'Car shapes have changed. Indeed, for a large part of the personal transportation world the word 'car' doesn't really come into it today. They refer instead to their 'SUV', standing of course for Sports Utility Vehicle, which now far outsell any other form of four-wheeled motor transportation.
'One of the last great Ferrari automobiles at the end of the 1990's – in other words of the previous century to this and therefore a part of history – the F355 Spider 6-Speed is such a beautiful car, a driving legend! Like the first Ferrari ever to be built, the 125 S, it is also in that great Ferrari tradition of the open sports car....
'Porsche produced three generations of the 911 Turbo S with 'Flachbau' -which roughly translated from the German as 'Slant Nose' - bodywork. The first 'Generation 1' cars were manufactured in 1982 and 1983; the second 'Generation 2' cars from 1983 to 1987; and the last of the 'G-series' 930 Slant Nose cars ('Generation 3') were manufactured...
"As the saying goes, what's in a name? In the world of automobiles this question would appear to arise disproportionately, especially in the seductive mystery surrounding the add-on identifying letters on certain prestigious overseas cars."
'One of the reasons I started Beverly Hills Car Club was because I realized that working with classic cars could be extremely good fun. Among other things, aesthetically they are invariably so uplifting. And therefore such classics really nourish my life and make me smile.
'At Beverly Hills Car Club we are presenting an extremely sought-after 1962 Maserati 3500GTI, a car that is already a television star: this Maserati 3500GTI was featured in Season 5 of the reality show centered around FantomWorks, the classic car restoration shop.
'One thing I love about running Beverly Hills Car Club is the sheer variety of the individuals I learn about who have been connected to the car trade. For example, Zora Duntov is a fascinating character.
'Due to our location at Beverly Hills Car Club, we from time to time find ourselves in the orbits of stellar representatives of contemporary culture: icons of stage, screen and studio. But someone we would love to connect with – but to our knowledge never have – is our Hollywood Hills neighbor, the great English artist David Hockney,...
'The Ferrari Dino range was a marque developed by the Italian supercar specialists for the mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars it created from 1957. Produced from 1973 to April 1980, the 308 GT4 Dino was Ferrari's first V-8 production automobile.
'I love human stories that really bring out the personality and character of the car. Take that of 1967 Polish Sports Personality of the Year Sobieslaw Zasada and the Porsche 912, for example.
'Wild horses/Wouldn't drag me away. So sang the Rolling Stones on their 1971 Sticky Fingers album, released that April. The cultural reference was the wild white horses of the Camargue, Western Europe's largest river delta, which is found in the south of France on the Mediterranean coast.'
'It was forty or fifty years ago A big shot played with time Mister Walker held the door And both kept Cord and line Watched and checked on every single day Building his own special cars His very special way
'Classic rather than flamboyant, the V10-powered Lamborghini Gallardo has been supercar Lamborghini's sales leader this century. You wouldn't think it was almost twenty years old. The Lamborghini Gallardo model was build between 2003 and 2013 and in Lamborghini tradition was named after a famous breed of fighting bulls.
'The history of the Porsche Speedster is fascinating. It is really all down to one man: Max Hoffman, who in 1950 was the sole importer of Porsches into the USA. Hoffman was having success. But after difficult beginnings. Born in Vienna in 1904 to a Catholic mother and Jewish father, Maximilian Edwin Hoffmann was forced to flee to France to...
'An old adage is that it is a modest man who drives a Bentley. Perhaps not entirely true today, where the car is a favorite of flashy hiphop artists: however, Bentley still enjoys a more discreet and classy reputation than other marques. Bentley owners enjoy life, the way life should be enjoyed. Usually with several houses and the Bentley rarely...
'Behold the Prancing Horse! Regardless of the car's age, whenever and wherever the quintessential emblem of Ferrari is encountered you know you are in for an amazing ride. And nowhere more so than right now at Beverly Hills Car Club.
'Yonder lies the castle of my faddah!' is a line often attributed, with an inevitable snigger, to the Bronx-born actor Tony Curtis; an early film of his, Son of Ali Baba, is claimed as the source. Except that he never said it. What he in fact says is:'This is my father’s palace. And yonder lies the Valley of the Sun.'
'Once upon a time the very idea of classic cars was synonymous with Americana. The great cars of the past all seemed to have been made in the USA, in the 1950s and 1960s. Now, with wonderful, often rare European examples high in the market, we've somewhat changed our minds. But with US-made beauties it was above all the design shapes that sealed...
'The name 'Targa' – which means plate or plaque in Italian - came from the Targa Florio sports car road race in Sicily, in which the Porsche team had scored seven victories since 1956, with four more to come through 1973, the year of an amazing low-mileage Porsche 911E Targa we presently have on offer here at Beverly Hills Car Club.
'One of the most beautiful – and still very obtainable – classic cars ever built, the Volvo 1800, in production from 1961 to 1973, achieved early renown for its co-starring role in The Saint, the globally successful British spy thriller TV series, shown by NBC in the USA from 1962-1969.
'Right now at Beverly Hills Car Club we have a splendid example of a Rolls-Royce 20/25. This elegant right-hand drive 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Coupe, with coachwork by Park Ward, is featured with matching numbers (the vehicle's build sheet copy is included) and comes in silver over black with a black interior.
'A luxury Lamborghini supercar? Just imagining this vehicle of sophisticated choice for such rock'n'roll superstars as Rod Stewart, it is hard not to think of cruising through the leafy, luxurious lanes of Beverly Hills in one. And right now at Beverly Hills Car Club we have just what you need for such a ride: an extremely sought-after 1975...
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered," famously quipped George Best, the legendary Manchester United soccer player. In a moment of clear introspection the late, great Best also uttered, "If I had to choose between dribbling past five players and scoring from 40 yards at Anfield or shagging Miss World,...
'With a top speed of 158 mph the two-door BMW M6, an expensive German package of performance and luxury, was the second fastest car that BMW has ever produced. The U.S.-spec M6 was a slightly detuned version of the European M635CSi, but it came fully-optioned with every conceivable factory extra.
The Alfa Romeo GTV 2000, or the Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Veloce to give it its full title, is an absolutely gorgeous automobile, so subtle and sumptuous in the softness of its powerful design. It was a replacement for the popular 1750 range, extremely similar in look.
''Ferrari builds motor cars in much the same way Claude Monet painted landscapes - not to please the populace, but more to satisfy self, a technique and a coterie,' wrote LA Times writer Paul Dean in July 1990, heralding the arrival of the Ferrari 348 supercar series, a baby Ferrari capable of 170 mph.
'The Ford Thunderbird: with its scoped fenders and fins the vehicular version of the 1950s' American Dream. The T-bird: as of course perfectly exemplified in that wonderful 1964 Beach Boys' tune Fun Fun Fun, one of the group's many songs that defined the Californian myth: And she'll have fun fun fun 'Til her daddy takes the T-Bird away....
'What is it about Porsches that make them such unique examples of supercars? That make them like poetry in motion, almost a guarantee of high-end elan and status? Behind their many supreme qualities – gorgeous quasi-art deco lines, the utmost reliability of mechanical components, their aerodynamics and nimble handling – are the Porsche...
'The Maserati Mexico was a sparkling, sophisticated example of an archetypal 'Gran Turismo' motoring car, sporting extremely elegant and refined coachwork and packing a huge punch under the hood, the automotive equivalent of a finely tailored Italian suit. But the origins of the name of the Maserati Mexico spark some debate.
'The best car in the world!' That was precisely what the marketing campaign from Rolls-Royce said about the Silver Cloud III, certain no other model could touch it in terms of build, luxury and mechanical merit. And that was certainly the consensus among both the motoring press and the wealthy, often celebrity owners. In the days before supercars,...
'Known as 'Twinkletoes' to his many Irish fans – 'on account of the white boots I always wore' – Brian Powley is one of the unsung heroes of UK and Irish motor rallying, as well as various successful European outings. 'I had a cult following in Ireland,' he says. 'The fun part of it was the element. If it became too serious I didn't want...
'Little Red Corvette/Baby, you're much too fast. The immortal words of the magnificent Prince, on his breakthrough Top 10 American hit as long ago as 1983... Of course, Prince is not flagging up the engine power of his Chevrolet Corvette, as we hear when he sums up his thoughts a little later in the song: Girl, you got an ass like I never seen/...
'Today the throaty roar of the Triumph TR3, an absolutely classic roadster that evolved from the company's preceding TR2 model, seems like a clarion call from another age. Which of course it is: the English Triumph firm manufactured the mid-priced TR3 from October 1955 until 1962.
'Precisely why was that stunning example of Italian craftsmanship known as the Ferrari 512 BBi Berlinetta Boxer so named? After all, Mauro Forghieri, the enormously accomplished engineer on the project, stated clearly that the beautifully constructed supercar did not have a Boxer engine. And that the car, which could hit 179mph, maybe should...
'The De Tomaso Mangusta is named after the mongoose, the small carnivorous animal that is the principal predator of the cobra snake.
And the use of 'mangusta' in the supercar's naming carries a dark-humored poetry.
'One of the truly great collectors' cars, a classic from the moment it was launched, the Ferrari 308 GTB was the replacement for the then already archetypal Dino 246 GT, which itself was an evolution of the Dino 206 GT, with a larger V6 engine and a wheelbase lengthened by 60 mm.
'What is astonishing about the Morgan Super Sport 3 Wheeler, built from 1932 to 1937, is how futuristic this vehicle appears even today. I'm looking at one right now, a stunning right-hand drive (they were only right-hand drive) 1934 Morgan Super Sport 3 Wheeler that we have just acquired at Beverly Hills Car Club. It comes in a gorgeous blue...
'Visitors to the south of France at the end of summer may well be acquainted with the mistral. Often described as the chilly wind that blows in from north Africa heralding the shift to fall, that is not actually the case.
'Although Aston Martins appeared in far fewer of the early Bond films than the myth suggests, the romantic existence of the fictional spy James Bond has been irrevocably associated with the Aston Martin motor-car. Ever since the appearance of Bond's gadget-packed Dubonnet Red DB5 in the Goldfinger movie, the Aston Martin car has been seen almost...
'The Jaguar XKE, the Jaguar XK150...Such defining pieces of automotive art. But of course they had a predecessor: the fabulous Jaguar XK120, manufactured from 1948 to 1954. It was the Jaguar XK120 that established Britain as a maker of great sports cars. By the time XK120 production stopped, a total of 12,064 had been sold, mostly in the United...
'In 1974 there were new times for the Porsche motor company: the Porsche 911 Turbo arrived, or the Porsche 930 Turbo, as it was more customarily known. For the US market, however this development, the Porsche 911 Turbo, was not officially marketed until 1976: hence in America this year, 2021, is the official 45th anniversary of the marketing...
'I love learning that one of my acquisitions at Beverly Hills Car Club has a fascinating back-story. Which is precisely what I have discovered about the fabulous 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster that we newly have for sale. It took a two flight journey to Lexington, South Carolina, to discover this. I always believe that everyone has their own...
'The Jaguar XKE is such an utterly unique car it is almost impossible not to feel reverent before it. So unique, in fact, is this car that they named it twice: in the UK, where they originally were manufactured, from 1961 to 1974, they are called Jaguar E-types, but in the USA they are known as Jaguar XKEs. As the Beverly Hills Car Club is in...
'I hear that in London in the 1970s and 1980s no car was considered more stylish and hip than the Mercedes-Benz 280SL, one of the three models in the W 113 model series; now legendary, this car has a more loyal fan base than any other Mercedes-Benz SL. On account of their slightly concave and very distinctive hardtop, designed by Paul Bracq...
'I vividly recall being at Pebble Beach for Car Week at the RM Auction. Sitting in front of the parking lot was a gorgeous gunmetal grey Lamborghini 400GT. The car looked like a piece of art that you'd not only want to drive but also put in your living-room as a piece of art. These Lamborghini 400GTs were so beautifully designed. As only 247...
"I had never associated a wicked sense of humour with President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who succeeded the assassinated Jack Kennedy in November 1963. But I was wrong. As the owner of one of the legendary Amphicars, he would certainly keep his friends on their toes. Driving his companions at his Johnson City, Texas, ranch in his 1961 model,...
"Alfa Romeo is a particular way of living, of experiencing an automobile. The real essence of Alfa defies description. It can be compared to those irrational movements of the spirit that sometimes occur in man, and for which there is no logical explanation. We are in the realm of sensations, passions, things that have more to do with the heart...
'Of all the vintage classic cars in existence, one that never fails to make me do a double-take is the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, an utterly beautiful piece of automotive engineering. To me, it is the unicorn of classics, the Navy Seal of vintage motor-cars. Unsurprisingly in 1999 the 300SL was voted 'sports car of the century'.The number...
''If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re gonna see some serious sh*t!' The immortal words of Dr Emmett Brown, played by the terrific Christopher Lloyd, to Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly in Back to the Future embody the entire premise of the time-travel classic and its employment of a DeLorean sports-car...
'When I lived in Australia, my Greek auntie had a 1967 Ford Mustang coupe 2-door hardtop. Even better, she had a pink 1967 Ford Mustang coupe. Both my parents drove classic Volvos – a 121 Amazon for my dad, and an 1800S for my mom – and so I had some understanding at a young age of how great such cars could be. But it was a combination of...
'There is often an interesting back-story to why people sell cars. All human life is there! For example, I bought a Porsche recently that was quite evidently in tremendous mechanical condition. But if that was the case, why was the paintwork faded and a bit scruffy? The Porsche in question was a 964, the Porsche 911 America Roadster, a limited...
'I've always loved Ferrari Testarossas, a car whose every attribute seems to suggest that it should really be called a Ferrari Testosterone, an unquestionably masculine car that looks even sexier when driven by a woman. The Ferrari Testarossa is something of an underrated gem: it has such an attractive design.
'What often fascinates me is what happens to cars that have been sold by my Beverly Hills Car Club dealership. I cannot deny experiencing an element of emotional attachment with many of the vehicles I buy and sell. And when they leave my premises it can feel like letting your own child out into the world, asking myself 'what will happen to them?'
'"It's really a late 1960s, early 1970s look that the De Tomaso Pantera had. The body design was from '71. It's an early, old supercar design. It looks like a James Bond car, like the Lotuses or Aston-Martins. With such great character, of a type that you don't see now.” That's the view of Brian of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the guy who I've...
'People love what we have come to know as 'barn finds.' I think it's connected to that perpetual hope of somewhere finding a buried stash of pirate gold in a chest deep within the ground. It sounds romantic and exciting, and the idea never fails to turn me on.'But what if in order to find the 'barn find' car, you first had to...
'The entire Austin-Healey range always has hit an extremely uplifting nerve in me: it's a marque as redolent as any other of British motoring panache, with a permanent place of honour in its history.'Donald Healey himself had been a First World War pilot who loved the very idea of cars. In 1931 he had won the Monte Carlo rally,...
'Call me old-fashioned but one of the things I really love is when a car has a complicated provenance. It’s an almost guaranteed proof of the vehicle’s interesting character.'And they don’t come much more complicated than a 1963 Ferrari 250GTE 2+2 Coupe I discovered and bought the other week.
'I've just seen that the other day the 1992 Porsche 911 Type 964 Carrera 2 Convertible Works Turbo Look owned by the late footballing superstar Diego Maradona was sold in Paris for €483,000, nearly twice the estimated sale price.'Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of soccer, he was – with the...
'In the almost twenty years that I’ve been dealing in classic cars I’ve observed how the notion of such classic pieces of art is no longer as date-tied as formerly. 'What do I mean? Well, I’m simply describing the passing of time as well as quirks within public taste. For example, I have heard that once Jaguar XK-Es stopped...
'What a great week. Not every day you get a chance to successfully purchase a 1965 Porsche 356SC coupe, an end of an era Porsche model before it was phased out by the 912. 'It was a wonderful opportunity to find a West Coast car that has not changed many hands in its lifetime - the last owner had the vehicle for 46 years.
'You cannot believe how excited I am. Out of the blue I located an extremely rare French motoring masterpiece. Not only that but I have managed to purchase it and now it is in my Los Angeles dealership. Utterly unique and literally a one-off, this pre-World War 2 1939 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet is one of only two examples of this classic model,...
'You know those days when you feel like you’ve been hit by a bus? That is how this one started out. 'I had an important assignment, in which time would be of the essence. I had had a tip-off: a 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC was being offered for sale. And I wanted to make sure I was the first person to see it: I had made a call and...
'Usually barn finds or their equivalent come to me. But sometimes I need to go out and find them for myself, as I did in 2013.That’s what happened when I heard through the grapevine about a Verde Pino green 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC, a state of the art collectible vehicle even for this legendarily exclusive marque - just under...
"For a classic-car fiend, walking onto the Beverly Hills Car Club's classic-car showroom floor is comparable to what a sneakerhead or watch collector experiences when they visit one of the world's greatest sneaker or watch boutiques." Automobile Magazine sits down with Beverly Hills Car Club's Alex Manos to talk about his...
"As these cars are nearly impossible to come across, even cars that are rough like this it doesn't even matter...