Image Gallery: The Original Ford Mustang
On April 17, 1964, the Ford Mustang, with its long hood, short rear deck and sporty features, caused a sensation when it was introduced to the public at the New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens.
“When the Mustang was unveiled, the reaction was so positive that there was no doubt it was going to be a success,” recalls Joe Oros, chief designer of Ford’s original pony car – dubbed the 1964½ because it was launched at an unusual halfway point in the year.
Auction Spotlight: 1969 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider
The Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider earned celebrity for its role in the iconic 1960s black comedy The Graduate. With that, demand for the Italian roadster soared and the Alfa marque became a hot commodity in America once again. The Spider’s movie gig retained enough prominence so as to become an entry trim level in later years.
Things We’d Rather Spend Money on Than an $11m Shelby Daytona: An F-86 Sabre
Many fancy themselves as speed freaks, but no can deny the ultimate form of speed lies not on the ground–but in the air.
Rizk Recreates Aston Martin’s DBR2
Phoenix-based Rizk Auto has brought us a forgotten item in the Aston Martin catalog: the short-lived DBR2. The DBR2 was a Le Mans-class race car released in 1957. But due to various regulations over engine capacity, the DBR2 was cast out of major competition. Its chance at glory came with the ‘57 Le Mans, but the car couldn’t muster the full twenty-four hours. It puttered along until 1960, when it was retired and sold to private collectors.
Rizk has resolved those old problems by making its version the perfect balance of Space Age design with ’50s cool. The featherweight aluminum chassis is linked to a composite body, both lined with heat-resistant shuttle-craft coating. The curb weight for the car is just 2,100 lbs. Buyers can opt for old-school equipment, with a carbureted Jaguar inline-six or V-12 mated to a 5-spd. manual, or go modern with a fuel-injected Chevrolet 6.2 L V-8 with a 6-spd. auto or manual.
Things We Would Spend Money on Rather Than an $11m Shelby Daytona: A Ferrari Collection
Keeping with our week-long series, today’s better alternative to an $11,000,000 Shelby Daytona is an entire Ferrari collection of old and new Maranello gems. The Ferrari marque has produced hundreds of different specials over its many decades, but here’s are some that standout in our mind for value and style:
Things We Would Spend Money on Rather Than an $11m Shelby Daytona: Lambo Miura
Let’s accept a hard fact: $11,000,000 is a lot of money for anything–especially an automobile that’s barely ever going to see the road. Just imagine the cost and what you could use that money for instead. Here’s one alternative that’s about a hundredth to a fiftieth of the cost, depending on what variant and the condition: Lamborghini’s revered Miura.
The Miura is the car that put Ferruccio Lamborghini’s name on the automotive map. The Miura was designed by a young stylist named Marcello Gandini in the middle of the 1960s, debuting in Turin in 1965. There was simply nothing like it–its curvaceous body, mid-mounted 3.9 L V-12, and, well, that curvaceous body were stunning. If there’s one car to knock off the Brits claim the E-type is the most beautiful car ever built, the Miura’s it.
There are a few downsides to the Miura. Early models, the P400 notably, were prone to engine fires. The cabin is terribly uncomfortable with an awkward seating position. Lastly, let’s not forget there’s lots of heat emanating from behind the passenger compartment.
But all of that is really unimportant. Think of the Miura as a gorgeous, buxom Italian brunette. She can be a bitch and likes high-living, but all that is little to pay when you slip inside and ride her all night–and she’s a screamer, to top it off.
With prices ranging from $90,000 to $200,000, the Miura is a godsend.
Misfit Shelby Hopes to Find Buyer This Time Around
We reported a couple months back about a rare 1965 Shelby Daytona up for auction at Mecum. The seller had hoped to have his car become a record-holder with a final bid between $10,000,000 and $11,000,000. The final bid was nowhere near those figures. The seller and Mecum group claim there was a post-auction offer of as much as $7,500,000, but the seller was still unsatisfied.
Here we go again. The seller is pushing the Shelby coupe on the block once again, hoping this season’s Monterey auction will bring in a willing buyer up to the seller’s financial standards.
That’s going to be a hard sell. With a shaky economy, classic American car values in the dumps, and an astonishingly high sales expectation, we find it very unlikely this car will hit the eight-figure mark. The only cars we can count hitting eleven million have been Ferrari’s revered 250 Testa Rossas and GTOs. Still, this Daytona is in marvelous condition, is extremely rare, and has real history behind it.
(A Slightly Late) Friday Flashback: Shelby South of the Border
During the 1960s, the Ford Mustang stood as the most iconic car on American roads. It crossed demographics, looked unlike anything else on the road, and attached itself to a generation. Part of the Mustang’s appeal was its wide array of options, trim, and bodystyles. This was furthered by Carroll Shelby, who was signed on to modify a limited number of Mustangs. His works, the GT350 and 500, became the most desired of Ford’s steel stallions, and that desire spread to America’s southern neighbor.
Weekend Rant: Visual Appreciation
It’s not easy being beautiful. Take it from someone who knows. I frequently have to deal with women’s gasps and cries. In fact, I’ve even been handed restraining orders because my looks are a cause of too much temptation. (That’s not what the documents said, but that’s the truth behind ‘em.)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder–except in my case, since my beauty is unquestionable. I am appreciative that in our present day, automotive design has come to a point of such creativity to appeal to anyone’s taste.
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