Contemporary Sports Cars Made A Show At the Cincy Concours

 A mainstay at the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance is the Sports Contemporary class which features sports cars from 1960 through 1985. Among this year's group was a very sweet 1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible. These cars used the basic mechanics from the Beetle paired with the design of the Italian firm Ghia and all put together in Germany by Karmann. The car is powered by a 1483 cc four cylinder boxer engine.

1963 marked the first year for the second generation of the Chevy Corvette. This Sebring Silver '63 Vette is an amazing example showing off the first year of the Sting Ray body and the only year the car had a split rear window. A true sports car, the Vette was powered by a 327 cubic inch L76 V8 engine that made 300 horse power.

Building on their reputation of building excellent sports cars Mercedes Benz introduced the 230AL in 1963 that was one of the famed Pagoda cars. This 1966 example is one of fewer than 5000 sold in the United States. These were the first sports cars with crumple zones. They ran on 2.3 liter SOHC inline six cylinder engine that generated 148 horse power.

The Sunbeam Tiger is well named as this British sports car, with the help of Carroll Shelby, had a 289 cubic inch Ford V8 that pumped out 200 horse power dropped into it. This 1967 model is one of 633 produced in what would be the last year for the Tiger.

In 1965 Porsche executives decided to introduce what they called an entry level car to compliment the 911. With a smaller engine the 912 was sold through 1969. In 1976 Porsche brought out a fuel injection version of the 911 with a slightly larger engine. This 911SE has a 2.0 liter flat four cylinder engine and got 90 horse power out of it.

Simplify, then add lightness was the philosophy of Lotus founder Colin Chapman. This 1974 Europa Twin Cam is a perfect example of that philosophy in action. Only 4710 were built between 1971 and 1975 and of those only 2050 were imported into the United States. It's fiberglass molded body added the lightness so that the 1558 cc DOHC four cylinder engine's 113 horse power was plenty to zip this beautiful machine along.

From almost the beginning of its existence Maserati was fighting to stave off having to close its doors. By the 1970s they had been saved by French car maker Citroen in a partnership that helped both firms. Maserati benefited from the advanced designs of the French company and Citroen got the use of Maserati engines. Citroen also helped Maserati produce some more affordable vehicles such as this 1984 Merak. Based on the Bora, the Merak had a smaller 3.0 liter DOHC 90 degree V6 engine that was mid mounted to help even out the weight distribution.

Is it really a Ferrari if it wears a Dino badge? The Dino 206 and its successor 246 were built to satisfy some racing rules and regulations and the 246 became popular and Ferrari's first high production car. When it was time to replace the 246 the car was completely redesigned and, because it sported a 3.0 liter V8, was given the name 308. The Dino name was dropped early on as the buying public didn't really know the name. This is a 1985 GTSi that has four valves per cylinder.

Only 1007 Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer 512i cars were produced. This 1984 is from the last year of production and is one of only 27 that featured the Zegna edition designer interior. This unrestored car has 6800 original miles and is a previous concours winner. It is powered by a 5.0 liter flat 12 cylinder engine that generates 340 horse power.

Owned for 40 years this 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS has won numerous concours awards. But it isn't just a beauty queen, it also run in numerous 1000 mile road rallies putting the 3.3 liter Colombo V12 engine's 280 horse power to the test. Beautifully designed by Pininfarina, only 200 of these cars were ever made.

Often called the first super car, the Lamborghini Miura was introduced in 1968. This 1969 P400S is one of only 338 S models ever built. It has won various concours awards over the years. The car is powered by a transverse mid mounted 4.0 liter DOHC V12 engine capable of 370 horse power.