Wheels of Wonder: Rare Cars by Assouline
When A.J. Baime writes about cars, you have to listen. The New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist’s recent book Rare Cars: The World’s Most Exclusive Rides highlights over 40 of the world’s most unique, innovative, and noteworthy automobiles. Baime, whose other book Go Like Hell inspired the 2019 film Ford v. Ferrari, features iconic cars produced from 1931 to the present.
With over 10 years of experience writing the Wall Street Journal’s weekly car column “My Ride,” Baime is the ideal curator for Assouline’s new motor-centered title. Across 304 pages, one learns about the various aspects that declare a car a level above the rest.
in the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa—at the 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gendebien and Hill went on
to become the first driver team to win the storied race three times, taking first prize again in
’61 and ’62.
Among the book’s standout features, several gained prominence through their Hollywood connections, such as the Toyota 2000GT, made for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967), and the Porsche 550 Spyder, once owned by actor James Dean.
The book also highlights cars noted for their unconventional exteriors, such as the 24-karat gold-plated DeLorean and the striking 1970 Porsche 917. For car enthusiasts who favor technical excellence, Baime’s tome also features cars with remarkable engines, like the 1947 Ferrari 125 S with its Colombo V12 engine, and the McLaren F1 LM featuring the BMW S70/2 engine.
There are, of course, cars featured for their importance in the world of motor racing, such as the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, famously driven by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien when they won Le Mans in 1958. The Alfa Romeo Tipo B Monoposto, winner of the 1935 German Grand Prix, also makes an appearance. As expected, the cars in this curated collection fetch high prices—from the Oldsmobile F-88 at Php 188 million to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, sold for Php 8 billion.
Naturally, a book entitled Rare Cars would include cars that are rare in the literal sense of the word. Baime delves into the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic and the Pagani Zonda HP, cars so limited in number that they can be counted on one hand.
Mirroring the excellent vehicles within, the book’s clamshell case is elegantly lined with hand-stitched Italian leather. The hardcover, lightly scented with “an exclusively made rubber-infused essence,” is furnished with a metal plaque. Like the rest of Assouline’s Ultimate Collection, Baime’s book is dubbed an ode to luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary bookmaking.
With its 203 illustrations and insightful commentary, Baime justifies why these automobiles deserve to be celebrated. “The cars in this book are masterpieces in the way works of art can be masterpieces,” writes the author. “Only these art pieces are animate. They can provide joy like no Michelangelo ever could.”
This article originally appeared in Robb Report Philippines’ Car Issue, May 2025.