“Why don’t we get the great cars that the Europeans get?” has been a constant complaint of American enthusiasts, regularly falling on deaf ears at the car companies. Well, except for one pair of ears — those belonging to the legendary Bob Lutz. Before he had GM importing Opels to […]
On the surface, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis) had a great idea for a new lightweight 2-seat sports car. The 2012 co-development agreement with Mazda that led to the 2017–20 Fiat 124 Spider was originally intended to produce a new Alfa Romeo model. However, its CEO, the late Sergio Marchionne, […]
If you’ve recently been looking for a cheap modern BMW with a manual transmission, you may have noticed that they are no longer so easy to find. Just a few years ago, if you had $5k–$10k to spend, you could have your pick of numerous models, 3 and 5 Series […]
There aren’t many high-end sports cars that become truly affordable, both in purchase price and in real cost of ownership. The 2002–08 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG, however, is one such unicorn. Typical market prices are less than the cost of a new Toyota Camry, and you get a sweet supercharged V8 […]
The new Mini entered the market in the 2002, now under BMW ownership, and was immediately successful. This was an era of retro-fabulous versions of European classics. Volkswagen’s New Beetle had turned up a few years prior, and Fiat gave its venerable 500 the same treatment just a few years […]
s name alone, “8C Competizione,” brings to mind the greatest episodes in Alfa Romeo’s racing history and the 8C’s victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Mille Miglia, among innumerable other successes. Sold via the Alfa Tenailles Automobiles GTA garage in Nevers, FRA, this car in the color […]
The affordable sports car has always been the foundation of the car-enthusiast hobby, and for decades such cars were plentiful. The Mazda Miata became the king of this segment in the 1990s, evoking everything drivers ever loved about their British and Italian sports cars while providing modern Japanese reliability. That’s […]
There’s a certain kind of person who’s drawn to Volvo station wagons. Typically, that person is a driving enthusiast who loves the practical applications of a wagon, affording all the cargo capacity of an SUV along with the performance and handling of a passenger car. The “long roof” cognoscenti smile […]
Originally launched in 1984, the M5 was BMW’s first attempt to add its Motorsport ingredients to the already-sporty 5 Series. As the fastest sedan in the world, its future replacement, the E39 M5, would clearly have big shoes to fill. Unveiled at the 1998 Geneva Motor Show, the M5 delivered […]
Last month, we looked at various factory-supported programs that provide certifications of originality, condition and provenance of collector cars. But those are not the only “stamps of approval” out there. There are also third-party services that provide inspections and documentation to help establish authenticity, although these vary in scope even […]
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