Ray Thursby

From the late 1940s to the mid 1960s, U.S. automakers built and displayed cars that represented their visions of future designs. The most outrageous were impractical and essentially unbuildable as production vehicles. But that did not matter. Whether they were intended to be powered by gas turbine engines or even atomic energy, had clear bubbles […]

Other than a name and an all-aluminum engine, the new Camaro ZL1 has little in common with the original ZL1, a high-performance, very limited-production variant of the 1969 model-year muscle car. However, the two cars do share a significant distinction: The ’69 edition once was the most powerful Camaro ever, and that claim now belongs […]

When a 1932 Packard Twin Six custom convertible sold for $1.1 million last summer during RM Auctions’ St. John’s sale in Michigan, the car’s provenance no doubt influenced its price as much as its rarity did. The Twin Six was one of only two examples that Packard built, and it was delivered new to Al […]

If one of the rarest and most desirable supercars of the past were updated to offer modern levels of speed, handling, and comfort, the resulting vehicle ought to be fantastic. The Jaguar E-Type Low Drag GT by Eagle, the first of which is presently being built, might be such a machine. The Low Drag GT […]

When Bill Lyon competes in vintage races, which he does on a fairly regular basis, he usually drives a Porsche—a 1957 356 Carrera, a 1960 RS 60, or a 1961 Carrera Abarth. But he plans to race in a different marque soon, a bright-red 1965 Alfa Romeo TZ2 that he acquired four years ago. It […]

Only a select few American automobiles have joined the ranks of the world’s four-wheeled icons. The Model T, Corvette, Mustang, and original Lincoln Continental were commercial successes that set the standards for style in their times and went on to kindle the passions of collectors; but with its design, flamboyance, and presence, one make and […]

For Rolls-Royce, finding the golden mean between modernity and tradition in the development of a new automobile is critical. After all, consumers have, on the one hand, more than a century’s worth of products to inform their impressions of the marque and, on the other, the knowledge that the current incarnation of Rolls-Royce is not […]

Despite their often futuristic appearances, most modern supercars are, in a sense, things of the past. Each new ultra-high-performance machine from the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Mercedes-Benz embodies those manufacturers’ long-standing traditions and must measure up to the image established by its predecessors. For this reason, the proverbial blank slate is perhaps the […]

At first glance, the Spyker C8 Aileron may inspire conflicting emotions among those with an affinity for modern supercars. Accustomed to the sleek but relatively unadorned appearance of the Ferrari Enzo and Lamborghini Diablo, they might consider the Aileron’s extroverted styling and abundance of “jewelry”—polished rings frame the prominent air intakes, and bright mesh coverings […]

The Bonneville stands as a symbol of the greatness that would have been lost if Triumph Motorcycles had succumbed forever to the debacle it suffered in the 1970s. A brand-new “Bonnie” is a sleek machine that is modern in every respect except appearance. The bike still bears a resemblance to the original Bonneville of 1959. […]