Ercole Spada was one of the most prolific sports car designers of the post-war era. Though his name is not...
Vintage Roadcar Columns
If you had to pick the ten most beautifully designed sports cars, chances are most of the list would contain...
If you had to pick just one icon of American sports car performance, it’s a safe bet that the Corvette would be on everyone’s list. And while there are many examples from nearly 70 years of history, perhaps the most exciting Corvette to ever come to market was the 1963...
If you went looking for the true father of the Sunbeam Tiger, you might surmise that American Carroll Shelby would...
Every year flocks of determined swallows return to mission San Juan Capistrano, California – a journey of 6,000 miles. It’s...
I don’t often reference values when discussing design, but a great deal of the success of a sports car resides in the price/value relationship experienced under ownership. If you poll most sports car enthusiasts and ask them to name a beautiful 1960s era open British sports car with a six-cylinder...
When car companies build futuristic concepts for tomorrow, they are usually exotic cars with sporty, low-profile bodies, and technologically advanced...
Italy and France each have beautiful and robust cultures with diverse offerings and unique perspectives. And while each is unique...
Automotive history is riddled with innovators and entrepreneurs seeking the very best, most powerful, and dynamic sports cars bearing their own name. And while we are familiar with many of those names operating on shoestring budgets, hopes, and dreams, there are a few lesser-known examples that achieved premium levels of...
The genius of Colin Chapman is evident in every one of his cars. Each of his creations were uniquely endowed,...
Robert Opron passed away last month, tragically from complications due to Covid 19. His body of work would certainly warrant...
By the 1950s it was clear that Americans were in the mood for sporty cars with the right balance of style and performance. For many young people, single, married, or even with small children, a small two-seater presented a delightful relief from the lunking, heavy American cars that still seemed...
On January 15, 2021, Jerry Wiegert passed away. If you struggle to recall that name or its significance in the...
For such a clean and beautiful design, the 1963-1977 Alfa Romeo GT is confusingly burdened with many different names. Officially,...
There is something so unmistakably compelling about the sports cars produced in the 1960s. Beautifully formed, sculpturally exquisite, and modestly detailed, no country did it better than Italy and no car company was more adventurous with their cars than Alfa Romeo. Hundreds of books have been written on the engineering...
Driven by charismatic leadership and inspired by sporting elegance, Aston Martin has long been associated with top performance cars built...
Few motoring experiences can compare to the exhilaration of driving a convertible sports car. The open road before you, the...
I love good pesto. It has all the right ingredients for a wonderful meal. Cheese, basil, olive oil, all ground (Italian “pestare” to crush) together with pine nuts and just a hint of at least one other secret ingredient which, depending on where you’re from, is a key ingredient that...
My friend had done well that year. He was quite a bit older, but we’d bonded over cars, especially as...
Mention Lamborghini to any vintage enthusiast and the conversation will likely focus on the Countach or Miura. Of course, these...
Developed first as a show car to celebrate the Ford Centennial, the Ford GT40 concept car came as a big surprise when it hit the 2003 Detroit Auto Show. Journalists salivated, enthusiasts beamed, and inside Ford, the bean counters quietly went to work to determine the impossible; make it a...
In 1976, I was playing catch with my friend on the front lawn of his house. In the distance we...
A few weeks ago, a standard Series 1 Datsun 240Z sold for $315,000 on a much-publicized public internet auction. The...
This month one of the most iconic Mustangs to ever hit the road is going up for auction, the 1968 Bullit Ford Mustang GT. So, it got me thinking about what the Mustang means to so many people. The original Bullitt car is likely to sell for millions of dollars. And...
The remarkable Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale must be counted as among the most beautiful sports car designs of the twentieth...
I recently gave a talk to a collector car gathering in the Bay Area. The Q&A after these talks is...
Italians do some great things with cars. Well, to be fair, they pretty much do everything with a great deal of artistry and passion. It doesn’t take much to get into their history of art, sculpture, music, food, dance, and cars to realize how captivating their culture is. But my...
Every year the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance offers a spectacular showing of amazing cars. I am fortunate to get a...
Quintessential adjective quin·tes·sen·tial | \ ˌkwin-tə-ˈsen(t)-shəl :of the pure and essential essence of something :of or relating to the most perfect embodiment of something By the time the second world war came to an end, the...
Today, I’m going to confess two of my most deeply held, darkest secrets: 1) For the past two decades, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time at my local bagel shop; and 2) I’ve never been a fan of the Corvette. I know! I know! It’s not right. How could...
