This car is expected to sell for roughly 10 times the price of that 820 horsepower Aston Martin. But, then, this is the rare and beautiful Jaguar D-Type. With its giant fin, it’s an instantly recognizable auto-racing icon. Its 250 horsepower seems almost quaint by today’s standards, but the D-Type was a revelation in its day. This D-type — this very car — won the famous LeMans 24-hour race 1956.
Artistry in Restoration: Hiro Yamagata
You might say that any car restorer is an artist, but Hiro Yamagata is a different kind of artist. He uses classic Mercedes-Benz 220 cabriolets as his canvas. Having started in the 1990s, he’s now restored about 75 of these cars, including this one, ultimately covering them in his famously florid paintings.
The Prototypical Lamborghini: Countach
The Lamborghini Countach is the prototypical modern Lamborghini. It created the model for all the wedge-shaped, scissor-doored Lamborghini supercars to come. And this one is among the earliest Countaches produced. The nickname ‘Periscopica’ comes from the periscope-style rearview mirror necessitated by the car’s constricted rear visibility.
Innovations in Race Car Design: Henry Miller’s Contribution
This car was developed by Henry Miller, regarded as one of America’s most influential and important race car designers. He created 10 of these front-wheel-drive Indianapolis 500 racers in partnership with Ford Motor Co. and Preston Tucker, later famed for the Tucker automobile. They had Ford V8 engines. Unfortunately, there was too little time to properly test and prepare the cars before race day. Only four cars started the race and none finished. An outraged Henry Ford ordered all of the cars disassembled. This one was later rebuilt.
Exclusive Racing Heritage: Cisitalia 202
Italian industrialist Piero Dusio, who built up the conglomerate Consorzio Industriale Sportivo Italia, or Cisitalia, was also a talented driver. He wanted to create his company’s own line of race cars. With the help of engineers from Fiat, he succeeded. Next, the company developed road-going sports cars like this two-seater. With a body by Alfredo Vignale, this is the second of only two of these cars ever built.
The Mazda Cosmo: A Unique Engineering Feat
The Mazda Cosmo was powered by a Wankel rotary engine. Instead of pumping pistons, the Wankel engine has triangular rotors that are pushed around inside an oval housing by burning gasoline and air. For various reasons, the fast-spinning Wankel engine eventually fell out of favor, even with Mazda, but the Cosmo has now become a desirable collectible.
Classic Performance: The Dodge Omni GLHS
Admittedly, $60,000 might sound like an awful lot for a 1980s Dodge Omni. This isn’t just any regular Dodge Omni, though. This is the Dodge Omni GLHS, a high-performance model engineered with assistance from Carroll Shelby, a man famously obsessed with speed. Known for cars like the Shelby Cobra and Shelby Mustangs, he called this model one of his personal favorites. An even faster version of the Omni GLH (Goes Like Hell), the GLHS (Goes Like Hell, S’more) had a 175 horsepower turborcharged four cylinder and upgraded suspension. Adding significant extra value is the fact that this one was Carroll Shelby’s own personal car.
Extravagance on Wheels: Custom Rolls-Royce
This Rolls-Royce, with its custom body made in the United States, was created for Tommy Manville, Jr., a wealthy Long Island, N.Y., resident known for his — to put it mildly — extravagant lifestyle. Part of that extravagance was a succession of Rolls-Royce cars that he owned and, after a while, traded out for new ones. Given Manville’s penchant for high living, it’s somewhat surprising that this car was originally swathed in a conservative black. A much later owner painted it its current vibrant purple.
Performance Engineering: Abarth
Abarth is best known for performance tuning Fiat products. (You can buy the Abarth 500 at your local Fiat dealer today.) but it has also made some cars of its own, including a few single-seat speed record cars. This is among the last of those cars. Its body was designed by the Italian auto design firm Pinin Farina — spelled Pininfarina today — using many hours of wind tunnel testing. Powered by a small 1-liter 180 horsepower engine, ‘La Principessa,’ as it was nicknamed, drove for 72 hours at an average speed of 117 miles an hour. That includes being pushed across the finish line by the driver after it crashed in a rainstorm near the end of the test.
Conclusion: The Legacy of Iconic Cars
These rare automobiles, showcasing extraordinary engineering and rich histories, reflect the pinnacle of automotive design. They are not just vehicles but are milestones in the evolution of car culture, representing a blend of art and science that continues to inspire car enthusiasts and collectors worldwide.
