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Keep up with the latest news on the automotive seen. This page contains up to date auto related articles from the New York Times newspaper and Business Week Magazine
Ferrari's Winning Boxer
The highly successful 1982 Ferrari 512 BBi "Boxer" was hand-crafted car with mid-engined performance and aesthetic appeal Post-War Bimmer Racer The 1948 Veritas BMW Rennsport was one of the finest German-made open-wheel formula cars—and it can still race Mock Ferrari The stylish 1970 Intermeccanica Italia Spyder had a Ferrari feel but was in reality a tuner car built with Ford parts Grand Lagonda The 1934 Lagonda 4½-Liter M45 Tourer is one of the most desirable of all classic, British thoroughbred cars BMW ZZZZZ The Z1, a two-seater produced between 1987 and 1991, was a radical innovation but ultimately a sales dud Dramatic Climax The Lola-Climax Mk I was perhaps the most sought-after of all British small-capacity sports-racing cars of the 1950s 1937 Autobahn Cruiser This coach-built 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster recently sold at auction for more than $2.5 million Supercharged Spyder The 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato Spyder was one of the most desirable sports cars of the 1930s Oldest Cadillac This 1903 Cadillac Runabout Rear-Entrance Tonneau -- serial number 13 -- is the oldest Cadillac in existence The Last of the 250s The 1963 Ferrari 250 GTL "Lusso" Berlinetta was one of Pininfarina's most successful designs Beautiful and Brutal British Classic Although only seven were made, the 1952 Allard Cadillac JR "Le Mans" Roadster were the epitome of early '50s sports car design Original 911 The 911 debuted back in 1964 and more than 40 years later it remains one of world's most unique—and best-loved—sports cars Pre-War Jag Roadster The 1937 Jaguar SS 100 2 1/2-Liter Roadster was a favorite of RAF pilots and cads about town, but is now a blue chip collectible 1995 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupe Before the $1 million Bugatti Veyron, there was the $500,000 1995 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupe The $9 Million Ferrari A former Le Mans winner, this 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa -- the last of its line -- sells for a cool $9.25 million Super Camaro When it was introduced the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Sport Coupe as "the first effort since the 1963 Corvette to create a real American GT" Ferrari's Best for Last The 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM was the last Testa Rossa and the last front-engined sports racing car built by Ferrari The First Italian Supercar The extremely rare 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spyder Corto was one of the defining pre-war performance cars Swinging '60s Spyder With its powerful V12, the 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS Spyder was the epitome of mid-'60s Italian supercar styling A British-Italian-American Coupe? In the '50s, Arnolt-Bristol combined two different car companies to make one very unique and now extremely rare line of sports cars Mr. T's Ride Used for the last season of Universal Studios hit show "The A-Team," this 1987 Chevrolet G20 van is a piece of television history Record-Setting MG One of the rarest MGs, this 1935 MG NB Magnette Airline Coupe smashed records when sold at auction for almost $400,000 The Forgotten Quattro The original Audi Coupe Quattros were hot in the early '80s but 25 years later they leave collectors cold Super Porsche Roadster The 1960 Porsche 356B Super Roadster was not as dashing as the Speedster it replaced but it proved to be far more durable and practical Classic Mini Cooper This 1964 Mini Cooper 1275S Works Rally is the forerunner of today's modern, BMW-owned Mini Bugatti Grand Prix Winner Successfully combining purity of form and raw mechanical presence, the 1926 Bugatti Type 39A Grand Prix is a racing icon Rolls-Royce Unveils Phantom Silver Edition To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Silver Ghost, Rolls-Royce announces a special tribute Phantom Ferrari's Coup Designed to be elegant and conservative rather than sporty, the 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe was Ferrari’s first series production car Majestic Mercedes Favored by royalty and Hollywood, this 1961 300d limo cost as much as three Cadillacs, and came with a VHF phone and dictation machine Panoramic Panhard The 1936 Panhard X76 Dynamic had one particularly unusual feature: the driver sat in the middle of the front seat The Great Bentley 8 The 1930 Bentley Mayfair Coupe's 8-liter engine, capable of 100 mph, was designed to knock Rolls-Royce off its pedestal Supercharged Shelby This prototype of the 1965 Shelby GT350 features a Paxton blower, making it on one of the hottest tickets in today's muscle car market Fast Last Aston from the Past The last standard-bodied DB4GT produced, this '64 Aston Martin recently fetched a record $1,265,000 at auction A Very Original Jaguar XK 120 One of the most beautiful cars ever made, this classic 1950 XK 120, Jaguar's first post-war sports car, is for sale in London Iconic Italian Failure The Type 65 was the last purpose-built Maserati racing car—however it was anything but the pinnacle of the company's tradition The Longest Duesenberg Just as Duesenberg was shutting its doors forever, artist Rudolf Bauer commissioned it to create a one-of-a-kind car Ferrari Failure The Maserati Tipo 65 Sports Racing Prototype is a testament to chaos, caffeine, grappa, panic, and an unwillingness to throw in the towel BMW's Beetle To survive in the post-war European market, BMW needed its own VW Bug. It got one in the 1958 Isetta 600 True Bleue Delahaye Only 12 of the original 16 1936 Delahaye Type 135 Specials survive. This storied racer sold for $1.3 million in January Supersonic Ghia From Spain's Costa Brava, the new $660,000 Tramontana G-07 is set to go into production later this year 1954 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster The second-year ‘Vette was stylish but underpowered. Today collectors prize them for their affordability and good looks Putting a Little English on a Chevy In the 1970s Chevy hired British engineering firm Cosworth to design a high-performance version of the modest Vega—and succeeded 1911 Mercer 35R Raceabout Mercers command much higher prices than a comparable Stutz, proving that a Raceabout is the most desirable pre-WWI car built in America Little Lotus The 1964 Ford Lotus Cortina Special Equipment might have looked dumpy but on twisty roads it could shame cars costing four times as much Porsche Prototype The 1963 Porsche 904 GTS Prototype featured a innovative fiberglass-to-metal chassis bonding technique, making it a true collectible The World's First Production Supercar? The 1907 Renault AI 35/45 Vanderbilt Racer was the Ferrari Enzo of its day -- exclusive, fast, beautiful, and exciting -- but not really a racer Japan's First Supercar While NSX devotees continue to explain why their car should be accepted as a "real" supercar, Toyota 2000GT owners need make no such excuses OSCA Winner With its thoroughbred racing engines and nimble chassis, the 1965 OSCA 1600 GT Zagato was among the best-looking road/race cars of its era Better Berlinetta The Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta was considered one of the greatest sports cars of the 1960s Original GT The 1963–64 Lola-Chevrolet Mk 6 was a Le Mans landmark and the basis for Ford's successful GT program Famous Postwar Bentleys on Sale The collection slated for the auction block in Palm Beach includes a 1947 Mark VI Cabriolet with a frog-skin interior Retromobiles on the Block Bidders, start your engines: Christie's Feb. 11 Paris auction features 35 vintage cars, many with distinguished ownership and racing histories Concept Cars: The Hottest New Collectibles Vehicles that have showcased new technology -- like electric windows -- are fetching prices in the six- and seven-figure range Muscle Cars Roar Onto the Block Motorheads are making vintage gas guzzlers the new stars of the auction scene So, You Want to Buy a Collector Car? Sports Car Market's Rob Sass details the precautionary steps to take before -- and after -- purchasing your first vintage car Car Collecting Is Burning Rubber Thanks to wealthy baby boomers trying to regain a piece of their long-lost youth, aspirational cars are selling for increasingly high sums Are Your Ready to Own a Vintage Auto? When to shop, what to look for, and how to store and maintain an older vehicle The Smart Way to Shop for a Classic Learn how to protect your investment, your wallet, and your ego when buying a piece of automotive history This GTO Needs More Retro Pontiac's redo of a classic has muscle to spare and many captivating features, but it falls short in recreating the aura of the original Diamonds in the Rust Max Davis remembers the days when owning a vehicle meant knowing how to fix it. Now, he's turning his hobby of rebuilding cars into a small business The Man Behind the Restored Hudsons Al's Hudson Company doesn't advertise and the business doesn't even have an official name. But enthusiasts know where to find it 1976 Trans Am Pontiac marked the Bicentennial with the last of the true muscle cars -- complete with a 455-cubic-inch engine 1965 Shelby GT 350 If you're shopping for a '65 Shelby, you want to buy a car with the battery in the trunk, a shoddy hood, and as low a serial number as you can find
He’s Not the Usual Oil Lobbyist
After agents from the Illinois Department of Revenue knocked on his door, David Wetzel set out to change the rules for drivers who run their cars on waste vegetable oil. Well: The Safest Places to Drive A new report has ranked the car safety of various towns compared to national accident rates. Greentech: Towns Grease the Wheels to Save Fuel Some local agencies are turning to used vegetable oil to run their vehicles. Technology: But Can You Call It a Woody? Robert Beam had an idea, and now he has an Isuzu Trooper that runs on wood chips. Really. Auto Ego: Out of Africa, to Brooklyn Geoffrey Good has not seen Africa in nearly 10 years, but the continent is never far from mind when driving his vintage Land Rover. Koenigsegg CCX: Who Wants to Drive a Millionaire? With 806 horsepower, the ultralight Koenigsegg CCX is an approachable supercar — if you approach with $1.05 million. The New Old Age: The Car Key Conversation The “car key conversation” is a dreaded milestone of eldercare and one that adult children dread most. Politics Failed, but Fuel Prices Cut Congestion Higher gas prices and tolls seem to be reducing the number of cars clogging New York City’s streets. A Voice From the ’80s to Deliver Driving Directions It was bound to happen sooner or later: Generation X nostalgia and modern technology have come together in the “Knight Rider” Global Positioning System from Mio Technology. Op-Ed Contributors: Is Your Tank Half Empty or Half Full? The Op-Ed page asked 10 writers to reflect on the consequences — unexpected, unnoticed, unrealized, good, bad or indifferent — of really expensive fuel. Car Sales at 10-Year Low Sales of new vehicles plunged in June, as high gas prices and a weak economy kept consumers away from showrooms. Collecting: Part-Time Pickups Back From the Outback Pontiac has announced it will begin selling a variation of the Holden Ute, a car-based pickup reminiscent of the Chevrolet El Camino and the Ford Ranchero. Rust in Peace: A Pretender to the Throne Ford tried to transform its mundane Granada into an “international sized” luxury car that would compete, theoretically, with the Seville and the Mercedes 280SE. As Gas Prices Rise, Teenagers’ Cruising Declines For car-loving American teenagers, rising gas prices are making this the summer the cruising died. Design: Macho Mesh Is Back From architecture to jewelry and the front of cars these days, from Bentleys to Suburbans and Silverados, mesh is making a comeback. Around the Block: Separated at Birth: Another Litter of Crossovers From an Odd Couple It’s undeniable that the crossover Toyota Matrix and its sister ship, the Pontiac Vibe, have a following. 2009 Nissan Murano: A City Slicker’s Urbane Makeover Shoppers seeking a fewer-tears alternative to a midsize S.U.V. are likely to like what they see in the Murano. Behind the Wheel | 2008 BMW X6 and 2009 Infiniti FX: New-Age Mutant Ninja Wagons Four-door crossovers from Infiniti and BMW improve on the S.U.V. by sneaking it back toward the station wagon template. Nissan and Others Add Factories in Emerging Markets In a radical shift, Japan’s staid Big Three automakers are plowing into exotic terrain, from Saharan Africa to the former Soviet Union to the scorching plains of southern India. McCain Proposes a $300 Million Prize for a Next-Generation Car Battery John McCain alienated some environmentalists last week in dropping his opposition to allowing offshore drilling; this week, he spoke about trying to wean the nation from its dependence on oil. Vital Signs: Safety: Deaths Soar After Repeal of Helmet Law Researchers who studied deaths and injuries after a helmet law was repealed say that decision had lethal, and expensive, consequences. Mad Dash of Bikers Leaves Island in Its Dust To see the motorcycle Tourist Trophy races on the idyllically lovely but quirky Isle of Man is to watch men operating at the edge of physics, and of reason. Cheering Section: Wheels of Fortunes: A Car Dealer to the Stars Macky Dancy, who was born in Memphis and grew up in Brooklyn rooting for the Yankees, the Knicks and the Giants, sells luxury cars to athletes and entertainers. Robbed of His Sight, a Car Owner Maintains His Vision After a near-death experience, extensive plastic surgery and rehabilitation, Jay Blake decided that what he really wanted to do with the rest of his life was own a race team. Technology: Boutique Audio Systems: 1,000 Watts of Luxury More luxury automakers are offering high-end sound systems, but the audio components don’t always enhance the driving experience. Motoring: As the Roads Turn Gray, Ways to Make Driving Safer Experts are studying how cars and drivers will need to adapt as the number of older drivers grows. Web Access on the Dash A dashboard G.P.S. unit offers real-time data, from the location of speed traps to the name of a song on the radio. |
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rich@richscars.com |
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