Lamborghini Islero: The One Ferruccio Kept for Himself Ferruccio Lamborghini named his grand tourer after the bull that killed Manolete, kept one as his own daily driver, and almost nobody bought it. Of the 225 that left the factory, one ended up trying to qualify for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the hands … Read more
Lamborghini 350 GT: Born With Bricks Under the Hood The car that founded Lamborghini went on public display with its hood latched shut and construction bricks inside. No engine. Just masonry, sitting where a V12 was supposed to be. That happened at the Turin show in late October 1963, days before Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. … Read more
Alfa Romeo Diva: The Prototype Alfa Wouldn’t Sign In 2006, while Alfa Romeo was preparing to return to the American market with a quarter-million-dollar grand tourer, it took a 1,100 kg mid-engined two-seater to the Geneva Motor Show and parked it in a Swiss design school’s booth. Among student projects. With the doors shut for … Read more
Maserati 5000 GT: The Supercar a King Paid For Because Maserati Couldn’t In January 1962, Sports Car Graphic ran a road test that should have made the Maserati 5000 GT a household name in America. Bernard Cahier had been handed a one-off Ghia-bodied car before its owner took delivery, and he came back describing acceleration he had … Read more
Maserati 3500 GT: The Car That Saved Maserati From Bankruptcy On April 14, 1958, TIME ran a short business item under the headline “Maserati Off the Track.” Its American readers had spent the previous season watching the trident dominate: Juan Manuel Fangio had just taken the Formula 1 World Championship in a 250F, and the … Read more
