BRAT a passenger vehicle. Read More
Jan
22
We were watching the Mecum Auctions from Florida and it never ceases to amaze us how many collectible C10s cross the block. We had a rather cool slightly modified C10 last week but today’s is a little different. It is a well documented, 2-owner truck with all of the paperwork you could imagine. It has mostly original paint and an original interior that was covered in plastic until recently. Read More
Jan
21
We are always pleased to find a beautiful GTV to share with our readers. This is a 5-year old restoration of a California car. It is finished in a somewhat rare Rare Gaillo Ocra and has black interior that we are told is leather. That would be an upgrade although we believe you could special order leather on a GTV at some point in time. This example has 55,000 miles and looks just terrific. The only thing we see that is glaring isn’t so important: the windshield trim is missing. Not a hard fix at all.We also like that the owner stayed with the SPICA injection system. They are expensive to rebuild but work well when dialed in. Read More
Jan
21
We continue to digest the auction results from last week’s successful Scottsdale auctions. And since we were not overwhelmed by anything offered on the market for our Daily Digest, we thought our readers should pause to look at some of the results along with us. Perhaps it might change the contents of your bucket list. All we can say is maybe our ’67 Mercedes is going for a one-way trip to Monterey this August! Click on the image below to take you to the Gooding results.
Jan
20
What is good about Mint is that it can be helpful to readers. One of our readers Tony (see comment) noticed the paint code sticker in the engine compartment. It says it is originally Balkai (Code 042) and not Colorado Orange. Balkai looks like a medium Grey Metallic. That changes everything in our opinion.
The ’73 tii is like the Holy Grail for BMW 2002 fans. It is the last year for round tailights and small chrome bumpers plus it is a fuel injected tii. That makes it a prized piece for any BMW fan. We must say that we like the Colorado Orange color too. This is in potentially pretty rare condition with only 37,000 miles on the clock. Trust but verify. Read More
Jan
20
The GT was born out of necessity in the ’50s. Well, necessity for wealthy European folks who wanted to travel great distances in comfort on the weekends or holidays. Cars made by Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes and others, filled the niche with luxurious cruisers capable of sustained high speeds. And of course, they didn’t want to be embarrassed when they pulled up in front of the Hotel d’Paris in Monaco, so the GT car had to be gorgeous and exclusive. Fast forward to the mid-70s. Porsche was successful with the 911 but they wanted to appeal to the client who demanded a bit more refinement, more pace and more luxury. The 928 was born, designed in part, by an American by the name of Tony Lapine. Read More
Jan
20
McKeel Hagerty and his astute team selected the Acura NSX as a modern car that has collectible potential. It is in good company along side the Lotus Elise, Audi TT and Dodge Viper. We’ve never featured a NSX before so we took a look around and came up with an exceptional candidate that has been treated to extensive upgrades. The NSX has covered only 29,300 miles to date. It is a 6-speed in Silverstone Grey Metallic with black leather interior. Read More
Jan
20
The DKW Junior offered more luggage space and a wider cabin than the VW Bug, and customers willing to pay an extra 160 Marks for the optional heater had the advantage in winter of a car that warmed up much more rapidly than the Volkswagen with its air-cooled power unit. In 1962, like today’s featured cutie, had its cylinders bored out to 796 cc but claimed power output was unchanged however the torque was marginally increased and the wheel size grew from 12 to 13 inches. Incredible! Read More
Jan
18
BMW fans call these “roundies” because they have round tail lights and small, chrome bumpers. All 2002 model Bimmers are prized but the roundie is the one people want first. It is difficult to find unrestored 2002s in decent condition because they were prone to rust. One has a better chance of finding a nice one on the west coast so easterners rarely get an opportunity to find one locally and avoid shipping costs. Read More
Jan
18
I worked for VW of America in Englewood Cliffs when this one was built. This is among the last of the German-built Rabbits before VW inflicted a near fatal wound by building them in Westmoreland, Pennsylvania. We don’t really think an old Rabbit is collectible but this one is special. It has had only 2-owners since new and accumulated a scant 24,400 miles. Read More
Jan
18
No one should be astounded by some of the numbers achieved by A-list cars at Bonhams. There were some good values too and that confirms the direction the market is taking. For example, a super nice ’62 TR4 Surrey top with good ownership history went for $32,000. And how about a sweet MG TD in great colors and condition for $20,000. Let’s throw in a ’64 Morgan Plus 4 in excellent condition for $30,000. That is not enough sanity to combat a ’77 Porsche 911S selling for $88,000. Click here to see all of the results to date.
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