Let’s say you want to become a collector-car dealer. First, you need a building large enough to hold a sufficient number of cars for sale, in an appropriate location. That requires significant capital. Next, you need an inventory of marketable collector cars. That requires even more significant capital. Stephen Phelps […]

My favorite rock group of all time is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. You can imagine my excitement, then, when drummer Max Weinberg called my office and told me he was a longtime SCMer and “a huge fan of ‘Legal Files.’” Flattering indeed, but unfortunate that we made […]

“Harry” and “Sally” are longtime Irish car collectors. At 78, Harry hasn’t given up on cars, and ended up being the high bidder in an online auction on Car & Classic. The prize was a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 220A cabriolet that hammered sold at a bid of €112,100 (about $123k). What […]

“Legal Files” has written twice about the legal battle involving Porsche Carrera RSR prototype chassis number 9113600686, commonly known as “R7” (September and November 2023). We last reported that the litigation was settled with the Kenny Schachter car being declared the real R7. The car was then on the docket […]

It sure seemed like a great idea. “Pete” was flying all the way across the country for Monterey Car Week, and there was a Ferrari he wanted for sale in Monterey. He planned to check out the car, buy it if it was a good one, and ship it back […]

In the September 2023 issue, “Legal Files” reported about the litigation involving two cars, each claiming to be the 1973 Porsche Carrera 911 RSR prototype chassis number 9113600686, commonly known as “R7.” Jacob Shalit filed suit against Kenny Schachter, seeking to establish that his car was the real R7. The […]

A 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster was produced in an unusual color called Fantasy Yellow, or Fantasiegelb. It was the sixth 300SL to be equipped with disc brakes and was featured by the factory at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show. For unknown reasons, the car was repainted red shortly afterward. Its […]

In 1973, rule changes made the iconic and highly successful Porsche 917 ineligible for many races. Porsche developed the 911 Carrera RSR to take its place, which required that the automaker homologate at least 500 street versions to qualify for competition. Porsche ended up selling 1,525 Carrera RS cars and […]

My father was normally calm and laid back. It seemed nothing rattled him. But if my siblings and I pushed him too far, watch out! Apparently, Bill Oesterle has a similar temperament. Oesterle, one of the co-founders of Angie’s List, is a longtime car collector. At his apex, he had […]

The wheels of justice grind slowly, but they eventually get there. This month we have a collection of stories — updates on two old cases, plus a trio of new ones, in brief. C-type-replica litigation “Legal Files” reported in May 2021 that Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) was garnering a lot […]