Magneto magazine issue 1 Spring 2019

ISSUE

1 SPRING 2019

100 YEARS

OF Z A G AT O

+ A L FA 8C B E R L I N E T TA T O U R I N G | M C L A R E N P1 V S S E N N A | B R M V16 | C L A S S I C T E A M L O T U S | 50 M O ST I N F LU E N T I A L P EO P L E

UPCOMING AUCTIONS 8–9 MARCH 2019

AMELIA ISLAND REGISTER TO BID

11–12 APRIL 2019

ESSEN

CONSIGNMENTS INVITED THROUGH 20 FEBRUARY

25 MAY 2019

VILLA ERBA

CONSIGNMENTS INVITED THROUGH 10 APRIL

16–17 AUGUST 2019

MONTEREY

CONSIGNMENTS INVITED THROUGH 3 JULY

5 NOVEMBER 2019

LONDON

CONSIGNMENTS INVITED THROUGH 18 SEPTEMBER

OFFERED FROM A PRIVATE SWISS COLLECTION

1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A Chassis no. 154078

HEADQUARTERS +1 519 352 4575 UK +44 (0) 20 7851 7070 GERMANY +49 172 7151 251 ITALY +39 02 9475 3812

Some see more.

720S Spider Super Series

Official fuel consumption figures in UK L/100km (CO2 grams per km) for the McLaren Super Series 4.0L (3,994cc) petrol, 7-speed Seamless Shift Dual Clutch Gearbox (SSG): Low 23.3 (528), Medium: 12.9 (293), High, 9.2 (209), Extra-High, 10.2 (230), Combined 12.2 (276). The efficiency figures quoted are derived from official WLTP test results, are provided for comparability purposes only, and might not reflect actual driving experience.

cars.mclaren.com

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18 COMING SOON Don’t miss these world-class collector car events taking place over the coming months

31 S TA R T E R Collector news including the latest plans for UK Mullin museum, Bentley’s missing link, Milan’s Alfa Romeo museum and an interview with Hall & Oates’ John Oates

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100 YEARS O F Z A G AT O

1950 BRM V16 ENGINE

MCLAREN P1 VS SENNA

L O S T B U G AT T I PROTOTYPE

V I R T U A L LY BESPOKE

We celebrate century-old design house’s success with its ‘secret weapon’, Andrea Zagato, and look at its most iconic models, too

What do you get when you pool the expertise of post-war British industry?

A 1.5-litre, 600bhp supercharged V16. Amazing

The first ever back-to-back comparison of McLaren’s two mighty hypercars, the P1 and the Senna, on Scottish roads and track

Could a mysterious Diatto chassis fitted with a one-off Bugatti aero engine have been the first step towards the super-luxury Royale?

Automotive engineer Sebastian Motsch creates coachbuilt classic models in Photoshop – and they are brilliant...

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The 24th Annual

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island The Golf Club of Amelia Island

March 7-10, 2019

Honoring

Jacques – Bernard “Jacky” Ick x Celebr ating Mercedes-Benz 500-540k, Porsche 962, Custom Coachwork Volkswagen and Jaguar XK120 Benefiting The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Foundation a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corpor ation For Advance Tickets & Event Information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org Mercedes-Benz 500K Photo Courtesy of the National Automobile Museum, The Harr ah Collection, Reno, NV . GT40 Photo Courtesy of Dave Wendt Jaguar XK120 Photo Courtesy of Joseph Limongelli

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INSIDE CLASSIC TEAM LOTUS

I C O N 4 X 4’ S BRONCO DERELICT

A L FA 8C 2900B B E R L I N E T TA

Race outfit has moved from its historic but cramped original workshop to a new and modern HQ. We get an early viewing

And now for something completely different...

The full story behind Icon’s Mustang-powered restomod Bronco BR

In the same family for 43 years. Before it heads to auction, we take a final trip with a special car and its equally special owner

THE 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE We name the biggest movers and shakers in the collector car world

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M A R K E T WAT C H Jensen Interceptor’s values are on the up. We find out why

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M A R K E T A N A LY S I S How Zagato prices have fared over the past five years

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T H E I M P O R T/ EXPORT QUESTION Want to ship your classic car? Which method is best?

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WHY AIR-CON ISN’T A LWAY S A G O O D I D E A So says the Bernie Ecclestone collection’s former curator

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LEGAL ADVICE The ins and outs of buying at auction, by a specialist solicitor

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BEHIND THE LEGEND Count Volpi tells the story of the Ferrari ‘Breadvan’

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+44 (0) 118 940 1101 • gtoengineering.com

EDITOR ’ S

W E LCOM E

Issue 1 Welcome to the first issue of Magneto, a new quarterly magazine for the true car enthusiast. Our aim is to serve up the very best writing and photography, printed to the highest quality on the finest paper, on the greatest cars ever made. Think of it as your antidote to the digital onslaught; your quiet indulgence in a noisy world.

Where does Magneto come from? It’s from a long-standing dream to produce a magazine that shows off special cars to their very best.

Managing director Geoff Love and I were two of the four founders of Octane magazine, and we later went on to launch a classic car website – a remarkable lesson in the dark arts of digital.

But the yearning to produce a top-quality magazine never went away, so last year we began to put together a dream team of contributors – and to work up the best possible content. To this end, Clive Chapman threw open the doors of the new Classic Team Lotus HQ, Rob Hall let us loose in the Hall & Hall store to dig out BRM V16 parts, McLaren allowed us the first-ever back-to-back drive of the P1 and Senna, Jan-Willem Martens handed over the keys to the wonderful Alfa 8C he’s owned for over 40 years… and that’s barely scratching the surface of the support we’ve received.

This is the result, which we’re extremely proud of – and I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to print on such superb paper! We already know that issues two, three and four will have even more pages, and even more for you to read. We hope you enjoy it.

David Lillywhite Editorial director

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Meet the team GEOFF LOVE The business brains of the team (he has an MBA and does enjoy a spreadsheet), managing director Geoff moved into publishing after a spell at Rover. He co-launched Octane in 2003, set up the International Historic Motoring Awards, headed the digital transformation of Evo, and more recently ran Motorsport Network’s automotive European operation.

D A V I D L I L LY W H I T E With a passion for magazines equal to that of his love for cars, editorial director David moved from engineering into publishing in 1992. He has contributed to titles on classic cars, supercars, motorbikes and modified cars, and he edited Octane for 14 years, later becoming editorial director of Octane, Vantage and Enzo. He’s also owned more than 40 cars, not all of them runners...

R O B S C H U L P A N D S U E FA R R O W The relentless-but-ever-happy advertising sales duo Rob and Sue have magazine experience dating from 1987, when they worked together on titles such as Autocar, Autosport, Classic & Sports Car, The British Motor Show Guide and Your Classic.

They’ve worked alongside Geoff and David for many years; it’s fair to say that Magneto wouldn’t exist without them.

PETER ALLEN

Art director Peter takes the award for being the most laid-back member of the team, perhaps because he’s seen it all before; in the past five years alone he has undertaken 23 magazine redesigns working as a design consultant at a wide variety of publishing companies. He’s been a group art director at EMAP, and art director of Car, winning numerous design awards over the years.

SARAH BRADLEY “Motorsport or motor sport? De Tomaso or de Tomaso?” Production editor Sarah is an award-winning automotive writer and editor who’s worked in media for three decades – and whose job on Magneto is to ensure quality and consistency. Classic cars and bikes are her passion; she currently owns four of each and uses them all year round, putting the rest of the team to shame.

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AMELIA ISLAND GOODING & COMPANY PRESENTS

THE

florida

AUCTION

FRIDAY

March 8 11am

1992 PORSCHE 964 CARRERA RS From The Jan Koum Collection Finished in Paint-to-Sample Blossom Yellow Without Reserve

1972 PORSCHE 911 2.4 S Well-Optioned and Beautifully Presented in Original Color Scheme

2005 FERRARI 575 SUPERAMERICA Less than 10,000 Miles from New Coachwork by Pininfarina | Without Reserve

1984 AUDI SPORT QUATTRO Offered from The Dobbs Motorsports Collection

1973 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 2.7 RS TOURING | Offered from The Dobbs Motorsports Collection

R EG I ST E R TO B I D

G O O D I N G C O. C O M

+1.3 1 0 . 8 9 9 . 1 9 6 0

AUCT I O N S & P RI VATE BRO KERAGE

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Editorial director

Managing director

David Lillywhite

Geoff Love

Art director

Advertising sales

Peter Allen

Sue Farrow, Rob Schulp

Production editor

Lifestyle advertising

Sarah Bradley

Sophie Kochan

West Coast USA contributor

Australian editor

European editor

Winston Goodfellow

James Nicholls

Johan Dillen

Contributors Sam Chick, Robert Dean, Rob Gould, Ken Gross, Sam Hancock, Richard Heseltine, Matthew Howell (cover photography), Dirk de Jager, Graham Keilloh, Evan Klein, Kieron Maughan, John Mayhead, Gordon Murray, Joel Mutton, Doug Nye, Andy Reid, Clive Robertson, Tim Scott, John Tallodi, Patrick Tregenza How to subscribe Please visit www.magnetomagazine.com or call +44 (0)1371 851892 Single issue with P&P £10.50 (UK), €16.50 (Europe), $20 (USA), AUS $28 (Australia and New Zealand) Annual subscription £38 (UK), €52 (Europe), $60 (USA), AUS $80 (Australia and New Zealand) Subscriptions managed by ESco Business Services

HOTHOUSE MEDIA Geoff Love, David Lillywhite, George Pilkington The Hall, Thorpe Street, Raunds, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN9 6LT, UK Printing Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE, UK Printed on Finesse Silk from Denmaur Paper Specialist newsstand distribution Pineapple Media, Select Publisher Services Contact For subscriptions and business enquiries geoff@magnetomagazine.com For editorial enquiries david@magnetomagazine.com For advertising enquiries sue@flyingspace.co.uk or rob@flyingspace.co.uk

©Hothouse Media Ltd. Magneto and associated logos are registered trademarks of Hothouse Media Ltd. All rights reserved. All material in this magazine, whether in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form without the written permission of Hothouse Media Ltd. Hothouse Media Ltd. uses a layered privacy notice giving you brief details about how we would like to use your personal information.

For full details, please visit www.magnetomagazine.com/privacy/

Magneto [mag-nee-toh] noun, plural mag·ne·tos 1. Electrical generator that provides periodic high-voltage pulses to the spark-plugs of an internal-combustion engine, used mostly pre-World War One although still fitted for emergency back-up of aircraft ignition systems.

2. Fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

3. Great new quarterly magazine featuring the most important cars in the world.

ISSN Number 2631-9489. Magneto is published quarterly by Hothouse Publishing Ltd. Great care has been taken throughout the magazine to be accurate, but the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions that might occur.

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

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THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOTOr CArS IN THE WOrLD

Illustrated 1955 AlfA Romeo 1900 SupeR SpRint ZAgAto (ex-1955 mille miglia) C l ien t poRt fo l i o 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Pinin Farina Berlinetta (ex-1954 Tour de France, 2012 Pebble Beach Preservation Class Winner) 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy ‘Gullwing’ (one of only 29 built) l 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series 5 (LHD, one family owner from new) 1964 Lamborghini 350GT (6th Lamborghini built, factory three seater) 1969 Ferrari 365 GTC (Ferrari Classiche restoration) l 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV (European spec) 2001 Bentley Continental T (LHD, European specification) Please note that to respect client confidentiality not all motor cars available may be shown

KidSton S.A. 7 Avenue piCtet de RoChemont, 1207 genevA, SwitZeRlAnd tel+41 22 740 1939

fAx+41 22 740 1945

www.KidSton.Com

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AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

PHOTO BY DEREMER STUDIOS

March 7-10, 2019 The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance never fails to bring in an eclectic selection of class-leading classics, with special displays as varied as previous years’ Martiniliveried race cars and the custom creations of Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth or – as planned for 2019 – the cars and guitars of famous musicians. Other attractions for this year include Indy’s Revolutionary Innovations, The Porsche 962 Dynasty, The Record-Breaking Jaguar XK120 and a VW Custom Coachwork class.

Staged on the fairways of the Golf Club of Amelia Island in north-east Florida, the four-day charitable event is among the planet’s premier automotive shows. Saturday’s free-to-enter Cars & Coffee has grown beyond belief, but the highlight is Sunday’s concours. Motorsport legend Jacky Ickx is 2019’s honouree, enhancing the concours’ extra-special feel, and auctions by RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Co, Bonhams and others add to the appeal. www.ameliaconcours.org

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C H A N T I L LY A R T S ET ELEGANCE RICHARD MILLE June 30, 2019

PHOTO BY MATHIEU BONNEVIE

The name says it all. Chantilly Arts et Elegance Richard Mille is the world’s most elegant concours – and varied, too, encompassing so much more than ‘just’ cars. It’s based at the stunning 19th century Chateau de Chantilly, just 30 miles north-east of Paris (and less than 15 miles from Charles de Gaulle airport).

The car side is covered by the Concours d’Elegance of concepts, the Concours d’Etat of 100 collectors’ cars and the 600-car Grand Prix des Clubs. But there are also art displays, fashion shows, steam-boat rides, equestrian demonstrations, tours of the chateau, children’s games and creative workshops, from flower art to hat-making. chantillyartsetelegance.com

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B U G AT T I OWNERS’ CLUB 9 0 T H B I R T H D AY AT L A V I E E N B L E U May 25-26, 2019

PHOTO BY MAGIC CAR PICS

La Vie en Bleu is always something special, but this year it will be more exciting than ever as it welcomes a host of Bugattis to celebrate both the 90th anniversary of the Bugatti Owners’ Club and 110 years of the prestigious marque itself.

Among the cars on display will be a machine that’s rather familiar to readers of Magneto; the AVIO 8C featured in this very issue. Alongside it will be Ettore Bugatti’s famous 5-litre chain-drive Type 18, chassis 471, which inspired the style of the AVIO 8C. In conjunction with La Vie en Bleu, La Vita Rossa will once again celebrate all things Italian. Exhibits and hillclimb cars will include that most spectacular of all Fiats, the Beast of Turin.

A Battle of Britain flypast will be the crowing glory at this event, held at Gloucestershire’s legendary Prescott Speed Hill Climb in the spring. Enjoy! www.prescott-hillclimb.com

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R A L LY R O U N D FLIGHT OF THE CONDOR November 11 -December 8, 2019 Feeling adventurous? This is a 4500-mile tour and regularity rally through South America’s Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, exploring the wonders of the Andes. It’s aimed at both novices and experts, and open to Vintage cars and pre-1977 classics, organised by the Rally Round team headed by Liz Wenman and Kim Bannister.

Participants can choose between the tour or the regularity, but either way there’s no car-breaking terrain on the route. The Flight of the Condor starts on the shores of the Caribbean, in Cartagena, Colombia, and covers 7200km in 28 days before finishing in Lima, the capital of Peru. It visits Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines, and heads through Amazonian forest, across deserts and over 4500m passes in the Andes. www.rallyround.co.uk

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C O M I N G S O O N BELOW Three Castles Trial incorporates regularity sections and driving tests, and is a fantastic social event, too.

SYDNEY HARBOUR CONCOURS

CLASSIC MOTOR HUB COFFEE & CLASSICS

March 7-9, 2019

April 7, 2019

This inaugural event promises 30 of Australia’s finest vehicles on the lawns of Lindesay overlooking Sydney Harbour. Rare and historic cars will include a selection of Ferraris, the first Bentley ever to run at the Le Mans 24-hours, and 1933’s Mille Miglia class-winning MG K3: “A wonderland of elegance and automotive grandeur.” www.sydneyharbourconcours.com

Spring should be kicking in just about now, so this popular informal event at the Classic Motor Hub showrooms in Bibury in the Cotswolds provides the ideal opportunity to get out in your classic vehicle and share a coffee, pastry or bacon roll with like-minded folk. Attendance is free but space is limited, so pre-registration is required. www.classicmotorhub.com

RACE OF GENTLEMEN’S S A N TA B A R B A R A D R A G S March 8-9, 2019 Celebrate America’s pre and postwar street races – a pre-cursor to dragstrips – at the new Santa Barbara Drags, an on-tarmac spectacular for hot rods and bikes.

Experience a simpler time, when guys were gentlemen, gals were ladies and cars were king. www.theraceofgentlemen.com

PETROLICIOUS DRIVERS’ MEETING May 12, 2019 The Petrolicious website’s first UK event will be held at the classic car industry’s centre of excellence, Bicester Heritage. A mix of the Sunday Scramble and the more curated Luftgekühlt, it will see a number of significant collector cars exhibited around the restored Technical Site, with club gatherings and special displays in the large hangar and on the airfield. www.petrolicious.com

RICHARD MILLE NÜRBURGRING CLASSIC May 24-26, 2019

GOODWOOD 77TH MEMBERS’ MEETING April 6-7, 2019 Smaller, more exclusive and with a broader focus than the Revival, this season opener recreates the atmosphere and camaraderie of the original BARC meetings held at the West Sussex circuit through the 1950s and ’60s. It sees on-track action from newer machinery, too. www.goodwood.com

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The third running of the event, which was introduced in 2017 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Germany’s famed Nürburgring Nordschleife. There are more than a dozen historic race series taking part, so if you’re a racer this could be your chance to experience the legendary 13-mile circuit. Or head there as a spectator – half the fun is driving round finding the most exciting places to view the races from, plus tickets include access into the Ring Werk museum. www.nbr-classic.com

PEKING TO PARIS MOTOR CHALLENGE June 2-July 7, 2019 HERO’s endurance rally takes pre1976 vehicles halfway around the world against the clock. It covers gravel, sand and stunning roads, with participants staying in both luxurious hotels and spending nights under canvas in the deserts of Mongolia and Kazakhstan. All places for 2019 have long been allocated, but why not plan ahead for the adventure of a lifetime? www.endurorally.com

MONTEREY CAR WEEK August 9-19, 2019 It’s a bucket-list must-do, so we’re giving you a timely reminder to book accommodation now. A huge itinerary of stand-out events includes Motorworks Revival, The Quail, Concorso Italiano, Concours d’LeMons, Motorsports Reunion and, of course, the Pebble Beach Concours. All the major auction houses will be staging sales, too. www.whatsupmonterey.com/ events/monterey-car-week

THREE CASTLES TRIAL

NEWPORT CONCOURS AND MOTOR WEEK

June 4-7, 2019

October 3-6, 2019

This Welsh trial kicks off with a concours before a three-day road rally with regularity sections and driving tests takes participants to Anglesey, Gwynedd and Clwyd, returning to Llandudno each night.

Test your teamwork during the day, and enjoy fun, laughter and camaraderie during the evenings.

Open to any classics from the 1920s-’80s, and with insurance back-up from Hagerty, it’s ideal for first-timers and social rallyists. www.three-castles.co.uk

We’re looking even further ahead in the year to ensure this exciting inaugural event is on your radar.

Presented by Rhode Island’s Audrain Museum, it will be hosted at historically important locations throughout a city that’s rich with automotive history. Plans include a tour d’elegance, live music by Grammy award-winning artists and a high-end concours. www.audrainconcours.com

INSURANCE. CAR VALUES. ENTERTAINMENT. 0333 323 1138 | hagertyinsurance.co.uk | hagerty.com

Authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Vehicle make and model names and logos are property of their respective owners and their inclusion does not imply sponsorship of or affiliation with Hagerty or any of its products or services. Hagerty Insurance Agency, LLC, provides insurance and determines final risk acceptance. Membership and DriveShare are provided by non-insurance affiliates of The Hagerty Group, LLC. Hagerty, the H Gear Shift Logo, HAGERTY FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE CARS, and DRIVESHARE BY HAGERTY are registered or common law trademarks of The Hagerty Group, LLC. Š2019 The Hagerty Group, LLC.

1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster Sold 3 143 440 â‚Ź, 7 July 2018 World record for this model sold in auction

YOUR CAR COULD BE OUR NEXT RECORD! Contact : +33 (0)1 42 99 20 73 motorcars@artcurial.com artcurial.com/motorcars

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37 Is it still possible to have a bespoke car built to your own design?

Here’s the answer...

32 Mullin museum in the UK: the story so far | 34 This year’s biggest anniversaries | 34 The return of Bentley’s missing link 37 Building bespoke cars | 38 Bamford’s new GMT watch | 39 Museo Storico Alfa Romeo | 40 John Oates on Cars and Guitars 42 Analysing the Scottsdale sales | 45 Finding Fangio’s missing Maserati | 46 Future tech: will fuel cells rule the roads?

Update: the UK’s Mullin museum A decision on the proposal to build a new museum in the Cotswolds is now expected from the planning office by late March. This time, it’s for this all-new design by Foster + Partners

COLLECTOR PETER MULLIN’S plans to build an all-new museum in the UK’s Cotswolds region are still progressing, with a decision from the local planning office now due at the end of March 2019.

In November 2018 the team behind the proposed new museum submitted revised plans to the West Oxfordshire District Council, with an all-new design by Foster + Partners, the architectural design company of Sir Norman Foster.

The original proposal for the new Mullin Automotive Park on a 160acre derelict brownfield site next to Enstone Airfield and Industrial Estate received 250 objections.

Now the proposed development,

the brainchild of car collector and philanthropist Peter Mullin, has been completely redesigned by Foster + Partners to further blend the museum buildings into the surrounding landscape.

Since the planning resubmission, the number of letters from the public in support of the museum proposal has outnumbered those against it, and the museum team remains optimistic that planning will finally be granted.

The plan is to create a world-class museum in the Cotswolds, open to the public seven days a week, all year round. It has been designed to the layout of a traditional rural estate, taking visitors through the

Mullin museum

Landscaped concours/ event space Crescent pavillions x 16

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landscaped park towards the museum, via a cluster of workshop buildings with a ticket office and café at the entrance of the site.

A series of residential pavillions arranged in a crescent around the museum will allow collectors to show their own cars within glassfronted ground-floor areas; additional landscaped lodges will be situated around the park. The facility will also feature roads designed for exercising the museum cars, allowing visitors to see them in operation.

Peter Mullin, who is best known for his collection of Art Deco-era cars, including the famed ‘Bugatti in the lake’ and one of the two surviving original Bugatti Atlantics,

Bentley pavillion

comments: “By any conventional measure this will not just be another car museum. We have had the automobile for just over a century, but my great grandchildren will probably never drive a motor car – at least, not as we know it.

“Instead, they will travel in secure autonomous pods controlled by a computer. The Mullin Automotive Park will tell the powerful story of the automobile and its role in shaping our societies, while also offering a view into the myriad possibilities that the future holds.”

The small specialist workshop units included in the plan will be accessible to visitors, and their services will also be available to

local classic car enthusiasts.

“The challenge was not just to produce a car museum, but to produce a village that would explore the evolution of the vehicle,” says Gerard Evenden, head of studio at Foster + Partners.

Kieran Hedigan, the head of

‘The letters in support of the project have now outnumbered those against it’

Exercise road Workshops/garages

Pedestrian pathways

operations at the museum project, adds: “What Foster + Partners has done is to create a 21st century concours backdrop. The company’s designs have transformed the project. It will mean more in 100 years’ time than in five years.”

The West Oxfordshire District Council planning office is now expected to vote on the proposal at the end of March.

Peter Mullin, who also has a museum in Oxnard, California and is chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum, has made it clear that if planning is not granted then the museum project will still happen at another location, in either the UK or mainland Europe.

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Bentley’s missing link The design of the current Continental GT can be traced back to pre-war days, but one element has always been missing – the long-lost 1939 Corniche prototype

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! LET’S CELEBRATE...

So many anniversaries to mark in 2019, from Citroën’s centenary to three decades of the world’s most successful sports car

CITROËN |

100 years

André Citroën’s car-making operation was up and running within four months of the end of WW1. The 100th will be celebrated first at Rétromobile, then with a day in Paris in June and a massive gathering on July 19-21 at the old test grounds in la Ferté-Vidame.

BENTLEY |

100 years

Another big one, with a 30-car race at Silverstone Classic and celebrations at Goodwood Festival of Speed, Salon Privé and Pebble Beach. WO Bentley would be proud of the company that grew out of piston manufacture.

MINI |

60 years

Still one of the most significant cars ever, as much for its classless appeal as for its packaging. Expect celebrations aplenty, the biggest being at the British Motor Museum.

T H E I TA L I A N J O B |

50 years

Fans around the world are preparing to “blow the bloody doors off” to celebrate this iconic movie. There’ll be celebrations at all manner of events, segueing nicely with those for Mini’s 60th.

2019’s a banner year for Brit cool.

A B A R T H | 70 years Grown from the ashes of Cisitalia, Carlo Abarth’s race team turned into a tuner, a manufacturer and now back to a name for hot Fiats.

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F R A N K W I L L I A M S | 50 years The first F1 season for the Frank Williams Racing Cars team was 1969. Piers Courage, in a Brabham BT26A, suffered five retirements but finished second in two races.

Z A G AT O |

100 years

There’s plenty more to read about Zagato in this issue, but ponder one thing – the Milanbased coachbuilder is 100 years old, and is still owned and run by a family member. That’s quite an achievement.

M I K E H AW T H O R N |

60 years

Not such a happy anniversary. Just three months after securing the Formula 1 world championship (and promptly retiring from racing), Hawthorn died when his Jaguar Mk1 went off the road near Guildford, Surrey.

PEBBLE BEACH GOLF L I N K S | 100 years For 51 weeks of the year, Pebble Beach is all about golf, apparently – and it’s been that way since 1919.

Roll on Pebble Beach Concours!

AND MORE... |

Various

Bugatti (110); Alvis (100); Jaguar Mk2 (60); Triumph TR6 (60); Porsche 914 (50); Dino 246GT (50); Aston Virage (30); Alfa SZ (30); Mazda MX-5/Miata (30); Pagani Zonda (20)... Feeling old yet?

’ 1930 Speed Six ‘Blue Train

1938 4½ Litre Embiricos

BENTLEY HAS ALWAYS been keen to point out that the styling of its company-saving Continental GT pays homage to previous marque models, going right back to the oneoff 1938 Bentley Embiricos – though arguably the concept of effortless and luxurious performance began with the earlier Speed Six. But there’s long been a single missing link in the chain between the Embiricos – a special built by Poutout for Greek racing driver André Embiricos on a 4½ Litre chassis, and which raced at Le Mans three times – and the luxurious R Type Continental of the 1950s that provides some of the styling cues for the current Continental GT. That missing link is the 1939 Bentley Corniche, which was destroyed at the start of World War Two in a bombing raid on Dieppe harbour, as the body was being transported home to safety. Ever since, it has been an object of some mystery, and little known outside Bentley and Rolls-Royce circles.

apparently achieved a 109mph lap, and then returned to Europe for further testing. During this period, in late July 1939, the Corniche was involved in a collision with a bus. It was soon repaired, only for it to be involved soon after in another accident – this time at high-speed, when a car pulled straight out in front of the Bentley.

The Corniche swerved off the road, hit a tree and rolled onto its side in a ditch. It was too badly damaged to be driven again, and the body was sent to a nearby repair shop in Chateauroux, around 170 miles south of Paris.

It’s said that the chassis was shipped back to Bentley, but by the time the body had been repaired war had broken out. When it was finally completed, it was transported to Dieppe but later reported lost, thought to have been destroyed in a bombing raid of the docks.

So that was the end of the Corniche, although it undoubtedly paved the way for the seminal

1952 R Type Continental

R Type Continental of 1952. After the war, a Corniche II prototype for the Continental was built on experimental chassis 9-B-VI, christened ‘Olga’ due to its OLG 490 registration plate.

It doesn’t take much to see how the rear haunches of the R Type Continental inspired the design of the 2003 Continental GT, and the shape continues into the secondgeneration GT launched in 2018.

But what of the Embiricos and the Corniche? The former survives in the renowned Keller collection, and a number of high-quality replicas have also been created, most notably by the UK’s Bob Petersen. There’s also a convertible version underway in the USA. Meanwhile, over recent years the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust has been piecing together the design of the Corniche, and has been assisted in the task lately by Bentley Motors.

In this, the latter’s centenary year, you can expect to hear plenty more about the Corniche.

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1939 MkV Corniche prototype

As with the Embiricos, the Corniche was designed by Georges Paulin. This French dentist became one of the leading automotive designers of the period (and later a resistance hero in the war, for which he was executed in 1942).

Paulin was employed solely by Bentley during 1938-’39, to design the Corniche as a sporting version of the new MkV. It’s worth noting that, due to the war, a mere 17 MkVs were ever built.

The Corniche started with a chassis made from lighter-gauge steel than the standard MkV models. In early 1939 this chassis was sent to Carrosserie Vanvooren in Paris to be fitted with a streamlined body built to Paulin’s design. Cylinder-head and exhaust work coaxed an extra 50bhp out of the straight-six engine, and the use of magnesium alloy castings helped towards further weight savings.

By June 1939 the car was completed to the point that tests could be carried out at Brooklands. It

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S T A R T E R

How to build a one-off car Just in case you were wondering... Even in this age of Type Approval and safety regulations, it’s still possible to create a unique vehicle.

Here’s how it’s done

IS IT REALLY still possible to have a bespoke car created? Well yes it is, and there are plenty of enthusiasts and businesses doing exactly that. A large proportion of them, from all over the world, go to a company in Coventry, the heart of the UK’s car-making region.

You might have heard of Envisage because it’s where the continuation Jaguar XKSS and D-type bodies are built, but it’s also used by Bensport and David Brown, and many more who prefer to keep the origins of their bespoke car secret. Many are one-offs for private customers.

“The first question we always ask is if there’s a donor platform in mind, because that’s the really expensive part of any vehicle design,” says Envisage engineering director Paul Arkesden (a former McLaren project manager). “If we can carry over an existing car, you’re more than halfway through.” Jaguar XKR and BMW 7-series are popular choices.

It’s also important to know what the customer wants the car to do.

A 1960s or ’70s style with modern performance and reliability is a common wish. Most customers will have a design in mind – but if they don’t, then the designers will work with them to create it. Yet it has to work with the donor platform.

“We take the donor car down to the basic structure, the parts we’re going to use; that’s quite a bit of the underbody, the suspension, the engine... We scan it to get a mechanical layout – the wheelbase, radiator position, engine location, suspension mounts – and graft the customer’s design over the top.

“At the end of six months you should have a style that will fit over the donor platform selected,” says chief engineer Craig Bonham.

This is the point at which a customer can have more of an input, sitting in the VR (virtual reality) studio to finesse the design, and looking at mood boards for colour, material and material finishes.

Alongside, engineers will produce a DVP (design verification plan) to assess the durability, performance and handling of the car. Safety and adherence to regulations – external and internal radii, the position of lights, visibility of turn signals – is designed in, and the car’s structure is calculated using CAE (computeraided engineering) systems.

“Once we’ve got the package and we’ve got the design, we convert the data to a powerwall and project the car onto the screen, to ensure the customer is happy,” explains Paul.

The next stage is making press tools, machining them from solid aluminium. Bodies are usually made in aluminium, although steel and carbonfibre are possible as well.

At this stage, the customer will often visit again to see the panels being made, and may even take a turn on the English wheel rolling sheets of aluminium. Once the bare body-in-white has been signed off by the engineers and the customer, it goes to paint, often using bespoke colours created from scratch.

And then it’s trim followed by five or six days of testing – Envisage uses nearby MIRA – covering around 1000 miles to check ride, handling and durability. If a donor platform has been used then the car will retain that identity, and it will go through an IVA process to confirm it’s safe and legal. Then the car will be ready for final preparation and handover to the customer.

The price? For a one-off, “expect it to have six zeros”, says Paul.

LEFT From sketches to computer-engineering the structure, producing tooling, creating body panels, to the finished car – this one is Jaguar’s continuation XKSS.

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S T A R T E R

BAMFORD’S NEW GMT WATCH BARGAIN Car collector George Bamford has just launched his second own-brand timepiece, at a great price for a mechanical watch

WE’RE NOT GOING to fill Magneto with watches. So when we do feature any kind of timepiece, it’s got to be absolutely right – and from a company that absolutely gets collector cars.

Bamford London is headed

by George Bamford, an avid petrolhead who in recent years has owned a BMW Z1, Ferrari 275 GTB, Porsche 911 3.0 RS, Land Rover Lightweight, Bentley Mulsanne Speed and many more. And as son to JCB’s Sir Anthony Bamford, one of the world’s biggest car collectors, he’s been surrounded by top-level automobiles all his life.

Bamford London now provides personalised luxury products, including (through Bamford Watch Department) officially sanctioned customised TAG Heuer, Zenith and Bulgari timepieces. But there’s also the relatively new Bamford watch brand, which brings classic style and multiple personalisation options at a remarkable price.

The first Bamford watch was the Mayfair, which starts at just £425 due to having a (shock!) quartz rather than mechanical movement. However, a new model has just been added; the GMT, which uses a Swiss-made, self-winding Sellita SW330-1 movement with 25 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve.

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PLACES TO GO

Alfa Romeo Museum, Milan Above This Bamford GMT (top) uses George’s favourite sky blue – but plenty of other colours are available.

The Bamford GMT starts at £1100 including VAT – again, a highly competitive price for a watch with a Swiss mechanical movement and automatic 24-hour GMT hand function.

“Our vision for Bamford London is to continue to drive innovation over the next few years, and we are delighted to have the GMT play its part in that,” says George of the new watch.

The Bamford GMT can be ordered at www.bamfordlondon. com, with deliveries starting at the end of March 2019.

Planning to visit Italy’s ‘second city’? You should; it’s a perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of historic Alfas, at the marque’s official museum

MILAN. A GREAT place made even better by the wealth of automotive meccas in the vicinity. Monza is only 12 miles away, the famous Concorzo d’Eleganza Villa d’Este takes place on the banks of nearby Lake Como, and Zagato and Touring Superleggera are next door to one another on the outskirts of the city.

Close by to those two legends of Italian coachbuilding is Museo Storico Alfa Romeo, on the edge of the site of Alfa’s old Arese factory (where a shopping centre now sits).

We couldn’t resist calling in after visiting Zagato. If you haven’t been, then you’ll probably underestimate its full extent, because since it was revamped in 2015 it’s become one of the great manufacturer museums.

It actually dates back to the 1960s, when post-war Alfa Romeo designer Orazio Satta Puliga began to push for a fitting tribute to the company’s illustrious history. The management went for it, and Luigi Fusi, a designer since the time of the legendary Vittorio Jano, began to

collect company artefacts, and to restore and document the heritage cars owned by Alfa Romeo. For years the collection was displayed in temporary venues, until the decision was made to create a new building in front of the Arese factory’s administrative offices.

The Museo Storico Alfa Romeo opened its doors to the public on 18 December, 1976. It continued despite the gradual closure of the Arese factory until 2009, when the design department moved to Turin (manufacturing finished in 2005 when V6 engine production ended).

It wasn’t until 2013 that plans were created to revive the museum, with a full architectural makeover combined with all-new displays. Its grand reopening took place in June 2015 (Alfa Romeo’s 105th year), during the world preview of the crucial new Giulia.

There’s a very clear path through the new museum; in fact, right from the car park, from which a long, swooping, bright red canopy leads

visitors to the reception. Then, via a special display area (showing off concept cars on our visit) it’s up to the first floor for the ‘Timeline’ display, in which 19 seminal Alfas demonstrate the various eras of the company. Interactive displays give more detail on each model.

Then back down to the ground floor for the ‘Beauty’ display, where themed areas demonstrate the style of the major Italian coachbuilders, cars built by Touring, and the Giulietta and Giulia model line (shown above). In the centre is an ‘Alfa Romeo in the Movies’ cinema.

And then to the basement for the stunning ‘Speed’, featuring Alfa Romeo’s greatest racing machines, from early Mille Miglia winners, Nuvolari and Fangio cars, to Piquet’s F1 Brabham and Nannini’s 155 V6 Touring Car. In between are the ‘A Legend is Born’ and ‘Temple of Victories’ multimedia displays.

On the way out don’t miss the ‘emotional bubbles’ (mini cinemas) or the 4D film theatre. Brilliant!

D E TA I L S WHERE IS IT? Viale Alfa Romeo, 20020 Arese, Milan, Italy WHEN IS IT OPEN? Every day except Tuesdays, 10am to 6pm HIGHLIGHTS The Alfa 33 Stradale-based styling studies, the 1935 twin-engine Bimotore and the crazy 1914 Aerodinamica HOW MUCH TO ENTER? Adult €12, over-65s €10, 5-18 year-olds €5, under-fives free.

For personal tours, contact info@museoalfaromeo.com HOW TO GET THERE? Easy by car, and within an hour’s drive of all three Milan airports, with Malpensa the closest. From Milan, if you don’t want to take a cab you can get a train to Rho-Fiera then the 561 bus to Arese, but it’s easier to take the shuttle bus for the neighbouring Il Centro Arese shopping centre from Milan Central Station

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S T A R T E R

What are your first car memories?

I lived in a little country town in Pennsylvania, and one of my friends worked at the local dirt track. I loved it. Saturday night, under the lights, the dust in the air, sneaking under the fence... I saw Mario Andretti race there in the 1950s.

And the story about you finding a box of Road & Track magazines?

Yes! They dated back to the early 1950s. It was all about Grand Prix and European racing, sports cars, and all these exotic names like Fangio, Moss, Nuvolari and Ascari, and the road races of Europe. It just captured my imagination.

INTERVIEW

JOHN OATES OF HALL & OATES One half of the best-selling music duo in history, and a lifelong petrolhead – his Cars and Guitars will be on show at Amelia Island

Were your parents into cars?

We didn’t have much, but I always tried to convince my parents to buy something they didn’t want. I talked them into buying a Corvair Monza, which I proceeded to modify and completely mess up. And when they wanted to buy a Pontiac Tempest, I convinced them a Pontiac GTO was the same thing...

Did they keep the GTO? Daryl [Hall] and I ended up buying it from them in 1972 and going on tour – in a 1968 GTO! We toured the East Coast with five guys in it, and a van following with the equipment.

What did you buy when Hall & Oates started to find success?

A Primrose Yellow MGB. I’ve always been attracted to sports cars – right now I’ve got a 1959 MGA Twin Cam, one of the nicest in the country.

You’re known now for Porsches...

My first Porsche was a new 1977 Turbo. I jumped in at the deep end!

I drove past Beverly Hills Porsche, and it was sitting in the window, red with gold BBS wheels. I freaked out!

I went in, but I wasn’t actually going to buy it – it was twice the price of my parents’ home! The salesman said: “It’s cool isn’t it? Rod Stewart

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has a deposit on it.” I mentioned it to my manager, and he said: “Let’s take a look.” He took the salesman into a back room. When he came out, he said: “It’s yours if you want it.” He bought Sonny Bono’s 356 Cabriolet on the same day.

And then you built a collection?

I had a bit of a collection in the 1980s: a Healey 3000, Porsche 356 Speedster, 1955 Chevy and so on.

Then I got divorced, Daryl and I stopped touring... I just wanted to recalibrate my life. I got rid of all the cars. I wish I still had the Speedster.

Hence the Rod Emory 356?

I call it the 356 Greatest Hits; I picked the bits that I like best, from the pre-A all the way to the SC. It’s amazing. It’s 1900lb, it’s 205bhp, it’s got disc brakes, it drives like an early 911, but it feels and smells like, and gives you the sensations of, a 356.

How did you start racing?

My racing career started in England with Richard Lloyd in the 1970s. I did my first racing school at Brands Hatch, and a ‘how to do skids’

‘I drove past and it was sitting in the window, red with gold BBS wheels.

I freaked out!’ school at Crystal Palace. We became close friends, and we raced together at Daytona in the Porsche 924 GTR that he was racing at the time.

What about the Amelia Island Concours Cars and Guitars?

I just thought what a brilliant idea.

I’ve been compiling guitars from my own collection and some friends in Nashville, and I’m bringing my Outlaw 356 and the MGA.

DRIVING HERITAGE

S T A R T E R

A U C T I O N WAT C H

What we learned at Scottsdale The annual auction week in Arizona starts the sales year.

For 2019, market expert Andy Reid spotted very clear trends

Restomods are strong. BarrettJackson can still sell, say, a restomodded Corvette for far more than a restored example. The same holds true for muscle cars. Prices were strong and the atmosphere electric at Barrett-Jackson all week.

Barrett-Jackson was the exception.

This wasn’t the case for the other four auctions. These are where prices are set and cars climb or decline in value. We saw a bit of fluctuation in what had been a mostly flat market.

There were winners and losers in Arizona, and here is what I saw…

190SLs are struggling. Post-war Mercedes are seeing a serious market correction, with 190s averaging less than $100,000. The same was true of the W113 Pagoda roadsters; a year ago they’d fetch $90,000, now it’s an average of $65,000.

Gooding. These cars were otherwise virtually identical. Both sold for less than their low estimates, by the way.

Few cars reached low estimate.

Even models such as the Ferrari 250MM and various Daytonas sold for less than the low estimates. Odd, as these figures had seemed realistic and were based on prior sales data.

Gooding won on star cars. A more disturbing trend was that, unlike before, only one house was able to sell its star cars: Gooding. Bonhams had a no-sale on the Ferrari 500 Mondial, which was bid to $4 million against a $5 million estimate. At RM, the 1957 250 Speciale by Pininfarina received only a $7.5 million bid against its $11 million low estimate.

Even Gullwings suffered a little.

The 300SL wasn’t immune, either, as these struggled to break $1 million.

Many went unsold, with the Roadster again trailing behind the Gullwing.

Why didn’t Stirling’s Lister sell?

The 1959 Lister Jaguar received only a $1.45 million bid, well under its $2 million low estimate. Of the three big no-sale cars, I was most thrown by this. It’s the Briggs Cunninghamowned Costin Lister that was driven at Sebring by Stirling Moss.

The best Ferraris still win. In this market, people continue to be much more choosy. For instance, RM sold a 2864-mile 288 GTO for $300,000 more than a 12,249km one from

Air-cooled Porsches have settled.

This 911 market had a few bumps, with a number of nice long-hoods selling for less than $100,000. The big surprise was the Viper Green

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1970 911E selling for just $80,000.

The low estimate for this car was only $75,000, but it was an excellent example in a very desirable colour.

Same with the 356. A few surprises here as well, with the low point being the sale of a 1958 356 A 1600 Speedster for only $199,000 against a $250,000 low estimate.

Modern Porsches were strong.

Newer 911 specials sold well; a good example was the gold 2018 Turbo S that went for $400,000 hammer, against a $375,000 low estimate.

And so were transaxle Porsches.

Strong results for transaxle cars, too, with Bonhams’ 10k-mile 1979 928 selling for $55,000 hammer against a $45,000 high estimate. Another strong contender was the 1994 926 Coupé, also at Bonhams, that sold for $54,000 hammer against an aggressive $55,000 estimate.

‘All the auction houses at Scottsdale seemed to have a lack of both spark and filled seats’

And the best buys? Buy of the week had to be the excellent 1973 Lancia Fulvia 1.3S Series 2 that sold for only $12,500 hammer. A steal! The other ‘theft’ was the 1962 Elva Courier Mk2 roadster; $16,500 hammer against a $45,000 low estimate.

No atmosphere. I noticed a lack of energy in all but Barrett-Jackson.

When the 1957 Ferrari 250 Speciale crossed the block, the auction room was half empty; usually it’s packed for a car with an $11 million estimate. All the auction houses seemed to have a lack of both spark and filled seats. Gooding had the most energy, but this was more due to expert auctioneer Charlie Ross. I’d say people just seemed disinterested.

What happens next? BarrettJackson is still king of Scottsdale.

We should all pay attention to the results in Paris and Amelia Island. I feel the European and UK markets are a bit stronger than that in the US, and Amelia’s sales will be a serious indicator of the future.

By the way… To end on a more positive note, if you’ve been putting off buying a Pagoda or early aircooled 911, this might be a good time to snap one up. If there’s one constant in the car market, it’s that of change.

S T A R T E R

BOOK PREVIEW

FANGIO’S ‘LOST’ MASERATI 4CLT A new book tells the tale of Juan Manuel’s legendary race car that emerged after years under the radar in South America

WHEN IT COMES to rediscovering iconic cars once thought lost, the story of this Maserati 4CLT raced post-war by Juan Manuel Fangio is hard to beat. Now the entire tale has been told for the first time in a highquality new book from Porter Press.

Chassis no. 1600 was one of two cars delivered to the Automóvil Club Argentino in 1949, and raced in both Europe and South America. Most notably, Fangio scored his early European GP successes at the wheel, before the car was sold without an engine to an amateur driver in 1955 and fitted with a Ford V8.

The 4CLT then went ‘missing’ for several decades, and it’s this aspect of the story that intrigues the most.

It reappeared in America in the early ’80s, and only thanks to painstaking research and a generous helping of luck have its mystery years been pieced together. Moving from South to North America, then Japan and finally Europe, it’s since been fully restored to its 1950 specification, the time of its greatest achievements.

This is a fascinating story, and the accompanying photographs from its time on-track, in the workshop and now back at its period-correct best are absolutely intriguing.

ABOVE 4CLT, from its Grand Prix glory years with Fangio, to less happy times, and finally resplendent once again in original Argentinian colours.

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S T A R T E R BMW has tried hydrogen tank in place of batteries in i8’s central tunnel Electric motor is backed up in i8 by three-cylinder turbo engine at the rear

What’s the future of vehicle propulsion?

EVs have obvious advantages, but how long will they be around? Will fuel cells replace them – or is there another answer?

WHEREVER YOU ARE in the world, you’ll be feeling the political force of electric propulsion. You might own an EV. You may well be considering one – and with their quiet running and instant torque delivery, as well as the zero emissions from the vehicle itself, there’s a huge appeal.

You might also be wondering if electric is really the future. There’s the consideration of how, and where, the electricity is generated in the first place, although the increasing use of solar energy does alleviate that concern to a point. Clearly it’s not much use recharging EVs from a source that’s ultimately coal-fired...

But what about the environmental impact of the materials used in the batteries, and the geopolitical impact, too? We know the power that oil production can give a country. It’s just the same with the mining of the necessary materials for batteries, such as cobalt and other minerals, the market for which is already dominated by China.

And where will all these batteries go when they’re no longer usable?

The expected life cycle of current EV batteries is around ten years.

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A typical modern EV’s batteries will weigh around 700kg. There are about 85 million cars currently sold every year. That’s a lot of batteries to recycle if we all go EV. Have you wondered how they’re disposed of? There are three ways of doing so, here in increasing order of cost: burying them; dissolving them in acid and extracting the reusable elements (leaving toxic acid waste); and mechanically stripping them.

The last way is best, but will that happen in every country?

The lithium-ion batteries used at the moment will become more efficient and affordable, but within the next five to ten years it’s expected that solid-state battery technology will take over. Solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte rather than the liquid electrolyte of today’s lithium-ion batteries. They will be cheaper, smaller, safer and will use less rare-earth element material.

Alongside this will be a drive to produce hydrogen efficiently using clean energy. But storing hydrogen requires minus 253°C or 5000psi of pressure, unless ways can be found to store it in an alternative form.

Still, there have been plenty of industry giants taking hydrogen very seriously for many years; GM, for example, created the fuel cell Chevrolet Electrovan in 1966. One of many industry advocates is Adrian Hallmark, now chairman and CEO of Bentley and with a long automotive history behind him, including seven years at Jaguar Land Rover developing the electric iPace.

“My dream is a hybrid hydrogen combination, so you don’t have to plug it in, you just charge the battery through the fuel cell and use the battery to boost the output,” he says.

“A fuel cell is currently limited to about 150 to 170kW – so it’s enough for our kind of use. But if you put a battery with it then you can still use the petrol-station infrastructure for the hydrogen, and then you don’t have to have cables on the street or convert lampposts in London [to charging points]. It could be a very effective way of doing things.”

It’s thought that hydrogen is unlikely to be industrialised and made readily available before 2030.

But unless there’s a radical new innovation, fuel cells are on the way.

ABOVE Bentley’s Adrian Hallmark foresees a future of solid-state battery and fuel cell hybrid cars.

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100 YEARS OF

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THE DEMISE OF Italy’s coachbuilding industry unobtrusively began in 1950, just as Carrozzeria Zagato was on the threshold of having its greatest run ever. As it and the other carrozzerias flourished, company founder Ugo Zagato handed the running of the firm to his eldest son Elio. That control eventually passed to Elio’s younger brother Gianni and, thanks to disruptive industry changes, erroneous management decisions and business deals gone bad, by the time Elio’s son Andrea inherited the helm in the early 1990s, Zagato was a shell of its former self.

That’s when I first visited the works on the outskirts of Milan. There was Andrea, in his early 30s, passionately describing how Zagato’s dilapidated grounds were going to be refreshed, new modern buildings would be constructed and a devoted staff of designers and engineers would create cars with the latest CAD, CAM, VR and other cutting-edge technologies. According to Andrea, all this and more would propel Zagato into the design and engineering limelight in the not-too-distant future.

The office was bleak and devoid of human energy as he spelled out his vision, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this enthusiastic but seemingly misguided third-generation coachbuilder had been smoking something not too long before my arrival. Pininfarina, Bertone and Ital Design were all going great guns over in Turin, yet here was this fabled, sometimes quirky outlier some 100 miles away from the bustling epicentre of design and coachbuilding, with no new major contracts in hand, quietly suffering a slow death.

Nearly three decades later, it’s clear which one of us was shortsighted and smoking something. Today Bertone is gone, the victim of unwieldy corporate overhead and family infighting. Ital Design is part of the Volkswagen Group, and with the founding Giugiaros and Mantovanis out of the picture, realistically exists in name only. And Pininfarina, for decades the automotive world’s paragon of elegance and design excellence, continues due to India’s Mahindra Group buy-out.

Meanwhile, Carrozzeria Zagato enters its 100th year thriving, with business better than ever. So what were the forces that brought all the much better-capitalised design legends to their knees, and how did Andrea and his firm become Italy’s last great independent coachbuilding name? Our journey

begins a century ago in the industrial city of Milan, where Ugo Zagato had returned after World War One. Then 29 years old, Ugo first worked in a German foundry, and then at Carrozzeria Varesina as a factory worker and shop foreman.

For most of the war he assisted in the design and construction of aeroplanes, and he wanted to apply those techniques to automobiles in a company of his own.

As he once noted: “It is better to be a small owner than an important employee,” and he founded Carrozzeria Ugo Zagato in 1919. A decade later he and his craftsmen were at the forefront of Italian design and performance, thanks in great part to his firm’s association with Alfa Romeo. Describing how Zagato-bodied cars were different from other Alfas, legendary test driver Giovanbattista Guidotti summed up his experiences in a Zagato 6C 1500 thus: “Driving it gave me a new feel, that of total security. To look at her was like looking at art.”

That relationship’s strength prompted Zagato to relocate next to Alfa, and in 1930 Zagato-bodied Alfas took the first four places in the Mille Miglia, as well as overall victory at Le Mans the following year. It wasn’t completely smooth sailing at the new location, though, for Zagato ran into financial trouble and would eventually go into receivership. Ugo learned from his tribulations, and started up again. Clients at his new company included Alfa, Fiat, Lancia and Isotta Fraschini. Racing cars with sleek, lightweight bodies, and subsequent class and overall victories, followed suit.

During World War Two Zagato’s factory was razed, so once hostilities ceased a new facility was constructed on the outskirts of Milan. Prototype Isotta Fraschinis, race cars and the avant-garde Panoramica series were built, but perhaps the company’s greatest development during this period was the coming of age of Ugo’s eldest son.

Elio was born in 1921, and originally had aspirations of being a doctor, but at age 16 he started working in various departments at Zagato. Following the war Ugo pushed his heir apparent to complete college, and with good reason – Elio was passionate about driving, and very good at it. “This started me thinking about racing,” Elio told me. “But my father said: ‘If you want to race, you have to finish your studies at the university.’”

He did so in 1947, and was soon working alongside Ugo and

Last man standing While most Italian styling houses have succumbed to the vagaries of a perilous industry, 100-year-old, family-run Zagato has survived and thrived. Meet its secret weapon...

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A N D R E A Z A G AT O The saviour of Zagato, this third-generation coachbuilder took his family’s legendary styling house in a fresh direction, ensuring it remains as relevant today as it was 100 years ago.

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A L FA 6C 1500 S S Z A G AT O Pre-war racer helped Zagato to the forefront of Italian performance and design. Of his experiences in one, test-driving legend Giovanbattista Guidotti said: “Driving it gave me a new feel, that of total security.

To look at her was like looking at art.�

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‘Throughout the 1950s, Zagato’s handbuilt winners included Maserati’s A6G2000, Ferrari’s 250 GTZ and Fiat’s 8V’

engineer Fabio Luigi Rapi on the radical Isotta Fraschini 8C Monterosa, the Panoramicas and intriguing barchettas. He also competed in Zagato-bodied machinery, and his successes led to a good number of sales, proving that the ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ mantra has credence.

As Elio racked up victories in the early 1950s, on the other side of the globe an unassuming man named W Edwards Deming was unknowingly sowing the first seeds of the coachbuilders’ eventual demise. Deming had created a statistically driven quality-control system that could guide most any manufacturer to make better goods, and with America in the midst of an economic boom where insatiable homegrown demand and arrogance masked product shortcomings, no one paid attention.

Deming found willing disciples in Japan. Immediately after the war the country’s goods were shoddy at best, and even the Japanese knew it. As David Halberstam points out in the tome The Reckoning: “If it rained in Tokyo, 10,000 phones might be out of order.”

That began to change in 1950, when Deming gave a speech on quality control to some of Japan’s top executives. As Halberstam notes, a few months later numerous companies reported 30 percent increases in productivity. The guru’s teachings soon spread like wildfire, and his annual lectures quickly became one of the country’s hottest tickets.

Over in Italy, the hottest ticket on the circuit was a Zagatobodied car. Yes, a nicely finished product was important, but not nearly as critical as taking the chequered flag. Throughout the 1950s, Zagato’s handbuilt winners included Maserati’s A6G2000, Ferrari’s 250 GTZ, Fiat’s 8V and Alfa’s 1900 SSZ. In the 1960s the Japanese auto juggernaut started gaining serious momentum, all while Italy’s coachbuilding industry underwent its own revolution. Monocoque construction became more prevalent in the 1950s and ’60s so, as Andrea Zagato told me: “The existence of the coachbuilders became tied to coupé and spider models. These specials were named ‘fuoriserie’, and their assembly was provided by the OEMs, where the existing coachbuilders had to replicate assembly lines inside their premises. They also had to duplicate the quality of their OEM clients while having lower investments.”

Zagato rode this trend, even though it took away the long-

standing relationship it (and other coachbuilders) had with the final clients. But with Italy and Europe’s post-war economic miracle in full swing, nobody seemed to mind. Demand for sports and GT cars was booming, and to meet it Zagato built a facility in the Milan suburb of Terrazzano di Rho, the same building where I met Andrea three decades later. There, production runs were no longer in single and double digits, as in the 1950s and early ’60s, for models such as Lancia’s Fulvia and Flavia Sport were built in the hundreds and even thousands.

That would be Zagato’s economic high watermark. Over the next two decades Japan’s relentless pursuit of perfection and other factors punished the Italian automakers and coachbuilders. Some of the industry’s maladies were home grown, one being the unions’ ever-increasing power. “When they started coming into the workplace,” Ferrari coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti told me, “they decided workers shouldn’t do extra hours. Everything went from heaven to hell quite quickly.”

Indeed, the unions’ reach became so pervasive that strikes were quite frequent, and all the more effective after Italy’s Parliament passed what became known as the ‘Workers’ Statute’. That made it difficult to fire anyone for things such as laziness or absenteeism. Combined with constantly increasing wages, the cost-effectiveness that made so many manufacturers flock to Italy for its ‘fuoriserie’ capabilities just ten years earlier all but vanished.

Public tastes were also changing. A socialist mentality swept across Europe, and once-revered sports and GT cars were scorned, the viewpoint becoming so prevalent that banks were reluctant to lend money for new models. America’s Department of Transportation instigated its safety requirements, which put additional financial burden on companies and started handcuffing Italy’s renowned creativity. Then the first oil shock hit, making a chaotic environment that much worse.

Zagato was severely crippled but survived the storm. Alfa’s Junior Z and Lancia’s Fulvia Sport and Beta Spider II sold in limited numbers, the diminutive Zele electric car was produced, and Bristol’s 412 convertible and a number of oneoffs were throwbacks to the handbuilt days. Additionally, the construction of armoured cars helped make ends meet.

In October 1980 the increasing union power was thwarted when Turin’s impromptu ‘March of 40,000’ saw thousands of

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auto-industry employees gather in the centre of the city to declare: “That’s enough!” Oil prices were in decline, tech finally caught up with emissions and crash standards, and performance and style once again became en vogue.

Zagato’s troubles seemed to be a thing of the past as the 1980s progressed, with perhaps the biggest headline being the rekindling of its relationship with Aston Martin. The British marque bought 50 percent of Zagato not long after Maserati had the coachbuilder supplement its new Biturbo 2+2 with an open Spyder and, later, the hardtop Karif.

Intriguingly, one who wasn’t convinced by this turn of events was Andrea Zagato. Then in his mid-20s, Elio’s son originally had no plans to follow in his father’s footsteps. Sure, there were days when he would be at the factory, cruising the company grounds in a forklift or Zele, but he wanted to be a veterinarian and “open the perfect farm in Canada”.

Such dreams changed after Andrea graduated from Milan’s Bocconi University with a degree in Economics and Commerce, specialising in design in automotive marketing and production, and he helped man Zagato’s stand at the Turin and Geneva Auto Shows. He possessed a keen mind for the business, and the industry as a whole: “While getting my degree, I became aware of the impact Japan’s lean production techniques could have on the coachbuilding industry.

“This was after my father had his first heart attack, and my uncle was running the company. I told him we should look for a solution, that the assembly lines would vanish. But it was not easy to convince somebody who was responsible for production – especially because my uncle was in his 60s, and the future was not easy to predict.”

Andrea’s “first serious involvement” in a Zagato project was the ES30, more commonly known as the Alfa Romeo SZ. Its father was Fiat Auto’s powerful CEO Vittorio Ghidella, a mechanical engineer ‘car guy’ who brought Fiat back from the brink of disaster, and was Zagato’s ‘angel’ inside Fiat.

In the second half of the 1980s, Ghidella felt Alfa needed something it hadn’t had in quite a while – a sporty road-going coupé – and the resulting SZ became an ideal opportunity to examine future technologies. “The car was entirely designed and engineered with CAD-CAE-CAM,” Andrea notes today. “It was the Fiat Group’s first experiment with this process, and a great experience for me as assistant to the project manager.”

Zagato’s factory was tapped to produce 1000 SZs, but that came with a price: the coachbuilder had to buy out Aston’s 50 percent stake – which it did with the help of a Japanese investor. “This was one of the first symptoms of the coming

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PORSCHE 356 CARRERA SPEEDSTER Z A G AT O Part of Zagato’s ‘Sanction II’ programme, this is a photometric recreation of the legendary 1958 Carrera Speedster Zagato, which was a one-off commissioned

by Porsche factory driver Claude Storez.

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LAMBORGHINI L 1 47 Z A G A T O Conceived to help jumpstart Lamborghini’s flagging sales, L147 ‘Super Diablo’ was the first major project under Norihiko Harada’s design lead. Several running prototypes were made, but ultimately the radical L147 never saw the light of day.

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coachbuilder crisis,” Andrea reflects. “We were now in the hands of our OEM clients.”

Things worsened when the unthinkable happened: In the weeks leading up to the SZ’s launch, Fiat fired Zagato’s ‘angel’.

Shortly thereafter Ghidella briefly worked at Ford, and there was talk that the American giant would purchase Alfa and/or Zagato. But in the end, nothing happened.

By now Andrea had purposefully chosen to work at Forma & Technologia, a nearby company in charge of the SZ’s CAD development. Eventually he merged Forma & Technologia with Zagato’s technical office, which proved to be a lifesaver for the crippled firm he would soon inherit.

In 1992 Fiat made an offer to buy Zagato, but Elio and Gianni rejected the terms. Shortly thereafter production of the RZ (the open version of the SZ) stopped with around half of the contracted cars built, and the upcoming Lancia Delta Sports project also earmarked for Zagato was cancelled. Gianni Zagato thought he had found cashflow salvation in Japan, so at that year’s Geneva Show the carrozzeria presented the Seta and Bambu, two intriguing proposals based on Nissan’s 300 ZX. “This was my uncle’s idea to keep the assembly lines alive,” Andrea says. “While Nissan’s interest seemed real, my father and I were against this solution. We believed lean production lines were invented by the Japanese; therefore, why should Nissan provide us with assembly jobs when it was the master of flexible assembly lines?”

They were right, and the two Nissans remained one-offs.

Projects such as building 15 Bugatti EB110s and 112s kept the lights on, but in 1994 the handwriting was on the wall.

Production lines were shuttered, Zagato was reeling, and Andrea was put fully in charge.

As noted, my first visit to the works was around this time, and everything had the forlorn look and downtrodden air of a once-glorious company well past its prime. But Andrea perceived a way forward. “We’ve been burned by big overhead and fixed costs more than once,” he observed when we met back then. “I won’t let that happen again.”

So how did he soldier on through overwhelming adversity?

“A lesson I learned from my father: turn every event into a positive one,” is his response today. “He had this ability that’s typical of racing drivers, where they try to win the race, notwithstanding any possible inconvenience.”

Plus there was Andrea’s conviction in the changes he was seeing in the industry, and how Zagato would handle them.

The work for Bugatti demonstrated styling, engineering and prototyping could be quite profitable, as did the first true

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M A S E R AT I M O S T R O Z A G AT O Sleek V8-powered sports car pays homage to Maserati ‘il Mostro’ racer of the 1950s, but features thoroughly 21st century tech including carbonfibre bodywork.

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‘Zagato thrived when the rise of the manufacturers’ internal design studios took down other coachbuilders’

‘Andrea car’ – the brilliant Lancia Hyena Zagato project he oversaw in 1992-’93.

Identifying key components to Zagato’s success over the decades helped clarify Andrea’s way forward: aeronautical inspiration; functional and rational design, done only on lowvolume, special-edition coupés and roadsters. That approach avoided competition with the manufacturers’ design studios, a trend that became quite prevalent after 1999.

With direction determined, Andrea changed the company name to SZ Design, and found a willing partner in ex-racing driver Giorgio Schön, the son of fashion icon Mila Schön.

Recognising that he didn’t possess the acumen to carry on the brand’s design legacy, Andrea sought out Ercole Spada, the man who penned a number of Zagato’s classics (Alfa’s TZ1 and TZ2, to name just two). Spada had recently left Turin’s Idea Institute, and recommended Andrea speak with Norihiko Harada, his protégé there.

‘Nori’ took the Zagato job, and came on board at exactly the right time. In 1994 Lamborghini CEO Michael Kimberly contacted Andrea about redesigning the Diablo to jumpstart sagging sales, which led to the L147 ‘Super Diablo’ project.

While a number of running prototypes were made, the radical L147 never saw the light of day.

The Raptor did, though. Both were Nori designs, and this Lambo went from conception to finished car in under four months. It was the first Zagato to be created using CAD-CAM systems only. It was a 1996 Geneva Show sensation, yet while there was talk of a run of 25 cars, it remained a one-off.

However, the Raptor demonstrated that Zagato was clawing its way back, and those claws became much sharper when Andrea gained a life partner. I had known the Rivolta family of Iso Rivolta fame since the early 1980s, and was surprised to discover these two Milan-based automotive dynasties had never met. In one of the few times I’ve played matchmaker, Andrea and Marella Rivolta really clicked, and then married.

They became business partners as the sparks flew. “When I decided to invest in Zagato,” Marella recalls, “I was helping my father with an auto project… and felt developing it in Milan would be the best solution. That’s why I went to Zagato.”

Their relationship is much more than a typical husband-wife dynamic. “I didn’t see in her a future company partner, but a beautiful woman with a lot of character,” Andrea says. “Apart

from the 20 years of fighting and never giving up, the biggest contribution Marella made to the Zagato signature is her taste.

In this business it’s easier to find good designers than people with great taste, for design is about volume, proportions and rules. Taste is more of a gut feeling; Marella has great taste…”

“We put our soul and all of our passion in our company,” Marella notes. “Andrea and I are very similar in certain things, and we have common strong fundamentals but are also very different and complementary. At the end we discuss and find solutions and strategies together.”

One strategy was staying laser-focused on keeping Zagato lean and nimble, and the company survived and then thrived when the rise of the manufacturers’ internal design studios took down other coachbuilders. “We never did a car that was considered a threat to our clients’ core business,” Andrea says.

“Instead, we complement them, with limited-production models that have our own, unique take on their image.”

A continual flow of one-offs and limited-production specials emanated from Zagato. Personal favourites include the Lamborghini Raptor (1996) and L147 (1997), Aston Martin Vanquish Roadster (2004), Ferrari 575 GTZ (2006), Spyker C12 (2007), Fiat 500 Coupé Zagato (2011) and Maserati Mostro Zagato (2015).

When asked what is the most important car under his tutelage, Andrea names 2002’s Aston DB7Z. “It marked the chance for Zagato to be a side signature for ‘collectible editions’ without needing a production line.” He also notes 2008’s Bentley Continental GTZ “opened up the possibility to make collectible versions for every automotive luxury brand, even those we have never collaborated with before”.

Despite those breakthroughs, numerous other cars, plus award-winning transportation and other projects outside the automotive arena, only recently did Andrea feel the company broke free from its past shackles. “A shooting brake is not a normal Zagato model, but I always wanted to make one,” he says. “When Aston’s Vanquish Shooting Brake sold out the 99 units in a few weeks, I felt we’d climbed out of that hole.”

But Italy’s passionate ‘last man standing’ isn’t quite done.

“I believe I should be able to bring Zagato back to the track,” Andrea proclaims. “This may be the next target, with endothermic or maybe electric or hybrid engines.” In other words, stay tuned for Zagato’s next 100 years…

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How Zagato survived Andrea Zagato remembers how hard his grandfather worked – and he returned to Ugo’s company philosophy when coachbuilding seemed doomed to disappear

My grandfather died in 1968, when I was eight years old. He was a hard worker, a workaholic, but I remember him waking up early so he could take me to school before going to the office.

That’s my only memory.

When I was ten years old, the company decided to make an electric car. That car could be driven by a ten-year-old! So I was driving it in the company grounds. Big fun!

Zagato started as a design company making coachwork for chassis – but then Vincenzo Lancia invented the monocoque. The moment he designs that, they can’t provide the chassis to the coachbuilder, because the monocoque itself is the shape. So 90 percent of the coachbuilders disappeared.

We transformed ourselves to make speciality cars, which in the 1950s and ’60s meant the spider and the coupé.

Pininfarina and Bertone were more spiders, Zagato were coupés. Production lines were rigid, manufacturers couldn’t make the standard model and then add a coupé, so they outsourced the job.

Then in the 1980s the Japanese invented flexible production, so they can have the coupé, the spider, the sedan and the shooting-brake on the same line. When I was at university in 1983 and ’84, I said to my father: “It looks like the Japanese have invented a system that will kill the coachbuilder, so we should think of something else.”

In 1985 CAD (computer-aided design) was being introduced, so I was involved in that at Zagato; a fantastic experience.

I was using CAD with people here [at Zagato], and ten years later Ferrari and

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Lamborghini still didn’t have CAD. That’s how advanced we were.

We introduced CAD for the Alfa SZ. It was the first car in Italy completely designed by CAD, from scratch. You may say the car has some defects, but this was because the use of CAD was so new. It was like jumping in the fog.

I told my father in 1991 we should close the production line. He said: “Okay, if you want to do it, you do it yourself, we are too tired.” I cancelled the line and I restarted from scratch with the idea of my grandfather, as an atelier.

I was invited to Pebble Beach in 1995 – I was the youngest judge there. I hadn’t been to California before, so I didn’t know about Pebble Beach. For me it was a shock, because they were talking production numbers, and the lowest numbers were the best. They were talking about the cars as art. Sure, the cars were over-restored; my father and grandfather would finish them on the way to the track – they didn’t have time to line up all the screws.

At Pebble Beach you meet people you would never meet anywhere else. You can talk to Ralph Lauren or Rob Walton [Walmart] for 20 minutes about cars.

‘When I was ten, the company decided to make an electric car.

It could be driven by a ten-year-old! Big fun!’

And I was sat on a sofa with Ulrich Bez [then CEO of Aston Martin], very relaxed, drinking champagne, and he said: “Why don’t we do something together?” I said: “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”

That’s when I proposed the DB7 Zagato.

It was the same with Franz-Josef Paefgen: “Did Zagato ever do a Bentley?” I said no, only Rolls-Royce.

He said: “Maybe you should do one.”

I learned from my grandfather that the company should change every ten years. At first we were racing and luxury, then you see the change in the 1920s, it went from Classic to Aerodynamic [as Andrea calls the eras].

After the war they became Panoramic and then Gran Turismo. For the 1960s we said ‘Fuoriserie’, ‘outside the line’, for coupés and spiders assembled away from the manufacturer production line.

Then you have the Geometric ’70s.

These aren’t the models I like the most, because they’re geometrical, square.

And then we started with Limited Series in the ’80s, Aston and Alfa Romeo, and in the 1990s V-Max, the first show cars that could be driven at top speed.

The first decade of the new millennium we called Neoclassic. They remind you of the original car. The 2010s, the decade of today, I have called Iconic.

So now I’m 100 percent the owner of the company; no debts, everything in balance and I survived the crisis! Of course new technology is going to bring a lot of change. But Zagato is a case designer. It’s not important the type of wine that you have, we still design the bottle. Maybe we have more freedom with an electric platform or a hybrid...

Andrea Zagato, above, says of Zagato’s success: “It’s 60 percent down to luck, but maybe the rest is vision!”

SYDNEY AUSTRALIA

SUPPLYING THE WORLD’S FINEST CLASSIC CARS

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1919 After World War One Ugo set up Carrozzeria Zagato, specialising in the construction of lightweight, sporty bodywork for motor cars. His first was a Fiat 501 Sport, but it was bodies for the new Alfa 6C of 1925-on (below) that really made his name.

1890 Born on June 25, 1890, Ugo Zagato emigrated to Germany at 15 for an apprenticeship, returned to Italy to work at a coachbuilder and, in World War One, was posted to an aircraft manufacturer in Turin, where he learned about lightweight construction techniques.

1928 The first win for a Zagato in the prestigious Mille Miglia, and many more followed, with Nuvolari famously winning in 1930 (pictured) and no fewer than 36 Zagato-bodied cars entered in 1938. The company was already leading the field in aerodynamics, too.

100 years of Zagato design From aeronautical inspiration, through war, fuel crisis and three family generations, to continuations and Sony PlayStation, here are some of the highlights

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1949 The Zagato factory was destroyed by the RAF in 1943, so a new factory was built in Milan after the war. Some of the first cars from the new factory were built to the new Panoramica style, including this 1949 166 MM – Zagato’s first Ferrari.

1956 By the mid-1950s Zagato was known for its lightweight GT bodies for Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and then Abarth. It turned the Fiat 600 into the giant-killing, lightweight Abarth 750 GT Zagato, complete with Zagato’s first rendition of the ‘double-bubble’ roof.

1963 1959 The Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ (Sprint Zagato) became a great success. It weighed just 785kg, helping it to many race wins. Elio raced one under the moniker ‘Bred’ (the name of the family dog) having been banned from racing by father Ugo.

The cut-off Kamm tail of the TZ (Tubolare Zagato) was developed by experimenting with an SZ in various forms, with Elio driving each one at high speed on the nearby autostrada. New recruit Ercole Spada helped the process.

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PHOTOS © ARCHIVE A ZAGATO. ABARTH © RM SOTHEBY’S

After the war, Ugo’s son Elio took up racing, with his successes providing great publicity for Zagato.

By 1955, Ugo at 65 was slowing down, and Elio began to take the reins.

1960 Although by the late 1950s Zagato had worked with Bristol and Porsche as well as Italian manufacturers, it was arguably the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato that made the Italian company famous. Just 19 of them were made.

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1989 With Elio’s son Andrea becoming more involved, the Alfa Romeo SZ became the first car to be designed using CAD (computeraided design). Just over 1000 were built, all of them red except one in black for Andrea.

1972 Zagato responded to the oil crisis with the electric-powered Milanina, which became the Zele. It didn’t change the world, but it did prompt a race between F1 drivers, including Stirling Moss, James Hunt, Ronnie Peterson and Arturo Merzario.

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1965 Zagato produced one of its most exotic designs in the mid-’60s, the Lamborghini 3500 GTZ, and one of its most commercial, the Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato, of which 7100 were made.

Sadly, in 1968 Ugo Zagato passed away, aged 78.

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Zagato was being kept busy with the production of the Maserati Biturbo Spyder, but it was the return of Aston Martin to the company that provided the big news. The Aston Martin V8 Zagato, Coupé and Volante became instantly collectible.

1992 Twenty-four examples of this lightweight update on the Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione were built. The Hyena and the Alfa Romeo RZ became the last cars to be built at Zagato, with the production department closing in 1994 – at the same time that Elio and brother Gianni retired.

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2006 Recognising that some of its most iconic models had been lost over the years, Zagato started to recreate the missing cars, calling them ‘Sanction Lost’ and starting with the 1938 Lancia Aprilia Sport, followed by the Ferrari 166 MM and Porsche 356.

1994 Andrea Zagato had taken over the running of the company in 1992. With partner Marella Rivolta he went about moving it from production-led to design-led, and introducing CAD-CAM prototyping processes. The 1994 Eurotram was an early design commission.

2002 Aston returned once more, leading to 99 instant classic DB7 GT Zagato coupés, followed by the DB-AR1 for the US market (important because the DB7 Zagato wasn’t homologated for the USA) and then the open-top Vanquish Roadster.

1996 Just before Lamborghini was taken over by the Volkswagen Group, Zagato worked with the company on a Diablo replacement, resulting in this, the Raptor V-Max concept, and also the L147 ‘Super Diablo’.

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2010 For Alfa Romeo’s 100th birthday Zagato produced the TZ3, complete with cut-off tail in the style of the original TZ. It was arguably Zagato’s most resolved design of the period, and would lead to more collaborations.

2016 Aston Martin came back in 2011 with the V12 Zagato, two of which (named Zig and Zag) were raced in the Nürburgring 24-hours. In 2013 came the DBS Coupé Centennial and the DB9 Spider Centennial, then the Virage Shooting Brake, followed in 2016 by the Vanquish Zagato.

2017

2008 Ferrari returned to the fold in 2006 with the 575 GTZ, followed by Maserati in 2007, and then in 2008 came the first-ever official Bentley Zagato, the Continental GTZ, of which nine were produced.

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Zagato created the IsoRivolta Vision GT for Sony PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, but made it real with a Corvette V8-powered full-size car. It was meant as a tribute to the IsoRivolta brand started by Marella RivoltaZagato’s grandfather in the 1960s.

England expects

In the depths of post-war rationing and gloom, BRM pooled the expertise of British industry to produce a remarkable 1.5-litre 600bhp supercharged V16 engine. BRM expert Hall & Hall is your guide W O R D S D AV I D L I L L Y W H I T E P H O T O G R A P H Y M AT T H E W H O W E L L

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LEFT Cylinder head Four cylinder heads, each one alloy, running gear-driven double overhead camshafts. The engine was conceived as two 750cc 135degree V8s running back to back, with the camshaft drives in between the two.

The highly domed combustion chambers are typical of the era, and part-dictated by the need (due to supercharging) for a low compression ratio of 7.8:1. The engine was run on a 70:20:10 mix of methanol, benzol and iso-pentane.

Now Hall & Hall uses an 80:10:10 mix of methanol, four-star and acetone.

FAR LEFT Piston and conrod No, this is not a giant hand, it’s a tiny piston. With a 1490cc engine capacity, each cylinder was just 93cc, and the bore size less than 50mm.

This is a reproduction piston and conrod, used for reliability.

Having said that, the BRM V16s were strong engines – just temperamental in period, something that Hall & Hall has now addressed.

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Supercharger The pioneering, two-stage centrifugal (rather than a Roots or vane-type) supercharger was designed with Rolls-Royce, adapting aero technology. It was intended to be used with fuel injection, and didn’t work as well with the twin 3in SU carburettors (actually two carbs in one body, with opposing pistons) that it ended up with.

The planned ‘vortex throttling’ to regulate boost above 10,000rpm supercharger speed could not be implemented, either, so engine speed would soar or fade at high speeds, and the power band was frustratingly narrow. Maximum power was achieved with the supercharger spinning at more than 40,000rpm, producing over 80psi (5.5bar) maximum boost.

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LEFT Cylinder block This is where the BRM’s remarkable engineering truly shows. It was designed to rev to 14,000rpm, and the block, with pistons, rods and crankshaft installed, can be lifted by one person. The crankshaft drives an output shaft in a magnesium lower engine case, or dry sump. It’s geared down to half the crankshaft speed because the clutch couldn’t cope with the V16’s high engine speeds. At the front end, the supercharger driveshaft was geared up to four times crankshaft speed.

RIGHT Crankshaft Let’s revisit that 14,000 revolutions per minute figure...

For comparison, the 2018 Formula 1 regulations specified maximum revs of 15,000rpm, over 70 years on. In fact, valve bounce and excessive wear meant that the V16 was restricted to a still-phenomenal 12,000rpm in period.

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TOP Water and oil pump Once again, the complexity and precision engineering of a relatively simple part is striking. Two of these combined water and oil pumps (you’re looking at the water side) fit either side of the lower engine case, driven from the output shaft.

BOTTOM Magneto The source of many problems, ironically.

The V16s initially had coils and a distributor, but the strength of the fuel/air charge being forced into the combustion chambers by the supercharger was literally blowing out the spark at the plug. The Lucas magnetos – four of them, each feeding four cylinders – gave a stronger spark. But they suffered tracking between cylinders, so at high engine speeds the wrong cylinder would sometimes ignite, hence the famous BRM misfires and backfires. Hall & Hall builds them with stronger magnets and improved wiring insulation – and has proven that BRM V16s can be made to run reliably.

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MC L A R E N

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VS

S E N NA

Boom!

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Blam!

Two hypercars, two very different approaches. We head to Scotland for the first-ever back-to-back test of McLaren’s P1 and Senna W O R D S J E T H R O B O V I N G D O N | P H O T O G R A P H Y M AT T H E W H O W E L L

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‘Super’ was no longer sufficient. Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren had embraced hybrid technology, and were competing headto-head to win the hearts and minds of the next generation of car enthusiasts – not to mention the hard cash of those who wanted the ultimate symbol of performance, engineering and tech ingenuity. The 918 Spyder, LaFerrari and P1 all arrived within a few months of each other in 2013, and the world, it seemed, would never be quite the same again. Forget supercars.

What you wanted, what you needed, was a hypercar.

The new breed, while similar in outright potential, drew deep from wildly different gene pools to create distinct experiences.

Porsche focused its efforts on creating the complete driving machine, Ferrari amplified the drama by using electric power to simply augment its already-crazy V12, and McLaren went for pared-back precision, an extreme chassis complete with belly-scraping Race mode, unprecedented levels of aerodynamic downforce and even Formula 1-style DRS capability. The P1 was the lightest, the purest – and it seemed to be formed from shape-shifting liquid carbonfibre. Organic, alien, almost alive. Nothing was more ‘hyper’ than the McLaren P1.

But time moves so quickly. Quicker than ever, in fact. Long gone are the days when a new model would come along, redefine our perceptions of what a road car could be and then sit atop the world for year after year until the next epochdefining wedge of carbonfibre and aluminium was revealed.

Just six years after the frenzy of excitement, the adoption of new technology to further the art of the performance car... just six years after the step beyond ‘super’, the hypercar has been caught and overtaken. McLaren’s own ‘regular’ supercar, the 720S, would probably match or beat the P1 around a circuit.

Porsche’s ultimate 911 now comfortably eats the 918 Spyder at the Nürburgring. Next week, something else will come along and go quicker still. The supercar landscape is seismic, and you have to move fast not to slip between the cracks.

Today we can forget about the superpower supercar struggle, though. No Porsches, Ferraris or Bugattis. Instead, we’ll revisit the P1 and get a chance to compare it with McLaren’s latest track-focused monster; the Senna. Lighter still, pushed invisibly

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ABOVE What a difference a few years make; 2013 P1 and latest Senna both reshaped the hypercar landscape, but in very different ways.

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‘Call them ‘super’ or ‘hyper’ or anything else, but they’re still cars and best enjoyed when moving’

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BELOW Thanks to the ceaseless march of time, technology moves on as quickly as these McLaren hypercars themselves.

to the surface with even more determination by the hand of downforce, and so uncompromising it makes the P1 look like a long-legged GT. The Senna will demonstrate how far McLaren has come, determine whether the original hypercar’s iconic status is already null and void, and perhaps allow us to discover whether this frenzied evolutionary pace has rather forgotten the driver in its quest for more speed, faster lap times and ever greater grip. Scotland is our stage and Knockhill is waiting. But first we head to the Cairngorms and the Old Military Road. These hypercars have numberplates, after all.

Let’s start with a reminder of the numbers and intricacies of each, because they warrant some scrutiny. The P1’s basic structure utilises a similar carbonfibre tub to the concurrent 650S. However, the MonoCell was evolved into the even stiffer MonoCage with the addition of an integrated roof structure and intake snorkel for the mid-mounted powertrain. The MonoCage weighs just 90kg, while the P1 also features a heavily reworked version of the 650S’s 3.8-litre V8 twin-turbo, working in combination with an electric motor fitted to the side of the block and connected via an intermediary clutch and gear. The engine contributes 727bhp and 531lb ft to a total combined output of 903bhp and 664lb ft. Short distances (6.8 miles) can be driven on e-power alone and, perhaps more importantly, the motor’s ‘torque fill’ function is said to eliminate turbo lag. It’s fitted with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

The chassis and aero are equally outrageous. Suspension is by double wishbones all round plus the clever hydraulic RaceActive Chassis Control system, which does away with conventional dampers and anti-roll bars and allows variable ride-height settings. In the track-only Race mode, the car drops 50mm and the spring rate effectively increases by 300 percent.

The rear wing extends 300mm from the body and adjusts its angle for maximum downforce, too. At 161mph in Race mode the P1 produces 600kg of aerodynamic load, and from there starts to trim its wings to ‘spill’ downforce away so as not to overload the suspension. Top speed is 217mph, while the P1 cracks 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds and 0-124mph in 6.8 seconds along the way. Just 300 were built, at a price of £875,000 each.

Head still spinning? Well, that was hypercar circa 2013. The Senna, released in late 2018, has simplified in some senses and become even crazier in others. The hybrid system is gone, hence overall power is down to 789bhp and 590lb ft, and the spectre of turbo lag looms once again. However, the engine is now 3994cc, which should help mitigate against it. The MonoCage has evolved into the MonoCage III (the missing link forms the structure of the 720S) with slimmer pillars yet even more inherent stiffness, and mass has been

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chased out wherever possible. The gorgeously sculptural seat shells, for example, weigh just 3.35kg each.

In fact, rather than listing ever more exotic materials and unbelievable numbers, just think of the Senna as the P1’s laser-focused core honed and concentrated yet further. It’s nearly 200kg lighter, has a higher power-to-weight ratio, produces 800kg of downforce at 155mph and is even more unapologetic in its track focus. It might not be beautiful, but would you dare look it in the eye and say so? Nor me. McLaren will build 500 Sennas, and each costs from £750,000.

Once owners have taken delivery, I doubt many will trundle up the M8 on a freezing winter’s day sucking in salt and grime under that vast front splitter and then blasting it out in a grubby rooster tail behind. But as I said, you can call them ‘super’ or ‘hyper’ or anything else, but they’re still cars and best enjoyed when moving. Preferably towards the Scottish Highlands.

I’m following the Senna in P1 OOV, a pre-production P1 that went on to do press duties and has become an icon in its own right. It’s done over 23,000 miles and feels like an old friend. The Alcantara seats are tight and supportive, the windscreen plunges down to a low scuttle giving a fabulously uninhibited view, and the M838TQ hybrid powertrain is

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huffing, puffing and whirring away behind. It feels special, it sounds intriguing and the way the car instantly zaps forward with even a tickle of throttle certainly seems to make good on those ‘torque fill’ claims. The shock of 903bhp is timeless.

McLaren’s focus with the P1 is evident everywhere. The ride is pretty tough and noisy, the cabin feels sparse but wonderfully authentic, and the car reacts so quickly and with amazing control to every input. The way the carbonfibre panels are pulled tight like skin over the P1’s bones seems to perfectly describe the driving experience: no waste, no decoration, just action and reaction melded until they become one. You’re shrink-wrapped to this machine as tightly as the organic curves cling to the MonoCage. It could scarcely be more immersive.

The sun is dazzling, but the temperature is stubbornly hovering around freezing point. Mercifully OOV is rolling on P Zero Corsa tyres rather than the more extreme Trofeo Rs that allow it to pull over 2g in corners on a warm, dry day.

Even so, there’s so much more power than traction, and the ESC system is working overtime. In fact, I reckon it’s giving me about 400bhp of the advertised 903bhp most of the time. ESC Dynamic mode is a little less mean, but still keeps a watchful eye, and even part-throttle in fifth or sixth gear

‘Our pilgrimage to Scotland in these cars is partly in deference to another unlikely trip, which Ayrton Senna made back in 1991’

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creates a momentary squirm followed by an electronically induced stutter to keep the P1 pointing straight.

Better to accept that we won’t be exercising these cars to the limit on the road, and just enjoy the incredible sense of agility, wonderfully feelsome steering and sublime driving position. The P1 feels so light, and despite its extreme nature and power it’s not intimidating. It reacts so accurately that you just seem to will it along this magnificent, soaring road.

The Senna is different. Yes, you still have to manoeuvre yourself carefully into the driver’s seat and pull firmly down on the dihedral doors. The panoramic screen still creates a sense of liberation. Yet everything else is new. The exposed gas struts, bare floors, strange individual pads that cover the seat shell and Perspex door panels radically alter the vibe. The P1 feels racecar snug; the Senna just feels bare and almost wilfully minimalist.

Reach up to the roof-mounted control cluster and press the red starter button – a little bit of deliberate theatre – but the wry smile doesn’t last long. The 4-litre engine sounds, erm, how can I put this? Ugly. It’s a flat, tuneless noise at idle, and it’s all around you, buzzing into the cabin from all sides. Even the steering wheel fizzes with fast-idle vibrations. There’s an all-pervading sense of impatience. Better get going, then.

Sensations come in frantic bursts. The steering is lighter and unbelievably quick, there’s so much more road noise and the ride feels seized solid even after the P1. It’s quite a shock. And where the P1 has all sorts of intriguing electric noises and soft huffs and chatters from the turbos, the Senna sounds harder, harsher, angrier. God, the brakes are good, though. The pedal bites with absolute immediacy and the feel is the best of any road car I’ve driven. Each carbon-ceramic disc takes three months to make, at huge expense, and you can feel the quality and power. If the P1 is road car dialled up to 11, the Senna’s character is pure racecar. Also dialled up to 11. Maybe 12.

As with the P1, the Senna struggles to put its vast power to the road in these wintry conditions. In fact, the situation is rather exacerbated. The P1’s electric boost at low revs means the tyres lose traction almost immediately. The Senna is more easily caught off boost. That lulls you into a false sense of security as the rear tyres at first cope with quite a bit of throttle. But then the turbos wake up with a huge surge... Cue much swearing and the possibility of a very busy tractioncontrol system even at vaguely unprintable speeds. Holy cow, this thing requires all of your attention.

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So it’s more extreme. But once the shock and awe start to subside, you can also feel real progress. The Senna’s damping is so much more sophisticated at speed; it loosens up as your commitment increases, and finds something approaching fluency where the P1 starts to descend into scrappiness on this weather-beaten surface. The aggressive steering rack is perhaps a shade too fast in slippery conditions, as you don’t feel like you’ve got anything to lean against. Think about applying lock and the car is pivoting, and because the body stays so flat the steering doesn’t communicate any load on the treadblocks. The Senna is clearly digging in pretty hard, but it’s so within itself that the driver feels out of the loop.

Push harder and the messages start to flow back, but on unfamiliar and hellishly slippery roads it’s a leap of faith to get there. For some that’ll be off-putting, but it suggests there is a real depth to the Senna’s talents. The more I think about it, the more it seems only right and proper that mastering this extraordinary car requires you to look within yourself and hone skills you never knew you had. I’ll admit to real reservations about christening any car with that name, so I’m relieved to discover it appears to genuinely offer something new and tantalisingly out of reach much of the time.

Senna the man had his own heroes, of course – and although the link might be tenuous, our own pilgrimage to Scotland in these cars is partly in deference to another unlikely trip made back in February 1991. Ayrton was reigning world champ and the new F1 season was approaching. However, an invite from a pupil at Loretto School in Musselburgh pulled Senna away from his preparations and towards Scotland. It helped that the kid, Matt Amato, was the stepson of Senna’s great friend Professor Sid Watkins, but the inspiration to accept was more compelling still. Jim Clark went to Loretto School, too.

Senna once called Clark “the best of the best”, and he simply wanted to soak up the places that were important to his boyhood hero. On his short trip to Scotland, Ayrton also headed towards The Borders to pay his respects at the Jim Clark Room in Duns. We’re heading south from Glenshee, too, but won’t make it as far as Clark’s hometown. The blind crests, wicked kerbs and lure of experiencing these cars at something close to their full potential at Knockhill circuit is too great to resist. We think Mr Senna would understand.

To experience the P1 and Senna at their best, you need to select Race mode. On the bumpy roads that rolled through

LEFT On track, each car’s character crystallises; the difference in feel and delivery is quite remarkable. The P1 is fantastic fun, while the Senna seems absurdly composed… less supercar and more superhero.

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ABOVE Links with motorsport make Broomhall the perfect end point for our McLaren road and track trip.

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that vast valley we’d been at the other end of the performance envelope – the Handling toggle switch set at Normal and Powertrain dialled up one position to Sport. But Knockhill demands Race. So press and hold the evocatively marked button – on the centre console below those two toggles in the P1, up in the roof panel just behind the start button in the Senna – then release and press again to confirm. Now wait as the suspension drops 50mm in the P1, 39mm in the Senna, as the P1’s rear wing extends and each car transforms. Then simply select first gear with a flick of your right fingers and roll out onto the undulating track…

Here, each car’s character crystallises, and the difference in feel and delivery is remarkable. The P1 is fantastic fun. It howls down the straights, and feels light and nimble. However, such is the power that it’s always just on the cusp of lighting up those rear tyres, and such is the speed it generates that the slightly long, inconsistent brake pedal becomes a point of focus. You sense the P1 is overflowing with energy and the rear tyres, brakes and even the remarkable chassis are stretched to breaking point just to keep up. Its real magic, though, is how progressive it feels at the limit. The hybrid powertrain might overwhelm the mechanical and aero grip at will (especially on such a tight, technical track), but the way it pushes into understeer on turn-in and then makes the transition into oversteer is about as close to ‘creamy’ as you could imagine with 903bhp on tap. It’s a flame-splitting, tyre-killing riot.

The Senna is different. Even on standard P Zero tyres it generates so much more grip and traction that you’d swear it’s wearing slicks. And the brakes; oh my, the brakes. They’re unbelievably powerful, utterly consistent – while the chassis is so stable under extreme loads you feel almost invincible. The

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4-litre engine might do without electric assistance, but it’s every bit a match for the P1. You can keep it working harder for longer; where you’re braking in the P1, you’re hitting another upshift in the Senna. It feels absurdly composed… less supercar and more superhero. Does this thing ever give up?

Well, yes, but only when you’re already feeling uncomfortably out of your depth. And unlike the joyously expressive P1, the Senna slips more consistently into understeer, the relatively skinny 245-section front tyres giving up but the immense traction and rear grip making it hard to dance the car as freely as the P1. Usually this would upset me, but such is the Senna’s potential it hardly seems to matter. It’s an experience of such breathless intensity, and one that asks so much commitment from the driver, that whether you can light it up like an old M3 seems irrelevant. The Senna is out of this world.

Our final destination is Broomhall House, just ten miles south of Knockhill. Seat of the Bruce family for more than 300 years, it’s another place with an inextricable link to Scottish motorsport. Andrew Bruce, the 11th Earl of Elgin, served as president of Ecurie Ecosse and the Royal Scottish Automobile Club, and remains a huge enthusiast. During our visit, son Charles regales us with stories about his father’s rallying days and various other adventures. This place is dripping with remarkable heritage and artefacts, yet it’s one simple newspaper clipping of Andrew laughing with Senna’s hero, Jim Clark, that bring everything full circle.

But enough. There are two incredible cars outside. If I was planning to head south to the fast, bumpy, narrow lanes that lead to Duns, which would I take? If there was a race track waiting, it’d have to be the Senna. Yet for the journey? The P1.

Time moves fast, but quality like this will never fade.

T H E E X PR IN CESS DA LA L The ex Princess Dalal 1 976 L AM B OR G H IN I LP 40 0 1976‘ PLamborghini CO U NTACH ERIS COP ICA’ LP400 Countach ‘Periscopica’ Chassis Number # 1120238 was a birthday gift to Princess when it gift to Princess Dalal when Chassis Number # 1120238 was Dalal a birthday was painted PurpleitSalchi with White accents to her favourite colour scheme. was painted Purple with White accents to her favorite colour scheme.

Subsequently brought to California in the early 1980s and repainted in black; Subsequently brought to California in the early 1980s and repainted in 54,539 kms from new, original white interior, original matching black; 54,539 kms from new, original white interior, original matching number engine and with 3 owners from new.

“The Princess’ Purple Periscopica”

number engine and with 3 owners from new.

“The Princess’ Purple Periscopica”

Connecticut Miles Morris miles@mmgarage.com o: 203.222.3862 c: 203.722.3333

California

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Malcolm Welford malcolm@mmgarage.com o: 949.340.7100 c: 949.500.0585

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W O R D S D AV I D L I L L Y W H I T E A R C H I V E P I C T U R E S B U G AT T I T R U S T

A mysterious chassis fitted with a one-off Bugatti aero engine, discovered in a Turin museum, turns out to have links to a famous pilot and to Maserati’s first car.

But could it also have been the first step towards the super-luxury Bugatti Royale saloon?

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T This is one hell of a tale. It’s controversial at times, it brings in threads involving World War One fighter pilot Roland Garros, surprising links to Maserati, and the likely origins of not just Bugatti’s Grand Prix engines, but also the legendary Bugatti Royale.

Most exciting of all, it introduces a remarkable aero-engined Bugatti that’s never been seen before. To whet your appetite, it’s a 14.5-litre and develops 250bhp at 2160rpm – Bugatti’s equivalent of the ‘Beast of Turin’ Fiat or the Benz-engined Scariscrow.

Crucially, a large proportion of it is original, rescued from decades in hiding by a legendary Bugatti expert before moving on to its current owner. It’s been painstakingly researched, restored and part-recreated in secret by craftsmen in Denmark and the Czech Republic. To all but a select few, its existence remained unknown until its big reveal at the Rétromobile show in Paris on February 6.

So, how did we get to this point? Let’s start with the engine, because actually it’s more important than the car itself in many ways.

The story begins with French pilot Roland Garros, who in 1913 made the first-ever non-stop flight across the Mediterranean, flying a fast Morane-Saulnier monoplane.

Garros had met Ettore Bugatti through his ownership of a 1913 Bugatti Type 18, chassis 474. Powered by a 5-litre, four-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels via two hefty chains, it was christened ‘Black Bess’ by a subsequent

ABOVE The Bugatti AVIO 8C, an original Diatto chassis and prototype aero engine, with bodywork in the style that Ettore Bugatti could feasibly have been planning for it.

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owner, but is often referred to as the Garros Bugatti. Ettore had a similar car, chassis 471.

Buoyed by the success of the Mediterranean flight, Garros boldly told his friend Ettore Bugatti that he planned to attempt flying across the Atlantic.

Ettore’s reply was: “Why not!”, and they began tackling the challenges together; Garros the aeroplane, and Bugatti the engine. The idea was thwarted by the onset of World War One – and Garros was later shot down and killed just a month before the end of the war, October 5, 1918, one day before his 30th birthday.

But back to that aero engine... In 1915, Ettore Bugatti was introduced to Lieutenant Arnand de Gramont, Duc de Guiche, who had just been attached to the governmental STAé (Section Technique de l’Aeronautique). Le Duc (the Duke) also had a laboratory in Paris, which during the war was home to a galaxy of researchers, all with a focus on aviation.

‘The project had never been finished, and nobody seemed to know how it found its way into the museum’ Bugatti was invited to set up a workshop there and, with the assistance of Roland Garros, he started on the design of an eightcylinder engine. It was based on two enlarged 5-litre ‘Garros Bugatti’-style Type 18 car engines joined in-line, ostensibly for aeronautical use but little different in design from a Bugatti automotive engine.

This marks the first experiment with an overhead-camshaft, eight-cylinder, in-line Bugatti engine. It was designed with a 120mm

ABOVE The finished car, a well kept secret even within Bugatti circles, was revealed at Rétromobile, and will later go on display at Prescott Hill Climb, UK, home to The Bugatti Trust.

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bore and 160mm stroke, equating to 14.5 litres, and developing 250bhp at 2160rpm.

Each pair of four-cylinder blocks was made in steel with built-in water jackets – clearly the forerunner of Bugatti’s very successful straight-eight engines, and a design that the marque would use widely, from the victorious Grand Prix cars to the later 12.8-litre superluxurious Royale.

Its design was further developed by Italian car maker Diatto. How so? Well, although not widely documented, Ettore Bugatti and Pietro Diatto, the founder of Diatto Automobiles, had maintained a working relationship for many years, and in doing so co-developed a number of engines and cars.

Diatto built Brescia Bugattis under licence, and Bugatti used Diatto’s facilities to develop and test his new ideas until around 1925 – including the hollow front axle in 1921 and the vane-type supercharger on Diatto-Bugatti cars in 1922. A number of Diatto racing cars were also developed using Bugatti engines and Diatto chassis, and vice versa, and in 1919 the alliance led to a Diatto winning the first Italian post-war race, the Parma-Poggio di Berceto. The winning car was a prototype that used a Bugatti chassis design and was referred to as “a Type 30 Bugatti in the name of Diatto”.

Bugatti expert Norbert Steinhauser confirms that: “Bugatti since 1900 had maintained close links with Mr Pietro Diatto.” Also, that Pietro Diatto: “Took an interest in Bugatti’s prototype Type 8 in 1907. Their relationship was uninterrupted.”

Anyway, in 1915 Pietro Diatto negotiated the licence for production of Bugatti’s eightcylinder aero engine in Italy. His brother, head of engineering Vittorio Diatto, took charge of the development with help from Ettore Bugatti. They used the Turin-based Gnome et Rhône aircraft engine facility, in which Diatto had bought a controlling share, to develop the new engine, dubbed the AVIO 8C. Later, Diatto wrote a telegram to Ettore Bugatti, to update him on progress on the AVIO 8C engine. It read:

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ABOVE Deutz Bugatti Type 8A in the Prince Heinrich Trials, 1908 – the model that prompted a Bugatti-Diatto collaboration.

ABOVE 1916 line drawing by Ettore Bugatti of the eightcylinder aero engine.

LEFT The DiattoBugatti AVIO 8C engine. Note the two separate blocks, each similar to a Bugatti 5-litre’s engine.

LEFT Ettore Bugatti’s 5-litre chain-drive car, chassis 471, minus the long tail of its racing body – and similar to the Garros car.

ABOVE Aero engine under test at Levallois-Perret, Paris, where Ettore Bugatti’s workshop was based during World War One.

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“To Ettore Bugatti, 86 Rue Chaptal, Levallois, France, 23 September, 1916 “Happy to communicate to you: Excellent results of engine 50 hours completed just now without the least incident other than changing one plug.

Test began at 205hp, first 10 hours completed at 209hp completed at 210hp very brilliantly STOP We have the best test so far completed of any other engine STOP Accept our congratulations Automobiles Diatto.”

Despite the success, no aircraft were ever equipped with the AVIO 8C engine. Racing driver Ernest Friderich is said to have shipped some AVIO 8C units to the USA, but except for Bugatti’s own Paris workshop prototype no other examples have survived.

However, there’s one further twist. In 1923, Diatto technical director Guiseppe Coda (a close friend of Ettore Bugatti) and engineer Alfieri Maserati started designing an in-line eight-cylinder car engine together, for Diatto.

It was based on the AVIO 8C. At the end of June 1925, Maserati delivered the second prototype of this engine to Diatto.

But, in agreement with Coda, Maserati ended up keeping this prototype engine as compensation for his unpaid work.

Maserati installed the engine in a Diatto Type 20 sports chassis, with a front axle from his 1921 Diatto-Bugatti. This car in light blue livery was shown to Ettore Bugatti during a visit to Milan, as Maserati attempted to form a new collaboration.

This prototype was central to the launch of the new Maserati company in 1926.

Enthusiasm for the first Tipo 26 Maserati was sky high, and the Maserati brothers took advantage of the Bugatti reference and the Bugatti AVIO 8C engine. Their subsequent racing success, like Bugatti’s, was based on the foundation of the AVIO 8C engine.

Let’s fast forward now to the early 1960s, when Ettore Bugatti’s eight-cylinder prototype aero engine mounted in a large Diatto chassis, without bodywork, was discovered in a museum in Turin, Italy.

Period research suggested that the engine

‘That brings up the question as to what the chassis and engine were intended for.

Was Ettore involved?’ had been placed in the Diatto chassis in 1919.

The project had never been finished, and nobody seemed to know how it found its way into the Italian museum.

It then moved on to another museum. The respected Bugatti collector and historian Uwe Hucke took an interest, with the dream of creating the car that Ettore might have been planning. He managed to buy the engine and chassis from the museum’s owner, and carried out a large amount of work to create a full rolling chassis, complete with gearbox, axles and chain-drive transmission.

Sadly, though, in 2002 Hucke passed away, and the project laid dormant until it was taken on by current owner Claude Teisen-Simony.

At this point the engine wasn’t running, and there was still plenty to be done on the chassis alone. Claude sourced a large, strong clutch assembly from an Italian car of the same period, and a collection of original Bugatti parts that enabled a radiator to be built. But, of course, there was still the small matter of the missing bodywork to sort out.

ABOVE In action at the Mont Ventoux hillclimb in 1912, Ettore Bugatti’s 5-litre chain-drive car, chassis 471 – the inspiration for the style of the AVIO 8C car.

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And that brings up the question as to what the chassis and engine were intended for. Was Ettore Bugatti himself involved, and what could his intentions have been? We know he was a master of PR, at times exaggerating his feats to catch the attention of the press.

After World War One, a PR effort had undoubtedly been required to kickstart Molsheim car production. An easy way to stir up attention for the prototype eight-cylinder masterpiece in peacetime could have been to enter an aero-engined car in popular events – or even land-speed record attempts.

Or perhaps Ettore’s intention was to test the eight-cylinder engine in a car chassis... Indeed, as early as 1914, Bugatti wrote letters to close friends saying that he was ready to create a luxury vehicle that would surpass any known supercar. Ten years later he started work on the Royale, the 12.7-litre, eight-cylinder superluxury saloon of which just seven were made.

The layout of the AVIO 8C engine was that of a typical Bugatti car engine, so Ettore probably never thought of it as a pure aero engine. There’ s a compelling argument to see it as a step toward the creation of the Royale.

But whether Royale test bed or racer (or both), the chassis here was probably intended to have had a fairly basic body – and so the decision was made to roughly emulate the style of Ettore Bugatti’s Type 18.

The bodywork has been created by craftsmen in Denmark and the Czech Republic, and the car is now near-complete.

Enough so for its reveal at the Rétromobile show, with a further appearance due at Prescott Hill Climb, UK, on May 25-26 for the Bugatti Owners’ Club 90th anniversary, and then at The Bugatti Trust at Prescott together with the original 5-litre car of Ettore Bugatti, chassis 471, that inspired its bodystyle.

The Bugatti Trust chairman Hugh Conway summarises: “The Bugatti Trust has followed the progress of the project with great interest and is delighted to witness its completion. It adds an important chapter to its knowledge of the automotive history of Ettore Bugatti.”

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Automotive engineer Sebastian Motsch spends his spare time creating coachbuilt classics in Photoshop for website www.virtualmodels.org W O R D S D AV I D L I L L Y W H I T E   I M A G E S S E B A S T I A N M O T S C H

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PEUGEOT 504 COUPÉ

Pininfarina’s 504 coupé has a strong motorsport history, which inspired this look – lowered suspension, Campagnolo wheels, wheelarch extensions, roof vent and stripes in 1980s Peugeot Talbot Sport colours.

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There’s a certain appeal to the Mercedes SL R129 series lately. So how about a shooting brake version?

Apart from the roof, nothing has been changed on the body, but the car has been lowered and wheels from a V12 S-Class added.

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JAGUAR XJ-S V12 HOT ROD

This is one of Sebastian’s most recent creations – and one of the wilder ones! He’s a big fan of the XJ-S, and couldn’t resist playing with it to expose that V12. We know it’s silly – but we do rather like it.

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SAAB 99 TURBO 1977

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As Sebastian points out, the 99 already looks “a little odd”. So why not try a set of period-correct race car wheels, which fit perfectly with the mudflaps. The 99 has, of course, also been lowered and the bumpers and rear panel modified a little.

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TAT R A T 87 P O W E R E D

BY PORSCHE 917

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“Combining the aerodynamic body of a Tatra T87 with an aircooled engine made in Zuffenhausen is a logical step, don’t you think?” suggests Sebastian. “So why not go all the way then, and make it a flat-12, sourced from the Porsche 917?” We suspect no one else has thought to do that...

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B U G AT T I T Y P E 51 GRAND PRIX HOT ROD

We’re well aware this is sacrilege.

Sebastian knows it, too, Would you do this to a genuine Bugatti Type 51? No! But, he says: “A picture is made up from pixels. Some of these pixels have just been altered and tweaked a little...”

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F E R R A R I 41 2 i 2 + 2 SHOOTING BRAKE

There have been several one-off shooting brake Ferraris created in the past, even on the most iconic models – including the Daytona.

So, maybe this estate version isn’t that far-fetched. Certainly it looks stunning, and the straight lines would make it a relatively easy conversion to undertake for a professional coachbuilder.

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LINCOLN INDIANAPOLIS CONCEPT BY BOANO SNOWMOBILE

“The shape of the car didn’t need much tweaking,” says Sebastian. “A healthy top chop, the running gear of a Ski-Doo snowmobile and a few tweaks are all it needed. It could be quite functional.” Hmm...

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CITROËN DS 21 SHOOTING BRAKE

There were several now-iconic coachbuilt versions of Citroën’s DS created in period, but never one quite as clean-looking as this. The two-door conversion is what changes the styling, and works so well with the revised roofline.

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DELAGE D8 120 AERODYNAMIC COUPÉ BY LETOURNEUR & MARCHAND

In original form it’s a masterpiece of vehicle design. Lowered like this, it looks like a Rick Dore custom.

As Sebastian says: “Even a beautiful vehicle may be altered and changed.

Not in real life, mind you.”

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MESSERSCHMITT KR200 KAROJET JET SKI

So, take a Messerschmitt KR200 ‘Kabinenroller’ and a regular Jet Ski, add a dash of madness, shake vigorously... et voilà, you have the KaRoJet. Sebastian justifies it by saying he wouldn’t want to drive a KR200 on the road anyway.

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BMW 2002 FOUR-DOOR TOURING

Challenged by a friend to produce a four-door Touring estate on the original wheelbase, this is what Sebastian created – although he accepts that the rear doors are just a little too short for comfort.

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CITROËN SM COUPÉ MUSCULEUX

This is the one that many fail to recognise, yet compare it with a standard SM and you’ll realise it’s not that different. We think it’s better looking than most of the period-coachbuilt SMs.

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L AMBORGHINI ESPADA 400 GTE FURGONE

Apparently this version “happened by accident”, as Sebastian remodelled the rear wheelarches to fit bigger wheels. “Similar to the Citroën CX Tissier shuttling newspapers, it might have been utilised to get the Gazzetta dello Sport to the chiosco.”

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Adding lightness

Classic Team Lotus has moved from its historic but dark and cramped original workshop to an all-new, airy and modern HQ. We were given an early viewing W O R D S D AV I D L I L L Y W H I T E P H O T O G R A P H Y M AT T H E W H O W E L L

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IT WAS 25 YEARS AGO that Clive Chapman set up Classic Team Lotus in the workshops once occupied by his father Colin’s original Team Lotus. The place, next to the Lotus factory in Hethel, Norfolk, UK, was steeped in history, and excited visitors would inhale the heady scent of countless chassis welds, engine builds and glassfibre lay-ups. Now it’s empty, left literally in the shadow of its purpose-built replacement. Surely Clive must have found it difficult to leave the old place behind?

“Not at all,” he says wryly. “For the past ten years at least we’ve been coping with inadequate facilities. It was a dreadful working environment. Freezing cold in winter, stinking hot in summer, and no room to work.” Others in the 19-strong team agree, including Bob Dance, Team Lotus mechanic from 1960-1969 and again from 1977-1994, team manager Chris Dinnage, who started at Team Lotus in 1982 and has driven more Formula 1 Lotus cars than anyone else on the planet, and Steve Allen, accountant since the Fittipaldi days.

So, yes, here we are naively forgetting the practicalities of running a successful historic race outfit. In 2018, cars managed by Classic Team Lotus made 142 starts (and 125 finishes) at meetings around the world. One of its cars won the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship. Typically the team will attend 25 to 30 events a year, and in 2018 alone some 35 cars went through the raceshop, several for full restoration. The new HQ was essential.

The core of the new building is the groundfloor raceshop, with windows through to the offices and merchandise shop in one direction, and the fabrication shops at the other end.

Upstairs is all about storage of cars, spares and memorabilia, relieving the nearby Piggery, Barn and Hangar of their repository duties.

As for the old workshop, it’s likely to eventually become a Team Lotus museum.

Meanwhile, tours of the new HQ can be booked on the Classic Team Lotus website for just £45 per person.

RIGHT The new workshop is currently dominated by John Player Special livery: 1972 Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus 72 (Clive’s favourite car) closest to the camera, then the 1983 Nigel Mansell 94T and the 1985 carbonfibre 97T driven

by Ayrton Senna to his first grand prix win at Estoril in 1985. In the background is new apprentice Aaron Buck.

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TOP LEFT Stacks of the iconic ‘Wobbly Web’ Lotus wheels, set for new shelving on the mezzanine above the car storage area – the first time they’ve had a proper home.

LEFT This is the rear of the premises, where all the action happens – and it shows the neat simplicity of the design.

Cars are fired up under the canopy, and the lift to the storage area operates externally from here.

CENTRE LEFT The upstairs storage area, with cars from customers and the Chapman family collection. The Gold Leaf F2 car (minus bodywork) is the Lotus 58 with De Dion front and rear suspension, shelved in 1968. The JPSlivery car in the centre is a T125 track-day car, which Clive says lapped Dijon more than ten seconds faster than an F1 Lotus 72.

BELOW LEFT This is the cockpit of Graham Hill’s Lotus 49B – the only car ever to have won the Monaco GP twice, in 1968 and ’69. To see it in the metal is simply breathtaking.

RIGHT There’s serious history stuck to this metal cabinet in the fabrication shop. Steve Jest, pictured, had been working for another company making parts for Classic Team Lotus for 25 years, but became a full-time employee in 2017.

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PREVIOUS SPREAD 1971 Lotus 56B in restoration, its Pratt & Whitney gas turbine engine on the bench behind.

On the right is the Essex-livery chassis 81/2 monocoque, as driven by Mario Andretti, Elio de Angelis and Nigel Mansell.

LEFT Company founder Clive Chapman in Chris Dinnage’s artfully arranged bodywork storage area. Clive’s mother (Colin’s widow) Hazel is also a director of Classic Team Lotus.

TOP RIGHT 1957 Lotus 12, the first Lotus single-seater race car. Bob Dance is in the process of rebuilding it, and the engine was run for the first time in December 2018. Next to it is the 1982 Type 91 of long-standing Classic Team Lotus customer Dan Collins.

CENTRE RIGHT Spare engines in the ground-floor storage area, with Coventry Climax FWMV and Cosworth DFV heading the line-up.

BELOW RIGHT Senna JPS bodywork; Graham Hill’s Monaco-winning 49B sits ahead of the Ayrton Senna 1987 Monaco-winning 99T/4.

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ABOVE This is the one-off Lotus 32B, an adaptation of the 1964 Lotus 32 F2 car.

It was fitted with a 2497cc Climax FPF to be driven by Jim Clark in the 1965 Tasman Series in New Zealand and Australia. Clark finished first in four races out of the seven, winning the championship.

The other three races were won by Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren and Jack Brabham.

RIGHT Steve Jest fettles Lotus 77/1, winner of the 2018 FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship. In the foreground, Lotus 25 R4 – the main car for Jim Clark’s 1963 World Championshipwinning season.

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THE WORLD’S MOST PRECISE, BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED HANDMADE MODELS FOR COLLECTORS AND OWNERS LIMITED EDITION – BESPOKE – ONE-OFFS The McLaren Senna and P1 are just two of the wide range of extreme modern cars and classics we offer in limited editions and built to order for owners in the precise specification of their car. Visit AmalgamCollection.com to discover the very large range of Ferraris, McLarens and many other significant modern and classic cars we have recreated in precise detail at 1:8 scale, along with a growing collection of the best 1:18 scale model cars in the world.

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Wild Horses

Icon is best known for its ‘Derelicts’ and its classic 4x4s.

Now, founder Jonathan Ward has combined the two genres W o r d s D a v i d L i ll y w h i t e P h o t o g r a p h y S h a n e R u ss e c k

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W “What. Is. This?” you may be asking yourself.

Or perhaps you’re scratching your head and thinking you’ve seen it some place before.

That’s because like, say, Singer and Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, when Icon releases its latest creation, it immediately gets publicity all over the internet. Absolutely all over it.

And that’s exactly what happened last year, when Icon co-founder Jonathan Ward showed off his first-ever ‘Derelict’ Ford Bronco. It was featured on quite a few websites, but never in much detail – and never talking to Jonathan on why he created it. So we thought we’d do that instead.

Icon’s Derelicts have so far mostly been scruffy, apparently-just-pulled-out-of-a-barn 1950s American land yachts, packing modern mechanicals under the heavily patinated bodywork. They’ve starred at Monterey Car Week, at the SEMA show in Las Vegas and on Jay Leno’s Garage. They’re known worldwide.

But the Derelicts are just a sideshow to the main business, which is the restoration and often modification of classic 4x4s, particularly 1960s and ’70s Toyota FJs and Ford Broncos.

Then, of course, along comes this Bronco, a rare 1966 Roadster model from the first year of manufacture – no heater, no radio, no doors, no top, and unusual glassfibre quarterdoor inserts. It’s untouched, distinctly unfresh from a life in central Texas, and sports the perfect patina. Jonathan sees it, puts two and two together, and makes 420bhp.

“Occasionally we’ll find a vintage vehicle with that perfect time-earned patina; bumps, RIGHT Bronco and wild Mustangs. Icon sells prints in aid of American Wild Horse Campaign.

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‘They’ve starred at Monterey Week, at the SEMA show and on Jay Leno’s Garage. They’re known worldwide’

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bruises and scratches that each tell a story,” explains Jonathan. “From the first moment we saw [the Bronco Roadster] we knew it had to be a Derelict.

“We bought it from a guy who called me up and said: ‘Hey, I’ve owned this truck from new. I’m not using it any more; maybe you’d be interested.’ As he started to tell me the story, I realised I was very interested.

“This guy’s dad bought it brand new, and I have a picture of his dad when they first took it home from the dealership. Then I have another picture, which came along when the guy was taking the truck on his very first date with a nice young lady as a teenager. He ended up marrying that lady. So this truck is full of significance for the family.”

Of course Jonathan bought it, after seeing just a couple of photos. When it arrived at Icon, he took a single picture of it coming off the transporter and posted it on Instagram.

“I said: ‘This one’s special, this one’s for Derelict only, not selling it for the normal [restoration] process.’ I was thinking maybe I’d have to hold on to it for a year. Boy, was I wrong! Literally 20 minutes after that 1 16

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Instagram post, a guy reached out and said: ‘I get it, I want it, let’s do it.’ What a great client!”

And so it was decided to build the Roadster to the same specification as Icon’s restomod Broncos, but preserving the patina at all costs.

The restomod conversions have grown out of Icon’s original restoration business, which itself came about through an argument in 1996 with a college professor and a student on the laws of supply and demand, with Jonathan insisting that he could create demand by changing the supply chain. They disagreed – and agreed a bet of $1000 that Jonathan wouldn’t be able to prove his theory.

Jonathan was at that point already a Toyota 4x4 enthusiast, and he was convinced that if he restored old Toyota Land Cruisers to the high standards of classic car renovations, then he would be able to create a new market.

“I already had massive respect for the Land Cruiser,” he says. “But no-one was giving them the respect of traditional classics. So I drove around the dry western states buying every FJ40 [Land Cruiser] I could find.

“I took them to the mechanic’s shop and the paint shop that I was already using, and

‘Literally 20 minutes after that Instagram post, a guy reached out and said: ‘I get it, I want it, let’s do it!’’

Investment Quality Automobiles | Restoration & Vintage Racing Services | Motorsports Museum

Canepa Motorsports Museum

Concours Restoration Services

Collector Car Sales

Vintage Race Preparation

Quality isn’t Expensive, it’s Priceless 2016 McLaren P1 GTR

Only 120 miles on this F1 inspired hypercar. The first GTR brought to the US, and it has never been raced or tracked.

Special ordered in Canepa Green and McLaren Orange.

1990 Porsche 964 Leichtbau

The ultimate Carrera 4 964. One of only 22 ever produced, and the only black car. 2,769 original miles.

Porsche 953 rally car running gear. Driver adjustable diff. bias.

1979 Joest Porsche 935

1998 Porsche C2S ANDIAL

The first Joest 935 ever built.Two 1st place finishes, 15 podiums. Chassis never damaged/modified, remains as raced by Joest. Owned by Former F1-czar Bernie Eccelstone.

Rare 3.8 liter conversion from ANDIAL. 321hp, 374ft/lbs of torque, custom gearing. Custom interior; one-of-one car.Turbo S Aerokit and matching numbers.

Driven less than 1,700 miles a year.

1993 Porsche 964 Turbo S The ultimate 964 Turbo, the Turbo S Leichtbau. One of 86 cars ever made and one of 67 in left-hand drive. 1,403 original miles. 100% original, perfect in every way.

00+1.831.430.9940

1959 Lister Costin

BHL 121 is the prototype and first Costin-bodied Lister.

Raced at Goodwood in its 1959 debut, it has been completely restored and race prepped.

canepa.com

Want to learn more?

To find more pictures and information on our inventory above and to see the rest of our collector vehicles for sale, please visit our website at canepa.com or give us call at 00+1.831.430.9940.

4900 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066

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‘It’s left to look like we did nothing. The process to make it look like we didn’t do anything is a big task’

we turned them around. They flew out the door! I went back to the college to reclaim my $1000 bet, but I couldn’t find the student and the professor said he’d just been joking.”

Not that the $1000 really mattered – the restorations had made enough money for Jonathan and wife Jamie to decide that there could be a future in Toyota 4x4 restorations.

From there the business grew, with the restored vehicles starring in movies and even attracting the attention of Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota (and great-grandson of the company founder).

As their success grew, Jonathan and Jamie started to realise that there was a market for these older Toyotas using modern mechanical parts under classic 1960s and early ’70s bodywork, and so in 2007 the ‘Icon’ branch of the company was born. Soon it expanded into Ford Broncos as well as the Toyotas.

And that brings us back to this Bronco Roadster, which now sports a new 420bhp Ford Mustang GT Coyote V8, five-speed transmission, Atlas II 4x4 transfer case, modified Dynatrac Dana axles, ARB locking differentials, Fox Racing coil-over suspension with adjustable sway bars and Brembo brakes, all hidden under the highly patinated body.

“It’s left to look like we’ve done absolutely nothing,” says Jonathan. “The process to make it look like we didn’t do anything is a big task.”

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work he’d done over the years. As Jonathan exclaims: “You can’t just paint over that!”

The interior was retrimmed in the original, rare, silver vinyl, and a rear seat was added at the request of the new owner. There’s a new centre console housing cupholders and USB ports, painted to match the bodywork.

“It’s faux-patina painted,” says Jonathan. “I know, that combination of words makes my ears hurt, too, but that’s what we did to the centre console, the [new, forged alloy] wheels and the housings that hide the electronics so they would match the general aesthetic.”

The gauges are new but housed in the original rusty bezels, and there are clever touches, such as the additional (but original, patinated Bronco) knob on the dash, which when turned switches on the Bluetooth to connect with an amplifier and speakers under the dash, and also controls the volume.

Icon decided to stick with the original vacuum wipers unique to early Broncos, but in anticipation of them not working it had a hydrophobic coating applied to the screen.

A Ceramic Pro coating seals and freezes the ageing of the patina, and polyurea applied to the underside and floor gives extra protection.

And so, as Jonathan points out, the Bronco is ready to be driven and enjoyed anywhere – especially in the Californian desert, where he and American wildlife photographer Shane Russeck went to create the stunning images that caused all that internet flurry – and that you see here in glorious print.

ABOVE Nothing to see here... just a 420bhp V8 in a scruffy old Bronco. Even the steering wheel hides a secret, being original but on a replacement collapsible column for safety.

At the famous Newport Pagnell factory, we have unsurpassed expertise to service, repair and restore Aston Martins. The same knowledge and passion lives on through our sales showrooms – including newly-opened 8 Dover Street in London’s Mayfair.

1962 DB4 SERIES IV CONVERTIBLE 1969 DB6 MK1 VANTAGE SALOON 1970 DB6 MK2 VOLANTE

1979 AMV8 VOLANTE

Silver Sand with Burgundy hide. One of 30 Series IV Convertibles. A beautiful example with a variety of upgrades including increased engine capacity and power steering. Supplied with 1-year Aston Martin Warranty.

Bahama Yellow with Black hide. A multiple Concours winner, this example has undergone a full 4,500-hour Aston Martin Works restoration to original specification.

5-speed Manual. Supplied with 1-year Aston Martin Warranty.

Silver Birch with Black hide. Presented with an immaculate Silver Birch exterior finish, the character and appeal of 3762/R benefits greatly from the original leather interior. 5-speed manual gearbox.

Supplied with 1-year Aston Martin Warranty.

A matching numbers example presented in its original combination of Windsor Red and Magnolia hide. Extensive history file details maintenance work carried out by Aston Martin Works. Automatic.

Supplied with 1-year Aston Martin Warranty.

£1,200,000

£695,000

£950,000

£230,000

1986 AMV8 VANTAGE ZAGATO

1987 AMV8 VANTAGE X PACK

1989 AMV8 VOLANTE POW

1998 V8 VANTAGE V600 LE MANS

Having covered only 4,000 miles, this matching numbers V8 Vantage Zagato is presented in its original colour combination of Lightning Silver with a Burgundy interior.

One of 27 right-hand drive manual examples.

Supplied with 1-year Aston Martin Warranty.

Suffolk Red with Magnolia hide. A stunning example presented in its original colour combination, this rare AMV8 comes with an impressive history and the desirable 5-speed ZF manual gearbox. Supplied with 1-year Aston Martin Warranty.

Graphite Grey with Dark Red hide. One of 25 Prince of Wales specification AMV8 Volantes. In immaculate condition, the car is presented with an extensive service history and in its original colour combination.

Supplied with 1-year Aston Martin Warranty.

Bowland Black with Cream and Black piping interior. Chassis 37 of 40. A beautiful example befitting the meticulous care of previous owners. Extensive and detailed service history. 5-speed manual.

Supplied with 1-year Aston Martin Warranty.

£565,000

£495,000

£895,000

£565,000

RESTORATION

TRIM

SALES

SERVICE

BODY WORK

PARTS

Tickford Street, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire MK16 9AN | 8 Dover Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4LF Tel: +44 (0)1908 610 620 | Email: enquiry@astonmartin.com | www.astonmartinworks.com

A L FA ROM EO

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The final goodbye This 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Touring has been in the same owner’s garage for the past 43 years. Before it heads to Artcurial’s auction block at Rétromobile, where it’s expected to fetch at least 16 million euros, we take a last trip down memory lane with a special car and its equally special owner WORDS JOHAN DILLEN P H O T O G R A P H Y D I R K D E JAG E R

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I It’s 1976, and Dutchman Jan-Willem Martens is 27. He is on his way back home from Chartres in France in the family’s Jaguar. On the trailer behind, he carries a very special car that his father has just bought. The memory is still strong today, as Jan-Willem relates: “My dad saw it advertised

by Nigel Mann in Motor Sport in 1976: an Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Touring for a ridiculous price. He wrote back: ‘I think you forgot a digit.’

“As it turned out, that was exactly the case. But dad’s was also the only letter Nigel Mann bothered to answer. And so it was that I found myself driving home with what was already an automobile icon – only to have a health check on my heart as I started skidding in Belgium due to a puncture.

“As a result of that, I had to leave the car and trailer unattended by the side of the road while I went to look for a replacement tyre. Let’s just say that the beginning of our relationship was a little bit rocky,” Jan-Willem smiles. “Not long after, my father sold the Alfa to me… for a profit.”

He continues: “I’ve had this car for most of my lifetime – and most of its lifetime as well. I feel the time has now come for someone else to take over custody. At my age – I’m 69 – I’m really looking for classics I can take out to France or Scotland. The Alfa does not fall into that category. Each time I take it out, it forms quite the spectacle – unfortunately not always for the best. People have driven off the road to get a good view of it. Or worse – driven me off the road.”

In a way this is understandable, as it’s not every day that one of the great divas of the road crosses your path. This car has it all. There is exclusivity; Touring Superleggera only ever made five of these gorgeous Berlinetta bodies. Then there’s pedigree; the Alfa 8C 2900 is every sports car marketing division’s wet dream. The supercharged 2.9-litre inline eight was directly derived from Alfa’s Tipo B single-seater.

LEFT With its rarely matched elegance of design, who could ignore this stunning automotive icon cruising along the road?

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ABOVE In the 8C 2900 Berlinetta’s roomy cockpit, Veglia dials and a period-appropriate Bluemel steering wheel look wonderful, and while the reverse-pattern

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four-speed gearshifter and mid-placed gas pedal give the pilot plenty to think about on the road, this Alfa Romeo is easier to drive than you might expect.

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‘It was never anything other than the most elitist Alfa available, destined for either royalty or captains of industry’

Vittorio Jano developed the sophisticated chassis with fully independent suspension and hydraulically adjustable rear shock absorbers, for which he consulted Ferdinand Porsche.

Of course, this Alfa plays the beauty card as well. It displays a rarely matched elegance, one that is unthinkable in modern auto design. The way it mixes voluptuous curves with that very long, straight bonnet is simply mesmerising. You could stare at it all day, and walk away like you have just lived the happiest day of your life. The long front section combined with the compact cabin underlines this car’s hidden raw power.

It was never anything other than the most elitist Alfa available, destined for either royalty or captains of industry.

Deep pockets were required if you were in the market for an Alfa coupé you could line up in the Bolzano hillclimb on Sunday and drive to Gstaad on Monday. The 8C 2900B cost 126,500 lire at launch in 1937 – over 10,000 lire more than the 8C 2900 spider and almost double the price of the 6C 2300B. Finally, there is mystery. This car was built in 1938 and 1 26

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arrived in the UK in 1939 with an ‘I’ still attached to the rear mudguard, which meant it was registered in Italy at some point. To the present day it’s unclear to whom chassis 412024 was registered after it left the factory, but there is a chance it was used by Il Duce’s daughter, Edda Mussolini, later Contessa Ciano. “The 1938 Italian registration number has never showed up,” Jan-Willem explains.

Since then, 412024 has written many chapters of its own.

“It started life in blue-green, with a suede interior. It left the factory in 1938 as a ‘lungo’ [long-wheelbase] chassis, but all the mechanical components show 1937 dates. The car received its bodywork from Touring Superleggera, also in Milan. Touring gave the coupés full aluminium bodywork, whereas steel was used for the spiders. This way, they both have more or less the same weight. This one is 1350kg.”

Jan-Willem continues: “No two Berlinettas are the same.

For instance, the length of the louvres on the bonnet varies, and the headlights as well. This car has a twin-headlight

set-up. When the Alfa came to the UK to dealer Jack Bartlett in 1939, he had it painted silver grey and he removed the rear bumpers. After the war, the car won the RAC concours in 1947 and the Eastbourne rally and concours in 1948.

“It stayed in the UK, but changed hands three times. Nigel Mann painted it red, and Lord Ridley had the extra plexiglass windows in the rear pillars installed. Not original but definitely handy when manoeuvring, as this car never had wing mirrors in place. The extra side windows also make this Berlinetta stand out from the others.

“Lord Ridley changed quite a bit on his Alfa, actually. He was quite the mechanic; for instance, he also fitted a dial that displays the rear shock pressure. One could argue that this is not the factory state, but to my mind all of this has contributed to the way this car is right now. I wouldn’t change a thing. Or maybe one thing; the original Alfa badge on the nose. The new owner will get this with the car, along with many other spare parts.”

ABOVE Long-nosed 8C 2900B coupé is effectively unique; while five Berlinettas were built, complete with full aluminium bodywork by Touring Superleggera, no two were exactly the same.

Since it came into Jan-Willem’s possession, the 8C Berlinetta has led a fairly reclusive life away from the concours show fields – even though it’s been used passionately for the exact reason it was built. “I raced it at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in 1982,” its proud owner says, showing a photograph of his car duelling with an Alfa Romeo P3 single-seater. “I came second,” he smiles. “I also used the car on some track days in Zandvoort.”

Nowadays, the 8C doesn’t venture out much. “This was never a car to take out regularly. We were lucky that we had the opportunity to add a real automotive icon to our collection. Already in the 1970s, this was a very special machine. You don’t just take it out for a drive. Going out in the 8C Berlinetta is always an event.” Not that you can tell MAGNETO

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TOP Inline-eight engine is a work of art down to the very smallest detail, and Alfa’s long-time owner Jan-Willem Martens knows it inside out. ABOVE What historic tales could those miles tell – especially about the car’s ‘missing’ first year in Italy?

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TOP Streamlined tail-end styling conceals petrol tank and spare wheel. Plexiglass rear side windows were added by a previous owner. ABOVE Weber carburation and twin supercharger set-up feeds 180bhp 2.9-litre motor.

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this from the car itself. It fires up on the first turn of the key. The inline eight-cylinder engine produces a gentle hum, not aggressive in the least. It’s a characterful tone, but very much subdued; this Alfa Romeo refuses to show its hand right from the start. The cabin is very roomy, with Veglia dials nicely spread out across the dashboard, while the original bakelite steering wheel has been replaced with a younger, but correct, Bluemel replica.

The steering wheel is the dominant item in the interior, as it clearly defines the working area. Next to you, the gearlever is nicely placed under your hand. The layout is unusual, however, with first to your right, hugging your leg, while the beautifully crafted miniature gas pedal is situated in the middle. This all takes some getting used to before you can master smooth take-offs. In the beginning you tend to rev too high before dropping the clutch, whereas the torquey Alfa engine actually needs only the slightest of pushes to get rolling.

Shifting ratios is surprisingly easy, especially considering that the straight-cut gears in the four-speed ’box – which is directly mounted on the rear axle – demand you get your movements precise. “Once the temperature is right, you don’t even have to bother with double-declutching,” Jan-Willem

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says. The trick is to find the exact moment to switch ratios, but having done so, movement is fluid and swift. The geartrain noise dominates the engine sound at low revs.

The ease with which you can lead this grande dame of some 80 years gives all the peace of mind you need to enjoy the moment and not stress too much about the car’s value. This, for now, is the best spot in the world. You have that endless bonnet stretching out in front of your eyes, with the top of the arches precisely indicating the position of the wheels.

Of course, you need a bit of muscular power to set the Alfa up for corners, but it’s less than you would expect. The car surprises with quick responses to your inputs. It displays its racing pedigree through each movement. The 19-inch tyres are much more competent then you are led to believe. Even when not taking this engine anywhere near the limit, you instantly feel the power building up as both compressors come into play. At the time, this motor was good for 180bhp – not that far removed from the 225bhp it had in grand prix trim in the Tipo B. Many elements on this car have been altered over time, but the mechanical components remain much the same. The original engine block has been changed because of corrosion beginning to take a toll on the magnesium internal

OPPOSITE TOP Traffic-stopping Italian traces its roots to grand prix racing.

OPPOSITE BOTTOM Jan-Willem has original block, which will also be included in auction. RIGHT Alfa comes with owner’s manual plus ‘how to’ guide for next custodian.

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parts. Jan-Willem says: “I have retained that block, and modern-day techniques mean having it fully restored is now possible.” The gearbox is still the same as the one the car left the factory with, and so are all the running parts.

Jan-Willem has always carried out the Alfa’s servicing himself. Not only does he know it inside out, he’s also kept a full diary of what he’s done to it. “I have taken care of this car for the best part of my life and its life; now it’s time for the next owner to take custody.”

The original manual – don’t worry, it all comes with the car – is just four pages long, but Jan-Willem himself has written a beautiful ‘how to’ guide for the next custodian. Given that the 8C 2900B is a darling with the judges at Pebble Beach – two examples have taken Best of Show, in 2008 and 2018 – the new owner would probably want to make it three titles.

To achieve that, this very special example would likely be restored to its condition as it was in 1938, but Jan-Willem says: “Frankly, I hope the new owner leaves the car just as it is now. All the changes it has undergone have helped form its history up to the present day. That counts for something as well, at least in my opinion. None of these cars remains truly original any more. What you see here is history as it evolved.

That should have a value of its own, shouldn’t it?”

On February 8, this Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B will be the star of the Artcurial auction at Rétromobile in Paris. It is expected to fetch between 16 and 22 million euros.

Racing the 8C The 8C 2900 topped Alfa’s range. Its engine was directly linked to the Tipo B GP car, and racing was very much part of its philosophy, for the estimated 27 spiders built as well as the five Berlinettas.

The spiders formed a dominant Alfa brigade in the 1936 Mille Miglia, in which victor Brivio beat the previous year’s winner by one hour. Yes, the course was faster – but Pintacuda, who came third in Alfa’s onetwo-three, also averaged

211kph on the 86km Autostrada section from Firenze...

In 1947, a privately entered Berlinetta with Biondetti at the wheel won the first post-war Mille Miglia, sans superchargers (banned by regulations). And, of course, there’s the unique streamlined Berlinetta – based on a spider – that Alfa took to Le Mans in 1938. It built up one of the biggest leads ever – 11 laps – only to bail out with a blown tyre and engine damage.

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THE EX- WORKS, RICHIE GINTHER 1962 BRM P578 FORMULA 1 Built new for Richie Ginther, making its practice debut at Monaco in BRM’s World Championship winning season. Driven by Ginther through to the end of 1963 with 2nd at Monaco, Monza and Watkins Glen. Joint 2nd in the 1963 World Championship. Campaigned for Scuderia Centro Sud with Gregory, Baghetti, Maggs, Scarfiotti and Bianchi through to 1965. Sold to collector Walter Grell through Jo Siffert and retained in his collection until 2000. Found to be in exceptional complete and original condition with the original bodywork. The opportunity to acquire such a historical example of a World Championship winning model just does not come up.

1965 AC COBRA 289 A rare opportunity to acquire a desirable UK supplied RHD AC Cobra 289 with a continuous, no questions history from new, as confirmed by the ACOC. Consigned to K.N. Rudd Ltd. of Byfleet in 1965, it still bears the registration SHK 670D which it has worn since 1966. Former property of well-known Cobra racer Bill Bridges. Meticulously prepared by BGMsport to current ‘competitive Goodwood TT’ spec for the current owner, with no expense spared. Accompanied by current FIA papers, spare set of wheels and extensive history file with the original green log book, service history back to 12,000 miles, invoices back to 1976 and MOT certificates back to 1977. Fitted with a zero hours latest specification Peter Knight engine and raced in the 2017 Goodwood Revival TT.

T. +44 (0)1285 831 488 / E. cars@williamianson.com / www.williamianson.com

THE EX – WORKS, DAN GURNEY, ONLY INTERNATIONAL RACE WINNING 1960 BRM P48 FORMULA 1 Debuted at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix with Dan Gurney. Gurney went on to lead the Portuguese Grand Prix and challenge Stirling Moss for the lead in his native United States Grand Prix in this car, before taking what was the only international race victory for a P48 in his last race for BRM, at Ballarat, Australia. Sold by BRM in 1962, with this engine, to Ray Fielding in 1962. This engine has a significant race history of its own and remains in the car today. The original bodywork that accompanies the car, illustrates its paint history from BRM through to when it was bought by the current owner in the early 1970s. Beautifully restored by BRM experts Hall & Hall and raced to fifth place at the 2018 Goodwood Revival in the Richmond & Gordon Trophy, setting the third fastest lap and clearly demonstrating its potential.

1935 BUGATTI TYPE 57 VENTOUX A rare opportunity to acquire such an elegantly proportioned, wonderfully original and highly usable example of the Bugatti’s iconic Type 57 Ventoux. Reputedly sold to the French Embassy in London in 1939 and stored throughout the war. Post War owners include Bugatti Owners Club founding member Kenneth Bear and renown motorsport patron John Coombs. Restored for John Coombs by former Bugatti factory apprentice Louis Giron and in its current ownership since 2001. A three-time winner of the Jack Browning Trophy for the best Type 57 at the Bugatti Owners Club annual Concours d’Elegance, winner of the Bugatti Class at Salon Prive in 2011 and veteran of numerous international rallies.

Come and see us on our stand, 1M090 at Retromobile.

/williamiansonltd /williamiansonltd

50 THE

MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE COLLECTOR CA R WO R L D There’s so much happening, so many changes in our collector car world. These are some of the people driving those changes, from new styles of events, improving restoration standards to protection against government legislation and more. Some represent major organisations, others are going it alone. But every single one has an influence on the cars that we all love W O R D S D AV I D L I L L Y W H I T E , S A R A H B R A D L E Y, R I C H A R D H E S E L T I N E

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BARRY MEGUIAR

President, Meguiar’s Inc. NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Barry Meguiar has raised car care – and, crucially for this, sponsorship of events – to an art form. Since becoming involved in the family business in 1960s, he’s grown the Meguiar’s Inc. enterprise founded by his grandfather in 1901 into a global brand.

With the gift of the gab and a helping of marketing genius, in the 1990s Barry branched out into TV and radio, creating the Car Crazy shows and expanding the brand’s reach around the world. 3M acquired Meguiar’s in 2008, but Barry is still very much associated with operations.

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MARK HYMAN

Founder, Hyman Classic Cars NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

There’s no shortage of classic car dealers in the USA, and Mark Hyman isn’t the largest – although his company has been around since 1989, and Mark can be seen at every major event. But what sets him aside is his campaign against President Trump’s proposed 25 percent import tax, which Hyman says would badly affect the worldwide market. He’s presented the case for collector car exemption from the tax to the US Commerce Department and appeared on TV news broadcasts to state the case.

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MILES MORRIS AND MALCOLM WELFORD

Founders, MM Garage NATIONALITY British

ARE INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

These two Englishmen in LA have spent their entire careers with historic cars, and their experience and knowledge ensures their place on the list, with both appointed as official FIVA inspectors and examiners.

Both were brought up around cars, both worked for Christie’s, and both have worked together for years as historic car brokers. Malcolm Welford is also on the FIVA Technical Committee, while Miles Morris is an established concours judge and author.

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K A R L- F R I E D R I C H SCHEUFELE

Co-president, Chopard NATIONALITY German

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

There’s no stronger sponsorship association in the car world than Chopard and the Mille Miglia. A keen car collector, Scheufele first took part in the event in 1987, and formed the partnership between Chopard and the Mille Miglia the following year. Every year he takes part, usually co-driving with Jacky Ickx. The Chopard watches awarded to entrants every year are highly prized, and Chopard’s sponsorship has now extended to the GP de Monaco Historique and Porsche Motorsport.

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A D R I A N H A M I LT O N

MD, Duncan Hamilton Ltd NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

As son of 1953 Le Mans winner Duncan Hamilton, Adrian took over his father’s car sales business in 1975 and has since grown it to become one of the most important dealers in the collector car market. He’s sold nine Ferrari 250 GTOs, 20 Ford GT40s, seven Porsche 917s, and numerous Jaguar C- and D-types – but it’s for his part in the ROFGO Collection that his influence shines through.

The collection consists of more than 30 Gulf-liveried racing cars, assembled on behalf of oil-industry businessman Roald Goethe, and now featured at shows around the world.

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PAT R I C K L O N G A N D HOWIE IDELSON

Co-founders, Luftgekühlt NATIONALITY American

ARE INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Take a Le Mans racer (Patrick) and a designer (Howie), both with a love of Porsches and a lack of respect for ‘cars on a green’ shows. What do you get?

Luftgekühlt (air-cooled), an evolution of the longestablished cars and coffee West Coast gatherings, that sees events take place in unconventional locations (a lumber yard for example) with iconic Porsches strategically placed, and visitors’ cars forming the rest of the show. It’s spread to the UK and Germany, and influenced car show formats worldwide.

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Chairman, Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Sitting at the helm of the FBHVC, David Whale steers a dedicated team whose singular aim is to uphold the freedom to use historic vehicles on the road in the UK. It does this by representing our interests to politicians, legislators and Government officials in the UK, and in Europe via the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens. For their commitment and hard work, we owe David Whale and his colleagues our support and gratitude.

ROB DICKINSON

Founder, Singer Vehicle Design

NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

The former vocalist with the group Catherine Wheel (and cousin of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson), Rob Dickinson is the founder and creative director of LA-based Singer Vehicle Design. As a lifelong Porsche fan, he has moved the quality of 911 restomods on to new standards in quality, acceptability and desirability. The company’s trademark is a ‘re-imagined’ 911 – a 964 coupé or Targa heavily modified with bespoke or motorsport-grade components. Prices start at $475,000-plus, ranging up to $1.8 million.

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CHRISTIAN BOUCKE

Mercedes-Benz Classic NATIONALITY German

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

The big manufacturers have all embraced their heritage to varying degrees, and all have changed the market through doing so. Audi Tradition and Porsche Classic continue to do sterling work, BMW Classic has revamped its Munich base and continues to support Villa d’Este, and FCA has upped its game. We know that Jaguar Land Rover has really moved things on, but after that it’s MercedesBenz led by Christian Boucke that is currently doing the most to continue to promote the history of its brand and to support the needs of owners.

NICK WIGLEY

CEO, Goose Events

NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

There are so many superb events around the world, and don’t think we’ve overlooked any of them. But Goose Events, headed by Nick Wigley, has surpassed all expectations, building the Silverstone Classic into the largest historic racing festival in the world. It features 20 races and demonstrations, and 1000 race entries. And then there’s the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, bigger and better than ever – but also more accessible, with the Regent Street Motor Show that precedes the run attracting 500,000 visitors.

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C H R I S E VA N S

Collector and radio/TV personality NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Chris Evans is as familiar to UK TV and radio audiences as Jay Leno is to Americans.

Meanwhile, his love of cars is as high profile as his media-presenting exploits, with Ferraris being his particular focus. He’s the brains behind the massive charitable CarFest festivals, and allows his cars to be driven by the highestbidding listeners. Following his unsuccessful stint on Top Gear he’s gone quieter, but his influence on the classic car market can still be felt (and heard).

39

JAMES B R O O KS-WA R D

MD, Thorough Events NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

The UK didn’t have a world-class public-accessible concours until Thorough Events, headed by BrooksWard, organised the first Concours of Elegance in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s reign (the excellent Salon Privé is more garden party than concours).

The use of Royal palaces was a remarkable coup, and after moving between Windsor, St James Palace, Holyrood Palace and Hampton Court, it’s that last venue where concours has settled for the next few years.

35 CORRADO LOPRESTO

Collector

NATIONALITY Italian IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE… Nobody has embraced the concours circuit quite like this former martial arts champion and architect.

Lopresto began saving Italian coachbuilts while in his teens, including prototypes and test mules which otherwise would no longer exist, particularly those with ‘unfashionable’ provenance.

He is evangelical about honouring the designers and artisans behind his cars’ creation, many of whom were unknown until he began singing their praises. You will not find a single Ferrari, Lamborghini or similar in his Milan-based collection.

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BRUCE CANEPA

CEO, Canepa Design

NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

A former race driver who co-drove with Bobby Rahal in the Porsche 935 at Daytona, and who set a world record at Pikes Peak among many achievements. His company Canepa Design is known for its huge, pristine workshops, its museum and conversion (and improvement) of Porsche 959s to California compliance. But beyond this is his influence in historic racing, particularly on the Monterey Motorsports Reunion through his involvement with SCRAMP, race organiser at the famous Laguna Seca track.

38

GUIAN ZONG

Vice-president, Classic Vehicle Union of China NATIONALITY Chinese IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

If, or probably when, China allows classics to be imported, the world market will be changed forever. The big sellers in this potentially huge market will be brands that are recognised – Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and Bentley are known as prestige marques, and VW, Toyota and Nissan as everyday car brands.

‘Britishness’ is still a thing, so saloons of the 1950s and ’60s could prove popular. Zong, at the Chinese equivalent of the FBHVC or the HVA, has been liaising with organisations to prepare for the time when the borders open.

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MARCEL MASSINI

Ferrari expert and consultant NATIONALITY Swiss IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Known as ‘the Information King’, Marcel Massini eats, sleeps and breathes classic Ferraris. No marque dealer or serious collector even thinks about buying a new acquisition without an in-depth ‘Massini report’ on the car’s history, which the inimitable expert compiles from his personal archives accumulated during decades of committed research and data collection. It’s estimated that he knows the histories of 20,000 Enzo-era Ferraris.

He’s a book author and contributor to magazines.

37

ANDY PALMER

Chief executive, Aston Martin NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

The obvious headline news is Dr Andy Palmer’s strong leadership of Aston Martin, the introduction of the DB11, a new plant in Wales to build the DBX SUV and the plans for the Valkyrie hypercar. But for the collector car world, it’s Palmer and his management team’s continued support and development of Aston Martin Works alongside all the newcar focus that deserves the credit. Revamped facilities, continuation cars (DB4 GT, DB4 GT Zagato, ‘Goldfingerspec’ DB5) and an EV DB6 are just some of the latest innovations from Works.

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GREGOR FISKEN

Founder, Fiskens

NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE… There are dealers, and then there’s this Scottish Le Mans veteran and historics ace, whose stand dominates the season-opening Rétromobile show. He has been a staple of London’s historic car trade since the 1980s, when he served an apprenticeship with Bunty Scott-Moncrieff.

He operates from the cobbled street that was previously home to pioneering old-car dealers Dan Margulies and Alain de Cadenet, and has sold a remarkable number of blue-chip road cars and famous competition tools.

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B I L L WA R N E R

Chairman, Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Everyone’s favourite event organiser, full of southern charm and deep, hard-earned knowledge. Amelia Island is second to Pebble Beach in prestige among US events, and Florida is less known for its car collectors than California. But that’s offset by the relaxed atmosphere of the event and ingenuity of the Amelia Island selections – so we’ve seen custom cars, race-winning cars sat alongside their famous trophies – and, for 2019, we’ll have famous musicians and their cars.

ALDO BONOMI

President, Mille Miglia NATIONALITY Italian IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

The Mille Miglia is the number-one driving event on the bucket list of almost every car collector, and the demand for places (and hence eligible cars) continues to grow; it’s over-subscribed several times over. It’s now under new organisation, and president Aldo Bonomi is determined to smooth the entry processes, making it clearer what’s eligible and what’s not, and to take the brand elsewhere in the world, which has been tried before without success. This time, he says, will be different.

30 ADOLFO ORSI

Concours judge and historian NATIONALITY Italian IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

As the grandson of Adolfo Orsi, who bought Maserati in 1937, and the son of Omar Orsi, who ran the Modenabased sports car maker until 1968, there’s no doubting Adolfo Orsi Jr’s credentials in the collector car market.

But it’s his unceasing work documenting auction trends and Maserati history, and his presence as a judge at almost every major concours in the world, that cements his place in this list of the most influential.

At the age of 17, Orsi is said to have recommended that Maserati call its new model the Indy – a suggestion that of course was accepted. But it wasn’t long before the company was sold to Citroën, and the family’s involvement with Maserati was over.

However, by the mid-1980s, Adolfo Orsi Jr knew that he wanted to work in the collector car market, and began to organise auctions.

Orsi is a strong advocate of originality, and in 1999 he was instrumental in introducing the FIVA Award at Pebble Beach, for the best-maintained, unrestored car. He has been chief judge of the class ever since.

29 WAY N E C A R I N I

Restorer and TV presenter NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

‘Collector car archaeologist’ Wayne Carini has rediscovered countless long-forgotten high-end automobiles stashed away in homes, garages and barns around the world. His TV show Chasing Classic Cars follows his exploits as he finds a car and negotiates to buy it, then resells it at auction or privately.

Along the way he talks shop with respected collectors, renovators and artisans – and as a master restorer himself, he knows his subject inside out.

What’s really important here is Carini’s influence on car enthusiasts who would perhaps otherwise avoid auctions. Through his TV exploits and his naturally approachable nature, Wayne Carini has opened up the mysteries of the car auction world and encouraged others to give it a go as well.

He’s sold his famous barnfind Stutz to finance better accommodation for his autistic daughter Kimberly, but still keeps some special cars in his collection – including, currently, an SS100 under restoration.

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PAUL RUSSELL

Restorer

28 DAN GEOGHEGAN

Managing director, Bicester Heritage

NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Bicester Heritage wasn’t the first classic car ‘hub’ – Classic Remise in Berlin and Düsseldorf, for example, have been around since 2003 and 2006 respectively, but it’s unique in combining so many on-site classic car businesses (around 40 at the time of writing) with such an historic location and popular event destination. Dan Geoghegan, a Vintage car enthusiast and VSSC member, has extensive experience in property investment, but the Bicester Heritage development still seemed a huge risk.

The 348-acre site, a former RAF bomber base, had lain empty for decades, the 50-plus buildings were derelict and vandalised, with 19 subject to Grade II listing.

The site was bought for £3.4m in 2013, and the first ten businesses were in by early 2014. Dan has driven the project from the start, building a strong team around him. Now there are more buildings planned to satisfy demand, and a 344-room on-site hotel is on the way – but on top of that, Bicester Heritage has become a true destination, attracting more than 7000 visitors to its most recent event, the informal Sunday Scramble, even in freezing January weather. Amazing.

NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Restoration specialist Paul Russell and Company in Boston, USA, has more Pebble Beach concours Best of Show winners to its credit than any other company in the world, nearly 50 best of show awards at prestigious concours around the world, and Paul Russell himself is regarded as restoration house royalty. It’s Paul Russell and Company that looks after Ralph Lauren’s cars, for example, and many other world-leading collectors including Andreas Mohringer and Miles Collier make the company their first choice.

Paul’s personal car interest was piqued at the age of 16 when a school friend started to bring round his Bugeye [or Frogeye to Brits] Sprite round to Paul’s childhood home.

Inspired, Paul went on to become a trainee mechanic

in an independent Mercedes and Volkswagen workshop, and then moved onto a small 1950s Mercedes’ specialist restoration company.

When the owner decided to split the sales and restoration businesses in 1978, Paul took on the restoration side, and so created the Gullwing Service Company.

Arguably Paul’s biggest break came after restoring a Mercedes for Ralph Lauren – by that point, Paul was already known for his expertise and high standards with 300SL Gullwings in particular – when he was asked to restore Lauren’s Bugatti Atlantic. The success of that car led to more commissions, and the rest, as is so often said, is history.

Now Paul is heavily involved with the awardwinning McPherson College, which offers the only accredited Bachelor’s degree programme in automotive restoration in the United States.

1938 Bugatti Atlantic l Russell Restored by Pau

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26 SIR MICHAEL KADOORIE

Collector and sponsor NATIONALITY Hong Kong IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

In business, The Honourable Sir Michael Kadoorie is the chairman of utility company CLP Holdings, which his family founded in 1890. He’s also chairman of Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, owner of the Peninsula Hotel Group – which famously uses new Rolls-Royces as shuttles for its VIP hotel visitors.

He’s also a dedicated car collector, with a presence every year at Pebble Beach.

In 2003 he co-founded, with Gordon McCall, The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering, at the Peninsula Group’s Quail Lodge in Carmel, as an extra event in the Monterey Car Week. More recently, Sir Michael has put his energies and financial might into a revived Best of the Best concours award, now back as the most prestigious prize in the concours scene.

The victor is chosen by a team of esteemed judges from the winners of eight concours around the world: Pebble Beach, Cavallino Classic, The Quail, Concours of Elegance Hampton Court, Chantilly Arts & Elégance Richard Mille, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, Amelia Island and Goodwood Cartier Style et Luxe.

25 EVERT LOUWMAN

Owner, Louwman Museum NATIONALITY Dutch IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Evert Louwman owns the Louwman Museum in The Hague, Netherlands. Founded in 1934 by his father Pieter, the museum boasts more than 250 historic cars, coaches and motorcycles.

Louwman, a flagship dealer for Lexus, Toyota and Suzuki, manages it with every bit of the skill, dedication and knowledge the world’s oldest private collection of vehicles warrants. It’s now housed in a stunning building next door to the royal residence of Princess Beatrix and designed by American architect Michael Graves, and includes the oldest Toyota in existence, Steve McQueen’s Baja Boot II and the 1904 Darracq and 1905 Spyker from the film Genevieve.

Louwman’s cars are seen worldwide – his Brooke Swan car was one of the more unusual entries at Pebble Beach – and taking part in events such as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. He’s a strong advocate of originality, and works hard to ensure the preservation of important cars.

24 CHRISTIAN PHILIPPSEN

Classic car consultant NATIONALITY Belgian IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

You’ll often hear that the concept of the concours d’elegance was invented in Europe and reinvented in the USA decades later. It was Christian Philippsen who brought it back to Europe, establishing Automobiles Classiques à Bagatelle in Paris in 1988, inspired by visits to Pebble Beach.

Louis Vuitton later took ownership of the event, and expanded the style to other venues, including London, also inspiring events such as Villa d’Este. Philippsen then developed a Best of the Best concept, which Louis Vuitton backed, as a prize for the best car of the Best of Show winners of leading concours.

When Louis Vuitton moved away from car event involvement, the Best of the Best died with it, until 2014 when it was revived by Philippsen (who continues to judge at concours all around the world) with the backing of Sir Michael Kadoorie’s Peninsula Hotel Group.

Philippsen. Incidentally, if you’re wondering where this started, Philippsen’s first job was with Jacques Swaters, the Belgian Ferrari importer and Ecurie Francorchamps team owner. Not a bad start...

22 23 FRED SIMEONE

Owner, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Retired neurosurgeon Fred Simeone has assembled the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum’s collection of more than 65 historically significant racing cars over the past half century.

The native Philadelphian is a firm believer in using the vehicles rather than just displaying them, and the museum conducts several live-action Demonstration Days a month. It is considered one of the world’s finest collections of rare and important racing sports cars.

Simeone began building his collection in 1972, when his father died and left him with $8000 and four cars.

Now it includes the famous ‘hippy’ 1970 Porsche 917LH, a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (thought to be the most original of the five built), the most original Shelby Daytona Coupe in existence and the 1936 Bugatti Type 57G ‘Tank’ car.

So, a fantastic collection, but also an important research and education facility, with an extensive library packed with periodicals, photographs, and factory literature.

JOHN COLLINS

Founder, Talacrest

NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE… No other dealer in historic cars has pulled off the sort of deals brokered by this former photo journalist. Sounds like a bold statement? Pick up a copy of Dealing in Dreams and it soon becomes clear that many of the Scot’s greatest deals over the past 30 years were done off-book.

Since embarking on his career in the late 1980s, his Talacrest concern has offered only the most coveted Ferraris; the sort of car that shouldn’t be available. This is a man who has sold eight Ferrari 250 GTOs, but also countless sports-racers and Formula 1 icons. He has also sourced the sort of seemingly unobtainable cars that hitherto belonged in, say, the Pininfarina factory collection for decades, which you never thought would ever be sold publicly. Want a one-off show-stopper? Step no further. It isn’t just Ferraris, either. Other cars to pass through his hands include an Alfa Romeo Alfetta 158/9 Grand Prix weapon, Le Mans-winning Aston Martin DBR1, Mercedes-Benz W154; you get the idea. He has no staff to speak of, and will pay ten figures for cars without needing to take out a bank loan first.

Ferrari 250 GT O ld eight of these...

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21 R O N M AY D O N

Founder and president, Masters Historic Racing

20 RICHARD MILLE

Businessman

NATIONALITY British

NATIONALITY French

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Long-time motorsport enthusiast Ron Maydon established Masters Historic Racing in 2004, and the company is now a leading organiser and promoter of historic motorsport in Europe and America.

Masters represents the highest levels of the game, particularly with the FIA Historic Formula One series, which has prompted the use of many previously mothballed cars, and provided fantastic spectacles in the UK, across Europe and in North America.

Other series include Historic Sports Car, Pre-66 GT, Masters Pre-66 Touring and Masters Endurance Legends series. Tracks visited include such legendary ones as Imola, Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Nürburgring, Zandvoort, Spa, Dijon, Laguna Seca and Sonoma.

Through Ron Maydon, Masters has moved historic racing on several more notches – and it’s heartening that he still enjoys taking to the track in his collection of F1, sports and touring cars.

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Dubbed the most maverick watchmaker of the modern era, Richard Mille founded his eponymous brand in 1999 as a natural progression in an already distinguished career. He’s guided by three tenets: the best in technical innovation; the best of artistry and architecture; and the best of the heritage and culture of fine watchmaking.

His love of historic cars and motorsport is reflected in his

Le Mans Classic Richard Mille Sponsored by

stunning collection, which includes Bruce McLaren’s first Formula 1 car, the 1966 M2B, the 1970 Italian GP-winning Ferrari 312B, Porsche 917, Lancia Stratos and more.

The company supports, through headline sponsorship, several major events including Le Mans Classic, Chantilly Arts & Elegance, Nürburgring Classic, Rallye des Légendes and Rallye des Princesses. In fact, few contemporaries are as closely associated with the automotive world as Richard Mille; no wonder its watches have been described as a “sports car for the wrist”.

19 BRUCE MEYER

Founding chairman, Petersen Automotive Museum NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

As the long-standing ‘face’ of the Petersen Automotive Museum, Bruce Meyer was founding chairman when publisher Robert E Petersen opened the facility in a former Los Angeles department store in 1994.

This enthusiastic, friendly and unpretentious man has been at the helm ever since.

His proudest moment during his tenure at one of the world’s foremost automotive museums was overseeing its $90 million re-imagining and reopening in 2015. He serves on the board of several further prestigious collections, has been inducted into various automotive halls of fame, and personally owns an extensive historic car, motorcycle and boat collection that brings him great joy: “You’re never too old to have a happy childhood,” is his favourite expression.

18 DANA MECUM

Founder and president, Mecum Auctions NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

A passion for automobilia and automobiles – muscle cars in particular – led Illinoisian Dana Mecum to establish his own company in the late 1980s.

Three decades on, his still family-run auction house sells more collectible cars, vintage and antique motorcycles and automobilia than any rival on the planet.

Mecum Auctions’ spectrum of events across America includes the biggest annual specialist car sale in the world – a 3000-vehicle, ten-day, mega-million dollar extravaganza in Kissimmee, Florida every January.

Of this event, Dana – who, distinctive in his trademark baseball cap, is a regular TV commentator – says: “Our goal has always been to give Mecum Auction attendees an amazing experience and unite them with an incredible car they will enjoy.”

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17 LUIGINO ‘GIGI’ BARP

Head, Ferrari Classiche NATIONALITY Italian IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Of all factory heritage departments Ferrari Classiche has been by far the most controversial, but its influence has been felt worldwide, to the point that a Classiche certificate now significantly increases the value of any classic Ferrari.

Luigino Barp, known to all as ‘Gigi’, was made head of Classiche in 2015, but has been with Ferrari since 1987, when he joined the Experimental Department.

Before joining Ferrari, Barp studied aeronautical engineering, and he was the first flight test engineer to trial prototypes of the Tornado. At Ferrari, after two years in the Experimental Department, he was made head of Road Reliability Testing, and from there worked up to become director of the Ferrari Technical Assistance Service division. Within this role, he was made head of Classiche.

Under his tenure, Ferrari Classiche has aggressively pursued absolute adherence to factory specifications, occasionally at the expense of history but with the overall effect of raising the standard of historic Ferraris and the confidence that prospective buyers have in them. It’s for this that Gigi is noted as a significant influence within the historic car world.

16 ALEX FORTESCUE

Investor, Bonhams

NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

With chairman Robert Brooks and investor (and car collector) Evert Louwman ready to take a step back from global auction house Bonhams, the company was opened up for acquisition – and investment company Epiris bought the business in September 2018.

Alex Fortescue, as managing partner at Epiris, headed the acquisition, and is now working with Matthew Girling, Bonhams CEO since 2015, along with existing CFO Jonathan Fairhurst and Bruno Vinciguerra, who joined following the acquisition as executive chairman. The plan

Bonhams London iris Acquired by Ep

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15 D AV I D G O O D I N G

President, Gooding & Co NATIONALITY American is to continue to expand the business, which is one of the world’s oldest auctioneers.

Fortescue studied electronic engineering but went on to gain an MBA, and has spent his career in business, joining Epiris in 2011. He’s a keen sailor, skier and cyclist rather than car enthusiast, but through the investment from Epiris, Bonhams looks likely to continue to grow. It’s a growth that has seen the company that started as Brooks acquire the historic Bonhams auction business (taking it into the art and antiquities worlds), develop collector car auctions in North America, expand its UK sales base and open a prestigious new headquarters on London’s New Bond Street.

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

David Gooding founded the auction house in 2003, having honed his skills and knowledge at the helm of Christie’s and RM Auctions.

Since then, Gooding & Co has broken numerous auction world records for antique, classic, sports and racing cars, and the company has become renowned for its high-end events – most famously those at Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Gooding says that when he started the business he wanted to present cars “carefully, authentically and with distinction”. One of the company’s most significant private sales was of the 1936 Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic, which realised over $31 million, a record at the time.

“It’s not just the price that made us happy, but the fact that we found a new home for this car, and buyers and sellers were happy. Now the car is on display, where people have the chance to appreciate that it’s just a magnificent piece of art.”

14 JEAN TODT

President, FIA

NATIONALITY French IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Who doesn’t know the name of Jean Todt? Having started out in motorsport as a rally co-driver to the likes of Hannu Mikkola and Timo Mäkinen, he next moved into motorsport management with Peugeot Talbot Sport and then the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team, for which he’s best known. In these last two roles he oversaw four World Rally Championship titles, four Paris-Dakar wins, two Le Mans wins and 14 F1 World Championship titles.

In 2009 he was appointed president of the FIA, which oversees motorsport. It is more involved with modern motorsport than historics, but still it governs seven championships in historic racing, rallying and hillclimbing. Crucially, it is also responsible for issuing FIA Historic Technical Passports, which are needed in the upper levels of historic motorsport to validate the current specifications of a competition car. It also holds historic regulations and homologation rules dating back to the early 1960s.

It’s for this regulation of historic motorsport that the influence of Todt and his team is crucial to the future of much of the world’s historic motor racing, and hence the desirability and values of the cars involved.

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SIMON KIDSTON

Chairman and managing director, HERO

Founder, Kidston SA

NATIONALITY British, Italian

NATIONALITY British

ARE INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

With world-class rallies such as London to Lisbon, Le Jog, 1000 Mile Trial, Scottish Malts and Rally of the Tests on its portfolio, the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation provides great opportunities for enthusiasts to take part in challenging but highly enjoyable road events. Bosses Tomas de Vargas Machuca and Patrick Burke have also taken over the Endurance Rally Association’s schedule of longer-distance events, including Peking to Paris, after the death of that organisation’s founder Philip Young. But it’s the way that HERO has moved historic rallying forward, introducing rally cars for rent, training days and higher levels of service for rally entrants that has made the big difference.

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Simon Kidston is a classic car dealer with clients who include Ralph Lauren and Apple designer Marc Newson.

But his influence extends beyond car sales, as a regular host at leading concours events around the world – including Villa d’Este – and a commentator on collector car values through the K500 online subscription service.

Kidston was raised in Italy and is now based in Geneva.

He’s the nephew of 1920s aviation record-breaker and Bentley Boy Commander Glen Kidston, who won the Le Mans 24-hours in 1930.

Simon’s father, Naval Commander Home Kidston, was just as much of a motoring enthusiast as his older brother, owning and racing several ‘magnificent cars’ as Simon refers to them.

Simon started in auctions, joining Coys in 1988 and quickly going on to run the car department. He went on to co-found the European branch of Brooks (later Bonhams), which he ran until 2006, when he formed Kidston SA to act as a broker and consultant to top-end collectors, specialising in private treaty sales.

11 TIM HANNIG

Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic NATIONALITY German IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Prestige auto brands are embracing their heritage like never before. Jaguar Land Rover Classic, though later to the game than, say Audi and Mercedes-Benz, has leapfrogged competitors in many ways. Tim Hannig has spearheaded the brand’s move into the restoration market, and overseen the opening of the huge Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works showroom, workshop and vehicle store in Coventry and another in Essen, Germany (although the planned US branch has been mothballed for now).

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The headline news has been the factory-sanctioned continuation cars (D-type, XKSS), “as-new” Defender V8s and the Reborn programme, which raises the restoration bar and bridges the gap between fully original vehicles and recreations.

Models such as the Series 1 E-type, Land Rover Series 1 and Range Rover Classic start with the original base and are restored to high standards.

Behind the scenes, these restorations have prompted the remanufacture of long-obsolete spares across the two brands. In addition to this, Jaguar Land Rover Classic has introduced more driving days, track and off-road experiences, and tours of the Classic Works HQ.

Jaguar E-type Reborn Classic Built by JLR

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10 PAT R I C K A N D S Y LV I A N E P E T E R

Co-founders, Peter Auto NATIONALITY French

ARE INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Since Patrick and Sylviane Peter established Peter Auto in the 1980s, the company has become a leader in organising high-end, classic car races, rallies and events around the world – and in doing so, has developed an enviable reputation.

With Le Mans Classic, Tour Auto Optic2000 and Chantilly Arts & Elégance Richard Mille among its extensive portfolio, Peter Auto has set the standard for others to follow, and the founders’ enthusiasm for the essential subject matter has never abated.

Patrick says: “Motor racing, be it modern or historic, is often passion taking over reason. I have tried to combine them both and work with pleasure.

The recipe for success is quite simple: a few ideas, enthusiasm, a natural sense of service, lots of work… and efficient and reliable staff.”

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ROB MYERS

Founder, CEO and president, RM Sotheby’s

MILES COLLIER

President, Revs Institute

NATIONALITY Canadian

NATIONALITY American

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

As with many people on this list, self-made millionaire Rob Myers has devoted his entire career to the collector car industry. Having dropped out of high school, the sheet-metal painter, bodywork specialist and budding entrepreneur founded his first vehiclerenovation shop in a small garage in Chatham, Ontario, in 1976. He’s since grown his business into one of the world’s leading, multiple prize-winning automobile restorers and auction houses.

RM Sotheby’s – the partnership with the venerable, British-founded company was formed in 2015 – stages major automotive sales throughout North America and Europe, and has achieved numerous prestigious concours wins at Pebble Beach and Amelia Island among others.

Motorcyclist and adventurer Myers loves to really live his life, and says of his achievements and powerful reputation: “If you do things because you love them, the money comes secondary. It’s the work that brings the happiness.”

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Stand up and take a bow Miles Collier, for accumulating one of the finest classic car collections on the planet – and throwing it open to the public to ensure it receives the exposure and admiration it deserves.

The Collier family history is rich and storied, with deep involvement in motorsport.

Some decades ago, former Porsche racer Miles acquired family friend Briggs Cunningham’s renowned car collection. Along with further significant road and race machines, this now forms the Collier Collection, which is administered by Miles’ further contribution to the car world, the Revs Institute for Automotive Research.

Harnessing the expertise of the world’s experts on preservation technique and theory, Miles founded the Revs Institute in 2008 to serve as a centre of scholarly study – its library alone contains over two million items. A biennial symposium attracts car specialists and historians from around the world to discuss important topics on collector cars.

It will provide a platform for the next century of automotive innovation, and for that we applaud Miles.

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8 SANDRA BUTTON

Chairman, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Long-time boss Sandra Button has overseen the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance’s phenomenal growth into a truly global celebration of all things automotive.

She is a deciding factor in what cars are invited to participate in the revered event, and works closely with automobile manufacturers to bring in new luxury and exotic models, boosting revenue exponentially.

Button is especially proud of the charitable aspect of the Concours, which has raised millions of dollars for the local Monterey Peninsula community over the decades.

She travels the world encouraging and supporting enthusiasts at events everywhere from Europe and Asia to South America, and regularly participates in road rallies in a diverse collection of personally owned classics.

And while we don’t want to labour the gender point, her standing as the highestprofile female in a relentlessly male-dominated industry is a huge achievement.

6 PAT R I C K R O L L E T

President, FIVA

NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

FIVA, or the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens, has been around since 1956, from the merging of two existing historic vehicle organisations.

Its mission was to lobby Brussels in order to ensure that classic vehicles weren’t regulated (often through ignorance) out of existence.

In 2008 the USA’s Historic Vehicle Association and Canada joined, followed by China and Russia in 2009, and there are now 68 countries, and more than 80 federations (because several of the countries, such as Germany, have more than one federation).

As president, Patrick – an Englishman living in Paris and the owner of a 1932 Lagonda – heads up the organisation, and has expanded FIVA’s remit from concentrating on lobbying to a new remit of “protect, preserve and promote”. To that end, FIVA now also works for cultural recognition by governments, the EU, the US government and UNESCO. Patrick recognises that this change was partly inspired by the HVA’s Mark Gessler, who would have been in this top 50 had he not recently stepped down from his role.

5 PETER MULLIN

Chairman, Petersen Automotive Museum

NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

The extensive, headlinemaking, traffic-stopping exterior and interior revamp of LA’s Petersen Automotive Museum was driven by a small committee of dedicated collectors, headed by businessman, collector and philanthropist Peter Mullin.

He was made chairman of the Petersen in 2013 and set about raising the $125 million required for the radical renovation (which entailed a bright red aluminium latticework covering the front and side of the former department store building).

He continues to drive innovation at the museum, with groundbreaking exhibitions encompassing lowriders, hot rods and Japanese classics bringing in new visitors, and increasing visitor numbers dramatically, with more than 1m visitors since the reopening. But Mullin also has his own car collection of mostly Art Decoera cars, including a Bugatti Atlantic co-owned with Rob Walton, Walmart chairman.

The collection, which includes artworks by the Bugatti family, is on display in Oxnard, California at the Mullin Automotive Museum.

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4 CRAIG JACKSON

Chairman and CEO, Barrett-Jackson

NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Scottsdale, Arizona-based Barrett-Jackson is credited with staging the world’s leading collector car auction and automotive lifestyle event – and it’s mainly thanks to Craig Jackson, son of company co-founder Russ, that millions of global enthusiasts can share from the comfort of their living rooms the thrills and excitement of this multilocation roadshow.

Jackson is responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s multi-media empire, and it was his goal from the start to broadcast collector car auctions on mainstream television.

He struck a deal with Speedvision in 1996, with coverage continuing via Speed Channel, Fox and, now, Discovery and Velocity.

Widely considered a visionary in the specialist market, Jackson advises numerous leading collectors and celebrities, and has also appeared on TV as an automotive expert and correspondent.

In addition, Jackson has earned many accolades for his commitment to philanthropy and his true loyalty to family values, hobbyists and enthusiasts.

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MCKEEL HAGERTY

CEO, Hagerty Insurance NATIONALITY American

IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

Co-founder and CEO of classic car insurance giant Hagerty Insurance, McKeel Hagerty has packed a helluva lot into his 51 years. He’s hugely influential in the collector car industry both in his native USA and around the world.

As a teenage Michiganian petrolhead in the early 1980s, his first exposure to the specialised world of insuring collectibles came when his parents started the Hagerty Insurance Agency, focusing on vintage wooden boats.

McKeel had spent three years restoring his first classic car – a 1967 Porsche 911S bought aged 13 with $500 from his lawn-mowing rounds – and so the two worlds collided.

His higher education continued for some years but eventually, in 1995, he and his sister Kim took over the family company and expanded its brief to incorporate classic and collector cars. The firm grew exponentially, and with the arrival of the internet it led the industry’s digital charge, being the first among peers to embrace online quoting and policy management.

McKeel’s role led to him

1967 Porsche 911S eel Owned by McK is teens h ce n si Hagerty

becoming the youngest-ever judge at Pebble Beach, while in 2009 he created the Historic Vehicle Association. In turn, this has worked with the US Department of the Interior to develop the National Historic Vehicle Register. In recognition of his contributions to preserving cars through education, restoration and collecting, he received the Nicola Bulgari Award from America’s Car Museum in 2014, and in 2016 he became global board chairman of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).

In 2017 McKeel spearheaded the launch of DriveShare, the US’s sole peer-to-peer classic vehicle rental marketplace, while he also sits on numerous boards and advisory groups, and appears regularly on the ESPN, SPEED, CNBC and Discovery channels. Hagerty sponsors and supports numerous events around the globe, and works hard to nurture the next generation of classic car enthusiasts, having introduced thousands of American youngsters to the delights of stickshift via the Hagerty Driving Experience.

Thanks to the efforts of people such as McKeel, the future of our hobby and industry is in safe hands.

2 J AY L E N O

Collector and media personality NATIONALITY American IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

If there’s a ‘man of the people’ who’s directly championed the collector car world to the masses more than any other, it’s Jay Leno. Thanks to a lifelong passion for all things automotive, the American comedian and TV host has amassed a huge and eclectic selection of cars, motorcycles and vehicular oddities.

However, it’s his everyman style and personality, and media-friendly presentation, which have really attracted fans young and old from around the world. He’s exposed a new generation of petrolheads to the mysteries and magic of classic cars.

The Jay Leno’s Garage TV show and website highlight his personal collection, which currently numbers some 180 cars and 160 bikes. Known as the Big Dog Garage, it encompasses everything from early electric and steam-driven vehicles and

1994 McLaren F1 ay Leno Owned by J

one of nine surviving 1963 Chrysler Turbine Cars, to American muscle, European exotica, a McLaren F1 and even a jet-powered motorbike.

Leno famously never sells, saying instead: “I will donate a car to charity; I’ve done that probably ten or 15 times.”

And his collecting criteria?

If a vehicle is of technical and historical significance, fun to drive and attractive to look at, it’s probably something he would consider buying.

A handful of in-house mechanics help the 68year-old keep his cherished machinery up and running, but Jay delights in getting his hands dirty as much as he does driving his machines on the roads around his base in Burbank, California.

He’ll also often turn up unannounced at shows and early-morning cars and coffee gatherings, and he’s always on the Pebble Beach lawns at dawn before his stint on the stage in the afternoon.

It’s as a hard-working ambassador for our industry and hobby that he earns his place on this list.

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DUKE OF RICHMOND

Businessman

NATIONALITY British IS INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE...

The indisputable champion of the historic car world is the Duke of Richmond.

Over the past two decades, Charles Gordon-Lennox – named for further dukedoms inherited upon his father’s 2017 death – has consistently made his undeniable privilege work for both his family’s legacy and the collector car community at large. Furthermore, he has done so in a supremely intelligent, creative and generous manner.

A love of cars was in his blood from birth. He recalls his “horror” as a young boy when, in 1966, his grandfather Freddie Richmond closed the Goodwood Motor Circuit established in 1948. His first vehicle was a £200 1936 Morgan three-wheeler, a “compromise” after his parents banned him from riding motorcycles. Such good intentions were short lived, however: “That Morgan was lethal!” And

Goodwood Festiva l of Speed e Created by th d on m h ic R Duke of

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then there’s the time when, aged 17, the then-Earl of March took his mother’s MG 1100 out for a joyride and “stuck it into a tree”.

Petrol definitely runs in his veins, and in true entrepreneurial spirit the Duke of Richmond has nurtured his personal passions to create three annual collector car spectaculars. All staged on the 12,000-acre Goodwood Estate, his family seat in the

Sussex Downs near Chichester, the Festival of Speed (established in 1993), Goodwood Revival (1998) and Members’ Meeting (2014) set the standard to which others around the world aspire – and none has succeeded in matching.

The impact of the Duke of Richmond’s strategic enterprise has been huge.

The astute businessman’s endeavours have both contributed to a major

development of the classic vehicle and historic motorsport industries, and encouraged numerous mainstream automotive manufacturers into the heritage sphere. Not least, they’ve introduced the delights of ‘our’ world to countless millions, both in person via event attendance, and digitally thanks to Goodwood motorsport’s massive online media reach.

The 64-year-old’s further positions of influence include presidency of the British Automobile Racing Club, patronage of the TT Riders’ Association, and honorary membership of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, Guild of Motoring Writers

and 500 Owners’ Club.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars also has its headquarters on the Goodwood Estate.

Today he owns an enviable collection of machinery both four-wheeled and two, with a subversive slant towards Americana; he contested his 1963 Ford Galaxie on-track at the Revival, and we’ve seen him blasting around his estate at the wheel of his Chevy small block-powered 1929 Ford Model A hot rod.

The word ‘duty’ is all too often sneered upon, but we laud the Duke of Richmond for discharging his inherited responsibilities with admirable style, grace and foresight – and then some.

‘The impact of the Duke of Richmond’s strategic enterprise has been huge’

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Jensen Interceptor Inexplicably, this muscular Brit’s values have traditionally remained depressed relative to those of its contemporaries – but prices are now on the up. We speak to an expert to find out more W O R D S J O H N TA L L O D I

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RARITY AND HISTORICAL importance are two key factors to consider when looking at a classic car as a potential purchase. A beautifully sculpted body is somewhat more subjective, but it plays an important role in overall values. The Jensen Interceptor meets the first two requirements without any problems; only 6408 were produced over an 11-year production run, and in FF trim it was one of the first production cars to be offered with a four-wheel drivetrain and anti-lock brakes.

The looks? Well, the Carrozzeria Touring-penned lines may not have the seductive, flowing proportions of a contemporary Ferrari or Jaguar, but the more muscular silhouette has its own charms, and shares more than a passing resemblance to a ’60s Aston Martin DBS. Just like the Aston it was hand-built, too, while the fitment of a large-capacity, Chrysler-sourced V8 gave it the unflustered power delivery befitting a top-tier grand tourer.

T H E VA L U E P R O P O S I T I O N Despite ticking most of the boxes, these cars’ values remain depressed relative to their contemporaries’. Yet it surely hasn’t been due to a lack of interest, as there were a number of attempts to resurrect the brand after official production ended in 1976, and plenty of specialists are still about.

To better ascertain whether the Interceptor is an undervalued gem or a side-lined oddity, we got in touch with the pre-eminent specialist in the field, Cropredy Bridge. Its services encompass everything from sales and basic maintenance to restomodding and zero-mile renovations.

The firm’s Matthew Watts says that the Interceptor has been experiencing something of a resurgence in recent times: “Three years ago you could find a decent Jensen for between £30,000 and £40,000. These cars are worth up to £60,000 today.” An impressive performance, but perhaps not quite as stellar as that of some other classics over the same period.

Still, Matthew maintains that this stable growth has continued steadily, while some of those over-performing classics react with far more volatility to changes in the broader market.

Cropredy itself has done a lot to push the brand upmarket. Whereas the number and quality of Interceptor

ABOVE Leather cabin should be easy to retrim if required, but check potential buys for missing parts. specialists grow and shrink in accordance with car values, Cropredy Bridge has over 40 years’ experience with Jensens. This hard-earned expertise can be seen in the quality of the products and services it offers.

While in the past, low values meant many Interceptors ended up in the hands of people who were either unwilling or unable to carry out proper maintenance, the current generation of owners are far more likely to take their cars to specialists such as Cropredy. “The increase in requests for both restorations and upgrades shows that clients see value in the cars – and that bodes well for the brand’s future,” elaborates Matthew.

T H E D E S I R A B I L I T Y FA C T O R Most desirable classics tend to be the limited-edition variants or quirky off-shoots from the main models.

However, according to Cropredy Bridge, most of its customers are quite happy with the more plentiful ‘standard’ Interceptors. That’s not to say the very rare coupé and convertibles are not in demand, but

‘Interceptor has been experiencing something of a resurgence in recent times’

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as the market stands, it’s the hatchback bodystyle that’s getting most of the attention at the moment.

“Not everybody fully understands the differences between the standard cars and the more powerful Six-Pack SP models,” explains Matthew. “Our most common models are MkIIIs, and most customers prefer the hatch bodystyle to the ultra-rare coupé.”

Matthew does mention that some of the rare models such as the fourwheel-drive FF have now gone well above the six-figure mark, with some commanding up to £150,000, whereas in the past very few ever came close to £100,000. The convertibles were only introduced in 1974, and their rarity (267 built in total) has seen them change hands for £100,000-up. This has also had a knock-on effect for the rest of the Interceptor range, and a MkI manual (one of 22 built) was recently auctioned for nearly £90,000.

That being said, Matthew feels auction houses aren’t great for a Jensen in poor condition. These cars tend to sell for well below market value, which lowers the brand’s overall perception. And while this may seem like a great way to get a bargain, there’s a certain level you don’t want to go below, as the restoration costs could far outweigh any initial savings.

T H E N U T S A N D B O LT S The choice between buying a fully restored or a project car is a personal one, and there’s still value to be had in renovating the right example. While originality is key for many clients, the restoration route does allow you to pick from a range of proven Cropredy

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upgrades that can transform the drive without diminishing the car’s inherent character.

“The bodywork is the most important aspect to consider when buying an Interceptor,” says Matthew.

“It’s the most expensive area to get right, and you need to know what you are looking for.” While you can leave the entire process to him and his team of experts, if you prefer sourcing your own car the company also offers a remote assessment service. This costs a few hundred pounds, but it can save you thousands in the long run.

Neglect and poor servicing in the past have tarnished the Interceptor’s reputation. However, the running gear is generally robust, and parts are relatively easy to source, too.

The Chrysler V8, whether in 7.2 or 6.3-litre form, is a low-stressed unit, and rebuilds are not walletdraining exercises. Overheating is the most common problem, although the cast-iron head and block make warping a rare occurrence even if this does happen. The majority of cars came equipped with the Chrysler Torqueflite three-speed auto, and fluid leaks are the main issues here.

The suspension is robust, too, although later models have a more complex double-wishbone set-up, which can feel imprecise when the bushes are worn. New springs and dampers are generally all that is needed to get a car feeling right.

While the leather-clad interior should be easy to retrim if required, it can start getting pricey if too many trim pieces are missing. Cropredy also offers a bespoke interior refit which includes a leather dashboard, Alcantara headlining and a wood veneer or leather console.

When assessing whether a car is worth restoring, it helps to work backwards from what a goodcondition Interceptor would sell for.

A decent MkIII can fetch £80,000, so if you find one for £50,000 then be sure to get it professionally

TIMELINE

J E NS E N

1968

1969

Interceptor II drops the manual transmission option but gets major interior updates. The grille is also revised, as are the rear lights. Air-conditioning becomes an option.

ABOVE ‘Standard’ hatchback is currently getting the most attention in the Interceptor marketplace. assessed to see that the repairs do not exceed the £30,000 mark.

THE FINAL DECISION When viewed from an investment perspective, the Interceptor definitely seems to be coming of age. Values have been steadily rising over the past few years, and the general condition of surviving models has been improving, too – no doubt spurred on by the quality restorations that are now commonplace.

Buying with a view to carrying out a comprehensive refit may yield a decent return on your investment, but if you find a ‘bargain’ basketcase it may end up as a donor car, which could cost you more in the long run.

Prices vary wildly, with examples requiring significant work starting at £30,000 while near-perfect restorations of the rare convertibles can go for up to £150,000. There are plenty of clean examples that hover around the £80,000 mark, and one of these with a verifiable history can make for a solid investment.

If you’re smitten with the idea of an Interceptor but want something extra special, the experts at Cropredy

Bridge have combined their four decades of experience into one very special offering. The Interceptor CB incorporates every proven upgrade currently available, from ride comfort to interior luxury and mechanical dependability. This no-compromise, zero-mile rebuild is then tailored to the customer’s exacting requirements, resulting in a classic grand tourer with none of the classic car troubles.

The price for such automotive perfection? It’s £249,000 excluding the donor car and any applicable taxes.

In addition, Cropredy Bridge will be launching some exciting new offerings in 2019, with a number of different packages ranging from near-stock to custom, all united by better-than-factory fit and finish.

“This development has been going on behind the scenes for a number of years,” explains Matthew. “Alongside all our work restoring significant historic examples to exacting original specification, it gives us a unique insight into the Interceptor.”

Being confident enough to offer such premium products and services is a good indicator of where the market is heading for these vehicles.

Thanks to dedicated specialists such as Cropredy, the future is looking very bright indeed for this quirky and oh-so British grand-touring classic.

1966-1969 INTERCEPTOR I

1969-1971 INTERCEPTOR II

1971-1976 INTERCEPTOR III

1966-1971 INTERCEPTOR FF

ENGINE POWER TOP SPEED 0-60MPH

ENGINE POWER TOP SPEED 0-60MPH

ENGINE POWER TOP SPEED 0-60MPH

ENGINE POWER TOP SPEED 0-60MPH

PRICING

PROJECT £15,000-30,000

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/

Jensen Interceptor launched with 6.3-litre V8 and either three-speed auto or (very rare) manual ’box option. Revolutionary FF four-wheel-drive option is also introduced.

Power steering becomes standard fitment towards the end of the year.

T H E D E TA I L S 7.2-LITRE V8 325BHP 133MPH 7.3SEC

1966

7.2-LITRE V8 305-330BHP 137MPH 6.4SEC

GOOD £60,000-90,000

6.3-LITRE V8 330BHP 133MPH 7.4SEC

CONCOURS £85,000-150,000 (FF AND CONVERTIBLES)

6.3-LITRE V8 325BHP 130MPH 8.4SEC

1971

Interceptor III gets larger-capacity 7.2-litre V8 (LHD cars initially) but power is down due to lower compression. Cabin revised again, air-conditioning becomes standard in the latter part of the year.

1972

RHD models receive the new 7.2-litre V8 five months into the year.

1973

Interceptor III S4 gets another round of interior changes.

1974

The Interceptor convertible is introduced, intended for the US market but sold in Europe as well.

267 built in total.

1975

Company goes into receivership, but production is allowed to continue until all the parts run out.

1976

Last Series III Interceptor built as company finally closes its doors.

P O ST O R I G I N A L P RO D U CT I O N

1983

Private investors relaunch the Interceptor as the Series IV, a bespoke, very low-volume version of the Series III with a 5.9-litre V8.

1990

Company is sold to an engineering firm.

1993

Receivers are called in once again, to liquidate the engineering firm. Around 36 Series IV Interceptors have ended up being built.

1959 1960 ALFA ROMEO ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA SZ-1 SPRINT SPECIALE

Hagerty prices show how a Zagato compares with a regular production model in price and appreciation W O R D S D AV I D L I L L Y W H I T E

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1968 LANCIA FULVIA SPORT ZAGATO

$424,000 (84.35%)

1986 1986 ASTON MARTIN ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE V8 ZAGATO SIII COUPÉ COUPÉ

WE KNOW THAT a Zagato version of a particular model will be rarer than a non-Zagato. We know that it will attract more attention. We also know that the styling is likely to be more divisive, and build quality sometimes less predictable – at least from cars built by Zagato in the 1970s and ’80s.

But how does the value of a Zagato model compare with its non-Zagato equivalent? We have compared the values of six Zagato-bodied cars from the 1950s to the 2000s to their regular production cousins over the past five years in the UK and the USA, using Hagerty Price Guide figures.

Hagerty compiles these prices from auctions, dealers, details of the values of private sales as reported by willing insured clients and reviews of estimated values from the most popular classic websites.

1989 ALFA ROMEO SZ

$48,900 (4.94%)

£37,100 (4.8%)

($75,000 N/A)

£62,100 (11.29%)

£12,400 (75 3.0 V6) (103.28%)

$15,100 (16.15%)

1989 ALFA ROMEO MILANO VERDE

£267,000 (ONLY ADDED LAST YEAR)

$486,000 (112.23%) $296,000 (65.83%) 1968 LANCIA FULVIA 1.3 SI COUPÉ

Zagato’s impact on market values

1 54

(84.35%) FIVE-YEAR CHANGE

£180,400 (125.5%) 1961 1961 ASTON MARTIN ASTON MARTIN DB4 GT DB4 GT ZAGATO LIGHTWEIGHT

$45,500 (53.20%)

US$, GBP ,000s

100

£26,500 (46.5%)

200

$30,600 (84.34%)

$175,000 (8.02%)

300

£134,600* (26.9%)

400

£15,300 (51.49%)

$425,000 (40.26%)

500

£323,000 (27.24%)

1000

US ZAGATO VERSION PRICES UK ZAGATO VERSION PRICES

NOT TRACKED

5000

US NON-ZAGATO VERSION PRICES UK NON-ZAGATO VERSION PRICES

$9,900,000 (36.55%) £8,780,000 (34.05%)

$3,400,000 (70.00%)

10,000

£1,850,000 (35.14%)

M A R K E T A NA LYS I S

2003 2003 ASTON MARTIN ASTON MARTIN DB7 VANTAGE DB7 ZAGATO COUPÉ

The six models are: 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale vs SZ-1 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Lightweight vs DB4 GT Zagato 1968 Lancia Fulvia 1.3 SI Coupé vs Fulvia Sport Zagato 1986 Aston Martin V8 Vantage SIII Coupé vs V8 Zagato Coupé 1989 Alfa Romeo Milano (75) Verde vs SZ 2003 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Coupé vs DB7 Zagato The figures indicate that Zagatobodied cars are worth an average of 243 percent more than non-Zagato cars, and have appreciated around 19 percent faster over the past five years.

The consensus is that while Zagato’s design involvement adds value, an increase in value has more to do with the look, pedigree and exclusivity.

Telephone 01753 644599

RUNNYMEDE MOTOR COMPANY

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Telephone 01753 644599

STON

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ARTIN IN THE

THAMES VALLEY

RUNNYMEDE MOTOR COMPANY

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STON

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ARTIN IN THE

Mobile 07836 222111

Mobile 07836 222111

THAMES VALLEY

1988 Ferrari Testarossa finished in Rosso Corsa with Crema Hide interior. This is a very 1998 Ferrari 355 GTS F1 finished in Rosso Corsa with Nero Hide with red stitching. This is a fine example that has had only 5 owners from new and is in superlative condition as to be very pretty example of the marque that has covered a relatively high mileage of 89,000 but expected from an 80’s Supercar that has covered only 21,000 miles. This is a twin mirror has always been well maintained and comes with a full maintenance record which includes example and comes with a comprehensive service history together with numerous MOT all cam belt changes, the next of which is not due until 2019. Fitted with the GTS removable certificates all of which back up the low mileage of this fine motor car. Both the exterior roof panel which stows behind the seats, air conditioning 5 spoke alloy wheels, paddleshift 1962 Jaguar E type,interior Seriesare One 3.8 FHCunmarked finishedand in British with beige hide interior.

This LHD example wasP the subject of just a full restoand Ferrari wing badges.

A new set of Pirelli Zeros have only been fitted coachwork and the sumptuous completely the car Racing has only Green just transmission and a new mot will accompany the car together withatthe benefit of a 12 month had a full cambelt service refinishing of the cam covers Ferrari experts London,wire ration around 20and years ago with minimal usewith since.

Sitting onQV chrome wheels, the certificate car is superb to drive and priced to sell £79,950 an invoice for which is on file. Competitively priced for such a low mileage example at £137,500 warranty which is annually renewable. Sensibly priced at £65,000.

1988 Ferrari Testarossa finished in Rosso Corsa with Crema Hide interior. This is a very fine example that has had only 5 owners from new and is in superlative condition as to be expected from an 80’s Supercar that has covered only 21,000 miles. This is a twin mirror example and comes with a comprehensive service history together with numerous MOT certificates all of which back up the low mileage of this fine motor car. Both the exterior coachwork and the sumptuous interior are completely unmarked and the car has only just had a full cambelt service and refinishing of the cam covers with Ferrari experts QV London, an invoice for which is on file. Competitively priced for such a low mileage example at £137,500

1998 Ferrari 355 GTS F1 finished in Rosso Corsa with Nero Hide with red stitching. This is a very pretty example of the marque that has covered a relatively high mileage of 89,000 but has always been well maintained and comes with a full maintenance record which includes all cam belt changes, the next of which is not due until 2019. Fitted with the GTS removable roof panel which stows behind the seats, air conditioning 5 spoke alloy wheels, paddleshift transmission and Ferrari wing badges. A new set of Pirelli P Zeros have only just been fitted and a new mot certificate will accompany the car together with the benefit of a 12 month warranty which is annually renewable. Sensibly priced at £65,000.

The 365 GTC/4 shares the chassis, wheelbase, suspension and engine with the 365 Daytona. 2009 Ferrari California Spider finished in Tour de France Blue with biscuit hide interior. This In the Pininfarina designed 2+2, the engine was slightly detuned from the Daytona to 340bhp, is a beautiful example that has covered just over 37,000 miles and comes with Ferrari service the suspension set-up was slightly softer and power-steering and air conditioning were history. The 4300cc engine produces 435 BHP and 358 lbs of torque and has a top speed of 193the mph.

This cleverly designed coupe convertible is both and practical for use in fitted as standard.

However, withRoadster only 500 being produced such a close relationship 1964 Jaguar E type in Carmen redand with black hide.

It has been subject of a full restoration and is perfect toversatile drive. £159,950 with the iconic Daytona, the 365 GTC/4 has remained an under-appreciated and under- all weathers and the cockpit remains cosy with the roof open even at very high speeds. The valued car, making it an enticing investment opportunity. This 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC4 is a specification includes Carbon ceramic brakes with yellow callipers, DVD navigation system LHD, concours example (a term we rarely use), finished in black with black hide interior and with 6.5” screen, Bi-Xenon headlamps, front and rear parking censors, Wing badges, alloy pedals, sitting on perfect Borrani wire wheels. It has had just one owner for the past 27 years during full Ferrari tool kit, climate control and a fully retractable electric roof. The car has had just 2 which time it has formed part of an important collection, rubbing shoulders with an early previous owners and has been well kept throughout and is competitively priced at £74,950.

2009 Ferrari California Spider finished in Tour de France Blue with biscuit hide interior. This The 365 shares the chassis, wheelbase, suspension engine with 365 Daytona.

Testarossa andGTC/4 a 275 GTB 4 cam and other iconic motor cars. Itand comes with anthe original book is a beautiful example that has covered just over 37,000 miles and comes with Ferrari service Pininfarina designed 2+2, the engine was slightly detuned frombooklet the Daytona to 340bhp, pack inInathe leather bound wallet including the original Ferrari warranty and both sets the suspension set-up was slightly softer and power-steering and air conditioning were history. The 4300cc engine produces 435 BHP and 358 lbs of torque and has a top speed of of original tools. A full service has just been completed and the car is now completely ready fitted as standard. However, with only 500 being produced and such a close relationship 193 mph. This cleverly designed coupe convertible is both versatile and practical for use in for use. Fitted as standard with air conditioning, this car has Ferrari Classiche certification with the iconic Daytona, the 365 GTC/4 has remained an under-appreciated and under- all weathers and the cockpit remains cosy with the roof open even at very high speeds. The and is valued Probably The Best in the World. £365,000. car, making it an enticing investment opportunity. This 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC4 is a specification includes Carbon ceramic brakes with yellow callipers, DVD navigation system LHD, concours example (a term we rarely use), finished in black with black hide interior and with 6.5” screen, Bi-Xenon headlamps, front and rear parking censors, Wing badges, alloy pedals, sitting on perfect Borrani wire wheels. It has had just one owner for the past 27 years during full Ferrari tool kit, climate control and a fully retractable electric roof. The car has had just 2 which time it has formed part of an important collection, rubbing shoulders with an early previous owners and has been well kept throughout and is competitively priced at £74,950.

Testarossa and a 275 GTB 4 cam and other iconic motor cars. It comes with an original book pack in a leather bound wallet including the original Ferrari warranty booklet and both sets of original tools. A full service has just been completed and the car is now completely ready for use. Fitted as standard with air conditioning, this car has Ferrari Classiche certification and is Probably The Best in the World. £365,000.

1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello finished in Grigio Titanio with contrasting Burgundy hide interior. This is an exceptional example The coachwork is completely unblemished and the sumptuous Burgundy interior shows no signs of wear. Only 31,000 miles and maintained correctly by Ferrari main dealers and Ferrari specialists. Very sensibly priced for one in this exceptional condition at £125,000 1990 Ferrari 328 GTS finished in Rosso Corsa with Crème hide interior and red carpet 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS finished in Rosso Corsa with Crème hide interior. This is an extremely throughout. The 328 GTS was designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti. This beautiful well maintained motor car that has covered above average mileage but has been regularly example comes with a very comprehensive service history and during the most recent maintained regardless of cost. The condition of this motor car belies the mileage and custodians ownership it has been regularly serviced by the well-respected Ferrari preparers, both body and interior are in very good condition. Accompanying the car is a detailed QV in Windsor. As an original UK supplied right hand drive model, this car is a very record of past works including all cam belt changes, together with an original book pack. collectable classic and becoming increasingly difficult to find in this condition at what we It will be supplied with the benefit of a 12 month comprehensive warranty and a fresh mot consider to be a realistic price level. The car has the benefit of a maintenance portfolio certificate. Undoubtedly one of the most inexpensive 308’s currently available at £57,500. full of1990 service receipts likes ofin QV, Lancaster, BobCrème Houghton, Neal Ferrari 328 by GTSthe finished Rosso Corsa with hide Talacrest, interior and redLucas carpet 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS finished in Rosso Corsa with Crème hide interior. This is an extremely and Monaco Motors. justdesigned completed a full cambelt service and the This fitting of a well maintained motor car that has covered above average mileage but has been regularly throughout.

The QV 328 have GTS was

by Pininfarina and built

by Scaglietti. beautiful new clutch.

The car sits on its original factory alloy wheels all of which are in excellent example comes with a very comprehensive service history and during the most recent maintained regardless of cost. The condition of this motor car belies the mileage and condition.

The original book pack is supplied with the car in its original leather bound wallet custodians ownership it has been regularly serviced by the well-respected Ferrari preparers, both body and interior are in very good condition. Accompanying the car is a detailed and contains all of the As relevant documentation together with drive 2 setsmodel, of keys.this Thecar Ferrari QV in Windsor. an original UK supplied right hand is a 328 very record of past works including all cam belt changes, together with an original book pack. has always had the strong being one of thetomost Ferraris produced collectable classic andreputation becoming for increasingly difficult find reliable in this condition at what we It will be supplied with the benefit of a 12 month comprehensive warranty and a fresh mot and the mileagetospeaks volumes.

Realistically consider be a realistic price level. The priced car has£65,950. the benefit of a maintenance portfolio certificate. Undoubtedly one of the most inexpensive 308’s currently available at £57,500. full of service receipts by the likes of QV, Lancaster, Bob Houghton, Talacrest, Neal Lucas More Astons can be by visiting our website at www.runnymedemotorcompany.com or please call Martin Brewer for more details on any of our cars. and Monaco Motors.

QVfound have just completed a full cambelt service and the fitting of a new clutch. The car sits on its original factory alloy wheels all of on which are in excellent We are seriously low stock, please telephone if you have an Aston Martin to sell. condition. The original book pack is supplied with the car in its original leather bound wallet 1965 Bentley in Bordeaux together with a black interior with perfect and contains all of S3 the finished relevant documentation with 2hide sets of keys. The Ferrari 328 Walnut Veneers. Presented in excellent condition throughout having had just 4 former keepers, thisreputation car was kept in the for many years and maintained to an extremely high standard. Very realistically priced at £49,950 has always had the strong for being onesame of thefamily most reliable Ferraris produced and the mileage speaks volumes. Realistically priced £65,950.

Email: sales@runnymedemotorcompany.com www.runnymedemotorcompany.com I-254604.indd 1

We currently havebe35found cars in which can be at found by visiting our website at www.runnymedemotorcompany.com please call on Martin for More Astons can bystock visiting our website www.runnymedemotorcompany.com or please call Martin Brewer foror more details any ofBrewer our cars.

18/01/2018 more details on any We of our We are on telephone stock, please telephone you have something are cars. seriously lowseriously on stock,low please if you have an ifAston Martin to sell. interesting to sell.

Email: sales@runnymedemotorcompany.com www.runnymedemotorcompany.com

17:32

HOW TO. . .

sea freight, the battery will need to be isolated, too, to allow it to ship as a non-hazardous item.

E N S U R E YO U ’ R E I N S U R E D

The import/ export question Want to ship your classic car between continents? Which of the various methods is best for you?

W O R D S J O H N TA L L O D I

WHETHER YOU ARE looking to import a newly acquired classic, or wish to enter your pride and joy in a foreign concours, knowing the most suitable transportation methods for your particular situation can save a great deal of time and money.

To most enthusiasts, the process of transporting their vehicle overseas is one they’d rather not deal with, as the prospect of tackling paperwork, procedures and complex import laws can be daunting. As with most things, however, understanding the process can make all the difference.

To shed some light on the subject, we enlisted the services of transport specialist Cosdel. It has been handling some of the world’s most valuable cars for over half a century, and offers a turnkey service that takes the stress out of the process at every stage.

Deciding the best transportation method comes down to individual cases. Factors such as vehicle age, whether import is temporary or permanent, plus the urgency of the situation, all have a bearing on the final decision. The destination country and, to a lesser extent, the point of departure are also important considerations. We ran some of these scenarios past the Cosdel experts to get a clearer understanding of the process – and while some examples are from a UK-based perspective, much of the advice and information is relevant globally.

A I R O R S E A : W H AT ’ S THE BEST CHOICE? The first question most people ask is whether they should use air or sea

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freight. Cosdel logistics specialist Peter Matcham says the biggest differences between the two are the timescale and costs involved: “Ocean transport can take around 30-35 days between the UK and the US West Coast – and that’s just port to port.

It doesn’t include the time to collect, load and complete export formalities.” The benefit comes in the form of a cost saving of between two and four times less than sending your classic via air freight.

Air freight is a far less timeconsuming process, though, as your vehicle is collected, transported and delivered in around four days. These timeframes also apply to vehicles coming into the UK from the US. The pricing differentials vary based on the time of year and factors such as what consumables are being shipped between countries.

TO RO-RO OR NOT TO RO-RO While Ro-Ro (Roll-on, Roll-off) can sometimes be the most cost-effective sea-shipping method, Cosdel will not use it as the vehicle will be exposed to the elements for the duration of the voyage. This is clearly not a suitable option for high-value classic cars. Shipping containers are far safer, and depending on size can take up to three vehicles at a time – so lowering overall costs.

Vehicles sent via air freight are generally driven or rolled onto the airplane. However, Cosdel will not start up a vehicle unless specifically instructed to do so by the owner. It’s generally best practice to drain all fuel beforehand and, in the case of

Perhaps one of the most overlooked yet most important aspects of classic car transport is the insurance. The air/sea freight decision also has a bearing here, as the length of insurance will be far shorter if you choose to fly the car to its destination.

Savings clawed back here can shrink the pricing gap a little between the two methods, so a final decision should be made only once you’ve been quoted for both options. As a general rule of thumb, insurance costs approximately two percent of a vehicle’s value.

Insurance is particularly important when using sea freight, as Peter says that in the event of the sea vessel suffering significant damage, both the shipping operator and the cargo owners are liable.

TEMPORARY EXPORTS Perhaps you’re planning to travel overseas to attend a concours d’elegance, take part in a classic rally or display your vehicle at an event.

Here, a temporary export is the preferred way to ship your motor.

In this case, vehicles over 50 years old that won’t be away from the UK for more than six months can be shipped without a specific licence, as they are covered by an open general export licence.

Says Peter: “Where documentation is concerned, when a car is destined for temporary export and return, simply a declaration by the shipper explaining their wishes would be sufficient. It would have to include enough details to identify the vehicle both at export and upon return.”

The benefit here is that taxes and duties wouldn’t be payable upon the vehicle’s return, which can amount to a significant saving.

PERMANENT EXPORTS Selling or buying a vehicle that will be travelling overseas permanently?

The rules here are slightly different.

Export licences aren’t required for ordinary vehicles less than 50 years old. You’ll need one, however, if your car is older and valued over £65,000.

A bill of sale and other documentation must also be provided.

IMPORTING PECULIARITIES Each country has its own laws and procedures regarding the importation of vehicles. The most onerous requirements are generally placed on newer models, in an attempt by respective Governments to protect local motor industries. Certain peculiarities are worth noting, though – and this is where using a global turnkey transport company becomes very beneficial.

If you are exporting to Australia, it has a zero-tolerance attitude to asbestos being present in the vehicle.

Certain American classics and older vehicles still equipped with their original brake pads are the most likely to contain traces of asbestos.

To avoid any penalties and expensive testing, it is important to source an asbestos-free certificate from the country of origin beforehand.

New Zealand and Canada prefer the vehicle to have received a thorough both clean inside and out to ensure that foreign organic matter such as plant remnants or wood are not being imported with the vehicle.

The US requires that any wood used in the loading and securing of the vehicle should be compliant with the country’s ISPM15 standard.

There are, of course, plenty of laws governing the importing of vehicles, too, which are liable to change without much notice. In the near future the Brexit uncertainty is sure to have an impact on the rules governing the movement of classic cars in and out of the UK, so getting clarification on what needs to be done beforehand is vital to ensuring that everything goes smoothly.

USE AN EXPERT The wealth of knowledge and expertise that’s available from shipping and logistics companies such as Cosdel can make all the difference between a pleasant experience and a frustrating (and potentially very expensive) one. Deciding which transportation method is ideal for your valuable classic is best left to the experts, as their years of experience will help ensure that your pride and joy arrives at its destination safely and cost effectively. Our thanks to Peter Matcham and his team at Cosdel for their valuable input.

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THANKS TO HALL & HALL. PHOTO BY MATTHEW HOWELL

COL L EC T IONS

Why air-conditioning isn’t always a good idea So says a man who knows a thing or two about storing cars; the former curator of the Bernie Ecclestone collection WORDS ROBERT DEAN

I WAS RECENTLY asked about the benefit of fitting a full heating, cooling, air-conditioned/dehumidified whizz-bang system in a building containing nice cars. Well, it’s difficult to quantify as, of course, each location and its contents are unique.

For the most part I recommend a really good heating system spread over the whole building. It’s better to use a number of smaller heaters than a single big one. A good spread of thermostat-managed heat is the way forward, and since the summers are quite hot now, we at the collection fitted some big ceiling fans. These ran constantly during the warm months, distributing the hot air downwards.

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The building I managed was a huge ex-RAF workshop, with thickish walls but minimal insulation and a few drafts. Cars with burnished-steel suspension never rusted in ten years, and lovely leather trim never went hard or mouldy. I always advocate leaving a window open in saloon cars, as although the interior can get a bit dusty it never gets musty.

A visiting Californian collector once asked about our ‘air-treatment system’, and after I explained how I managed ours he looked at me with some disdain. He then told me all about the set-up he’d just installed in his LA storage building, and how it had cost nearly a million dollars. He

also told me that my way was not the best way to treat vehicles etc, etc…

During his visit, I went to great lengths to show him that there was no rust or mould on the cars, and told him I only ever had to give them a dust or a light going-over with a detail spray to keep them nice. I don’t know whether he ever agreed with me, but his parting shot as he left was: “Well, I’ve fitted it now, and I think it’s great!”

Air-con and dehumidification are a big no-no for me, and I consider them completely unnecessary in a ‘proper’ building. OK, though, if your car is in a pre-fab garage, then certainly put it in one of the blow-up bags, as these work quite well.

I once had to pick up a vintage American car, and while I can’t remember what it was, I do recall that it had a wooden-structure body with wooden artillery-type wheels. It had been kept in a beautiful building that had been dehumidified and airconditioned inside, and you had to go through an air lock to get in and out.

The car started okay, but as I drove it out it creaked and groaned. The wheels knocked and crackled as they turned, and they felt so loose I refused to drive any further. Much to the owner’s amazement I put the vehicle in a slated barn, which was secured with alarms, and told him to leave it there for two or three weeks.

When I returned, it was a different car. Although the wheels still squeaked

a bit, things were much improved.

The doors shut nicely, and the vehicle didn’t feel like it was going to reduce itself to kit form within the mile.

This is a trick I learned from the painter John Constable. Remember The Hay Wain? Well, the cart is not in the river by accident; not only is the horse getting a drink, but on a hot day the wheels are being soaked to tighten up the spokes before the hay is loaded up. Isn’t wood a wonderful material?

The dehumidifier had dried out the American car to such an extent that the vehicle was frankly dangerous – and I’ve never liked such set-ups since.

Also, I have heard stories of modern cars with complicated electronics being affected with something called ‘dry joint’, which is where an electrical plug and socket appear to stop connecting, or connect intermittently, because there’s no moisture in the air.

No, I don’t pretend to understand that, either, but it is a genuine problem. It can be fixed by unplugging the two halves and plugging them back into each other again – but, of course, you’ve got to find the right blinkin’ plug, and it’s usually buried deep in the bowels of the engine bay.

As a final note, the real secret is to keep the temperature as constant as possible. Ours varied between 15-22 degrees with our heaters coming on and off in different parts of the building at various times to maintain the status quo. And don’t forget… keep it simple.

PORSCHE CARRERA 2 2000 GS COUPE 1963

1of 6 Right hand drive UK examples, 4 Cam engine, matching numbers. Factory sunroof.

MERCEDES BENZ 300 SL GULLWING 1955

PORSCHE 911 2.7 RS LIGHTWEIGHT 1973

1of 17 Right Hand Drive examples, M471 Lightweight, Limited slip differential, Matching numbers, Driver’s door mirror.

AC ACE BRISTOL LEFT HAND DRIVE 1959

Used sparingly since total restoration, Correct matching numbers.

Ground up restoration just completed, Overdrive gearbox option.

FERRARI SUPERAMERICA LEFT HAND DRIVE 2005

PORSCHE 911 964 RS LIGHTWEIGHT LEFT HAND DRIVE 1992

F1 Gearbox, Satellite navigation, Nero carpets. Only1,500 miles with recent service and belt change performed.

17” Cup alloy wheels, 5 speed transmission, Airbag deletion, Power steering.

SALES • SERVICE • RESTORATION Over 100 cars on display at our London showroom 82-92 Great North Road, London, N2 0NL. Main switchboard: +44(0) 2083 485151 • Please visit www.hexagonclassics.com to find out more •

HEXAGON CLASSICS since 1963

We are actually seeking similar cars to purchase contact Tim Phillipson on +44(0) 7736 131009

For sales call Jonathan Franklin on +44(0) 7522 911911 or Jonathan Ostroff on +44(0) 7801 629270

L EGA L A DV IC E

Auction action; what you need to know Buying a classic at auction can be a minefield. Our motoring-specialist solicitor steers you through it W O R D S C L I V E R O B E R T S O N , H E A LY S L L P

ON FEBRUARY 26, 1990, I was sitting with my father in the ADT Auction Centre at Blackbushe, Surrey.

We were awaiting a Jaguar Sovereign V12, a minimal-mileage, main dealer demonstrator. At the call of “going twice”, dad made his first, successful bid. The auctioneer remarked that seeing members of the public in attendance was unusual but welcome.

The auction catalogue consisted of 12 pages showing 125 entries, each with a single-line description. Notes to Buyers referred to Conditions of Sale; found exhibited around the premises or in small-print available free from the office, these stated: “It’s important that prospective purchasers read these before bidding.”

Pre-auction examination of the Jag and its title consisted of a brief appraisal of condition, plus a check of the logbook and service record.

Buying at auction was then relatively straightforward and risk free.

THE BACKGROUND The notion of the classic car being more than a casual hobby gathered pace in the 1990s. The auction houses developed to cater for more than just the trade buyer; the new clientele was looking to drive something less than everyday, or to invest, or for a way to better enjoy their pension fund. In order to cope with this new market, auction buying got more complicated.

To accommodate this less practiced buyer, the business needed to expand and clarify its ways of working.

Now, specialist classic and collector auctions are held almost weekly. There

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are also one-make auctions. Values have soared, and at the top of the market the car has become art. Of course, the buying process has become commensurately more complicated.

Terms and conditions now run to at least ten pages, with forms of contract between seller and buyer, and buyer and auction house, annexed to the catalogue. Documentation inspection must be viewed through a new prism.

The law about purchases generally is set out in an ancient Latin maxim, “caveat emptor”; “let the buyer beware”. It’s the buyer’s duty to make the running, ask questions, inspect and interrogate. If the buyer neglects to act diligently, the fault can rest in only one place. The law regarding car purchases specifically is governed by the catalogue T&Cs, and to a lesser extent by statute – the Sale of Goods Act 1979. The T&Cs will deal with the following issues as a minimum.

The role of the auctioneer is paramount. They act solely for the seller, not the buyer. Statements made in the catalogue, or by the auctioneer or their staff, are taken to have been made by the seller. The seller appoints the auctioneer as an agent, and so it follows that the contract for sale is between the seller and buyer.

Some people mistakenly believe that the sale is by the auction house, as prior to the hammer dropping the buyer will probably have dealt with the house exclusively. The terms will therefore explicitly state that no duty of care is owed to the buyer.

The catalogue will briefly describe the car’s make, model year and

colour. Otherwise, the vehicle will be expressly sold ‘as is’. Cars are available for pre-auction inspection, and nonexpert buyers are encouraged to obtain professional advice. It’s for the buyer to satisfy themself as to history, provenance, condition, authenticity, age and road worthiness.

Catalogue estimates are usually shown in a range based upon the seller’s opinion. The projected figures don’t include VAT, buyer’s premium or other charges, such as storage.

The seller’s obligations to the buyer are couched in very restrictive language. The seller does not make any representations, or provide any warranties or guarantees, or give any binding promise in terms of the car’s quality or its fitness for purpose. Often the seller will not accept liability for negligent misstatements, breach of contract and misrepresentation under the Misrepresentation Act 1976.

In truth, for a buyer to recover from a seller at auction, proof will be needed of fraud or intention to deceive. The bar here is set high, as evidence of actual deceit will be required.

THE PROCESS As mentioned, the auction house has no obligation to the buyer by virtue of its role as agent for the seller until the hammer falls, and then only in the terms of obligations due by the seller to pay for and collect the car, and so forth. I dealt with one individual who didn’t pay the price due, saying he didn’t realise that having the car hammered down to him was the point at which the contract to buy came into being. By the way, risk passes at the time of contract, so the buyer must insure the vehicle, while title passes on payment and delivery.

Turning to costs, some clients can engage the auction process without grasping the extent of the costs involved. The buyer’s premium can vary from five to 25 percent of sale price. There may also be storage and/ or handling charges. Credit cards,

‘The role of the auctioneer is paramount. They act solely for the seller, not the buyer’

company and overseas debit cards usually incur a further two percent.

In addition, VAT will be due on the premium. Occasionally VAT will be due on the hammer price, but that should be indicated in the catalogue.

There may also be VAT due on certain imported cars.

So apart from understanding the auction process, what else must the prudent buyer do to ensure that expectations are fully met? Inspection is the key word – first of the documentation, and secondly of the car’s actual condition.

The documentation must be examined in fine detail. There should be a V5c showing the registered keeper’s name and address, to whom further enquiries can be made – and if the keeper isn’t the owner, who the latter is. The form also records VIN/ engine numbers, body configuration, number of seats, colour and so on.

Ministry of Transport test certificates show mileage. Service records record routine maintenance plus repairs and upgrades. For an historic car, there may be race and rally entries, and possibly private correspondence.

Where a never-registered race car has no logbook, V5c or MoTs, the documentation needs even closer scrutinisation. Factory records should be examined where possible. Onemake clubs often have access to vital, extensive historical documents. For a particularly valuable or rare car, the cost of engaging an automotive historian to verify provenance might be justifiable. A copy of the file should be taken to aid subsequent enquiries.

Assuming the paper examination reveals nothing untoward, the buyer should engage the services of an inspection engineer familiar with the model, or at least a mechanically knowledgeable friend. An independent third-party view will always be helpful. Model spec plus engine and chassis numbers should be verified.

Ensure claimed ‘matching numbers’ are indeed correct. I recently heard of a ‘matching number’ Jaguar Mark 2 3.8 purchase; not only was the engine number incorrect, but it was a 3.4.

Yes, it’s far more fun to go for a preauction lunch with friends then do a quick saleroom tour before going into action, but it’s all down to the individual. Lastly, I can tell you that our Sovereign V12 is still running beautifully, after some 82,000 miles.

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53 Stilebrook 5353Stilebrook Stilebrook 5353Road, Stilebrook Stilebrook Road, Road, Olney, Olney, Road, Olney, Road,Olney, Olney, Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire MK46 MK46 5EA,Olney, 5EA, UK MK46 5EA, MK46 UKUK 5EA, 5EA, UKUK 53 Stilebrook Road, 53MK46 Stilebrook Road, Olney, 53 StilebrookMK46 Road,5EA, Olney, Buckinghamshire UK 53 Stilebrook Road, Buckinghamshire MK46 Olney, 5EA, UK

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Telephone +44 01933 275377 Fax +44 01933 270931 E mail: info@spray-tecrestorations.co.uk

www.astonmartinrestorations.com

55 Rixon Road Finedon Road Industrial Estate Wellingborough Northants NN8 4BA

FOR SALE We are delighted to bring to market this fantastic Aston Martin DB4 Convertible Series 5, finished in the classic colour combination of Silver Birch with Red interior and the must have overdrive and electric windows.

This vehicle recently under went a total body off restoration by ourselves and BodyLines Specialist Panel Beaters. It is powered by a 4.2 Lt RS Williams engine to Vantage specification.

The car has enjoyed numerous continental road trips and covered just 11,000 miles since completion in 2016. This vehicle comes with a comprehensive restoration photographic recorded, V5C UK registration, fully serviced with 12 months Mot and is presented in faultless condition.

Further details and photographs available on our Web site or contact Adrian George. PRICE P.O.A

B E H I N D

T H E

L EG E N D

BEHIND THE LEGEND

Count Volpi on the Ferrari Breadvan Constructor and Serenissima team manager Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata reveals the story behind the legendary Ferrari 250 GT SWB Camionnette – or ‘Breadvan’

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While Serenissima was successful in motorsport, we needed a GT. But after the ‘great Ferrari walkout’ and my involvement in ATS, in February 1962 Enzo Ferrari refused to sell me two 250 GTOs he’d reserved for me.

I fell back on the Testa Rossa, which we took to Sebring in March.

Jo Bonnier and Lucien Bianchi won, ahead of the factory Ferrari and Olivier Gendebien and Graham Hill’s GTO. Sweet revenge! However, I still needed that GT, so Giotto Bizzarrini said: “Buy Gendebien’s.” This was the 1961 250 GT SWB in which he’d come second on the Tour de France Automobile. I gave it to Bizzarrini, who transformed it into the Camionnette (only later did the Brits call it the ‘Breadvan’); in a record 15 days, too! There were seven people working on it at the same time.

He concentrated on the centre of gravity, aerodynamics and weight. He lowered and pushed the engine back in the chassis, and adopted a drysump set-up. We found the car had a V12, 30-40bhp more than other 250 GTs. This explained why Gendebien was nearly always at the front.

To sort the brick-wall aerodynamics, a more slender nose was shaped on the car. Piero Drogo’s workshop was next to us, and some of his workers came to beat the metal into shape.

There was no design (the GTO had none, either), and the car took shape according to Bizzarrini’s instructions.

Our workshops were a long way from today’s impeccable repair ‘clinics’.

What came out of them was what mattered; nothing else bothered us.

The fantastic Camionnette gave me great satisfaction. It had remarkable road holding, and was lighter and more streamlined than the GTO. This largely compensated for its only flaw, a fourratio ’box instead of the GTO’s fivespeeder. If there had been a ’63 GTO, it would have been the Camionnette.

In June 1962, we entered it for Le Mans with Carlo Abate and Colin Davis. At the start, it poked fun at the factory GTOs by keeping up with the prototypes in seventh place. But at three hours the driveshaft broke; we discovered it was misaligned.

I’d entered two other cars. Bonnier and Dan Gurney’s Testa Rossa had no more luck, suffering a broken halfshaft for no reason. Race records wrongly talk of a broken ’box. And my GTO no. 58 also broke. I wondered if it hadn’t been sabotaged at assembly, as Ferrari didn’t like us. Modena was a real village; everyone knew everybody else, and I was an outsider…

We entered the Camionnette for various events after that. At an OllonVillars hillclimb in ’62 two GTOs left as soon as they saw us, not even lining up to start. Abate came fourth behind Jim Clark in an F1 Lotus, Bonnier in an F1 Porsche and Nino Vaccarella’s Testa Rossa. This gives you an idea of how competitive the car was.

I regularly used it around town.

Once, I was staying in Saint-Tropez with playboy Gunter Sachs. He asked me for the car to take his friend Betsy Motté to St-Raphaël station. Gunter set off, and further down the road he overtook a police car. The Camionnette

could hold the road like nothing else and take corners without slowing.

The cops lost sight of Sachs without understanding what had happened.

At St-Raphaël, he was stopped by police with machine guns, and Betsy slipped off to catch her train. He called me to pick him up. I found him amusing the police and a local journo, who just wanted to know if the girl was ex-Princess Soraya. “A gentleman dies, but doesn’t speak,” he answered.

Another time, I was dining at 3am in Tip-Top, a Monte Carlo restaurant.

Giovanni Agnelli came by and asked if he could borrow the Camionnette, as his driver had gone home. He was an excellent driver, and he lived in the villa Leopolda, in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. When I went to find the car, it had been painted black by his famous employee, Pasquale, from the screen to the rear, and with two black bonnet stripes. “As it looks like a hearse, we thought black would suit it,” Agnelli laughed. “But as it’s Sunday and we finished the pot of paint, the bonnet only has two stripes.” The car stayed like that for a while, and a model was even made of it in this colour.

Eventually, Rome’s Maserati dealer exchanged the Camionnette for a Dodge wagon. He had it on his books for ages, as no one wanted it. In the ‘trade’, no one kept cars. The prices just went down, and you could pick them up a few years later for nothing.

The collectors ended up with them.

Count Volpi will sell his three last Serenissima cars with Artcurial at Rétromobile in Paris on February 8.

FROM A N IN T E RV I EW B Y SERGE CORDEY FOR A RTCU R I AL

Count Volpi at work in the 1960s; his most famous creation, the Ferrari ‘Breadvan’, still races regularly at Goodwood.

1969 FERRARI 365 GTS 1 of only 20 made and the most powerful single overhead cam road-going Ferrari ever produced

SALES DEPARTMENT +44 (0)1242 384092 : GLOUCESTERSHIRE, GL7 5NX : INFO@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM : WWW.CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM

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1962 EX-WORKS O.S.C.A. 1600 GTS ZAGATO A one-oo Zagato-bodied car raced at Le Mans in 1962 and in the USA for the North American Racing Team

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