Classic Cars

Launched in 1974 as a replacement for the dated Beetle, the Volkswagen Golf became a big hit and quickly transformed into a legendary nameplate that has soldiered on over eight generations.

Although the first-gen Golf was developed as a humble daily driver, Volkswagen also launched a beefed-up GTI model. In addition, the boxy hatchback was converted to race spec as early as 1975. The first Golf race car ever built just showed up for auction at RM Sotheby’s, which will attempt to sell it during an event in Essen, Germany, on June 24.

Cars have been divided into affordable and expensive ever since the early days of the automobile. As Ford began to streamline production for the Model T, which made it affordable to the average Joe, automakers like Rolls-Royce were producing luxurious and expensive cars.

Companies like Bugatti, Duesenberg, and Cadillac soon joined this endeavor to produce the best car in the world, which would also be the most expensive car in the world. As years went by, many of them also became very valuable. Rare cars become collectibles, and collectible status comes with a high price tag. Which are the rarest and most expensive cars on the market right now? Find out in the article below.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world, we keep seeing reports about the terrible financial crisis that’s just around the corner. Of course, automakers are heavily affected by the pandemic and many companies need government support to survive.

We’ve seen this before. The financial downfall of the 1930s saw many U.S. carmakers go bust, while World War 2 and the oil crisis of the 1970s made even more victims. It happened again in the 1980s and in 2008. The latest recession saw GM and Chrysler go bankrupt and brands like Mercury, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Plymouth disappear altogether. But while current predictions are somewhat bleak, we need to stay positive and remember the times when entire companies were saved by one cleverly designed car. Here’s a list of 10 vehicles that saved some of the biggest carmakers out there from going under.

Drifting has its roots in Japan. Ask every petrolhead out there about drifting and he’ll tell you it’s something he attempted at least once in his life. Done right, drifting transcends the motorsport discipline status. Done right, drifting is art. Oh, and drifting has nothing to do with that neon underglow BS from The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Contrary to what some might think, speed is not what primarily drives a drift. Sure, you need some amount of power to get the wheels spinning, but to drift properly, it also takes a lot of skill, rear-wheel-drive, and a light platform (a two-ton S-Class will drift, of course, but it’s way harder to handle).

A 50:50 (or close) weight distribution ratio between the axles helps the cause, too. And we get it. The right car doesn’t come cheap. But since physics applies equally to all earthly things, you don’t have to break the bank to find a good drift car. Some used vehicles will definitely do, so let’s explore the alternatives, shall we?

When you think about classic cars, you probably think about Ferraris and Lamborghinis. But, there were a lot of other cars produced at that time that were absolute crackers. Some were performance-oriented, like your Corvettes, and then there were the luxury sedans, like your Lincolns. You’ll be surprised to see that some famous monikers sell for pretty low prices.

Depending on your choice, you can either choose to get cars that require a restomod, or rebuilding, or you can prefer to go for well-maintained cars that, obviously, retail at a higher price. But, that said, there is definitely no dearth of classic cars in the market, and here’s a list of 10 cars that are dirt cheap in 2020.

Jay Leno’s classic car collection is one of the biggest and most impressive out there. And it includes an amazing amount of rare vehicles. However, Leno is missing the weird and somewhat anonymous Fiat 600 Multipla Mirafiori, an MPV-style hauler built in just five units in 1958. Only two survived and they’re owned by the same enthusiast and he paid Leno a visit to showcase them.

Although James Bond movies typically go together like winter and January, the upcoming No Time To Die installment has made a lot of gearheads happy. You could attribute that to the power of social media and car brands wanting as much exposure as possible, but it’s surely nice that so much car content has been generated by the latest 007 movie.

Daniel Craig’s last ride as James Bond will see some Land Rover Defenders bouncing off rough terrain, crashing, and then bouncing some more. It also motivated Top Gear to go out and drive some of the best Bond cars to feature on the big screen.

Classic cars are almost always exclusive and expensive, especially if they’re the desirable types. But even if that applies most of the time, there are instances when it doesn’t. The phrase “classic cars,” after all, is subjective. One person’s definition of a classic car is another person’s definition of junk. Then there’s a group of cars that are considered “classic” in most people’s eyes, even if they don’t fetch a fortune. These are the cars that can be purchased without burning holes in your pockets. If you’re in the market for an affordable classic car, check out this list that we’ve prepared. You might end up finding one that suits your taste and your budget.

Granted, a lot of these affordable classics usually come with maladies that will require you to spend money on restorations. That’s a separate cost that’s harder to predict because it’s going to depend on how much restoration needs to be done. So we’re focusing on desirables that come on the cheap. As far as post-purchase costs are concerned, let’s hope you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for those.

After more than 40 years of being out of the spotlight, the Stratos has returned. It’s not made by Lancia anymore, but by Manufattura Automobili Torino (MAT). Called the MAT Stratos Coupe, the first-production version of the super-desirable sports car is now up for auction at Bonhams, and, as you can imagine, this particular Stratos Coupe is going to fetch a steep price.

The renowned auction house estimates that the first-production Stratos Coupe will fetch somewhere in the vicinity of $1 million. It’s about as unique a sports car as you can buy these days, and while the estimated price is way out of our budget, it’s not hard to imagine someone paying that much money to own the first-produced MAT Stratos Coupe.

What you’re looking at here isn’t only allegedly Al Capone’s very own Cadillac, but it may also be one of the world’s very first armored cars. While there’s no for-sure way to know if Al Capone really owned this baby, a Milwaikee Sentinel story from 1921 did trace the car’s license plates to Mae Capone, Al’s wife. History of the car is known from 1933 onward, however, so there’s nearly a century worth of known history to go with it. If you’re really like to own it, though, the asking price is a steep $1 million, so you might want to run that past your wife first.

The whole new DeLorean Motor Company situation has been happening for a while. Production of “New” DMC-12s was supposed to start way back in 2017 but due to a delay in the Low Volume Manufacturers Act – an act that allows companies to build up to 325 examples of cars at least 25 years old – all of that has had to go on hold. Now, the act has finally be pushed through and the new DeLorean DMC-12 can finally go into production.

Aston Martin’s DB5 is the epitome of British elegance and class and with multiple appearances in the James Bond franchise, has been heralded over the years as one of the world’s most famous cars. While maybe not all passersby will be able to tell you what it is when looking at the DB5, mostly everyone knows that shape. The fact that there was also an open-top version may not, however, be common knowledge but, with or without a roof, the DB5 is a show-stopper any day of the week.

Powered by 4.0-liter version of Tadek Marek’s DOHC inline-six, the DB5 was an evolutionary step than a revolutionary one when compared to the DB4 it replaced. In fact, the styling was nigh on identical to that of a Series 5 DB4 and it was the increase in the engine’s capacity that stood out as key differentiator between the two models. But a deal to supply Sean Connery’s Bond with a Silver Birch DB5 in the movie ’Goldfinger’ changed everything for David Brown’s company.

The model became a success with over 1,000 units sold in just two years and movie stars fawned over the gorgeous lines penned by Touring. Actors Peter Sellers and Beryl Reid were just some who owned DB5s in the ’60s and even Princess Margaret rolled in one for a while. Indeed, you probably needed the funds usually linked to an heir of the crown given that the DB5 Convertible cost as much as a house at the time but can you really put a price on driving a car Bond pedalled on-screen?

It’s a very rare occasion when something as special as this 1995 Ferrari F50 Berlinetta Prototipo shows up with a for sale sign that’s open to the public. The F50 Berlinetta, in general, is special in its own right as Ferrari produced less than 350 examples over the course of its life, but this is, arguably, the most special of all. Keep reading to find out why.

Believe it or not, this is actually a Ford F-Series pickup truck. Although it is far from the conventional trucks that we’re used to seeing now, this wacky design was quite common back in the day. There aren’t many examples of this old-school truck available online today, but one example has somehow arrived on the Barrett-Jackson website.

However, this particular model is highly customized and comes packed with a modern Mustang V-8 Voodoo engine under the hood. And, the best part – it is mated to a manual transmission! Is this the best package or what?

Maserati’s 200S, 300S, and 450S proved the once-great Maserati factory could still play with the big boys on any turf in the World Sports Car Championship but it was the unassuming, yet painfully gorgeous, A6GCS from 1953 that announced Maserati’s mid-50s sports car onslaught.

Part of the A6 family of models that dates back to the ’40s, the A6GCS was powered by a 170 horsepower engine at first. Only 52 were ever built and this particular example finished third overall in the 1954 Mille Miglia.

One of the most expensive cars ever sold is now at the center of a lawsuit, all because of a missing part. The car in question is a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, which sold for $44 million in 2017 after British classic car trader Gregor Fisken purchased it from American collector and lawyer Bernard Carl.

A transaction of that amount should’ve made Fisken and Carl friends for life, but the opposite has happened as the two heavyweight collectors are now entangled in a lawsuit involving the 250 GTO’s original five-speed manual transmission, which didn’t come with the car when Fisken purchased it from Carl. It remains unclear if Fisken is owed the original five-speed transmission, but the lawsuit has already been heard by the U.K. High Court. The judge presiding over the lawsuit is reportedly days away from making a verdict.

Ford v. Ferrari, Hollywood’s latest stab at tackling a racing film, has fans still drooling over its enthralling story and, more importantly, the cohorts of legendary cars that appear on the big screen. Casual movie-goers relish the opportunity of seeing Matt Damon and Christian Bale together for the first time but, for us, it’s all about the Fords, the Ferraris, and everything in between when it comes to this blockbuster.

In 2020, we’ll celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1970 Le Mans 24 Hours, a race expertly - if lacking in a proper plot - showcased in Le Mans, the 1971 movie that Steve McQueen put everything on the line for. Over four decades later, we’ve got another movie centered around those old country roads in France. This time, the talk of the town is Ford’s legendary grudge match against the Prancing Horse from Maranello. The trip down memory lane that director James Mangold prepared for us is littered with some of history’s most revered automobiles so it’s only fitting that we take a moment to talk about them - one by one.

An old friend of the public automotive auction scene is back for another go. The Sunbeam Alpine was an interesting yet underrated British sports car that once raced disguised as a Ferrari. It wasn’t some gimmick, just the result of the relationship between famed U.S. Ferrari importer, racer, and team owner Luigi Chinetti and the owner of this particular Sunbeam Harrington Alpine Coupe.

With a 1.6-liter engine developing just 104 horsepower, the Sunbeam Alpine was surely not the car you’d pick if you wanted to go for overall honors in the 12 Hours of Sebring but, due to its low dry weight of just 2,228 pounds and an aerodynamic body, it was tough nut to crack in the lower GT ranks. This example was first run by the factory-backed Rootes team before going through a never-to-be-repeated makeover that saw it repainted in Ferrari Red. This is what we call a sheep in wolf’s clothing and you can pick it up during January’s RM/Sotheby’s Arizona sale!

"This is David vs. Goliath vs. Goliath," said leading actor Christian Bale that plays veteran sports car racing ace Ken Miles in the upcoming ’Ford v. Ferrari’ movie that’ll park in a cinema near you from November 15. It’s a story about racing as much as it is a story about business affairs that become personal and about what you can achieve if you’re willing to throw infinite amounts of cash at a problem. It’s the story about Ford’s first outright success in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that ended a six-year winning spree for Scuderia Ferrari.

’Ford v. Ferrari’ (or ’Le Mans ’66’ in Europe and other places) is the first movie to take us back to Le Mans since 2003’s Michel Vaillant. Those scenic country roads in France that play host to the most famous sports car endurance race in the world over a weekend in June were first showcased to moviegoers almost 50 years ago when Steve McQueen put his fortune and reputation on the line to create ’Le Mans’. ’Ford v. Ferrari’ looks at the 1966 edition of the race but you can’t tell that by looking at the recently released IMAX poster. So, why are Bale and co-star Matt Damon seen propped up against a weird-looking Ford GT40?