The French are not known these days for timeless, elegant styling. Wind the clock back 75 years, however, and they had the honor of calling companies like Delage and Delahaye home, two manufacturers that could lay claim to some of the most beautiful Depression-era automobiles ever produced. This particular Delage is one of the last D8s built before the Germans invaded France in 1940 and with its Vanvooren coachwork looks absolutely stunning. It is a shame that this striking car did not win any awards at Amelia this spring. Notably, it’s the only car I felt obligated to photograph after the rest of the show field had left for the evening at the close of the Concours. Although the starting rod failed, it did not have any problem making my heart skip a beat that day in Florida. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1939 Delage D8-120S Coupe at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance→
Back in 1934, this Rolls Royce Phantom II Streamline Saloon was the pride of Park Ward at the Olympia Motor Show in London. The car was a one-off that showcased a much more flamboyant design style, and it helped to cement Park Ward’s reputation as the premier coach builder for Rolls Royce motorcars.
An immaculate full restoration from 40 years of neglect in a barn, the Streamline Saloon took the award for third place in the Pre-War Rolls Royce class at last year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. This car is known in restoration circles as “The Raccoon Rolls” because it was the home for a family of Raccoons during its four decades in the barn. In an interview with USA Today, the owner said that 80lbs of “refuse” was removed from the car prior to the onset of its restoration. So it went from raccoon den to Pebble Beach award-winner in the span of ten years, quite a story.
Although this site tends to focus largely on performance cars, I feel that it’s time to give those who serve and protect a bit of time in the spotlight. At the New York Auto Show last month, the NYC Police Museum was grateful enough to provide a collection of cars, along with some privately-owned police cars, to put on display in the back of the basement room during the week. The quality of the cars gathered for the display was impressive, and all three of the Detroit Three were proudly represented, with examples of New York City’s finest chariots from the 1950s all the way up to 2014. Here are some of my favorites from the display. See the photos after the jump for a bit more information about each car featured. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Classic NYPD Patrol Vehicles at the New York International Auto Show→
Towards the end of the day on the Saturday we were in Monterey, I was completely tired out. Running on fumes, Nick went to go shoot a Ferrari Enzo and F50 outside the Monterey Marriott while I went to a nearby Subway to get a few drinks. After recharging and ignoring the shooting pain in my left knee, I hobbled outside to the street corner and started taking pictures. It didn’t take long for a few cars to show up. Hit the pictures for more thoughts on each of these cars. The Baja Bug came first, then I quickly shot the red Mustang while that light was still red. Once the light went green, I snapped the lime-green Cobra kit car crossing the street and the Corvette a moment later. They certainly didn’t draw the crowds the Ferraris on the Marriott entrance were, but these four cars never once looked out of place. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Corvette, Baja Bug, Mustang, Kit Cobra spotted in Monterey, CA→
Deusenbergs are an example of a truly bygone era when cars were truly built to order. There is an air of royalty to the history of this particular car, although it’s not just in the styling. Barbara Hutton, heiress to the Woolworth fortune, ordered this SJ, but not for herself. She was married to Alexis Mdivani at the time and actually ordered this car for her brother-in-law, Serge Mdivani. The Mdivani family was the Georgian royal family, which fled their home country after the Soviets indvaded, and indeed married well. Hutton’s generosity was apparent in giving this gorgeous automobile to her brother-in-law, who passed away after a polo accident a short time later. This is one of the most unique Duesenbergs Id have seen in some time and the dark red finish looked great along the golf course amongst its rivals. In fact, this stunning convertible won Best in Class this year. I hope to see more of this car at various Concours events down the road. I doubt I’ll tire of it. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1935 Duesenberg SJ 509 Roadster at the 2014 Amelia Island Concours→
This gorgeous 1967 Bizzarrini Spyder S.I. 5300 Targa was present for The Elegance At Hershey last Summer. It is one of just three Bizzarrini Spyders built, and the second I’ve been lucky enough to lay eyes on in person. I saw the 5300 Spyder Prototipo at the Concours d’Elegance of America in Michigan back in 2012.
Another result of Enzo Ferrari pissing people off, these Bizzarrinis are breathtaking automobiles that utilized the knowhow of one of the foremost automotive engineers of the era, Giotto Bizzarrini. Before founding the company bearing his name, Giotto Bizzarini masterminded the Ferrari 250 GTO and designed the Lamborghini V12 that was in use until 2011.
These Bizzarrini 5300s were serious performers of their day. When a Ferrari 275 GTB had a 330hp, these Bizzarrinis made use of a 420hp V8 sourced from the Corvette Stingray. This is Italian and American work in perfect harmony. Enjoy the photos.
Purple has never looked this intimidating before. This 1959 Corvette, in its purple and white paint job and black interior, was a mainstay in the SCCA-B Production racing class during the late Fifties and early Sixties. With mechanical fuel injection and a 283 sitting under the hood, this racer won all but one of the events it was entered in 1959. Nickey Chevrolet, a performance mainstay of the time, fitted the Corvette with heavy-duty racing parts such as a larger fuel tank, safety chains, and a roll bar, along with a smaller windshield. However, the rest of the car is as it was out of the factory, with factory stock heavy-duty suspension and the (by the end of that very season) race-proven Rochester fuel injection. It shined brightly amongst its ‘Vette companions at Amelia Island, with the purple paint job being about as subtle as a smashed grape on a white kitchen floor. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Purple People Eater 1959 Corvette at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, 2014→
Few cars can match the romance, beauty, or allure of the Ferrari Daytona. I have seen a select few of these over the years and this wasn’t the only one in the area that weekend last month at Amelia Island, but it was the first car that I found myself actually chasing down all weekend. The Daytona came rumbling out of the parking garage while Nick was busy driving the Viper, so I had nothing else to do but watch the streets for interesting cars. I’d say it was worth me breathing like a pack-a-day smoker to get some pictures of this classic V12 coupe. It was a balmy 49 degrees while I was gaping at the Daytona, so the engine was putting out smoke and making everything smell nice and old. The yellow color especially set this car off from the gray skies and the gray backdrops of the parking lots and the Ritz Carlton. There’s no reason not to want a car as pretty as this in any weather, anywhere. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona at Amelia Island→
Anyone can get excited about driving a viciously fast Ferrari or a swaggin’ Bentley, but the mark of a true car or driving enthusiast is their equal excitement at the thought of driving something quirky, like a Citroen 2CV. Chris Harris has one, and in this episode of his segment on the Drive Network, he takes us out in it to show us what the 2CV is all about.
Here’s some news for you. At one point Israel had a short stint building cars. No, not tanks or army Jeeps. They had a little sports car they could call their very own. This car, shown here at the Scarsdale Concours last fall, is called the Sabra. This is a 1967 model. The Sabra was named because the colloquial meaning of the phrase in Hebrew is “born in Israel” and the cactus logo is known as the “sabra”. Israel manufactured another car before this known as the Sussita–Yitzhak Shubinksy requested Reliant Auto produce a small sports car (yes, the same Reliant Auto that produced the hilariously incompetent Reliant Robin and Reliant Regal), which they did in a scant 9 months’ time. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1967, production was cut short. A total of just 171 were made during its life, and a scant 41 made it to the United States. The owner was gracious enough to show it at the Scarsdale Concours this past fall. While it isn’t the prettiest car in the world (far from it), it is certainly unique and drew a solid crowd of its own that afternoon. Enjoy the pictures. Continue reading 1967 Sabra at the 2013 Scarsdale Concours→
At the same auction where the Hudsons were sold, this very clean 1969 Chevrolet Nova SS396 eagerly awaited a new buyer. It looked smart and professionally restored, with a 396ci V8, manual transmission, gorgeous black interior, and a black vinyl roof, topped off with redline tires and Rally wheels. Unfortunately, this Nova didn’t sell at the auction and at this time I am still unaware if the car has changed hands. That said, this is one of the straightest, cleanest late-Sixties Novas I have seen in a very long period of time. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Chevrolet Nova SS-396 at the Hollywood Car Auction, Amelia Island→
There’s something special about the allure of this classic Alfa Romeo that made me put a halt to my busy day for a few minutes so I could snap a few photos of it. I cannot pretend to be an expert on every nuance of the Alfa Romeo brand of this era, but my online research has told me that this car is a 1960’s (1963?) Alfa Romeo 2600 Coupe.
I spotted it just sitting there on my way from Waterfest last summer to another car show later that evening. I don’t know if the owner intentionally left it out for car show attendees to enjoy, or if it was there for some other reason, but it managed to captivate me in the setting of that day. The car had a wonderful patina to it that made it seem that much more special. I had to capture it.
Mind Over Motor 