Profiles

1904 Napier L48 “Samson”

This “Edwardian Giant” is offered from the collection of its fifth owner in 120 years, Australian businessman Peter Briggs. The discovery of this engine in the 1950s, fit to a complete body in the 1980s, heralded the definitive rebirth into the motoring world of the L48 and its singular legacy. […]

1935 Voisin C28 Clairière Berline

Among French automakers of the Art Deco era, Avions Voisin was unique. With a background in architecture, industrial design, engineering, and a successful career in aviation, Gabriel Voisin reached the height of his automotive career in the 1930s. Each Voisin automobile was designed as a whole in response to the […]

1953 Ferrari 250 Europa

From its 1947 inception, Ferrari overwhelmingly relied on a Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 that was successively developed from its original 1.5-liter displacement to 1.9-, 2.3-, 2.6- and 2.7-liter configurations. In early 1952, the engine was further enlarged with a single-cylinder volume approaching 250 cubic centimeters, and the resulting 2,953-cubic-centimeter engine became […]

1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60HP “Roi Des Belges”

In 1890, after parting ways with Deutz AG, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach established Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) in Cannstatt, Germany. DMG revolutionized the design and manufacture of internal combustion engines, inventing the world’s first four-stroke petrol engine and float-feed carburetor. Despite groundbreaking developments, Daimler and Maybach initially attracted little […]

1998 RUF Turbo R

Introduced by RUF in 1998, the Turbo R filled the hole in the company’s lineup after it discontinued the CTR2 supercar. Like its predecessor, the Turbo R is based on the Turbo version of the 993-generation Porsche 911. Available between 1998 and 2002, these special hand-built automobiles are powered by […]

1966 Porsche 906

Although it was a successor to Porsche’s winning 904 GTS race car, the 906 Carrera 6 featured a nearly comprehensive redesign, with development closely supervised by Ferdinand Piëch himself in the factory experimental department. Summarized in a nutshell, the 904 was the ultimate racing variant of the 4-cylinder 356 model, […]

Tuning Out the Crowd

Back in the late 1990s, before the Fast became Furious, Honda Motor Co. found itself the fortunate beneficiary of a momentous shift in car culture. Almost overnight, Honda Civics and Acura Integras became icons among a group of enthusiasts known as much for their ill-fitting pants as for their slammed […]

1965 Jeep Wagoneer

Introduced in 1962 as a replacement for the Willys Jeep station wagon, the Jeep Wagoneer combined rugged usability with a level of comfort that distanced the model from both its predecessor and more-utilitarian rivals. Arguably kick-starting the Sports Utility Vehicle revolution, the handsome new model broke cover in both two- […]

1957 Aston Martin DB Mark III

Two years after the introduction of the DB2/4 Mark II came the DB Mark III, 551 of which, mainly saloons, were made between March 1957 and July 1959. Externally, the most obvious change was the adoption of a DB3S-style grille, establishing the “hallmark” look of subsequent Aston Martins, which had […]

1957 Talbot-Lago America

The factory record supplied by the Talbot Club states that this example was delivered on December 3, 1957, to a Mr. Cassiers in Belgium. This document confirms that the current engine number is indeed the original one and that the car was painted in Light Blue “Salon,” with “Cordoual matic […]