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For years, I never knew how the story ended. I’ve taken many hours of enjoyment reading the fictional exploits of Gus Wilson and his Model Garage in my collection of vintage Popular Science magazines, but this one from July 1968 has left me hanging. The mystery of how “Gus Has An Argument With The Brass” ends is finally solved. No, I didn’t find the missing page that has vexed me for twenty years, but I have discovered I’m not the only one who loves these tales of diagnostic derring-do.

The Gus Project, put together by Mike Hammerberg, Don Miller and the flying typist fingers of Mary Viramontes, has archived all 529 stories online for easy searching and, most importantly, reading. The tricks and techniques chronicled by “author” Martin Bunn (a nom de plume for several writers over the years) may not be fully modern, since Gus hasn’t appeared in PopSci since 1970, but many of them are still useful. Learning the fine art of diagnostics at the elbow of a master, fictional or not, is a fulfilling way to while away the hours, and thanks to modern technology, you won’t have to leaf through musty, silverfish-infested pages. Pull up a chair and a tablet and lose yourself in nostaglia while learning a thing or two.

Classic Gus and the Model Garage stories indexed and posted online originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If one name is synonymous with Ferrari in North America, it’s surely Luigi Chinetti. The Italian-American was Maranello’s first importer and dealer in the United States, and was also the founder of the North American Racing Team (NART) that campaigned Prancing Horses on American circuits. And in case that wasn’t enough to prove his credentials, he also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans no less than three times.

Chinetti’s considerable influence with Ferrari also led to a handful of road cars built to his specifications. The convertible version of the iconic 275 GTB/4, for example, was known as the NART Spyder. Chinetti also had a pair of these 365 GT Speciales built to his specifications by Carrozzeria Autosport of Modena, and one of them is now up for sale out of Seattle.

Given the 80s styling, we’d venture that the conversion was undertaken years after the vehicle’s production. And while its coachwork may be divisive, it is consistent: one look at the NART’s later 512 BB LM and you’ll immediately see the family resemblance. Based on the 365 GT 2+2 (not to be confused with the Daytona that replaced it), it packs a 4.4-liter triple-carb V12 and independent suspension.

According to the seller, this unique example (chassis 12611 in red over black, as opposed to the second example in black over cream) was featured on the cover of the April 1989 issue of Automobile Magazine. Ferrari of Seattle is asking just under 0k, which may seem like a big chunk of change, but for such a rare example of American Ferrari history – one which sold for 4k in Tokyo way back in 1991 – this could worth it.

Online Find of the Day: Luigi Chinetti’s ’69 Ferrari 365 GT Speciale cover girl originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Before Pontiac unleashed the vile Aztek on the world, there was another, weirder car that bore the name. In 1988, Italdesign introduced the Aztec, a two-seat roadster that made extremely limited production and carried a 0,000 price tag when new.

Sporting a twin-pod cockpit-style interior and slab-sided, angular design, this thing looks ready for intergalactic travel. Despite looking like it should be parked outside the Mos Eisley cantina, it sports a relatively pedestrian Audi turbo five-cylinder powerplant. The car’s 220 horses meet the road via a Lancia Delta Integrale-derived four-wheel-drive system.

The Aztec was built as Italdesign’s 20th anniversary present to itself, and broke cover at the 1988 Turin Auto Show. Depending on who you ask, Italdesign built either 18 or 50 of the cars. Either way, you don’t see these things very often. The seller is mum on the car’s price tag, but thanks to its rarity, blue-chip nameplate, and stratospheric original MSRP, its a cinch this thing will break six figures.

Online Find of the Day: 1988 Italdesign Aztec originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 May 2011 19:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s rare enough to find one Lancia Delta Integrale for sale in North America. It’s rarer still to find an example of one of the special edition cars Lancia made over the last two years of the Delta Integrale’s life cycle. This week, though, Bring a Trailer is featuring two such cars from one Canadian seller.

The first car is one of 400 1992 Lancia Delta Integrale Martini 5 Special Editions, built to commemorate Lancia’s fifth World Rally Championship. The Martini 5 also marked the first run of special edition Integrales. According to the seller, this one has been upgraded with Martini 6 decals, 17-inch Speedline wheels and a catalytic converter-less Group B exhaust system.

Inside, there’s an aftermarket OMP steering wheel, Alcantara trim and a pair of delicious Recaro buckets. The seller says he still has the original wheels if the 17s are a bit much. Though the car is apparently street legal in Canada, it will need a catalytic converter if it’s going to pass a smog test in Vancouver. Those of us in the States will have to make do with a show and display exception, or wait until the car is 25 years old before it can be registered.

The second car is one of 250 1994 Lancia Delta Integrale Edizione Finale cars made specifically for the Japanese market. Like all Edizione Finales, this example wears Rosso Amarento paint, and carries a laundry list of the Delta’s most desirable options. That means a set of anthracite gray 16-inch Speedline wheels, push-button start, carbon fiber trim, aluminum pedals, a passenger footrest and the same Recaro furniture that graces the Martini Delta. On top of all that, the Edizione Finale received a bump to 250 horsepower, thanks to revised engine management.

Both cars are available exclusively through BaT, though we doubt they’ll be sticking around too long given their rarity and desirability. Unfortunately for us, they’re priced accordingly. The 1992 Martini 5 car is listed at a heady ,000, while the 1994 Edizione Finale is “just” ,000. Head over to Bring A Trailer for more.

[Source: BringATrailer]

Online Find of the Day: BaT bags a pair of Lancia Delta Integrale specials originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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