Jensen Interceptors For Sale

by Mike - 

While Jensen Motors was a British company the styling of the Jensen Interceptor is Italian (Carrozzeria Touring) and the engine is American, a Chrysler 383 cid V8 producing 330 hp. There were more than 6,000 Interceptors made in total between 1966 and 1976 including a few convertibles, fewer coupes; most were 2+2 models. The transmission was either manual or a TorqueFlite automatic. In 1971 the engine size was increased to 440 cid and the Jensen FF (Ferguson Formula) was a variation of the Interceptor that was one of the first cars with four wheel drive. The original list price was $13,500.

These are interesting cars and should be easy to care for with a Chrysler engine. I like the looks of the convertible better than the hardtop from the rear.

There are three Jensen Interceptors for sale now on eBay here, here and here.

A pre-purchase inspection is important.

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Fiat Dino Spider - The Overlooked Classic?

by Mike - 

The Fiat Dino Spider was introduced at the Turin Motor Show in 1966 and the Fiat Dino Coupe was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1967.

The V6 engine was a Ferrari design with a 2-liter displacement producing 158 hp using a 5-speed manual transmission. This same engine was used in the Ferrari Dino 206 although the engines were produced by Fiat.

The Dino Spider body was designed and made by Pininfarina and the Coupe was designed and made by Bertone. Later a 2.4-liter version of the Fiat Dino was introduced and this car was manufactured by Ferrari on the same production line as the Ferrari Dino 246 GT.

There were 1,989 of the Dino Spiders made and there were 5,814 of the Dino Coupes made between 1966 and 1972.

It seems to me that the Dino Spider can lay claim to being a Ferrari, especially the 2.4-liter version, as much as a Dino 246 GT.

The current market value for a Fiat Dino 2.4-liter Spider is about half that of the Ferrari Dino 246 GTS.

The beautiful car shown here is a 1967 Fiat Dino Spider and was at the event that I wrote about here.

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Iso Grifo 7 Liter Replica For Sale

by Mike - 

This is an original Dutch Iso Grifo and the sunroof is claimed to be original by the seller. The yellow color with the blue leather interior are striking. It does not have the original engine but has a 454 cid Chevrolet crate engine and an automatic transmission.

The seller says this car was restored by Roberto Negri, a well known Iso specialists, in 2006 at a cost of more than €200,000.

This is not a real 7 liter Grifo but it looks nice and I would guess that it drives great as well, although I would prefer a manual transmission.

The seller contact information is at this link.

Other articles about Iso Grifo for sale are here, here, here and here.

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I Bought An Iso - A Video By Moviecar - Part 2

by Mike - 

Here is another video by Moviecar, AKA Mike Clarke, Iso owner. See Part 1 at this link. This video is 1 minute and 52 seconds long and worth every second. This is not fiction.

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I Bought An Iso - A Video By Moviecar

by Mike - 

This video is 1 minute and 51 seconds long but I laughed for an hour. The truth can be funny, especially when classic cars are involved.

I am sure this was made by a real Iso owner.

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1954 Kaiser Darrin - The First USA Made Fiberglass Sports Car

by Mike - 

Kaiser Motors has an interesting history. The company was formed in 1945 as Kaiser-Frazer. They changed the name to Kaiser Motors and merged with Willys Overland in 1953 and changed the name again to Willys Motors Incorporated.

The company name was changed one more time in 1963 to Kaiser Jeep Corporation (the Jeep brand came along with the Willys merger).

They were sold to American Motors in 1969 and in 1987 American Motors was acquired by Chrysler which today continues to make the Jeep. What a complex and confusing history and I haven't even mentioned Renault, Daimler-Benz, Fiat or the US government.

The Kaiser Darrin model was made in 1954 and was the first USA made fiberglass sports car. Yes, it beat the Corvette to market.

The looks are unique as is the pocket sliding door. In 1954, the only year of production, they made 435 Darrins.

There is one for auction by RM Auctions on July 30, 2011 at the St. John's event with a selling estimate of $75,000-$100,000.

Photos by Michael Menetto were taken at this event.

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The Forgotten Lightweight Jaguar E-Type

by Mike - 

A special 1964 Jaguar was unveiled at the Cholmondely Pageant of Power in the U.K. on July 15, 16 and 17, 2011.

The beautiful Lindner Nocker Jaguar E-Type won best in show.

This Jaguar crashed at the Montlhery circuit in 1964 and has been put away all of these years since.

Peter Neumark and his Classic Motor Car business in Bridgnorth, England fully restored the car using many original parts.

Instead of a barn find perhaps this is a basket case find?

Car photos from Gizmag.

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Ferrari 250 GTO - It's Always Something

by Mike - 

An interesting article about the Ferrari 250 GTO is at this link in Automobile today. We have discussed a controversy about weather the GTO was really homologated and the writer in Automobile, Robert Cumberford, seems to agree with my statements here that it was not homologated. His quote is below.

"FIA rules for racing cars mandated that 100 examples be built, but only thirty-six (or thirty-three? Or thirty-nine? In any case, not 100) of Giotto Bizzarrini's 3.0-liter, V-12 hot rod were ever produced. Never mind Enzo Ferrari's deception, as I'm pretty sure there are more than 100 250GTOs around today; it's a pretty easy car to counterfeit. True, you can't fake provenance, at least not very easily, but the car itself is really quite simple: a tube frame, a supertuned engine pushed back and down in the chassis, and a live rear axle."

The artist, Dante, will show off a 24 karat gold Ferrari 250 GTO sculpture at the Pebble Beach RetroAuto event from August 19 through August 21 which is near the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

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Mogulaire Concours d'Elegance - July 23, 2011

by Mike - 

This was the first year for the Mogulaire Concours d'Elegance and I suspect that it may be the last year. The general admission fee was $100 or 69 Euros, 61 pounds sterling, 11,505 Icelandic Krona, (I have friends visiting from Iceland this week).

The setting was excellent at the Wente Vineyards golf course in Livermore, California, the weather was great and there were a few good cars.

1973 Maserati Bora

However, there were not enough excellent cars to justify the price of admission. The admission was to include an event poster, which was not available, but they did give us a nice bag, like a gym bag. But if I want a gym bag I will go buy one. I do not want to pay for one through my admission ticket.

1952 Jaguar XK 120M

1949 Triumph 2000 Roadster

1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2

The excellent location was not well managed either. The American cars were about 500 yards away from the main show ground which was just outside the clubhouse where the European cars were located.

The American cars were so far away that they used golf cart shuttles to drive attendees around.

This was all completely unnecessary because there was plenty of room to assemble all of the cars at the close in location. They wasted another part of the $100 admission ticket paying for golf carts and drivers.

1962 Mercedes 190 SL - with plenty of maneuvering room

1967 Fiat Dino Spider

1980 Maserati Merak SS

I suspect that many potential attendees did not attend because of the very high price. I also suspect that some attendees did not make it all the way out to the America car location.

1971 Maserati Ghibli SS

1954 Kaiser Darrin

1969 Ford 429 Boss Mustang

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