Sports Cars Archives - Page 17 of 29

Mercedes-Benz (Gullwing) 300 Coupe, 1954-1957

Many 1950s American cars still can turn heads, but they do it with such things as flashy paint and tailfins. The 1954-57 Mercedes-Benz 300SL two-seat coupe has a strictly utilitarian design, but still knocks ’em dead if seen on roads, which isn’t often. Only 1,400 300SL coupes were built, and a really nice one is valued at a cool $698,000. Most are in top shape because this auto is one of the most revered sports cars in history and few owners risk driving on public roads. Even a 300SL coupe in average shape is valued at $515,000, says the NADA Classic, Collectible, Exotic and Muscle Car Appraisal Guide & Directory. The 300SL coupe’s flip-up doors may seem gimmicky. But the

Specialty cars

Pontiac GTO 1964-1974, car review

The legendary 1964 Pontiac GTO kicked off the wild 1960s muscle car market with a roar and made Detroit the world center for affordable high-performance cars. It can be argued that cars such as the light 1949 Oldsmobile with its new “Rocket V-8” or the 1955 Chrysler 300 Hemi V-8–first mass-produced 300-horsepower car — were the first American muscle cars. Those autos were among cars such as the 1956 Plymouth Fury and 1961 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport with its mighty 409-cubic-inch V-8 that generated considerable interest in high performance models. But the 1964 GTO is generally regarded as the first highly popular, widely available muscle car — the one that opened the door for a whole bunch of mid-1960s to

Specialty cars

Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, 1963-1967 car review

The stunning 1963-67 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray still turns heads. Just imagine how much attention it drew when introduced for 1963. Some Corvette lovers maintain this 1960s ‘Vettte is the best Corvette ever built, or the best one that ever will be built. Maybe they’re right. I found my 1965 365-horsepower Sting Ray convertible was more fun to drive than the far more sophisticated current Corvettes — it was more of a pure sports car. The first Corvette — a 1953 model — was nearly identical to a General Motors auto show “dream car,” as concept cars were called then. It got such good showgoer reception GM decided to build it. It arrived in late 1953 with Polo White paint

Luxury cars

Ferrari set to debut FF 4×4 at Geneva Motor Show

Ferrari likes to outdo itself and it appears it may have with the FF. It’s the Italian manufacturer’s first four-wheel drive vehicle and its fastest four-seat car ever. With its designation as Ferrari‘s inaugural four-wheel drive car, the FF (an acronym for Ferrari Four) has a top speed of 208 mph. Its 6.2-liter V12 powertrain can propel the FF from 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds. The new FF is expected to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column

Specialty cars

Oscar nominations: Best performances by actors with cars: Steve McQueen, Bullitt; Gene Hackman, The French Connection

With nominations for the Academy Awards just announced, what better time to discuss perhaps the best component film that doesn’t directly get nominated for awards — Best Performance By An Actor With Car. Indirectly, of course, great acting, editing, directing, music, special effects, etc., have all helped create many of the best car scenes on film. Too many movies have too many great car scenes to list. But two great action car scenes involving iconic actors top the list. James Bond movies, for example, feature great footage with Aston Martin. And Batman films throughout the years have featured iconic technology in the varied Batmobiles. But The Weekly Driver is fond of coolness, and no better scenes come to mind than

Specialty cars

Ferrari 288 GTO 1984-1985 car review

Casual observers might mistake the 1984-85 Ferrari 288 GTO for the 1975-89 Ferrari 308/328 that became nationally known in the popular 1980-88 “Magnum P.I.” television series. However, there’s a world of difference between the ferocious 288 GTO and nice-but-slower 1975-85 308 and near-identical 1986-89 328. The 288 GTO was simply the world’s fastest production car when it arrived. And no wonder. The mid-engine 288 GTO was built for the FISA’s new Group B race series, in which cars such as the super exotic, limited-production Porsche 959 and Jaguar XJ220 were qualified to compete. Cars weren’t eligible to race in the series unless they could be legally used on public roads, with such things as full instrumentation, lighting, decent ground clearance,

Specialty cars

Chevy Camaro gets familiar role as 2011 Indy 500 pace car

Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500 aren’t quite synonymous, but they could be considering the long relationship with between the race and the brand. A prime example will occur Sunday, May 29 when a special edition of the Chevy Camaro convertible will serve as the official pace car of the 2011 Indy 500. The special edition and its 50 pace-car replicas will help commemorate the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 and Chevrolet’s centennial year. The pace car and replicas are painted white with orange stripes and door graphics. The interior is trimmed in orange leather and the front- seat headrests are embossed with the Indy 500 logo. The instrument panel trim even features extensions of the orange exterior stripes that

Specialty cars

Ford Mustang, 1965 car review

Some argue a collectible car must have been built in fairly small numbers to make it exclusive, and thus more desirable and valuable. So how do they explain why the 1965 Ford Mustang is such a popular collectible? After all, it attracted a staggering 680,989 buyers after its early public introduction at the New York World’s Fair in April, 1964. The 1965 Mustang set an all-time record for first-year sales of any new model. Today’s auto market is too fragmented with different types of cars for a single model to ever get the wildly enthusiastic reception of the first Ford Mustang in America. The top-selling car in 2008, for instance, was the Toyota Camry, with 436,616 buyers. Since its arrival,

Specialty cars

Ferrari owned briefly by John Lennon set for Paris auction

A restored 1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Coupe, one of the least desirable models of famed Italian sports car but one briefly owned by former Beatle John Lennon, will be auctioned in February. The light-blue Ferrari is expected to attract a final bid of more than $200,000 in the Feb. 5 auction, according to Bonhams’ auction officials. The Ferrari 330, sometimes called the four-eye model, is not often considered a coveted model by collectors. The car was said to be Lennon’s first vehicle purchased after he passed his driving test in Britain. He purchased it at age 24 for 2000 pounds. Lennon was murdered in 1980. Restored closely to original specification, Bonhams said the exterior paint is a deeper hue

Sports Cars

Porsche debuts new single seat hybrid sports car

Porsche unveiled its 918 RSR, single-seat hybrid coupe based on the 918 Spyder that debuted last year, at the Detroit Auto Show. Its will be produced in limited numbers next year. The 918 RSR has butterfly doors, a carbon-fiber body and a roof-mounted air intake that spins as the car moves. The racing stripes and the number 22 honor the Porsche 917 that won the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. The engine of the new Porsch gets 767 total horsepower using flywheel technology at the wheels and a six-speed racing transmission with paddle-shifters at the steering wheel. It’s based on the same configuration found in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS hybrid. Wolfgang Durheimer, Porsche‘s chief of development, introduced the

Sports Cars

Porsche Boxster Spyder 2011 car review

Porsche is among few automakers that can successfully charge more for a model with fewer features than a less-expensive model with more features. One of the classic Porsches is the 1950s Speedster, which was a bare-bones soft-top. It was fairly inexpensive (for a Porsche) to attract more American buyers. And its lighter weight helped it win races. The 1950s Porsche 550 Spyder was even more bare-bones, but was a successful competition car not really designed for comfortable road driving. Actor James Dean raced a Speedster and later got killed on a rural California road while driving his new 550 Spyder to a race in which he was to compete. Now we have the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder, a throwback to

Sports Cars

Ford Mustang 2011 car review

Next to the Model T, which seems too old for history books, the Mustang is the best known Ford. It was snapped up by all age groups right after its mid-1964 introduction. There’s something to be said for automotive continuity. For example, while Chevrolet dropped its Camaro for eight years after 2002, the Mustang has been continued since its debut. A media preview of the new Mustang in the Los Angeles area involved everything from mountain driving to drag races with the rival Camaro. It showed the 2011 Mustang the best Mustang yet. It reaches showrooms in mid-spring. The 2011 Mustang looks much the same as the 2010 model and has minimal weight gain because the latter was redesigned with

Specialty cars

BMW microcar Isetta still around 55 years after heyday

It’s not the most unique vehicle in the world, but the Isetta micro-car built in several countries and once owned by BMW, still attracts plenty of attention because of its bubble shape and diminutive size. Design by an Italian company, the Isetta was conceived because of a need for cheap, short-distance city driving following World War II. The BMW Isetta became the world’s first mass-production 3-liter car in 1955. Its low-friction, one-cylinder engine and low weight resulted in superior gas mileage — as high as 71 mpg. It is the top-selling one cylinder car in the world, with 161,728 units sold, according to Wikipedia. Matt Walsh, a friend and publisher of the irreverent cycling blog Twisted Spoke spotted a stunning

Sports Cars

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2011 car review

Nearing its 60th birthday, the Chevrolet Corvette is arguably the most highly recognized and popular production sports car built in North America. The current-generation Corvette debuted in 2005, with the carmaker amending the vehicle with various trims and tweaks in recent years. For 2011, Chevy introduced a mid-step between the base model Z06 and top-of-the line ZR1. It’s a Z06 featuring for the first time an upgrade offering select ZR1 features like an adaptive suspension, grippier Michelin tires and a carbon fiber package. The result is a trio of impressive statistics: 505 horsepower, a top speed of 198 mph and the designation as the lightest Corvette at 3,178 pounds. The Weekly Driver Test Drive After reviewing around 300 cars and

Automotive News, Sedans

Hyundai, VW share top 2011 safety institute honors

Hyundai and Volkswagen combined to earn 18 of 66 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the independent nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to reducing the incidents on American highways. Hyundai and Volkswagen each had nine winning models, the most of any manufacturer. The IIHS introduced more difficult standards for 2010, adding roof strength to its criteria by testing protection in rollover crashes. “In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick,” said Adrian Lund, the Institute president. “That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV — from economy to luxury models — plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms.

Sports Cars

Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang 2011 Car Review

Legendary champion racer/performance car builder Carroll Shelby first built affordable “Shelby GT350 Mustang” models, based on the then-new production Mustang, in 1965. The car was so fast, it even beat Corvettes on tracks. And now a good GT350 is a prized collector’s item that costs at least several hundred thousand dollars. Shelby is still with us as of this writing, feisty as ever at nearly 90, and must be very proud of the muscular-looking 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang. It’s the latest in a series of Ford Shelby GT500 models built in the last few years, and is by far the best. Some feel that it’s the greatest Mustang ever. An honorable mention is the Mustang GT500 Shelby 1967, a

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