English
Nederlands
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Русский
Español
Is it any wonder that a writer at Road & Track should have christened the Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 the 'Queen Mother of Ferraris'? Surely he could have had no idea that this grand touring machine of the highest order would forever be known by that name. The Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 is a really wonderful piece of motoring machinery, with a top speed...
One of the most aesthetically pleasing sports cars of the 1930s, the stunningly gorgeous SS Jaguar 100 was a British 2-seat sports car built between 1936 and 1939 by SS Cars Ltd of Coventry, England. what made the Jaguar SS100 3.5 Liter famous was not only its sheer beauty but also the power implicit in that '100' tag: the Jaguar SS100 was...
In the early 1960s, Porsche planned to discontinue its classic 356, the beautiful model on which the entire Porsche empire – and initial legend - had been built. Doing this would leave the newly introduced Porsche 911, with its more powerful six-cylinder powerplant, as the company's sole product. Concerned that the considerable price increase...
The beautiful Ferrari Testarossa is a recognized cultural icon of the 1980s: the ultimate supercar of the second half of the decade, the Testarossa was popularized by the media, especially the television series Miami Vice (from the 1986 third season onward) - the car-of-choice for actor Don Johnson, his jacket sleeves rolled up, who would...
In the over twenty years that I’ve been dealing in classic cars I’ve noticed 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 being produced in...
One of the great mythical cars of Americana, the gorgeous Cord has the kind of characterful lineage that could have given it a starring role in a Sam Peckinpah movie. So celebrated was Cord's science-fiction vision of American automobiles that in 1973 the great space-cowboy singer-songwriter Gram Parsons, himself as stylish an individual as...
The Ferrari 308 was made famous globally by the television series Magnum, P.I. in which for eight seasons while on his investigations the series' lead character, Thomas Magnum, played by Tom Selleck, drove the car around Oahu, the third-largest and most populated of the Hawaiian Islands.The Ferrari 308 was made famous globally...
Type 964 (‘nine-sixty-four’, or ‘nine-six-four') is Porsche's internal code name for the 911 Carrera 2 and 911 Carrera 4 models, which were badged simply as ‘Carrera 2’ and ‘Carrera 4’. ‘964’ is used by automotive publications and enthusiasts to distinguish them from other generations of the Carrera. The Porsche 964 is a...
Rolls-Royce. Ultimate luxury. The quintessential British car, right? Well, not quite. In 1921 Rolls-Royce opened a new factory in Springfield, Massachusetts in the United States to help meet a three-year production backlog: at these Springfield premises a further 1,703 ‘Springfield Ghosts’ and 1,241 Phantoms were built.Rolls-Royce.Ultimate...
To differentiate between the various revisions of the model, Porsche 356s are customarily classified into several major groups. The 356 coupés and soft-top 'cabriolets' built through 1955 are readily identifiable by differences in windscreen design; the cars built between 1948 and 1952 have split windscreens; those from 1953 to 1955 are bent...
In motor racing, a pace car leads the field of competitors during warm-up laps and caution periods, helping to control the speed of the cars on the track. Perhaps the most famous and iconic of all Indy pace cars, regardless of make or model, is the ’69 Z11 Camaro, which paced the 53rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1969. In...
The quintessence of classic motoring, the car legendarily described by the legendary maestro Enzo Ferrari as 'the most beautiful car ever made…’ Yes, that’s the Jaguar XKE that we are discussing and referring to here at Beverly Hills Car Club where we have an absolutely beautiful and extremely rare 1962 Jaguar XKE Series I Flat Floor Roadster...
In 2018, Mercedes-Benz became the world’s largest premium vehicle brand, with a sales volume of 2.31 million passenger cars. But it had been a long journey to get there for this brand whose slogan is 'The Best or Nothing'. The roots of the brand trace back to the 1901 Mercedes manufactured by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and the 1886 Benz-Patent-Motorwagen...
If the Carrera 2 and 4 had turned around the core Porsche customers during the recession of the early 1990s and got them buying again, then the new Carrera – identified both internally at Porsche and externally as the 993 – re-invented the concept of the 911 and opened up an entirely new market. From the moment of launch in late 1993, the...
Bentley or Rolls-Royce? Oh, come on: we certainly know which we consider to be the most chic ride, which of these topnotch cars is the quintessence of sophistication. By the time Ian Fleming's James Bond novels arrived in the 1950s, Bentley's name had become synonymous with both performance and high-end luxury. This is why 007 originally drove...
At this very moment at Beverly Hills Car Club we have one of the most prized, most beautiful, most exceptional cars we have ever had, the kind of reason we are in business at all. I am talking about our magnificent 1959 Porsche 356A 1600 Cabriolet, a car that comes finished in a moody Black exterior complemented with a tan interior. Even better,...
'A very well-appointed car with a lively performance. Excellent roadholding and braking, and effective weather-protection. It is good to know that the ever-popular M.G. Midget has survived the war and is in production again. It is the same trim, efficient 2-seater we knew pre-strife times, with 1,250-c.c., push-rod, o.h.v. 4-cylinder engine,...
The new Ferrari Mondial 8 was announced at the 1980 Geneva Salon, as the replacement for the Dino 308 GT4 model, the last V8, rear mid-engined 2+2 Ferrari. The Mondial part of the model title was a reference to Ferrari’s history, referring to the mid-fifties sports racing model of that name. French for ‘global’, Ferrari had used the nameplate...
Right now at Beverly Hills Car Club we have a splendid example of this cultural shift, an extremely original 1975 Porsche 911 Carrera Sunroof Coupe featured with matching numbers and only 61,825 miles on the odometer. This particular 911 is a one-of-one example that is finished in an exquisite and exclusive Paint-to-Sample Green (257), a color...
The Chevrolet Corvette (C2), also known as the Stingray, is the second-generation Corvette sports car, produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors (GM) for the 1963 through 1967 model years. The 1963 model, the final result of more than a half-decade’s worth of research both on and off the racetrack, enjoyed immense success....
From early beginnings in 1939 as a successful manufacturer of refrigeration units, Rivolta's company had moved onto the manufacture of motor scooters and motorcycles. Renaming his Isothermos brand as Iso Autoveicoli in 1950, his business then was the third largest two-wheel producer in Italy, behind Vespa and Lambretta. A decade or so later,...
So impressive. The Rolls-Royce Phantom VI epitomized the pinnacle of luxurious personal transportation throughout its production period, which spanned from 1968 to 1991. The Phantom VI represented the final Rolls-Royce model constructed with a separate chassis at the London Rolls-Royce coachworks located on Hythe Road, Willesden. And this model...
Comedian and talk-show host Jay Leno has a classic car collection of over 180 cars and 160 motorcycles, an ever-changing showcase of automotive magnificence that he stores at Burbank Airport in Los Angeles. But which one was Jay's regular driver, a car which he has owned for over thirty years and to which he has given one mechanical rebuild...
The 'bubble-car', a most unconventional design for this 1960 Messerschmitt KR200 Bubble Top finished in blue, complimented by its black interior. These three-wheeler German automobiles were the ultimate in cost-efficient motoring, both in terms of their price in the marketplace and their fuel economy – anyone for 87 miles per gallon, powered...
This vintage beauty is a rare gem from over a century ago, showcasing the timeless craftsmanship and luxury that Cadillac is renowned for. While this vintage Cadillac is not currently running, it presents a unique opportunity for automotive enthusiasts. If you contact us today you will learn more about this rare find and start your journey towards...
But Stutz's automobiles were what made Indianapolis famous, thanks to a humble workingman called Harry C Stutz. In 1898 Stutz, a twenty-two year old bicycle repairman, built his first automobile, a gas buggy driven by a two horsepower engine 'Old Hickory'. One year later Stutz Manufacturing was founded for the production of gasoline engines.
When...
We love and respect contemporary and retro culture here at Beverly Hills Car Club – part of our very raison d'etre, in fact. And it would be hard to find a more potent – and more classy - symbol of 1960s' American automobile culture than the Pontiac GTO Convertible, considered the very first muscle car. The Pontiac GTO is so perfectly of...
'The best sports car ever built.' That's how Motor Trend magazine definitively described the Acura NSX when it launched in 1990. How delighted manufacturers Honda must have been: proof in the pudding for the dedicated luxury brand that Acura had been intended as.
'The best sports car ever built.'
That's...
So please let me introduce to you our 1970 Ford Mustang Fastback Pro Street Hot Rod that is finished in its factory color Grabber Blue with black decals complemented by its chrome trim. This vintage beauty is a true testament to the timeless appeal of classic American muscle motoring. With its iconic design and rugged build, this Ford is...
Ferrari F355s first arrived in 1994. The last model to be hand-built at Ferrari's Modena factory, the F355 certainly was one of the last Ferraris of the classic era. Its beautiful, bolstered appearance symbolised the end of not only the twentieth century, but the end of a millennium. And it was a fitting tribute to the end of a century that...
I'm a police car Police car Ok sucker let's you an' me go for a ride So sang Larry Wallace, an early member of Lemmy's Motorhead and stalwart of the English underground, on his 1977 classic single, 'Police Car'. The tune was produced by Nick Lowe and a contender for punk song of that year, released on the definitive New Wave label, Stiff...
ESPRIT: Liveliness of mind or spirit; wittiness or sprightliness, from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition, It would be nice to write that the 1997 Lotus Esprit we currently have on offer at Beverly Hills Car Club is from the seemingly immortal mind of Colin Chapman, the Lotus founder. But unfortunately Chapman...
Wow! I love this car so much! Just look at her, this beautiful, gorgeous 1960 Lotus Elite, the pinnacle of English taste and hand craftsmanship, that we have right now at Beverly Hills Car Club. Breathtakingly sumptuous in its feminine lines, this is a car that takes your breath away, its aesthetics only enhanced by its Lotus Yellow color –...
Who knew it? Certainly not me. President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a renowned practical joker. (At this knowledge, of course, the mind boggles: what witticisms could have been played out as possessor of the nuclear key? But I digress...) And this wit almost inevitably extended to one of his proudest – and slightly most bonkers – possessions....
Such a quintessentially stylish car, the Chevrolet Camaro was the vehicle of choice in mid-1970s' London for a good pal of my Dad. This guy's name was Simon Puxley, a very close friend of – and 'media consultant' to – the effortlessly stylish Bryan Ferry, to this day an iconic musical artist and personification of high-end taste. Unfortunately...
Comedian and talk-show host Jay Leno has a classic car collection of over 180 cars and 160 motorcycles, an ever-changing showcase of automotive magnificence that he stores at Burbank Airport in Los Angeles. But which one was Jay's regular driver, a car which he has owned for over thirty years and to which he has given one mechanical rebuild...
There is a profound history to the Ferrari 348. Why? Because it was the final V8 model developed under the direction of Enzo Ferrari – il Patriarca, the Patriarch, as the supercar company boss was known - before he passed away on August 14 1988. And accordingly the 348 was commissioned into production posthumously, replacing the Ferrari 328...
In 1963 the Chevrolet Corvette transmogrified into the Sting Ray – sometimes spelled Stingray, just to keep you on your toes. Compared to the first generation Corvette, the car came with improved handling characteristics – partially based on the new Jaguar XKE - and much more power. And the new Corvette’s striking styling, which still...
Always with an exciting frisson of danger, the endlessly thrilling Turbocharged Porsche 930, the fastest production model Porsche had then built, was launched at the Paris Auto Show in 1974. These cars were made for raw speed and it was the same with their manufacture: by the next year the Porsche 930 Turbo was being built and on sale. Much...
Thus is one of the most stunning cars I have ever seen. I am almost frightened to touch it in case my finger-prints soil its gorgeous patina. What am I talking about? A beauty we now have in at Beverly Hills Car Club , a first-generation 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible finished in gorgeous Charcoal with Inca Silver coves complemented by...
The Ferrari Testarossa: the Testosterone as I always jokingly call it. Although truthfully this supercar is as feminine in its appearance as it is masculine. Judge for yourself with the extremely low-mileage 1988 beauty we have right now at Beverly Hills Car Club, one with a mere 11,103 miles on the odometer. The car is finished in Giallo complemented...
The legend of the pagoda roof is one of the archetypal subtexts of the history of classic cars. That beautiful detail on the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL is an enduring part of the truth of these fabulous motoring machines with an abiding and subtly palpable impact on the very look of their era. You will feel the entire spirit of the times – that...
As I have previously mentioned, the name 'Targa' – which means plate or plaque in Italian - derives from the Targa Florio sports car road race in Sicily, in which Porsche had scored seven victories since 1956. In fact, at first – until wiser minds prevailed - it was suggested that what became the Porsche Targa car would be called the...
The beautiful Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, Ferrari 400 and Ferrari 412 are front-engined V12 2+2 grand tourers, made by Ferrari between 1972 and 1989, and all distinguished by their subtle sporty demeanor. The three cars are closely related, using the same body, chassis and engine which evolved over time. Following Ferrari practice, their numeric...
The history of America's seemingly unquenchable love affair with powerful 4X4 trucks really begins in the 1960s. And if you want to be really specific, it is in 1969, with the Chevy Blazer. In a way it is amazing that it took so long: in retrospect, ever since Willys-Overland unveiled the first Jeepster in 1948, the wait had been on. But it...
'In the hands of an experienced Porsche driver, who can use the slight oversteer to his advantage on winding roads where right turn follows left in rapid sequence, it would present formidable opposition to any competing car.' So decreed Road & Track magazine of the then brand new Porsche 356C, in its February 1964 edition. In other words,...
That 'DB' signifier on each Aston Martin stands of course for David Brown, who with his supreme talent masterminded the stunningly beautiful UK sports cars that were and are the last word in luxury, almost synonymous with the name of author Ian Fleming's fictional superspy James Bond. The surprisingly parallel stories of both Aston Martin and...
The General Lee, sometimes referred to as simply 'the General', is an orange 1969 Dodge Charger driven in the 1970s' television series The Dukes of Hazzard by the characters the Duke boys, Bo and Luke. It is known for its signature horn, its police chases, stunts—especially its long jumps—and for having its doors welded shut, leaving...
The ultimate superstar of 1980s' cars, the Ferrari Testarossa 'Monospecchio' was wide, low, and radically-styled with its signature 'gills' , a power ballad of a car that defined its outrageously flashy times. And did so with considerable pride.
The ultimate superstar of 1980s' cars, the Ferrari Testarossa 'Monospecchio'...
So should we not be surprised that Mercedes-Benz, one of the classiest motor-car manufacturers of all time, should have hijacked the western American state's name for one of its very finest cars? And let's be clear: what is a Mercedes-Benz California Special? To give it its full name it is a Mercedes-Benz 250SL California Special, a version...
In the early 1980s the Porsche team in Stuttgart noticed that customers increasingly were inspired for their 911 to be given a custom job by such companies as Gemballa, Strosek and Rinspeed. What many owners were after was the wide-body look exemplified by the Turbo. And there were even glass fibre kits available at a fraction of the price....
Affectionately called 'the 308 QV,' the Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole is an iconic piece of automotive history. With its gorgeous Pininfarina-styled body, best viewed for full breath-taking effect in profile, and a thundering 240-horsepower engine under the hood, the Ferrari 308 QV will catch all the stares. The 308 GTS Quattrovalvole,...
The proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing, the addition of the 429 SCJ-backed Drag Pack transmogrified the sedate 1970 Ford Torino Cobra into a stunning classic, a slayer of rival high-profile muscle cars with enough power to defenestrate almost all its rivals. As its name suggested, the Torino Cobra had a distinct sting in its tail.
The...
"Nice car. What's the retail on one of those?" asks Brian O'Conner in The Fast and the Furious, by far the most popular car culture film series in the history of cinema. "More than you can afford, pal. Ferrari," says the driver of the F355 European supercar. What happens next? Watch the film.
"Nice car. What's the...
The De Tomaso Mangusta is a sports car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer De Tomaso between 1967 and 1971. It was succeeded by the De Tomaso Pantera. The Mangusta, an example of which we have right now at Beverly Hills Car Club, replaced the Vallelonga model, on which its chassis was based. The word 'mangusta' is Italian for 'mongoose',...
Colossal road presence is what comes to mind when you think of a Mercedes-Benz 280 SE. And especially of the 1969 280 SE Sunroof Coupe we presently have at Beverly Hills Car Club. At the time of its birth this car was King of the Road, and more than half a century later it retains this royal nomenclature. The lines and proportions are masculine...
What a beautiful car is the 1957 Porsche 356A 1600 Cabriolet Outlaw we presently have at Beverly Hills Car Club. Oh, and by the way, what is an 'Outlaw'? It is a Porsche that has been considerably modified, a stock Porsche touched-up and tweaked until it is racing-car fast, often at considerable expense, a tangible manifestation of the creator’s...
During World War II, at the same time as vehicle production switched to aircraft manufacture and repair, engineering development had continued at the UK's Jaguar plant.
During World War II, as vehicle production switched to aircraft manufacturing, engineering development had continued at the UK's Jaguar plant. Importantly,...
I truly adore Ferrari's 330 GT 2+2 Series II. These magnificent cars perfectly symbolize the sophistication of automobiles in the 1960s. So swinging. In 1964 the 330 GT 2+2 was unveiled at Ferrari's annual press conference.
Friday night we'll be dressed to kill/
Down at Dino's Bar and Grill
Those...
'Dissonance is transformed into harmony in the Maserati 5000 GT. 'So ran the press blurb put out by Maserati for its astonishing 5000 GT, of which there were only a total of thirty-four ever produced, from 1959 to 1966.These thirty-four Maserati 5000 GTs were the last individually specified and bodied gran turismos in Maserati's eminent history....
I truly adore Ferrari's 330 GT 2+2 Series II. These magnificent cars perfectly symbolize the sophistication of automobiles in the 1960s. So swinging. In 1964 the 330 GT 2+2 was unveiled at Ferrari's annual press conference.
I truly adore Ferrari's 330 GT 2+2 Series II.
These magnificent cars...
A vehicle for which the word 'rugged' would seem to have been defined, the original Land Rover was designed in 1947 by Maurice Wilks at the Rover Company & launched at the 1948 Amsterdam Car Show. It was quite specifically a reflection of that prominent WW2 vehicle, the Jeep.
A vehicle for which the word 'rugged'...
The Bentley has always been the quintessence of British class. And at Beverly Hills Car Club now we have one of the very classiest, a 1948 Bentley Mark VI Hooper Drophead Convertible Right-Hand-Drive that is one of only three ever produced by Hooper & Co., the celebrated London coachbuilding specialists. This is a Bentley that has been featured...
The Mercedes-Benz 280 SL, like the 1971 model we presently have at Beverly Hills Car Club, is one of the all-time classic cars, an inarguable piece of art.Why? Because it is so beautiful it has become literally the car of kings. Or, at least, The King: none other than Elvis Presley himself, the King of Rock'n'Roll, purchased one - a white convertible...
It is like the ultimate James Bond car. And timeless - as much Daniel Craig as Sean Connery. And, aptly enough for a superspy, 'Pantera' is Italian for panther, the perfect definition of this archetypal gas-guzzling muscle car which accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in under six seconds.
It is like the ultimate James Bond...
The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United States since 1962. A super muscle-car, the AC Cobra was the idea behind the Dodge Viper GTS, a concept...
'If you feel obligated to ask about the price you not only will never understand the car, you have branded yourself incapable of ever appreciating its virtues even if someone gave you one.' So in September 1970 decreed Car & Driver magazine of the Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5.
'If you feel obligated to ask about the price...
The Caddy! The quintessential American luxury car! Hardly surprisingly: apart from a series of the most consistently beautiful cars to emerge from United States automobile manufacturers, the Cadillac has such a historical legacy, with roots in the nobility of America.
The Caddy! The quintessential American luxury car!
Hardly...
What does the 'SC' stand for in Porsche 911SC? It is really simple: Super Carrera. Like the 1979 Porsche 911SC Sunroof Delete Coupe we have right now at Beverly Hills Car Club, an excellent original California car in its highly desirable factory color code 908 – a striking Grand Prix White, to you or me.
What does...
It is the spring of 1958, late afternoon. You have just left the home of the glamorous actor Errol Flynn in Port Antonio on the north-east coast of Jamaica. You hop into your Jaguar XK150S 3.4 Roadster, with the top down.
It is the spring of 1958, late afternoon.
You have just left the home...
I love it when you find out the real back-story behind some of the very greatest cars. At the end of 1981 Peter Schutz replaced Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann as Porsche boss. Schutz was a German-American from a subsidiary of truck-maker Caterpillar, and extremely marketing-minded.
I love it when you find out the real back-story...
Such lovely babes, the early Porsches. So streamlined, with not a single flat surface on the cars, nor an ounce of surplus fat: you just want to pick them up and cuddle them, don't you? Among the most beloved sports cars of the 1950s and early 1960s. With their promise of a bright new future – for both Porsche and for us - they remain an...
The personification of American classy good taste, a muscle-car before we had even heard of them when first launched 70 years ago, the Chevrolet Corvette with its clean, crisp, quasi-art deco lines has to be the horniest-looking car ever to hit the market. But as macho as they come, the Corvette looks even finer with a woman behind the wheel...
Aston Martin is one of the great world-renowned sports & luxury car brands. 'Car' brand? 'Supercar brand' certainly, in the case of Aston Martin. Aston Martin's associations with James Bond and the films that develop the Ian Fleming masterspy novels immediately come to mind, an indelible link: an Aston Martin DB5 made the marque's Bond debut...
TRIUMPH: a very great success, achievement, or victory (= when you win a war, fight, or competition), or a feeling of great satisfaction or pleasure caused by this (Cambridge English dictionary). It is all in that Triumph brand name, the very incorporation of the above definition. Along with MG and Austin Healey, Triumph was the third leg of...
'The 500 E is a magnificent high-performance sedan that’s heavy on the visceral,' decreed Road & Track in its May 1992 edition. 'It looks right (low slung, intimidating, but not showy, like the AMG Hammer or Mercedes’ own 600 SEL). It sounds great (nothing beats the thunder of a big V8).'
'The 500 E is a magnificent...
How could you replace the Jaguar E-type? 'The most beautiful car in the world,' as Enzo Ferrari had allegedly ordained. Well, as the manufacturer was Jaguar, the legendary UK marque, you should have known they would put on a jolly good show.
How could you replace the Jaguar E-type? 'The most beautiful car in the world,'...
Michael Mann is one of America's greatest film directors: Heat, starring Robert de Niro and Al Pacino; The Last of the Mohicans; Ali; and Public Enemies are just some of his very varied palate of movies. And on Christmas Day his talent ties up with that of the greatest of Italian car manufacturers, Enzo Ferrari, for the opening of Mann's...
If the Carrera 2 and 4 had turned around the core Porsche customers during the recession of the early 1990's and got them buying again, then the new Carrera – identified both internally at Porsche and externally as the 993 – re-invented the concept of the 911 and opened up an entirely new market for the model. From the moment of launch in...
The best drop-top coupe ever built? For $93,000 brand new in 1995, the Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet gave you an almost perfect cabriolet, a rock solid automobile with mega-comfort, mega-quiet, and mega-class. When it comes to acceleration this handsome car has real get-up-and-go with plenty of pep, accentuating the art of driving: you...
In 1970 the Porsche 914 was the Import Car of the Year in Motor Trend magazine, with its circulation of over one million. The success of this car, a collaboration between Porsche and Volkswagen, also celebrated the historic, rich link between the two German companies, iconic German car brands. After all, it was Ferdinand Porsche who in 1937...
I have always loved the Austin-Healey 3000. It is such a quintessential sports-car. There's nothing really like it, that thunderous exhaust note, the physical manifestation of the Healey's gutsy engine. Is there another car that has such a throaty, growling sound? One with such tremendously sexy power? The entire Austin-Healey range always has...
The best car in the world. Once upon a time you would have had no second thoughts whatsoever in dropping such an accolade on a new Rolls-Royce, the luxury supercar manufacturers which allegedly has the best-known brand name on this planet. As quintessentially British as afternoon tea and scones, as King Charles's London home of Buckingham Palace,...
The Maserati Mistral, one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Produced between 1963-70, under 1000 of these gorgeous Pietro Frua-designed grand tourers were made. All featured Maserati's renowned twin cam inline-six equipped with Lucas fuel injection & twin-plug ignition. With the Mistral, Maserati set in motion what would become a tradition...
The Spanish word 'espada' means 'sword', a reference to the instrument with which the bullfighter kills the bull. And in one of the fabulous Lamborghini Espadas, you will slice through traffic like a knife through butter: like Moses's journey across the Red Sea, any vehicle congestion will simply part and fall away. As Denis Jenkinson wrote...
Sleek and sexy, the Ferrari 456 GTA is a V12 gem, an extremely usable everyday supercar. Cars in the 90s were either ugly or magnificent. At the time of its launch the 456 GTA was the fastest production Ferrari on the market, with a top speed of 186mph, and a 0-60 mph time of 5.0 seconds - 5.3 seconds for Automatics. Whereas many cars of...
The elegant 'Quattroporte', of course, literally means 'four doors.' Sounds better in Italian, doesn't it? And as with so many matters of an Italian nature, the sumptuously gorgeous Maserati Quattroporte is the epitome of classiness, a total experience down to the finest details. The first generation ran from 1963 until 1969, and we have one...
The 1974 Porsche Carrera is such a sexy car, the true original 911 from that era. It is also the first of the G models, the Second Generation of 911s.
The 1974 Porsche Carrera is such a sexy car, the true original 911 from that era.
A limited production, with a total of only 568 made and...
The E-type Jaguar – known as the XKE in the United States – opened its commercial life with perhaps the ultimate accolade. 'The most beautiful car ever made' the legendary Enzo Ferrari is alleged to have decreed upon its launch on 15 March 1961.
The E-type Jaguar – known as the XKE in the United States – opened...
Those James Bond associations have guaranteed that the Aston Martin is almost certain to be considered the coolest of luxury cars. But unlike many such high-end vehicles it has almost always been purchased not to impress others, but because it is how it makes the owner feel when driving it. And it would be hard not to feel fantastic when...
OUTLAW definition according to the Cambridge dictionary: (especially in the past) a person who has broken the law and who lives separately from the other parts of society because they want to escape legal punishment. Ex: Robin Hood was an outlaw who lived in the forest and stole from the rich to give to the poor. Then again, we also have:...
More refined and practical than any previous road-going Ferrari, yet retaining the sporting heritage of its predecessors, the Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Series II is a landmark model of historical significance. Until the late 1950s, Ferrari produced road cars in very limited numbers, usually by request for well-heeled customers. That changed with...
An absolute classic, the stuff that dreams are made of, one of the most romantic-looking cars ever made, with chrome like a Christmas tree and named after the wealthy Bel Air neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, the 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible is one of the all-time motoring archetypes, an absolute stunner.
An...
With a top speed of 187 mph and 0-60 mph in a phenomenal 4.2 seconds (and – dig this! - 0-140 mph in 20.1 seconds) this 2008 Porsche Carrera S Coupe 6-Speed is a virtual supercar. It does not seem to be a vehicle for Sunday drivers. But just looking at those figures you want it now!
With a top speed of 187 mph and...
Such an archetypal symbol of luxury, and also of new beginnings and a new time, the Silver Wraith was the first all-new Rolls-Royce built after the end of World War 2. In 1946, a year after the war had ended, it was in production, and would continue to be until 1958. The use of the arcane Scottish word 'wraith' was in keeping with the established...
''Ferrari: an Italian myth! The history of the prancing horse, among victories, myths and legends of the four wheels. A family that became a racing stable. More than just cars, but luxury instruments created to experience emotions with a load of adrenaline.'Wonderful! In attempting to sum up the archetypal appeal of the very name of Ferrari,...
I absolutely adore the Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster. Such a lovely car to drive, such sensual and dramatic curves, a perfect work of engineering art. Every time I take one for a spin through Beverly Hills, I watch the heads spin in awe of its beauty, tongues almost literally hanging out in adoration. So much of that 1950s' era, but equally so...
Are you aware that when Japanese cars first appeared on the market in the 1960s, many people considered them an utter joke? 'They are powered by rubber bands,' was a familiar refrain. This was considered as wit – though it may also have contained a tinge of anti-Japanese racism...
Are you aware that when Japanese...
What a fabulous collision of two so different cultural attributes do we find in the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aero Coupe. First, there is that name: A clash between the so sophisticated gambling municipality of Monte Carlo in Monaco, so redolent of fabulous wealth, sexy glamour, palm-trees and sunshine; and the giant colossus of...
In 1969 the Chevrolet Chevelle was marketed as 'America's most popular mid-size car.' 'New style, new size, new spirit, and new car!' was another tagline when the Chevelle first emerged in 1964.'Chevelle, the most popular mid-size car there is. The one with friends on both sides of the generation gap!' The car, designed and developed to compete...
In 1972 the car coveted by every Los Angeles record company A & R man was the sexy BMW 2002. One musician they all would have loved to sign to their labels, Bob Marley, would shortly himself become the proud owner of a BMW 2002 – the Rasta legend would claim that BMW stood for Bob Marley and the Wailers...
In...
What an incredible car is this 2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe that we have at the moment at Beverly Hills Car Club. Ever since the first model rolled off the production line in 1925, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has been the last word in luxury motoring, used by the rich, famous and powerful around the world. When this car that we have...
The Porsche 911 RS America, a car named after an entire continent, is such a fine example of an air-cooled classic Porsche. A lightened, limited edition, performance version of the venerable Porsche 911 Carrera, it is a car that I have long loved, so tasty, so classy, so power-packed. In fact, the RS America was so named on account of once being...
Inspired by the American Jeep and first launched in 1947 the British Land Rover became one of the world's archetypal motoring images. Capable of traversing the seemingly most impenetrable terrain, able to climb or descend at almost 90 degrees, the original Land Rover seemed something of a miracle vehicle – even if that version was not very...
There really is nothing like the Porsche 356A Coupe. So moody, so original, so – excuse me! - classic in its look. It is the subtleties of detail that define so much of what Porsche does. And the subtleties of subsequent changes, frequently almost imperceptible to outsiders. At the beginning of the 1930s Ferdinand Porsche had arrived, but...
Isn't this car sensational? Sensational in its beauty. And in its performance. Just looking at the images of our 1961 Jaguar XK150 is thrillingly exciting, let alone sitting in this gorgeous car behind its long bonnet and turning the ignition key and hearing the sexy rumble of the engine and exhaust. That Cotswold Blue color certainly is all...
Little Red Corvette is that song that made Prince a star. Released in 1983 as a single from the album 1999, it's a breathless ode to casual sex that gave him his first US top 10 hit in 1983 and introduced him to the mainstream. The song was his biggest hit at the time, and his first to reach the top 10 in the US, peaking at number six...
A most eloquent and elegant pre-World War 2 motor-car indeed is the Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sedanca DeVille, which became the best-selling inter-war Rolls-Royce model. The Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sedanca DeVille was the successor to the Rolls-Royce Twenty. In a contemporary review Autocar magazine observed that the 20/25 possessed 'great refinement of power,...
How many of you remember the counter-cultural phenomena of the late 1960s, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In television show? You should, if you were around then: because the Laugh-In (a twist on the hippy concept of the 'Love-In') quickly became the most popular TV show in the United States. From January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC...
The Rolls-Royce Corniche is a luxury coupe and convertible, produced from 1971 to 1995. It is a two-door five-seater car, with a front-engine and rear wheel drive. An elegant derivative of the Silver Shadow that was built across five generations: Series I (1971-1987), Series II (1986-1989), Series III (1989-1993), Series IV (1992-1995), and...
In January 1886, Carl Benz patented the Benz Motorwagen, widely regarded as the first car ever produced. In 1926 Daimler-Benz was formed with the merger of Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft.
In January 1886, Carl Benz patented the Benz Motorwagen, widely regarded as the first car ever produced.
In...
Little. Three deuces and a four-speed and a 389. Listen to her tachin' up now. You know your car has hit legend territory when it has a song written about it. In this case 'GTO', recorded by Ronny and the Daytonas, which sold over a million and a quarter records in 1964, hitting the number 4 slot on the American charts. Later the song was covered...
In 2007 Automobile Magazine placed the BMW M3 in its list of '5 Greatest Drivers Cars of All-time.' With utter justification: like a street-legal track racer, the BMW M3 5-Speed is truly one of the great cars. The BMW M3 5-Speed has a cult status which is utterly irreplaceable. If you really like to drive, the M3 takes matters even further....
'Widely considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing sports cars of the 1930s, what made the Jaguar SS100 3.5 Litre famous was not only its sheer beauty but also the power implicit in that '100' tag: the Jaguar SS100 was so named because the 3.5 litre version could hit over the magical 100 mph, and tear from 0-60 mph in 10.4 seconds –...
'Exclusivity! I love that word. And here at Beverly Hills Car Club right now I have a classic example of such exclusivity. And it really is classic, like the very definition of a classic car. It is one of only 54 examples ever produced for the US market of a 1993 Porsche 928GTS 5-Speed. So what was its history? Well, this car we have at the...
'Shortly before the outset of World War 2, a German Zeppelin airship was seen prowling along California’s Pacific coastline. Although there had already been a significant hindrance, at the time this was the ultimate in high-end traveling. We don’t have such an airship presently on sale at Beverly Hills Car Club. But we do have a 2010 Maybach...
'Che bella macchina! Or What a beautiful car! as we might say in the English language. The epitome of Italian style.Perfect for the Alfa man – which, of course, you can interpret as you will...Though not in that age, 1969, when the Alfa Romeo Spider 1750 Veloce we presently have at Beverly Hills Car Club was produced, a perfect piece of art....
'According to a British research firm, Brand Finance, in 2013 Ferrari was the world's #1 recognized brand name. Admittedly that was ten years ago, but I don't imagine the status of Ferrari has slipped one iota, so endlessly enduring is the Ferrari flying horse. Despite assorted efforts to rather consciously bring Ferrari into the modern era,...
'Gale Halderman, who passed away on April 30 2020, had been the last living connection to the once seemingly immortal Ford Mustang design team. He was indeed the primary designer of the original Mustang. Although Lee Iacocca is generally considered the father of the Mustang, he was the driving force behind a team that created the legendary car....
'Britain's First Supercar' was the buzz-phrase tagline for the Aston Martin V8 Vantage when it was first introduced to the public in 1977. Quite specifically, it was placed as an equal to Ferrari and Lamborghini, the Italian supercar makers.
'As we know, that 'DB' signifier on each Aston Martin stands for David Brown,...
'This beautiful car, a Mercedes-Benz 170V Cabriolet A, is a piece of history. Especially when you look at the year of its birth: 1939! On September 1 that year Europe was plunged into darkness until 1945: Adolf Hitler had invaded Poland, the beginning of World War 2. The USA did not get into that global conflict for just over another two years,...
'This is such a gorgeous car, and also so exciting. Especially when you learn that there is reason for us to believe that its original owner was none other than Jerry Lewis, that figure in global popular culture once dubbed 'The King of Comedy.' We suspect, but we are not quite certain. So don't hold us up against a wall for that.
'This...
'What links some of the most chic and definitively stylish artists in all fields of a certain post-World War 2 age? Let me throw you some names: Pablo Picasso, Ava Gardner, Christian Dior, Herb Alpert, Ringo Starr, Frank Sinatra... Nothing too impressive there, I know...Well, all those world-class stars would drive home in their Facel Vega automobiles,...
'Never been a millionaire And I tell you, mama, I don't care Never gonna own a race-horse. Or a fast back mid-engine Porsche. And so Rod Stewart - always a favourite of ours at Car Tales - opened his fourth solo album, Never a Dull Moment, with the soulful rocker True Blue. Except that when Rod, always a huge car fan, did end up with a Porsche,...
'Quintessentially American, and one of the great and abiding brand names in the USA, the Buick marque started as long ago as 1899, set up by David Dunbar Buick. At Beverly Hills Car Club at the moment we have an example of his heritage, a distinguished 1955 Buick Super Convertible featuring body by Fisher and finished in a beautiful color scheme...
'It was her birthday. Never an early riser and still in her robe - it had been a late one the night before, after all - at some time around noon the beautiful blonde model drew apart the drapes of the elegant west London townhouse she lived in with her rock star husband. And then she gasped! Parked beneath her, an enormous pink ribbon wrapped...
'Wow! I love all the cars that I acquire for sale at Beverly Hills Car Club. But some of them I am absolutely knocked out by. And this is certainly one of them: top of the poppermost, as John Lennon used to say. It is a definitive American classic from 1967: a first generation 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback S-Code that is finished in a gorgeous...
'The quintessential American sports-car, the two-door, two-passenger luxury Chevrolet Corvette, was such an iconic motoring image – so sexy, so stylish, so futuristic, such puissance – that is has become known as 'America's Sports Car.' And it remains one of the most visibly notable cars on the highways of the USA today.
'The...
'The Maserati Merak took its name from Merak, a member of the Ursa Major Moving Group, a loose stellar association whose members formed in the same molecular cloud and share common velocities and motion through space. Merak's age is approximately 500 million years. In spite of being only the fifth brightest star in Ursa Major, Merak was assigned...
'Excalibur! The name of the magical sword wielded by King Arthur in the English Arthurian romance. We like seasonal references here at Beverly Hills Car Club. And legend has it that Arthur – he of the Knights of the Round Table – won the English throne by pulling a sword from an anvil sitting atop a stone that appeared in a churchyard on...
'The Eckhart Carriage Company was founded in Auburn, Indiana, in 1874, by Charles Eckhart. His two sons moved the company, renamed Auburn, into automobile manufacturing. Auburn was sold in 1925 to Errett Loban Cord, a successful automobile salesman soon to become a mega-industrialist. Almost as soon as he had bought the company in 1925, Cord...
'The Triumph TR2 was a two-door sports car produced by the Standard Motor Company in the United Kingdom from 1953 to 1955. Only available as a roadster, one that was intensely visually appealing: just looking at an image of it – tough, quick and simple - and you can still hear that distinctive throaty roar and feel the crunch on the gravel...
'As we know, that 'DB' signifier on each Aston Martin stands for David Brown, the genius behind the beautiful and very high-end UK sports cars. But all good things do indeed have to come to an end: accordingly the Aston Martin DBS, in production from 1967 to 1972, was the last of these luxurious Grand Tourers.
'As...
'The most successful concept car in history and the most popular sports car in history' wrote Automotive News of the Chevrolet Corvette. Hardly surprising, as the Corvette presents a quintessentially iconic motoring image – so sexy, so stylish, so futuristic, such clear puissance. All you have to do is look at it in profile: the Corvette,...
'What is so fascinating about classic cars is that they form part of our cultural history, often telling a great story. And the really greatest examples were instantly identifiable as such the moment they appeared: the Ford Mustang, the XKE, the Chevrolet Corvette, for example. And – though lesser known - the Sunbeam Tiger, a splendid example...
'There really is nothing like the DeLorean DMC-12, a rear-engined two-door sports car. Imbued with glamour, fabulous engineering, rebel spirit, and a measure of unquestionable controversy, the DeLorean is utterly unique as an automobile, distinctively in a world of its own.
'There really is nothing like the DeLorean DMC-12,...
'Although derived from the Italian 'cornice', which means 'ledge', the French word 'corniche', especially when employed in the phrase 'route à corniche', more suitably sums up our purposes. For 'route à corniche' means 'road on a ledge': in other words, a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, on which the ground rises on one side and falls...
''Perennial Favorite Famed for Breeding and Beauty...Mercedes Benz cars. The evolution of Mercedes-Benz proceeds towards perfection with no wasteful haste....By maintaining a steady tempo of superior engineering advances and design development, Mercedes-Benz is more than ever the car of connoisseurs, bearing the silver three-pointed star more...
'It is like something from another world altogether. Which it is really: 67 years old, if it is a day, the 1955 Austin-Healey 100-4 Convertible Sports Car we presently have for sale at Beverly Hills Car Club. The car is featured with matching numbers and finished in a gorgeous color scheme of white over red gracefully combined with a red...
'Make like Elvis and buy the 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL we presently have at Beverly Hills Car Club. That year Elvis Presley gifted his then-wife Priscilla with a white convertible 280 SL. Nowadays it is featured at his Memphis home of Graceland as a permanent display object.
'Make like Elvis and buy the 1969 Mercedes-Benz...
'The best sports car ever built' trumpeted Motor Trend magazine at the time of the 1990 launch of the Honda or Acura NSX, a very fine early example of which we presently have here in the showroom at Beverly Hills Car Club.
'The best sports car ever built' trumpeted Motor Trend magazine at the time of the 1990 launch of...
'Ferrari announced the 365 GT4 2+2 model at the 1972 Paris Salon, just a year after the launch of the GTC/4. The car's name refers to the single cylinder displacement (365 cc), four overhead camshafts (GT4) and seat configuration (2+2). Most of the mechanicals, including the 4,390 cc (268 cu in) engine, were carried over from its predecessor....
'The Porsche 964 is Porsche's internal code name for the 911 Carrera 2 and 911 Carrera 4 models, which were badged simply as 'Carrera 2' and 'Carrera 4', manufactured and sold between 1989 and 1994. '964' is used by automotive publications and enthusiasts to distinguish them from other generations of the Carrera. Designed by Benjamin Dimson...
'He blew his mind out in a car/He didn't notice that the lights had changed. These famous lyrics, from the Beatles' A Day in the Life, immortalize the sad end of 1960s' socialite Tara Browne. ‘I was writing “A Day In The Life” with the Daily Mail propped in front of me on the piano,' said John Lennon.'I had it open at their News in Brief,...
'It is a long way from World War I's aerial battlefields over northern France to the leafy glades that shelter the Hollywood Hills.
But it is only a small jump for Hooper & Co, the esteemed and now historic British coachbuilding company.
From 1805 – when it was founded as Adams and Hooper - until 1959, this highest-end coachbuilding...
'It is all in the name: the highly desirable Ferrari Mondial grand tourer, first presented at the March 1989 Geneva Motor Show as both coupe and cabriolet versions, was intended by the Italian manufacturing genius as the first Ferrari aimed at the global market – 'mondial' is French for global. Employing a rear mid-engine, the car would come...
'What is so evocative about the Jeep Grand Wagoneer is how – to me, anyway – these early SUVs resemble a classic stagecoach – the wood-grain panelling certainly helps such a vision - heading off on a mission of safely delivering its passengers across the perils of the American plains.
'What is so evocative about the...
'So sexy is the sound of that name 'Sportomatic', isn't it? You could be in your white dinner-jacket, whizzing around a Caribbean island, on your way to where, in the sultry half-light, a fabulous woman awaits you at an exclusive table on the terrace of a sophisticated restaurant, your rum punch poured and awaiting you.
'So...
'When the first ever production Nissan GT-R was delivered in 2007 – it had been unveiled at that year's Tokyo Motor Show - it was personally bought by Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, whose concept the supercar had been. Later, the colossally successful Ghosn would go on the run from the Japanese forces of law and order, charged with under-reporting...
'Yet again it is all down to Max Hoffman, the often unsung patron and spiritual guide of US Mercedes-Benz lovers, a man with an astute eye on the needs of the American market. The Austrian-born, New York-based Hoffman, whose Manhattan showroom at 430 Park Avenue was designed by architectural superstar Frank Lloyd Wright, was not only an important...
'The Citroen 2CV became the world's first front-wheel drive car to sell over 1 million units. Between 1948 and 1990, when production seized, more than 3.8 million 2CVs were produced. The car, essentially aimed at those who had previously been financially disenfranchised from owning automobiles, was a huge success. Its design prefigured the brutalist...
'Emilia-Romagna is one of the 20 administrative regions of Italy, situated in the north of the country, comprising the historical regions of Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. In 2018 the Lonely Planet guide named Emilia-Romagna as the best place to see in Europe. In northern Italy Emilia-Romagna is one of the 20 administrative regions...
'I love the way in which – if you leave it to its own purposes - life unfolds organically, with seemingly unconnected events suddenly all fitting together almost seamlessly. For example, a while ago a friend called me from Chicago. A friend of his had been working on repairing someone's roof. The individual whose roof he was fixing up turned...
'Known for its fearsome demeanor and aggressive deportment, the scavenging, scary barracuda is known for its predatory behavior: though primarily a fish eater it has been known to take a snap of its considerable teeth at passing swimmers. Bold and inquisitive, living near the top of the water, the barracuda is found in tropical and subtropical...
'As sleek as an oiled otter and with a profile that looked sculpted by artisans rather than constructed in a Coventry factory, the E-type was a marvel of aerodynamic engineering.' So wrote the UK's GQ magazine of the Jaguar XKE, immortalized at New York's MOMA and the London Design Museum – the 'E-type' as it is known in the UK, the supercar's...
'What's in a name?Something I frequently ask myself, especially when questioning the convoluted origins of the monikers of many vintage automobiles. For example, that of the Chevrolet Camaro. Initially known as the 'XP-836', the car's working-title soon became the 'Panther' or 'F-body.'
'What's in a name?
'Something...
'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.
'Car shapes have changed....
'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. The...
'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."
'As the saying goes, what's in a name?
'In the world...
'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.
'One of the reasons I started Beverly Hills Car...
'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.
'At Beverly Hills Car Club we are presenting an extremely...
'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.
'One thing I love about running Beverly Hills Car Club is the sheer variety of the individuals I learn about who have...
'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.
'The Ferrari Dino range was a marque developed by the Italian supercar specialists...
'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.
'I love human stories that really bring out the personality and character of the car. Take that of 1967 Polish Sports Personality...
'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.'
Wild horses / Wouldn't drag me...
'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
It was forty or fifty years ago
A big shot played with time
Mister...
'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.
'Classic...
'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.
'Behold the Prancing Horse!
'Regardless of the...
'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.'
'Yonder...
'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.
'The...
'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.
'One of the most beautiful...
'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.
'Right now...
'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.
'With a top speed...
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.
'The Alfa Romeo GTV 2000, or the Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Veloce...
''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.
'Ferrari...
'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.
'Today the throaty roar of the Triumph...
'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.
'The De Tomaso Mangusta is named after the mongoose, the small carnivorous animal...
'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.
'One of the truly great collectors' cars,...
'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.
'Visitors to the south of France at the end of summer may well be acquainted with the mistral. Often...
'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.
'I've always...
'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?'
'What...
'"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.
'Call me old-fashioned...
'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.
'What...
'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...
Sell us your car
Chat With Us!
