Jim Palam delivers some auction sizzle from Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas, 2016.
With more than $32.5-million in total sales, the Barrett-Jackson 2016 auction machine, October 13-15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, was cookin' with high-octane. If you missed the show or the extensive television coverage, here's a look at some hot picks from Car Guy Chronicle's correspondent on the Left Coast.
Originally a Shriner's Parade vehicle, this restored ‘23 Dodge Graham chemical fire ...
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Author: MartynL
ST. MICHAELS CONCOURS: SHOWTIME ON CHESAPEAKE BAY!
Mike Matune brings us highlights from one of the top East Coast Concours.
As the show season winds down, we always look forward to the St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance for one last hurrah. To celebrate its tenth year on the Concours calendar, it returned to the campus of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. This location allowed the showcasing of stunning wooden boats and outstanding automobiles, delivering pure sensory overload. Making its debut at St. Michaels was the North Collection’s ‘33...
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SVRA HEACOCK CLASSIC: THE GOLD STANDARD!
Mike Matune goes trackside at VIR to bring us highlights of the Gold Cup historic races.
The SVRA wrapped up part of its season at the Heacock Class “Gold Cup historic races at VIRginia International Raceway. Optimum weather and VIR’s lush surroundings welcomed a bevy of seasoned racers. Spectators were treated to the sights and sounds of some great big-bore historic racecars. Olthoff Racing (www.olthoffracing.com) of NC showed up with three Superformance GT40s, top, including those o...
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RACING’S GREATEST UPSETS: 1966 TRANS-AM ENDURO!
Stephen Cox blogs about Shelby American’s legendary Group 2 Mustang racers, Part 1 of 3.
On a hot summer afternoon in late August 1966, the telephone on John McComb’s desk rang. On the other end was automotive design engineer Chuck Cantwell of Carroll Shelby’s legendary racing shop, calling with the surprising news that Shelby had a Mustang Group 2 racecar for sale.
McComb was delighted since his prior inquiries at Shelby had been met only by rejection. He had raced MGB sports cars for years...
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’59 STINGRAY: TRIBUTE TO A MASTERPIECE!
It’s “the Sting of Inspiration’ blogs CarGuyChronicles’ Jim Palam, who succumbed to the magnetic appeal of the Fiberfab Centurion.
Bill Mitchell's real XP-87 Stingray, top, photographed with two other Corvette legends - SR-2 and the iconic Grand Sport coupe - by Marty Schorr at the GM Proving Ground. Jim Palam's photo of the Fiberfab Centurion, above.
In 1959 GM design chief Bill Mitchell wasn't buying into the ban on manufacturer-sponsored racing proposed by the Automobile Manufactu...
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RADNOR HUNT: THE BEST GETS BETTER!
For two decades, the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance has showcased 100 two and four-wheeled examples of design and engineering excellence. Our ‘dynamic duo’ Maureen and Mike Matune, bring you highlights of the 2016 event.
Twenty years ago Michael Tillson had the idea of holding a Concours on the grounds of the historic Radnor Hunt. Limited to just 100 distinctive and varied cars, the Concours would combine an idyllic setting with landmark cars and motorcycles. Today sees the event, not just...
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STEALING THE 500: SHELBY’S 1968 TURBINE-POWERED INDY CAR!
Stephen Cox blogs about Carroll Shelby’s assault on Indy - Part 2 of 2.
Ken Wallis was running out of time. Both of Carroll Shelby's turbine-powered cars were now at Indianapolis but they were nowhere near race-ready condition. His drivers, McLaren and Hulme, had only a six-day window before they returned to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix.
In a desperate bid to make the cars competitive, Wallis used a liberal interpretation of USAC rules to design a new annulus (the engine opening ...
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ROLEX REUNION: SHOWDOWN IN SALINAS!
Tireless Mike Matune wraps up his Monterey Car Week coverage with action from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Every August brings the Granddaddy of U.S. historic racing events to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas, CA, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR). A celebration of the best in racing history captivates with four track days and a dazzling array of cars. The Penske/White Ferrari 512M, above, is certainly eye-catching. Finished to a very high standard, typical of Penske Racing, the...
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‘16 VW GOLF R: SCALDING HOT HATCH!
‘This is my favorite hot hatch, coming alive when we played and feeling fun when we commuted. But it is pricey,’ blogs Dan Scanlan.
I realized that my blue 4-door Golf R is a muscle car and a family car when I parked it between a replica Cobra and a ’57 Ford Fairlane. The 292-inch, 206 horsepower Fairlane could sprint to 60 mph in 11.2 seconds. A real 427 Cobra would take 4.5 seconds to get to 60 mph. The turbocharged 292 horsepower VW could go to 60-mph in under-5 seconds.The Golf R is a ...
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MONTEREY MADNESS: LAGUNA SECA PRE-REUNION!
Mike Matune presents highlights from the race before THE race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Monterey Car Week has grown exponentially and now includes over 40 individual events, but one not often mentioned is the Pre-Reunion. Held the week before the legendary Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, it may have smaller fields and fewer exhibits, but the cheaper tickets and smaller crowds make it really enjoyable for racing aficionados. Some 300 cars show up to compete in 11 groups over two day...
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