Archive
16/08/2020
BMW M: three colours, one message
This article explores the origins of BMW's sports car division, Motorsport, and how it came to be a driving force for the company. Starting with the company's post-World War II struggles, the article traces the development of the Motorsport divisio.
14/08/2020
Pieds dans l'eau
This article discusses the historical differences between the Italian and French attitudes towards cars and how this influenced the development of the "beach car" niche market.
11/08/2020
Gooding tries its luck online. And sets a new record.
Gooding & Company, a Californian auction house, recently hosted an online auction that achieved a good result despite some initial caution around showcasing top lots virtually. The auction featured 51 items, 34 of which sold, achieving a total of over $14.3m, representing 72.5% of the total value on offer. The top lot was a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Longnose, which sold for $3,080,000, setting a record for a car sold at an online auction. Additionally, a 1934 Duesenberg sold for over $1m. The auction also included an iconic NART sign from the Luigi Chinetti-founded team, which sold for $51,250.
10/08/2020
A different kind of luxury
The article discusses the risks of including too much innovation in a mass-produced product, citing the example of Tatra, a company that sought to establish its own identity through a unique approach to car design in the 1930s.
09/08/2020
Happiness is doing, not having
This article discusses the concept of experiential luxury and how it can lead to happiness. The author highlights the trend of renting classic cars as a means of experiencing legendary cars without having to bear the costs of maintenance, insurance, and protection. The article also explores the idea of complete and luxurious packages for discovering regions, such as Provence, Bavaria, Tuscany, or the Amalfi coast, which include transfers, hotels, restaurants, guided tours, and roadbooks. The article concludes by discussing Mercedes' Classic Car Travel and Slow Drive experiences, which provide opportunities to escape in romantically dated cars. The author emphasizes that classics are always beautiful.
07/08/2020
Italy's beach cars: dreams of summer
This article highlights the history of "beach cars" in Italy, which were small utility cars transformed into vehicles suitable for the narrow and difficult roads in places like Capri and Portofino.
06/08/2020
An encore worth twice as much
The article discusses the success of the Silverstone Auctions event, held on the eponymous circuit in July-August 2022, where 166 cars were sold out of 226 on offer, making it the most profitable sale ever for the British company, with total takings of £15m. The event featured many highlight cars, including a 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV, which sold for £1,912,500, becoming the most expensive car ever to have passed through Silverstone's hands. The auction also set a new world record for a road-legal Subaru Impreza, a 1998 22B-STI, which sold for £130,500. The article discusses various other cars sold, including a 2007 Porsche 911 (997) GT3 RS, and two first series, 3.8-liter engine, flat floor Jaguar E-Types, one of which was owned by racing driver Eddie Irvine and converted into Lightweight evocation with aluminium panels.
05/08/2020
Ascari and that cold hand
The article tells the story of Alberto Ascari, a famous Italian race car driver who had a premonition of dying at the age of 37, which also happened to be the same age his father had died while racing.
04/08/2020
Walking the high wire? Watch out!
This article is a report on the failure of the online auction "Open Roads - North America" organized by RM Auctions between 23rd and 30th July. The article notes the low number of cars and the reduced average price per car, suggesting that RM might have become overconfident and careless due to their past success. The auction resulted in a poor performance, with only 50.56% of the lots sold and takings of just $2,840,700. However, the author notes that there were some good deals to be had, including a 1985 Ferrari Testarossa that sold for a bargain price of $84,000.
03/08/2020