Premium automotive marques love turning an anniversary into a reason to launch a special model. And so it was no surprise that Lamborghini chose its founder’s 100th birthday (April 28) as cause to offer a very short run of a very special model, the appropriately named Centenario.
Named for a North African windstorm, the original 1967-1973 Maserati Ghibli blew through the ranks of Italian GT’s as a 150+ mph instant classic and – to most eyes — one of the most beautiful cars ever made. There is no questioning the original Ghibli’s place in the pantheon of motorized Italian masterpieces.
As the first production car to bear the Bugatti name in thirty-five years, the EB110 had big shoes to fill. The 560 horses produced by its 3.5L V-12 fit snugly into those French racing boots.
The Diablo’s design was more elegant than the Countach, which had become festooned with all manner of body add-ons, including a rear wing that looked like a Boeing 727’s horizontal stabilizer. Like the Countach before it, the Diablo also grew a young fan base and became a poster car in many boys’ bedrooms.
The recent ‘generational shift’ in collecting may actually be examples of ‘mature’ collectors seeking a more comfortable, reliable and usable ride. It’s one of those rare instances in which we Baby Boomers can share an opinion with the Millennials without embarrassment or explanation.
With winter drawing to a close, time has come to take that car out of the garage – or just revel in the season of chrome and convertibles. Not going to Amelia? No problem, here are some great events for getting your automotive fix this weekend.
Since 1994, all 100,000 square feet of the Petersen Automotive Museum have occupied the well-travelled corner of Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles’ famous “Miracle Mile.” The brainchild of the late Robert E. Petersen, the museum focuses on sharing his passion for the automobile and exploring its impact on American culture.
This Saturday, February 13th is the 12th annual “Cars for the Cure” auto show. This sprawling event has over 150 super cars, exotics and highly-tuned GTs hedging the streets of the Colonial TownPark in Lake Mary, Florida.
Looking back on the first five weeks of classic car auction sales in 2016, the immortal words of Mr. Dickens come to mind. Depending on which sale to which you consigned your car and what your car was, it was either the best of times or very much the worst of times.
