Karl Abarth was born on November 15th, 1908 in Vienna, Austria. At the age of seventeen, he became an apprentice at Castagna, Italy, designing chassis for motorcycles and bicycles. In 1927, he returned to Austria to work at the Motor Thun Motorcycle......

AC Cars of Thames Ditton introduced their all-new Ace Roadster at the 1953 London Auto Show. Based on a design by noted race car builder John Tojeiro, the car had many advanced features which included a twin steel tube chassis with four-wheel independent......

Beginning with the launch of a sedan in 1950, the 1900 was the first Alfa Romeo model to emerge from the legendary marques factories after World War II, with its first four-cylinder engine and its first unitary frame. Designed by Orazio Satta, the......

In 1955 Bertone turned in the final design for the B.A.T. project, a series of prototypes that represented the peak of styling creativity at the time. The B.A.T. 9 did away with the marked wing lines of the previous models in favour of a cleaner, more......

Nuccio Bertone used a pair of MG TD frames and clothed them with a coupe body designed by designer Franco Scaglione. The cars made their debut in Turin in 1952 where they caught the attention of American industrialist S.H. Wacky Arnolt. A deal was......

For some, the ordinary is never enough. Custom cars have existed throughout the history of the automobile to provide unique transportation to people seeking relief from the mass-produced, often boring four-wheeled forms of the worlds motorways. Whether......

This vehicle is 1 of 73 D Series R-Type Continentals built. It was delivered new in May 1955 to T.W. Dupree of Cypress via Franco Brittanic Automobiles.......

Buick introduced three concept cars in the early 1950s which they dubbed Wildcat. The first example, introduced in 1953 as the Wildcat and later renamed as the Wildcat I, had a low-slung design with seating for two, a wraparound windshield, a sculpted......

In the early 1950s, when the streamlined shapes of jet airplanes first became part of the publics consciousness, two friends decided to conceive %26 build a unique American sports car. Harry Birdsall, a commercial artist %26 Joe Mascari, a New York contractor,......

GM touted this four-door, four-passenger, pillarless hardtop as an exploration in elegance. With a panoramic windshield, long fairings for the headlamps, a series of vertical grille bars baked by fine mesh, distinctive side coves that wrapped around......

Between 1953 and 1955, Ghia produced a small number of special Chrysler show cars that were designed to be shown and driven. They were exclusive and very luxurious, and certainly showcased the talent and potential of the Ghia firm. The Italian coachbuilder......

During its brief life in the automotive production business, the French firm Facel produced around 2,900 cars. There were hand-built, exclusive, stylish, fast, and luxurious. Their high price tag made them affordable only to the wealthy or those of considerable......

The Ferrari 121 LM was powered by an Aurelio Lampredi designed, six-cylinder engine. The engine had been created by utilizing the successful four-cylinder engine and adding two cylinders to the 2-liter four. The result was called the 306 and was used......

This Ferrari 250 Europa GT entered into the Pininfarina Plant on February 14th of 1955. The Europa GT body style came in two sizes, a 104-inch or a 110.2-inch and this vehicle sits atop the larger wheelbase. It was entered into the 1956 Tour de France......

This Ferrari 250GT wears an elegant low-roof design and is one of the first 100 examples built. This particular car shares its type 508112 chassis with the Europa GT. The engine is a Colombo series (Tipo 112) first employed in the Europa. It is a lightly......

This one-off Pinin Farina-designed Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Speciale was first shown at the 1956 Geneva Auto Salon. Pinin Farina built a small number of Speciales based on the 1953 Europa GT chassis the Italian design firm and coachbuilder had developed......

The Ferrari 375 was introduced at the Paris Salon in 1953. During its production run which lasted until May of 1954, less than 45 examples of the 375 America were produced. The car was constructed for Ferraris clientele who had the means to afford one......

The Ferrari 375 was introduced at the Paris Salon in 1953. During its production run which lasted until May of 1954, less than 45 examples of the 375 America were produced. The car was constructed for Ferraris clientele who had the means to afford......

In 1954, a more powerful version of the Lampredi V-12 was enlarged to nearly 5.0 liters and was installed in some 375MM models. Dubbed the 375 Plus, the car differed from its predecessors by a large bulge at the rear necessitated by a larger fuel tank......

The 410S was created to contest the 1955 Carrera Panamericana Mexican Road Race. Powered by Ferraris largest competition V12 of the 1950s and the last of the Lampredi engines, it displaced 4.9 liters and produced 390 hp at 6200 RPM. The body was built......

In 1955 this was the most expensive Ferrari available the 410 Superamerica replaced the 375 America after just only eleven examples had been made. Both cars belonged to Ferraris flagship America series, offering the highest levels of sophistication,......

This 1955 Ferrari MMondial 500 Series 1 has been owned since 1994 by Tom Mittler who has driven it in the 1997 Mille Miglia, the 1997 Silverstone International Histroic Festival and the 1998 Eifel-Klassick, Nurburgring. This car is powered by a four-cylinder......

Ferrari 750 Monza SN 0502M started life as a successful race car in California in 1955. Lead driver Ernie McAfee won 8 individual races against the likes of Phil Hill that year. The current owner restored the beautiful and correct car presented today.......

Frank Kurtis became legendary for his racing cars that raced at Indianapolis and his midget racers. He even began building sports cars which later evolved into the Muntz Road Jet. By the early 1950s, the majority of cars entered in the Indianapolis......

Lancia has been in the business of building cars since 1906. The B20 was designed by Felice Mario Boano and was put into production only a year after the B10 sedan. Production of the B20 Series would last for seven years and they were very popular......

Blue Ray 1, completed in September 1955, is perhaps the most fantastic creation of Enrico Nardi. It was first shown at the Turin Auto Show and subsequently shown at the Paris and New York Auto Shows. Power is provided by a Lancia Aurelia B20 V6 engine......

Some enthusiasts say that the Lincoln Futura was the most successful, and most dramatic Lincoln concept vehicle that ever graced the circuit. The original Batmobile, the ultimate car that struck awe in countless fans for a decade was originally a concept......

The coachbuilding craft was in desperation after World War II. Many of the marques had brought the styling, designing and building of the vehicles in-house. The availability of suitable chassis also dwindled. At this time, many prominent coachbuilders......

Sir Stirling Moss raced his privately owned Maserati 250F for the whole of the 1954 racing season. Between 1954 and 1958 the 250Fs competed in and won over 55 races. The 250F first appeared at the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix driven by Juan Manuel Fangio.......

This Maserati was the third Maserati ordered by Briggs Cunningham for the use of his friend and team driver Bill Spear and Sherwood Johnston in the 1955 Sebring 12 Hours race. The pair won third overall in the brand new Maserati behind the second-placed......

Purchased in 1993 and completely restored after careful research of other A6G Zagatos to insure it was correctly done. This car was on the Maserati stand at the Paris Auto Show in 1955. Among the 19 Zagatos built on this chassis, each of those having......

The styling of this 300b Pininfarina Coupe has been interpreted as a blend of several cars of the period, particularly the Bentley Continental, in profile, and the Facel Vega, from the rear. Pinin Farina also bodied a few other 300S models but not as......

Rudolf Uhlenhaut, the individual responsible for the 300 SLR racer, or rather his new company car which he appeared in for the first time at the Swedish Formula 1 circuit, provided a fascinating side-show to the race itself. Spurred on by Mercedes......

Dick Jones and partner Jim Byers started, in the summer of 1953, designing and building their first sports car - a Meteor SR-1. SR stood for Sports Roadsters, and this first car debuted at the November 1953 Petersen Motorama in Los Angeles, California.......

This 1955 Porsche 356 was highly modified by a former owner to compete in the LA Carrera Panamericana. These modifications include a Type-4 high performance 2.0 Liter 914 engine with stinger exhaust, Plexiglas side and rear windows, full roll cage,......

This vehicle left the Porsche factory in 1955 looking much different than it does now. It was a 356 Pre-A Speedster painted red that was involved in a crash in 1956. A lightweight and inexpensive Devin body was purchased and installed. The Devin bodies......

This is the second production car of 1955. The car was initially a factory team car with serial number 550-018, driven by Kurt Ahrens. The car was also the original car used in European Porsche print ads and was just recently used in the newest %26quotHoly......