The 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 was a high-performance, six-cylinder car known for its elegant design, featuring a 2.5-liter engine and aerodynamic coachwork. It was the last pre-war model and first post-war offering from Alfa Romeo.
The 150 ci engine made 95hp and redlined at 4,600 rpm.
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini gave an Alfa Romeo to his mistress Clara Petacci as a gift. The pair met at Lake Como and planned to seek asylum in Switzerland. A motorcade they were in, which included a retreating German anti-aircraft unit, was stopped at a roadblock near the town of Dongo on April 27, 1945. The fascist leader and his mistress were both identified before being shot dead and their bodies hung upside down at a petrol station. Petacci’s Alfa Romeo was confiscated and eventually acquired by an American Army Air Corps officer, Major Charles Pettit.
The vehicle was given a new life in 1970 when it was bought by Ron Keno for $300. He was eventually put in touch with Franz Spogler, a former Nazi whose job it had been to drive Petacci and Mussolini towards the end of the war. Letters between the pair convinced Keno that he had the historic car.
In late 1978 the partially restored Alfa Romeo was sold by Keno to collector Donnie Morton, of Connecticut, who ultimately passed it to the Imperial Palace Auto Collection. Staff restored and displayed it as part of their holdings of rare automobiles for the next two decades, until it was sold to another long-term owner in 1999.
A no-expenses-spared restoration followed. The work, which went so far as to recreate replicas of the original dashboard switchgear, took two years and cost a staggering €500k ($625k in 2004).
The 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C2500 achieved a high bid of €1.8 million ($2.1 million) in 2022, but failed to meet its reserve price.
Primarily known for their coachwork on Ferrari race cars, Scaglietti handcrafted three Corvette Italias in collaboration with Gary Laughlin, Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby. Three bare 1959 Corvette chassis were shipped to Scaglietti of Maranello and constructed with a special lightweight alloy body.
Their intention was to race the cars against the Ferrari 250 Testarossas and 250 SWB Berlinettas. Scaglietti's principal customer, Enzo Ferrari, was not pleased, and the cars took more than two years to complete.
The 1959 Scaglietti Corvette Italia was intended to be produced in limited numbers, and would have competed in the same market as high-performance European sports cars.
The concept was to use an inexpensive, reliable American drive train mated with an exotic Italian body. One chassis had a four-speed transmission, the others the powerglide, all came with a 283 cubic-inch engine. One of the Scaglietti Corvettes was advertised for sale in Hemmings in 2020 for $995,000.
XGT-3.
11 GT40 MkII cars were built and 9 examples survive substantially intact.
1 of only 3 factory examples produced with a lightweight chassis.
Built by Shelby American at the LAX facility.
Regarded as the most original GT40 MkII.
Complete original body and factory thin-gauge steel chassis.
Aluminum lightweight roof.
Adjustable suspension only present on the lightweight cars.
Built from the factory with LeMans fuel crossover tanks.
The GT40 lightweight was a unique race car with a light alloy magnesium body, advanced suspension, and a powerful engine. This Ford GT40 MkII was owned by Ford until 1977, and passed to four private owners. Very rare and very desirable, the car will bring millions.
The 1966 Ford GT40 MkII factory lightweight coupe crossed the block at Mecum's 2026 Kissimmee, Florida auction and made $12.3m.
Sure this baby has a few scratches and the odd dent, but don't be hasty.
One owner from new. 327 CI V-8 engine. 4-speed manual transmission. Red exterior. White convertible top. White interior. Bucket seats. Hurst shifter. Clock. 120 MPH speedometer.
Beating in the heart of this rust bucket is the RPO L79. The hydraulic-cammed twin of the L76 327/365 HP solid-lifter Corvette engine was rated up to 350 HP, with a Holley 4-barrel carburetor, 11:1 compression forged aluminum pistons, and forged crank.
The 1965-1968 L79 327 was for many the best overall chevy small block of the '60s. It held its own against all comers.
This 1965 Chevrolet Malibu SS Convertible made $65k in 2016. In concours condition the car is worth north of six figures.
The AMC Hornet is a compact, manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) in a single generation from model years 1970 through 1977 — in sedan, wagon, and hatchback coupe. The Hornet became an important vehicle and platform for AMC, serving the company in one form or another for eighteen years, until the 1988 model year. Prices began at $2,298 for the base model two-door sedan in 1974 with the more popular new hatchback going for $2,449.
Engines incorporated new emissions controls and the choices on all Hornets included two I6s, the standard 232 cu in (3.8 L) or a 258 cu in (4.2 L) version, as well as two V8s, the base 304 cu in (5.0 L) or the 175 hp 360 cu in (5.9 L).
Demand for muscle cars had disappeared by 1973, but the Hornet was a relatively light car. A Hornet hatchback with the 360 V8 was tested by Car and Driver. The 0-60 time was 8.4 seconds. The optional SC/360 package came the engine, hood scoop, special upholstery and wheels, and a stripe that ran along the fender and door tops and around the rear window.
The car is perhaps best remembered for the barrel roll stunt in the James Bond movie 'The Man with the Golden Gun.'
The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a mid-engined sports car built by Alfa Romeo between 1967 and 1969. "Stradale" (Italian for "road-going") is a term used by Italian car manufacturers to indicate a street-legal version of a racing car. The 33 Stradale was derived from the Tipo 33 sports prototype. 18 examples were made.
The 33 Stradale is the first production vehicle to feature dihedral or 'butterfly' doors.
The car was designed with a dry-sump lubricated all aluminum 1,995 cc (121.7 cu in) V8 that featured fuel injection, four ignition coils and 16 spark plugs. The first production Stradale claimed 243 hp at 9,400 rpm with a "street" exhaust and 254 hp with open exhaust.
Like the racing car the transmission was a six-speed transaxle gearbox.
The car takes 5.5 seconds to reach 60 mph (96.6 km/h) from a standing start and has a top speed of 260 km/h (160 mph). In 1968 it was the fastest commercially available car in the standing kilometer with time of 24 seconds. It was the most expensive automobile for sale to the public in 1968 at US$17,000.
Today fewer than 10 are known to exist and very rarely come up for auction. At a minimum a concours example would expect to make $10m
The 2024 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a limited-run, bespoke supercar reviving the 1967 design. Only 33 units were produced, offering a 620-hp twin-turbo V6 or a 750-hp electric powertrain, both capable of speeds over 207 mph. Price is about $1.85m to $3.2M+ USD before taxes and options.
A beat up, dull green 1968 Ford Mustang GT driven by Steve McQueen in the movie "Bullitt" became the most valuable Ford Mustang ever sold at auction. It went for $3.7m in Kissimmee, Florida in 2020. The vendor was Sean Kiernan, whose late father Robert Kiernan purchased the car for $3,500 in 1974. McQueen tried to buy the car several times with no success. The 10 minute 'Bullitt' chase scene is considered the first and still one of the best 'modern' auto chase scenes. It set the standard for Hollywood car chases for generations.
