Mercedes-Benz 300 SL: Because You Motor With Greater Confidence

Perhaps no car in history has such a mystique as the gull-winged coupes from Stuttgart. Introduced in late 1952 to run in events like the Carrera Panamericana, the 300 SL was, surprisingly, an engineering compromise.

With insufficient funds to design and build a new chassis and engine, Mercedes designers were forced to use the basic 300 sedan’s rather pedestrian inline six. The issue of whether drivers could see over the tall engine was solved by laying the engine at a slant and equipping it with fuel injection.

Few expected this radical racer to ever appear as a real production car, but the factory’s perfectly executed street versions were introduced at the New York show in 1954. They sold out immediately, and production ran until the launch of the slightly larger, heavier, more conservative 300 SL Roadster featuring conventional doors. Both are killer designs that will never fade.

Austin-Healey 100: The Sports Car of Sportsmen

Photography credit: Plain English Archive

The 100 prototype was an aesthetic masterpiece that immediately caught the sporting public’s fancy when it debuted at the 1952 London Motor Show. Although it featured rather compromised internals, its price and availability made it every man’s dream sports car.

It might have lacked the performance of a Jaguar XK120, but the price undercut the Jag’s popularity. The Austin-Healey 100, like the MG TC and XK120, was eventually redesigned to emerge as the larger, better-performing Healey 3000. However, like the later MGs and Jags, the 3000 never really matched the spare, graceful lines of the original.

The 100 wasn’t really a great engineering feat, as it was pretty much a selection of existing components from the Austin factory’s parts bins. However, it remains a good-looking car that’s great fun to drive—especially thanks to its lay-down windscreen.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta: Italians Build Such Exciting Cars

Slide into the seat of this appealing Alfa, and within seconds you’ll understand how it feels to drive like Tazio Nuvolari. Few cars capture the heart as quickly as this dazzling little roadster, and the driving position is just one of its merits.

Think of all the great old road test clichés: the transmission’s feel, the engine’s sound, the great handling as you carve up your favorite back road. Well, the Giulietta embodies them all. Few cars possess all the alluring attributes of this Italian icon: style, engineering, comfort, history and, most of all, fun.

Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce Coupe: For Handling, There’s Alfa Romeo

Bertone, one of the hallowed names of Italian design, penned the lines of this sweet little coupe. The Alfa production line kept feeding the public’s desire for years, so these cars have remained attainable. Everything said about the Giulietta applies to the coupe, except having a roof makes it an even better long-distance tourer. You probably won’t ever find one in the used car section of your local paper, as Alfa enthusiasts seem to hoard these gems. Plus, many offer to buy these cars from their owners long before they’re ready to sell. After owning a real Bertone-designed Alfa, what else could you find for equal outlay? Slim pickings