Concours of Elegance 2023 Programme

C O N C O U R S OF E L E G A N C E

PRESENTED BY

AUCTIONS PRIVATE SALES FINANCIAL SERVICES VALUATIONS RESTORATION UK +44 (0) 20 7851 7070 HEADQUARTERS +1 519 352 4575 CALIFORNIA +1 310 559 4575 NEW YORK +1 818 456 9039 info@rmsothebys.com

1962 Ferrari 330 LM / 250 GTO by Scaglietti

Chassis No. 3765 Estimate: In excess of $60,000,000 USD Coming to New York | 13 November 2023

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2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – First in Class: Le Mans Centennial

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Dear ladies and gentlemen ON BEHALF OF A. LANGE & SÖHNE, I’D LIKE TO WELCOME you to the Concours of Elegance 2023. In anticipation of an exciting weekend ahead of us, please let me first look back at last year’s event.

When we first presented the 1815 Chronograph ‘Hampton Court Edition’ to visitors, we anticipated that this unique piece might receive a huge response at the subsequent auction for the benefit of The Prince’s Trust. However, the result far exceeded our expectations: the timepiece was auctioned off for more than one million Swiss francs by Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo.

This is the highest result at auction that a Lange wristwatch has ever achieved. I’m glad that we were able to support the important work of The Prince’s Trust with this impressive sum, because young people are the future, and we must do everything we can to help them find their own way. This is very much in line with the tradition of A. Lange & Söhne and our philosophy to “never stand still”. For more than 25 years, our focus has been on

the training and education of young watchmaking talent.

Because of our commitment to the future, it is only logical that we support the Thirty Under 30 Concours again. For me, this is one of many inspirational aspects of the Concours of Elegance.

Having been a proud partner for five years now, it is clear that not only does our craftsmanship continue to take us to uncharted territories but also to the most beautiful places in the world. This is the common ground we share with the fascinating automobiles we’re privileged to admire in the magnificent setting of Hampton Court Palace.

I look forward to many inspiring encounters with enthusiasts and hope that you enjoy your time.

Wilhelm Schmid

CEO, A. LANGE & SÖHNE

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A Royal welcome AS PATRON OF THE CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE, I AM delighted to welcome you all to the event this year. Our curators and Steering Committee have been working very hard to make sure that we have one of the best line-ups of cars we have ever experienced. For the first time, no fewer than 90 concours automobiles will grace the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.

This is a special year. The Concours of Elegance is one of the few official events to be helping Le Mans and the ACO celebrate their centenary. We will have 24 Le Mans veterans on display, including ten winners and four out of the five double winners.

The Concours would not be possible if our car owners did not commit to bringing their magnificent vehicles to the event and allow us the privilege of viewing them. I’d particularly like to

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thank this year’s collector, Fritz Burkard, who is showing 12 cars from his amazing Pearl Collection. Fritz also won the Best of the Best recently – a competition for the concours car of the year from all the key global events – with his 2022 Concours of Elegancewinning Delage D8-120 ‘de Villars’. Many congratulations to him.

I would finally like to thank all of our event sponsors for making this concours possible – particularly our friends at A. Lange & Söhne. I do hope that you enjoy your visit.

HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO PATRON CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE

e-type zp collection

own one of seven exclusive pairs Inspired by the race winning 1961 E-types, our seven exclusive ZP Collection pairs consist of one Oulton Blue drophead coupe informed by the original ‘ECD 400’, and a Crystal Grey fixed-head coupe echoing ‘BUY 1’.

Each ZP example is subject to around 2,000 hours of restoration at the hands of classic experts. Bespoke features include commemorative badging, hand trimmed Bridge of Weir leather interiors and aluminium consoles engraved by artist Johnny “King Nerd” Dowell. £950,000 per pair, excluding local applicable taxes.

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Contents For the map and timetable of the event, please see the inside back cover

2003 Bentley Speed 8 ............................................................................................................. 90 1974 Matra MS 670B ................................................................................................................ 92 1968 Ford GT40 ........................................................................................................................... 94

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The organisers .............................................................................................................................. 14

1963 Ferrari 275P ....................................................................................................................... 96

Concours of Elegance history ......................................................................................... 16

1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL W194 ............................................................................. 98

Hampton Court Palace .......................................................................................................... 18

1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM Zagato .................................................................... 100

Club Trophy ................................................................................................................................... 20

1929 Bentley Speed Six ‘Old N°1’ ................................................................................ 102

Sponsors and partners ......................................................................................................... 22

1953 Jaguar C-type .................................................................................................................. 104

Classic Driver at 25 years ................................................................................................... 40

1969 Porsche 917K .................................................................................................................. 106

The Prince’s Trust ..................................................................................................................... 42

1954 Ferrari 250GT Europa ............................................................................................. 108

The awards ..................................................................................................................................... 44

1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Drophead Coupé ............................................. 110

Royal Automobile Club ......................................................................................................... 46

1925 MG 14/28 Bullnose Supersport Salonette .............................................. 112

Royal Warrant Holders Association ......................................................................... 48

1963 Apollo 3500 GT Spyder Prototip .................................................................... 114

The Collector: Fritz Burkard’s Pearl Collection ............................................... 50

1934 Lancia Astura Short-Chassis Grand Sport ............................................ 116

100 years of the Le Mans 24 Hours ........................................................................... 54

1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider Zagato ................................ 118

Gooding & Co ............................................................................................................................... 56

1930 Bentley 41⁄2 Litre Blower ....................................................................................... 120

Concours of Elegance Germany ................................................................................... 58

1953 Aston Martin DB3S .................................................................................................. 122

Last year’s winner ..................................................................................................................... 60

1955 Pegaso Z-102 Touring Superleggera Berlinetta ................................. 124

Junior Concours .......................................................................................................................... 62

1936 Lagonda LG45 Coupé de Ville Sedanca .................................................... 126

The Levitt Concours ............................................................................................................... 64

1994 Bugatti EB110 GT ....................................................................................................... 128

The Concours cars .................................................................................................................... 67

1971Porsche 911 S/T .............................................................................................................. 130

1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder ....................................................... 68

1961 Alvis TD21 Graber Special ................................................................................... 132

1913 Hispano-Suiza 15/45HP Alfonso XIII ........................................................... 70

1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 .................................................................................... 134

1953 Siata 280S Coupé ........................................................................................................... 72

1953 Talbot-Lago T26 GSL Prototype ..................................................................... 136

1938 Delahaye Type 145 V12 Coupé ............................................................................ 74

1967 Ferrari 330GTS ............................................................................................................. 138

1954 Bentley R-type Continental by Chapron .................................................... 76

1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary ............................................ 140

1962 Ferrari 250GTO ............................................................................................................... 78

1953 Bentley R-type Continental Fastback ........................................................ 142

1962 AC Shelby Cobra ‘CSX 2001’ ................................................................................ 80

2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 ............................................................................... 144

1956 Jaguar XKSS ...................................................................................................................... 82

1953 Bentley R-type by Abbott ..................................................................................... 146

1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV ............................................................................. 84

1971 Maserati Quattroporte Prototipo Frua ..................................................... 148

1955 Maserati A6 GCS Frua Spider ............................................................................ 86

1962 Bentley S2 Continental .......................................................................................... 150

1924 Bentley 3 Litre Sport .................................................................................................. 88

1964 Facel Vega Facel II ....................................................................................................... 152

1952 Jaguar XK120 FHC ...................................................................................................... 154

2007 McLaren MP4/22A ................................................................................................... 192

1925 Lorraine-Dietrich B3/6 Sport Torpedo .................................................... 156

2004 Maserati MC12 Stradale ...................................................................................... 194

1926 Amilcar CO ...................................................................................................................... 158

1967 Ferrari 275GTB/4 ........................................................................................................ 196

1928 Bentley 41⁄2 Litre ........................................................................................................... 160

1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Drophead Coupé ............................... 198

1937 Peugeot 302 DS Darl’Mat ..................................................................................... 162

1936 Hoffman X-8 .................................................................................................................. 200

1950 Aston Martin DB2 ..................................................................................................... 164

1957 Bentley S1 Continental Drophead Coupé ............................................... 202

1953 OSCA MT4 Barchetta .............................................................................................. 166

1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring ........................................................... 204

1955 Aston Martin DB3S .................................................................................................. 168

2023 Aston Martin Valkyrie .......................................................................................... 206

1954 Jag D-type .......................................................................................................................... 170

1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Four-seater LM Long Chassis .................... 208

1956 Aston DB3S ...................................................................................................................... 172

1963 Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta Lusso ...................................................................... 210

1963 AC Cobra Le Mans Coupe .................................................................................... 174

1935 Frazer Nash-BMW 315/1 Sports (Type 40) ........................................... 212

1964 Ferrari 250LM ............................................................................................................... 176

1992 Aston Martin Virage Volante 6.3-litre Widebody ........................... 214

1972 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Group 4 Competition .......................... 178

2019 Ferrari 488 Pista ......................................................................................................... 216

1979 Rondeau M379B ........................................................................................................... 180

1959 Facel Vega Excellence .............................................................................................. 218

1986 Jaguar XJR-9 ................................................................................................................... 182

1974 Aston Martin Lagonda Series 1 ....................................................................... 220

1988 Porsche 962 ...................................................................................................................... 184

1974 Ferrari 365GT4 .............................................................................................................. 222

1995 Porsche WSC-95 Le Mans Prototype ........................................................ 186

Thanks to… .................................................................................................................................. 224

1967 Ferrari 330GTC Speciale ...................................................................................... 188

Map of the event ...................................................................................................................... 227

1960 Aston DB4 DB4 GT ................................................................................................... 190

Timetable of the event ........................................................................................................ 229

The Concours of Elegance is organised by

Thorough Events Ltd, Thomas House, 84 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1LP +44 (0)20 3142 8542 Copyright © Thorough Events 2023.

All rights reserved. www.concoursofelegance.co.uk

Programme published by Hothouse Media Castle Cottage, 25 High Street, Titchmarsh, Northants NN14 3DF www.hothousemedia.co.uk Managing director Geoff Love Editorial director David Lillywhite Advertising Sue Farrow, Rob Schulp Art director Peter Allen Art editor Debbie Nolan Managing editor Sarah Bradley Deputy editor Wayne Batty Contributor Nathan Chadwick Cover illustration Tommy Parker

Printed by The Manson Group Thanks to...

Masters of ceremonies Richard Charlesworth, Peter Wallman Curators Vanessa Marçais, Flavien Marçais Thorough Events James Brooks-Ward, Andrew Evans, Christina Brooks-Ward, Iain Campbell, Alice Young, Alice Gorst, Laura Chambers Influence PR Luke Madden, Henry Peters, John Cooke Tim Scott at Fluid Images

Great care has been taken throughout this programme to be accurate, but the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions that might occur.

The editors and publishers of this programme give no warranties, guarantees or assurances, and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition.

Copyright © Hothouse Media 2023

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Organisers PATRON His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent GCVO, KStJ VICE-PATRON Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt KCVO, CB, OBE, DL Master of the Household CONCOURS STEERING COMMITTEE Richard Charlesworth MVO, Chairman Stephen Archer Rik Bryan Martin Button Sandra Button Simon Cundey Massimo Delbò Michel Franssen David Gooding David Lillywhite Peter Read Tim Scott Joe Twyman Tony Willis CONCOURS CURATORS Vanessa Marçais Flavien Marçais

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CONCOURS STEWARDS Bertie Gilbart-Smith, Chief Steward Dan Cogger Victor Buchanan Candy Gilbart-Smith James Hume Simon Kelly Sarah Kelly Mike Shearn Clare Sorenson Dan Uprichard Iain Willis AMBASSADOR Gregor Fisken THOROUGH EVENTS Graham Clempson, Chairman Andrew Evans, Concours Director James Brooks-Ward, CEO Iain Campbell, Director Alice Young, Account Manager Alice Gorst, Account Executive Dominic Temple, Commercial Executive Christina Brooks-Ward, Owner Liaison Laura Chambers, Owner Liaison Luke Madden, PR Director Viv Orchard, Operations Director Felicity Rattray, Operations Manager Sam Dalton, Traffic Manager Charlotte Ansell, Hospitality Director

Celebrating 40 Years of Audi Sport With the legendary quattro at its core, Audi has redefined performance on and off the track. From thrilling acceleration to timeless design, its cars embody the exciting fusion of power and elegance.

Audi Sport continues to push boundaries, delivering high performance that heightens the driving experience. Its goal is clear: to successfully carry the sporting DNA of the four rings into the electric era.

Here’s to four decades and a future where innovation moves Audi forward.

Audi X Concours of Elegance: Stand 29 www.audi.co.uk

Concours of Elegance – 11 years of automotive heaven

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

ELEVEN YEARS AGO the concours scene was transformed, with a new event that would thrust the UK into the heart of the global collector car scene.

The Concours of Elegance aimed to rival the likes of Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, with a showcase of the finest automobiles in a high-calibre location.

In honour of Her Majesty The Queen’s 60 years on the throne, 60 very special cars were selected for display in the Quadrangle within the walls of Windsor Castle, and around the grounds.

The Concours of Elegance continued its association with Royal palaces and the jewels of the car world. Following Windsor Castle in 2012 it subsequently took place at St James’s Palace, the Palace of Holyroodhouse

LEFT The Concours d’Elegance showcases the finest automobiles in a high-calibre location.

and Hampton Court Palace’s Fountain Gardens, its home since 2017.

The event has been the launchpad for some of the most exciting supercars and bespoke creations in the new-car realm; Aston Martin chose the event to debut the one-off Victor in 2020, for example.

Our Steering Committee of experts, who each year invite cars to the Concours of Elegance, always ensured that once one was displayed at the event it couldn’t be seen again for another decade. However, for last year’s tenth anniversary an exception was made, inviting the winners of all previous editions back.

This year sees a special Le Mans display, and there is plenty to look forward to in 2024, too. If you enjoy Concours of Elegance, you’ll love our sister event, the London Concours. www.londonconcours.co.uk

ALL ABOUT FERRARI HISTORY. SINCE 1978.

ALL ABOUT FERRARI HISTORY. SINCE 1978.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAGAZINE. SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAGAZINE.

JOIN US IN PALM BEACH.

JOIN US IN PALM BEACH.

R OYA L C O L L E C T I O N T RU S T / © H I S M A J E S T Y K I N G C H A R L E S I I I

Hampton Court Palace

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HAMPTON COURT Palace represents living and breathing history – this Grade I listed building has played a prominent role in the direction of the country, and makes for a simply fascinating place to explore.

The original Tudor Hampton Court Palace was established by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century. It was soon taken over by King Henry VIII and used as a base for all his wives.

In the years since it’s played host to political,

royal and cultural intrigue. In Georgian times, Christopher Wren was commissioned to build a spectacular baroque palace, but after only a few years it was abandoned by the royals.

Finally, in 1838, Queen Victoria opened the palace to the public.

It remains a magnet for international audiences – so if you’ve come to visit the concours, why not check out the secrets the palace holds?

While the Court will forever be linked with

Henry VIII, the palace is a great place to also learn about the lives of his many wives – some of whose ghosts are still believed to haunt the corridors.

You can see where Henry lived, and the factory-like kitchens built to satiate the hunger of the king and his courtiers.

The Great Hall allows you to experience where major political decisions were made, overlooked by magnificent tapestries.

There’s also a chance to experience the living quarters of William III,

and experience the nature of a different royal reign.

For art lovers, the Cumberland Art Gallery is a feast for the eyes, with paintings from Canaletto, Caravaggio, van Dyck, Rembrandt and more.

And you can indulge your sense of smell with the beautiful 60-acre gardens that contain the world’s oldest puzzle maze, a record-breaking grapevine, three National Plant Collections and a wide variety of wildlife, including the descendants of Henry VIII’s deer herd.

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Whether it is a classic car or a modern supercar that you seek, our range of stock is both extensive and diverse. Our cars are hand-picked by us with strict criteria for quality, provenance, condition and originality. In short, the cars on offer are the best you will find anywhere on the market, and meet the requirements of any potential client anywhere in the world.

We have the resources and expertise necessary to make selling your car easy, fast and totally hassle-free. We pride ourselves on making instant decisions and rapid transactions, which allows customers to realise the value of their cars in the fastest possible time. We can make the sale of your car a fast, pleasant and efficient process.

AWARD RECOGNISES THE SPIRIT AND DEDICATION OF CAR CLUB MEMBERS ALONG WITH THEIR STUNNING CARS

BELOW AND RIGHT 1974 Ferrari 365GT4 2+2 of Peter Vernon-Kell was the winner in 2022; look out for it this year as well.

NOW IN ITS NINTH year, the Concours of Elegance Club Trophy recognises the spirit and dedication of car club members, and celebrates the UK’s concours scene at a grassroots level.

Run by the Royal Automobile Club, it is given to the best of the best – selected from an array of individual UK car club concours winners.

Prior to the event, the leading clubs submitted the best vehicles from their own national concours.

The Club Trophy display

shines a light on these dedicated organisations, including the Aston Martin Owners Club, Bentley Drivers Club, Jaguar Drivers’ Club and the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club.

All the concours winners will be on show at Hampton Court Palace, where they’ll be judged by our expert panel led by HRH Prince Michael of Kent. The judges consider not only the presentation of the vehicles, but also the life histories behind each one, which are often intriguing and lay bare the unique

relationships owners have with their cars. Last year’s trophy was awarded to the elegant 1974 Ferrari 365GT4 2+2 of Peter Vernon-Kell, one of just 524 examples built before the car became the 400 in 1976.

The Club Trophy winner is given a space in the main concours next year, enabling owners to show their car among a selection of the most exciting and rarest vehicles ever built.

You’ll spot the 2022 winner, the Ferrari 365GT4, in the main concours line-up this year.

CHARLIE B

The Club Trophy

sASsO Automotive

Purveyors of

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SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

Sponsors and partners Presenting Partner

A. LANGE & SÖHNE With the establishment of his manufacture in 1845, Dresden watchmaker F.A. Lange laid the foundation for Saxon precision watchmaking.

In 1990, the dream of his great-grandson Walter Lange came true; he re-launched the firm after a gap of more than 40 years. Relying on this unique heritage and a devotion to the highest standards, A. Lange & Söhne strives to take fine watchmaking to the next level with every new timepiece created. www.alange-soehne.com/gb-en

Official Partners

BESPOKE HANDLING

CHARLES HEIDSIECK

Official Transportation Partner

Official Champagne Partner

Bespoke Handling is a leading provider of automotive and motorsport global logistics. Offering specialist transportation via air, sea, and road; vehicle storage solutions, including bonded storage; and in-house production of customs documentation, including ATA Carnets. Working with Metro, we provide a genuine closed-loop, one-stop solution for all aspects of global logistics management. www.bespokehandling.com

Founded in 1851, Charles Heidsieck is one of the great names of Champagne, renowned for producing award-winning wines of unrivalled, enduring quality. This success is attributable to our remarkable winemakers who have between them been awarded ‘Sparkling Winemaker of the Year’ at the International Wine Challenge 16 times.

No other house has won more than twice. www.charlesheidsieck.com/en

CHUBB

DRVN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP

Official Insurance Partner

Official Automotive Partner & Presenter of the Members Enclosure

Whether you own a cherished classic car or a large collection of rare supercars, Chubb’s motoring policies set the benchmark for quality insurance cover. www.valuedmore.chubbinsured.com

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DRVN is a sector-leading automotive group, specialising in the design, manufacture and distribution of luxury automotive brands, recognised globally for its commitment to innovation, quality and engineering, centred around a world-class customer experience. www.drvnautomotivegroup.com

Henry Poole & Co., established in 1806 and noted as the Founder of Savile Row, is notable for having dressed such luminaries as Napoleon III and Sir Winston Churchill, as well as serving every monarch from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II.

With a range of over 6000 fabrics, from fine worsteds and luxury jacketings, Henry Poole & Co. offers a timeless range of materials from which to choose, creating elegant, versatile clothes in the best Savile Row tradition.

As a family business for seven generations, we proudly maintain the tradition of bespoke tailoring to the highest standards; measuring, cutting and making each garment by hand on our premises at No. 15 Savile Row.

In addition to our home trade, Henry Poole & Co. undertake regular Trunk Shows to Europe, the United States and Far East, giving the opportunity of enjoying our services and unparalleled range of materials to a wide range of clients overseas.

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SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

FORTNUM & MASON

GOODING & COMPANY

H.R. OWEN

Official Picnic Partner

Official Auction Partner

Official Partner

Founded in Piccadilly in 1707, Fortnum & Mason has remained an essential London destination for anyone in search of joy-giving things and exceptional service ever since. Celebrated for its extraordinary food and wicker hampers, Fortnum’s is committed to the imagination and discovery which has seen it through 316 years of history. www.fortnumandmason.com

Gooding & Company is celebrated for its worldclass automotive auctions and unparalleled hospitality in the collector car market, offering a wide range of services including private sales, appraisals and collection management. In 2022, Gooding and Company sold the most valuable car at auction in the UK at Hampton Court Palace. www.goodingco.com

H.R. Owen is Britain’s leading luxury motor dealer group, selling and maintaining sought after premium cars: Aston Martin, BAC, Bentley, Bugatti, Czinger, Ferrari, Hennessey, Lamborghini, Maserati, Radford, Rimac and Rolls-Royce. Founded in 1932, the Group has a reputation for world-leading customer service across its showrooms and service centres, setting the benchmark for quality, even on a global stage. www.hrowen.co.uk

O FFI CI A L DEA LE R

IMMUN’ÂGE

PRODUCTION BUNKER

SPECIALISED COVERS

Official Tour of Elegance Partner

Official Media Production Partner

Official Car Cover Partner

Immun’Âge is Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP) developed by the Osato Research Institute (ORI) through the combination of two secrets of good health: papaya and fermentation. This natural product is good for general health as well as stressfree driving. Immun’Âge has been a partner of Aston Martin Racing since 2005 and ORI’s Yuki Hayashi is a patron of the BRDC Young Driver programmes. www.immunage.com

Production Bunker is a branding and marketing agency for luxury and lifestyle brands. We create inimitable brand identities, compelling marketing campaigns and creative content that transforms the brands of today into the icons of tomorrow.

With energy, passion and imagination, our fresh approach captivates audiences and drives commercial success. www.productionbunker.com

For over 40 years Yorkshire based, family-run Specialised Covers has been the authority in providing protective covers for cars, caravans and motorcycles. The core of its business is a dedicated team of enthusiasts. They are as passionate about protecting and preserving your pride and joy as you are, and will always provide the best-possible solutions and service to match. www.specialisedcovers.com

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Aston Martin Cloverleaf 1923 100th Anniversary

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

THE GLENTURRET

THE PENINSULA LONDON

THE PRINCE’S TRUST

Official Whisky Partner

Official Hotel Partner

Official Charity Partner

Hand-crafted in small batches at Scotland’s oldest working distillery since 1763, The Glenturret single malt whisky is defined by its quality and exquisite taste. Located in the ‘Hosh’, Crieff, The Glenturret offers distillery tours, whisky flights, a dedicated retail store, a Lalique Boutique, and a Michelin star dining experience. www.theglenturret.com

Ideally situated in the heart of Belgravia, with views over Hyde Park Corner and Wellington Arch, The Peninsula London occupies one of the city’s most prestigious addresses. Opening September 12, the newly built hotel, has been impeccably designed to harmonise with surrounding heritage buildings just moments away from the city’s most iconic attractions. www.peninsula.com/london

Every young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter their background or the challenges they face. The Prince’s Trust helps 11- to 30-year-olds who are unemployed or struggling in their education to transform their lives. Practical courses, assisted by youth-support workers and mentors, equip them with the confidence and skills needed to move into work, training and education. www.princes-trust.org.uk

Specialist Showcase

VISIT GREATER PALM SPRINGS

AUDI

BENTLEY MULLINER

Official Destination Partner

Official Chauffeuring Partner

Major Manufacturer

Greater Palm Springs is Southern California’s most storied resort oasis, offering an incomparable array of luxury resorts, spas, championship golf, designer shopping, farm-to-table dining and world-renowned cultural attractions amid sunshine and serenity. Join us in the picnic area to learn more about Greater Palm Springs and sample some of its many delights. www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com

The leading premium car brand in the UK, Audi is celebrating 40 years of Audi Sport, which has a rich heritage and continued success in motor sport. On display at Concours of Elegance is one of the most iconic cars in the brand’s history books – the Audi Sport quattro S1 E2 from 1985.

Dramatic in both looks and drive, the model is an icon of the Group B rallying era. www.audi.co.uk

Dating back as far as 1559, Mulliner is the world’s oldest and most revered coachbuilder. From a history of creating iconic vehicles with Bentley Motors, we appear at the Concours representing the pinnacle of the brand. This year, making its UK debut is the limited series factory works Bentley Speed Six continuation#, a blueprinted recreation of the famous 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours-winning car. www.bentleymotors.com/mulliner

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CL ASSIC PORSCHE

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SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

BIZZARRINI

BLIZZARD MOTOR CARS

CARHUNA

Major Manufacturer

Specialist Dealer

Online Vehicle Marketplace

One of the most storied names in Italian automotive history, Bizzarrini built a Le Mans class-winner as well several iconic one-offs in the 1960s. Now reborn, Bizzarrini begins a new era with the hand-crafted 5300 GT Corsa Revival, authentically developed from the original design drawings and brought to life through the limited production of 24 continuation examples. www.bizzarrini.com

Limited to fifteen examples, Blizzard Motor Cars offers clients the rare opportunity to create their own unique Blizzard. Based on an authentic, historic Bentley concept and with an immersive build experience, these concours-standard, coach-built cars allow you to step back in time and reimagine the 1950s. www.blizzardmotorcars.co.uk

Carhuna is the transparent, safe way to buy and sell cars online that puts responsibility and trustworthiness back into auctions and the digital world. It’s never been easier for you to sell or find your perfect car with confidence through our classifieds, auctions and unique Power Sell feature. www.carhuna.com

ELECTROGENIC

EXPORT 56

FISKENS

Specialist Dealer

Specialist Dealer

Specialist Dealer

Electrogenic is a world-leading developer of EV drivetrains, famous for our elegant re-powering of beautiful classic cars. We offer bespoke conversion services and develop technology for our worldwide partner-installers, car manufacturers and the British Army. Our experts are at your service to deliver to you the EV of your dreams. www.electrogenic.co.uk

Export 56 is an independent Porsche specialist with over 40 years’ experience in the consultation, acquisition, restoration, and preservation of rare and unique classic Porsches. We are proud to have restored some of the rarest and most iconic Porsches ever built and manage over 80 cars at our facility at Cranfield, Bedfordshire. www.export56.com

Where the world’s greatest cars come to be sold.

Our reputation is built on three, rock-solid principles: knowledge, trust and discretion. For the most important vintage, classic or competition cars, the only match for our own passion is that of our customers. www.fiskens.com

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SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

FRANK DALE & STEPSONS

GENESIS

HILTON & MOSS

Specialist Dealer

Major Manufacturer

Specialist Dealer

Established in 1946, Frank Dale & Stepsons is the world’s oldest independent Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist. Recognised globally as a market leader, the firm consistently offers some of the finest vintage and classic Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars for sale supported by a 14,000sq ft workshop in Sandhurst, Surrey that is fully equipped to deal with any model from 1909 through to present day. www.frankdale.com

In 2021, Genesis – already an established brand within Asia and North America – entered the European market; arguably the home of premium and luxury cars. Embodying ‘athletic elegance’, its unique design language, the brand has introduced a range of vehicles and services across Europe since its launch. www.genesis.com/uk/en

Hilton & Moss are specialists in the restoration, sales, service and storage of classic and performance motor cars. With extensive facilities, Hilton & Moss pride themselves on offering a unique and exciting experience for their valued clients. Automotive passion remains at the forefront of the business and amongst the team, who consistently strive to deliver quality. www.hiltonandmoss.com

INVERTED EV

JAGUAR CLASSIC

JD CLASSICS

Specialist Dealer

Major Manufacturer

Enhanced Specialist Dealer

Inverted EV regenerates classic cars to deliver luxury, design-led electric vehicles. Our cars are not only beautifully restored but deliver high performance, with the desire to create an enhanced driving experience remaining core to everything we do. Beautiful, reliable and sustainable classic cars, ready for a long and exciting future. www.inverted-ev.com

Jaguar Classic is the brand’s official division dedicated to preserving and restoring Jaguar’s motoring heritage for future generations to enjoy and cherish. Home of iconic classic Jaguars, restorations and continuations, authentic parts, servicing and exclusive experiences. www.jaguar.co.uk/classic

World-renowned classic car specialists in restoration, sales, and coachbuilding. Operating from a purpose-built 65,000sq ft facility in Chelmsford, UK – they passionately preserve the timeless beauty of classic automobiles with exceptional skill. Home of the award-winning Bentley Continental La Sarthe. www.jdclassics.com

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THE INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE FOR FERRARIS OF YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW An Excellent Investment Ferrari Financial Services has a range of tailored products designed to celebrate the heritage of all classic Ferraris.

With the specialist skills required to care for and maintain these legendary models, Ferrari Financial Services is the ideal finance partner.

Whether you’re looking to make a new purchase or release equity, we offer finance programmes designed to offer you the flexibility to grow and enhance your collection of Ferraris.

Contact our team today to discuss your next Ferrari purchase.

Steven McLaren +44(0)7739 035782 steven.mclaren@ferrari.com

Ferrari Financial Services GmbH 275 Leigh Road, Slough Berkshire, SL1 4HF www.ferrarifinancialservices.com

Kevin Briggs +44(0)7500 074390 kevin.briggs@ferrari.com

Nick Simmons +44 (0)7887 724992 nick.simmons@ferrari.com

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

JONATHAN WOOD

LUNAZ

NICHOLAS MEE

Specialist Dealer

Specialist Dealer

Specialist Dealer

We sell, restore and maintain some of the world’s finest pre-war motor cars. Paramount to all that we do is ensuring cars remain original and authentic, while performing as the manufacturer intended. We are passionate about delivering the highest standards of workmanship and believe that cars are best enjoyed on the road. www.jonathan-wood.co.uk

Lunaz was built to further the legacies of the most beautiful cars in the world. We know there is no better proposition than timeless aesthetics propelled by the powertrain of the future.

We make these iconic machines a relevant and usable proposition for the 21st century. A classic car by Lunaz is not just for this generation, it is to be driven and enjoyed for many more. www.lunaz.design

Established in 1993, Nicholas Mee is a globally recognised Aston Martin specialist dealer. From its award-winning Hertfordshire facilities, Nicholas Mee provides all aspects of assistance for Aston Martin owners, including car sales and acquisition, servicing and maintenance, re-builds, upgrades, restorations and the supply of genuine Aston Martin parts. www.nicholasmee.co.uk

RODIN

SASSO AUTOMOTIVE LTD.

THE LITTLE CAR COMPANY

Major Manufacturer

Enhanced Specialist Dealer

Enhanced Specialist Dealer

Rodin Cars is an emerging high-technology, high-performance car constructor developing ultimate track cars for the world’s most serious driving enthusiasts and racers. Situated in picturesque New Zealand, Rodin Cars’ headquarters not only feature a world class manufacturing facility, but several test tracks and luxurious pit services. There’s nothing like it. www.rodin-cars.com

At Sasso Automotive we deal with the top tier of motoring excellence, from the Pagani Huayra and Ferrari 812 Superfast to the iconic Lancia Delta.

Our wealth of experience as a classic and supercar dealer allows us to confidently provide customers with reliably expert opinions. In our pursuit of the right car, nothing is too much trouble. www.sassoautomotive.com

The Little Car Company is the world expert in producing exceptional scaled electric cars in partnership with renowned car manufacturers such as Bugatti, Ferrari and Aston Martin. They expertly hand-build each car in the UK, and it is this level of care and attention that delivers the stunning quality for which they are famed. www.thelittlecar.co

THE

THE

COMPANY

COMPANY

THE 32

COMPANY

Preserving the past, present and future:

+44 (0) 1784 436 222

Preserving the past, present and future:

+44 (0) 1784 436 222

www.ferrariparts.co.uk TH E ONLY AUTHO R I S ED WO R L DWI DE F ER R A R I C L A S S I C PA R T S DI S TR I B U TO R

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

Luxury Partners

AUGUSTINE JEWELS

BELLE BRUMMELL

CONNOLLY BROTHERS

Luxury Partner

Luxury Partner

RWHA Partner

Augustine Jewels is a globally successful British luxury jewellery brand. Our pieces are hand-made from hand-drawn designs, using only the finest specially selected gemstones, by some of London’s best craftsmen, all of whom have been making jewellery for generations. www.augustinejewels.com

Belle Brummell presents our unique collection of jackets, inspired by our creative director’s passion for classic 18th- and 19th-century British design.

Developed with the technical skill of Savile Row tailors, our Long Jackets are exquisitely crafted to enhance and flatter the female silhouette; our love letter to the modern woman. www.bellebrummell.com

Established in 1878 and now run by fourthgeneration family members, Connolly continues to supply luxury leather for the interiors of the world’s most prestigious classic car marques.

Capitalising on the unique aroma, natural individual hallmarks and enduring quality of its hides, Connolly works closely with these clients to develop interiors that will stand the test of time. www.connollybros.co.uk

DEWARS

EQUUS

HENRY POOLE & CO

RWHA Partner

Luxury Partner

RWHA Partner

John Dewar & Sons, founded in 1846, proudly holds the longest concurrent Royal Warrant in scotch and has an illustrious motoring heritage.

Tommy Dewar had a passion for cars and in 1904, he inaugurated the Royal Automobile Club’s Dewar Trophy, presenting it to the club to be awarded at their discretion. www.dewars.com

We design garage environments for the person who appreciates the value of quality, bespoke design, who expects the highest attention to detail and the use of the finest materials. In this pursuit we will create magnificent garage environments that are very personal and very distinctive. www.equusworks.co.uk

Founded in 1806, and the first tailors in Savile Row in 1846, Henry Poole & Co proudly maintains the tradition of pure bespoke tailoring to the highest standards, which we believe represents everything fine British tailoring is about: measuring, cutting and making each garment by hand on our premises at No. 15 Savile Row. www.henrypoole.com

BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II LIVERY TAILORS

ESTABLISHED 1806

HENRY POOLE & CO 15 SAVILE ROW, LONDON W1S 3PJ

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COTTINGHAM BLUE CHIP LONDON

Specialising in the sale & purchase of exceptional motor cars

WWW.JEREMYCOTTINGHAM.COM +44 (0) 7775 842 250 jeremy@jeremycottingham.com

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

FINLAY

GREY FLANNEL

JIM & TONIC

Luxury Partner

Luxury Partner

Luxury Partner

Finlay is an independent British eyewear brand founded by four friends in 2012. Based in London’s iconic Soho and Notting Hill neighbourhoods, we have grown into a close collective of eyewear enthusiasts. From our frame makers in Italy through to our store teams in the UK, we share the same passion for eyewear and eye care. www.finlayandco.com

Grey Flannel, a men’s clothing store located on Marylebone’s prestigious Chiltern Street, has earned itself a reputation as a specialist boutique with nearly 50 years in the business. With ready-to-wear clothing from their own collection, they also offer Bespoke & Made-To-Measure services helmed by tailor and owner, Timothy Everest MBE. www.greyflannel.co.uk

We are Jim & Tonic, a sustainable urban distillery in London, currently producing four fantastic gins and running a number of successful bars across the city. We will be bringing our much-loved Jim & Tonics to this year’s Concours, where our gins are matched perfectly with delicious tonics and colourful garnish. www.jimandtonic.com

LAUNER LONDON

MISTER MILLER

PISTON DISTILLERY

RWHA Partner

Luxury Partner

Luxury Partner

Launer London has created exquisite leather goods for more than 80 years in the heart of England.

Holder of a prestigious Royal Warrant since 1968, every item is crafted by hand using traditional methods and recognised by the most discerning customers who seek the very best in quiet luxury. www.launer.com

Discover luxurious, handmade British hats for him, her and them. Through 30 years of confidential fine hat-making, Mister Miller’s craftsmanship has been called on by designers and personalities worldwide, including Savile Row and the Peaky Blinders. Mister Miller is the elusive master hatter behind heads that make yours turn. www.mistermiller.co.uk

The Piston Distillery produces award-winning spirits with a strong rebellious nature. Driven by a love of engineering and motor sport we’ve combined the best of traditional and modern methods to produce inimitably smooth spirits. www.pistongin.com

MISTER MILLER MASTER HATTER

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Above & Beyond Since 1707

Personal and corporate gifting advice for every occasion, no matter how big or small. Fortnum’s complimentary Concierge - and your personal account manager - is always on hand to help.

Contact us to find out more about corporate gifting, our in-house wine experts, exclusive events, and 24/7 ordering.

Email CO NC IE RG E @F ORTNU M AND M A S ON .COM Call + 44 ( 0) 20 7465 8668 Lines open Monday to Friday, 9am–6pm (GMT) Log in or create your account today

Visit CONC IERG E . F ORTNU M AND M A S ON .COM

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

ROYAL WARRANT HOLDERS ASSOCIATION

SLEEPEEZEE

SPORA SPA

RWHA Partner

Luxury Partner

Since 1924 Sleepeezee has been designing and crafting hand-made, high-quality pocket spring beds. We champion traditional artisan skills such as hand-tufting and use some of the finest, most durable raw materials, which are complemented by truly advanced manufacturing techniques. www.sleepeezee.com

An exclusive opportunity: the first chance to see and feel ‘leather’ fabric made of mushroom mycelium. A bio-tech innovative from Patagonia to Hampton Court Palace, making waves in both the car and fashion industries. Visit marquee number 13 and meet the founders and scientists behind this ground-breaking innovation. www.sporabiotech.com

Association Partner

The Royal Warrant Holders Association is delighted, once again, to be a partner of the Concours of Elegance, hosting a selection of Warrant holders in the Shopping Area. Formed in 1840, the Association ensures the continued existence of Royal Warrants of Appointments. www.royalwarrant.org

Media Partners

S.T. DUPONT

TRUEFITT & HILL

CLASSIC & SPORTS CAR

Luxury Partner

Luxury Partner

Official Media Partner

S.T. Dupont is a French Maison founded in 1872 by Simon Tissot Dupont. For 150 years, the exceptional objects of S.T. Dupont have brought together French expertise and art of living by giving life to some of the most exquisite writing instruments, leather goods and precious accessories such as its iconic lighters. uk.st-dupont.com

For over two centuries Truefitt & Hill, recognised as the finest traditional barbershop and perfumer in London, has provided discerning gentlemen with only the finest in grooming products and services. Truefitt & Hill truly gives men the opportunity to look and feel their very best. www.truefittandhill.co.uk

Classic & Sports Car is Britain’s best-selling classic car magazine, and the undisputed authority for anyone buying, owning, selling, maintaining or even just dreaming about classic cars. www.classicandsportscar.com

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SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

CLASSIC DRIVER

IMPERIUM

MAGNETO

Official Media Partner

Official Media Partner

Official Media Partner

25 years ago, Classic Driver started connecting buyers and sellers of the world’s most desirable collector cars online. Since then, our high-value marketplace, trend-setting magazine, and influential social media channels have become the leading gateway to a higher form of car culture. www.classicdriver.com/en

Our magazine covers a variety of sectors and topics, allowing readers to make their own lifestyle decisions. We cover topics such as Fashion, Automotive, Real Estate, Yachting, Travel, and so much more. In other words, these are topics that help our readers organise, enhance, and simplify their lives. www.theimperium.life

The award-winning quarterly magazine that has taken the collector car world by storm with its in-depth features and stunning design. Magneto is all about the greatest cars and the people and stories that surround those cars – whether it’s Bugatti in the 1930s or McLaren in the 21st century. Single copies and subscriptions are available to buy online. Don’t miss out! www.magnetomagazine.com

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LEFT Classic Driver’s Panda 4x4 Meeting was one of many iconic events it has organised over the years.

CLASSIC D R I V E R AT

25

LEADING COLLECTOR CAR WEBSITE MARKS ITS QUARTER CENTURY IN STYLE THIS YEAR

FOR 25 YEARS, THE Classic Driver website has brought the world’s finest cars to an eager online audience – and to celebrate this milestone, its team is holding a birthday bash at the Concours of Elegance.

In that time, Classic Driver, led by J Philip Rathgen, has forged a reputation as the go-to marketplace for classic and modern car collectors globally, but it’s far more than that. Classic Driver

J Philip Rathgen

is also a trend-setting online magazine, creating unique content about the world’s most exciting cars and the life-affirming adventures and stories they create.

It’s a curated online concept store, too, which celebrates auto culture and driving essentials for a community of enthusiasts, fuelled by a desire and passion for cars. Here, you’ll be able to purchase must-have books and magazines, automotive accessories, artworks, collectibles, watches and more. Classic Driver also acts as a consultant for automotive luxury brands.

Classic Driver is committed to supporting and inspiring the next generation of collectors, with a contemporary approach to the market – 58 percent of the site’s users are aged 45-54.

The team will be on hand for a chat about collecting automotive exotica, and will bring along a fascinating array of classic and modern machinery that reflects Classic Driver’s style, philosophy and taste in cars. Here’s to the next 25 years. www.classicdriver.com

Help The Prince’s Trust to do its work

ABOVE Just some of the young people given a helping hand

by The Prince’s Trust.

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THE PRINCE’S TRUST believes that every young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter their background or the challenges they are facing. We help those from disadvantaged communities and those facing the greatest adversity by supporting them to build the confidence and skills to live, learn and earn.

The courses offered by The Trust help 11-30-yearolds to develop essential life skills, get ready for work and access job opportunities. We support them to find work, because this can lead to a more stable, fulfilling life.

The Trust was founded

by His Majesty King Charles III, then His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, in 1976. Since then, we’ve helped over a million young people across the UK – and three in four of those we supported over the past five years have moved into work, education or training.

We are committed to enabling even more young people to create a better future for themselves. By helping them today, the

benefits for them, their communities and the wider economy will be felt for years to come.

Who we are here for • Young people from the UK’s most disadvantaged communities, or facing the greatest adversity.

• Young people who are unemployed or struggling in their education.

• Many of those supported

by The Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness, poverty or mental-health problems, or have been in trouble with the law.

As a charity, we rely on your donations and support. At this critical time, any amount could make a huge difference; between success and failure, hope and despair.

Your support could be the turning point for young lives across the UK. To find out more, contact Glenn.Gaunt@ princes-trust.org.uk

RESTORATION • ENGINEERING • HISTORICAL RESEARCH • LOGISTICS • PAIN

Class Winner

www.akvr.com

www.akvr.com Keith Bow

Andrew Ames:

RIGHT AND BELOW Beautiful Pegasus sculpture trophy will go to the Best of Show; last year’s winner was Fritz Burkard’s Delage.

UNIQUELY FOR A world-class event, the Concours of Elegance has no official judging panel but instead relies on the refined tastes of the other entrants to determine Best of Show.

Each car on show has been carefully hand-picked by the expert Steering Committee, before being invited for display within Hampton Court Palace’s beautiful gardens. In this way, we consider each vehicle on show to be a winner and the awards in the main concours are determined by the car owners themselves.

Each owner assigns a vote to the model they believe to be the best in the line-up.

The winner in 2023 will be awarded the Pegasus sculpture trophy, created by renowned wildlife sculptor and artist Robert Rattray. We 44

also ask our owners to cast their vote for the best car by decade; we’ll have pre-1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s-on. Since each era of motoring has its own charm and history, it seems right to award them all separately, with each receiving a smaller bronze iteration of Robert’s stunning sculpture.

Previous Best of Show winners include the 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta in 2012, Bentley Speed Six Gurney Nutting Coupé in 2013, Alfa

6C 1750 Touring Flying Star in 2014 and Mercedes Simplex 60hp in 2015.

In 2016, Best of Show went to the incredible Hispano-Suiza Dubonnet Xenia, in 2017 the Lancia Astura Aerodinamico Castagna, followed by the Mercedes-Benz S-type Barker Boat Tail in 2018, 1919 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost in 2019, 1970 Le Mans-winning Porsche 917K in 2020, 1934 Voisin C27 Aérosport in 2021 and, last year, the 1938 Delage D8-120S de Villars.

CHARLIE B

The awards

AWA R D W I N N I N G A S T O N M A R T I N R E S T O R AT I O N S

A M E M O R A B L E J O U R N E Y AWA I T S Y O U …

www.richardsofengland.com

+44 (0) 1522 685476

Richards of England, 1 Cedar Parc, Lincoln Road, Lincoln, LN6 4RR

The Royal Automobile Club

THE VENERABLE ROYAL Automobile Club can trace its origins back to the very start of the motoring age.

It was established in 1897 by engineer and inventor Frederick Richard Simms, who is believed to have invented the terms ‘petrol’ and ‘motor car’.

A decade later, in 1907, King Edward VII awarded the Club the Royal title it retains to this day, underlining its status as Britain’s oldest and most revered motoring organisation. From the very beginning, the Club keenly promoted the car and its position in society.

After the well received 1000-Mile Trial in 1900, the Club organised the first Tourist Trophy in 1905 – the world’s oldest motor sport event that’s still running.

The Club also put on the first pre-war and post-war Grands Prix, at Brooklands in 1926 and Silverstone in 1948 respectively, while striving to improve the rights of the motorist.

The Club separated from the motoring services recovery division (now known as the RAC) in 1999,

LEFT The Royal Automobile Club’s Pall Mall home in London provides a suitably automotive-themed welcome.

and set up the independent Motor Sports Association (MSA) to look after UK motor sport. The Club then upgraded its clubhouses, at Woodcote Park near Epsom and on Pall Mall in London.

Each year it awards a series of historic trophies and medals celebrating motoring achievements, including the Segrave Trophy, Tourist Trophy, Simms Medal, Dewar Trophy and Torrens Trophy, as well as its coveted annual Historic Awards.

The Club is proud to have a diverse membership from around the world, and offers those two spectacular clubhouses along with an ever-growing events programme, exquisite accommodation, plus fine dining, sports and golfing facilities.

It still strives to develop and support automobilism via representation on the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and RAC Foundation, while also putting on its own events such as the 1000 Mile Trial, the Summer Veteran Car Run and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

LEFT Dewars’ Royal Endorsement dates back as far as 1893.

ABOVE Connolly Brothers specialise in high-quality leather for motors and more.

RIGHT Visit Henry Poole & Co, the original Savile Row tailors.

Royal Warrant Holders Association ROYAL WARRANTholding companies have a unique status in business – being able to proudly display the Royal Arms and ‘By Appointment to…’ legend in connection with their brand.

This privilege is thanks 48

to their ongoing trading relationship with the British Royal Household for the supply of highquality goods and services over many years.

A small selection of Royal Warrant holders are once again exhibiting

at this year’s Concours of Elegance, and they look forward to welcoming you to their stands, including: Audi UK Connolly Brothers Ltd Fortnum & Mason Plc Henry Poole & Co Ltd

John Dewar & Sons Ltd Launer London Ltd Sleepeezee Ltd They are all members of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. To find out more, please visit www.royalwarrant.org

SPECIALISTS IN PRE AND POST WAR CARS However you use your car we are always here to help From full restorations to pre rally preparation

01386 700987

info@ajglew.co.uk

www.ajglew.co.uk

DINO EISELE

THE COLLECTOR FRITZ BURKARD CHARLIE B

THE PEARL COLLECTION WELCOMING A SUBLIME SINGLE-OWNER DISPLAY THAT INCORPORATES EVERYTHING FROM THE FIRST BUGATTI TO PRE-WAR GP RACERS AND A 21ST CENTURY HYPERCAR

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M AG E S

LEFT This Bugatti Type 1 was a young Ettore Bugatti’s first foray into the automotive world.

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

LEFT Ex-King Leopold III 1934 Type 59 GP Bugatti was known as France’s fastest sports car.

BELOW 1933 Alfa 8C Monza was first registered to Scuderia Ferrari and is a regular in Historic motor sport.

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

THIS YEAR’S CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE WELCOMES one of Switzerland’s most dedicated classic car custodians, Fritz Burkard, as ‘The Collector’. Fritz’s array of automobiles, known as the Pearl Collection, are drawn from across the spectrum, from vintage Grand Prix machinery to obscure 1960s one-offs and 21st century hypercars. Over the years his cars have picked up concours wins at events such as The ICE St Moritz, and last year his 1938 Delage D8-120S de Villars won Best of Show here at the Concours of Elegance.

Despite these successes, for Fritz the vehicles are more than mere acquisitions – he believes that a love of such machinery comes from the heart, and doesn’t even think of himself as a collector. “I see myself more as a custodian, as somebody who has fun for myself and the people around me,” he told filmmaker Luca Pieri Pilotti. “I get very emotional around my cars, especially when I can see their history, when I can smell it.”

Rather than simply leaving the vehicles on static display, the Pearl Collection is enthusiastically exercised often, as Burkard explained: “Cars combine several passions: history, design, innovation, the feeling when you drive them, the sound…

A car has its own aura; you feel it or you don’t. We at the Pearl Collection love quirky and unusual models. We show them, we race them and we use them.”

This year, the Concours of Elegance will demonstrate the collection’s breadth, with a celebratory selection that goes from 1897 to 2022. Fritz has a particular affinity for Bugatti, and we start with an 1897 Prinetti & Stucchi Tricycle, built by a youthful Ettore Bugatti. As an apprentice with Prinetti & Stucchi – which moved from making sewing machines to making licenced DeDion tricycles – Ettore was called upon by the Automobile Club of Italy to develop a twin-engined racing tricycle, namely the inaugural Bugatti Type 1. In 1899 it won its first race against stiff competition, at a world-record average speed of 64km/h over 90km. It would set the tone for Ettore’s life and work.

Meanwhile, the 1934 Bugatti Type 59 was the marque’s last Grand Prix car, and is considered to be the most elegant of all pre-war competition machines. Just six were built, and the Burkard example took third at the Monaco GP and overall victory in Belgium. The car was then redeveloped for sports car racing, with the supercharger removed and a dry-sump gearbox installed, while the chassis and bodywork were heavily revised. It became known as France’s fastest sports car, and was at one point owned by King Leopold III of Belgium.

Fritz will also be exhibiting two examples of the Bugatti T57

51

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

BELOW Fritz’s 1960s super-slippery, Pininfarina-designed Abarth 1000 record car ‘La Principessa’.

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M AG E S

LEFT AND BELOW The Pearl’s Collection’s two stunning Bugatti T57s – an Atalante and a Stelvio – will also be on show at the Concours of Elegance.

52

– an Atalante and a Stelvio – while the collection is brought back up to date with a rare chance to see a Centodieci. This is Bugatti’s homage to the EB110 supercar of the 1990s, and a celebration of the marque’s 110th birthday. Although based on the Chiron, it is 20kg lighter, yet still has the 1578bhp quadturbocharged W16 engine. Fritz’s car is one of just ten built.

However, his passions are much wider, and two pre-war Italian heroes are well worth seeking out. The first is a 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C Monza first registered to Scuderia Ferrari. It was raced in the Monaco GP by Tazio Nuvolari, and went on to win the Swedish GP in August 1933. It also competed in the Mont Ventoux and San Sebastian hillclimbs. Upgraded and renamed SF28, it took part in the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio, and at the Circuito di Varese. Over the next decades the Alfa moved between several owners, and eventually it underwent a full restoration. Since then it has been a regular in Historic motor sport, and in 2012 it was driven from Germany to the Goodwood Revival. It duly won its race, before being driven back home.

Fritz’s 1939 Maserati 4CL Monoposto comes from when the marque was still relatively new, but had already built a name for itself in competition circles. The model debuted at the Tripoli GP, and just seven were built before the start of World War Two. This car, chassis 1564, was the prototype. It would see Works team action at Naples, Abbazia and Livorno, with the likes of Carlo Felice Trossi, Franco Cortese and Luigi Villoresi at the wheel. It continued to race post-war with Maurice Trintignant, before starting a less frenetic career as, variously, a hillclimber, a VSCC trials machine and a museum exhibit.

At the turn of the millennium it resumed its rightful place on the circuit, and it eventually joined the Pearl Collection in 2019.

Fritz also has a love of British marques, as exemplified by his 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental. It was a glorious swansong for Rolls-Royce’s venerable six-cylinder sidevalve engine. Fritz’s car features unusual wind-tunnel-honed Streamlined Saloon coachwork from Park Ward and an upgraded engine. After gracing Park Ward’s stand at the 1934 Olympia Motor Show, the Phantom II had a distinguished ownership career, eventually settling across the Atlantic. In the early 2000s, after a full restoration, it appeared at both the Pebble Beach and Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance events.

Further Pearl Collection exhibits at the 2023 Concours of Elegance include the super-slippery, Pininfarina-designed Abarth 1000 record car ‘La Principessa’ from the 1960s, plus an exquisite Aston Martin DB5 and a Peel P50 Coupé.

historic MOTORING aWARDS SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR

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100 YEARS OF THE LE MANS 24 HOURS HONOURING THE ICONIC ENDURANCE EVENT WITH A SPECIAL LINE-UP

BELOW The Ferrari 250/275P takes one of its two wins at La Sarthe.

TRIUMPH, TRAGEDY; victory, disaster – 24 hours may be just a day, but the Le Mans 24 Hours is the ultimate test of man, machine and often luck – or indeed the lack of it.

In 2023 the event marked its 100th year and, true to form, it was filled with the kind of drama that’s had racers, manufacturers and spectators making the pilgrimage to Circuit de la Sarthe right from the start.

The original idea was a test not merely of how fast a car could go, but also how reliable and fuel efficient it could be. While it was the Chenard-Walcker of René

Léonard and André Lagache that would take the first victory in May 1923, Bentley was always a part of it – despite initial hesitancy from WO Bentley himself.

After coming fourth, the bug bit and the marque would dominate for several years – and you can see Old Number 1, the 1929 Speed Six that would become the first Le Mans double winner, at the Concours of Elegance.

It forms part of a curated selection of iconic 24 Hours cars, including other rare double winners such as the 1963 Ferrari 250/275P that was originally thought to have won once, but its true

two-victory story was only revealed by chance in a Maranello storeroom.

Our 1968 Ford GT40’s story is far better known, however – it’s one of only two glassfibre-bodied cars, and carried the fight for the Blue Oval when Ford pulled out. After winning in 1968, it repeated the feat a year later, when Jacky Ickx’s last-lap ingenuity meant he scooped victory by a matter of yards. And if you’re a Gulf-livery fan, we have the very Porsche 917K used in Steve McQueen’s Le Mans.

We continue the story with the valiant efforts of Matra and Jean Rondeau – the only man to win Le Mans in a car bearing his own name – before taking in the glory days of Group C with Porsche and Jaguar.

Our next car brings those two great rivals together in the fascinating Porsche-TWR WSC-95, which blended a Jaguar Group C chassis with the Porsche’s resolute 962 engine to create a machine that won Le Mans twice and started Tom Kristensen’s record-breaking run of nine victories.

The final car brings the story full circle – what else but Bentley? The thunderous 2003-winning Speed 8 is testament to never giving up – the very essence of the Le Mans experience.

Practical, viable and ready to enjoy Group C cars were designed from the outset not only to survive being driven flat out by Grand Prix drivers for 24 hours but also to allow a gentleman driver to compete without difficulty. As endurance cars they can run two seasons comfortably without a rebuild – at a similar budget to running an E-Type or 911 at the sharp end in competition. They’re not complex and don’t need a large team to run – and parts and spares are readily available and constantly being remanufactured.

Racing & events

Now available

Discover more

Welcomed at the finest Concours events and demonstration runs and the world’s greatest race tracks via the Peter Auto and HSR racing series, ownership of an iconic Group C race car is your passport to Goodwood, Spa, Le Mans and the world’s best historic racing events and celebrations.

Derek Bell’s 1989 World Championship and Le Mans Porsche 962. Podium finish at Spa Classic in 2022, following a bare tub restoration and fresh engine with Motec engine management to allow simple running. Includes full access to our huge inventory of Group C parts.

Visit our website to learn more about Group C, our founder Henry Pearman, and watch our recent films celebrating Group C’s 40th anniversary, including our new “In Car 962, with Derek Bell at Silverstone” where he is reunited with his 1989 Cabin RLR 962.

Discover more at

historicgroupc.com

+44 (0)1825 831 028

BELOW Rare beasts: 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Indiana (top) and 1953 Ferrari 166MM/53 Spyder.

G O O D I N G & C O / M AT H I E U H E U RTAU LT

LEFT These two 1961 Jaguar E-type Series 1s each boast an historically important provenance.

AU C T I O N AC T I O N A P L E N T Y GOODING & CO HAS BROUGHT ALONG PRIME EXAMPLES OF AUTOMOTIVE GLITTERATI TO TEMPT, FROM HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT BRITISH MARQUES TO THE FINEST CONTINENTAL GEMS HAMPTON COURT Palace once again plays host to a highlight of the auction year – Gooding & Co’s London sale. More than 40 lots dating from the pre-war era right up to the modern day are on offer.

However, it is a brace of Jaguars that immediately draw attention. The 1961 E-type Series 1 3.8-litre Fixed Head Coupé chassis 860001 was the first righthand-drive FHC and one

of four RHD cars to feature early outside latch handles.

Its 1961 E-type Series 1 3.8 Roadster stablemate, meanwhile, is chassis 05004, the first E-type ever sold publicly and the fourth RHD Roadster built. It was the personal car of Lofty England, the boss of the Jaguar Cars racing team, and was later owned by famed Ferrari engineer and racing driver Michael Parkes. Chassis 860001 is

estimated at between £1m and £1.4m, while no. 05004 is estimated at between £900k and £1.2m.

If your tastes are more aligned with Aston Martin, the 1954 DB2/4 Indiana is a one-time offer. This car was part of a deal brokered

by Harold ‘Wacky’ Arnold for a limited series of Bertone-bodied Aston Martin DB2/4s. This one-of-one car was bodied at Bertone to a two-seater

Spider design by Franco Scaglione, and used on the motor show circuit before acting as Wacky’s personal car. It carries an estimate of £1.2m to £1.8m.

For those who have the Ferrari feeling flowing through their veins, the undoubted highlight of the five Maranello machines on offer has to be the 1953 166MM/53 Spyder. One of just 13 chassis built in total, and the fifth of six

Vignale-built Spyders, it was first delivered to Dominican diplomat and racing driver Porfirio Rubirosa. It’s been owned by the same British enthusiast for the past 63 years, and is estimated at between £2.5m and £3m.

These are just a handful of the wonderful cars on offer. Gooding & Co’s experts will be on hand to provide advice and answer queries – happy bidding!

Finance solutions as unique as your car Dedicated support, expert knowledge, and personal service.

It’s specialist car finance from the people who understand specialist cars.

Talk to our car expert team today.

Call: 0116 366 0800 Email: classiccars@ccbank.co.uk Visit: classiccarbank.co.uk Cambridge & Counties Bank Limited. Registered office: Charnwood Court, 5B New Walk, Leicester LE1 6TE United Kingdom. Registered number 07972522. Registered in England and Wales. We are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Financial Services Register No: 579415

CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE GERMANY JOIN US FOR A WEEK OF EXOTIC AUTOMOTIVE GLITTERATI ON THE SHORES OF LAKE TEGERNSEE, GERMANY IN JULY 2024 GERMANY HAS BUILT some of the automotive world’s finest creations, which is reflected in the nation’s passionate collector car culture. Next year, the organisers of the Concours of Elegance and London Concours will host a truly international event to pay tribute to Germany’s cars and its enthusiasts, on the shores of Lake Tegernsee.

The event is hosted by the Gut Kaltenbrunn estate on one of the country’s most beautiful lakes, only 40 minutes south of Munich.

It’s the perfect place to kick off the week’s automotive delights with a welcome party on July 22, before setting off on a grand tour around the Bavarian Alps, taking in magical castles plus fine food and drink 58

at special locations along the way. The tour will head towards Garmisch before returning for prize-giving and an exclusive dinner at Gut Kaltenbrunn.

July 26 will see an exclusive invite-only day with feature cars, luxury stands, concours machines, plus a patrons’ and owners’ charity evening. July 27 is the open day, with prizegiving, club cars, stage presentations and a dinner.

If you’re making the event part of a longer trip, the Olaf Gulbransson Museum is dedicated to the works of the Norwegian artist, while Motorworld Munich and the BMW Museum are well worth a visit.

We’ll announce more details on the Concours of Elegance Germany soon.

ABOVE New Concours will be based around the Gut Kaltenbrunn estate on the shores of Lake Tegernsee.

LEFT Join like-minded car owners for a packed itinerary of automotive delights in Germany.

LEFT The grand driving tour will take in magical Bavarian castles.

MORE THAN JUST CAR STORAGE Henry’s Car Barn is way more than just car storage. Established in the early 80s, we have grown into a destination for car culture.

Find out more on our website.

WWW.HENRYSCARBARN.CO.UK

LAST YEAR’S WIN NER UNIQUE DELAGE D8-120S HAS SINCE BEEN AWARDED PENINSULA BEST OF THE BEST Delahaye in the 1930s.

In 1936 the French marque created a stateof-the-art eight-cylinder engine, based on its raceproven, high-performance straight-six. Engineer Jean François conjured two extra cylinders, a 4.3-litre displacement, overhead valves and a single carburettor, to deliver more than 105bhp. The

resulting cars were called the D8-100 and D8-120.

As was customary at the time, Delage provided the ladder-frame chassis in rolling form only, allowing customers to clothe it in a body of their choice. This particular example, now owned by Fritz Burkard, was styled by de Villars as a special one-off twoseater. As befits the

luscious sporty coachwork, it first broke cover at the Concours de l’Auto de Printemps in 1938. It won the Grand Prize, a great achievement considering the strength of the major marque opposition.

The Delage sold for $7200 when new, making it one of the world’s most expensive cars. Twenty years later it was bought

by Otto Zipper, a US importer of foreign cars. It spent 60 years in America, before joining Burkard’s Swiss collection in 2019.

Following the Delage’s Concours of Elegance 2022 victory, it was awarded the Best of the Best title by Peninsula Classics only a few weeks ago – chosen out of the winners of eight world-leading concours.

CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE

SUMPTUOUS CURVES blended with engineering intrigue – last year’s Best in Show winner, chosen by the Concours car owners themselves, thoroughly deserved its prize.

The 1938 Delage D8-120S de Villars was one of the finest examples to emerge from the storied Delage brand that had been acquired by

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JUNIOR CONCOURS CELEBRATING THE DELIGHTS OF HALF-SCALE, HAND-BUILT CARS

RIGHT FROM TOP Much family fun and laughter are to be had at the popular Junior Concours.

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and others making use of electric motors or tiny petrol engines.

Over the course of the Junior Concours, the cars will be piloted by their Works drivers – supported by their loyal mechanics, of course – up onto the Concours Live Stage for a special prize-giving ceremony.

Competitors can win awards for Best Pedal Car, Best Electric Car, Best Petrol Car, Best-Dressed Driver and Best-Dressed Mechanic, before all being treated to a tea party in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.

CHARLIE B

NOW IN ITS FOURTH year, the Junior Concours returns to celebrate the best of half-scale, handbuilt pedal-, electric- and petrol-powered cars of all ages – and to welcome parents and their children in the roles of ‘Works drivers’ and ‘mechanics’.

Much like many of their full-size stablemates, the Junior Concours cars are mostly hand-crafted, borrowing intricate details from their iconic full-size equivalents. The faithful recreations vary in their complexity, with some requiring pedal power

The Royal Automobile Club’s Historic Awards have been created to recognise excellence and outstanding contributions to the UK’s historic motoring and motorsport industries.

Nominations close on Sunday 1st October and are now invited for the following categories:

1 Collection 2 Competitive Event 3 Innovation 4 Motoring Spectacle 5 Outstanding Journalism 6 Personal Endeavour 7 Restoration 8 Young Achiever

The Awards will be presented on Thursday 23rd November 2023 at the Royal Automobile Club at Pall Mall, culminating in the presentation of the Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

To nominate or for more information about the evening go to

www.royalautomobileclubhistoricawards.co.uk

NOMINATE NOW

THE LEVITT CONCOURS

BELOW It is held in honour of Dorothy Levitt – the ‘fastest girl on earth’.

H E R I TAG E I M AG E PA RT N E R S H I P LT D / A L A M Y S TO C K P H OTO

ABOVE Amanda Stretton is one of many to enjoy the Levitt Concours.

CHARLIE B

ALL-FEMALE DRIVING TOUR AND CONCOURS RETURNS FOR A SECOND YEAR

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THE CONCOURS OF Elegance is proud to bring back one of the most popular features from the 2022 edition – The Levitt Concours. The event celebrates the women integral to the automotive story of the past 120 years.

The Levitt Concours is named in honour of the first English female racing driver, Dorothy Levitt – the ‘fastest girl on earth’. She earned that sobriquet after setting the ladies’ World Land Speed Record and the first Water Speed Record.

Dorothy began her motor sport odyssey in 1903, taking on the Southport Speed Trials and winning her class in a 12hp Gladiator. Two years later she broke the record for the ‘longest drive by a lady driver’, powering from London to Liverpool in two days behind the wheel of a De Dion-Bouton, at a time when road maps and signs, not to mention petrol

stations, hadn’t been invented. With her trusty Pomeranian dog Dodo by her side, plus an automatic Colt revolver, she helped open up driving and the sense of freedom it fosters in women around the world.

Some may believe that thoroughbred racing cars and top-end collector vehicles are mainly enjoyed by men, but women are – and always have been – among the most passionate and dedicated aficionados.

We’re celebrating this with a one-day driving tour that will see 30 rare and exotic vehicles from an Austin-Healey 3000 to a Ferrari Daytona, owned and enjoyed by women, make the journey from the Guards Polo Club to Hampton Court Palace. Then it’s party time, with a curated schedule of events including a Charles Heidsieck Champagne reception, a Fortnum & Mason picnic lunch and prize-giving.

For more than 35 years JD CLASSICS has built up A WORLD CLASS REPUTATION for restoring, racing and retailing the most significant road and race cars.

CONTACT +44 (0)1621 879 579 www.jdclassics.com info@jdclassics.com

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THE MOST ROYAL OF VENUES HOSTS A STUNNING SELECTION OF DESIRABLE MACHINERY

#1

1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

Owner Tony Vassilopoulos Location UK

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THE US WAS BOOMING IN THE LATE 1950S. A YOUTHFUL elite loved fast living – and, of course, fast cars were a key part of that. Ferrari’s American distributors, Luigi Chinetti and John von Neumann, soon identified a need for a drop-top in the range, and called on Maranello to provide one. The result was the GT SWB California, a car that – despite its elegant Pinin Farina styling – was as stripped-out a racer as the Porsche 356 Speedster.

From 1960 onwards, Ferrari built 56 California Spyders on a 200mm-shorter chassis; while externally very similar, you can see the difference in the body between the front wheel and the door. However, the more drastic change was the introduction of Dunlop disc brakes front and rear, along with an upgraded version of the venerable Colombo V12. This example, chassis 2935GT, is the 25th SWB California Spyder built, and one of 38 covered-headlight models; it also has a rare factory hard-top. It’s finished in Max Meyer Bleu over a black Connolly interior.

It was originally delivered to Franco-Britannic Autos in Paris, France, before being displayed on the firm’s stand at the Paris Motor Show in October 1961. It soon found its first owner, Gérard Blain, a Parisian actor and later director.

Its next owner was celebrated French actor Alain Delon, who lived in Monaco. Delon was pictured with the car on the Côte d’Azur alongside Jane Fonda for the film Les Félins, and again for The Yellow Rolls-Royce alongside Shirley MacLaine. Delon sold the car in 1965 to Paul Bouvot, the director of the Peugeot Styling Centre, who was the first of four owners in two years. By 1971, it had entered the stewardship of Jacques Baillon, the son of Roger Baillon.

Jacques would keep the car until his passing in 2013.

Two years later the Ferrari was sold to the current owner, and promptly sent to Paul Russell and Company in Essex, Massachusetts for mechanical refurbishment in advance of being shown in the Preservation Class at the Pebble Beach Concours. In January 2016 it appeared at the Cavallino Classic 25 and Restoration Symposium in Palm Beach, Florida.

In 2017, the car returned to Paul Russell and Company for a two-year-long stripdown. Its post-restoration debut came in 2019, at the 90th Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where it won Best in Class – Swinging Sixties.

H E N RY WO O D

ENGINE

2953cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

277bhp

TORQUE

203lb ft

TOP SPEED

149mph

0-60MPH

8.0secs

WEIGHT

1200kg

ABOVE The ex-Alain Delon Ferrari was discovered as part of the famed Baillon Collection.

OPPOSITE In recent years it has undergone a complete restoration.

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#2

1913 Hispano-Suiza 15/45HP Alfonso XIII Owner Rafael Pueche Location Spain

BELOW Rakish aluminium body was inspired by successful Hispano-Suiza race cars from 1910-on.

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OPPOSITE The 15/45 HP’s relatively slim bonnet conceals a large 3.6-litre four-cylinder engine.

HISPANO-SUIZA’S ORIGINS LIE IN AN ELECTRIC CAR company called La Cuadra, formed in 1898 by a Spanish artillery captain, Emilio de la Cuadra. While in Paris he met with a Swiss engineer called Marc Birkigt, and soon had him working for the company in Spain. Combustion engines were produced, and by 1900 the first Birkigt cars arrived.

There followed a few ownership and financial difficulties, but by 1904 the company was in the charge of José María Castro Fernández. It was now called La Hispano-Suiza Fábrica de Automóviles, based in Barcelona.

The model range grew quickly, yet Birkigt was keen to go racing. Although early attempts ended in failure in 1909, in 1910 Hispano-Suizas placed first, third and sixth in the Coupe de l’Auto race. The car would also win at Ostende as well as lap Brooklands at an average of more than 80mph.

This winning machine would form the basis of the 15/45HP, which was otherwise known as the Alfonso XIII. It was named in honour of the Spanish king, after the prototype was gifted to him by his wife.

The road car retained much of the basic design of the racing car, although the motor was bored out to 3.6 litres.

This engine was placed in the middle of the chassis, which made the steel ladder-frame chassis stronger. The car rode on semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear, even if rear cable-operated drums were the only brakes. In 1913 the three-speed gearbox was replaced with a four-speed unit, while the suspension was revised with triple quarter-elliptic leaf springs front and rear, housed in a longer wheelbase.

A mere 500 were built before the onset of World War One. During the war, Hispano-Suiza had produced aircraft, with a novel approach to engine design that cast the block from a single piece of cast aluminium, rather than machining separate steel cylinders and then bolting them to the crankcase as had been the way in previous aircraft engine designs. These cast-block designs were carried forward into car production following the war, with a six-cylinder overhead camshaft engine that powered the H6 of 1919.

This innovation, along with other technological developments, meant that Hispano-Suiza patents were in high demand from other motoring manufacturers. The company would produce cars until 1946, when its assets were sold off to ENASA, a state-owned company that produced Pegaso trucks, buses and cars. The brand has since been relaunched with the all-electric Carmen hypercar.

ENGINE

3620cc/inline-four/ naturally aspirated/sidevalve

TRANSMISSION

Three-speed manual, RWD

POWER

63bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

80mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

662kg

‘The winning car would form the basis of the 15/45HP, otherwise known as the Alfonso XIII’

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#3

1953 Siata 280S Coupé

CORSA RESEARCH

Owner Wolf-Dieter Baumann Location N/A

72

THE ORIGINS OF SIATA LIE IN THE MID-1920S, WHEN amateur racing driver Giorgio Ambrosini set up shop selling tuning parts. By 1948 the company had moved on to building cars – its first was the Siata Amica, which won the 1948 Italian Road Racing Championship. In 1952, Siata entered the 208CS in the Mille Miglia, while the 208S Spider was first shown in 1953 in New York and Torino. Both were powered by Fiat’s all-alloy Tipo 104 2.0-litre V8 engine. While this was good for 110bhp in standard tune, Siata offered upgraded camshafts and valves, which raised the power output to 125bhp. Works racing engines, like this one, produced 140bhp.

When housed in the Siata’s lightweight aluminium body, this propelled the car to a top speed of 124mph, having blasted from 0-60mph in 12.4 seconds. The 208S was also a nifty handler – it employed four-wheel independent suspension complete with coil springs and dampers, which was a novel concept for the time. Stopping power came via four-wheel hydraulic alloy-drum brakes.

Just 18 CS models were built, with nine bodied by Balbo and six by Stabilimenti Farina, while 33 examples of the 208S were made, styled by Giovanni Michelotti and built by Rocco Motto. Also, two prototypes were designed by Bertone.

This particular car was a one-off built for Ernie McAfee.

McAfee was well known on the Southern California scene for his pre-war efforts in racing modified Fords and innovating with streamlined bodies. After World War Two he established Ernie McAfee Engineering to build and customise cars, and he eventually set up a Ferrari, Siata, Alfa Romeo, Moretti and OSCA dealership on Sunset Boulevard. This would introduce him to Steve McQueen, who’d buy a Siata of his own. McAfee would be a fierce competitor in southern California racing events, but he would sadly lose his life in 1956 following an accident his Ferrari 121LM during the Pebble Beach Road Race.

The car you see before you was built for McAfee’s attempt at the 1954 Carrera Panamericana, but it wouldn’t start the race. After that disappointment, the Siata would take part in several races, primarily on the West Coast. It remained in California until 2018, when it was bought by the current owner.

It’s an all-matching numbers car, with a lightweight alloy body on a box-section frame – all other coupés had tubular frames. It’s equipped It is equipped with a high performance race version of the Fiat 8V Works engine featuring two four-barrel Weber 36 IF 4C carbs along with long-range riveted fuel tanks that were specially installed for the Carrera Panamericana, and many other unique features.

ENGINE

1996cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

140bhp (est)

TORQUE

108lb ft

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

950kg

ABOVE Most 208S and 208CS models were powered by Fiat’s all-alloy Tipo 104 2.0-litre V8.

OPPOSITE This 280S Coupé was a one-off built for racer and dealer Ernie McAfee.

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#4

1938 Delahaye Type 145 V12 Coupé Owner Merle and Peter Mullin Location US

OPPOSITE Now the Type 145 is a star of the famous Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California.

M U L L I N AU TO M OT I V E M U S E U M

BELOW The beautiful curves by Chapron conceal the chassis and V12 engine of a competitive race car.

74

THE STORY OF THE DELAHAYE TYPE 145 REALLY begins with Lucy O’Reilly Schell. The daughter of a construction magnate, she’d moved to France and started a family – but her passion for motor sport couldn’t be dimmed.

She began circuit racing with Bugattis in 1927, with some success, but by 1929 she’d moved on to rallying. She finished eighth on that year’s Monte Carlo in a Talbot M67, scooping a Coupe des Dames along the way. It was the first of a number of appearances at the event that yielded several podiums.

At the time, Delahaye had become known for building trucks, while its cars were deemed unexciting. The widow of one of the original Delahaye partners, Dame Madame Desmarais, had enough, and instructed her staff to build up a racing department. The first fruits of this labour were the four-cylinder 134 and six-cylinder 138.

Impressed by the models’ debut at the 1933 Paris Salon, O’Reilly Schell visited the Delahaye factory. She ordered the more powerful six-cylinder engine from the 138 to be placed in the short-chassis 134, and the 135 was born.

Over the next few years various versions of the 135 concept were born, but Schell wanted a car built specifically for racing. She drummed up enough support for a dozen 135 CS models to be built. However, in 1936 Delahaye disbanded the racing team. O’Reilly Schell picked up the baton, forming the Écurie Bleue. Using money from her father’s estate, she underwrote the development of a new 4.5-litre V12 engine – the car would be called the Delahaye 145. Chassis no. 48772 is the second in a series of four run by Écurie Bleue between 1937 and 1939.

After its racing career came to an end, the car was put into storage until the end of World War Two. In 1947 it was sent to Henri Chapron for new, modern coachwork and, a year later, the finished model was delivered complete with a Type 165 engine with a racing-derived three-carburettor set-up.

When Fritz Schlumpf learned of the model, he purchased it for his private collection in Mulhouse, Germany. And when the V12 stopped working, he simply had the motor removed and replaced with a Delahaye six-cylinder.

A few years later, Ed Andrews of Chicago purchased the car from the Schlumpfs, and then spent many years tracking down the original engine, which he did in 1970. It was finally reunited with the car in 1983, when Bill Jacobs Junior bought and restored the Delahaye, and it became part of the Mullin Collection in 2003, whereupon it was restored again.

ENGINE

4496cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

185bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

143mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1700kg

‘After its racing career came to an end, the car was put into storage until the end of World War Two’

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#5

1954 Bentley R-type Continental by Chapron Owner Stephen F Brauer Location US

THE BENTLEY R-TYPE CONTINENTAL WAS A CAR that attracted only the world’s elite – and thus only elite coachbuilders were entrusted with the bare chassis. This example, BC63LC, was built for Antonio Francisco Machado Ferreria de Carvalho E Silva of Lisbon, Portugal. The R-type was completed in March 1954, and delivered in May. In 1956, while racing his nephew who was driving a Porsche, Silva rolled the car, badly damaging the coachwork.

He then commissioned HJ Mulliner to convert it to a drophead coupé, resulting in design no. 7453, which closely resembled the S1 no. 7409. The price of the Mulliner proposal was too high, however, so Silva instead commissioned Chapron to convert the R-type. The Mulliner design still exists, and it is to this style that the car was restored between 2005 and 2006.

The correspondence with Chapron began in May 1956 and finally concluded with the delivery of the Bentley in July 1958, for which Silva paid 2.3 million francs. There are two different Chapron drawings of the car... one of which is reasonably handsome. Unfortunately the finished product, which was executed in steel, resembled neither drawing and was quite ungainly in appearance. The rear deck was much too long, low and angular. Photographs of the Bentley in London are in most books on Continentals. In this guise it was likely the inspiration for Ian Fleming to put James Bond in a virtually

76

‘The price of the Mulliner proposal was too high, so he commissioned Chapron to do the conversion’

identical customised two-passenger Continental drophead.

In 1961 stewardship of the car moved to 20th Century Fox movie actor Kurt Kreuger, whose address is listed simply as Hotel Cipriani, Venice. Between 1962 and 1989 the Bentley had three owners in the US, before travelling to Switzerland, where it was owned by Eric Traber for about ten years.

Richard Gorman brought the car back to the US in 2000, and it was purchased by Hunter Classics in 2002.

In 2005 the rear half of the Continental was redone in aluminium per the original Mulliner drawings. The work was completed in September 2006, after which the car participated in the Louis Vuitton Boheme Run from Budapest to Vienna to Prague, as well as the 2008 Copperstate 1000. It completed the NAVBM tour in 2008, and was the centrepiece at the Bentley Motors dinner at Pebble Beach in 2008.

ENGINE

4566cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

153bhp (est)

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

120mph

0-60MPH

13.25secs

WEIGHT

1676kg

ABOVE The car was restored as per the Mulliner drawings in the mid-2000s.

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#6

1962 Ferrari 250GTO

M OTO R S P O RT I M A G E S

Owner Private Collection Location US

78

ALL FERRARI 250GTOS ARE RARE AND VERY SPECIAL machines. But this car, chassis 3729 GT, is one of just eight right-hand-drive GTOs out of the 36 built. The only version delivered in Bianco (white), it was an order received via Maranello Concessionaires for Jaguar dealer and famous British racing team owner John Coombs.

The car’s first race was at Brands Hatch on August 6, 1962, when Roy Salvadori drove it to second overall in the Peco Trophy. Two weeks later it was contested by World Championto-be Graham Hill at the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood. The race was a battle royal between the GTOs of John Surtees, Mike Parkes, Hill and Innes Ireland, eventually falling to Ireland with Hill in 3729 GT, lights ablaze, only 3.6sec adrift.

At the end of the season, Coombs loaned the car to Jaguar to carry out an in-depth appraisal of the model as part of the development of the British marque’s own Lightweight E-types.

Three days of comparative testing by Norman Dewis at MIRA ended with a clear winner; although lacking a little in power and torque, the Ferrari was superior in almost every respect.

For the 1963 season, the GTO was returned to Maranello for a rebuild. David Salamone – later to star in The Italian Job as Mini driver ‘Dominic’ – and his father, a friend of Coombs, were entrusted to drive the car back from Italy. A garage attendant put petrol into the oil tank, which had to be drained by a nearby Ferrari mechanic. The car was then driven across Switzerland, the then-under-age Salamone getting a stint behind the wheel.

The GTO was a force to be reckoned with in that year’s British GT races, driven by aces such as Parkes, Jack Sears, Mike McDowell and Michael Salmon. At the Goodwood TT Coombs joined forces with Maranello Concessionaires, entering a pair of 250GTOs. Hill drove a newer car, while Parkes was given 3729 GT. It was a one-two for the pair, Parkes leading for many laps but crossing the line just 0.4 seconds behind Hill.

In 1964 the GTO was sold to Eddie Portman, and at that year’s Goodwood TT Richie Ginther took it to ninth place.

Portman sold it to motor-racing spares and wheels trader John Pearce shortly afterwards. From Pearce the car passed to gentleman driver Neil Corner in 1967, for £2500. He repainted it red, keeping it until 1970 when he sold it to one of its original drivers, Norfolk farmer Sears. He’d drive it to Bob Houghton’s in Gloucestershire for servicing, and take the train home. After nearly 30 years in Sears’ ownership, 3729 GT passed to the current North American owner, who returned it to its well known Coombs-era white livery.

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

ENGINE

2953cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

302bhp

TORQUE

246lb ft

TOP SPEED

174mph

0-60MPH

5.8secs

WEIGHT

1050kg

ABOVE Note some key differences to ‘normal’ GTOs – Coombs fitted hood louvres to cool the engine compartment.

OPPOSITE Jack Sears owned 3729 GT for nearly 30 years.

79

#7

1962 Shelby Cobra ‘CSX2001’ Owner Bruce Meyer Location US

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WHEN CARROLL SHELBY DROPPED AN AMERICAN V8 engine into a lightweight British roadster, he created one of the most important US sports cars in history – and changed the game in motor sport. It all came at just the right time for both AC and Shelby himself. The Texan had recently retired from racing on health grounds, but his competition career had taken him around Europe’s small-scale manufacturers – during which he spotted a gap in the market for an American sports car.

Over at AC, the Bristol Aeroplane Company was winding down production of road-car engines, while the Ford Zephyr unit was not proving much of a sales draw in the AC Ace. Thus, when Shelby wrote to the British firm to request an Ace chassis that could swallow a V8, AC provided one on credit.

Shelby then went to Chevrolet for an engine, but General Motors said no, fearing competition with the Corvette. Ford, however, saw the value of a ’Vette-crushing sports car, and provided both engines and transmissions – also on credit.

Following the initial prototype, this car – CSX2001 – was the first production Cobra built, and the first to be entered into competition. It was continually modified and upgraded to keep up with the other Shelby Team machines. This means the body shape is unique to CSX2001, as you see it here today.

The car was bought by CAMORADI Racing’s Lloyd Casner, for a crack at the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours, but it didn’t quite cut the mustard in practice, so it never ran in the race. The Cobra was then sold to Jean-Marie Vincent who in 1964 upgraded it to FIA specifications by Ford Racing in France, along with Halibrand 6.5in and 8.5in magnesium wheels, rack and pinion steering, anti-roll bars, an oil cooler, a 36-gallon fuel tank, a bonnet vent and a one-off hard-top. It was entered into eight events, including the Tour de France and the 1000km de Paris, scoring six first places and two non-finishes.

In 1966 CSX2001 was sold to another Frenchman, Pierre Landerau, who used it as a road car and eventually painted it yellow. In 1966 it went to Casablanca resident Hervé ArnoneDemoy, who also used it as a road car until 1974, when it was sold to Bernard Afchain and returned to France. He restored it to 1964 spec and added a single-hoop roll bar, before selling it to Dominic Ellenreider of Switzerland, who repainted it green.

Bruce Meyer bought the car in France in 2006. He participated in the Budapest-Prague Rally before exporting it to southern California, where it went through a sympathetic restoration. As with most of the vehicles in Meyer’s collection, the well preserved Cobra is kept in perfect driving condition, and he frequently takes it out to shows and rallies.

ENGINE

4727cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

360bhp

TORQUE

319lb ft

TOP SPEED

140mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1040kg

ABOVE CSX2001 was the first production Cobra, and the first to be entered into races.

OPPOSITE Note Carroll Shelby’s signature inside.

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#8

1956 Jaguar XKSS Owner Rebecca Prytherch Location UK

OPPOSITE Roadgoing civility meets Le Mans-winning pedigree on the shores of Lake Como

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

BELOW Two XKSSs lead a pack of racier D-types down towards Madgwick Corner at Goodwood Circuit.

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THE D-TYPE WAS A TRUE SUCCESS STORY FOR Jaguar. It would be a dominant force in sports car racing, but its best years came without official manufacturer support following the marque’s decision, late in 1956, to concentrate its efforts wholly on road-car production.

This abrupt withdrawal from motor sport activities meant that several D-types remained, some still at the Browns Lane factory, others languishing unsold on showroom floors.

At the time, the American market was hot for European sports cars. Sir William Lyons, seeing the potential for sales success across the pond, ordered a small run of road-going versions of the remaining D-types, to be called the XKSS. The changes to the racing cars were relatively minor, with the removal of both the fin behind the driver and the divider between the seats, plus the addition of a passenger-side door.

To make the car more suitable for everyday road use, a full-width chrome-bordered windscreen, side screens, and a fabric roof were added. The XKSS also gained indicators, a pair of chromed front bumpers, tail-light clusters from an XK140 and thin chrome strips around the headlight fairings.

Just 16 cars had left the factory before a fire at Browns Lane destroyed nine others that had been destined for the USA. In 2016, Jaguar announced a series of nine ‘continuation’ cars, built to the original specification.

This car was originally built as D-type chassis XKD 550. It went into stock at Jaguar dealer Appleyards, in Leeds, where it remained unsold for several months.

XKD 550 became XKSS 769, the 16th and final D-type to be converted by the factory. It was dispatched on November 19, 1957 to Jaguar Cars in New York and was sold to Tossie Alex.

It’s likely that Alex clocked up more racing miles in this car than any other XKSS, including at tracks such as Road America, Wilmot, Meadowdale and Lime Rock.

It was purchased by a Dr Beiver of New York in 1964, before being sold in the early-70s to Frank Opalca. Then, in 1991, the XKSS went into the long-term ownership of Gerald Nell of Wisconsin, who, over the course of 18 years, added more than 20,000 miles to its odometer.

The current family bought the car from Gerald’s widow in 2009. It remains in full factory conversion specification. It won its class at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2013.

ENGINE

3422cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

250bhp

TORQUE

240lb ft

TOP SPEED

160mph

0-60MPH

5.5secs

WEIGHT

921kg

‘Lyons, seeing the potential for sales success across the pond, ordered a small run of road-going D-types’

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#9

1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV

K I D S TO N A R C H I V E

Owner Devon MacNeil Location UK

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THE MIURA SV WAS THE FINAL VERSION OF WHAT many consider to be the world’s first supercar. In total, 762 Miuras were made, before production was halted to make way for the Countach in 1973. Of those, only the last 150 bore the coveted SV badge on their beautiful Gandini-designed rumps.

In many respects the SV, with its improved engine, revised suspension and wider rear tyres and wheels, was the car Lamborghini’s engineers had always wanted to make. The essence of the car is evident in its name; SV stands for spinto veloce – an Italian phrase that translates directly as “pushed fast”, but “tuned for speed” is an even better interpretation.

Beefier bodywork, required to cover the wider rear wheels and more modern 255/60R15 Pirelli Cinturato tyres served to highlight the car’s more serious sporting intent. Even its famous but decorative ‘eyelashes’ had disappeared.

Revised three-barrel Weber carburettors and changes to the camshaft timing raised the V12’s power rating from the 370bhp of the Miura S to 385bhp at 7850rpm.

Chassis 4878 was delivered new to French industrialist Jacques Dembiermont, cousin of racing driver Pierre Noblet.

By all accounts, Dembiermont was a skilled driver who liked to exercise his high-performance cars to the full over long distances. He had previously owned a P400 that he would drive in an enthusiastic manner from his home in Paris to his factory near the Belgian border or to his villa on the Côte d’Azur. When used “to the max”, his first P400 would suffer from oil starvation, so Miura development test driver Bob Wallace fitted the lower engine and dry sump parts from the destroyed Jota – a one-off, lighter and more powerful Miura built in Wallace’s spare time – into Dembiermont’s new SV. Chassis 4878 is one of a handful of cars upgraded in period at the factory in Sant’Agata. Dembiermont also requested that Wallace fit the ZF limited-slip differential from the Jota.

Usually travelling with his wife and their dog in the passenger seat, Dembiermont recorded over 70,000km (43,495 miles) in the car. His son recalls covering the 225km (140 miles) between Paris and Avallon in just one hour.

After being sold in 1978, the SV passed through owners in France, Norway and the UK before being purchased by the current enthusiast in 2020. Hampton Court is the first public appearance for this very special Miura SV since undergoing a three-year-long restoration in Italy.

ENGINE

3929cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

385bhp

TORQUE

295lb ft

TOP SPEED

180mph

0-60MPH

6.2secs

WEIGHT

1245kg

ABOVE Appropriately finished in Oro (gold) Metallizzato, this SV is pure precious metal OPPOSITE Wider fenders, no “eyelashes” and new tail-lights are all specific to the SV.

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#10

1955 Maserati A6GCS/53 Frua Spider Owner Jonathan and Wendy Segal Location US

OPPOSITE Chassis no. 2110 is perfectly proportioned and possesses intricate styling details.

M AT T H E W S E G A L

BELOW A6GCS/53 Frua Spider was specially commissioned

by Maserati dealer Guglielmo ‘Mimmo’ Dei.

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THIS MASERATI A6GCS FRUA SPIDER IS ONE OF only three such examples built and two still in existence.

It combines in one harmonious package a beautiful yet purposeful body with a great deal more than the everyday production Maserati chassis and engine.

The man responsible for creating this remarkable car was Guglielmo ‘Mimmo’ Dei, who was the official Maserati dealer in Rome. In 1954, Dei commissioned a small series of coachbuilt A6GCS/53s, including four Pinin Farina Berlinettas and a single Frua Spider.

Delighted with the results, Dei contacted the Maserati factory in January 1955 and requested two additional A6GCS/53 chassis, which he intended to send to Frua. These two platforms, which were numbered 2109 and 2110, were equipped with special dry-sump A6G/54 engines and delivered to Dei in July 1955. From there, the bare chassis were sent to Carrozzeria Frua in Torino.

The A6GCS/53 Spiders commissioned by Dei are widely recognised as being Frua’s greatest contribution ever to the art of Italian coachbuilding. Perfectly proportioned and possessing intricate details, these elegant bodies were masterfully designed, mirroring the best qualities of the Maserati chassis that lay beneath.

The two A6GCS/53 Frua Spiders were completed in late 1955, and were identical apart from colour; 2109 was finished in red with a cream central strip, while 2110 – the car you see before you – was finished in banana yellow with a black stripe. Both cars were beautifully turned out and equipped with the finest accessories, including French-made Marchal driving lights and handsome Veglia gauges.

This Maserati is the centrepiece of the owners’ collection, and has been previously displayed by prior keepers at Pebble Beach in 1964 and Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2010, where it was awarded Best in Class and the prestigious Coppa d’Oro. Since its impressive outing at Villa d’Este, however, 2110 has not been publicly displayed. After a spot of fine-tuning both aesthetically and mechanically at RX Auto in Vancouver, the car makes its ‘re-debut’ into the concours arena at the Concours of Elegance.

The exceptionally rare Maserati represents an ideal marriage of the thoroughbred A6GCS/53 chassis with Pietro Frua’s exquisite coachwork. The result is an undisputed masterpiece of Italian design and one of the world’s most beautiful and desirable sports cars of the 1950s.

ENGINE

1986cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

170bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

146mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

740kg

‘Undisputed masterpiece of Italian design and one of the most beautiful sports cars of the 1950s’

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#11

1924 Bentley 3 Litre Sport Owner Musée des 24 Heures du Mans Location France

BENTLEYS WERE RIGHT THERE AT THE START OF THE Le Mans 24 Hours, 100 years ago this year – but it wasn’t until 1924 that the marque stood atop the podium.

The car to do that was this Bentley 3 Litre Sport. Although created with one eye on being road-tax efficient through a relatively small engine bore at less than 3.0 litres, its long stroke produced plenty of thump through the four forward gears. It featured a single overhead camshaft that actuated four valves per cylinder, and produced a weighty 70bhp.

WO Bentley was initially sceptical about the merits of racing for 24 hours, but after the solitary Works car for the 1923 race netted fourth place, he became an avowed fan. The 1923 duo of John Duff and Frank Clement returned for the following year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. As well as new four-wheel drum brakes, the car benefited from wire-mesh-covered headlamps and matting around the fuel tanks to prevent damage from errant stones thrown up by other competitors.

Duff suggested several ideas to give the team an advantage – including positioning members at the Mulsanne corner with a telephone so he could tell the crew he was going to be pitting, as well as tweaks to make pitstops flow better.

Come the race, the Bentley team had a few issues. Clement came in on lap 19, one lap before he was supposed to, but following a warning from an official he eked out another

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‘Bentley hauled the car in for a precautionary change of the wheels, but a rim had been tampered with’

lap. During the night Duff had to pit the car to clear a blockage in the gearbox, which took half an hour to sort. However, come the morning the Bentley found itself in the lead; at one point it was extending its advantage by ten seconds a lap.

With around two hours still to go the team hauled the car in for a precautionary change of the rear wheels, but one rim had been tampered with – it couldn’t be taken off. The issue took an hour to fix, leaving the crew perilously close to missing victory. But Bentley’s luck was in – the team won by one lap.

In 1941 the car was sold and its bodywork modified. Some time afterwards, an enthusiast authenticated it thanks to its number plate, chassis number and photos of the era.

He found a copy of its registration, bought bodywork corresponding to that of 1924 and returned the car to just how it looked the year of its victory.

ENGINE

2996cc/inline-four/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

70bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

81mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

N/A

MUSÉE DES 24 HEURES DU MANS

ABOVE Back at Le Mans, scene of this 3 Litre’s greatest victory, some 99 years ago.

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#12

2003 Bentley Speed 8 Owner Bentley Motors Ltd Location UK

OPPOSITE Bentley’s three-year quest for glory culminated in victory at the 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours.

B E N T L E Y M OTO R S LT D

BELOW Speed 8 on parade in Paris, with Smith, Kristensen and Capello behind, in Birkin’s ‘Blower’.

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THE INCORPORATION OF BENTLEY INTO THE WIDER Volkswagen Group coincided with a full-bore attempt to return the marque to the sharp end of the sporting luxury segment it had once owned. Those in charge knew the best way to remind potential customers of the company’s glorious motor sport history would be a competitive return to Le Mans. And so, the Bentley Speed 8 was born.

Of the 11 cars – one Cosworth-powered 001 prototype, five 002 EXP Speed 8s and five 004 Speed 8s – built between August 2000 and June 2003, the Speed 8 with the shortest racing career is also the most illustrious. Chassis no. 004/5 was completed on June 1, 2003, a mere two weeks before it swept to victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours – the successful culmination of a three-year quest for glory.

At the time, sister brand Audi was competing in the same endurance circles. Rather than an intra-family war, Bentley’s closed-cockpit prototypes competed in the LM GTP class, while Audi’s 2000 Le Mans-winning R8 competed in LMP 900, the top class for open prototypes.

The EXP Speed 8 shared its twin-turbocharged V8 engine with the R8, but that was as far as the collaboration went – the chassis, suspension, gearbox and aero package, designed

by Racing Technology Norfolk’s Peter Elleray, was bespoke to the Bentley project. Two EXPs made their debut at Le Mans in 2001. Only one went the distance, winning its class and claiming third place overall. Bentley returned for 2002 with a single car, repeating the class victory, but finishing just outside the top three positions.

A fresh approach was sought for 2003. The resulting 004 featured a completely revised frontal area, with a redesigned front wing. A narrower and more tapered cockpit helped reduce drag and improve airflow to the rear, while the intakes for the turbochargers were moved from the roof to the sidepods. The cockpit also saw revisions to the location of the pedal box, which allowed for greater airflow over the suspension, rather than through it. Torsion-beam suspension was also implemented at the rear.

Running as car #7, and driven by Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Guy Smith, chassis 004/5 covered 377 laps at an average speed of more than 133mph, to record Bentley’s first victory at Le Mans since 1930. It was double delight as its sister car, 004/3, finished in second place.

In restoring its sporting lustre, the Speed 8 added a worthy new chapter to Bentley’s glorious motor sport story.

ENGINE

3995cc/V8/ twin-turbocharged/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Six-speed sequential manual, RWD

POWER

615bhp

TORQUE

590lb ft

TOP SPEED

217mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

905kg

‘Chassis no. 004/5 was completed on June 1, 2003, a mere two weeks before it swept to victory at Le Mans’

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#14

1974 Matra MS 670B Owner Musée des 24 Heures du Mans Location France

OPPOSITE A superb in-house V12 in an efficient and reliable car brought glory to France once more.

MUSÉE DES 24 HEURES DU MANS

BELOW Matra’s wildly ambitious motor sport dream culminated in three Le Mans wins on the trot.

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THE LE MANS 24 HOURS IS ALL ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF adventure, daring and tenacity. Even so, most would have been shocked in 1966 to hear that Matra – having only been in the car game for a handful of years – had set its sights on winning the event in the name of the host country.

With the might of British, German, US and Italian teams to conquer, it would have appeared too high a mountain to climb. However, the company saw the value in competition and soon found success in Formula 3 and Formula 2 with its MS5 single-seater. 1967 saw a step up to Formula 1, and a mere two years later, Jackie Stewart and Tyrrell took Matra to both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

It would be the F1 connection that would give Matra the edge in endurance racing. In 1968, the rules were revised, limiting prototype engines to 3.0 litres, which just happened to be the same displacement as F1. Matra could therefore develop an engine that would serve both purposes, and called upon Moteur Moderne to build its Georges Martin-designed four-valve, twin-cam V12. Fitted into an MS630 for the 1968 Le Mans 24 Hours, the new engine immediately proved its worth – the car ran as high as second before a puncture and crash curtailed its run after 22 hours.

Though not always successfully, Matra’s development continued throughout an era dominated by Ferrari and Porsche. By 1972 however, Porsche and Ferrari found their 917s and 512s banned, and Matra romped to victory courtesy of Graham Hill and Henri Pescarolo. It was the start of three years of Matra domination as the cars claimed World Sportscar Championship titles in 1973 and ’74.

This particular car won the 1974 Le Mans, as one of three 670Bs built for the 24 Hours assault. In it, Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larrousse led from pretty much the start, but it was by no means an easy run. At 8am on Sunday, Larrousse suffered a misfire that required several stops to fix, costing the team 45 minutes. Three hours later, the Porsche-designed gearbox failed, which took another 45 minutes to repair and the 11-lap advantage over the pack had been reduced to just one.

However, the Matra made it to the finish smoothly, and today is still exactly as it was when it took the victory.

It was a triumphant end to the Le Mans quest. Having achieved all it set out to do (and more), Matra quit all motor sport activities at the end of the season to focus on road car development, though it did later provide Formula 1 engines.

ENGINE

2999cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

450bhp

TORQUE

236lb ft

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

678kg

‘It would be the F1 connection that would give Matra the edge in endurance racing’

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#15

1968 Ford GT40

M AT H I E U H E U RTAU LT

Owner Rob Walton Location US

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ALL GT40S ARE SPECIAL, BUT THIS PARTICULAR Ford, chassis 1075, is a member of a select club of Le Mans 24 Hours competitors. It won the French endurance classic two years in a row – a feat very few cars have ever managed.

In 1968 John Wyers’ JW Automotive, sponsored by Gulf Oil, became the Ford factory representative in the World Sportscar Championship after the Blue Oval – peeved that its 7.0-litre entrants were no longer allowed to compete – withdrew direct Works support. This car, chassis 1075, was newly constructed for that year, but to the Mk1 design. It was built on a leftover Mirage M1 tub, and was fitted with glassfibre bodywork; it was one of only two GT40s to be produced in this manner, the other being its JW Automotive sister car for that year.

No. 1075 didn’t get off to a great start, with transmission troubles ruling Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman out at the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring. It would go on to take three victories before it reached Le Mans, however.

Taking place in September after civil unrest earlier in the year, the 24 Hours would be an epic showdown for Ford and Porsche to settle the WSC. The Stuttgart challenge soon faded, but JWA couldn’t be complacent – a third of the way into the race, the team had only one competitive car, that of Lucien Bianchi and Pedro Rodríguez, deputising for Ickx and Redman due to Formula 1 injuries. Despite an extra three hours of darkness compared with the usual Le Mans date, along with heavy rain, the duo finished five laps ahead of their nearest challengers to give Ford the manufacturer’s title.

For 1969, again the car’s initial race ended in retirement, but alongside Jackie Oliver, Ickx returned to the cockpit in fine style. The duo took victory at Sebring by a lap, and this set up one of the most famous Le Mans 24 victories ever.

Porsche had been leading for 90 percent of the race with Vic Elford and Richard Attwood in the new 917LH, and Rudi Lins and Willi Kauhsen in the 908LH, but both succumbed to gearbox failure. This left 1075 in the lead, with Hans Hermann and Gérard Larrousse hard on its tail in a 908LH. Hermann and Ickx would trade positions repeatedly over the last hour.

Due to a timing issue both had to do an extra lap, which meant fuel was critical. Ickx masterfully let Hermann by early on the Mulsanne, faking fuel starvation, and then slipstreamed by him down the 5km straight. Ickx held onto the win by 120 metres and a matter of seconds – the closest Le Mans finish ever. This would be the car’s final race; it was later retained by Gulf and displayed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s museum.

ENGINE

4942cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

425bhp

TORQUE

398lb ft

TOP SPEED

211mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

950kg (est)

ABOVE Iconic JW Automotive car was sponsored by Gulf Oil. OPPOSITE GT40 no.

1075 won two Le Mans 24 Hours races in a row.

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#16

1963 Ferrari 275P Owner Private Collection Location UK

BELOW Nino Vaccarella and Jean Guichet, driving 0816, celebrate the win at Le Mans in 1964.

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OPPOSITE 275P 0816 out on the track, looking as triumphant as a double-Le Mans winner should.

WHEN THE FERRARI 250P WAS ANNOUNCED TO THE press at Monza on March 4, 1963, it was a masterfully considered combination of the old and the new.

The Colombo V12, developed from the 250 Testa Rossa and 250GTO programmes to deliver 310bhp, was nothing new.

However, the tubular spaceframe chassis, designed by Mauro Forghieri, was box-fresh, and featured aluminium body panels welded to the steel tub to improve torsional rigidity.

Chassis no. 0816 was one of four cars built for the World Sportscar Championship, but it was not intended to race at the 1963 Le Mans 24 Hours. Ferrari had earmarked 0814 for the French endurance race; however, it had been significantly damaged during a practice accident at the Nürburgring just one month prior to Le Mans. With that car still being pieced back together at Ferrari’s workshops, 0816 was entered into Le Mans instead, but wearing 0814’s identity.

In an incident-packed race, the car brought home the first all-Italian victory for Ferrari, Ludovico Scarfiotti and Lorenzo Bandini. It was a crushing victory, with chassis 0816 finishing 16 laps ahead of its nearest challenger. It would be the car’s only victory in original 250P guise.

For 1964, the car was upgraded with a 3286cc engine to create the 275P, good for 315bhp. Ferrari’s shenanigans with chassis numbers came back – while on paper, Mike Parkes and Umberto Maglioli won the Sebring 12 Hours in 0812, it is believed 0816 was the winning car, with 0812 finishing third.

Next came Le Mans, one of a four-pronged factory attempt, 0816 would be driven by Jean Guichet and Nino Vaccarella.

Up against Ford, Ferrari recorded a famous podium lockout with 0816 right on top, setting a new distance record as the Blue Oval’s challenge crumbled.

After a final outing as a Ferrari Works car at Sebring early in 1965, chassis 0816 was sold to Major William Cooper. It was then sold to Luigi Chinetti, whose North American Racing Team (NART) gave the car its final outing, at the 1969 Sebring 12 Hours, where it failed to finish.

In 1970 it joined Frenchman Pierre Bardinon’s collection.

In his 40-year ownership, it was believed 0816 had won Le Mans once, and he passed away before knowing the truth of the matter. The fact it was a two-time Le Mans winner only came to light following the discovery of documents that had apparently been stored for many years in boxes in a Maranello basement. The car has been in the hands of its current owner since 2018.

ENGINE

3286cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

315bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

755kg

‘It was a crushing victory, with chassis 0816 finishing 16 laps ahead of its nearest challenger’

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#17

1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL W194

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

Owner Bruce R McCaw Location US

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THESE DAYS, MERCEDES-BENZ ARE KNOWN FOR monstrously powerful engines, particularly in the AMGbadged cars, but even in the early-1950s the Three-Pointed Star’s engines appeared to be no match for those of its rivals.

Its new 300SL racing car used the M194 straight-six engine. Derived from the four-door 300 Adenauer’s power unit, it was upgraded to 300S specification with triple two-barrel Solex carbs, and mounted at a 50º angle to the left in order to fit under the car’s super-low bonnet line. It also featured a novel diagonal aluminium cylinder head; it was just about good for 175bhp.

However, rival cars from Ferrari and Jaguar had much more. So, in a bid to level the field, engineer Rudolf Uhlenhaut paid close attention to aerodynamics and ease of driving. The use of an innovative spaceframe chassis did not allow for normal doors, so top-hinged ‘gullwing’ doors were used instead. Swooping bodywork allowed the car to speed to victory on high-speed open road races in 1952, such as the Bern-Bremgarten and Carrera Panamericana, as well as the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring; it also notched up a second-place finish at the Mille Miglia.

However, the crowning achievement had to be victory at the 1952 Le Mans 24 Hours – with this very car, one of three entered into the event. To help the car last the full 24 hours, Mercedes-Benz detuned the engine to 165bhp. Even this, failed to stop Hermann Lang from setting the unofficial top speed along the three-mile Mulsanne Straight at 150mph.

He’d also set the fastest lap at 4m40s, a full 20 seconds faster than the official time set 12 months prior.

For much of the race French hopes were high – the Ferrari and Jaguar challenge dwindled, leaving first a Gordini, and then after that car’s brakes failed, a Talbot, out in front.

Mercedes-Benz had their own problems. The lead car retired during the night with a broken alternator, while Sunday morning’s thick fog forced the Mercedes drivers to open their gullwing doors to see where they were going.

However, with little more than an hour to go, Pierre Levegh’s Talbot was out, leaving Hermann Lang and Fritz Riess to take the win for Mercedes-Benz – the first for a German manufacturer, and the first for a closed-bodied car.

The sister car of Theo Helfrich and Helmut Niedermayr finished second. Following the race, Lang would take the car to another victory on the 1000km of Nürburgring. It was later used as a practice car for the Carrera Panamericana.

ENGINE

2996cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

165bhp-175bhp

TORQUE

188lb ft

TOP SPEED

149mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

870kg

ABOVE Slippery bodywork gave W194 an edge over more powerful rivals.

OPPOSITE The 1952 Le Mans-winning W194 takes a modern bow at Laguna Seca.

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#18

1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM Zagato

M AT H I E U H E U RTAU LT

Owner Rob Walton Location US

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ALFA ROMEO HAS A LONG ASSOCIATION WITH near-Milanese neighbours Zagato. The carrozzeria’s aerodynamically optimised and lightweight bodies have played a pivotal part in some of this storied Italian marque’s most famous competition victories.

The Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 is a legendary car, and with Zagato bodywork it provided a young Enzo Ferrari with notable early successes. Before setting out on his own, Enzo first drove for, then ran Alfa Romeo’s racing department.

However, it is the car that you see before you that is perhaps the most important alliance between the two firms, at least in terms of race results. This is chassis number 2111005, the fifth of 188 8C 2300s produced, and the second of four long-chassis Le Mans Zagatos.

The 8C’s fresh design and 155bhp 2.3-litre eight-cylinder engine promised much; Alfa Romeo had high hopes of it carrying on where the 6C had left off. Lord Howe had owned a 6C, but it had been crashed by Achille Varzi at the 1930 Irish TT. Needing a competitive car for the Le Mans 24 Hours, he purchased an 8C 2300 in Zagato-bodied long-wheelbase Le Mans specification. Lord Howe’s privately entered 8C would be up against a two-car factory effort, and so he wisely teamed up with fellow ex-Bentley driver Sir Henry Birkin for the French endurance classic.

The race was one of attrition – by daybreak on day two, half the field had been forced into retirement or were withdrawn.

The hard-charging Howe and Birkin had no such problems in the 8C, finishing seven laps ahead of the Mercedes-Benz SSK of Boris Ivanowski and Henri Stoffel.

It was a landmark victory – not only was it the first Italian car to win the Le Mans 24 Hours, but it picked up the Index and the Coupe Biennale prizes as well. Birkin and Howe would also break the 3000km barrier for the first time.

Lord Howe also raced the car in the Tourist Trophy, at Brooklands and at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing third in the 1932 Spa 24 Hours. In 1933, the 8C was sold to Sir Malcolm Campbell, the famous land and water speed record holder.

By 1950, the car had found its way to New Zealand and a second racing career, before being shipped to the US where owners included Stephen Griswold and Paul Pappalardo. In the 1980s, the well travelled Alfa Romeo returned again to the UK in the hands of the late Alain de Cadenet and Peter Honnen, before another trip to Australia and Japan, finally landing again in the United States in 2000.

ENGINE

2336cc/inline-eight/ supercharged/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

155bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

106mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1000kg

ABOVE The first Italian car to win at Le Mans, and the first to break 3000km there.

OPPOSITE The Alfa Romeo at Donington Park circuit in the UK during the 1930s.

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#19

1929 Bentley Speed Six Old Number 1 Owner Bruce R McCaw Location US

OPPOSITE The Bentley Speed Six is the epitome of style and race-proven performance.

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

BELOW One of a select few cars to ever take overall victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours on two occasions.

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THE BENTLEY SPEED SIX TRULY CEMENTED THE marque’s legend at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The basis of the project was the 3 Litre four-cylinder. WO Bentley was keen to build a chassis that was lightweight enough for customers to fit heavy, luxurious bodies, plus benefit from a smoother, more powerful engine – and so, the six-cylinder 6½ Litre was born. However, Bentley saw more performance potential from the package, and launched the Speed Six in 1928. It had two SU carburettors, an upgraded camshaft and a single-port block; the compression ratio was also changed. The resulting package offered 180bhp in three different wheelbases.

This particular car is chassis LB2332, the second Speed Six built – and is one of few racing cars to have won the Le Mans 24 Hours twice. Its first victory came in 1929, with Bentley CEO Woolf Barnato and Tim Birkin behind the wheel.

Despite the company’s swirling financial challenges, Bentley was determined to win, bringing five cars to the French endurance classic. The Speed Six featured a Harry Weslaketuned engine with a weight-saving magnesium-alloy crankcase; it was good for 190bhp and a 115mph top whack.

It was a dominating victory for Bentley, with the marque taking up the first four finishing spots after the opposition challenge evaporated before dawn on Sunday. WO Bentley called for the cars to slow down and perform a formation finish, described by the The Motor magazine ‘superb, disposed in line ahead like a squadron of battleships’. The car would also taste success at the 1929 Brooklands Six Hours.

Bentley would have a much sterner test at the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours, despite the relatively small field of 17 cars.

Mercedes-Benz debuted its Ferdinand Porsche-designed 7.1-litre, supercharged Mercedes-Benz SSK. Piloted by Christian Werner and Rudolf Caracciola, the German team sprinted into an early lead, the Bentleys in hot pursuit.

However, two of the British team’s cars were ruled out with tyre problems and then an accident. Barnato, once again driving LB2332, was in hot pursuit, reeling Werner in by 8.30pm. The Mercedes-Benz SSK and the Bentley Speed Six would battle through the night, but by 1.30am on Sunday, a flat battery meant the Germans were out of the race.

This left Barnato and Glen Kidston to finish first, six laps ahead of another Bentley Speed Six. Barnato promptly retired from racing afterwards. Sadly, the publicity did little to improve financial fortunes, and by 1931, Rolls-Royce had picked up the firm from the receiver.

ENGINE

6597cc/inline six/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

190bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

115mph

0-60MPH

14secs

WEIGHT

2200kg

‘Bentley saw more performance potential from the package, and launched the Speed Six’

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#32

1953 Jaguar C-type Owner The Finburgh Family Location UK

THOUGH THE JAGUAR XK120 HAD PROVED ABLE IN competition, William Lyons wanted more – and that ‘more’ meant taking a crack at winning the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Under a cloak of secrecy, Jaguar set out to build a car fast enough to achieve Lyons’ Le Mans goal. Beneath the bonnet lay the XK120’s familiar 3.4-litre twin-cam six-cylinder engine, but with a revised cylinder head, high-lift camshafts and upgraded racing-specification pistons. With the addition of twin SU carburettors, 200bhp was on offer.

However, a 40bhp bump over the XK120 wasn’t enough, so Jaguar’s engineers also made the package much lighter.

A bespoke, multi-tubular chassis, incorporating a separate subframe for the double-wishbone front suspension and engine, was formed. A live axle was used at the rear, while torsion bar springs were used at either end. It was all clothed in an aluminium body, which helped the C-type weigh in around 350kg lighter than an XK120.

Three C-types would make the trip to France for the 1951 Le Mans 24 Hours, and though two would retire, one reigned supreme, marking the first British win at the circuit for more than two decades. C-types would prove highly successful on track, scooping victories at Goodwood, Silverstone and elsewhere. Though the effort to retain the Le Mans title in 1952 ended in an embarrassing three-car retirement due to overheating, the car returned to winning ways in 1953.

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‘Under a cloak of secrecy, Jaguar set out to build a car fast enough to achieve Lyons’ Le Mans goal’

The early success of the factory cars soon prompted interest from privateers. It’s believed that the first two Formula 1 world champions both bought C-types but never raced them, and that Farina let Ferrari borrow his to get a closer look at the Solihull stinger. Of the 53 C-types built by Jaguar, 43 were destined to end up in privateer hands.

This is XKC 043, a factory production C-type delivered new to Holland and raced by enigmatic gentleman driver Sheid.

Owned by the family for more than 50 years, it has participated in numerous tours, including the Louis Vuitton Classic Run, Tour Auto, and the Modena Cento Ore, and was raced successfully in the BRDC 1950s Sports Racing Cars series. Winner of the Monaco Historic GP in 2004, it has raced more recently at the Goodwood Revival. Despite such pedigree, it’s regularly enjoyed by family members.

ENGINE

3442cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

200bhp

TORQUE

220lb ft

TOP SPEED

144mph

0-60MPH

8.1secs

WEIGHT

1016kg

CHARLIE B

ABOVE The sleek and streamlined profile of a car built to win the world’s greatest race.

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#33

1969 Porsche 917K Owner Private Collection Location UK

BELOW Built to replace the 908, Porsche’s 917 again dominated on race tracks the world over.

106

OPPOSITE Not just a star on track, this 917 also starred on screen, with Steve McQueen in Le Mans.

THE PORSCHE 917 HAS BEEN VOTED THE GREATEST racing car of all time by a panel of eminent motoring journalists and racing drivers. This particular car is one of the most notable of all the 917s; with good reason, it is often referred to as the most successful one ever raced.

It is one of three lightweight cars specially built by Porsche for JW Automotive, only two of which still exist – the other resides in Porsche’s Museum in Stuttgart.

Built for the 1970 season, its first outing was as the spare car at Daytona. It then finished fourth at Sebring with Pedro Rodríguez and Leo Kinnunen behind the wheel; the car had been leading the race until a front hub failed.

Steve McQueen and David Piper drove it around La Sarthe, shooting various sequences for the film, Le Mans. They racked up many miles around the circuit in the days following the main race. A blown tyre at Arnage caused the 917K to crash into several barriers so heavily that it split the chassis in two.

Piper lost the lower half of one his legs in the accident.

Porsche repaired the car using chassis 034, and it started the 1971 season well with Rodríguez/Kinnunen/Jo Siffert winning at Daytona. Rodríguez, this time alongside Jackie Oliver, followed that up by taking first place at Monza, before teaming up with Briton Richard Attwood to win at the Osterreichring. Sadly, this was Rodríguez’s final race; he died driving a Ferrari shortly thereafter, while Siffert died in an F1 race at Brands Hatch shortly after that – JW Automotive lost their two top drivers in quick succession.

Derek Bell used the car for a test at Goodwood prior to signing for JW Automotive. Paired with Dutch driver Gijs van Lennep, Bell finished second in the car at Barcelona, before clinching victory at Montlhéry in France.

The present owners acquired the car directly from Porsche in 1973, after it was found covered in snow outside the factory.

Since then, it has been kept in almost original condition, and has made several appearances at concours such as Salon Privé, the Louis Vuitton Classic and the Concours d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where it won the Best Preserved Car class. A Goodwood Festival of Speed regular, it is currently on loan to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.

Bar Kinnunen, McQueen, Siffert and Rodríguez, the oil radiator panel at the front is signed by all the other drivers who raced it during the 1970 and 1971 seasons. It also has “Viva Pedro” scribbled on it, presumably by one of the original mechanics who worked on the car back in the day.

ENGINE

4907cc/flat-12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

600bhp

TORQUE

415lb ft

TOP SPEED

220mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

800kg

‘It is one of only three lightweight cars specially built for JW Automotive, only two of which still exist’

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#34

1954 Ferrari 250 Europa GT

TO M H A RT L E Y J R

Owner Eric Heerema Location UK

108

THE FERRARI 250 EUROPA WAS A MASSIVE STEP FOR its maker, marking the first fully fledged road car from the Maranello stable but it was the Europa GT that really drove that home. Prior to this, Ferrari road cars were pretty much racing cars with only minimal concessions to everyday use.

To upscale production, Ferrari expanded the factory and light-alloy foundry, and dedicated more staff to the roadgoing operation. Being a Ferrari though, it still had competition running through it – the car was basically a roadgoing 250 MM, but without that car’s quad-choke Weber carburettors.

Three Weber 36mm carburettors were used instead.

Its design evolved from the earlier Europa, of which the Europa GT could be argued is a second series variant. The bodywork is by Pinin Farina, which came about via a chance meeting between Enzo Ferrari and Battista Farina in a restaurant in 1951. Pinin Farina offered two body styles – a three-window two-door coupé with panoramic rear glass, or one with additional side windows. While Pinin Farina designed and bodied most Europa GTs, the very last example was bodied by Scaglietti.

The wheelbase was shortened by 200mm to 2600mm in a bid to improve handling, which was a factor that influenced the fitting of coil spring front suspension, rather than the single transverse leaf spring arrangement seen on Ferraris prior to the Europa GT. Under the skin, the Europa GT was very different from the earlier car. Instead of the Lampredi V12 from the Europa, power came from the 2953cc Tipo 112 Colombo V12, which would come to underpin the 250 line for many years to come.

This particular car is the 11th of 35 examples built, and was first delivered to Jan de Vroom, a major financial backer and silent partner of Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team. De Vroom, an enthusiastic backer of Chinetti, made his fortune in the import/export business and was a close friend of Margaret de Cuevas, the sole surviving granddaughter of John D Rockefeller Sr. De Vroom owned several Ferraris during his lifetime, including a 250GT SWB California Spyder, a 500TRC, a 290MM and a 410 Superamerica, as well as this 250 Europa GT. It is presented in its original two-tone Azzurro Duco and Grigio colour scheme over beige leather interior. It also boasts its matching-numbers chassis, body, engine and rear axle.

ENGINE

2953cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

220bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

143mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1050kg

ABOVE Shorter GT’s superb Pinin Farina styling closely echoes its Europa predecessor.

OPPOSITE Triple Weber carburettor set-up clearly visible atop Colombo V12.

109

#35

1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Owen Sedanca Coupé

Owner Private Collection Location UK

110

THE PHANTOM II WAS NEW GROUND FOR ROLLSRoyce, even if it was the swansong for the 40/50HP models.

While the Phantom II engine wasn’t strictly new, the chassis was a fresh-sheet design; its front axle was mounted on semielliptical leaf springs as with the 40/50HP models, but the rear ditched cantilever springs for semi-elliptical leaf springs.

The 7.7-litre straight-six was also revised for the new car, with a fresh crossflow cylinder head. Unlike the 40/50HP, the engine itself was bolted directly to the four-speed manual transmission, while an open driveshaft, a hypoid bevel final drive and Hotchkiss drive replaced the 40/50HP’s torque tube.

The Continental model came about almost by accident, after Henry Royce tasked body designer Ivan Evernden with creating a short-wheelbase Phantom II, 26EX. It had a hopped-up engine, stiffer suspension and a Barker four-seat lightweight close-coupled saloon body with a body painted using ground herring scales. It stunned the crowd at the 1930 Biarritz Grand Concours d’Elegance, winning Best in Show – and by the time Evernden returned to the UK, the sales department had mobilised into offering it for sale. The only issue was, he hadn’t written specifications for the model...

Despite this slight problem, the car would go into production as the Continental, with a common spec of a shorter wheelbase and stiffer leaf springs; a total of 281 chassis were built. Most of them were bodied by Barker, Hooper, Windovers and HJ Mulliner, but Kellner, Martin & King and Brewster, as well as European coachbuilders, also provided coachwork.

This particular 1934 Phantom II, chassis number 197RY, was commissioned by HCO Garnett of the Royal Horse Guards, Windsor. He opted for an Owen Sedanca Coupé body from Gurney Nutting – one of fewer than 20 built to that style. He would keep the car until 1936, when it passed to LC Clements of Wardour Street and Holland Park, London.

After two years in the capital, the Phantom II went to AC Meys in Liverpool, before heading to the US in 1964.

WP White of Illinois would then own the car between 1966 and 1999, at which point it passed to a Mr Szewczyk.

At some point the car was bought by Terry Spilsbury, who sold it to Mike Mulford in 2009; he commissioned a full restoration that took 14 years to complete. Since early 2023 it’s been in the stewardship of the current owner.

ENGINE

7688cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

120bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

87mph (est)

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

N/A

ABOVE Owen Sedanca Coupé-bodied Phantom II by Gurney Nutting is one of just 12 built.

OPPOSITE The car has undergone a full, 14-year restoration.

111

#36

1925 MG 14/28 Bullnose Super Sports Salonette Owner Michael Dacre Location UK

112

‘MO’ IS A HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT AND IMPORTANT example of the MG brand, and one of the earliest known models. The MG 14/28 was only the second line of cars built by the company, first in its tiny premises on Alfred Lane, Oxford, and then to a larger factory, shared with Morris Motors Limited and a radiator manufacturer, located at Bainton Road in Oxford.

The basis for the car was the Morris 14/28 Oxford, the chassis of which was picked up from the Cowley factory and then fitted with either two-door coupé bodywork, known as the Salonette, or from 1926 a two-door, two- and four-seater open tourer. The car used half-elliptic leaf springs up front and three-quarter elliptic leaf springs at the back.

MG mildly tuned the engines and fitted aluminiumpanelled bodies; between 1924 and 1925 bolt-on artillery wheels were used, and between 1925 and 1926 bolt-on wire spoke wheels were fitted. Four-wheel drum brakes were introduced from 1924.

Towards the end of 1926, Morris updated the Oxford platform with a flat-nose radiator and a wider chassis. This necessitated design changes for the now-heavier MG version.

Half-elliptic leaf springs were fitted at the rear, along with servo-assisted brakes and a Solex carburettor.

Built and dispatched in 1925, MO is one of only 336 Bullnoses produced and one of only eight known survivors.

Of the 336, only six were built with special Salonette coachwork by Carbodies of Coventry, with MO the only known surviving example. Furthermore, it is the earliest MG extant with its original coachwork.

Registered in Berkshire, the car found its way to Wiltshire and later Essex, where in the 1970s it was acquired by the Sharpe Family. It sat on display for 30 years in the family’s Ramsgate Motor Museum, before being acquired by renowned MG expert Fred Body in 2005. An extensive restoration followed. The body, with original stampings present, was largely intact, with only the driver’s door pillar requiring attention. The entirely original and complete dashboard required nothing more than a polish.

The bodywork on the Salonette displays some unusual features for its time; marine scuttle vents provide ventilation, and what appears to be a petrol tank at the rear is actually clever tool storage with the fuel tank under the scuttle.

In the current ownership since 2021, MO, with its closed bodywork, is a stunning and highly original example.

ENGINE

1802cc/inline-four/ naturally aspirated/sidevalve

TRANSMISSION

Three-speed manual, RWD

POWER

40bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

65mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

N/A

ABOVE Of the six Bullnose Salonettes originally produced, ‘MO’ is the sole survivor.

OPPOSITE Functionfirst early-1920s dash is just as it left the factory almost 100 years ago.

113

#37

1963 Apollo 3500 GT Spyder Owner Dennis and Susan Garrity Location US

114

THE APOLLO 3500 GT SPYDER IS A CAR THAT, FOR three young visionaries in the early 1960s, was the stuff that dreams were made of. At that time, Milton ‘Milt’ Brown and his two partners, Ron Plescia and Ned Davis, embarked on an aggressive mission to build a machine that would rival Ferrari, utilising their own engineering and design. This was to be a car that would combine the panache and craftsmanship of an Italian carrozzeria (Intermeccanica of Turin) with the power, reliability and stability of an American drivetrain.

Stylistically and performance wise, the resultant Apollo 3500 GT Coupé received rave reviews from both the media and the buying public for a short time – until financial mismanagement spelled doom for the venture. Before the production of the entire run ceased at only 88 vehicles, a mere handful of Spyders were produced – penned by Franco Scaglione, the man behind the Alfa Romeo BAT cars and the 33 Stradale.

This particular Apollo, chassis no. 2001, was the first Spyder, a prototype – and as such, the only one to feature an aluminium engine block and heads. Just 11 Apollo Spyders were ever assembled, and only a very few of those were completed in period. Only five are believed to survive.

Chassis 2001 made its way to the US from Italy in the summer of 1963 as a fully bodied and completed chassis, sans drive train. It was endowed with numerous bespoke features in preparation for its unveiling at the San Francisco Auto Salon later that year, and then again at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in spring 1964.

Apollo 2001 has had only three previous owners prior to its current caretakers, and all of those three were connected with IMC, the parent company of the Apollo line. The first owner was a UC-Berkeley professor, nuclear physicist and Apollo stockholder Dr Hayden Gordon, who kept it for 30 years until he passed away.

Later, in 1995, and by now under the ownership of company founder Milt Brown, the 3500 GT was once again shown at Pebble Beach, where it earned a Second in Class. Thereafter, it resided in storage and in a museum for 23 years.

The current owners acquired the Apollo in 2019, and set about an exhaustive restoration, consulting with both Brown and marque historian Robb Northrup as part of the process.

The vehicle was re-unveiled at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was awarded Best in Class for Post-War Open Grand Touring vehicles.

PETER SINGHOF

ENGINE

3532cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

203-225bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

130mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1150kg (est)

ABOVE The Apollo Spyder was designed

by Franco Scaglione.

OPPOSITE Exhaustive restoration resulted in a Best in Class at 2022 Pebble Beach Concours.

115

#38

1934 Lancia Astura Short-Chassis Grand Sport Open Four-Door

ASHLEY BORDER

Owner Anthony Maclean Location UK

116

WHEN IT CAME TO REPLACING THE VENERABLE Lambda, Lancia decided to expand the range into two distinct vehicles. The gateway to marque ownership would be the four-cylinder Artena, while the luxury market would be catered for by the much larger, V8-powered Astura.

The latter car took its name from a castle located on an island close to Nettunno on the west coast of Italy. It would be provided as a separate chassis, to which the likes of Pinin Farina, Castagna and Boneschi would apply elegant bodies.

Its chassis would see four revisions between 1931 and 1939: the first two series, which ran between 1931 and 1933, featured a narrow-angle 19o 2.6-litre version of the V8, which for the second-series model of 1932 had modified engine mounts to reduce noise and vibrations. The use of such a narrow-angle V8 meant that, as with an inline engine, the short block could be used with a solitary, integrated cylinder head. By fitting the valves in the head vertically, they could be controlled by a single overhead camshaft.

The third-series Asturas of 1933 saw the introduction of a 17 o 3.0-litre V8, upping power from 72bhp to 82bhp.

Prospective Astura owners could choose from short- or long-wheelbase chassis. In 1937, the fourth series saw the short-wheelbase platform dropped, but brought the addition of hydraulic brakes, a new chassis-lubrication system and an electric hood for convertible models.

In all, 2912 Asturas were built, and this particular example is one of a handful bodied by Carrozzeria Viotti in shortchassis Grand Sport fashion; and it’s one of only six Grand Sport Asturas. Sold new to Holland, it would later form part of the Louwman Collection. It would also grace the Turinbased collection of Count Vittorio Zanon.

Carrozzeria Viotti had been established in the mid-1920s, and became known for its innovative use of nickel-silver window uprights that removed the need for heavy wooden door pillars. By the 1930s, Viotti had enlisted Mario Revelli to craft elegant bodies for the likes of Fiat and Isotta Fraschini.

This particular Lancia Astura has been mechanically and bodily restored in the care of the current owner, with period-correct leather trim supplied by Foglizzo in Turin.

Since then, the car has notched up a class victory at the Concorso Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2021.

ENGINE

2972cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

82bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

81mph

0-60MPH

20secs

WEIGHT

1250kg (est)

ABOVE This car was bodied by Carrozzeria Viotti in short-chassis Grand Sport fashion.

OPPOSITE It won its class at the Concorso Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2021.

117

#39

1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider Zagato

H E R I TAG E I M AG E PA RT N E R S H I P LT D / A L A M Y S TO C K P H OTO

Owner Keith Roberts Location UK/Switzerland

118

THOUGH THE ALFA ROMEO 8C IS PERHAPS SEEN AS Vittorio Jano’s defining work for the Milanese marque, the 6C 1750 is one of the great engineer’s finest creations.

Designed to allow the fitting of larger and heavier fixed-head bodies, the 6C 1750 was a development of the 6C 1500, featuring a larger-capacity engine. However, the engineering that went into making the chassis strong for road-going bodies would also make it useful in competition.

The Gran Sport model provided a supercharged version of the 1752cc straight-six engine in the shortest wheelbase (little more than 2.7 metres). Touring and Zagato would provide most of the bodies for the 309 Gran Sports built, and the rest were built by Castagna and Farina. However, if you had serious intentions with regard to competition, you tended to head to Zagato for its lightweight bodies.

In 1929, 6Cs won every major racing event they were entered into, including the Mille Miglia and the Brooklands Double Twelve. The success would continue into 1930, with a repeat victory at the Mille Miglia and the Spa 24 Hours.

This is one of those Zagato cars, a V Series chassis numbered 10814386. On June 14, 1932, it was sold to Comandante Arturo Ferrarin, a noted World War One Italian fighter ace and the first man to fly from Rome to Tokyo in 1920 – a journey which took him three months.

Ferrarin sold the car back to Alfa Romeo in December 1933, who immediately sold it on to James Street of Street & Duller.

Registered in London as AYH 701, it competed in the RSAC Scottish Rally in June 1934.

The car was next seen advertised for sale by Chiltern Cars in MotorSport magazine in January 1952. Ian Easdale paid the £595 and kept the car for almost 40 years. During his prolonged stewardship he raced it extensively in VSCC events in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1988, the car was added to the collection of Nick Mason, the renowned car collector and Pink Floyd drummer, who drove it in the 1989 and 1990 Mille Miglia.

After passing through the hands of another noted English collector, and then a French collection, the car was returned to the UK when purchased by its current owner in 2020.

It is driven extensively, successfully completing the 2022 Mille Miglia and the unprecedented five-day, 2000km-long 2023 edition. The car retains its original matching-number Zagato aluminium body to this day.

ENGINE

1752cc/inline-six/ supercharged/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

85bhp

TORQUE

127lb ft

TOP SPEED

90mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

920kg

ABOVE Poise and presence; the 1750 GS Spider by Zagato looks ready for competition.

OPPOSITE 6C on 1934 RSAC Scottish Rally and Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti duties.

119

#40

1930 Bentley 4½ Litre Blower

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

Owner Private Collection Location UK

120

CHASSIS NUMBER SM3914 IS THE 14TH OF THE 50 production supercharged 4½ Litre cars built by Bentley Motors between 1930 and 1931. The first 25 chassis, including this one, were fitted with a plain supercharger centre casing, which was changed to a ribbed pattern for the next 25 machines. While most of the earlier cars were eventually converted to the later style, SM3914 is one of the few still fitted with a plain-case supercharger.

The chassis was finished on June 19, 1930 and sent to Vanden Plas to be clothed. This body (number 1614) was a special-panelled Weymann sports coupé, built for exhibition on the coachbuilder’s stand at the 1930 Olympia Motor Show.

After the show, SM3914 was registered as GK 3840 and sold to Jack Howarth of Cheshire. Howarth kept the car until 1934. Later that year AL Dyer took ownership, and during his time there was an accident that required a reconditioned petrol tank and rear-axle banjo.

After several changes of ownership either side of the war, SM3914 was bought by DG McClure in July 1953. Despite still being in very original order, its new owner wanted a sporting machine, so he removed and scrapped the body, fitting an open four-seater version in its place. McClure raced the car extensively, and during his ownership the original Blowerpattern wheelbase chassis frame was removed and scrapped, to be replaced by a shorter chassis frame taken from another 4½ Litre car. This was fitted with the Blower front crossmember and tie bar from the original SM3914 chassis frame.

McClure also removed the supercharger unit, and the supercharger drive spigot on the front of the crankshaft was cut off. SM3914 was converted to hydraulic brakes, too.

In July 1967 McClure sold SM3914, which passed through a number of hands. By 2001 it had been rebuilt more than once and came with its supercharger refitted, a Birkin replica body (made by Townshend) and a 50-gallon Birkin-style petrol tank. It had also been converted back to mechanical brakes.

SM3914 now has an original 4½ Litre Blower chassis frame fitted with bolted strut-gear, original front crossmember and tie-bar, original Blower-pattern radiator and authentic front axle beam numbered SM3914. The original engine has been rebuilt with a new crankcase, sump and heavy pattern Blower cylinder block. The D-type gearbox (number 7220) is the car’s original, while the Le Mans replica body is the work of H&H Coachbuilders. The car has been upgraded with alternator electrics and sealed-beam headlights.

ENGINE

4398cc/inline-four/ supercharged/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

182bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

106mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1727kg

ABOVE SM3914 is the 14th of 50 production 4½ Litre Blowers built between 1930 and 1931.

OPPOSITE The Le Mans replica body is the work of H&H Coachbuilders.

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#41

1953 Aston Martin DB3S Owner Classick Family Location N/A

THE ASTON MARTIN DB3S WAS A DETERMINED attempt to overcome the shortcomings of the preceding DB3 model, as well as to give owner David Brown the Le Mans victory he so dearly desired. Over the winter of 1952, Willie Watson designed the chassis of this car, DB3S/1 – the first prototype. Featuring scintillating coachwork by Frank Feeley, it was the first Works car of 1953. It undertook a shakedown at Chalgrove with Reg Parnell, followed by a further test at Monza in May by Peter Collins, after the Aston Martin team had been to the Mille Miglia with the DB3.

DB3S/1 would then be used by Parnell at the May 1953 Daily Record Meeting at Charterhall, finishing first overall; this was followed by success later that month at Snetterton, resulting in a fourth place overall. DB3S/1 would make the trip to Le Mans as a spare car, but was not needed because all three runners dropped out with terminal issues.

Desperate to make amends for the Le Mans failure, Parnell persuaded the management to let him drive DB3S/1 solo from Le Mans, via the factory to collect mechanic Eric Hind, to the Isle of Man for the British Empire Trophy. He set pole-position time and won the race outright. The car would continue to perform well throughout the rest of the 1953 season.

For 1954 DB3S/1 would return to racing, with some success – it was also used to test Lockheed front disc brakes. For Aston’s

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‘Featuring scintillating coachwork by Frank Feeley, DB3S/1 was the first Works car of 1953’

Le Mans bid the car was driven by Parnell and Roy Salvadori, and fitted with an experimental supercharger. DB3S/1 outlasted the other three Works cars by some margin but succumbed to head gasket failure on lap 222; the blower wasn’t used again...

The car took victory at Silverstone at the July Daily Express meeting with Peter Collins driving, and it was then restyled with a refined nose and finned rear end for the Dundrod TT. Salvadori then purchased the car to run as a private entrant – he’d take several overall and class victories before selling DB3S/1 to Peter Whitehead for the 1956 season, who raced it extensively. In 1957 the Aston was sold to Langfields Limited, with new owner Frank Campbell keeping it for two years before it was acquired by Norman Tayor, who used it in sprints. It was sold to Kenneth Yeates in 1960 and then Rupert Glydon in 1966. It was then passed to VSCC member R Melville-Smith, and the car came into the current family ownership in 1974.

ENGINE

2922cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

N/A

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

978kg

JA M E S M A N N

ABOVE The DB3S/1 prototype has been in the same family ownership since 1974.

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#42

1955 Pegaso Z-102 Superleggera Berlinetta Owner Johan van Puyvelde Location Belgium

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PEGASO WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF ONE OF THE MOST influential Alfa Romeo designers of the 1930s. Wifredo Ricart was a renowned figure in Spain for his racing exploits, but he moved to Alfa with his family due to the Spanish Civil War. He soon made his mark in his new home, leading Alfa Corse.

However, a clash with Enzo Ferrari led to the formation of the famous Scuderia, and once the war had finished Ricart returned to Spain. There he received government backing to bring automotive pride to Spain with an ENASA-crafted car built in what was left of the Hispano-Suiza factory.

The resulting Z-102 was the fastest car in the world in 1953, with a top speed of 155mph. Aside from Pegaso’s own bodies, the Z-102 was treated to a variety of panelwork by the world’s leading coachbuilders. Underneath those elegant lines lay a Ricart-designed V8 engine, which was good for 195bhp in a body that was typically less than 1000kg in weight, depending on the coachbuilder. The Z-102 was certainly quick, but sadly it would do little to stop the company from moving solely to making trucks and buses by the end of the 1950s.

The car seen here is chassis 0167, one of the last Series II models bodied by Touring Superleggera. Ricart sold it new to his client and friend Alfredo Urra, to be used as a test machine for Urra’s Super Hydrovac Brakes Development Programme. Over several months, Pegaso test driver Francisco Godia conducted braking and speed tests on Spanish roads.

You can still see these modifications on the car today.

One owner later, the Z-102 was acquired by racing driver Alejandro Espino, who used it in the RACE rally, the Spanish equivalent of the Mille Miglia. However, the next four owners would hardly use the car, and by the time it ended up in the possession of The Automobile magazine founder Douglas Blain in the UK, it was in need of a lengthy mechanical restoration, which was carried out by The Light Car Company. While the alloy body was in good condition and all original, the engine took Formalls UK a year to rebuild. Although the original crankshaft was still usable, the owner didn’t want to risk it and so had a new crank made out of a single billet. The Z-102’s interior is extremely original, with the blue leather still intact.

The Pegaso was recently entered in the Chateau St Gerlach Concours in Holland (near Maastricht), and a year previously it was entered into the Zoute Concours in Belgium.

ENGINE

3187cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

195bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

155mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

990kg (est)

ABOVE The Z-102 was the fastest car in the world in 1953, with a top speed of 155mph.

OPPOSITE Chassis 0167 was one of the last Series IIs bodied by Touring Superleggera.

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#43

1936 Lagonda LG45 Coupé De Ville Sedanca Owner Walter Rudolf Czech Location Germany

BELOW Sporting a larger boot, this LG45 was a coachbuilt one-off for actress and singer Frances Day.

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OPPOSITE The Lagonda was claimed to be the world’s fastest production car, with a 104mph top speed.

LAGONDA MIGHT BE AN OBSCURE PART OF THE Aston Martin empire these days, but back in the pre-war era the badge was affixed to some of the most exclusive, exciting and, ultimately, expensive cars of the day.

This didn’t stop the brand slipping into financial difficulty in 1935, with the receiver called in. The company was bought

by Alan P Good, who outbid Rolls-Royce to take control of it.

The American soon called upon WO Bentley, who at the time was in dispute with his Rolls-Royce masters. Bentley came to Lagonda as the chief designer, bringing much of his racing department along with him. He soon set to work, with the LG45 being the first product of this relationship.

Based on the M45 that had scored victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1935, the LG45 was available in three sizes. It was launched at the 1936 London Motor Show, wearing a Frank Feeley-designed Tourer body with cutaway doors and external exhausts. It was claimed to be the world’s fastest production car, with a 104mph top speed. Just 25 road models were built.

This LG45 is a one-off Mayfair model coachbuilt for actress and singer Frances Day. Commissioned via KevillDavies & March (KDM), the car was designed with extra storage space for luggage – however, Day never got to experience the car itself. Instead, the LG45 would take pride of place on KDM’s stand at London’s Olympia Motor Show.

It would also appear at the Paris Auto Expo the same year.

The current owner acquired the Lagonda in 2017, with 49,000 miles on the clock. He soon set about restoring it from the ground up, with a view to preserving the highest-possible degree of originality – special importance being given to the preservation and reuse of deteriorated materials. Rotten sheet metal and areas of the wooden frame were replaced only in affected areas, and all the mechanicals were reworked or made functional again, with the combined efforts of Theo Rist, Eckhard Fabricius, Ronald Albers and Werner among others.

A particular challenge was the intended preservation of the interior trim. However, the original materials used for the seats, carpets and headliner had become irreparably brittle.

Fortunately, the owner was able to find an expert tannery – Autosattlerei Weil in Rockenberg – that could produce a finish representative of that from the car’s heyday. The body, exterior and wings wear perfectly finished ‘grey53750’ paint, with black and a white pinstripe, thanks to the fine work of Max Müller of Lackiererei in Wasserburg.

ENGINE

4451cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

150bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

104mph

0-60MPH

14secs (est)

WEIGHT

1994kg

‘Commissioned via KevillDavies & March, the car was designed with extra storage space for luggage’

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#44

1994 Bugatti EB110 GT Owner Filip Baert Location Belgium

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THE BUGATTI EB110 PROJECT IS ONE OF THE GREAT ‘what ifs’ of the supercar world. Romano Artioli’s late-80s dream of a Bugatti revival incorporated former Lamborghini Miura engineers, plus such luminaries as Paolo Stanzani and Nicola Materazzi. The result was a four-wheel-drive hypercar, powered by a 60v quad-turbocharged V12, good for 553bhp.

Bugatti’s star shone brightly once more. Sadly, it wouldn’t last.

Before financial difficulties forced the closure of the firm, just 139 EB110s (GT and Super Sport models combined) had left the factory, including one for Michael Schumacher.

This EB110, chassis no. 39065, is one of the 84 road-biased GT variants which left the Campogalliano factory between 1991 and 1995. It is notable in that it was fitted from new with the lightweight wheels and carbonfibre front bumper from the rarer, more track-focused Super Sport model.

It was completed on March 30, 1994, and finished in Grigio Chiaro with a dual-tone grey leather interior. Two weeks later, on April 13, the Bugatti was delivered via Autoexpo in Bolzano to its first owner, and was registered as ‘AB 110 GT’. The following January, then with 1470km on the clock, the car was serviced by the factory’s Servizio Assistenza Technica arm.

Chassis 39065 passed through the hands of two further Italian owners over the course of the next four years. In 1999, the Bugatti was moved to Belgium, where it was serviced by Alvan Motors, the marque’s official concessionaire.

A French collector in Aix-en-Provence by the name of Didier Cazeaux was this EB110’s next owner. He registered the car on December 24, 2003, just in time for a Christmasmorning blast. That blast clearly made an impression on him, because he kept the EB110 for the next 17 years. Cazeaux eventually sold it to a Monaco-based collector, who had the car registered in the world-famous principality.

The first port of call was B Engineering in Italy, the purchasers of all leftover stock of EB110 parts, and whose staff comprises many former Bugatti Automobili employees.

Extensive maintenance included rebuilds of the engine, gearbox, torque tube and EPROM electrical system.

Appropriately, participation in Italian fashion guru Guglielmo Miani’s Fuori Concorso turbo-themed rally across northern Italy was the Bugatti’s first post-restoration outing.

D E N N I S N OT E N

ENGINE

3498cc/V12/ quad-turbocharged/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Six-speed manual, AWD

POWER

553bhp

TORQUE

448lb ft

TOP SPEED

211mph

0-60MPH

3.46secs

WEIGHT

1620kg

ABOVE One of 84 GTs, but with rarer Super Sport-style bumper and wheels.

OPPOSITE Gandini’s edgy lines still evident, despite Artioli’s efforts to ‘soften’ them.

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#45

1971 Porsche 911 S/T Owner Private Collection Location UK

OPPOSITE Finished in honour of the finest hour of its motor sport career – class victory at the Targa Florio.

M I K E S M I T H / P H OTO C A R

BELOW Roll cage, wider wheels, lighter steel and Plexiglass windows all reflect motor sport intent.

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THE 911 IS NOW AN ICON OF MOTOR SPORT SUCCESS – but this wasn’t always the case. Back to the 1960s, Porsche often found it difficult to match homologation requirements with a race-winning set-up; instead it preferred to offer parts to customers wishing to convert road cars into race cars.

In 1970, Porsche offered the S/T package, building on the R and T/R models that had been successful in road rallies in 1969. Less restrictive regulations meant Porsche could fit wider wheels and tyres, and thinner-gauge steel was used in the roof and floorpan. However, if that quest for lightness wasn’t enough, you could also specify aluminium doors and Plexiglass windows. At its lightest, the S/T weighed just 840kg, though most were closer to 960kg.

The 2.2-litre flat-six engine was initially bored out to 2.3 litres for competition, but was soon increased to 2.5 litres.

This particular car is chassis no. 0721, the first 911 S/T to race with a 2.5-litre engine. It was first built for an Italian racing driver, Sergio Bettola, though it was Count Girolamo Capra from Vicenza who drove the car in its second race, the Coppa Intereuropa Monza. Despite retiring, he was so enamoured, he bought it. Count Capra competed in the car extensively between 1971 and 1974, with notable highlights including entries at the Targa Florio in 1972 and 1973. It was on the latter event that 0721 scored first in class.

Antonillo Zordan purchased the car in 1974, had it repainted in red and took it rallying. In 1977, Giuseppe Pregrasso took ownership until 1984. New owner Stefano Ciprani then registered it as a road car in Verona.

Passing to Cesare Natali in 1987, the 911 returned to competition in 1995, with entries at various circuit races.

The next owner, Adrian Grundy, used it as a road car, before selling it to Paul Howells in 2005, who won the 2007 Tour Britannia with Neil Primrose. The car changed hands again in 2010, and took part in the Tour Auto in 2017, finishing 12th.

Most unusually, for a car that has been raced for five decades, it has never been restored. It’s quite possibly the most original factory built early racing 911 in the world, retaining its original bodyshell, outer panels, Plexiglass windows, Matter roll cage and interior – even the factorywelded mounts for the cage are still in place. More recently, the original Campagnolo wheels resurfaced, courtesy of Capra’s mechanic from back in the day. Currently sporting its 1973 Targa Florio livery, with original sponsor decals and race number, it is due to return to the Targa Florio this October to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its class-win there.

ENGINE

2492cc/flat-six/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

5-speed manual, RWD

POWER

265bhp

TORQUE

192lb ft

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

960kg

‘This particular car is chassis no. 0721, the first 911 S/T to race with a 2.5-litre engine’

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#46

1961 Alvis TD21 Graber Special Owner Ken Swanstrom Location US

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ALVIS EMBARKED ON THE LATE 1950S WITH A NEW contender in the burgeoning sports saloon class – the TD21.

Essentially an upgraded TC 108G, its 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine produced a sprightly 115bhp courtesy of a revised cylinder head and a higher compression ratio (8.5:1, rather than 8.0:1). Owners could choose from a new four-speed manual gearbox sourced from Austin-Healey or a Borg Warner three-speed automatic; overdrive was soon made available on the manual.

The TD21 rode on independent front suspension with coil springs, matched to leaf springs at the rear. To aid the car’s roadholding, the rear track was increased by 25mm to 1410mm and an anti-roll bar fitted. Wire-spoke wheels were an option. Though the car was launched with drum brakes front and rear, discs were used from 1959 onwards.

This particular TD21 is chassis 26605. It was received by Carrosserie Hermann Graber in Wichtrach, Switzerland on April 30, 1961 and assigned job number 751, as evidenced by a marking on the hood latch bracket.

Graber received only the rolling chassis from Alvis, swapping the standard four-speed manual gearbox for a ZF five-speed transmission, before adding Borrani wire wheels and a larger fuel tank. The body took just under a month to complete, and was registered by its first owner, Hans Diehl-Rietmann, in July 1961. Diehl-Rietmann was a wine merchant with links to the Swiss National Railway, and would make regular five-hour trips between Zurich and France – the larger fuel tank eliminating the need for fuel stops in France.

The second owner was Iva Gredinger, of Switzerland, who also had a red Alvis convertible at the time. The car then passed to Swiss classic car dealer Christoph Grohe, before being bought by a German doctor, Stefan Zierhut.

After being acquired by the current owner, chassis 26605 underwent a detailed restoration that included repairing and rechroming the bumpers, new upholstery, door cards and carpeting, restoration of the wood instrument panel, the removal of a radio blanking plate and the installation of a period-correct Blaupunkt radio and aerial. Final touches involved an engine-out service and repairs to the chassis members, as well as a lick of paint in specific areas. It has since been displayed at the Radnor Hunt, winning Debutante Post-War Best in Class for its first showing in the US, and at Pebble Beach (received second in the Graber class). To this day, the car has only 23,822 miles on the clock.

ENGINE

2993cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

115bhp

TORQUE

152lb ft

TOP SPEED

103mph

0-60MPH

13.5secs

WEIGHT

1511kg

ABOVE Elegance and a hint of sporting intent – hallmarks of the Graber Special.

OPPOSITE Detailed cabin restoration included the addition of a period-correct Blaupunkt radio.

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#47

1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 Owner Steven Bell Location UK

LAMBORGHINI’S MIURA WAS A SENSATION WHEN it was launched, redefining the nature of high-performance motoring. Although not the first mid-engined road car, after the Miura the layout became the de rigueur supercar layout.

The fact it exists at all is down to the persistence of Paolo Stanzani, Giampaolo Dallara and Bob Wallace, who worked on the car in their spare time; when company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini found out, he saw the model more as a promo tool rather than a serious sales option. Nevertheless, he gave his young team a free hand, bringing in a youthful Marcello Gandini to develop the Miura’s sensuous shape.

The model was thrust into production a mere year after its world-dominating debut at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show.

Unlike that car – which famously used a pile of bricks rather than an actual powerplant, because the engineering team couldn’t get one to fit – the production P400 used a 3.9-litre V12 sourced from the 400GT. Mounted transversely, it produced 345bhp. Just 275 were built between 1966 and 1969.

Chassis 3111 rolled out of the Lamborghini factory on September 2, 1967, the 57th car built. Finished in Giallo Miura over Bleu trim, it was sold through Voitures Paris Monceau to Phillipe Cornet-Epinat. He was no stranger to fast cars; after the loss of American Colonel John Simone in a road accident that year, he invested in France’s Maserati importer Thepenier,

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‘The fact the Miura exists at all is down to the persistence of Stanzani, Dallara and Wallace’

and would later finance the Bora Group 4 racing project and commission a bespoke 380bhp Ghibli ‘SSS’. He’d also compete at Le Mans in a Ferrari 365GTB/4 in 1972, finishing eighth.

During Epinat’s time with the Miura, it featured in the film La Leçon Particulière, and appeared in Moteurs and L’AutoJournal. In 1969 he sold it to TV journalist and producer Gilbert Larriaga, famed in his home country for hosting coverage of the Tour de France between 1955 and 1981.

Seven years later the Miura was registered in Alsace, and by 1979 it was sold by a Monsieur ERB Claude to a Monsieur Petitjean, who kept it in his extensive collection of automotive glitterati until February 2020. It was then acquired by the current owner, who immediately dispatched the car to Cremonini Carrozzeria in Italy for a full restoration. The resulting work took three years to complete.

ENGINE

3929cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

345bhp

TORQUE

262lb ft

TOP SPEED

171mph

0-60MPH

7.0secs

WEIGHT

1125kg (est)

TO M H A RT L E Y J N R LT D

ABOVE Miura chassis 3111 has appeared on film and in magazines over the years.

135

#48

1953 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Lago prototype Owner Private Collection Location Switzerland

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WINNING LE MANS IN 1950 WITH ITS T26 SHOULD have afforded Talbot-Lago the opportunity to capitalise on that success. However, inflation was rampant at the time, the population was impoverished and the very high cost of the French firm’s artisanal manufacturing methods – together with the enormous tax levied on engines more powerful than 15CV (chevaux fiscal) – made not only their cars but all luxury cars exceedingly expensive. For Talbot-Lago the situation was even worse. The ‘Plan Pons’, devised to rationalise the French vehicle, component and commodity industry, required TalbotLago to export all the chassis it produced.

Technically, the road cars were designed to be as close as possible to the famous pre-war grand prix cars, and thus featured a sophisticated 4.5-litre six-cylinder engine.

The T26 Grand Sport chassis was seriously light, weighing only 850kg without the body – enough to make the Grand Sport the fastest production chassis in the world.

Just 35 examples of the T26GS were built, of which only nine had convertible bodies, but this car is unique – it’s the very first Grand Sport Lago and the only open and custombuilt body on the last development of the Talbot-Lago T26.

Between 19 or 20 cars carried a semi-series-production two-door coupé body of the same design by Carlo Delaisse.

However, Carrosserie Graber of Switzerland was building bodies which were prized for their restrained, almost austere yet elegant design. This car, chassis number 101069, wears a unique convertible body by Graber, and is the missing link between the T26 Grand Sport and Grand Sport Lago. As such, it features the Grand Sport Lago’s shortened and redesigned chassis of 2.9m and independent coil-sprung front suspension and three inverted Solex carburettors, which swells power output from the straight-six engine to 210hp.

The Wilson pre-selector gearbox was left unchanged and, according to the owner, offers extremely fast shifting compared to conventional gearboxes of the time.

Chassis 101069 was Hermann Graber’s masterpiece (and personal car for many years). The convertible was first shown at the 1953 Paris Salon – rumour has it that Graber himself drove from Bern to Paris in less than six hours to deliver the car. It was also shown at the 1954 Geneva Salon, with slightly modernised details on its body and painted vermilion. It has always lived in Switzerland, where it is still registered. The all-original interior displays a wonderful patina.

ENGINE

4482cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

210bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

124mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

N/A

ABOVE T26 GSL prototype convertible

by Graber is a rare and pretty machine.

OPPOSITE The one-off drop-top precursor to the Grand Sport Lago coupé.

137

#49

1967 Ferrari 330GTS

J O O L S H A RT P H OTO G R A P H Y

Owner Peter Brodnicki Location UK

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THE 330GTS WAS INTRODUCED TO THE PUBLIC AT the Paris Salon Motor Show in October 1966 as the successor to the already popular 275GTS. It featured a larger capacity Colombo V12 engine – measuring 3967cc – beneath its beautiful, sloping bonnet. The new engine developed a heady 300bhp, which was enough to blast the car and its lucky occupants to a breezy 150mph. Despite its performance potential, the GTS was renowned for hitherto unknown levels of refinement for a Ferrari. Indeed, renowned Ferrari author Godfrey Eaton once wrote that it was “probably the first Ferrari in which you could actually enjoy a radio”.

This particular car is chassis no. 11015, a fully matchingnumbers example. It is number 83 of a total production of 100; one pre-production model was produced, with 99 available for sale to the public.

Chassis 11015 was sold new in the US in 1967 by Chinetti Motors of Connecticut, with air-conditioning, chrome wire wheels, electric windows and Becker radio – all the upgrades available because it came later in the production cycle.

The car was owned by Morris Halperin for 22 years. He purchased the car in 1999 from Ned Tanen. He was the former president of Paramount Studios and Universal Studios, and part of the team responsible for such iconic films as American Graffiti, Smokey and the Bandit, The Deer Hunter, Top Gun, Fatal Attraction and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. While in the care of Ned Tanen the car carried the number plate ‘NRVOUS’ in the US. NRVOUS has been shown at numerous high-profile shows with multiple first places or platinum awards, including featured marque at Quail, A Motorsport Gathering, various Ferrari Club of America shows and the Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance.

NRVOUS has been meticulously maintained by all its prior owners, and was the subject of a nut-and-bolt restoration to concours standards in the early 1990s while under the ownership of Norbert Hofer of GT Classics. Junior Conway of the multiple award-winning Junior’s House of Color carried out the detailed restoration of the bodywork and paint. GT Classics rebuilt all of the mechanical components, while Little John Interior Concepts reupholstered the car using original materials, including leather from HVL, Ferrari Classiche’s official supplier.

After spending more than two decades in a climatecontrolled garage in southern California, the car was brought to the UK by its current owner in 2021.

ENGINE

3967cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

300bhp

TORQUE

240lb ft

TOP SPEED

150mph

0-60MPH

6.9secs

WEIGHT

1300kg

ABOVE Classic lines, Colombo V12, badge cachet and genuine refinement to boot.

OPPOSITE Luxuries include electric windows, Becker radio and air-conditioning.

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#50

1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary

GIRARDO & CO

Owner Mario Escudero Location UK

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THIS LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH IS ONE OF ONLY 67 right-hand-drive, last-of-the-line 25th Anniversary models built. Chassis number 12958 was ordered by lifelong Lamborghini enthusiast Brian Morris and his partner Richard Earl. Already the owners of a 1975 LP400 ‘Periscopio’ (Countach 1120106) finished in ‘Arancio Miura’, the Countach 25th Anniversary was to bookend their Countach collection.

By the time this 1990 car was in production, Arancio Miura was no longer an available factory finish. However, aided by direct intervention from Valentino Balboni, Main Board approval was granted by Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A for a special commission in Arancio Miura, which included returning the clients’ LP400 to the factory for a colour match.

No further 25th Anniversary cars were permitted to be finished in the colour, and so the car remains unique.

The owners collected their Countach from Portman Lamborghini in May 1990. They exhibited their newest addition at Silverstone Historic Festival in 1990 alongside the ‘matching’ LP400. However, in 1995, the two Countachs were placed in storage.

In 2020, a protracted sale of the car began, and was eventually concluded 13 months later. After 16 years in storage, it was returned to the road in 2021, recommissioned

by Colin Clarke Engineering, with a clear mandate to protect originality. The car wears its original paint, with the carbonfibre weave still visible in the engine cover.

The current owner recently acquired the car with 5000 miles showing and promptly added another 3000 on a grand tour through the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and its autobahns, and through the Alps to Italy, culminating with a visit to the Lamborghini factory at Sant’Agata Bolognese, near Modena alongside 30 other Countachs. While many other cars were transported back to the UK by carriage firms, the owner chose to make the trip back in the Countach, via Portofino, Turin and Paris. The next trip is expected to be the Scottish Highlands.

He says that while he has always loved Countachs, growing up in Peru, owning a car like this seemed impossible until he moved to Europe. “It was only when I saw this one, in this beautiful orange hue with beige interior, that I completely fell in love with this car,” he says. “It was a breathtaking moment that made me reappraise priorities to buy it.”

ENGINE

5167cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

449bhp

TORQUE

369lb ft

TOP SPEED

183mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1568kg

ABOVE Lamborghini made in excess of 650 25th Anniversarys, but only one in this colour.

OPPOSITE Cabin reveals mid-70s origins, body’s strakes reflect Testarossa influence.

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#51

1953 Bentley R-type Continental Fastback

L E O KO N O P I Z K Y

Owner Jonathon Edward Lyons Location N/A

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ALTHOUGH BENTLEY HAD MADE ITS REPUTATION ON luxury and Le Mans wins, the brand needed to forge its own path away from its more reserved Rolls-Royce cousin. That was the firm belief of Ivan Evernden, the marque’s chief projects engineer, and so he turned to styling head John Blatchley to come up with a plan.

The latter penned a low body with the radiator inclined backwards, complemented by a steeply raked windscreen, rear-wheel spats and a fastback roofline, with tail fins to keep the car planted at speed. A quarter-scale model was crafted and sent to the Rolls-Royce aero engine division, where it was tested by Milford Read. Evernden estimated that speeds of up to 120mph were quite possible.

Rather than work with Park Ward the R&D team went to HJ Mulliner, because that firm had developed a lightweight construction method that eschewed traditional ash-framed bodies in favour of metal. The car needed to be light – well, in relative terms for a Bentley – at 1700kg, to allow the tyres to be within a safe load limit when the Continental hit its top speed.

At the time, no road rubber in the world could carry a car over 115mph, so Dunlop Medium Distance Track tyres were used.

Mulliner’s Stanley Watts further refined the car’s shape, inspired by Read’s wind tunnel efforts. To keep the weight low, aluminium was employed in the body, window frames, windscreen surround, seat frames, back lights and bumpers.

The car’s 4.5-litre six-cylinder engine was boosted from 140bhp to 153bhp via upgraded twin SU carbs plus upgraded inlet and exhaust manifolds. It was a strong motor to begin with, utilising forged-steel conrods, a forged, nitrided-steel crankshaft, cast-aluminium pistons and wet-sump lubrication.

From summer 1954, engines were bored out to 4.9 litres.

HJ Mulliner built 193 R-Type Continentals, and this one was first registered to Gilbert Edgar, chairman of H Samuel the jewellers. It was then sold to Vice Admiral Sir Alan Trewby, who kept the car until he was 87, in 1973. The current owner has had the Bentley since then, and travelled the world with it. It has been driven across the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at least four times, as well as to events in Scotland and Portugal, plus Montreal to New York State, Shanghai to Beijing and across Switzerland on at least three occasions.

It’s also seen most regions of Italy, Ireland, France, Germany, Argentina and Chile. The owner says this much-cherished machine has undergone another complete renovation so that he can enjoy it in “absolutely fine fettle for the rest of my life”.

ENGINE

4887cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

153bhp (est)

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

130mph

0-60MPH

13.1secs

WEIGHT

1676kg

ABOVE Recent work included a colour change from Silver Chalice to Tudor Grey.

OPPOSITE This well-travelled Bentley has twice won the Liège-Rome-Liège.

143

#52

2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 Owner The Caraba Collection Location UK

BELOW Gandini’s dramatic styling perfectly formed in aluminium and composite materials.

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OPPOSITE Scissor doors a Lamborghini staple; vibrant Oro Elios paint colour specific to the SE.

LAMBORGHINI OFFICIALLY REPLACED THE COUNTACH when it unveiled the Diablo in Monte Carlo in January 1990.

The lead-up to that reveal was a tense takeover of the Italian carmaker by Chrysler, and an ensuing conflict over who would style Lamborghini’s new supercar. Fortunately, in the end, the design services of Marcello Gandini were retained, albeit with some lines softened by Chrysler engineers.

Customer deliveries began in June 1990, and while the car echoed the mechanical layout of the Countach, including its unique mid-mounted reverse engine/transmission configuration with side-mounted radiators, there were differences. Power now came from an enlarged 5.7-litre, 492bhp version of the long-serving Lamborghini 60-degree V12, while the body was formed from aluminium alloy with composite mouldings for the boot and engine cover. Squaresection tubing was used for the car’s frame. The Chryslerdesigned interior offered a level of comfort and space that a Countach owner could only have imagined.

By 1994, Chrysler was out of the picture and the Diablo VT was available in the United States with a viscous four-wheeldrive system that sent up to 20 percent of the torque to the front wheels when additional traction was required. Other additions included power steering, larger brakes, a revised interior and dashboard, and minor bodywork changes.

Audi took the helm at Lamborghini in 1998, and the following year released an updated model – headlined by a new dashboard and fixed headlights. A final rework in 2000 resulted in the Diablo VT 6.0, which was characterised by revised bodywork and interior appointments, as well as a 6.0-litre, 550bhp engine. Over an 11-year production run, prior to the advent of the 2001 Murciélago, fewer than 2900 Diablos left the factory in Sant’Agata.

This Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 SE is number 05 of a limited production run of 42 cars, the last of the breed. It was built to Gulf States specification and was purchased by a well known personality in Kuwait in 2001.

Resplendent in its original ‘sunrise’ specification of Oro Elios paint with Marrone trim, this particular Diablo was kept in Kuwait with very few kilometres recorded until purchased by the Caraba Collection in December 2022.

The car has recently been sympathetically recommissioned

by Barkaways, with an eye on retaining as much originality as possible, to allow the Diablo to be used as intended.

ENGINE

5992cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, AWD

POWER

550bhp

TORQUE

457lb ft

TOP SPEED

205mph

0-60MPH

4secs

WEIGHT

1625kg

‘Fortunately, in the end, the design services of Marcello Gandini were retained’

145

#53

1953 Bentley R-type by Abbott

P&A WO O D

Owner Fred Kriz Location Germany

146

WITH WORLD WAR TWO A VERY CLOSE MEMORY, Bentley found itself racing to keep up with the latest developments in the automotive world, trying to sell a luxury product in an environment in which rationing was very real.

As such, though the R-type marked a naming change from the MkVI it replaced, and featured a boot doubled in capacity, much of its predecessor’s mechanicals were carried forward into the new car. The R-type is also notable for being the last Bentley to be available with a manual transmission.

This Abbott R-type was not, as is often thought, built on a Continental chassis. Abbott had been working closely with Bentley on an entirely new car, known as the Farnham Prototype, because that’s where Abbott was based. Tests of the prototype highlighted component quality, weight and roadholding issues, and so it spent six weeks at Clan Foundry receiving necessary modifications.

When Abbott’s management team and specialist builders visited Clan Foundry, they learned of the Continental project.

Abbott desperately wanted to be involved, but, being known for its traditional ash frame and aluminium construction, and not yet having developed the technology to build all-metal bodywork, the request for a Continental chassis was denied. It turned out that HJ Mulliner, with its extruded aluminium frame and lightweight alloy technology, had already been signed up for the Continental project.

Instead, Abbott received a standard R-type chassis with some Continental features, such as the lowered radiator, bulkhead and steering column rake, a 12/41 rear-axle ratio, and a 120mph speedometer.

The engine was the standard 4.6-litre inline-six version, as fitted on the regular saloon, and the chassis number wouldn’t have the Bentley Continental’s BC prefix. The Continentalstyle radiator and bulkhead meant Abbott stylist Peter Woodgate could trace the lines of a distinctive three-box sports saloon, duly recorded as drawing 3843, named ‘Bentley Touring Coupé’. Just 16 R-type chassis were fitted with the Abbott coupé bodywork.

This car was first built for Georges Louis Savon, of Tangier, Morocco, and now forms part of the Kriz collection of post-war Bentleys. It has recently been through a coachwork restoration by famed Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists P&A Wood; it is the very last car that Paul Wood worked on before his passing, in May 2022.

ENGINE

4566cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

130bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

102mph

0-60MPH

13.8secs

WEIGHT

1880kg (est)

ABOVE Dynamic, light and flowing lines courtesy of Abbott stylist Peter Woodgate.

OPPOSITE Of the 16 R-type Abbott coupés built, only this one was left-hand drive.

147

#54

1971 Maserati Quattroporte Frua Prototipo Owner Thierry Dehaeck Location Belgium

BELOW Frua’s take on the Quattroporte concept used the 4.9-litre V8 in an Indy-derived platform.

148

OPPOSITE Chassis no. 002 was first shown in Paris, presented by Juan Manuel Fangio.

THE QUATTROPORTE CELEBRATES ITS 60TH BIRTHDAY this year, coinciding with what’s likely to be the last Maserati V8 finally going out of production. Although the current car’s nomenclature says ‘VI’, the following up of the very first iteration of the Quattroporte didn’t really happen as planned.

In 1971, Carrozzeria Frua produced two cars displaying the company’s take on the Quattroporte concept, using the 4.9-litre V8 rated at 296bhp in an Indy-derived platform.

This particular example, chassis no. 002, was first shown to the public at the Paris Salon de l’Automobile in October 1971, with none other than Juan Manuel Fangio presenting the car to an impressed audience. It would then appear at the 1972 Geneva show, and at the Trophée des Journaliestes prior to the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix. It would return to the Paris show in 1973 before making appearances at the Internacional del Automóvil de Barcelona in 1973 (where it participated in the Desfile de Elegancia en Automóvil), and at Barcelona once more in 1974.

Behind the scenes, however, Maserati’s then-owner – Citroën – favoured an entirely different approach, preferring a front-mid-engined layout with front-wheel drive, hydropneumatic suspension and, initially, an SM-derived V6.

That project would ultimately come to very little, too, with the withdrawal of the French owner and only a few of the Bertone-designed cars built.

However, the Frua-styled prototype had clearly left its mark on the Aga Khan, who commissioned a one-off Quattroporte, chassis no. 004. Chassis 002, meanwhile, was bought directly from Frua, and registered in May 1975. This car differed from 004 by having Borrani ‘dial’ wheels, rather than the Ghibli Stardust type the Aga Khan preferred. The cars also featured contrasting exterior mirrors on the driver’s side, along with different dashboard set-ups.

Quattroporte 002 would remain in Barcelona until 1988, when Kurt A Kunti of Alicante took stewardship, restoring the car and refinishing it in the current colour scheme. In 2000 it moved across the Atlantic to join the collection of American aficionado Alfredo Brener. He’d keep the Maserati until 2003, selling it to Bruce D Milner of Los Angeles, who also owned the Aga Khan’s chassis 004 at the time. Car no.

002 later ended up in the collection of Doug Magnon, the owner of the Riverside International Automobile Museum, staying with him until his passing in 2015. In more recent years, 002 formed part of the Guikas Collection, before entering the possession of the current owner in 2021.

ENGINE

2930cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

296bhp

TORQUE

355lb ft

TOP SPEED

165mph (est)

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1680kg (est)

‘This car differed from 004 by having Borrani ‘dial’ wheels, rather than the Ghibli Stardust type’

149

#55

1962 Bentley S2 Continental James Young Owner Michael Berendes Location N/A

150

THE S2 WAS A FRESH BEGINNING FOR BENTLEY IN 1959. Out went the venerable straight-six that had served the company since 1922, and in came the new L-series V8. The cylinder block and heads were crafted from aluminium, while the overhead valves were operated with hydraulic tappets. A capacity of 6.2 litres and increased output meant there was enough oomph to power improved air-conditioning, and power steering became standard fit. Although built on a separate chassis, as with its illustrious forebears, the S2 represented a leap forward in ergonomics, comfort and performance.

As with its S1 predecessor, a Standard Steel saloon as well as a Continental chassis were available. The latter offered the customer the opportunity to personally select the bodywork.

There was a broad choice, with fixed-head and drophead coupés and four-door saloons provided by Park Ward, Hooper, HJ Mulliner and, in the case of this particular car, James Young.

These coachbuilt cars cost as much as 60 per cent more than the already expensive Standard Steel – consequently only 388 Continental chassis were built in the four-year production run.

Rolls-Royce promoted bodies built by their subsidiaries Park Ward and HJ Mulliner – that’s possibly why only 32 S2 Continentals were built by James Young.

The S2 Continental arrived a few months after the four-door Standard Steel saloon. It offered more performance, from a higher compression ratio and a longer final drive, without compromising on the expected luxury. Only the finest wood, wool and bespoke finishes would do.

Coachbuilder James Young made its first car body in 1908, and soon built up a reputation for working with Bentley and Rolls-Royce, among others. In 1937 London Rolls-Royce dealer Jack Barclay bought the firm and enlisted Gurney Nutting’s AF McNeil as chief designer.

During World War II the firm started building aircraft components, but its factory was then destroyed in the Blitz.

The facility was rebuilt – and subsequently hit by a V-1 flying bomb. James Young survived, however, and by the 1950s and ’60s it was producing 50 to 60 bodies per year, largely for export markets. This particular car is one of those 32 S2 Continentals from the company, making it much rarer than HJ Mulliner’s Continental Flying Spur design. The entire body was hand-made by true master craftsmen to AF McNeil’s perhaps most felicitous design.

Aside from a fresh lick of paint, it remains in original condition. The engine is also as it left the factory, and was refreshed just prior to the 2018 Pebble Beach Motoring Classic.

ENGINE

6230cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed automatic, RWD

POWER

200bhp (est)

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

112mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1918kg (est)

ABOVE This car is one of just 32 S2 Continentals from coachbuilder James Young.

OPPOSITE Aside from fresh paint, it is in original condition.

151

#56

1964 Facel Vega Facel II

M AU R I C E H E N N E S S Y

Owner Freddy Page-Roberts Location UK

152

FACEL VEGA SURVIVED ONLY A RELATIVELY SHORT time, but in the few years it was in operation it brought forth some of the most elegant grandes routieres ever, blending French design flair with the kind of meaty grunt under the bonnet that only Detroit could provide.

However, this delicious combination was not enough to save the company from bankruptcy, and in 1962 it had one last roll of the dice – the Facel II. It was advertised as Le Coupé four-places le plus rapide du Monde (the fastest four-seater coupé in the world), and its performance figures certainly backed up that claim. The Chrysler-sourced 6.3-litre V8 offered 355bhp with a TorqueFlite gearbox, good enough for a 135mph top speed. Choose the Pont-à-Mousson fourspeed manual, however, and you got 390bhp and the ability to crack 160mph, leaving the Aston Martin DB4, Mercedes-Benz 300SL and Ferrari 250GT in its wake up to 60mph. Later cars with Chrysler’s 6.7-litre Max Wedge engine were even faster.

The Facel II garnered an impressive ownership club comprising a who’s who of contemporary political, academic, motor sport, royal and entertainment figures, despite – or because of – its high price, three times that of a Jaguar E-type. The Shah of Persia, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Rob Walker, Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, Lionel Bart and Charlie Drake, among many others, all owned Facel IIs. This particular example is one of just 182 Facel IIs believed to have been built; 26 of those were right-hand drive. It was put on display at the 1964 London Motor Show, and bought off the stand by a member of the Fitzpatrick & Son contracting family. In 1968 it ended up in the care of George Milligen, a farmer and the son of a shipping magnate, who certainly had an affinity for the model – at one time, he owned two right-hand-drive examples, of which this car had powerassisted steering, a TorqueFlite automatic and servo-assisted Dunlop disc brakes. Milligen would use it to visit friends on the French Riviera every Christmas; to gauge his progress, he fitted an aircraft-style air-speed indicator.

Milligen enjoyed the Facel II frequently until the early 1990s, whereupon it was put into storage. It was offered for auction in 2004, and then passed through two owners before being acquired by the current custodian. It’s now been restored back to its authentic factory colour, and it retains its original red leather interior as well.

ENGINE

6286cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Three-speed automatic, RWD

POWER

355bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

135mph

0-60MPH

7.8secs

WEIGHT

1842kg

ABOVE Facel II combines French design flair and Detroit muscle.

OPPOSITE This car sports its factory colour and original red leather interior.

153

#57

1952 Jaguar XK120 FHC Owner John Burton Location UK

BELOW Stirling Moss already had a history of Jaguar wins before taking charge of this road-going XK120.

154

OPPOSITE The XK’s colour scheme and specification were chosen by Moss; he used it extensively.

THE XK120 WAS THE CAR THAT SPEARHEADED Jaguar’s post-war push into the public consciousness; named after its 120mph top speed, it was a ray of aspirational light at a dark time of rationing.

This model shared a great deal of its chassis with the MkV saloon, but the dual-overhead-camshaft 3.4-litre straight-six engine was the star of the show, with novel features such as an aluminium-alloy cylinder head, hemispherical combustion chambers, inclined valves and twin sidedraught SU carburettors to deliver a healthy 160bhp. Such performance helped power the car to a 120mph top speed, making it the fastest machine in the world at the time. This engine would be a stalwart of the Jaguar range until 1992.

The XK120’s suspension used wishbones and torsion bars up front, and a live axle with leaf springs at the rear, while Lockheed drum brakes were fitted at all corners. This potent package was wrapped in an elegant body, with the first 242 cars made from aluminium before Jaguar moved to the 51kg-heavier steel body in 1950.

The newcomer would prove to be an impressive performer in motor sport. It won its first race, the Daily Express One Hour Production Car Race at Silverstone, with Leslie Johnson behind the wheel. It also took class victories at Palm Beach and the Pebble Beach Cup in 1950, as well as a 1-2-3 at the Dundrod Tourist Trophy. The XK120 also put in excellent showings as a production-based contender against more exotic fare at Le Mans, the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio, which encouraged Jaguar boss Sir William Lyons to make a more determined attempt at endurance-racing glory with the subsequent C-types and D-types.

Jaguar’s sports car is also notable as being the first imported model to win a NASCAR race in the US, when Al Keller took the first Grand National road race at Linden Airport, New Jersey, in June 1954. Tellingly, NASCAR subsequently banned foreign cars after this success.

This particular car was supplied to the late Sir Stirling Moss. The colour combination was chosen by Stirling, and the car was handed to him by William Lyons himself. Moss used it personally for continental travelling to race circuits, occasionally with a caravan in tow. One of its earliest events was the Lyon-Charbonnières Rally through the Alps in 1952.

The XK120 was subsequently owned by Raymond Playford, who raced the car throughout the 1950s and also went on to found the Jaguar Drivers’ Club in 1956.

ENGINE

3442cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

160bhp

TORQUE

193lb ft

TOP SPEED

120mph

0-60MPH

9.9secs (est)

WEIGHT

1143kg

‘Stirling used it personally for continental travelling to race circuits, occasionally with a caravan in tow’

155

#58

1925 Lorraine-Dietrich B3/6 Sport Torpedo Owner Musée des 24 Heures du Mans Location France

LORRAINE-DIETRICH HAD RACING IN ITS BLOOD – two years after the firm’s 1896 inception, Etienne Giraud used a Torpedo racer to contest the Paris-Amsterdam trial.

Despite crashing on the way, he finished third and, in doing so, garnered one million gold francs and plenty of attention for the fledgling manufacturer.

Over the next few years there was plenty of innovation; it was also a fertile place for a youthful Ettore Bugatti to hone his craft. After World War Two, Marius Barbarou moved from Delaunay-Belleville to work as technical director, and set about producing a new model in two (later three) wheelbases that made use of a 3.4-litre six-cylinder engine with overhead valves and aluminium pistons.

After a decent showing at the first Le Mans 24 Hours in 1923, followed by second at the second, Lorraine-Dietrich romped to victory in 1925. Bentley’s success in 1924 encouraged more manufacturers to enter the great race.

Lorraine-Dietrich fielded three upgraded cars from its 1924 effort, with lighter construction and Rudge-Whitworth wheels on Engelbert tyres. The race itself was one of incident and tragedy; the new track surface and thus higher pace threw out many fuel calculations, while Marius Mestivier perished in a crash near the Mulsanne corner – the first driver to lose his life at the event.

156

‘Lorraine-Dietrich became the first marque to win Le Mans twice, and the first to win it in consecutive years’

Come the end of the race, André Rossignol and Gérard de Courcelles would be in first place, with this car, driven by Édouard Brisson and Henri Stalter coming home in third.

Lorraine-Dietrich would not only win again with the same car a year later, with Rossignol teaming up with Robert Bloch, but the marque would fill out the podium with Courcelles and Marcel Mongin in second, and Brisson and Stalter in third.

As such, Lorraine-Dietrich became the first marque to win Le Mans twice, and the first to win it in consecutive years.

However, these fine results and the publicity they garnered would not hold the company in good stead for long. In 1928 the De Dietrich family sold its share in the company, and sales of its newest model, the 20 CV, had been dire. By 1935, car production had ceased, with Lorraine focussing solely on the military market, until World War Two.

ENGINE

3446cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

100bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

93mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1500kg

MUSÉE DES 24 HEURES DU MANS

ABOVE Aptly called the Torpedo, the B3/6 was state-of-the-art fast for its time.

157

#59

1926 Amilcar CO Owner Private Collection Location UK

BELOW The WW Heale Historic Motorcar Workshops team with the Amilcar, nearly finished...

158

OPPOSITE The little Amilcar at the 1934 Le Mans, with Alfa 8C and Riley Ulster Imp in close pursuit.

AMILCAR WAS A SMALL FRENCH MANUFACTURER, known for producing cyclecars and voiturettes (a class of smaller racing cars under the main Grand Prix formula, displacing anywhere from 750cc to 1500cc).

The company had great success in international racing with its six-cylinder CO and C6 models. Following the 1929 Wall Street Crash, however, Amilcar had to recoup the investment it had put into developing a V8-engined car aimed at the American market, deciding to sell the racing department and associated assets.

A number of Works chassis, engines and parts were purchased by Clément Auguste (CA) Martin – a Parisian concessionaire of Amilcars and a racer – who used these to prepare a small number of vehicles for competition under his racing team, L’Équipe de l’Ours Martin (The Martin Bear Team), which sported a polar bear as the mascot.

Martin prepared this 1926-built vehicle to his specification in 1932-33. Designed for endurance racing, the car used one of the ex-works CO chassis with a competition four-cylinder sidevalve engine paired with a four-speed gearbox, among a number of other special modifications.

Having competed at Le Mans in 1932 with his first special, Martin entered this one into the 1933 race, sharing the drive with Auguste Bodoignet. But it was refilled with water within the 20-lap minimum gap between refills, so was disqualified.

In the 1934 Le Mans 24 Hours it was raced by Martin and Fernand Pousse, and finished 12th in class and 20th overall.

A year later, the car finished first in a regularity competition at Montlhéry. The prize was free entry to the Bol D’or 24-hour race in May and a photo on the cover of L’actualite Automobile.

The Amilcar was successfully hidden during World War Two, and subsequently raced again at Bol d’Or several times in the late 1940s. Post-1950 it is believed the car was no longer contested, being purchased by garagiste Jean Urban in southern France who kept the Amilcar for more than 30 years before selling it to a family friend in the early 1990s.

Over the following 20 years, the car was slowly worked on, eventually being moved to Paris and later a lock-up in southern England, where it was rediscovered in 2017 and acquired by new custodians. Since then, the Amilcar has been restored by WW Heale Historic Motorcar Workshops with help from Daniel H Lackey to its CA Martin racing specification, preserving original parts and working authentic finishes back to life in preparation for a return to the track.

M OTO R S P O RT I M A G E S

ENGINE

1094cc/inline-four/ sidevalve

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

44bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

80+mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

565kg

‘It was eventually moved to Paris and later a lock-up in southern England, where it was rediscovered’

159

#60

1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Owner Private Collection Location UK

160

THE 3 LITRE HAD PROVEN TO BE A COMPETITIVE CAR, but Bentley wanted more to keep up with Rolls-Royce and Bugatti on track as well as on the road. The answer came in the form of 1927’s 4½ Litre model. Its engine was a cut-down four-cylinder version of the 6½ Litre six-cylinder unit, complete with a single overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder and twin carburettors. This was good for 110bhp in road trim and a further 20bhp in racing specification.

This 1928 4½ Litre Le Mans Team car is the most successful original-bodied racing Bentley in existence. Indeed, there are only two original-bodied racing Bentleys worldwide that won major events which still have their original coachwork.

YW 5758 competed at all of the principal racing circuits of the day, including the Irish TT held at Newtownards, Belfast and the inaugural Irish International Grand Prix at Phoenix Park, Dublin. In the UK it took part in the Six Hours, Double Twelve and 500 Miles, which were all held at Brooklands in 1929. The Bentley won the 500 Miles at a staggering average speed of 107.32mph, making it the fastest long-distance event in the world at that time. It was also the first British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) race to be held, a truly historic occasion.

At that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours Bentley secured its greatest win, taking first and the next three places; this car finished fourth. It was such a crushing victory that WO Bentley slowed the cars down so the four Bentley’s could finish line astern.

Following the demise of Bentley Motors in 1931, YW 5758 continued to race at Brooklands between 1931 and 1933, and it also continually took part in Bentley Drivers Club events from 1936 onwards. Look closely at the front of the car and you’ll notice that its competition history is proudly engraved on the radiator. The 4½ Litre was to feature on a Shell Oil advertising poster during the 1960s, and in a full-length feature film starring Jason Connery, son of Sean, in 1990.

In 2000 the Bentley won the FIVA award for originality at the Louis Vuitton Classic, Paris. In 2009 it was the highestplaced Team car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, when Bentley celebrated its 90th anniversary. Again at Pebble Beach, this time ten years later in 2019, YW 5758 was the highest-placed non-supercharged Team car on the occasion of the venerable British marque’s 100th anniversary.

In the same year, the brand elected to use this exact machine for the publication of its Bentley Opus book, which commemorated 100 years of the marque, and also for its celebrated Polaroid shoot at Crewe.

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

ENGINE

4398cc/inline-four/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

130bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1625kg

ABOVE This 4½ Litre is the most successful original-bodied racing Bentley in existence.

OPPOSITE It was one of the four-strong ‘clean-sweep’ 1929 Le Mans-winning team.

161

#61

1937 Peugeot 302 DS Darl’Mat

PETER SEABROOK

Owner Phil White Location N/A

162

DARL’MAT WAS AN IMPORTANT PEUGEOT AGENT IN Paris in the 1930s, and it still exists today. In 1936, Emile Darl’mat approached Peugeot regarding a partnership to build a sports car based on the Peugeot 302 chassis, which was a small saloon. The idea was to put the engine and drivetrain from the larger 402 into the shorter 302 chassis, but leave it largely in standard specification, thereby creating an affordable, easily maintained car that could compete with the accomplished and popular BMW 328.

Pourtout, the renowned Parisian coachbuilder, was commissioned to design and produce an appropriate body, and the seductive Darl’mat was born. The production cars were available in three styles – roadster with doors but no weather protection, cabriolet, and coupé.

To promote the car, the first three chassis were made without doors, adding stiffness, and entered at Le Mans in 1937. The mechanics differed only slightly from the production cars, with upgraded twin carbs, larger oil sump and a radiator with thicker cores. The cars finished seventh, eighth and tenth, averaging 70mph over 24 hours. This car, chassis no. 705.501, is believed to have been the first home, but neither Le Mans nor Darl’mat archives exist to confirm this. The three cars that took part in the Le Mans competition were sold to subsidise the three new chassis for 1938.

Chassis 705.501 reappeared in 1967 as part of a sale from the private collection of French industrialist Jacques Schwindenhammer, who’d acquired it in the late 1950s. It was then bought by Jacques Lefranc, the founder of the Musée d’Automobiles du Forez in Sury Le Comtal. In 1970, Lefranc turned the car over to his friend Michel Breistroff, a dental surgeon in Lyon, where it was registered as 509 GB 69.

In 1976 Michel Breistroff transferred the car to Jacques Iuri, a collector from Avignon who wanted to exchange it for an Amilcar C6. An exchange was quickly worked out with a collector from the north, named Alexis Dreye.

In 1980, the car changed hands again, this time to Adrien Maeght who acquired it to display in the Musée de l’Automobiliste. He made the car roadworthy again, but, apart from a coat of paint, did not carry restore it.

In 2013, the car was acquired for an English collector, but was subsequently part-exchanged against a GP Bugatti.

Sold again in 2019 to an American collector, the car has undergone a painstaking restoration, focusing on originality, to bring it back to its former glory.

ENGINE

1991cc/inline-four/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

70bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1020kg

ABOVE Darl’Mat’s sports car married 402’s larger engine with little 302 chassis.

OPPOSITE Dreamy details include boattail rear, aero fenders and exquisite instruments.

163

#62

1950 Aston Martin DB2 Owner The Golden Age Collection Location Germany

WHEN DAVID BROWN TOOK OVER LAGONDA, HE SAW the company’s straight-six engine as the ultimate prize. Its design had been overseen by WO Bentley, and it was much more powerful than the four-cylinder unit in the Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports.

Initial teething problems aside (as experienced at Le Mans in 1949), it was a combination that would reap benefits on the race track. Under the control of John Wyer, Aston Martin’s competition department would build five works DB2 racing cars; three for the 1950 season, and two for ’51.

This particular DB2, chassis LML/50/8, registered as VMF 64 is the most successful of those. In 1950 it finished first in the 3-Litre class and fifth overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours, with Lance Macklin and George Abecassis on driving duties – a magnificent way to publicise a model that had been unveiled at the New York Auto Show just two months prior.

VMF 64 would continue competing through to 1952, notching up class podiums at the Silverstone BRDC and Ulster Tourist Trophy in 1950, as well as class victories on the Mille Miglia and Alpine Trial in 1951. However, the big result was a repeat of its Le Mans class victory, with Macklin and Eric Thompson taking third overall. Despite being subjected to some nine gruelling speed events, VMF 64 never suffered a single DNF during its entire career.

164

‘Despite being subjected to some nine gruelling speed events, VMF 64 never suffered a single DNF’

The car was then put on display on Aston Martin’s stand at the 1953 Earls Court Motor Show, and starred in many company adverts. It became one of David Brown’s favourite cars, and subsequently, part of his personal collection.

However, he was ultimately persuaded to sell it in 1957 to close friend the Hon. Gerald Lascelles, cousin of the Queen and later president of the BRDC for 27 years. All this is evidenced by the correspondence between Brown, Lascelles and Aston Martin Works.

Well maintained, the car remained in the Lascelles family for 52 years. In 2009 it was bought by German collector Dr Helmut Rothenberger who sold this most significant and original early Aston Martin Team car to its current German owner, The Golden Age Collection.

ENGINE

2580cc/straight-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

125bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

N/A

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

ABOVE This track and show star was a favourite of Aston boss, David Brown.

165

#63

1953 OSCA MT4 Owner Ioannis Pipilis Location UK

166

THOUGH MASERATI HAD BUILT AN ENVIABLE NAME for producing lightweight sports cars in the late-1920s and early-’30s, the five years after Alfieri Maserati’s death in 1932 were marked by success on the track and financial turmoil off it. By 1937, Ernesto and Ettore Maserati were forced to sell the firm to the Orsi family. The brothers remained with the company throughout World War Two, but departed in 1947, to set up OSCA – Officine Specializzata Costruzioni Automobili Fratelli Maserati – in their home town of Bologna.

The first car to emerge from this new venture was the MT4.

It drew heavily on the pre-war Maserati Tipo 4CL singleseater racing car in terms of chassis and engine specification.

Early cars used a 55bhp Fiat 1100 engine block, but this was soon replaced with a bespoke aluminium block and cylinder head. And it wasn’t long before the single overhead camshaft set-up made way for a twin-cam unit. Engine sizes varied over the years, keeping pace with class competition rules, from 1092cc to 1492cc, all matched to an in-house designed four-speed manual gearbox. Between 72 and 78 chassis were built in the seven years following 1949, with coachbuilders such as Morelli, Moho, Frua and Vignale (as presented) all providing bodies, if you didn’t fancy OSCA’s own design.

This particular car is chassis no. 1132, which was ordered

by Rees Makins, via Chicago-based OSCA importer Edgar Fronteras. It first raced at Le Mans in 1953, where it was driven by Phil Hill and Fred Wacker Jr, the then president of the SCCA. It was Hill’s first Le Mans drive and though their charge would come to an end 80 laps and 10 hours in, with transmission woes, Hill would go on to win the French classic three times over the course of his racing career.

After Le Mans, the car travelled to the United States, where Makins drove it for the 1953 and ’54 seasons. His best results in the first year were two second places, at the SCCA National at Janesville in August and at Stout Field a month later.

Driving chassis 1132 with Frank Bott, Makins began the 1954 season with a class victory at the Sebring 12 Hours in March. His success continued throughout the year, winning overall at Watkins Glen, and claiming the 1954 SCCA National Championship in the G Modified Class.

The car has undergone a nut-and-bolt restoration, and is now presented in its 1953 Le Mans 24 Hours livery.

ENGINE

1342cc/inline-four/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

100bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

750kg

ABOVE Little MT4 was the first fruits of the Maserati brothers’ new OSCA venture.

OPPOSITE Le Mans in ’53; Wacker at the wheel, with Phil Hill (helmet on) alongside.

167

#64

1955 Aston Martin DB3S Owner William Loughran Location UK

THE ASTON MARTIN DB3S HAD PROVED TO BE A successful racing car for the factory team, and pretty soon privateers came knocking, wanting a slice of the action.

French racing driver Jean Kerguen was one such person.

He ordered this car, chassis no. 117, in French Racing Blue and fitted with a twin-plug cylinder head – it is one of just two privateer cars to be specified in this way.

Kerguen would race the car only twice, finishing sixth at the Agadir Grand Prix in 1956 before entering the 1957 Le Mans 24 Hours with fellow French driver Jean-Paul Colas.

It was a successful Le Mans sortie, as the duo finished in 11th place overall, and first in class. As the only Aston Martin to finish the race, they had effectively ‘beaten’ the three factory DBR1s driven by Roy Salvadori, Les Leston, Tony Brooks, Noel Cunningham-Reid and the Whitehead brothers.

Kerguen sold the car to Californian doctor Tom Brandes, who prepared it for road use in its new shade of British Racing Green. He entered the Aston into a few concours and hillclimb events until the 1960s, when he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Brandes described 117 as “very docile and an easy starter”, adding that he’d had “no issues with plugs”.

“On a recent drive from California, at average speeds of 70-100mph, it only used one quart of oil in 700 miles and recorded 18-20mpg. It is not a pleasant car to drive in

168

‘It was a successful Le Mans sortie, as the duo finished in 11th place overall, and first in class’

sub-freezing fog across Nevada. Your eyeballs tend to ice over, even when your legs are warm, next to the transmission.”

In September 1971, ownership passed to George Newell, who Brandes had met during a hillclimb at Virginia City in 1964. Having fallen in love with the car, Newell had pleaded for first refusal if Brandes ever came to sell it. Once in his possession, Newell put the car to use, racing it regularly at Laguna Seca and Sears Point. He would even compete together with David Love in the 1984 Mille Miglia Retro.

During Newell’s time as owner, he restored the car alongside Richard “Dickie” Green. Although it was a major restoration, it was in good condition, with mainly just the ‘wear’ parts, plus bearings and pistons needing to be replaced.

This very special Aston Martin is now in the UK as part of the Loughran collection.

ENGINE

2922cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

225bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

978kg

ABOVE Raced for years in British Racing Green, 117 is now back to its original blue.

169

#65

1954 Jaguar D-type Owner Sidhartha V Mallya Location India/USA

THE D-TYPE MAY HAVE SHARED AN ENGINE AND much of its mechanical make up with its predecessor, the C-type, but Jaguar’s new racing hope really did push the envelope in terms of aerodynamics.

Using the world of aeronautical technology as their guide, Jaguar’s development team embraced the use of aluminium alloy monocoque construction, with a separate subframe for the engine, steering system and front suspension. The rear suspension and final drive were mounted to the rear bulkhead, near the deformable fuel tank.

Specifically designed to win the Le Mans 24 Hours, its mixture of low under-body drag and a fin behind the driver was intended to maximise both speed and aerodynamic stability along the Mulsanne Straight.

It’s believed that 71 D-types were built, with some 18 of these for factory team use. This particular car is chassis XKD404, built for the 1954 season. Though the car would retire from Le Mans with gearbox failure after a spirited performance from Peter Whitehead and Ken Wharton, it scored the first victory for any D-type, when it finished first at the 1954 Reims 12 Hours, again with Whitehead and Wharton behind the wheel. Incidentally, Whitehead had also given the C-type its first victory, at Le Mans in 1951.

XKD404 was next pressed into service at Silverstone with

170

‘Jaguar’s new racing hope really did push the envelope in terms of aerodynamics’

Mike Hawthorn, fresh from his victory at Sebring. Hawthorn was forced to settle for an unfortunate fourth after his commanding lead was cut short by a blown radiator top hose.

The 1954 cars differ from those built for 1955 and 1956 in that the subframe was made from aluminium tubing welded to the monocoque; later cars used steel and bolts. This example also has a front-hinged, rather than removable, tonneau cover for the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as an asymmetrical front lighting system.

XKD404 would only see competitive action for the factory team on a handful of occasions, and was eventually sold in 1957. However, its competition history would continue in the hands of long-time owner Martin Morris.

This highly original car is now part of the Mallya Collection, and is usually on private display in California.

ENGINE

3442cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

250bhp

TORQUE

240lb ft

TOP SPEED

162mph

0-60MPH

4.2secs

WEIGHT

875kg

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

ABOVE XKD404 is one of only a handful of short-nose D-types, built for the ’54 season.

171

#66

1956 Aston Martin DB3S Owner Private Collection Location UK

172

WHEN DAVID BROWN ACQUIRED ASTON MARTIN, one of his dreams for the marque was to win the Le Mans 24 Hours. The resultant DB3 wasn’t quite up to the job, with engineer AG Watson clear where the car’s problems lay. He turned to Aston Martin’s competition director in a bid to avoid internal politics and get the car up the grid, and fast.

The result was the DB3S, a car that though similar, was notably more compact, while the engine was bored out to a shade under 3.0 litres. Initially, this was sufficient for around 180bhp, rising to a more competitive 225bhp with the later introduction of dual spark plugs.

The DB3S would never win at Le Mans, but this car, DBS3/9, came the closest. Alongside DBS3/10, it was among the last cars built and raced by the factory, and reflected regulation changes brought in by the horrific events at Le Mans in 1955. These amounted to two seats, a full-width windscreen and a passenger door.

The DB3S/9 was completed for the Rouen Grand Prix, but would end in ruin for driver Peter Collins, when the engine blew. Collins then teamed up with Stirling Moss for the 1956 Le Mans 24 Hours. The duo battled for the lead with the Works Jaguar D-type of Ninian Sanderson and Ron Flockhart through the wet conditions, but the unfortunate loss of second gear in the morning meant they’d still win their class, but had to settle for second overall.

It would continue to race through the season, with Moss bagging victory at Oulton Park and Roy Salvadori netting second at Goodwood. In 1957, Tony Brooks took it to third in the Sussex Trophy at Goodwood’s Easter Monday meeting.

The car was completely overhauled and fitted with a DBR1-type radiator and oil cooler, and shipped to Australian Land Speed Record holder David McKay. He took the car to victory on its debut at Bathurst, the start of a dominating season that saw eight victories. It would then pass through a couple of owners, before being parked up on Ray Barfield’s farm in Perth. It would stay there for 25 years, being used by hens to roost in. Barfield finally sold the car to historic car dealer Kerry Manolas in 1988, who dispatched it to Auto Restorations of Christchurch, New Zealand, to have it rebuilt and switched from McKay’s red finish to Aston’s original British Racing Green.

The car returned to the UK in 1990 for a Robert Brooks auction, but failed to sell, spending a year in a bonded warehouse at Heathrow before finding its current custodian.

ENGINE

2922cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

225bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

145mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

978kg

ABOVE Designed by Frank Feeley to be more aerodynamic and stable than DB3.

OPPOSITE DB3S/9 in the pits at Le Mans in 1956; note the sleek headrest fairing.

173

#67

1963 AC Cobra Le Mans Coupe

P E T E R D E R O U S S E T- H A L L

Owner Kevin “Keki” Kivlochan Location UK

174

BORN OUT OF CARROLL SHELBY’S THINLY DISGUISED ambition to break Ferrari’s reign over the GT category, unsuccessful attempts were made to unseat Enzo’s 250GTOs at Sebring and Daytona in 1963. Shelby decided not to field a Works team in Europe, but to regroup for the 1964 season.

However, the lure of Le Mans was too hard to resist.

AC Cars built 39 PH for Ninian Sanderson and Peter Bolton to drive at Le Mans. It was fitted with a specially fabricated aluminium hard-top (which is still with the car today) and other endurance modifications, and was sponsored by the Sunday Times. Sir Stirling Moss managed the team, and the whole project was secretly backed by Shelby. One of two AC Cobras entered, 39 PH’s secret weapon would prove to be reliability. It would cross the line in seventh overall and first in class – the best result ever for any 289 Cobra at Le Mans.

Following Le Mans, the Cobra was purchased by John Willment’s race team and was immediately prepared for the important Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood in August 1963.

Sadly it didn’t run due to eligibility issues, but some good was to come out of the event because British racing ace Jack Sears, who was signed up to race the Cobra, was so impressive in practice that he was later offered the seat for the 1964 season.

Together 39 PH and Sears had a notable run of results, including in Brands Hatch’s notorious ‘Black Flag Race’. This went down in history due to a mistake made by the officials, who black-flagged Sears into the pits to rap him on the knuckles for allegedly taking the wrong grid position. Starting from the pits at the back of the pack, there followed a mad dash from Sears who, with the entire crowd behind him, got up to fourth position after five laps, and eventually overtook Jackie Stewart’s Lightweight E-type Jaguar into first position on lap 15.

In Sears’ last race in 39 PH, at Goodwood, he had a huge spin going into Madgwick and dropped to dead last. He’d have to fight his way to the front again. In a pack filled with the likes of Phil Hill, David Piper, Dan Gurney, Roy Salvadori, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren and John Surtees, it would be no easy feat. But in classic Sears fashion he battled his way through to finish fourth overall, putting 39 PH second in class.

Since its heyday, 39 PH has enjoyed a small number of custodians who have used it for a wide variety of high-profile historic events. Gregor Fisken and Indy 500 legend Dario Franchitti placed sixth in the 2019 Goodwood Revival RAC TT. In 2022, 39 PH returned to Le Mans for the first time, where Fisken and co-driver Patrick Blakeney-Edwards achieved a ninth place finish in the Classic.

ENGINE

4727cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

315bhp

TORQUE

355lb ft

TOP SPEED

138mph

0-60MPH

5.6secs

WEIGHT

960kg (est)

ABOVE 39 PH in its Le Mans Coupe guise, aluminium hard-top in place.

OPPOSITE The Cobra has revived its racing career by competing in Historics.

175

#68

1964 Ferrari 250LM

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

Owner Steven M Read Location US

176

FERRARI’S FRONT-ENGINED 250GT MODELS HAD CUT a broad swathe through endurance racing for around a decade, but the winds of change were starting to whistle around Maranello by the early 1960s.

In a bid to remain competitive, Ferrari realised its engines would have to move behind the driver. It had already seen success with its mid-engined Formula 1 cars, and looked to develop the concept with the 250P. The new race car found immediate success in the World Sportscar Championship’s newly created prototype class.

The 250LM was unveiled at the 1963 Paris Motor Show and was essentially a coupé version of the 250P to allow the car to enter the Group 3 GT class as a production car. However, the FIA demanded that 100 be built and because Ferrari had barely built more than a third of that figure, it was refused entry. Being forced to run in the prototype class mattered little; the 250LM simply carried on the success of the earlier cars, taking victory at the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours with Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory at the wheel.

This particular car, chassis no. 5909, has lived a varied life.

Supplied to Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team in 1964, its first race, with Rindt and Umberto Maglioli pairing up for the 1964 Nürburgring 1000km, ended in retirement – as did its second, the Le Mans 24 Hours in the same year.

David Piper and Rindt didn’t make it around the first lap; the Brit was behind the wheel when an oil pipe burst, leaving a trail through the Esses right up to Tertre Rouge.

The car finally came good at the Reims 12 Hour, with John Surtees and Lorenzo Bandini securing a solid second place.

The 250LM was then sold to Robert Grossman, a resident of New York who repainted the car silver metallic with a blue/white/red stripe. He raced it extensively over the next couple of years, notching up several class victories with either Richard Holquist or himself behind the wheel.

Grossman would sell the car in 1965, to William M Sheaffer, who had it repainted gold metallic. The car changed hands regularly in the late 1960s, and was for a time in the possession of song-writing politician Sonny Bono.

Before heading to Japan in the early 1980s, the car found its way back to Europe in 1978, via a Swiss owner.

Changing hands once more, the 250LM returned to the USA in 2004, and has been part of the Steven Read collection ever since. It is presented here in the paint scheme from its Reims 12 Hours race with Surtees and Bandini.

ENGINE

3286cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

320bhp

TORQUE

217lb ft

TOP SPEED

183mph

0-60MPH

6.1secs

WEIGHT

850kg

ABOVE The 250LM was born and bred to race. Even today, it is right at home on track.

OPPOSITE Paint scheme, and number, reflect its final race for NART, at Reims in ’64.

177

#69

1972 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Group 4 Competition Owner Private Collection Location Switzerland/UK

THE 365GTB/4 MAY BE COLLOQUIALLY KNOWN AS the Daytona – named after a trio of 330 P3/4s took all podium slots at the Daytona 24 Hours in 1967 – but Ferrari initially wasn’t keen to take its new front-engined GT racing. The rising costs of Formula 1 forced Enzo to focus on the main prize, but it didn’t stop privateers from picking up the baton.

The first racing version of the 365GTB/4 Daytona was prepared in 1969: an aluminium-bodied car was built and entered in the Le Mans 24 Hours that year but the car crashed in practice. Ferrari did not produce an official competition car until late in 1970.

These official cars were built in three batches of five each, in 1970-1, 1972 and 1973. They all featured a lightweight body making use of aluminium and glassfibre panels, with Plexiglas windows. The engine was unchanged from the road car in the first batch, but tuned in the latter two batches, to 400bhp in 1972 and then to around 450bhp in 1973.

The cars were not raced by the official Scuderia Ferrari team, but by a range of private entrants. They enjoyed particular success in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

This model, chassis 15667, is a series 2 CAD (Customer Assistance Department) car, and was originally delivered to Charles Pozzi SA in Paris. It ran at Le Mans in 1972 carrying race number 39. Driven by Jean-Claude Andruet,

178

‘It achieved 186mph on the Mulsanne Straight, finishing fifth overall and first in class’

Claude Ballot-Léna and François Migault, it achieved 297km/h (186mph) on the Mulsanne Straight, finishing fifth overall and first in class. Andruet would also win the Tour de France that year, with Andruet and ‘Biche’ behind the wheel.

The car would return to Le Mans for 1973, taking Louis José Lucien Dolhem (the half-brother of Didier Pironi) and Alain Serpaggi to third in class and ninth overall.

Later that year, the car was sold to Guy Domet, a prominent French collector whose selection of vehicles included, suitably for the president of the Ferrari Club of France, a 512M and 206S alongside this 365GTB/4 Competizione.

After 19 years the car was passed to François Domet, who would take part in the Tour Auto over the next four years, before the current owner bought it in February 1997. Since then, it’s been thoroughly enjoyed in Historic racing.

ENGINE

4390cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

430bhp

TORQUE

340lb ft

TOP SPEED

184mph

0-60MPH

5.8secs

WEIGHT

1200kg

M AT H I E U H E U RTAU LT

ABOVE Back at Le Mans, where it was raced in the 24 Hours in both 1972 and ’73.

179

#70

1979 Rondeau M379B Owner Private Collection Location UK

OPPOSITE The distinctive Rondeau laps the Circuit de la Sarthe, reliving its moment of glory.

MUSÉE DES 24 HEURES DU MANS

BELOW Display at Le Mans celebrates the historic win for Jean Rondeau in the Rondeau M379B.

180

JEAN RONDEAU OCCUPIES A UNIQUE PLACE IN THE 100-year history of the Le Mans 24 Hours, as the only man to win the race in a car bearing his name.

The origins of the Rondeau project lie in the development of a Group Six race car at a time when disruptive rule changes caused French teams to abandon the category.

Though the project initially used a 2.7-litre V8 from Peugeot, Rondeau insisted that the Cosworth DFV 3.0-litre V8 that had powered the 1975 Le Mans 24 Hours-winning GulfMirage would be a better bet.

His first few cars would compete in the GTP class, and would get off to a good start, winning their class two years in a row, and finishing fourth overall in 1977. However, the loss of his prime sponsor, a wallpaper company called Inaltéra, led to a fire sale of cars and resources.

Rondeau, with fresh backing from lift manufacturer Otis, built a new car in 1978, named M378, and followed it up the following year with the M379.

After 1979’s race, work immediately began on the M379B, which featured a small winglet on each of the two fins with the aim of increasing downforce.

Preparations for the race didn’t go well for Rondeau and driving partner Jaussaud – electrical problems meant they almost failed to qualify. Fortunately, they did, setting up one of the most remarkable stories in Le Mans history.

Rondeau brought three M379Bs to Le Mans, with two Group Six cars and one GTP car for Gordon Spice, JeanMichel and Phillipe Martin. The lead Group Six car was driven by Jean Ragnotti and Henri Pescarolo, with Rondeau and Jaussaud in the other car.

The race was marked by heavy accidents, but it was the heavy weather that would be the deciding factor. It finally came down to Rondeau/Jaussaud versus Jacky Ickx and Reinhold Joest in the Porsche 908 after a cracked cylinder accounted for Ragnotti and Pescarolo after ten hours.

Ickx and Joest were in front by two laps until the transmission in their Porsche lost top gear at 10am on Sunday, putting Rondeau and Jaussaud into the lead. After a 30-minute, four-lap pitstop, Ickx returned on a charge, getting back onto the lead lap. Then, at 1.30pm, it rained again. Both the Porsche and the Rondeau slid off the track in the appalling conditions – Ickx pitted for wets but Jaussaud stuck with slicks. This time Ickx couldn’t catch the Frenchmen, leading to a popular victory for Rondeau.

ENGINE

2998cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

460bhp

TORQUE

239lb ft

TOP SPEED

202mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

760kg

‘The race was marked by heavy accidents, but the heavy weather would be the deciding factor’

181

#71

1986 Jaguar XJR-9 Owner Chris Rowe Location UK

BELOW Chassis 186 in final, XJR-9 specification – finished fourth at the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours.

182

OPPOSITE Jaguar’s Group C-spec XJR-9 sports one of the most evocative liveries in endurance racing.

JAGUAR HAD SEEN GREAT SUCCESS IN THE EUROPEAN Touring Car Championship with the Tom Walkinshaw Racing-run XJ-S, and so the company set its sights on a new challenge – the World Sportscar Championship.

TWR was on board for the project, as was Tony Southgate, whose experience on the Ford C100 project would prove invaluable. He pioneered a carbonfibre monocoque construction method that incorporated a ground-effect venturi system for the XJR-6, while power came from a 6.3-litre, 660bhp version of the Jaguar V12 engine.

This particular car is chassis no. 186, which made its debut at the Monza 360km in April, 1986. Despite the best efforts of Jean-Louis Schlesser and Gianfranco Brancatelli, a fuel vapour lock resulted in a DNF. The duo finished in seventh at the Silverstone 1000km a month later, with Martin Brundle and Eddie Cheever taking victory in the sister car.

Chassis 186 was part of a three-car assault on the Le Mans 24 Hours, and proved to be fastest of all during the test sessions. Come the race, Hans Heyer, Hurley Haywood and Brian Redman started seventh but would retire after five hours with a fuel pressure problem. It was to be a disappointing race for Jaguar, with all three XJR-6s retiring.

Better was to come at the Norisring 100 Miles, when Derek Warwick brought the car home in third. On standby for the Brands Hatch 1000km, it returned to racing duties at the Nürburgring 1000km with Warwick and Jan Lammers behind the wheel. Despite coming third in heat one, an oil pipe problem meant another non-finish in the race proper.

However, the car would end the season on a high, with Eddie Cheever winning the Supercup Nürburgring Super Sprint.

In upgrading the car to XJR-8 specification for the 1987 season, TWR made 64 changes, most notably, boring the engine out to 7.0 litres, thereby boosting power to 720bhp.

This chassis was used sparingly for 1987. Martin Brundle and John Nielsen drove the car at the Silverstone 1000km, but their charge ended early with a broken valve spring. Nielsen then drove the car at the Le Mans Test Day, and would partner Brundle for the 24 Hours, but their race was over 231 laps in. This time it was due to head gasket issues.

Chassis 186 would race once more, in upgraded 750bhp XJR-9 specification, at the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours. Driven on this occasion by Derek Daly, Larry Perkins and Kevin Cogan, the car finished fourth, 11 laps behind the winning Jaguar, and second in the famous three-car formation finish.

ENGINE

6995cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

750bhp

TORQUE

611lb ft

TOP SPEED

245mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

881kg

‘Chassis 186 would race once more, in upgraded 750bhp XJR-9 specification, at the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours’

183

#72

1988 Porsche 962 Owner Henry Pearman Location UK

BELOW The extremely purposeful all-hours office of works drivers Bell, Stuck and Ludwig.

184

OPPOSITE Porsche’s 962 had dominated at Le Mans for years but fell just short at the final attempt.

SHELL DUNLOP #010 IS THE LAST WORKS-BUILT AND works-entered Porsche 962. Unlike the other two Shell Dunlop cars, which were rebuilt and updated from the 1987-specification Rothmans cars, this was a brand-new chassis, designed and developed specifically to win the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours, the sole race entered by the factory team in its final year of participation.

The Group C car’s chassis and engine featured all the newest lightweight technology and was fitted with Bosch MP 1.7 ignition and fuelling updates, allowing a high-boost engine allegedly good for 880bhp in qualifying mode.

Chassis 010 also featured a hugely successful driver line-up comprising Derek Bell, Hans Stuck and Klaus Ludwig, boasting ten Le Mans wins between them. With Ludwig at the wheel, the car was comfortably leading the race when it ran out of fuel exiting the Arnage corner at around 5:25pm.

Ludwig says he saw the low-fuel warning lamp illuminate just as he passed the pit entrance, having made up the 22 seconds lost in the last pitstop due to the engine not immediately restarting. Ludwig managed to nurse the car back to the pits, eventually on just the starter motor.

Having lost over two laps to the leading Jaguar, the team would need a miracle to recover the race win. By 2am, Stuck and his team-mates were back on the lead lap, hitting the front at 6:36am when the leading Jaguar pitted for a new windscreen. Just four laps later, another unscheduled pitstop put them two laps down.

Towards the end of the race it started to rain, and with Stuck at the wheel on intermediate tyres, he made up 12 seconds a lap, closing to within two minutes of the leading Jaguar. Unfortunately, the Porsche developed fuel pump issues. These were eventually rectified by replacing the fuel filter, but only three pitstops later. The rain had brought the Porsche right back into the race, but as the track dried, the gap to the Jaguar remained steady.

The 962 finished in second place, still on the lead lap and just over two minutes behind the winning Jaguar. This marked the end of seven years of consecutive Le Mans wins for Porsche, and was notable as the first outright victory for the British marque since the D-type in 1957.

This car is often featured in the media and has appeared at many motoring and motor sport events and demonstrations.

ENGINE

2994cc/flat six/ twin-turbo/twin DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

750bhp race/880bhp high boost

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

243mph (Le Mans 1988)

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

900kg

‘A brand-new chassis, designed and developed specifically to win the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours’

185

#73

1995 Porsche-TWR WSC-95

M A X T E D - PAG E LT D

Owner Private Collection Location UK

186

GIVEN THE INTENSITY OF THE BATTLE BETWEEN Jaguar and Porsche in the Group C days of endurance racing, the fact this car exists at all is testament to persistence.

Porsche had weathered the storm of the late 1990s and early 2000s in its core, road-car division, and fancied a return to competition. It rubber-stamped a prototype project for the IMSA series, running under World Sports Car (WSC) rules.

While not an officially factory-backed project, Stuttgart would provide engineering support along with its raceproven Type 935 turbocharged flat-six engine. This relatively fuel-efficient engine was mounted in the Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) Jaguar XJR-14, chassis 691.

However, rule changes just prior to the 1995 season caused Porsche to abandon the project. Fortunately, Joest Racing had other ideas. Team owner Reinhold Joest convinced Porsche to let him have the prototype. He then funded the modifications required to conform to LMP1 regulations as well as the construction of a second chassis. TWR would also get involved, converting the car to an open-topped design.

It proved to be a fruitful partnership – in 1996 this particular car won the Le Mans 24 Hours after a fairly untroubled race with Davy Jones, Alexander Wurz and Manuel Reuter behind the wheel, heading an all-Porsche top three, the LMGT1-class 911 GT1s finishing second and third.

Joest returned for 1997 with Tom Kristensen (making his Le Mans debut) alongside F1 refugees Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson. While the Works Porsche 911 GT1s would be soundly beaten in the LMGT1 class, the overall victory went to the WSC-95.

It wasn’t the fastest car on track, but mechanical maladies elsewhere allowed it to take the win by one lap. After winning in 1984 and 1985, this was the second time that Joest had won back-to-back Le Mans titles, and it was the first of nine victories for Tom Kristensen at Le Mans.

Following these successes, Porsche developed the cars into the LMP1-98, but increasing competition from Nissan, Toyota, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, plus the continued strain of fighting on two class fronts with the 911 GT1, resulted in the car failing to repeat the earlier success.

Both cars would retire from the 1998 Le Mans 24 Hours, and this car’s last competitive outing was a second place at the debut Petit Le Mans in the US, with Alboreto, Johansson and Jörg Müller behind the wheel. The cars would be retired at the end of the season.

ENGINE

2994cc/flat-six/ twin-turbocharged/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Six-speed manual, RWD

POWER

540bhp

TORQUE

479lb ft

TOP SPEED

202mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

875kg

ABOVE Abandoned IMSA project that ended up winning Le Mans twice.

OPPOSITE The winning profile of one of motor sport’s unlikely heroes.

187

#74

1967 Ferrari 330GTC Speciale Owner William Ellwood Heinecke Location US

188

BY THE LATE 1960S, FERRARI WAS MOVING FURTHER away from custom-bodied cars for its bread and butter.

However, for the right customer and the right price, it could still make automotive dreams come true. This is one such creation – based on a 330 chassis, it was delivered to Pininfarina for the styling specialist to let its imagination go wild. The result was a design that evoked the 365 California Spyder, while at the same time incorporating cues from the carrozzeria’s mid-engined creations.

The model was unveiled at the 1967 Brussels Motor Show, and just four were built. The first owner of this example, no. 9653, was Dr Michael DeBakey, a renowned heart surgeon from Houston, US, who was a close friend of Princess Liliane de Réthy of Belgium, who owned the first example of the 330GTC Speciale, chassis 9439. It was during a tour of Maranello with Princess Liliane and King Leopold of Belgium that DeBakey ordered his own Speciale.

Construction of 9653 began in August 1966, with the body – number C0174 – finished by hand in Azzurro Aurora over a black leather interior with blue cloth inserts and blue carpeting. It also benefitted from air-conditioning, electric windows, instrumentation in miles, a chromed front grille guard and Borrani wire wheels.

Prior to its delivery, the Speciale was displayed on Pininfarina’s stand at the Geneva Auto Show, sharing the limelight with a 365 California Spyder and 365P Berlinetta Speciale. DeBakey enjoyed his car for a few years before gifting it to his brother, Ernest, based in Alabama.

In 1973, stewardship passed to Carl De Bickero of Chicago, who overhauled the engine before selling the Ferrari to Norman Silver of North Carolina. He kept the car until 1983, passing it on to oil tycoon John Mecom Jr of Houston.

Peter Sidlow of Los Angeles bought it in 1991, and set about a full restoration courtesy of Michael Regalia (bodywork), Bruno Borri (mechanics) and Tony Nancy (upholstery). It then scored First in Class and the Luigi Chinetti award at the 1992 FCA Annual Meet and Concours, as well as First in Class at the FCA Vintage Ferrari Concours at Concorso Italiano in August 1992. It remained out of the limelight for 25 years, before winning Class E – Granturismo: Experimenting With the Post-War European GT, at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.

ENGINE

3967cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

300bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

N/A

ABOVE The Speciale was displayed on Pininfarina’s own show stand in 1967.

OPPOSITE The body was finished by hand in Azzurro Aurora, over black leather trim.

189

#75

1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Owner Dr Jörg Wolle Location Switzerland

BELOW GT’s shorter wheelbase, lighter body and added power maximised the DB4’s already strong appeal.

190

OPPOSITE Faired-in headlights are the key visual identifiers, marking this out as one of 75 GTs made.

WHEN THE ASTON MARTIN DB4 GT TURNED UP A year into regular production, it was a subtle but important change from the standard DB4 – the GT was all about giving Aston Martin the edge in endurance racing.

The car made its debut at the 1959 London Motor Show, and drew heavily on the DP199/1 prototype that had been driven to victory in the International Grand Touring BRDC race at Silverstone by Sir Stirling Moss earlier that year.

Though the Carrozzeria Touring-penned body on first glance looks very similar, the wheelbase is just under 13cm shorter than a standard DB4, and magnesium-aluminium alloy body panels were used, all to keep the car as light as possible. The large air scoops and cowled front lights – a design feature that would carry on to the DB6 – also pointed to the car’s increased performance, something the 3.7-litre, Tadek Marek-designed straight-six offered great potential for. In standard DB4 trim it produced 240bhp, but by fitting three twin-choke Weber carburettors and dual ignition (two plugs per cylinder and two distributors), along with revisions to the cylinder head for a higher compression ratio, the power jumped to 302bhp. The result of the 85kg reduction in weight and the increased power was that the GT became the fastest road legal production car at the time.

Though the car came with a single large fuel tank, twin, wing-mounted tanks were a factory option; quick-release filler caps can be seen on both sides of the car.

In the end, just 75 GTs were made, though 19 more were by modified into becoming the DB4 GT Zagato, while one was styled by Bertone – the DB4 GT Jet .

This particular GT, chassis 0144, is one of just 30 lefthand-drive cars produced. It was originally delivered to Switzerland, finished in Black Pearl with a blue Connolly leather interior. This is the only DB4 GT that was originally ordered and delivered in this colour combination.

The car is now in the hands of its 12th owner, and is back in Switzerland after travelling the world, enjoying stints in France, Hong Kong, the US, Belgium and Germany.

Between 2019 and 2021, the car was treated to a full restoration by Aston Martin specialist RS Williams. The matching-numbers engine, body, axles, suspension, brakes and electrical components were restored, as well as the original David Brown gearbox. Back to its original – or perhaps better than – showroom condition, the present owner drives the car frequently on different rallies or just for fun.

ENGINE

3670cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

4-speed manual, RWD

POWER

302bhp

TORQUE

270lb ft

TOP SPEED

152mph

0-60MPH

6.4secs

WEIGHT

1269kg

‘Magnesium-aluminium alloy body panels were used, to keep the car as light as possible’

191

#76

2007 McLaren MP4/22A Owner Tom Hartley Jnr Location UK

OPPOSITE Surely the most beautiful and dominant McLaren since the MP4/5, and not surpassed since.

TO M H A RT L E Y J N R LT D

BELOW Hamilton drove this car to his first two pole positions, and his first two race victories in Formula 1.

192

THE 2006 SEASON HAD BEEN A FAIRLY GRIM ONE FOR McLaren. The Woking-based team had not a won a single race for the first time since 1996, experienced six retirements in the first seven races and endured a quite rancorous mid-season split with Juan Pablo Montoya.

The MP4/22A was the start of a new era that included a full driver shake-up. Ferrari-bound Kimi Räikkönen’s seat was filled by reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard must have been thrilled – at first – to be paired with thrusting young rookie Lewis Hamilton.

A significant departure from its predecessor, MP4/22A was the first McLaren of the modern era not to benefit from departing technical director Adrian Newey’s involvement.

Instead, responsibility for the design and engineering of the car fell to the crack team of Neil Oatley, Paddy Lowe, Pat Fry, Mike Coughlan, Rob Taylor and Simon Lacey, who together delivered a race-winning car.

As per the preceding season, Mercedes-Benz supplied a 2.4-litre, naturally aspirated V8 engine capable of producing around 800bhp at a vertiginous 19,000rpm.

The car was instantly on the pace, with Alonso and Hamilton notching up second and third places at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The team went one step further at Malaysia, where Fernando Alonso drove this car to victory, with Hamilton finishing second.

While the MP4/22 was highly competitive throughout the season in general, this particular chassis was especially so.

Alonso drove it twice, winning once (at Sepang); but Lewis raced it five times, claiming the first two race wins of his illustrious Formula 1 career. He also used it in six final qualifying sessions, topping the time sheets on six occasions.

Hamilton had already bagged four second-place positions on the trot before the Canadian Grand Prix. Here, at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, he qualified fastest, then, masterfully navigating through four safety car periods, converted his searing one-lap pace into a maiden Formula 1 win.

Lewis repeated the feat, taking pole and the win, with this car at the US Grand Prix, the final time F1 visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

While its drivers just missed out on the title, McLaren won the Constructors’ title before being excluded from the Championship due to the ‘Spygate’ controversy.

The MP4/22A was the last McLaren to be fitted with traction control, as this technology was banned for 2008.

ENGINE

2400cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Seven-speed semi-automatic, RWD

POWER

800bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

605kg

‘Lewis raced this car five times, claiming the first two race wins of his illustrious Formula 1 career’

193

#77

2004 Maserati MC12 Stradale Owner Paul Hogarth Location UK

OPPOSITE Group C race car overtones a by-product of a body honed for downforce and high speed.

DK ENGINEERING / ALEX PENFOLD

BELOW Long nose, marking this out as an earlier MC12, is very evident in profile. Enzo roots not as obvious.

194

UNDER THE STEWARDSHIP OF FERRARI, AND ON A determined mission to crack America, Maserati needed a flagship motor sport project. With the Prancing Horse in rude health, it seemed only natural that the roots of the design would come from one of Maranello’s revered sons.

The Enzo supercar provided its V12 drivetrain, chassis and track, but the body was unique to the MC12. Though Giorgetto Giugiaro conjured an initial shape for wind tunnel testing, the majority of the car’s styling was done by the director of Ferrari-Maserati Concept Design and Development at the time, Frank Stephenson. It was a shape that evoked Group C racing cars, and was driven by a desire to not only win, but to dominate the FIA’s GT1 Championship.

For increased downforce, the MC12’s body was longer, wider and taller than that of the Enzo. The V12 was also altered, with a 500rpm lower redline and gear-driven, rather than chain-driven, camshafts.

The monocoque chassis was a blend of carbonfibre and nomex, to which aluminium sub-chassis were attached front and rear. The car’s double-wishbone suspension featured pushrod-operated coil springs.

Performance was staggering; the MC12 could sprint to 62mph in 3.8 seconds, and to 124mph in 9.9 seconds, eventually running out of revs at 205mph. What’s more notable is that the car proved to be quicker around the Nürburgring Nordschleife than the Ferrari Enzo.

Just 50 roadgoing MC12 were built over two years, in two distinct batches of 25. The first models had slightly longer noses than the second batch, due to a change in racing specifications. This particular car’s longer front overhang marks it out as one of the earlier examples.

The Fuji White and Blu Victory livery is designed to evoke memories of the America Camoradi (Casner Motor Racing Division) Maserati Tipo 60/61 Birdcage that effectively ran as Maserati’s Works team. This was the only livery available at launch, though Michael Schumacher’s one-off was black.

Maserati’s quest for glory in the GT1 Championship was a successful one – the car took two Constructors’ titles, six Teams’ titles and six Drivers’ Championships between 2005 and 2010. However, the car was denied a shot at Le Mans glory as it was longer and wider than permitted for its class.

This particular example of the roadgoing Stradale model has covered just over 1000km and its engine cover has been signed by its designer, Frank Stephenson.

ENGINE

5998cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Six-speed semi-automatic, RWD

POWER

630bhp

TORQUE

481lb ft

TOP SPEED

205mph

0-60MPH

3.8secs

WEIGHT

1335kg

‘It was a shape driven by a desire to not only win, but to dominate the FIA’s GT1 Championship’

195

#78

1967 Ferrari 275GTB/4

M AU R I C E H E N N E S S Y

Owner Professor Gordon Murray Location UK

196

THE FERRARI 275GTB/4 BROKE NEW GROUND FOR Ferrari – and it has the engineering nous of a Brit abroad to thank. Mike Parkes may be best known for his racing career, which started with an MG before moving onto Frazer Nash and Lotus. He then got the call from Ferrari, and would notch up two podiums and a pole position in six Grand Prix events for the Scuderia. He would also become a strong force in endurance racing, but his engineering skills would, if anything, prove more critical for Enzo Ferrari.

Parkes worked for the Rootes Group between 1950 and 1962, working his way up from a trainee to head up the development of the Hillman Imp. In 1963 he moved to Maranello, to lead the development of the Prancing Horse’s road machinery as well as take part in sports car racing.

The 275GTB/4 was one of the models to receive Parkes’ deft touch. Although the engine was largely the same Colombo-designed 60O V12 that had powered the 250GTE 2+2, 250 Lusso and 250GTO, the car was a big step forward for Ferrari in terms of dynamics, drawing heavily on lessons learned from the 250TR and 250LM racing machines.

This was the first transaxle Ferrari production car, but it was in the suspension that Parkes made his mark. Its independent, double-wishbone set-up fore and aft, along with Koni dampers and coil springs, were all firsts for Ferrari production cars, which has used live rear axles prior to this. In a roundabout way, Parkes’ skills as an engineer would lead to his departure from Ferrari; in 1967 he’d break both legs at the Belgian GP. On his return to work, he found that Fiat was in control – and Enzo Ferrari refused to allow him to return to F1 because his engineering skills were too important. He subsequently left for Scuderia Filipinetti as an engineer and driver, and would later act as principal development engineer for the Lancia Stratos.

The 275GTB/4, launched in 1966, offered mechanical improvements, such as four overhead camshafts, six Weber 40 DCN carburettors and a 54O valve angle. A torque tube connected the engine and trans, and there were further upgrades to the cooling system, exhaust and suspension. It is arguably the finest example of Parkes’ engineering skills.

This particular example, chassis 09677, one of just 330 built, was first supplied to Verona, Italy, before making its way to the US in the early 1970s. It was restored by Wayne Obrey’s Motion Products and repainted Rosso with black leather trim, but in 2021 it returned to Motion Products for a fresh refurbishment and a return to its original Azzurro over Rosso Connolly leather.

ENGINE

3286cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

296bhp

TORQUE

235lb ft

TOP SPEED

167mph

0-60MPH

5.5secs

WEIGHT

1208kg

ABOVE The 275GTB is now part of Formula 1 design legend Gordon Murray’s collection.

OPPOSITE Chassis 09677 is one of just 330 examples built.

197

#79

1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Drophead Coupé

DA R I N S C H N A B E L

Owner Marc Fischer Location Switzerland

198

STANLEY H ‘WACKY’ ARNOLT WAS A CHICAGO industrialist with a love of British cars and a penchant for doing things his own way. Already a millionaire, Arnolt owned a wide range of manufacturing businesses, but his true love was cars – and he had dreams of leaving his mark on the automotive world. At the 1952 Turin Motor Show, a chance meeting with Nuccio Bertone gave him just such an opportunity.

In 1952, Carrozzeria Bertone had just moved production into its large Grugliasco factory; Arnolt purchased a stake in the company and joined the board of directors. Upon the launch of the Aston Martin DB2/4 at the 1953 London Motor Show, he convinced David Brown to send just six bare chassis to Bertone. This Italian, British, American triumvirate would result in three Spiders, one coupé and a pair of drophead coupés, the latter styled by Giovanni Michelotti.

As recorded on the Aston Martin build sheet, this drophead coupé, LML/506, was equipped with a telescopic steering column. Although the sheet on file indicates that the rolling chassis was originally fitted with engine no. VB6E/50/1240, it notes that replacement unit VB6E/50/337 was installed at some date. Still present in the car, this motor was the 2.6litre Vantage engine offered as an option on the DB2. With a compression ratio of 8.16:1 and fitted with two 1.5-inch SU carburettors, peak output was recorded at 125bhp.

Once bodied by Bertone, this special DB2/4 was purchased

by Edith C Field of San Francisco, California. According to a close friend of Field, Liz Coppel, Edith was a “wealthy eccentric” with very good taste in cars. Edith often raced her AC Ace-Bristol in local SCCA races, and in 1955 she showed LML/506 at Pebble Beach, taking home a third-place trophy in the two-seat sports car, $4500-$10,000 class.

In 1986, Aston Works driver and GP racer Innes Ireland purchased the DB2/4 after it had been imported to the UK. Although he had dreams of renovating it, he was convinced to sell it to David Clark, who kept it in unrestored condition.

In 2007, new owner Tarek Mahmoud engaged Goldsmith & Young to manage a full restoration. Fortunately, the body was in good condition and needed only minor repairs, with a new bonnet and boot supplied by Bodylines. Spray Tec repainted the car in its original blue, while LA & RW Piper retrimmed the interior and made a new canvas top. Shortly after the restoration’s completion, LML/506 was sold to a new owner and was then displayed at the 2011 AMOC Autumn Concours, where it took first place in the Feltham Class.

ENGINE

2580cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

125bhp

TORQUE

125lb ft

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

N/A

ABOVE The drophead coupé was styled by Giovanni Michelotti.

OPPOSITE The Aston Martin was shown in prestigious concours events when it was new, by thenowner Edith C Field.

199

#80

1935 Hoffman X-8 Prototype

MARCUS LONG

Owner Larry Smith Location US

200

IN THE EARLY 1930S, MANY AMERICANS WHO followed science and technology developments became enamoured with streamlined rear-engined cars. Proposed designs, most reflecting advanced European aerodynamic concepts, abounded. But few were actually built – and even fewer were viable for production.

In 1934, the two eldest of the seven brothers of Fisher Body fame and fortune retired from General Motors, which had owned their family’s extensive body-building operations since 1926. Looking to become car manufacturers themselves, Frederick and Charles were considering buying the Hudson Motor Car Company. In the event of succeeding in their negotiations to acquire Hudson, they wished to have in hand a prototype for a new line of rear-engined cars.

The two brothers commissioned consulting engineer Roscoe C ‘Rod’ Hoffman to secretly build a streamlined one-off. Hoffman had obtained his degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 1911. He held patents for a ‘power unit’ modular powertrain, and for a streamlined rear-engined car body design. The Budd Company constructed the Fisher prototype’s body, which closely resembled Hoffman’s patented design. He combined his transaxle with a unique eight-cylinder engine, configured in an ‘X’ pattern and producing an estimated 75bhp. Placing the X-8 ahead of the transaxle enhanced the car’s handling.

The 115in-wheelbase prototype was lower and narrower than regular contemporaries, but its interior room and luggage capacity were comparable. Its V-windscreen and steel roof were leading-edge features in 1935, and its absence of running boards was years ahead of the industry.

By the time the prototype was completed, the Fishers’ desire for acquiring Hudson had cooled, as had America’s fascination with rear-engined vehicles. Hoffman retained his car, keeping it under wraps until 1961, when he gifted it to his friend Brooks Stevens for display in the latter’s private museum. Hoffman never disclosed the model’s history during his lifetime.

In 1998, a collector of unusual vehicles acquired the Hoffman prototype from Stevens’ heirs. The present owner obtained it, still in original condition and fully operational, from that collector in 2019, and has since cosmetically refreshed it. The Hoffman prototype is the only X8-powered automobile known to exist.

ENGINE

2786cc/X8/naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Three-speed manual, RWD

POWER

75bhp (est)

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

N/A

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1406kg

ABOVE The Hoffman prototype is the only X8-powered vehicle known to exist.

OPPOSITE The fully operational car has recently had a cosmetic refresh.

201

#81

1957 Bentley S1 Continental Drophead Coupé

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

Owner Julian and Susie Oakley Location UK

202

THE BENTLEY S1 SHARED MUCH WITH THE ROLLSRoyce Silver Cloud when the model was launched in standard saloon form in 1955, but it still exhibited a significant step forward over the outgoing R-type.

The wheelbase grew by three inches, and the straight-six engine was upgraded to an R-type Continental-specification 4887cc. To ease comfort, it was lighter to steer and had improved braking, while the softer suspension featured electrically controlled rear dampers. A four-speed automatic transmission was now standard, although you could still opt to change gear ratios yourself if the mood took you.

Six months into production, the S1 Continental chassis was introduced. Benefiting from lightweight construction, this model could cruise at speeds of up to 120mph. This level of performance and exclusivity attracted the jet-set – famous S1 Continental owners included the boss of the Vanwall Formula 1 team, Tony Vandervell, as well as Debbie Reynolds, the third Earl of Inchcape and the Baron Empain of Belgium.

After Pininfarina produced a two-seater, fixed-head body on a pre-production chassis, other coachbuilders followed suit, such as HJ Mulliner & Co, James Young, Franay, Graber, Hooper, Freestone & Webb and, as is the case with the car you see before you, Park Ward.

This car, chassis BC93BG, is one of just 58 right-handdrive, aluminium-bodied drophead coupés built to Design 700 specifications. Its first owner was a Mr P Swain, who ordered special features such as wing bumps and a scuttle aerial. He registered the Bentley as PFS 1 in May 1957.

The car would pass through a further seven custodians, most of whom lived in Sussex, UK. The longest ownership period was with a lady who had it for 39 years, before passing it onto her son with the strict instructions that it could be used by her on “high days and holidays”.

In 2016, a Danish collector commissioned Frank Dale & Stepsons to perform a comprehensive restoration of the Bentley, including returning it to its original interior and exterior specification. The next owner, who bought the car in 2018, promptly had it repainted in dark green with a matching hood. In 2019 the Continental won Best in Class at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club’s Annual Rally and Concours d’Elegance, before going on to scoop Best in Show, too. A year later, stewardship passed to the current owners.

ENGINE

4887cc/inline six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

170bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

120mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

N/A

ABOVE The Bentley won Best in Show at the RREC’s Concours in 2019.

OPPOSITE It is one of 58 RHD, aluminiumbodied drophead coupés by Park Ward.

203

#82

1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring

S I M O N K I D S TO N

Owner Simon Kidston Location Switzerland

204

AT THE START OF THE 1970S, PORSCHE FACED A problem – its all-conquering 917K was being regulated out of competition, and in GT racing, the 911 was facing ever-sterner tests. The answer came in the distinctive shape of the Carrera RS 2.7 – a lighter, faster version of the 2.4S, with innovative aerodynamics to aid high-speed stability.

Despite strong reservations from groups as diverse as Porsche’s own marketing department and the road safety lobby, the now-iconic ducktail spoiler was born.

The marketing team thought they’d struggle to sell the minimum 500 needed for motor sport homologation, but Porsche eventually sold more than 1500. Perhaps not that surprising, given that it was the fastest production car Germany made at the time, with a 0-60mph time a whisper under six seconds and a top speed of 150mph.

One of those select customers was Simon Kidston’s father, Commander Home Kidston. Already impressed with his first Porsche, a 2.0S, news of a higher-performance, limitednumber version piqued his interest enough to place an order for a pale yellow one, similar to a 911 he’d seen in France.

However, the car arrived finished in bright egg-yolk Signal Yellow, which looked rather flashier than a retired naval man and farmer had intended. It also caused the young Simon some embarrassment being picked up from school.

However, the young Kidston soon warmed to it – a full-throttle ride-along through Bournemouth living long in his memory, particularly for the gaggle of open-mouthed teenagers left in the ducktail’s wake.

As the years passed, Simon persuaded his father not to sell the car. Driven on occasion, it sat mostly under a blanket in the garage. When the family began a new life growing olives near Siena, it followed them to Italy, despite being right-hand drive. Simon took over custody in 1990, and it’s the car he says he’d never sell. Not only was it used for his wedding, but it’s the car his son first drove at midnight on his 17th birthday. Apart from a fuse blowing on the sunroof back in the 1970s, the RS 2.7 has never broken down in 70,000 miles.

It was repainted 15 years ago – and in the process of stripping it back they found that it had first been finished in pale yellow on the production line, and then repainted in its current hue before delivery!

Hampton Court marks the Signal Yellow RS 2.7 Touring’s first appearance at a major concours event.

ENGINE

2687cc/flat-six/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

210bhp

TORQUE

202lb ft

TOP SPEED

150mph

0-60MPH

5.8secs

WEIGHT

1075kg

ABOVE Ducktail spoiler as distinctive as the Signal Yellow body colour.

OPPOSITE Father Home, son Simon, and a cherished member of the Kidston family.

205

#83

2023 Aston Martin Valkyrie

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

Owner Gregor Fisken Location UK

206

WHAT IF YOU COULD BLEND ONE OF THE MOST treasured marques in the world with one of the greatest Formula 1 designers of all time? It’s just that type of question that resulted in a hush-hush meeting at a pub somewhere in the fertile engineering lands of middle England – Britain’s equivalent of Italy’s Motor Valley.

The informal chat between Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Adrian Newey, and Aston Martin’s Simon Sproule and Dr Andy Palmer spawned one of the most ferocious road cars ever to wear number plates.

The story would have its challenges, and Red Bull would eventually depart the project when Stroll-era Aston Martin began, but the final product is astounding – a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre Aston Martin-Cosworth V12 matched to an electric motor, to create a 1140bhp monster that delivers its power to the road via a seven-speed Ricardo single-clutch automated manual transmission. The name is suitably rousing – Valkyrie are Norse mythological figures who guide the souls of Nordic soldiers fallen on the battlefield.

As befits a car designed by a celebrated Formula 1 engineer, the Valkyrie has a staggering aerodynamics package, capable of producing 1814kg of downforce at high speed. The V12 revs to 11,100rpm and produces 1000bhp, making it the most powerful naturally aspirated engine around. A KERS-style system, similar to that used on Formula 1 cars, boosts total system power to 1140bhp. The Valkyrie weighs only 1270kg, low enough to enable a power to weight ratio of more than 900bhp/ton. As you’d expect, the performance is stellar. The Valkyrie can hit 62mph in 2.6 seconds, before powering on to a top speed well in excess of 200mph.

This particular Valkyrie is number 54 of just 150 that are due to be built. It’s a special Q by Aston Martin commission that features Mariana Blue paintwork on the roof, engine cover and wiper mount in addition to the exterior surfaces.

The clam vanes and upper suspension shrouds are finished in exposed satin carbonfibre twill. The owner’s distinctive tartan has been applied to the leading edges of the nose, the roof-mounted air intake and elsewhere, while the Aston Martin Lagonda badge has been crafted from titanium.

Inside, the upper instrument panel is finished in Dark Knight plain Alcantara, as is the seat cushion. The cabin also features satin lacquered carbonfibre twill, while the steering wheel toggle switches are made from machined titanium.

ENGINE

6500cc/V12/ naturally aspirated hybrid/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Seven-speed automated manual, RWD

POWER

1140bhp

TORQUE

664lb ft

TOP SPEED

200mph+ (est)

0-60MPH

2.6secs

WEIGHT

1270kg

ABOVE A ‘Formula 1 car for the road’ tag has seldom been more appropriate than here.

OPPOSITE Tartan lipstick over Mariana Blue paint only adds to the visual drama.

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#84

1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Four-seater LM Long Chassis

THE 8C 2300 IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RACING cars ever, so you’d imagine well heeled enthusiasts would have been begging to pick up any chassis as soon as they could.

This particular Alfa didn’t quite have such a gilded start to its life, however. While most long-chassis examples were completed by August 1934, chassis 231122 wasn’t sold until nearly a year later. It was first registered in Como to Gianfranco Peduzzi, with cabriolet coachwork. He kept the car for three years, before selling it to Oreste Peverelli, also of Como.

He kept it for only a few months before passing it on to Milanese Renaldo Cravedi, and then the car came into the hands of dealer Corrado Legame and racing driver Felice Bonetto. The duo had made their names importing Alfas and Maseratis into Belgium and the UK, and it’s believed this car was squirrelled away to Belgium just prior to the onset of war.

The 8C 2300 was discovered in Antwerp in the 1950s by Daniel Bockstael and Charles Van Den Bosch. It’s thought that at some point in the 1930s the bodywork, crafted by Stabilimenti Farina of Turin, was upgraded.

The car changed hands again in the late 1950s, when it was acquired by New Yorker Jim MacAllister for $1000. He competed with it regularly for many years, alongside his Maserati A6GCS, before selling it to Switzerland’s Joost Wildbolz in 1978. Wildbolz had period bodywork made for the car, in the style of Carrozzeria Touring. This was completed in the mid-1980s, and the Alfa was thrust into action on the Mille Miglia where it finished the 1000-mile route.

From 1989 ownership passed through Al Guggisberg, Heinrich Kampfer and Italo Perottori, before the car came to the UK in 1997. The next owner was Peter Agg, who rallied it extensively including one in Africa! In 2001 the Alfa was bought by John Ridings Lee of Dallas, Texas, who had it restored with a Touring Le Mans body in 2004.

The car returned to the UK in 2007 and was treated to further attention by Alfa 8C experts Neil Twyman Ltd, such as relocating the accelerator pedal to the right and performance upgrade work to the engine and gearbox. The current owner acquired the car 3 years ago and set about a full restoration with Twyman’s restoration shop, rebranded as Regent Garage.

A recently completed no expense spared approach has seen the car restored to exacting standards. The public debut for the car presented is here at Hampton Court Palace this weekend.

Owner Philip Noble Location N/A

OPPOSITE Current owner commissioned extensive mechanical and body work to be carried out on the car.

TO M H A I N S

BELOW This well loved car has been used on track and in long-distance road rallies over the years.

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ENGINE

2600cc/inline-eight/ supercharged/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

143bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

127mph (est)

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

980kg (est)

‘A recently completed no expense spared approach has seen the car restored to exacting standards’

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#85

1963 Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta Lusso Owner The Clarke Family Location UK

OPPOSITE The 250GT Berlinetta Lusso has been in single ownership for more than 50 years.

T I M S C OT T, F L U I D I M A G E S

BELOW Chassis 4785/GT is one of just 22 UK right-handdrive versions of 351 examples in total.

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THE 250GT LUSSO IS WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE of the most elegant and timeless cars ever designed by Pininfarina and bodied by Scaglietti. Introduced in 1962, it was Ferrari’s latest intermediate model, a vehicle to bridge the gap between competition racers and luxuriously appointed 2+2 coupés. Much like the track machines, it featured the latest thinking in the aerodynamics world – most pertinently, a Kamm-style tail. Such a dramatic cut-off had been proven to improve airflow away from the car, helping to improve high-speed stability.

Although the exterior design was forward thinking, Ferrari stuck to proven mechanicals, such as a live rear axle matched to double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs, while large oval tubes formed its ladder-frame chassis.

The Colombo V12 continued to serve, despite getting on for being 15 years old by the time of the 250GT Lusso’s introduction. However, it was certainly potent; in road trim the car produced around 250bhp, and with some competition tweaks this could be upped to more than 300bhp. Those road-car drivers seeking a little more forza were able to call upon the Prancing Horse itself to fit bigger valves and larger carburettors along with reprofiled camshafts.

However, the car wasn’t designed simply to be a hot rod with Italian seasoning; as befits the Lusso name, Ferrari’s engineers had carefully provided more interior space for refined cruising, by moving the engine forward in the chassis to allow owners to stretch out a bit more. Just 351 examples were built between 1963 and late 1964, and this car, chassis 4785/GT, is one of just 22 UK right-hand-drive versions.

It was supplied new to FB Garvey, a client of Rowntree’s Garage Ltd, although it was ordered via Colonel Ronnie Hoare’s Maranello Concessionaires in blue over beige.

The 250GT would arrive in Bournemouth in October 1963, and was first registered in the UK on October 9, with the numberplate 888 FPY. A few days later it was collected by a salesman from Rowntree’s Garage, and it was subsequently picked up by Mr Garvey on the weekend of October 19.

In 1972, the 250GT was sold to Malcolm Clarke of BMW dealership fame by David Cottingham (before the formation of DK Engineering), and today the car remains in the care of his children Alistair, Ed and Harriet. The car has covered just 23,822 miles in its life and has never been ‘fully restored’ – its condition is testament to this.

ENGINE

2953cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/SOHC

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

250bhp

TORQUE

203lb ft

TOP SPEED

149mph

0-60MPH

8.0secs

WEIGHT

1020kg (est)

‘A vehicle to bridge the gap between competition racers and luxuriously appointed 2+2 coupés’

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#86

1935 Frazer Nash-BMW 315/1 Sports (Type 40)

TO M H A I N S

Owner Lorenzo Castellini Location UK/Italy

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THE 315/1 SPORTS WAS A CRITICAL CAR FOR FRAZER Nash. A BMW sports model had beaten the chain-driven Frazer Nash cars in the 1934 Alpine Trial’s 1500cc class, impressing the management so much that Frazer Nash (AFN) became BMW’s UK importer soon thereafter.

The car featured a lightweight twin-tube chassis with independent front suspension, rack and pinion steering, a 1.5-litre six-cylinder engine, synchromesh gearbox, propeller shaft and a spiral-bevel rear axle.

BMW produced more than 400 units, and this car, chassis 51266, is one of only 16 RHD 1.5-litre examples ever imported

by AFN into the UK. Of these original 16 cars, just eight are thought to survive. BMW also produced many thousands of cabriolet and saloons using the same chassis, of which more than 600 were imported into Britain and sold as Frazer Nash-BMWs; about 40 of these FN-BMWs still exist.

It was delivered to its first owner, Matson Roberts, in 1935 with the registration BMX 77. Not much is known about 51266’s early life, but it was photographed outside the AFN showroom in London, and featured in some of AFN’s early marketing material. There’s also a suggestion that BMX 77 formed part of AFN’s 1935 London Motor Show display.

The car was exported to Italy in 1969 by its then owner, Carlo Saverio Balsamo, and was re-registered under the Italian authorities with the licence plate L35000-MI, which it still wears to this day. Chassis no. 51266 would remain in Carlo’s family for over 40 years, and during that time it took part in the 1996 Mille Miglia event, having been repainted at some point in the black and blue colours of Scuderia Ambrosiana (a club to which Carlo was a proud member).

In 2011, it was bought by the current owner – another proud Scuderia Ambrosiana member, who commissioned a complete restoration beginning 2012. The chassis and bodywork were entrusted to well known specialists Carrozzeria Rebecchi of Brescia.

The car was completely disassembled and taken back to a bare shell. It was during this process that the car’s original colours – the colours it wears today – were rediscovered.

The engine and other mechanicals were fully stripped, cleaned or remachined and reassembled. With the exception of the fuel pump, the coil and the rear lights, the car is almost entirely original. The engine, the carburettors, the gearbox, the chassis, the body panels, the instruments, the axles and so on, are all completely matching numbers and original.

ENGINE

1490cc/inline-six/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

40bhp

TORQUE

N/A

TOP SPEED

75mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

750kg

ABOVE Easy to see why the compact and sporty 315 impressed Frazer Nash bosses.

OPPOSITE One of just 16 UK 1.5-litre imports to feature right hand drive.

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#87

1992 Aston Martin Virage Volante 6.3 Widebody Owner Dr Richard Hinton Location UK

BELOW Widebody conversion clearly evident here, but it’s the 6.3-litre motor that drives up excitement.

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OPPOSITE Emerald Green Aston Virage is one of only 19 Volantes to receive the full 6.3 treatment.

HOW DO YOU FOLLOW SOMETHING AS WELL LOVED as the V8 Vantage? That was the problem Aston Martin found itself stuck with in the late 1980s – worse still, company finances were struggling. That the resulting car, the Virage, got built at all is remarkable, especially when considering the total budget was less than what Mercedes-Benz spent on just the interior trim for its R129 SL. Unsurprisingly, customer and press reception was lukewarm. The Virage may have had a new, 32v version of Tadek Marek’s 5.3-litre V8, but 320bhp in a car weighing 2000kg seemed less than promising.

Aston insiders knew it too, and one man in particular saw the opportunities. David Eales was in charge of the Aston Martin Works Service department, which had been selling bodykits, suspension kits and upgraded engines for the Vantage. He’d witnessed Richard S Williams’ efforts with the older 16v Tadek Marek V8 that had been bored out to 6.3 litres and fitted into the company’s AMR1 Group C race car.

That engine was then put into a road car – and the results impressed Aston Martin management so much that Eales was given a development car to tinker with.

As with the original car, the 32v V8 was bored to 6.3 litres to accept Cosworth pistons, connected to a forged steel crankshaft. Tickford revised the cylinder heads and Callaway reworked the camshafts. A Weber Alpha ECU was tweaked to compensate for the loss of the catalytic converter – and liberate an extra 40bhp. Acceleration test results were spectacular – the new car was more than a second quicker to 60mph, and could hit 100mph in 11.5 seconds, a full three seconds faster than the standard Virage.

Thoroughly revised suspension eliminated the standard car’s rear-end squat. New springs, Koni dampers and a revised anti-roll bar stiffened it all up, while the rubber mounts were replaced with rose joints. It was all wrapped in a brutish, hand-formed widebody finish, exhibiting a thrusting dynamism absent from the standard Virage.

This particular car is chassis 60003, the third Virage Volante built. It was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in 1992, painted in Ferrari Fly Yellow, and was then put into service as the launch and press car for the Volante. Official duties completed, it was returned to the factory to be transformed into a full 6.3. It was painted Emerald Green and purchased by the Sultan of Brunei. It is one of just 19 Volantes to receive the full 6.3 widebody conversion, and one of only three to be fitted with the five-speed ZF manual gearbox. It has recently had a full engine rebuild by David Eales.

ENGINE

6347cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

5-speed manual, RWD

POWER

465bhp

TORQUE

460lb ft

TOP SPEED

174mph

0-60MPH

5.3secs

WEIGHT

1986kg

‘Acceleration results were spectacular – the new car was more than a second quicker to 60mph’

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#88

2019 Ferrari 488 Pista Owner Private Collection Location UK

THE 488 MARKED A NEW ERA FOR ITS MAKER – IT was the first volume production mid-engined V8 Ferrari to use a turbocharged engine. Perhaps more importantly, it was only the second mid-engined Ferrari road car to use forced induction – the first being the much revered F40.

At the heart of it all was a new, 3.9-litre Ferrari V8 (F154) that incorporated two twin-scroll turbochargers and two air-to-air intercoolers. The result was a whopping 661bhp at 8000rpm and 561lb ft at 3000rpm, and record specific power outputs for a Ferrari production car, at the time.

However, more was to come, with the Pista variant, launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2018. Power swelled to 710bhp and 568lb ft thanks to revised camshafts, a larger intercooler, beefed up pistons, titanium connecting rods and Inconel exhaust manifolds derived from the 488 Challenge racing programme. The Getrag seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox cut shift times down to 30 milliseconds.

The 488’s already dramatic exterior was heavily revised for the Pista. Large ducts in the front bumper directed airflow up and through a large vent in the bonnet, helping to provide more downforce over the Pista’s snout at higher speeds. The air intake tunnels were moved to the rear spoiler to improve air flow, and the 488 GTE racing car helped inform the redesigned underbody and rear diffuser. These aerodynamic

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‘The results were phenomenal – the Pista could sprint past 62mph in just 2.85 seconds’

revisions added as much as 20 per cent more downforce compared to a standard 488 GTB. In a bid to reduce weight, the interior was treated to extensive use of carbonfibre and Alcantara. Carbonfibre was also used on the bumpers, bonnet and rear spoiler. This resulted in a 91kg weight saving. Additional gains could be had by specifying the 40 per cent-lighter carbonfibre wheels, made by Carbon Revolution. The results were phenomenal – the Pista could sprint past 62mph in just 2.85 seconds, 124mph in 7.6 seconds and top out at 211mph.

This particular car was commissioned via Ferrari’s Tailor Made atelier, and was manufactured to the client’s wishes with specially selected materials and features. Its livery pays special homage to the iconic Ferrari 250GTO.

ENGINE

3902cc/V8/ twin-turbocharged/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Seven-speed dual-clutch semi-auto, RWD

POWER

710bhp

TORQUE

568lb ft

TOP SPEED

211mph

0-60MPH

2.7secs (est)

WEIGHT

1500kg

ABOVE 250GTO -referencing bonnet stripes courtesy of Ferrari Tailor Made.

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#89

1959 Facel Vega Excellence

R M S OT H E B Y ’ S / PAO L O C A R L I N I

Owner Private Collection Location UK

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EXCELLENCE BY NAME, EXCELLENCE BY NATURE – Facel Vega’s take on a luxury saloon lived up to the extravagant but well cultured styling that had become a hallmark of the marque.

It was intended to take on the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz in the plutocrat class, blending American power with exquisite French detailing. Based on an elongated FV Coupé, it would be the only four-door car Facel Vega would ever make, and it’s certainly rare – just 156 rolled out of the factory in Colombes, Paris.

The first Excellences were fitted with Chrysler Hemi engines, but these went out of production in the same year as the car’s introduction. It’s believed just 11 examples were built, of which seven are thought to have survived. The 6.4-litre engine in the production versions (the 1956 Paris Show car used a 5.4-litre powerplant), was sourced from the Chrysler Imperial and also used in the Facel Vega HK500. It was good for 360bhp and a 140mph top speed, putting it among the fastest four-door cars of the day.

Once Hemi stocks dried up, later models used the Chrysler B-Series Wedge big-block engines of between 360bhp (5.9 litres) and 390bhp (6.2 litres), mated to a four-speed Pont-àMousson manual gearbox or three-speed Chrysler Torqueflite auto. Power-assisted disc brakes became optional in 1958.

This particular example, chassis B052, is one of just 134 first-series cars built, and one of only 21 with a factory-fitted manual gearbox; it’s also equipped with power steering. It’s fitted with the Chrysler B-Series engine in 5.9-litre guise.

Its first owner was Monaco resident Mrs Godfrey Fowler, who specified the car in the combination you see today: black over a red leather interior. She kept it until 1963, when ownership passed to a Parisian, MG Heuze. Another four years passed before it entered the long-term ownership of MJ Fay, a member of the Amicale Facel club.

Fast forward to 1990, and the Excellences had moved to Rouen, in the stewardship of Yves-Marie Morault. He set about a comprehensive restoration, which included a full mechanical rebuild, along with a retrim of the interior to the original specification. In 2015 ownership changed hands again, and in 2020 the car moved to the Guikas Collection.

Its current owner acquired it in 2021.

ENGINE

5913cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/OHV

TRANSMISSION

Four-speed manual, RWD

POWER

360bhp

TORQUE

400lb ft

TOP SPEED

140mph (est)

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1920kg

ABOVE Car is powered by a 360bhp 5.9-litre Chrysler big-block engine.

OPPOSITE The interior has been retrimmed to original spec.

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#90

1974 Aston Martin Lagonda Series 1 Owner Bryan Webb Location UK

ASTON MARTIN WAS IN A STATE OF FLUX IN THE early 1970s. Sir David Brown, company saviour and owner since the late-40s, had been forced to sell the firm to investment bank consortium Company Developments.

The Series 1 was born out of a David Brown-era four-door prototype, code-named MP230 and based on the V8, which had first been shown in 1969. When the Lagonda appeared, it was technically similar to the two-door V8, but measured 16ft in overall length. Its 5.3-litre V8 was estimated to produce between 280bhp and 300bhp, and around 320lb ft of torque.

Despite a super-luxurious interior, lined with leather and sheepskin front seat covers, plus Wilton carpets with sheepskin over-rugs, it was claimed to reach a lofty 160mph.

Sadly, the onset of the fuel crisis in 1973 meant that by launch, demand for powerful luxurious cars had plummeted.

This car is chassis 12003, which was the 1974 Earls Court show car used to launch the series. However, it was the third of the eventual seven factory-built cars. Originally, the car was finished in Cosmic Fire Tourmaline Blue, with an off-white leather interior. It matched an automatic transmission with a standard 5.3-litre, V540-series V8.

In 1993 it was treated to an engine upgrade by RS Williams for then owner Simon Draper, which took capacity up to a mighty 7.0 litres, unleashing 480bhp and a useful 550lb ft of

‘Despite a super-luxurious, leather-lined interior, the Series 1 was claimed to reach a lofty 160mph’

torque. This was followed by a significant body and interior upgrade by the next owner, Simon Gregg, which included a full retrim in Rolls-Royce Wildberry hide with burr walnut veneers and Cumberland Grey exterior. A more significant revision to the exterior was fitting the later ‘Oscar India’ detail changes to the bonnet, boot and ‘Prince of Wales’ specification front spoiler; this work was undertaken by specialists Spray-Tec Restorations and Bodylines.

The car was bought by Dr Ulrich Bez in 2010 but was sold to its current owner in 2017 by Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell. The engine was fully rebuilt by RS Williams in 2018/9 and the car fully repainted by Spray-Tec in 2022. The car alternates between a set of original, 15in BBS wheels with 70 profile tyres and the later 16in Ronal rims.

ENGINE

5340cc/V8/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Three-speed auto, RWD

POWER

300bhp (est)

TORQUE

320lb ft (est)

TOP SPEED

160mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

2000kg

Note: original figures shown (see body text)

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M AT T H E W H OW E L L / VA N TAG E M A G A Z I N E

ABOVE Sixteen feet of Aston Martin power and presence and Lagonda luxury .

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#91

1974 Ferrari 365GT4 2+2 Owner Peter Vernon-Kell Location UK

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THE FERRARI 365GT4 2+2 WAS A MAJOR DEPARTURE for Maranello – it was the first model to be offered with an automatic gearbox in later, 400 form.

Styled by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, it conformed to the sharp-suited, straight-edged design language of the time, and followed the 365GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ in having a swage line that divided the car into upper and lower halves.

While the exterior was a clear departure from the 365GTC/4 that preceded it, the new car retained the tubular steel chassis, though it was lengthened by 200mm. The engine was the familiar Colombo V12, with a carburettor-fed 4.4-litre all-alloy V12 that was good for 335bhp. At this time the gearbox was a five-speed manual, while the interior was luxuriously appointed, with leather upholstery, electric windows and air conditioning. Just 524 were built, before the car made way for the visually similar 400 in 1976.

The introduction of the 400 brought a GM-sourced three-speed automatic to the range, along with a larger, 4.8-litre V12. The car would continue to be refined over the next decade and a half, with the engine upgraded in volume and with the introduction of fuel injection. When the model finally bowed out in 1989, wearing the 412 badge, it had no immediate successor – the 456 only arrived in 1992.

Though lambasted by some in the press, the venerable LJK Setright once described the 412 as “one of the few most beautiful, and one of the two most elegant, bodies ever to leave the lead of Pininfarina’s pencilling vision.”

This particular example is a 365GT4, originally supplied by Maranello Concessionaires to the family of the current owner in June, 1974. One of just 94 examples built for the UK market, it was specified in Azzuro Hyperion with a dark blue leather interior. The history file is as immaculately presented as the car, complete with the original warranty card, service book, handbooks, jack, tool kit, original keys and the can of top-up oil that Ferrari supplied with each new car.

A Ferrari Classiche certification confirms the matching numbers, and the historical invoices are paired to recent bills.

The original interior and ‘mouse fur’ dashboard are in superb, unmarked condition. The car retains its original dealer-supplied, private-registration number plates, and has covered 25,000 miles from new.

Finally, and most importantly, this superb car was adjudged the winner of the 2022 Concours of Elegance Club Trophy.

ENGINE

4390cc/V12/ naturally aspirated/DOHC

TRANSMISSION

Five-speed manual, RWD

POWER

335bhp

TORQUE

311lb ft

TOP SPEED

155mph

0-60MPH

N/A

WEIGHT

1500kg

ABOVE Edgy lines by Pininfarina were a big departure from what had come before.

OPPOSITE Unusual, but striking Azurro Hyperion paint over dark blue leather.

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1962 JAGUAR E-TYPE (CUT 8) 1931 BENTLEY 8 LITRE 2009 ACURA ARX – 02/1 LMP1 1939 TALBOT LAGO T26 GS 1950 FERRARI 166/195 INTER BY VIGNALE 1928 BENTLEY 4½ LITRE HARRISON 1961 PORSCHE 356B CARRERA GT 1954 HWM JAGUAR

Timetable for Concours of Elegance FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1, OWNERS’ AND VIP DAY

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 3

10:00 The Grand Arrival and Concours of Elegance opens 10:30-12:30 Introduction of concours cars on the Concours Stage 11:30 The Chubb Interviews (Chubb Stage): Mr JWW with James Rawlinson, Aston Martin 12:40 Presentation of the Jaguar Classic Trophy 12:45 Driving diversity into the world of motor sport.

Amanda Stretton with Jodie Sloss 14:00-16:30 Introduction of concours cars on the Concours Stage 15:15-18:00 Gooding & Company auction 16:00 Chubb Paddock Award (Chubb Stage) 18:00 Concours of Elegance closes

10:00 10:30 11:30 11:30

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 2 10:00 10:15 11:15 11:30 11:45 11:45 12:00 14:45 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:30 15:30 16:00 16:15 18:00

Concours of Elegance opens Parade of the Club Trophy entrants The Collector: Fritz Burkard, The Pearl Collection The Chubb Interviews (Chubb Stage): Mr JWW with Charlie Ross and Joe Twyman of Gooding & Company Classic Driver: Charting 25 years of the collecting car market. JP Rathgen and guests (The Hub) Introducing the DRVN Group Gooding & Company Award The Chairman’s Award The Chubb Interviews (Chubb Stage): Mr JWW with Fabrizio Giugiaro and Giorgetto Giugiaro Jaguar Trophy by Jaguar Classic Bizzarrini: The Genius Lost and Found Club Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club Magneto Meet the Owners panel discussion.

David Lillywhite and guests (The Hub) Levitt Trophy in association with Launer London Best Car Club Award by Classic & Sports Car Concours of Elegance closes

11:45 12:00 12:00 14:20 14:30 14:30 15:15 15:20 15:30 15:45 16:00 16:30 17:00

Concours of Elegance opens Parade of the 30 Under 30 concours cars The Collector: Fritz Burkard, The Pearl Collection The Chubb Interviews (Chubb Stage): Mr JWW with Ben Hedley, The Little Car Company Rodin Cars: The Full Story Vauxhall 30-98 Club Award Collecting Addicts live podcast featuring Chris Harris and guests (The Hub) The Junior Concours and Awards The Chubb Interviews (Chubb Stage): Mr JWW with Alex Jackson, Chubb Talisker Challenge Class and Decade Awards by A. Lange & Söhne Best in Show in partnership with A. Lange & Söhne Special Classes and Future Classics Award Bentley Trophy 30 Under 30 Award by A. Lange & Söhne Best Club Car Award by Classic & Sports Car The Grand Depart: Concours cars leave Hampton Court Palace Concours of Elegance closes

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Fortnum & Mason Picnic Collection

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Visit Palm Springs

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Picnic Area

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The ‘Hub’

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SATURDAY & SUNDAY

2023 Concours cars

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25th Anniversary

A. Lange & Söhne A. Lange & Söhne Audi Augustine Jewels / Finlay Belle Brummell Bentley Mulliner Bespoke Handling Bizzarrini Blizzard Motorcars Carhuna Charles Heidsieck Chubb Connolly Brothers Electrogenic Equus Design & Build Export 56 Fiskens Frank Dale & Stepsons Genesis Gooding & Company Gooding & Company Auction Grey Flannel H.R. Owen Henry Poole Hilton and Moss Inverted EV Jaguar Classic JD Classics John Dewar & Son Jonathan Wood VCR Launer London Lunaz Magneto Mister Miller Nicholas Mee Piston Distillery Rodin Sasso Automotive Sleepeezee Specialised Covers Spora St Dupont The Little Car Company Truefitt & Hill Visit Greater Palm Springs

Gooding & Company FRIDAY

Jim & Tonic

1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder 1913 Hispano-Suiza 15/45HP Alfonso XIII 1953 Siata 280S Coupé 1938 Delahaye Type 145 V12 Coupé 1954 Bentley R-type Continental by Chapron 1962 Ferrari 250GTO 1962 AC Shelby Cobra ‘CSX 2001’ 1956 Jaguar XKSS 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV 1955 Maserati A6 GCS Frua Spider 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Sport 2003 Bentley Speed 8 1974 Matra MS 670B 1968 Ford GT40 1963 Ferrari 275P 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL W194 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM Zagato 1929 Bentley Speed Six ‘Old N°1’ 1964 Aston Martin DB5 1936 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante

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1965 Fiat Abarth 1000 Pininfarina ‘Principessa’ 22 2022 Bugatti Centodieci 23 1934 Bugatti Type 59 24 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza 25 1897 Prinetti & Stucchi Tricycle 26 1963 Peel P50 27 1964 Peel Trident 28 1939 Maserati 4 CL Monoposto 29 1935 Bugatti Type 57 ‘Stelvio’ 30 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental 31 1953 Jaguar C-type 32 1969 Porsche 917K 33 1954 Ferrari 250GT Europa 34 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Drophead Coupé 35 1925 MG 14/28 Bullnose Supersport Salonette 36 1963 Apollo 3500 GT Spyder Prototipo 37 1934 Lancia Astura Short-Chassis Grand Sport 38 1932 Alfa 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider Zagato 39 1930 Bentley 41⁄2 Litre Blower 40 1953 Aston Martin DB3S 41 1955 Pegaso Z-102 Touring Superleggera Berlinetta 42 1936 Lagonda LG45 Coupé de Ville Sedanca 43 1994 Bugatti EB110 GT 44 1971 Porsche 911 S/T 45 1961 Alvis TD21 Graber Special 46 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 47 1953 Talbot-Lago T26 GSL Prototype 48 1967 Ferrari 330GTS 49 1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary 50 1953 Bentley R-type Continental Fastback 51 2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0 52 1953 Bentley R-type by Abbott 53 1971 Maserati Quattroporte Prototipo Frua 54 1962 Bentley S2 Continental 55 1964 Facel Vega Facel II 56 1952 Jaguar XK120 FHC 57 1925 Lorraine-Dietrich B3/6 Sport Torpedo 58 1926 Amilcar CO 59 1928 Bentley 41⁄2 Litre 60 1937 Peugeot 302 DS Darl’Mat 61 1950 Aston Martin DB2 62 1953 OSCA MT4 Barchetta 63 1955 Aston Martin DB3S 64 1954 Jaguar D-type 65 1956 Aston Martin DB3S 66 1963 AC Cobra Le Mans Coupe 67 1964 Ferrari 250LM 68 1972 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Group 4 Comp 69 1979 Rondeau M379B 70 1986 Jaguar XJR-9 71 1988 Porsche 962 72 1995 Porsche WSC-95 Le Mans Prototype 73 1967 Ferrari 330GTC Speciale 74 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT 75 2007 McLaren MP4/22A 76 2004 Maserati MC12 Stradale 77 1967 Ferrari 275GTB/4 78 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Drophead Coupé 79 1936 Hoffman X-8 80 1957 Bentley S1 Continental Drophead Coupé 81 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring 82 2023 Aston Martin Valkyrie 83 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Four-seater LM 84 1963 Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta Lusso 85 1935 Frazer Nash-BMW 315/1 Sports (Type 40) 86 1992 Aston Martin Virage Volante 6.3-litre Widebody 87 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista 88 1959 Facel Vega Excellence 89 1974 Aston Martin Lagonda Series 1 90 1974 Ferrari 365GT4 91