That's 50 out of 500 Ferraris, Fords, Porsches, Alfa Romeos, Chevrolets, Jaguars, Maseratis, Lamborghinis, and more.
This Murphy-bodied Duesenberg dual-cowl phaeton belongs to Valerie and Aaron Weiss and was fresh from a second-in-class at Pebble.
The Petersen Automotive Museum brought this one.
David Dunn drove this Ferrari up from Fullerton.
Bring A Trailer said of a similar car: “Introduced as a replacement to the curvy Dino 246 GT in 1974, the 308 GT4 featured angular Bertone bodywork, a mid-mounted quad-cam V8, and (technically) a back seat.”
That’s owner and restorer Mike Regalia smiling behind the car. From bumper to bumper, this Daytona was perfection.
You had to see this one in person to appreciate the 1950s elegance.
Tom Schauppner’s creation cornered the hot rod display area.
Bring A Trailer said of a ’73 model: “The Junior Z, with its Kamm tail and full-width Perspex nose panel, was designed by Zagato’s Ercole Spada. Production of 1300 models began in 1969 and ceased in 1972, when the 1600 was released. Approximately 1500 examples in total had been built when manufacturing ended in 1975. An electrically controlled rear hatch riser provides additional ventilation for the cabin, a unique feature employed in other three-door Zagato coupes.”
We say, owner Mike Baum has excellent taste.
Ferrari said when the car was new: “The 360 Modena is a clean-sheet design which anticipates trends for future Ferrari road cars. These include lower weight combined with greater chassis rigidity—seemingly contrasting objectives that have been achieved by employing innovative construction technology.” We said, it’s so much better and easier to drive than the 355!
There were no Corvettes listed in the program so let’s just assume this is a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427. Post your outrage below if it’s not. As our colleagues at Car and Driver said when this car was new: “As it sits, the Sting Ray is the most sophisticated passenger car made in America—in terms of engine, drivetrain, suspension and brakes—and among the best engineered sports cars made anywhere. If that isn’t good enough to make it the Best All-Around Car of 1967, we’d like to know what is.”
Lamborghini says the Espada was unveiled at the 1968 Geneva Auto Show, after company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini had demanded that the faithful Marcello Gandini of Bertone design actual four-seaters in order to expand his lineup of sports cars. During its ten-year production, the Espada received several modifications. While the engine and the interior were changed with each series, the design of the bodywork remained almost untouched. There just was no need for big redesigns since the Espada was a real eye-catcher right from the start. Thanks to its large passenger compartment, the spacious trunk, and the strong V12, the Espada was the embodiment of the Italian Gran Turismo, a luxurious car for grand tours.
The engine was enhanced time after time and, according to the automaker, the Espada could effortlessly reach a maximum speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). With a total number of 1227 units, the Espada became Lamborghini’s bestseller from 1968 to 1978.
Jaguar says the first car to bear the big cat moniker was the 1935 SS Jaguar 2.5L Saloon. It was produced under the Swallow Sidecar name, the company first set up under William Lyons and William Walmsley in 1922. The 2.5L Saloon was one of the most distinctive and beautiful cars of the pre-war era, with its sleek, low-slung design. It needed a new name to reflect these qualities, one that summed up its feline grace and elegance with such a finely tuned balance of power and agility. The big cat was chosen, and the SS Jaguar perfectly justified the analogy. Due to the notoriety that the SS name had acquired during the war, the evolution to Jaguar seemed like a natural one and the name became company-wide in 1945. The Jaguar marque was born.
Ferrari says the evolution of the 275 GTB4 was a milestone in the history of extreme high-performance front-engine sports cars. Sleek and modern Pininfarina lines were matched by a development of the 4.4-liter V12 fed by six Weber twin-choke 40-mm carburetors, and the excellent weight distribution provided by the rear gearbox transaxle produced a car of rare balance which guaranteed a unique driving experience. Many fans know it by its unofficial name of “Daytona.”
Autoweek said of the Ghibli back in 2008: “With the Ghibli, Giorgetto Giugiaro sharpened the lines he drew for the Iso Grifo in 1963, foreshadowing wedgelike GTs from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Monteverdi. The car debuted at the 1966 Turin show. Its steel Ghia-built body rested on a tubular chassis adapted from Maserati’s 3500 GT and Mexico. Enclosing a rich leather interior, the sleek Giugiaro design so impressed showgoers that Maserati put it into production the next year.”
When traffic gets backed up on the loop road around Lacy Park, Gary Wales waits for no man! Where we’re going, we don’t need roads! This is the latest of Wales’ many creations, most based on old fire trucks with completely reimagined bodies. They are a huge presence at any car show.
As we said when we wrote about him four years ago: “He calls the cars—all of them—La Bestioni, The Beast. The name and much of his inspiration to build them comes from the ancient Italian race car The Beast of Turin, the magnificent 1910 Fiat S76 with a 28.5-liter four-cylinder built specifically to wrest the land speed record away from the Blitzen Benz. So far Wales has finished seven Beasts, with number eight under construction in his Southern California garage as you read this. They’re big, bold, and brash and look like they should be driven by superheroes in movies. They are, Wales likes to say, “things that never were but should have been.”
Tom Malloy’s Moon-equipped hot rod. Malloy is a big supporter of racing in SoCal. Thanks, Tom!
Collector David S.K. Lee has been very generous in sharing his magnificent Ferraris with the world.
…next to Chuck and Tina’s 1949 Traction Avant 15/6 and William Baker’s 1949 Bentley Mk IV.
When he was driving this car to the show, some fairly important bolts in the rear suspension came off and the car did a 360-degree spin on the freeway, according to owner Allen Korneff. He carried on and the show was all the better for it.
…from another angle, the better to see the double bubbles.
Keyword: Our Favorite 50 Cars from the San Marino Motor Classic