Filed in archive
Design
, European Specials
, Ferrari
by philip on December 21, 2009
One of the advantages of wealth is that if you dream big dreams you can afford to turn them into reality. As did Edward Walson who commented "I had always dreamed of designing sports cars, and wh...
Filed in archive
Best of
, European Specials
, Great Drives
, Rare Europeans
by Philip Powell on November 20, 2009
Our friend and contributor Nigel Matthews has just experienced every man's fantasy (and some women, too, I suspect). Here's his story.
What could a guy who has been at the wheel of just about eve...
Filed in archive
Concours
, European Specials
by Philip Powell on November 18, 2009
Every winter I dream of attending the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. My reasons are several. For starters, Amelia Island is in Florida, the event is held around mid-March, and thus the combination...
Filed in archive
Auctions
, European Specials
, Famous Drivers
, French Cars
, Rare Europeans
by Philip Powell on August 10, 2009
With so many great cars on display at the 2009 Monterey classics festival and with several competing auctions happening, you wouldn't think anyone could come up with a last-minute gem. But RM Auct...
Filed in archive
As We See Things
, Auto Shows
, British Cars
, Design
, European Specials
by Philip Powell on July 3, 2009
Walking down Sidney BC's main street recently on a fine sunny day, I spotted a Daimler SP250, known as a "Daimler Dart" until Chrysler threatened legal action. Although SP250s are scarce...
Filed in archive
British Cars
, European Specials
, Ford
by Philip Powell on May 8, 2009
Ah, the Ford Capri! The handsome coupe was Europe's version of the Mustang, built from components of British Ford sedans, just as the former was constructed from Falcon part bins. This year marks ...
Filed in archive
European Specials
, Rally/Retro-Rally
by Philip Powell on January 16, 2009
This baby looks like a combination of several small sports racers of the 1950s and in a way it is. But the HB Special is actually brand new and in very, very "limited production." Developed ...
Filed in archive
Auctions
, Design
, European Specials
, French Cars
by Philip Powell on December 21, 2008
Sometimes it seems that every high-end classic car auction has to have a Bugatti on the block. Considering that the French marque was a low-volume sports/racing machine, one wonders how so many surviv...
Filed in archive
British Cars
, Concours
, European Specials
by Philip Powell on September 11, 2008
As a manufacturer "Standard Motor Company" may not stimulate your memory banks but you'd be surprised at the variety of vehicles produced by that venerable firm during its 60 years of pr...
Filed in archive
British Cars
, Concours
, European Specials
, Rare Europeans
by Philip Powell on September 10, 2008
When I joined my first car club in the late 50s many of the members were British ex-pats who'd moved to Canada after the war. Not surprisingly they favored English "motors" so inevitably...
Filed in archive
British Cars
, Concours
, European Specials
, Rare Europeans
by Philip Powell on September 8, 2008
Decisions! Decisions! Labour Day weekend forced me to choose between Vancouver's 2008 Steamworks Concours and the annual Victoria Wooden Boat Show. In past years I'd journeyed to the mainland ...
Filed in archive
Auctions
, European Specials
, Italian Cars
, Rare Europeans
by Philip Powell on August 29, 2008
I'm guessing that a friendly competition exists between collector car auction houses to see who can achieve the highest price at venues where all show their wares. This makes for good public relat...
Filed in archive
As We See Things
, Concours
, European Specials
, Italian Cars
by Philip Powell on August 27, 2008
In the 1950's a managerial change at Fiat led the firm to build a V-8 engine on a special chassis with independent suspension all-round. During its brief life the Fiat "8V" was produced ...
Filed in archive
European Specials
by Philip Powell on June 13, 2008
The latest issue of Classic Driver features an absolutely fabulous article by Tony Dron about his experience driving the legendary Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow Grand Prix car around Donington Park durin...
Filed in archive
European Specials
by Philip Powell on January 10, 2008
For sheer aerodynamic perfection it would be hard to beat this Lotus XI, also known as the "Yellow Peril." Perhaps in a wind tunnel contest more modern race cars might prevail but none would...
Filed in archive
European Specials
, German Cars
, Test Drives
by Philip Powell on October 14, 2007
Our ace contributor Nigel Matthews gets to drive some very exotic machinery but nothing could compare with his seat time in the Bugatti Veyron, the fastest and most expensive production-built car in t...
Filed in archive
European Specials
by Philip Powell on September 6, 2007
Of all the interesting cars at the 2007 Steamworks Concours in Vancouver's Gastown, perhaps nothing stopped (and mystified) visitors more than this 1947 Tatra T-87. To begin, few North Americans a...
Filed in archive
European Specials
by Philip Powell on June 15, 2007
If I were to ask you to list the most important car producers by country would you include Spain? Probably not, and yet it has produced some magnificent automotive engineers - Wilfredo Ricart among th...
Filed in archive
European Specials
by Philip Powell on April 8, 2007
A few blogs ago I made mention of "Volvo's 70-year history.". My article featured the PV544 and later models. I wish I could have included a few words and a graphic about that very first...
Filed in archive
European Specials
by Philip Powell on March 3, 2007
I'll bet my good buddy Bob Schulties, autos channel editor at About.com in NYC, would enjoy this one; Bob's a Saab enthusiast to the core. Thanks to this week's Hemmings newsletter I'v...
Filed in archive
European Specials
, Romantic Notions
, Station Wagons
by Philip Powell on January 7, 2007
One night a couple of years ago I was walking along a rain-dampened street in Brooklyn with good friends Bob Schulties, About.com's Autos Channel editor, and Colin Hefferon, my Vancouver test drive p...
Filed in archive
European Specials
, Rally/Retro-Rally
by Philip Powell on December 15, 2006
How can you not want to own and drive this beautiful mid-50's sports car? Of course you would. Unfortunately you can't, and it's not a true classic but a prototype for a very limited run of 12 new car...
Filed in archive
European Specials
by Philip Powell on September 21, 2006
One of the many delights of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is the organiser's annual selection of "honored" marques. For 2006 there were two fabulous names to be admired: Delahaye and Voisin, b...
Filed in archive
European Specials
by Philip Powell on June 22, 2006
My Dutch friend and local coffee house entrepeneur Ralph Steenstra is stunned when I tell him that his country once produced a fine car called Spyker and that it has been reborn after 70-some years. I...
