Classics : Car News And Reviews

Jay Leno gets together with Lee Iacocca to show off the very first Mustang to roll off the assembly line, and take us back to the earliest days of America’s seminal pony car. We’re also enamored of the unrelated, but equally enthralling Mustang Mach 1 prototype, which we’ve seen in person at the Henry Ford Museum.

Just 50 of this Italian two-seater were ever made, so its no wonder this incredible piece of automotive history is expected to fetch between $7 million and $9 million when it hits the auction block this coming January.

The Jaguar E-Type is certainly one of the most beloved vehicles of all time. Companies like Eagle have created modern day replicas of the car, but they’re basically modern cars that look like classics. In the case of Jason Len, he started out over 30 years ago with a classic 1964 E-Type, and took his time turning it into a true race car.

While Dick Lang’s Cobra-taunting Z06 is headed to auction in January, it turns out you’ll be able to grab one of those rare early 60’s Shelby Cobras from the same racing era at the very same auction.

The late, great rally car driver Colin McRae was responsible for testing this classic MkII Ford Escort, that was later raced by his father and brother in a number of rally wins. It was raced to victory by Colin’s father, Jimmy McRae in the 2006 Roger Albert Clark Rally, and the 2007 British Historic Championship; then, in 2008, Colin’s brother Alistair raced it in the memorial Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, took home the prize there as well.

As Jaguar’s E-Type seemingly gets the majority of attention from classic car enthusiasts, it’s easy to neglect the incredible car that pre-dates it – the open air, single-seater D-Type – built from 1954 to 1957. In this short film by Kidston, actor Chris Barrie gets to sit behind the seat of this rare specimen of British car history, with the help of famed Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis, who raced the aircraft-inspired D-Type back in its heyday.

Petrolicious invites us to explore this neat little car which got its start at Ferrari, but was actually produced by Fiat. Apparently, in order for Ferrari to meet its homologation requirements to race in Formula 2 races, they had to create a high production vehicle, and Fiat was up to the task.

We often take the stalwart Range Rover for granted, as if it’s been around forever. But the very first production Range Rover was actually made just over 43 years ago, in 1970. Now, the very first Range Rover to roll off the assembly line to be driven by the press is getting some much-deserved TLC.

While Bertone’s original Lancia Stratos is truly one of the most spectacular cars of all time, most of us mere mortals could never afford to buy one, at least not in drivable condition. Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to recreate the design of the Stratos with kit cars.

The late Dick Lang raced cars from the 1950s to the 1970s, and one of the most iconic vehicles he drove was the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray #85 shown in the photos here. The car, found in fair condition, was meticulously restored at a cost of over $240,000 back in 2011, and is now going up for auction.

The 1969 to 1973 Datsun 240Z is one of those classic Japanese sports cars that always brings a smile to our faces when we still see one driving around. Electric Federal created this short documentary film about what made the “Fairlady” Z so special then, and why it’s still such a fun car to drive.

This extraordinary specimen of this classic 1970 muscle car recently went up for sale at RK Motors Charlotte. It’s an incredibly restored build of the Road Runner Superbird, complete with the original 426 cubic inch Hemi V8 engine, and A727 Torqueflite transmission.

The 1956 Maserati A6G-2000 Allemano is a rare bird. Only 21 of the cars were ever built, and the specimen shown in this Jay Leno’s Garage video took the best in class award at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

MINI has announced it will again be producing MINIs in the Netherlands, where the last MINI rolled off the assembly line way back in in 1966. To commemorate its return to the country, the BMW Classic Group has found and restored MINI number 983, a 1959 Austin Seven built in Amersfoort, the Netherlands; one of only 30 built there in that year.

Most people who have the privilege to get their hands on a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL use it for occasional Sunday touring or leave it in a garage or car museum. After all, this classic is worth more than a million bucks.