The 10 Best Sports Cars of the 1950s: Part 2

Alfa Romeo has long been revered by classic car enthusiasts for its elegant designs and racing pedigree dating back to 1911. In 1953, the company unveiled the sleek Disco Volante—often cited as an inspiration for the Jaguar D-Type. With its low-slung profile, bulging tail, and curved fenders, the car was constructed from lightweight aluminum rather than steel and powered by a groundbreaking 1,290 cc V12 engine. Remarkably, that engine design remained in production until 1998. One of the era’s most iconic models, the Disco Volante combined the grace of a concept car with genuine track prowess.

Alfa Romeo’s racing models shared this reputation for high performance, potent engines, and couture-worthy styling. A 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 750 Spider recently fetched $35,100 at auction. And in 2014, a beautifully restored 1958 BMW Series II 70157 sold for $1,925,000 at Pebble Beach, its Midnight Blue Rudge wheels, dark red leather interior, disc brakes, five-speed gearbox, and hardtop all in impeccable condition.

This particular Ferrari was one of only five built to contest the 1954 World Sports Car Championship. Based on the 375 MM platform, it sported a reinforced chassis and a potent 4.9-liter V12 rated at nearly 350 hp. Pinin Farina penned its aluminum body, wrapping the fenders tightly around the wheels and rounding off the rear to house a 47.6-liter fuel tank and spare wheel.

Introduced as BMW’s answer to the mighty Ferraris and Jaguars of the 1950s, the 507 surprised the world—especially given BMW’s post-war struggles. This open-top roadster borrowed the superb suspension and steering of the company’s larger sedans and, thanks to its aerodynamic lines, could hit 200 km/h (124 mph). Priced at $9,000 in the U.S.—a loss-making figure for BMW—only 253 were ever made.

Named for its creator Donald Healey, the Austin-Healey 100 debuted at the London Motor Show, where it caught the eye of Austin’s MD, Leonard Lord. He saw it as a successor to the Austin A90 and commissioned a small production run. Its 2,660 cc engine with twin overdrives pushed it to 100 mph—hence the name. In 1997, the very example Lance Macklin drove in the tragic 1955 Le Mans crash sold for over $1 million. That incident—when Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR collided with Macklin’s car and catastrophically flew into the crowd—remains motorsport’s deadliest accident, claiming 83 spectators. The Austin-Healey 100 Special had lain forgotten in a barn since the 1960s.

At Bonhams’ June 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed auction, chassis 0384 AM—a stunning 1954 Ferrari 375-Plus—sold for $18.3 million, the highest sum ever paid at auction for a first-series Ferrari. Immediately afterward, the lot was withdrawn amid a dispute over legal ownership.

By April 2016, the High Court of London resolved the matter in favor of Victoria’s Secret founder and noted Ferrari collector Les Wexner.

During the 1954 season, this Ferrari won at Silverstone with José Froilán González and at the Grand Prix d’Agadir with Giuseppe Farina. After a DNF at Le Mans, Jim Kimberly acquired it. Later owned by Howard Hively, it raced until the 1957 Cuban Grand Prix, where a severe fire ended its competition life. Severely damaged, it sold to Ohio engineer Karl Kleve for just $2,500 and spent three decades stored near Cincinnati, its true value unrecognized.

In 1986, the trailer carrying its chassis, gearbox casing, radiator panels, and other parts was stolen. Belgian Ferrari importer Jacques Swaters eventually purchased the remnants, fully restored the missing body panels, and installed a period-correct engine. In 1997, Kleve resurfaced, claiming ownership; Swaters agreed to a $625,000 deposit, insisting he’d been unaware the parts were stolen. Both men died—Swaters in 2010 and Kleve in 2013—leaving the dispute unresolved. Swaters’s daughter Florence later found and repurchased the original 0384 AM engine, refitting it in 2009, which further muddied the waters.

Bonhams pressed ahead with the auction, and Wexner emerged as buyer. In November 2015, the London High Court affirmed Florence Swaters’s right to sell. Wexner then sued Bonhams for a refund, but on April 18 all parties agreed he would receive clear title. The Ferrari 375-Plus, chassis 0384 AM, now joins the Wexner collection of historically significant automobiles in Ohio.

Here you’ll find Part One of the article.