Contemporaty Sports Cars at Keeneland

Sports cars made from 1969 through 1999 were part of the Sports Contemporary Class at this year's Keeneland Concours d'Elegance. On display with this group was this 1993 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra. One of the last of these Fox bodied Mustangs ever made, the current owners bought it new and have only put 23,000 miles on it.

Fans of Japanese sports cars couldn't have been happier when they got to see this mint condition 1973 Datsun 240Z. Introduced in 1970 and based on the Nissan Fairlady, this was the first car to be exported in large numbers in an attempt to capture the sports car market. It succeeded, not only here but in Europe.

Often considered the very first supercar, the Lamborghini Miura shook the automotive world when it was released in 1969. This particular 1969 S model continues to do so having appeared on Jerry Seinfeld's show "Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee." It has also been displayed at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

This 1970 Jaguar E Type OTS Series II was one of the last to employ the straight six engine before the V-12 was introduced in 1971. The 4.2 liter XK I6 engine could rocket this car to 130 miles per hour. These cars, with wrap around bumpers, strengthened wire wheels and uncovered headlights replaced the original series in 1968 in an effort to meet newly imposed US safety regulations.

Seen here is a 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa that is both an original owner car and a 100% all original, unrestored model. New for this model was a 3.2 liter engine that generated a surprising, for the time, 215 horse power.

The last car in this group is a 1980 Aston Martin V8 Volante Convertible. With an original cost of $98,000, these were some of the most expensive cars in the world at the time. The current owner bought this car in 1998 and had it converted to "European spec." He has since rally raced it in events such as the Mountain Mile, the Texas 1000, the Carolina Trophy and the New England 1000.