Octane 259 January 2025

GT SHOWDOWN! ASTON AND LAMBORGHINI

LOTUS VS TESLA

THE FIRST COLLECTABLE ELECTRIC CAR MEETS ITS FATHER MERCEDES REBORN

1924 TARGA FLORIO LEGEND GOES BACK TO SICILY

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Issue 259 January 2025

PAGE

Contents

60

‘HERE IT IS, IN SICILY ONCE MORE, TO TACKLE THOSE SAME ROADS 100 YEARS ON’ 1924 MERCEDES 2.0-LITRE TARGA FLORIO

44

72

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Contents Issue 259

96

86 Features

110

40 YEARS OF THE FERRARI 288 GTO 44 Driving Maranello’s seminal hypercar – and here’s its latest successor, the F80

THE BIG FIVE 58 The market ups and downs of 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari

1924 MERCEDES 2.0-LITRE 60 Back to Sicily in the newly restored survivor that helped score the Targa Florio team prize

GT SHOWDOWN! 72 Lamborghini 350 GT takes on the Aston Martin DB4 that inspired it

LOTUS vs TESLA 86 Tuned Elise takes the power fight back to the electric Roadster that kick-started Tesla PLUS VX220 to Hennessey: all the variants

THE OCTANE INTERVIEW 96 Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s ‘Mr GT-R’ PLUS Sayonara GT-R: driving the swansong version of the supercar-humbling coupé

GYRO-X 102 Meet the crazy, genre-defying two-wheel answer to a question nobody asked

PARIS SHOW GLAMOUR 110 The unique Talbot-Lago T26 GS Saoutchik Fastback Coupé that debuted in 1948 and wowed the crowds at Pebble Beach in 2024

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Contents Issue 259

Regulars

14

EVENTS & NEWS 14 Historic Motoring Awards winners announced, plus events and diary dates

COLUMNS 33 Incorrigible and incontrovertible: Jay Leno, Derek Bell, Stephen Bayley and Robert Coucher

LETTERS 41 ‘Junkyard king’ Rudi Klein remembered

OCTANE CARS 124 A bargain Mazda RX-8 joins the fleet

OVERDRIVE 132 Hyperactive Mini; latest from Aston Martin, McLaren, Dacia and AMG-Mercedes

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN 142 Len Terry of Eagle-Weslake V12 fame

GEARBOX 144 REVS founder Adam Gompertz

ICON 146 Germany’s AVUS circuit, scene of speed feats

CHRONO 148 Forget Rolex, just buy this cheap Casio

BOOKS 150

132

148

This month’s reading list kicks off with a treat for De Tomaso lovers

GEAR 152 Four pages packed with desirables

THE MARKET 160 Insider knowledge, auction news, stats, cars for sale, plus buy a cult Nissan Cube

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 194 Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann

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152

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REWRITING HISTORY

Issue 259 January 2025

WELCOME

FEATURING

FROM THE EDITOR

JOHN MAYHEAD ‘As an owner and enthusiast since my teens, I’ve always been interested in the classic car market. Data is good, but real insight comes from speaking to people: our hobby is an emotional one.’

The author, concours judge and editor of the UK Hagerty Price Guide analyses Ferrari’s ‘Big Five’ on pages 58-59.

FERRARI

Start me up IN 1984, I was still at school, probably segueing somewhat less than seamlessly out of an anarcho-punk phase and into a hippy one on the back of some thoroughly mediocre (‘very disappointing’, as my parents might have said) O-level results and had only five cares in the world: rugby, girls, cars, booze and cigarettes. Probably not in that order.

All the old red braces and Porsche 911 clichés aside, it was James Elliott, Editor in chief a time of great excess and, re-reading the above, I was obviously quite precocious in that respect. Life was lived fast, extravagant clothes and haircuts mattered immensely (though not to me) and image was everything. George Michael, pre-facelift first-gen Madonna v1.0, Dallas at its peak (never knowingly seen it), wine bars and Ghostbusters. All set against the backdrop of the miners’ strike and Ethiopian famine.

Personally, I didn’t do the glamour side of that era, but by golly Ferrari did. The moment I saw its new GTO in 1984 I was smitten. It combined all the best elements of Ferrari styling bravado à la 308 et al with real menace, a presence that commanded adulation and, to top it all, included hat-tips to the original GTO in those slatted gills. To look at Fioravanti’s work, it simultaneously seemed to be a natural progression as well as the start of something completely new for Ferrari, one of those periodic stepchanges that signal Maranello thrusting headlong into a new era.

I have no idea who decides these things but by some weird osmosis the Type F114 has retrospectively been declared the first Ferrari ‘halo car’ – clearly nonsense unless 1984 is the Ground Zero of your interest in cars – and the first of the much-vaunted ‘Big Five’, shortly to become the Big Six. On Wikipedia, its successor is unsurprisingly listed as the F40, but its immediate predecessor is apparently the 250 GTO. You have to feel a bit sorry for the similarly stunning and nearly as quick 365 GT4 BB and 512BB, though the twin-turbo V8 is without question a very different beast from the flat-12s.

The rest is a history that continues to be written.

ELLIOTT HUGHES ‘Thanks to my Gran Turismo days, the Nissan GT-R – especially the R35 – holds a special place in my heart. Interviewing Shiro Nakamura, the creator of this iconic JDM sports car, was a privilege.’

Elliott joins Octane from our sister publication Magneto. Read all about Mr GT-R on pages 96-99.

GLEN WADDINGTON ‘I had never previously visited Sicily, yet I was astonished by how much of it I recognised. That shows how impactful are those old images of some incredible sports cars blasting through the villages that cling to its vertiginous scenery.’

Find out how the 1924 Mercedes 2.0-litre Targa Florio fares a century on: pages 60-68.

COVER IMAGES LEE BRIMBLE / FERRARI

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Thank you to all car and plane owners who made 2024 so special.

Please email owners@heveninghamconcours.com for 2025.

Issue 259 January 2025

NEXT MONTH

EDITORIAL Editor-in-chief James Elliott james@octane-magazine.com

ISSUE 260, ON SALE 24 DECEMBER

Associate editor Glen Waddington glen@octane-magazine.com Art editor Robert Hefferon roberth@octane-magazine.com Markets editor Matthew Hayward matthew@octane-magazine.com Founding editor Robert Coucher Contributing editor Mark Dixon

MAX SERRA

EVAN KLEIN

Italian correspondent Massimo Delbò Design assistance Ruth Haddock Contributor Chris Bietzk

Inquiries to info@octane-magazine.com

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B:228 mm T:222 mm S:196 mm

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© Kevin Van Campenhout

The Silver Collection 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/Lusso 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona 2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta

Consign now

RÉTROMOBILE 2025 The Official Sale Consignment deadline: End of December 2024

Auction: 7 February 2025 Rétromobile Show

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artcurial.com/motorcars

The Month in Pictures

Ignition E V EN T S + NE WS + OPINION

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London Motor Week 28 October – 3 November This seven-day-long celebration of motoring started with a podcast recording at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall and encompassed seminars – ‘Fossil-fuelled motoring may be dead, but is the obituary being written for the internal combustion engine premature?’

– a slew of awards, an excellent motoring art exhibition, a tier 1 auction by RM Sotheby’s, and the closing of Pall Mall for an amazing free display covering the history of motoring, before culminating in the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. In its 129th year, the Brighton Run was as popular as ever with more than 350 veteran cars (plus a couple of younger special guests) setting off from Hyde Park. First to the coast was Shane Houlihan’s 1899 Panhard et Levassor.

Royal Automobile Club / Mercedes-Benz Classic

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT

HSCC Silverstone Finals

12-13 October Drama in Historic Formula Ford 2000 during the popular season finale meet.

Jeff Bloxham

Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion 20-21 September

Over 1000 vintage cars cruised down Euclid Ave in Ontario, California, USA. Howard Koby

VSCC Welsh Trial 12-13 October

Archie Collings and crew in their classand Presteigne Trophy-winning Bentley 3/4½ at Cwm Whitton. They finished third overall.

Joy Richings

Tour de Corse Historique 5-12 October

After five days of thrilling competition, Julien Saunier and Frédéric Vauclare (pictured) triumphed on their Tour de Corse Historique debut in a 1974 Porsche 911 3.0 RS. US great John Buffum made his Corsica debut… aged 81.

Classic Media

Malta Classic 10-13 October

Eclectic doesn’t start to describe the line-up for this hillclimb, concours and ‘Grand Prix’ based around the historic walled city of Mdina.

Peter Stevens

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

FROM TOP

Modena Cento Ore

6-11 October Ending in the Palazza Ducale in Modena, the four-day event encountered weather extremes of all types as crews tackled closed-road sections and track action (Misano and Mugello) while journeying through the Apennines in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.

Canossa Events

Classic Motor Show 8-10 November

The 40th anniversary of the Lancaster Insurance-sponsored show at the NEC in Birmingham was, as ever, a fabulous way to close the UK classic ‘season’, with hundreds of club displays, a vast autojumble, pride of ownership, Meguiar’s Showcase of club concours winners and more.

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Ignition The Month in Pictures

FROM TOP

Austria to Athens Challenge

29 September – 13 October A wonderful rally for pre-’77 cars over 2500 miles through the Balkans in 14 days.

Here is the Dutch pair of Anthony and Sonja Verloop in their 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SE. Clint Smith and Martin Jones won the Classic class in a 1965 Porsche 911.

Rally the Globe / Gerard Brown

Villa La Massa Excellence 12-13 October

Just 22 cars were displayed for the second event at the Florence villa that dates back to the 13th Century. Fritz Burkard’s Bugatti Centodieci (see Octane 237) took the Coppo d’Oro, while the Pininfarina Battista won the Innovation class.

Canossa Events

Benjafield’s 24 Hour Race 3-7 October

In 2014, in what was believed to be the first 24-hour race for vintage cars since 1939, Benjafield’s Racing Club descended on Portimão circuit in Portugal to honour the 90th anniversary of John Duff and Frank Clement’s 1924 Le Mans Victory in a 3 Litre. This year the club was back for the centenary with 25 pre-war Bentleys doing battle on the Algarve. The number 99 Bentley 3 Litre Speed of Getley, Wood, Galliers and Pratt claimed victory.

Jayson Fong 20

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by RUF in 2016

14 Queens Gate Place Mews London SW7 5BQ T: +44 (0)20 7584 3503 W: www.fiskens.com E: cars@fiskens.com

Ignition The Month in Pictures

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT

VSCC Cotswold Trial 26 October

Stephen Arkell (Singer Junior) crests one of the tests.

Peter McFadyen

Alfa Revival Cup 11-13 October

Giacomo Barri and Davide Bertinelli took the top spots in Round 5 at Mugello.

Canossa Events

Chattanooga Motorcar Festival 11-13 October

Three-day Tennessee event included a parade led by event founder Byron DeFoor with ex-racer David Hobbs.

Chattanooga Motorcar Festival

REVS Pilgrim Tour 11-13 October

Fourth year of the brilliant charity tour in Wales, which this year focused around the tiny cathedral city of St Davids.

Paddy James

2 Tours d’Horloge

1-3 November 18th edition of the non-stop 24-hour race at Paul Ricard won by a March 81S. VdeV Events

MRL Silverstone GP Meeting 19-20 October

A herd of Mustangs at the home of the British Grand Prix.

Jeff Bloxham

Algarve Classic Festival 25-27 October

Carrera Los 80 grid returned to timetable.

Carrera Los 80 22

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Ignition Events

Dates for your diary 9-12 January Autosport International Europe’s biggest indoor motorsport show returns to Birmingham’s NEC, where the headline attraction will be a whacking great display celebrating 75 years of F1.

autosportinternational.com

11-12 January VSCC Measham Rally The VSCC’s famously testing overnight navigation rally, run this year on the roads of rural Leicestershire.

vscc.co.uk

12 January Traversée de Paris Classic vehicles trundle across Paris in convoy, the route taking them past some of the city’s world-famous landmarks.

The Winter Trial, 26-31 January | Image: Classic Events

vincennesenanciennes.com

29 November – 1 December

1-5 December

15 December

Ferrari Concorso d’Eleganza Sydney

1000 Miglia Experience UAE

Festive Four-Wheelers

16-19 January

‘Landmark’ cars old and new motor around the UAE, finishing in Abu Dhabi ahead of the GP at Yas Marina Circuit. Entrants will be looking forward to the second day’s driving in particular, when the route winds up the mountain Jebel Jais on a road said to be as exciting as Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

The red carpet is rolled out for classic 4x4s at this gathering of the Bicester Heritage Scramblers club.

Interclassics Maastricht

At Bicester Heritage, competitors attempt car-control challenges in conditions often not conducive to precision driving!

1000miglia.it

interclassics.events

4-8 December

The UK’s biggest New Year’s Day meet, with over 1000 classic cars, live music and a barbecue.

Classic 12 Hour at Sebring

brooklandsmuseum.com

Cavallino Classic

vscc.co.uk

Classic racecars do battle at Sebring Raceway in Florida, where vintage aircraft also vie for the attention of the spectators.

Held at Palm Beach Golf Club about an hour north of Sydney, and with a special class honouring the Testarossa.

cavallino.com

30 November VSCC Winter Driving Tests

30 November – 1 December KartMania Exhibitors from across the world of karting congregate in the Wing building at Silverstone for the KartMania show, which, as usual, includes a ‘Kart Boot’ sale.

kartmania.co.uk

1 December Coffee & Classics Christmas Special

hsrrace.com

6-8 December Retro Classics Bavaria The exhibits in Nuremberg this time will include a display marking 40 years of DTM racing.

bicesterheritage.co.uk

1 January 2025 Brooklands New Year’s Day Classic Gathering

1 January Vintage Stony Despite the name, this event in Stony Stratford, Bucks, attracts mid-century and modern classics as well as vintage cars and bikes.

Vehicles start leaving at 2pm, so don’t roll out of bed too late!

vintagestony.co.uk

retro-classics-bavaria.de

5 January

6-8 December

Bicester Heritage January Scramble

Visitors to the Classic Motor Hub in Bibury will enjoy live festive music and tasty food as well as an array of four-wheeled treats.

Cavallino Classic Middle East The Yas Links golf course in Abu Dhabi hosts a concours for classic and modern Ferraris.

The first Sunday Scramble of 2025 will include ‘Class of the Field’, a fun display of notable vintage tractors.

classicmotorhub.com

cavallino.com

bicesterheritage.co.uk

Ahead of the 30th edition of Interclassics Maastricht, the organisers asked the public to vote for their favourite car from Interclassics shows past.

The winner was the Ferrari 250 GT SWB, which will accordingly take centre stage again in 2025.

23-26 January In Palm Beach, Florida, Gilded Age mansion The Breakers hosts a Ferrari-only concours before classics and sports cars of all types mass at Mar-a-Lago resort.

cavallino.com

26 January VSCC New Year’s Driving Tests A dozen tricky tests await members of the VSCC at Brooklands Museum.

vscc.co.uk

26-31 January The Winter Trial A new 2500km route will take crews through Austria to Italy and the Czech Republic. Those

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who sign up for the tougher Trial Class will venture into Slovenia, too, to tackle a night section.

classicevents.nl

29 January – 5 February

boasts a diverse field: among the concours classes are one for military vehicles and another for cars powered by alternative fuels.

concoursinthehills.org

Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique

15 February

Crews set out from cities across Europe and convene in the French department of Drôme before motoring towards Monaco on spectacular and often snow-covered roads.

VSCC Exmoor Trial

acm.mc

31 January – 2 February Bremen Classic Motor Show All eras and most marques are represented at the Bremen show, which is attended by more than 700 exhibitors.

classicmotorshow.de

2 February

The VSCC’s 2025 slate of trials begins with a trip to the forests and muddy fields of Exmoor.

vscc.co.uk

16 February – 7 March Pearl of India It’s impossible to see all of India in just a few weeks, but the entrants on this rally will experience more of the country than most tourists as they drive a 6000km loop that begins and ends in Mumbai.

hero-era.com

Motorcar Cavalcade

17 February – 3 March

At the Miami Turnberry resort in Florida, cars contest classes themed by design features – so there’s one class for cars with noteworthy engines, another for cars with extraordinary dashboards, and so on.

Sri Lanka Classic

motorcarcavalcade.com

5-9 February

Twenty-five crews will spend 15 days motoring in Sri Lanka, the 1750km route taking them clockwise around the country from Waikkal to Colombo via national parks that are home to elephants and leopards.

21-22 February

This time round the Paris show will pay special tribute to the wonderful Citroën DS, which turns 70 in 2025.

International Concours of Elegance St Moritz

15 February Concours in the Hills Held to raise money for a local hospital, this relaxed event in Fountain Hills, Arizona, always

Some of these events may seem a long way off, but you need to secure your place and travel plans now to take part Sydney Harbour Concours D’Elegance 28 February – 2 March The 7th Edition of the Ampol Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance will again be held on the Cockatoo Island UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sydney Harbour.

Accessible by ferry, the concours promises elegant motoring history dating from 1920 to 2025. sydneyharbourconcours.com.au

destination-rally.com

Rétromobile

retromobile.com

BOOK NOW!

Known by the acronym of the ICE, which is also a handy reference to the venue: a frozen Lake St Moritz.

Classes for 2024 include concept cars and barchettas. As always, there will be hot laps on the lake; the thickness of the ice is carefully monitored!

theicestmoritz.ch

The Japan Driving Experience 17-22 April This Peninsula Signature Event (pictured) is a six-day adventure across Japan’s largest island, Honshu, offering a high level of luxury and exclusivity. Starting in Tokyo and winding up at the Magarigawa Club racing track, entry costs US$32,500 per car (based on two per car) and does not include shipping or transportation. peninsula.com/en/tokyo/campaign/tokyo/the-japandriving-experience-2025

Le Flair 1-4 May A new event exploring the Swiss region of Romandy from Lac Léman to Vallée de Joux, Jura and on to historic Bern.

Only 60 crews can take part in three classes – pre-1985, 1986-2005 and selected modern cars by invitation. le-flair.com

Gaucho Trail Motor Challenge 2-28 November 2026 This HERO-ERA epic will cross six countries and cover 11,000km in 28 days. Starting and finishing in Montevideo, mountain passes, rain forests, deserts, pampas and salt flats – the Bolivian Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats are 100 times bigger than Bonneville – will all feature. hero-era.com/rallies/2026/11/gaucho-trail-motorchallenge-2026 Cavallino Classic, 23-26 January | Image: Cavallino Inc

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Ignition News

Worthy winners Results of the 2024 International Historic Motoring Awards Presented by Lockton can now be revealed After months of nominations, shortlisting and intensive judging by an international panel of 34 experts, the winners have been decided and, as Octane went to press, were set to receive their recognition at The Peninsula London on Friday 22 November.

Here are those winners…

Thanks to sponsor Nyetimber for hospitaility. See octanemagazine.com for all the 2024 finalists and judges.

Right Winners all: the cars, events and people judged by a panel of international experts to have been especially deserving of an award this year.

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BOOK OF THE YEAR sponsored by Hortons Books The Last Eye Witness, by Doug Nye (Porter Press International) Brilliantly bringing early motor racing (1902-1914) to life through Maurice Louis Branger’s period photography and Doug Nye’s commentary.

BREAKTHROUGH EVENT OF THE YEAR The Oberoi Concours d’Elegance Uniting India’s rich motoring heritage at The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, this event showcased 81 cars, including significant royal collections from five Indian principalities.

CLUB OF THE YEAR sponsored by Lockton Performance Vintage Sports-Car Club The VSCC’s 90th anniversary shows how organisations can embrace modern challenges while preserving their heritage. Its pop-up hillclimb at Chateau Impney was exceptional.

MUSEUM OF THE YEAR sponsored by The Yohan Poonawalla Collection Revs Institute Revs Institute’s revolutionary ‘Active Matter’ philosophy transforms automotive preservation through dynamic conservation. Its innovative gallery workshop allows visitors to witness live restoration, while 2024 saw breaking ground for a dedicated Archives and Research Centre.

SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR Jim Stokes Workshops Over almost 45 years Jim Stokes Workshops has grown from one man into a group of companies employing over 50 people. The recent addition of a state-of-the-art in-house engine dyno means that every engine built or rebuilt is checked, tuned and perfected before reaching the road.

MOTORSPORT EVENT OF THE YEAR Goodwood Revival Meeting When it rains, Goodwood shines, an epithet that was never truer than in 2024, when the Revival also made motorsport history as the first historic racing event to mandate sustainable fuels across its entire programme as well as unveiling the relocated Tyrrell Shed.

INDUSTRY SUPPORTER OF THE YEAR Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance Since the HCVA’s formation in 2021, a number of pivotal steps have ensured the historic motoring industry can be more confident of its future. In the past year it has been instrumental in furthering the accountability of the DVLA and introducing HCVA Heritage Matters Days (HMD).

BESPOKE CAR OF THE YEAR sponsored by Octane Auto Union Type 52 ‘Schnellsportwagen’, by Audi Tradition / Crosthwaite & Gardiner Though the plans for this pre-war V16 supercar were drawn up during the 1930s, by none other than Ferdinand Porsche, it’s taken 90 years for the car to be built – created for Audi Tradition by Crosthwaite & Gardiner after years of painstaking research.

RALLY / TOUR OF THE YEAR sponsored by SBX Cars The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, by HERO-ERA Following the historic route of the 1907 original, 2024’s Peking to Paris Motor Challenge tested 100 crews across 14,000km of demanding terrain. The 37-day odyssey crossed nine countries and eight timezones, representing one of motorsport’s most gruelling endurance events.

MOTORING EVENT OF THE YEAR sponsored by Magneto The 73rd Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2024 marked a watershed with a shift towards post-war vehicles, which outnumbered pre-war classics by over 20%, and the first preservation car to win Best of Show – a 1934 Bugatti Type 59 (see below).

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT Bruce Meyer Bruce Meyer’s dedication to automotive heritage extends far beyond traditional collecting. His transformative influence on the Petersen Automotive Museum exemplifies his philosophy that every vehicle carries a story worth preserving, devoting equal enthusiasm to both prestigious collections and grassroots enthusiasts alike.

YOUNG ACHIEVER sponsored by The Petersen Automotive Museum David Kibbey Starting in the Hagerty Youth Judging Program at age nine, David founded the Northville Concours d’Elegance in 2021 with fellow enthusiasts Chase Ziegler and Drew Lehnert, at the Northville Historic Mill Race living village museum.

RESTORATION OF THE YEAR sponsored by Classic & Sports Finance Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport by Saoutchik, restored by Chropynska The five-year restoration of Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Saoutchik chassis 110101 exemplifies the highest levels of preservation, meticulously returning the car to its 1948 Paris motor show specification and culminating in a Best of Show nomination at Pebble Beach.

OUTSTANDING USE OF MEDIA Goodwood Road & Racing Goodwood Road & Racing’s multi-platform approach to storytelling is truly comprehensive and extends well beyond Goodwood’s own events to international gatherings such as the Grand Prix Historique de Monaco and Rétromobile.

CAR OF THE YEAR 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Uniquely, this award is decided by a public vote and you voted in your thousands. The runaway winner was Fritz Burkard’s ex-King Leopold of Belgium 1934 Bugatti Type 59, the first preservation car to take Best of Show at Pebble Beach.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Sylviane and Patrick Peter Embarking on a well-earned retirement after decades of serving up the best classic car events in the world are Sylviane and Patrick Peter, of Peter Auto. As well as their hallmark events such as the Tour Auto and tier-one race meets across France, the team has masterminded Richard Mille Arts et Elegance at Chantilly and the sensational Le Mans Classic festival.

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Ignition News

New concours in Rome ANANTARA CONCORSO ROMA is a three-day homage to Italian automotive craftsmanship and heritage that will take place in the heart of the Italian capital during 24-27 April. The event pledges to attract the best in Italian cuisine, style and luxury goods, and promises to feature only Italian cars – indeed, it will showcase 50 of the rarest and historically most significant of them, many from private collections They will be judged by an international panel assembled by Dottore Adolfo Orsi Jr and concours director Jeremy Jackson-Sytner.

The venue is certainly a spectacular one: centred around the Piazza della Repubblica in the heart of the Eternal City, the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel occupies a 19th Century marble palace built over the ruins of the famous Diocletian Thermal Baths dating from AD 298 and overlooking the Fountain of the Naiads.

Long-term historic car enthusiast William Heinecke, who is also founder and chairman of Minor International, Anantara’s parent company, said: ‘Rome is enjoying a renaissance, making it the perfect moment for Anantara to shift the gears and launch a prestigious concours event for the capital. I am confident that with the support of our esteemed partners, we will establish Anantara Concorso Roma as a pre-eminent annual international event.’ See anantaraconcorsoroma.com.

Wynn win situation This 1964 ATS 2500 GT, owned by the Audrain Collections, took the award of Most Elegant Post-War Car at the 2024 Concours at Wynn Las Vegas. The car, created by the famous Ferrari mutineers led by Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini, was acquired by the Audrain Collections in 2020 from the renowned collection of Dr Nicholas Begovich.

Government official Members of the Royal Automobile Club of Australia gathered at Government House in Sydney in the presence of Club Patron, the Governor of NSW, Her Excellency, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC and 1200 visitors on a glorious early summer day. Pride of place fittingly went to a Reliant Scimitar so beloved by the Princess Royal.

SS success in Chattanooga A 1935 Swallow Sidecar SS1 two-door coupé, owned by Eduardo Zavala of St Petersburg, Florida, won Best in Show in the Concours d’Elegance at the Fifth Annual Chattanooga Motorcar Festival Sponsored by Millennium Bank. This SS1, produced by the Swallow Sidecar Company and a precursor to Jaguars, was delivered new to Argentinian tango performer Ada Falcon. It spent 80 years in Buenos Aires before going to the US. Audrain leadership After five years as CEO of Audrain Group, Donald Osborne is retiring from his day-to-day duties there but carrying on as consulting director. Nic Waller has been appointed Audrain Group president.

Jog on After a two-year break the ‘toughest regularity rally in Europe’, LeJog, is back for 2025, running on 6-9 December.

Revamped after a survey of competitors, it will be more flexible on time but just as tough, organisers promise. Cars must be pre-1991 and entry is £3950.

K pop In a move that will have farreaching effects on historic motorsport, the FIA has updated Appendix K so that cars built from 1991 to 2000 are eligible for Historic Technical Passports, allowing them to compete in FIA championships and international motorsport events.

Good things come in twos A brace of Series 1 Jaguar Classic E-type Commemorative models has been created to mark 50 years since the last Jaguar E-type rolled off the Browns Lane production line. Built for a client in SouthEast Asia, the pair were inspired by the final 50 E-type V12 Series 3 Commemorative Editions, which were built in 1974, and will be unique, featuring interiors adorned with mother of pearl, silver and 18ct gold following a collaboration with jewellery designers Deakin & Francis.

Seventh seal As it celebrates its 40th anniversary, motorsport behemoth Prodrive has become only the seventh winner of the Royal Automobile Club’s Diamond Jubilee Trophy.

Previous winners were Sir Vivian Fuch (Trans-Antarctica explorer), Christopher Cockerell (Hovercraft), NASA (Apollo Crawler), British Aircraft Corporation and Aérospatiale (Concorde), Richard Noble (Thrust II) and John Bloor (Triumph Motorcycles).

For the benefit of Mr Slug Automotive artist Richard Neergaard has donated an artwork featuring the Sunbeam 1000hp Land Speed Record vehicle to the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. Made with laser-cut and folded aluminium panels, the artwork has gone on permanent display to support a current effort to restore the iconic car to run again at Daytona Beach.

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v-management.com

Belgian flare for Privé tours Filip and David Bourgoo, of the much-admired Rally and Zoute GT Tour in Belgium, are to organise Blenheim Rally Tour and Blenheim GT Tour tulip events to be run in conjunction with Salon Privé. The Blenheim Rally Tour is a five-day run (26-30 August) open to 1920-1975 cars, starting from Windsor Castle and finishing at Blenheim Palace.

The Blenheim GT Tour (27-31 August) covers the same ground for post-’90 cars. See salonprive concours.com/rallytour.

2025 tickets and dates The 2025 Silverstone Festival (22-24 August) is to mark the 75th anniversary of the FIA F1 World Championship and tickets are now available at silverstone. co.uk/events/silverstone-festival.

Also on sale are tickets to London Concours (3-5 June, londonconcours.co.uk/tickets), while Peninsula Events has announced dates for the major shows at Quail Lodge. The Quail Motorcycle Gathering will be on 17 May, and The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering will be held on 15 August.

Knight in shining armour Former MP and founder and ex-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group, the Rt Hon Sir Greg Knight, has been appointed president of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC). Formerly Conservative MP for Derby North (1983-1997) and East Yorkshire (2001-2024), Sir Greg is a lifelong classic car fan and owns several Jensens, a Rover P5 Coupé, a Bristol and a Cord.

PROTECT MAINTAIN ENJOY Since 2015 we have provided the finest car storage and management services for clients in the UK and around the world.

400-Car Facility West of London Full Concierge Services Collection Management Transport & Logistics

Mark Tippetts b.1945 Renowned US Ferrari collector Mark Tippetts passed away on 13 October. Always ready with an anecdote, many of them about scurrilous behaviour from himself and associates such as Colin Crabbe, Antoine Prunet and Pierre Bardinon, he owned an extensive collection that included a 500 Superfast, 250MM, 250LM and 365 California among others.

To discuss your requirements contact Ben Hadfield either by emailing ben@v-management.com

Shamal-inspired restomod Modena Automobili has shared renderings of its new Maserati Biturbo-based, Shamal-inspired Project MA-01. The beefed-up restomod will be based on a standard Biturbo, of which the 369-off 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 Shamal was the ultimate evolution, and is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6.

or by calling 01635 867705

Photographer correction In issue 258 of Octane, the superb photography of the Autec Delta Integrale Evo 1 Martini 6 prototype was attributed to Jonathan Jacob. We are happy to point out that it should have been credited to Andrew Morgan.

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2022 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport Sold for $4,047,500 at The Amelia Auction 2024

2020 McLaren Speedtail Sold for $2,067,500 at The Amelia Auction 2024

THE AMELIA AUCTION

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster Sold for $2,260,000 at The Amelia Auction 2024

Ignition Opinion

The Collector

Jay Leno McLaren’s hyper-modern W1 attracts for old-fashioned reasons

I

t’s hard to believe more than a decade has passed since I bought my McLaren P1.

Throughout it has been extremely reliable and dependable. On every drive I run through all its functions, from track mode – I’ve actually driven it on-track only a handful of times, almost all at Willow Springs, about 90 miles from here – to running on pure electric power, depleting the battery completely. You get about six miles, then the engine kicks back in to charge it. This shows me everything is working properly and allows the engine to reach its full operating temperature.

When the Speedtail came out it was touted as a replacement for the F1. Not so much by McLaren, mind you, but by the motoring press. I drove it and it was very nice – but nowhere near the car the P1 was.

It had a higher top speed, but who cares about that?

Most supercars are limited by the manufacturers to a little over 200mph because you can’t have a car that outruns its tyres. Tyres are expensive enough as it is.

If they had to maintain speeds in excess of 220mph, they would be thousands of dollars more. When Gordon Murray built his incredible T.50 he made it suitable for off-the-shelf performance tyres.

I was an early McLaren convert, having gone to the Woking headquarters and been very impressed with the then-new MP4-12C. I remember critics attacking the styling as not exciting enough. But I thought it looked great, it’s held up enormously well, and 12 years later I’m still driving that car and people always ask me if it’s brand new.

I still have my 2005 SLR, the collaboration between McLaren and Mercedes-Benz, one of the most misunderstood cars of the recent past, cited as being too much Mercedes and not enough McLaren.

Mine has just as many miles on it as my other cars because it is a really fast GT that has normal ground clearance and can be driven everywhere.

I’ve often told the story of my friend who had a business where people would pay to drive 200mph.

If they didn’t hit that magic number, they got their money back. When many other cars hit the wall at one-ninety and could do no better he’d go back to the garage, grab his SLR and do 200-plus all day long. It’s another car that’s stood up to the test of time. Its value seems to be inching up, much like the Porsche Carrera GT. Remember, just a couple of years ago they were $300,000; now they’re closer

to $2million. If I’m not mistaken, the P1 was the first modern car not to depreciate.

And after driving the Speedtail, I went back to my garage with the smug satisfaction that the P1 was still the performance leader. As much as I enjoyed the Elva and the Senna, they were too track-focused. The P1 was the perfect compromise. Then – recently – a huge box showed up on my doorstep. It was from McLaren with a lot of legal papers alluding to a new hypercar that was about to be introduced, and was I interested in first refusal?

I have to admit, I was a bit leery that any new car could be the equal of the P1. I remember Pebble Beach during the introduction of the P1, the sales staff worried whether they would sell all 375 of them.

When I convinced my friend Miles to buy one as well, they thanked me profusely. I still consider the P1 to be the best car of its era’s ‘holy trinity’: the P1, LaFerrari and the Porsche 918. What a difference with the P1’s successor, the W1: I barely had time to get my order in. They are building only 399 cars; all were sold on the first day.

After looking at the spec sheet I must say I’m very impressed. My fears that this would be another all-wheel-drive car were groundless. The ability to hang the tail out is one of the joys of the P1. I love that the McLaren is getting lighter and not heavier.

The elimination of the starter motor and the alternator in favour of something called the radial flux electric motor also loses reverse gear in the transmission as it’s now electric. The power steering is still hydraulic – thank you! – maintaining that wonderful feel McLaren is famous for. Power is increased to 1258bhp, but you expect that. All supercars have crazy horsepower now.

The real genius of McLaren is aerodynamics, the trick rear wing making downforce that allows a rear-wheel-drive vehicle to grip like never before.

You ever notice that Porsche often wins races when it has the least powerful cars out there? It’s the science. I love the fact that McLaren uses a scalpel rather than a hammer. The seamlessness of the drive is McLaren’s real genius. And the new engine with its 9200rpm redline makes the sound system redundant.

Now I just have to figure out what the hell a radial flux motor is…

‘After driving the Speedtail, I was a bit leery that any new car could be the equal of the McLaren P1’

Jay was talking with Jeremy Hart.

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Ignition Opinion

The Legend

Derek Bell An Englishman in America – but forever a gentleman

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have spent more than 30 years dividing my time between homes in West Sussex and Florida. I am a Brit to the core but one who loves the USA. It has been good to me and I thoroughly enjoyed competing Stateside.

Bob Akin invited me to race his Porsche 935s in IMSA events in 1980 and it boosted my career at a time when pickings were slim in Europe.

I went on to have a fantastic run in the Porsche 962s driving for – and with – Al Holbert among others, even if winning titles eluded me. I was obliged to dovetail outings with my role as a works Porsche driver in the World Sports Car Championship.

I loved the ambience of the IMSA GTP series.

Racing was ultra-competitive, but it was a lot more relaxed in the pitlane in comparison with its international equivalent. It was a happy hunting ground for a long time, and a period of my career that I look back on with great fondness. As such, it was literally and figuratively an honour to be inducted into the IMSA Hall of Fame in October.

There was a special ‘do’ in Georgia that I attended along with my biggest supporters: my wife Misti and son Sebastian. Among the other inductees were four-time champion Geoff Brabham, entrant Jack Roush, and Jim Downing who was a driver of note and inventor of the HANS Device.

One of the other honourees was Bob Riley, an engineer whose career encompassed roles in the Ford GT Mark IV programme in the 1960s, AJ Foyt’s Coyote IndyCar bids in the 1970s and a lot more besides. He later joined forces with Mark Scott to launch the Riley & Scott marque, assorted sports-prototypes going on to enjoy huge success including four consecutive 24 Hours of Daytona wins in the 1990s. I raced against his cars during the twilight of my career but had never met Bob before.

He needed a little help getting to the stage and I was happy to oblige. It was then that he mentioned that he had admired my career and that he wished that I had driven for him.

I was taken aback at this. It was so kind and unexpected. I said that I wished that I had driven for him, too. His comments made an already very special evening all the more memorable. Bob died a week later, aged 93. Mark Raffaut, IMSA’s Senior Director of Competition, described him as being the single most significant American race car designer in

history. I am not about to argue. I am so glad that I was able to meet this extraordinary – and humble – man, albeit briefly. I am also pleased that he was able to stand before the great and the good of a sport for which he had done so much and be saluted.

I also took in the final round of the IMSA SportsCar Championship while I was in town.

It’s a cracking series and I enjoyed chatting with multiple Le Mans winner Brendon Hartley before the start. The quality of driving at the sharp end was fantastic, the wheel-to-wheel action mind-blowing.

We used to have close racing way back when, but there were other times when there would be several laps between first and second. The point is, I was impressed by how well-behaved they were despite battles being close for ten hours, but then there isn’t much room for error at Road Atlanta. There never has been.

Which brings me to Formula 1. The drivers’ title will have been decided by the time you’re reading this, but I feel I must comment on the Max Verstappen versus Lando Norris battle during the Mexican Grand Prix. The former is one of the all-time greats but he overstepped the mark in pushing Lando off the track. He doesn’t seem to know where the line is between robust driving and just being a… well, you can insert your own rude word here. The difference between him and, say, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna is that there are no real consequences if he pushes someone off.

They could be ruthless, but even 20 years ago there were costs beyond fines if they punted someone off.

People could get hurt.

My Formula 1 career was brief, but I still had one at a time when there were plenty of things to hit should you depart the black stuff. Many of them were immovable. You know, telegraph poles, trees, and so on. For obvious reasons, I am glad that this isn’t the case anymore, but I fear that the removal of consequences has had a detrimental effect. F1 is meant to be the benchmark series yet the greatest driver of his generation has no qualms about simply forcing someone off the road. I know that F1 isn’t a pillow fight. These guys race hard, but there must be some honour in there, too. The benchmark driver should set an example to those coming up through the ranks. Nice guys finish last is an old mantra, but not one that I subscribe to.

‘Being inducted into the IMSA Hall of Fame was an honour, literally and figuratively’

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PRE V

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Ignition Opinion

The Aesthete

Stephen Bayley The truth is out: Formula 1 is boring. And it’s the cars’ fault

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t’s difficult to ignore modern Formula 1, but well worth making the effort. The casuistry is ludicrous. ‘Exceeding track limits’ is a travesty of the competitive spirit that animates real sport. It’s as daft as accusing someone of ‘kicking the ball too hard’. The other day, a racing team was fined for adjusting tyre pressures. This is feeble stuff. I realised I no longer watched the races, not even the highlights. Formula 1 is like childbirth in that no one ever dares tell the truth about it. If they did, humanity would come to an end and Grand Prix racing would stop.

But here comes that truth: Formula 1 is boring.

Partly because it is over-regulated to the point of inanition and partly because it has become a stage-managed event, like the WWE Friday Night Smackdown, but mostly because the cars are.

We professional aesthetes occupy the intersection between beauty and boredom. And we are all aware of the paradox that while beauty can be boring, ugliness is often quite interesting. There have been several notably ugly racing cars. In 1950, Briggs Cunningham entered a modified Cadillac Coupe de Ville at Le Mans. Its Caliban aspect won it the nickname ‘Le Monstre’. It did not do well in the 24 Heures, but did surprisingly well for a Cadillac. Then there was Giannino Marzotti’s oviform Ferrari 166 known as L’Uovo. Eggs are very good in frittata or pasta, but not in racing cars.

Returning to Formula 1 ugliness, there was the March 711 with that weird wing on its phallic snout, giving it the appearance of an ambitious sex toy… the more so when painted in STP’s startling pink.

And whoever saw one could never forget the 1979 Ensign N179. This abomination had a staggered ziggurat of rectangular nose intakes, more like HVAC equipment than a racing car.

But today’s Formula 1 cars are not interesting enough to be called ugly. They are all interpretations of suffocatingly pedantic regulations that leave little scope for artistic creativity or design innovation.

Sure, rules can be an inspiration to genius, but I prefer the idea that rules are for the guidance of the wise and the blind obedience of fools.

Beauty escaped the fools of Formula 1 long ago.

Compared with now, the 1950s and 1960s were aesthetic paradises in motor racing. So what were the most beautiful Formula 1 cars ever?

From Italy, the Alfetta 159 and Maserati 250F: never have metal and red paint better expressed violent bella figura. Even today, these are Jungian archetypes of what a racing car should be. Then the Mercedes-Benz W196: somehow, this exercise in technical authority explains baffling desmodromic valves and Messerschmitt 109 Kraftstoffeinspritzung on first sight. This is what over-engineering looks like.

From the same decade, Vanwall. How could a car better express Stirling Moss’s unique style?

And then there was Len Terry, Colin Chapman’s humble factotum (see page 142). Terry deserves the credit for the 1965 Lotus 33, an exquisite miniature that is without aesthetic errors from wheels to mirrors to exhausts. And Terry it was who drew one of the most purely beautiful Formula 1 cars of them all: the 1967 All American Racers Eagle, the Weslake engine of which was almost pornographic in its visual expressiveness, all crackle ’n’ chrome.

The Eagle’s aluminium monocoque had a sleekness lavishly emphasised by lustrous dark blue metallic paint with a contrasting white racing stripe, which wrapped into the car’s beak: perfect aquiline symbolism. Meanwhile, Mauro Forghieri’s 1966 Ferrari 312 set an aesthetic standard for rear-engined Formula 1 cars that has never been succeeded.

And all of these gorgeous cars were successful, if the Eagle only moderately so. But one indisputably gorgeous Formula 1 car was competitively hopeless.

This was the Scarab, a vanity project of Woolworth heir Lance Reventlow. Its best result was tenth place at the US Grand Prix of 1960 at Riverside.

Everywhere else, the front-engined four was embarrassingly outclassed by Cooper, Lotus and Ferrari, but brought a little of California’s vulgar hot-rod glamour to the more patrician environments of Silverstone, Monza and Spa. And Scarab had the distinction of being the first US entrant in Formula 1. If its performance was a poor advertisement for US expertise in terrestrial vehicle dynamics, its flawless all-of-a-piece appearance was proof that America was well advanced in the design arts.

Today, Haas is America’s representative in Formula 1. Does anybody really know what a Haas looks like? Does anyone care? Will my successor here 60 years hence be writing rhapsodically about Haas?

I don’t think so.

‘The March 711’s weird wing on its phallic snout gave it the appearance of a sex toy’

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Ignition Opinion

The Driver

Robert Coucher The 288 GTO is ‘The One’ – but there’s a more affordable alternative

‘T

hat’s a ’Rarri 308, innit.’ The last time I had the good fortune to drive a Ferrari 288 GTO, that was the reaction from a casual observer on a garage forecourt. Not wanting to appear a Ferrari snob, I was rather put out but, seeing as only 272 examples of the 288 were ever produced, not many casual observers have any idea this is arguably the first Ferrari hypercar, cunningly designed to look like one of its lesser mid-range models, albeit a very good-looking one.

To my mind, the gorgeous 288 is one of the best-looking Ferraris of all time – no surprise as it was penned by the incomparable Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, who’d also styled the 308.

The oily bits were taken care of by Nicola Materazzi, who managed to extract a fulsome 395bhp from the car’s 2855cc V8 thanks to forced induction via twin IHI turbochargers. They are from Japan because the usual KKK turbos of the time were deemed inferior.

Top driver and road-tester Ben ‘bury it’ Barry takes you through the full seat-of-the-pants GTO experience starting on page 44, but I just want to mull over what makes the 288 so attractive. The extra length over the 308 plus that purposeful Kamm tail, Speedline alloys and 250 GTO-esque vents on the rear flanks give the car elegant attitude. The quad spotlamps (remember them!) mounted under the front bumper evoke a full-on Halfords aftermarket vibe, but the exposed gearbox casing hanging out of the rear emphatically screams proper racing car, thanks to that F1 genius, Dr Harvey Postlethwaite, showing the Italians how to sort out the Ferrari’s chassis with the mid-mounted engine oriented longitudinally. When the 288 GTO made its first public appearance at the Geneva motor show in 1984, the entire production run was already sold out. And since then their values have gone stratospheric… but I’ll come to that.

I’ve driven a 288 briefly but its replacement, the F40, is the one in which I’ve enjoyed the most wheel time. Some years ago (Octane 55) I joined car dude Simon Kidston in the Swiss Alps to drive it.

Everybody loves a 500bhp (Ferrari underquoted its raw power) F40, the ultimate driving machine. It’s held up as the last, simple, analogue hypercar that is purely mechanical in nature. TV’s Top Gear bod, Chris ‘sideways’ Harris, absolutely loved flogging an

F40 around Anglesey circuit against an F50. I found it fabulous but heavy to operate, very mechanical in terms of arm-aching steering, sticky clutch, crashing and banging interior noise, recalcitrant gearshift and wooden brakes, and that somewhat terrifying turbo whack that comes on suddenly.

On this particular back-to-back feature we pitted the stripped-bare F40 against Porsche’s high-tech 959. The sophisticated, four-wheel-drive 959 shone a very bright light on the antiquated F40 and on the challenging Alpine roads it left it for dead.

So I was reassured to read elsewhere that top driver and sometime Octane contributor, Richard ‘super smooth’ Meaden, concurred with my assertions when he opined that the F40 is somewhat overrated, whereas the F50 is the choice hypercar of the Ferrari line-up (288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo), with its sonorous, naturally aspirated, racing-carderived V12, although it’s down on the F40’s savage 425lb ft of torque. And with road cars, torque is all.

I haven’t driven an F50 but no matter, as it’s not for me. I can’t abide the car’s overt playboy looks, which had kept it back from the greatness it deserved, but that’s now changed and appreciation and prices have rocketed commensurately.

As well as the F40, the opportunity to drive an Enzo came up in Octane 07, when I was roped in to help Mark ‘hairy’ Hales with the Enzo versus F40 cover feature. With Bruntingthorpe test circuit available and the 650bhp Enzo to play with, it was a perfect day, as Lou Reed might have said. Again, the F40 was outclassed but the Enzo turned out to be too much of a computer game.

Obviously I consider myself extremely fortunate to have driven these astonishing hypercars. So what’s my favourite Ferrari? The glorious 288 is ‘The One’ but a solo drive through the heart of rural France in a bog-standard Ferrari 308 remains my outstanding memory of the best from a machine made in Maranello. I’d always considered a Porsche 911 the better car at this level, but the 240bhp 308 was light, tight, balanced, sweet, fast, direct and just lovely.

Now the market for ‘ordinary’ classic cars is, er, somewhat quiet, look out for a lightweight 1050kg Ferrari 308 Vetroresina, best with delicious-sounding Weber carbs and the dry-sump engine. It’s the Ferrari I’d want to live with above all others – the casual fellow at the petrol forecourt is vindicated.

‘To my mind, the gorgeous 288 is one of the best -looking Ferraris of all time’

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04/11/2024 08:42:36

Letter of the month

Junkyard king

The Mercedes 500K was stored in his home garage and his boys would slide down the fender for fun. He also owned a 904, 906, Carrera Abarth, Glöckler, and at one time he had about 15 300SL Gullwings and Roadsters.

Rudi was a Holocaust survivor.

He and his brother were protected because their mother was a secretary for the Opel family; later he emigrated to Canada and then to the USA. He decided to buy Porsche and Mercedes to break and had a small yard, but the State of California was building a freeway where his wrecking yard was, so bought the property and paid him to move. It allowed him to purchase the old lumber yard where the auction took place. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jeff Kline, Topanga, California, USA

René was looking for 300SL chassis from which to make alloy Gullwing replicas. Rudi took us over, under, around and through Porsches and we arrived at two 300SL chassis that had a ten-foot tree growing through them. They vigorously negotiated a five-figure price, after which Rudi and I went back to the office while René remained to take pictures. While we were walking back, I asked Rudi what he’d paid for them. He told me he was paid $300 to take them away, 20 years ago.

DIETER REBMANN

I HUGELY ENJOYED your article on Rudi Klein in Octane 258. The photo of Rudi [below right] shows exactly the kind of person he was.

I first met Rudi in 1970 when I was racing an Alfa GTA Junior for Otto Zipper. We became close friends immediately and I had the honour of being ‘best man’ at his wedding and godfather to his son Ben. The Rudi I knew was not the crazy eccentric person, but a warm and generous friend.

He was an astute businessman. Most of his business was with a commercial repair shop and he told me the primary reason he didn’t let just anyone into his yard was that the local Porsche crowd wanted to waste his time looking for a unique ashtray or knob. He liked to sell heavy items, as he called them; he knew exactly what he had and the location of every part. In the early ’90s he was buying up Porsche dealer stock, which is where all the brand-new parts came from in the RM Sotheby’s auction of his junkyard contents.

Also in the early 1990s I brought René Hurzog (of Alucraft Porsche 962 fame) to the junkyard.

RM SOTHEBY’’S

Ignition Letters

Pretty, daft It is not often that articles are written about the Panhard 24 Coupé [above], which is why Matthew Hayward’s buying guide in Octane 257 was so enjoyable.

Thinking it a fascinating little car, I nearly bought a 24 BT coupé some years ago but was unsuccessful. Later I read an article about the 24 Coupé that ended by listing two pros and two cons. The pros were ‘40-plus mpg and a ride that puts a Cadillac to shame’, and the cons ‘makes a Citroën look uncomplicated and shakes like an unbalanced washing machine at idle’.

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Ignition Letters

ratio in the Bristol 100D2 motor was 9:1. It was disqualified.

I would argue it is inaccurate and unfair to imply Ronnie Bucknum’s many victories came about because the car was illegal.

The simple fact is that Ronnie could drive the wheels off this Ace (and, indeed, any car), and few others could catch him.

Tim Isles, West Yorkshire

Dan Gardner, Glasgow

Living its best life Following your superb article on the Pebble Beach winning Bugatti Type 59 in Octane 257 I thought this photograph [above] would be of interest. It confirms the line ‘Far from the better-than-new unreality of many winners past, the wear patterns and stone chips on its paint spoke of a car that had been driven hard and fast on poorly surfaced roads, and enjoyed for what it is.’

I first saw this amazing car at a sparsely attended race meeting at Donington Park in September 2009. I hardly had to elbow my way to the front in the pit garage to get a photograph, as the two other enthusiasts who had spotted this gem could scarcely be considered a crowd. Hubert Fabri had us enthralled as he related a potted history of the car.

Later it became obvious that this car did not spend its life in bubble wrap, when Mr Fabri competed with other wonderful machines in the next race, and it certainly caused some concerned looks when it decided to unload the contents of its radiator on the way back to the pits.

Bob Potter, Sheffield

Missed opportunity There was one small omission from Jon Pressnell’s excellent listing of the highlights of MG’s history in Octane 258.

In 2005 there was a serious attempt to save the brand from China by a consortium led by me, with Lord David James as its figurehead. It made an offer to the receivers, PwC, higher than that of Nanjing Automobile and fully supported by viable funding.

Mysteriously, this was ignored without explanation and the inevitable export of the historic British brand MG commenced.

Barrie Wills, Warwick

Ace in an Ace Your Gone But Not Forgotten page in Octane 257 covered the mercurial career of Ronnie Bucknum [above], who cut his racing teeth in the René Pellandini-sponsored Ace-Bristol known as ‘Beware 1’.

Your contributor notes that ‘Bucknum dominated his class in SCCA events in 1960, even if the

car wasn’t strictly legal (or at all).’

I believe this statement calls for a correction, so I asked a very knowledgeable friend, Bert Brown, a former SCCA racer in the early 1970s, for the facts.

Bert confirmed that throughout 1959 this car had proved pretty much unbeatable in both SCCA and California Sports Car Club (Cal Club) races in the hands of Lew Spencer. At the beginning of the 1960 season, Lew moved on to race largercapacity cars, and Ronnie Bucknum took over in April, proving to be as fast as Lew. The car’s reputation for being illegal comes about from a disqualification in a Cal Club event at Santa Barbara in May 1960, not an SCCA race meeting as the author implied.

This was a result of the Cal Club contest board tightening the rules to limit factory specials such as Alfa Romeos with aluminium body panels competing unfairly against normal steel-bodied cars.

This unwittingly caught out the Ace-Bristol because Pellandini should have provided the factory paperwork for Bristol 100D2 engines fitted with 9.5 to 1 pistons, but he didn’t. At the Santa Barbara race meeting, the engine in the Pellandini AceBristol was found to be fitted with 9.5:1 pistons when the standard

Jonathan Moorhouse, York

Aviation anorakism Your Salon Privé/MotorAvia report in Octane 257 mentions a Boeing business jet in both text and picture caption. The aircraft in the photograph [below] looks awfully like a Gulfstream to me.

Graham Scott, Derby

CHRIS COOPOER / SHOTAWAY

That hasn’t put me off: after all, what is the point in buying something boring and reliable?

Dangerous times Derek Bell ended his column in Octane 257 with a little vignette about racer Chris Lambert.

In 1968, aged 20, I was mechanic to the Shardlow Racing Team. Driver was Chris Meek and team owner was Bill Jones of Shardlow Manor in Derbyshire.

Our car was the Brabham BT10 used by Mike Costin of Cosworth to develop the FVA Formula 2 engine: engine number 001!

Chris was well acquainted with Chris Lambert and we parked next to his team in the paddock.

We also stayed at the same hotel.

After the race, in which Lambert died after clashing with Regazzoni, the latter left the scene rapidly – he wasn’t to be seen anywhere and he literally scarpered. It was a very sombre journey home the following day.

Send your letters to letters@octane-magazine.com Please include your name, address and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited for clarity. Views expressed are not necessarily those of Octane.

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“The 924 GTS was my company car when I drove for Porsche in the 1980s, and I still love to drive it. I want it looked after properly, so I entrust the job to the fantastic team at V Management, who I’ve been involved with for many years.

They take care of everything, so it’s always ready to go.”

DEREK BELL MBE, FLORIDA

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06/11/2024 09:59

BMW 40 years Theaart hero carsFerrari 288 GTO

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GLORY BE With the Ferrari 288 GTO, Enzo himself kicked off a series of supercars to reinvigorate his over-gentrified marque. Now, 40 years on, Octane examines a genuine legend Words Ben Barry Photography Lee Brimble

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40 years a hero Ferrari 288 GTO

Right and opposite Ben Barry talks to ‘Mr Supercar’ Tom Hartley Jnr, behind whom is one of only six GTO Evoluziones; 288 is a wonderfully alert and rewarding drive.

‘T

he 288 GTO commanded a premium from the day it was launched in 1984 and has never fallen below the original £73,000 list price, even in the worst economic climate – the Ferrari F40 did,’ says Tom Hartley Jnr, who confirms prices are now well up into the millions.

Yet there is so much more to this homologation special than seven-figure values. Known officially as the Ferrari GTO, inspired by Group B motorsport and developed by Ferrari F1 royalty Harvey Postlethwaite and Nicola Materazzi, the GTO’s cocktail of turbocharging and lightweight composite bodywork owes as much to the 126C F1 racer of 1981 as it does Group B’s radical rally cars.

That it reprised the Gran Turismo Omologato initials for the first time since the 250 GTO, kick-started Ferrari’s hypercar lineage (F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari and the new F80 have all followed), and reinvigorated a portfolio that Enzo Ferrari himself believed excessively gentrified is also important. But right now prestige dealer Hartley Jnr would like me to dwell quite intently on how much these things are worth 40 years on.

I’m about to drive a customer car, after all.

He is well placed to comment on values, having sold around 45 examples since 1997, sometimes three or four times over. Prices have rocketed during that time. ‘The cheapest I ever bought was £115,000 with only 14,000km,’ he says. ‘I remember when they were £250k, and when they lingered at £350k for a while before jumping up very quickly to three-quarters of a million around 2008 or 2009. The first I sold for £1m was in 2010.’

Ah, if only… today Hartley Jnr reveals he has just agreed a sale at £3.5m, a figure that is both astonishing and par for the course. Then he hands me the keys to his client’s car, chassis number 54781. ‘Please be very careful,’ he asks. While this goes without saying, equally it’d be remiss not to feel all that boost kick, sending this 1160kg (without fluids) projectile down the road with its 395bhp rasping and singing. To understand what makes a GTO so special and convey its excitement in words as best I’m able. While being Very Careful.

Here goes. I slot down into a largely black interior on a Connolly leather seat that’s bolted almost directly to the floor, its perforated centres ribbed, the supportive bolsters apparently moulded around super-waif piloti. The vibe is serious and most definitely focused, yet this is no stripped-out pseudo racer – there are carpets and basic doorcards, for instance. A small-diameter three-spoke steering wheel lies before me, the dash is covered in soft technical fabric, and there are three auxiliary gauges in the centre console supplementing the main four-dial instrument binnacle – the rev-counter redlines at 7800rpm, but reflections render all the dials less than helpful at speed.

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40 years a hero Ferrari 288 GTO

Above and opposite Monochrome leather-swathed interior is far from sparsely equipped; shape is recognisably derived from 308 yet even sweeter.

My legs are skewed heavily inboard to the right by wheelarch intrusion (all GTOs are left-hookers) but the pedals are perfection – the rubberised brake tapers like a folded page in its lower right corner and snuggles close to the floor-hinged accelerator. When I drop my right hand off the smalldiameter three-spoke steering wheel, it falls as though magnetised to a cue-ball gear-shifter that sprouts from an open gate on a long slender stalk of aluminium. Did Ferrari’s engineers intend me to heel-and-toe and row my way up and down the ’box at every opportunity? Is Italy majority Catholic?

Mostly I’m comfortable in here, although at 6ft 1in tall I have only about an inch of headroom and I’d prefer it if the seat went back a similar amount further. When I open the engine lid it’s obvious why it won’t – less than half of the 2.8-litre V8 engine block is on display (the ‘288’ in the unofficial name is used to differentiate it from the 250 GTO), the rest being pushed so far up the Kevlar and Nomex bulkhead that it bulges almost pregnantly into the cabin between the seats.

Rather it’s the twin Behr intercoolers that first catch my eye, perched just behind the engine like a pair of toastie makers, the pipework bent down over the chassis frame to two surprisingly dainty IHI turbochargers in the depths. (This is not Ferrari’s first turbo road car – that distinction lies with the 208 GTB Turbo of 1982, which slotted a 2.0-litre turbo V8 into a 308 body to dodge Italy’s punitive VAT for larger motors.)

At the rear, a Ferrari-branded transmission casing hangs low between the rear wheels like an aroused stallion’s undercarriage – a visual tell-tale that, while the F114B V8 engine block is related to the naturally aspirated 308 GTB’s, it’s turned through 90º to a longitudinal position – the better for handling balance, and easier to change gear ratios at the racetrack.

Developed in parallel with Lancia’s Group C LC2 by Materazzi, this

‘Everyone stares and who can blame them?

It’s such a gorgeous shape’

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engine also produces far more power than the 308 GTB, with 395bhp at 7000rpm and 366lb ft on tap from 3800rpm – figures that suggest lag, yes, but also a surprising incentive to chase the revs for a forced-induction motor. They also represent a large increase over the entry-level 308’s 252bhp/209lb ft. There are so many cooling slats in the engine lid it could double as a jalousie window, but heat still soaks through the carpeted bulkhead. The limited options list included air-conditioning and electric windows, both welcome additions to ‘our’ example.

Twist the little ignition key and wait a second, then press the black rubberised ignition button alongside it. The engine fires quickly with trademark flat-plane crank gruffness and burbles away percussively like a pot of water boiling on a stove. First is down and left on a dog-leg and the clutch so heavy I’m convinced I’ll stall, yet the bite is so forgiving and the engine so tractable I don’t blush all day. Unassisted steering is a faff at parking speeds, but the GTO is surprisingly docile about town.

You absolutely feel the road surface beneath you, but all the edges are rounded off, the distortion filtered as the body stays spirit-level flat.

Servo-assisted brakes are easy to modulate, the engine flexible even when it’s obviously off-boost. That a 288 feels so compact and that visibility is so good only help to swell my confidence – there’s a fantastic view over the low scuttle plus over-sized mirrors and a vertical rear screen to keep track of The Overtaken.

Hartley Jnr owns both the earliest surviving GTO (the second of six prototypes) and an F40 (the car that in essence took the GTO’s mechanicals and shrouded them in far more aerodynamic bodywork) and confirms the GTO is the more useable car. ‘For me a GTO delivers a highly comparable driving experience to an F40, with similar power, similar weight, that twin-turbo kick,’ he outlines, ‘but the GTO is a much

more sophisticated car to drive with a few more creature comforts, where the F40 is raw, a racecar on the road.’

Everyone stares and who can blame them? It’s such a gorgeous shape.

As Hartley Jnr puts it, the layman might confuse it for ‘one of those cars that Magnum used to drive’, but a GTO is so distantly related to the Ferrari 308 that even a DNA test would prove inconclusive.

Parked up and only 1120mm tall, it seems to lie like a voluptuous Rubens nude on a chaise longue, all generous hips, pinched waist, fulsome, er, front wings and – who? Moi? – pop-up headlights. The 16in centre-lock Speedline alloys of a split-rim construction are jewel-like finishing touches. It’s the work of Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina.

‘It was the last Ferrari I personally designed and managed,’ 86-year-old Fioravanti tells Octane in an emailed note, the end of a line that began in 1965 and included Dino, Daytona and – most relevantly to GTO – the 308 and 328.

Fioravanti describes the 288 as a ‘derivation’ of the 308, which is why initial design work was conducted in the testing department at Maranello rather than a design studio. The genesis was an unfinished 308 chassis, its wheelbase ultimately lengthened by 110mm, the tracks widened and 8in wide front and 10in wide rear alloys fitted. The engorged bodywork with which Fioravanti shrouded all that is mostly a mix of lightweight composite panels – not the later aluminium bodies of the 308 – though the 288’s doors are steel, its bonnet Kevlar and the roof a mix of Kevlar and carbonfibre. Look closely and you’ll see the rear quarter glass tapers in where it meets the flying buttresses, neatly disguising an additional cooling pathway for the turbo engine.

Quad lights set low in the front bumper add differentiation from the 308, but their fixed position lets you flash other drivers out of the way 49

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40 years a hero Ferrari 288 GTO

1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Engine 2855cc 32-valve V8, DOHC per bank, fuel injection, inter-cooled twin IHI turbochargers Power 395bhp @ 7000rpm Torque 366lb ft @ 3800rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Unassisted rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: unequal-length wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar Brakes Discs Weight 1160kg (dry) Top speed 190mph 0-62mph 4.8sec

without waiting for the pop-ups to raise, a crucial consideration given the performance. At the rear, a Kamm tail reduces overall length by 5mm compared with the 308, despite the longer wheelbase, with three slats like slashed claw-marks in the rear wings that reference the original GTO. If the look is comparable to a 308, the GTO’s underpinnings are very significantly altered. A tubular steel spaceframe replaces the 308’s semimonocoque construction and the GTO’s wheelbase is stretched to 2450mm to accommodate the new longitudinal engine position. Only 272 were produced through to 1987, all Rosso Corsa, marking Ferrari’s return to low-volume series production for the first time since the 365 California nearly two decades before (and easily exceeding Group B’s 200-unit homologation requirement).

This car is entirely as it left Maranello in 1985, to be delivered to the founder of the Ferrari Club Germany. The matching-numbers engine and gearbox are complemented not only by original panels (body panels are unique to each car and numbered – lift the filler flaps for oil and fuel on each rear flank for evidence of that; even all those vent panels are individually stamped). This car’s paint is all-original, too.

It all weighs on my mind as a national-limit sign gives me the all-clear to explore the GTO’s performance on a B-road that is both conveniently close to Hartley Jnr’s place and actually throws some decent challenge

into the mix. It heaves over the landscape, twisting and rising in turns tight enough for me to really lean on this car and feel how it responds when I work it harder against the grain of a chunky surface texture.

The GTO’s V8 is obviously turbocharged in its fundamental characteristics – bit flat down low, epic drama above 4000rpm – but there’s also more than enough low-end muscle for normal driving, plus the throttle is surprisingly responsive even when it’s not really on boost.

It means you always feel connected to this car, not distanced by turbo fuzz. Keep it pinned and there is a kind of foreboding as those turbos begin to spool, and when I push through 4000rpm, it really takes off on a spike of boost, feeling startlingly urgent, the surprisingly lofty peak encouraging me to run up towards 7000rpm. Forty years old and this performance remains vital – it must have been mind-blowing to run up to 190mph in-period.

Thankfully this car’s recent and very healthy 16in Michelins bite into the surface with real conviction. A tall first gear lets me dig into the power confidently out of junctions, and, while second and third are much shorter and more closely stacked, there’s still adhesion to work against.

I do not feel like the GTO will spit me off the road – in fact, the occasional flares of on-boost wheelspin are malleable more than snatchy. The gearshifts themselves initially feel a little sticky until I learn to put my

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‘ You always feel connected to this car, not distanced by turbo fuzz’

Right, from top Dials reflect the sun, fabriccovered dash doesn’t; twin-turbo V8 has bigger lungs than 2855cc might suggest; period radio, auxiliary vents and air-con are very 1980s.

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40 years a hero Ferrari 288 GTO

‘ The handling is truly special, a combination of high-definition feedback, linearity and bump suppression’

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Clockwise, from right Slashes hark back to GTO’s 250 namesake; pop-up headlights define the nose as they do the 308’s; is this the most beautiful Ferrari ever?

back into it, particularly with a nice confident blip of throttle going down the ’box, which just happens to feel and sound fantastic.

Even driven with flourishes like that, the whooshes and p-tish noises synonymous with turbocharging are all but inaudible – when I back off the throttle quickly on-boost I’m treated to a nasally, angry rasp, not a goose in a flap. But what’s truly special about the GTO is its handling, a combination of high-definition feedback, linearity and bump suppression – both through the suspension itself and the unassisted rack-and-pinion helm when it’s loaded into a turn.

That steering is glorious, waking up with perfect weighting immediately off-centre, pointing the nose swiftly into the apex and constantly feeding back grip and surface conditions while never becoming so ‘noisy’ as to distract. Suspension that felt so supple around town continues to be defined by its elasticity – a connection to the surface that filters out all the bad stuff, like running down the road in a supportive pair of trainers rather than sprinting barefoot.

As the road begins to plunge downhill, I sweep the steering into a bend to discover there’s enough roll to convey building cornering forces but that body control is excellent and there’s no delayed action 53

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40 years a hero Ferrari 288 GTO

as the rear suspension ‘catches’ the weight of the engine. Nor is there any sense that the V8 wants to drag the rear end out of shape, or that the powerful and feelsome brakes will upset the balance if you really stand on them. It is a car engineered from the off to deal with its generous power outputs in an era when electronic aids were in the infancy and certainly absent here.

I pick up the pace, working the front axle harder and the GTO flows with gorgeous precision, only ever encouraging me to explore further.

Everything I’m experiencing says it’ll be nicely balanced and easy to gather up if I get on the power early to mix steering lock with a hit of boost. I dip a toe at the edges curiously, feeling the tyres nibble at the boundaries of grip. This thing feels unbelievably good, so much more involving than its Porsche 959 contemporary, and so sweetly balanced…

In fact, the scariest thing about it is the value. £3-4m! I just can’t.

Instead I quit while I’m ahead and return to Tom Hartley Jnr’s place with this highly original car still very much in one piece rather than chancing my arm.

Back in the showroom, Hartley Jnr shows me around the 288 GTO he’s just sold, as well as one of only six GTO Evoluziones that were born to race but never did due to Group B’s cancellation at the end of 1986.

With the three lined up in chronological order, it’s like looking at the March of Progress illustration, especially how the F40 takes the

Evoluzione’s rather bulbous design and tidies it into something altogether more cohesive, not to mention so much more futuristic. It’s hard to believe that only a year separates them.

Which to pick? Some of Hartley’s clients don’t have to, setting their hearts instead on collecting all the Ferrari supercars. But for Hartley Jnr himself, the GTO will always remain special.

‘For many years people would buy the two [GTO and F40] but, as cars have become more collectable and prices have increased, more people have decided to invest in the Big Five,’ he explains. That’d be the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari, and we’ll explore those further in the following pages.

‘Of all those cars, I would say GTOs are in better hands, in long-term ownership with collectors who are not motivated to sell. Just look at the market. Ferrari built over 1300 F40s, so there are always several for sale.

Similarly F50s and Enzos. With LaFerraris you just choose your colour.

But there has only been one GTO for sale worldwide recently and that’s the car we’ve agreed to sell this week.’

After experiencing this GTO first-hand, it’s understandable why owners are so reluctant to let go – far beyond the seven-figure values, Ferrari’s first supercar remains an astonishing drive to this day.

THANKS TO supercar specialist Tom Hartley Jnr, tomhartleyjnr.com.

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40 years a hero Ferrari 288 GTO

ANOTHER ONE JOINS T H E C LU B

New F80 means we’ll soon have a ‘Big Six’ Ferrari’s ‘Big Five’ dynasty will become the ‘Big Six’, as the F80 inherits the mantle of most extreme, expensive and exclusive Ferrari of its era. As ever, cutting-edge motorsport tech will be its calling card.

The GTO, of course, was the progenitor, deploying turbocharging and composite materials that Ferrari first applied in Formula 1, and while 1987’s F40 did not reinvent the wheel, it was unreasonable to expect otherwise – the F40 arrived shortly after the GTO run ended, the smallest gap in this chronology.

Rather the F40 took the bones of the 288 GTO Evoluzione racecar and wrapped it in a pointy body that helped 478bhp run to, well, almost 200mph. A visceral counterpoint to Porsche’s more advanced if somewhat fuzzier 959, over 1300 were produced, far beyond the 272 GTOs. The F50 represented a bigger leap in 1995, leaning on the latest F1 technology with a carbonfibre tub and (roadster) body, plus a 512bhp, 4.7-litre V12. With only 349 made, the F50’s exclusivity ranks second only to a GTO. 2002’s Enzo applied a similar approach to an enclosed body, but added an automated-manual transmission, active aero and carbon-ceramic brakes. Power shot up to 651bhp.

LaFerrari’s biggest innovation was hybridisation inspired by F1’s KERS era, boosting the V12 to 950bhp without resorting to turbos. It arrived a decade ago, along with the ‘Holy Trinity’ Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1 hypercars. With 499 of the LaFerrari produced, one more than the F50, it represented the biggest leap thus far.

Now, 40 years since GTO and a decade since LaFerrari, Ferrari has unveiled the F80: a hypercar that blends technology from its 499P Le Manswinner with F1 expertise. Most notably it features both the smallest and most potent powertrain ever fitted to a Ferrari hypercar, a 3.0-litre hybridised and turbocharged V6 boosted to 1184bhp with assistance from three electric motors. All-wheel drive also breaks with the purely rear-drive layout of its predecessors.

Ferrari will assemble 799 F80s through to 2027, all of them already sold despite a £2.6m-plus-taxes price tag – still less than most GTOs!

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57

Ferrari Focus on the Big Five

FERRARI’S

HALO IS SHINING Maranello’s so-called Big Five, both individually and as the ultimate ‘set’, are riding out recent market fluctuations Words John Mayhead Photography Ferrari Data and graphics Hagerty

THERE ARE WAYS to show that you’re a serious car collector.

Owning a top-flight concours Best in Show winner, a works racing car or the prototype of a famous model makes a statement, but for those who love more modern classics there’s one hand that beats everything else on the table: the Ferrari halo car collection.

Owning just one 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo or LaFerrari declares that an owner is very serious but, for many, that’s not enough.

Hagerty’s global data shows that for collectors who own at least one of the halo cars known as the Big Five, 31% own more than one example, and around 3% own all five.

That’s a big commitment and needs a serious bank balance. Last June, RM Sotheby’s offered all five in one auction in Toronto, Canada, with a total combined price of a shade under $20m (£16m). Although auction fever may have played a part (the combined UK Hagerty Price Guide values for ‘excellent’ examples are £15.1m) the results weren’t unexpected, because prices have been rising dramatically in recent times: in the past three years alone, the average increase across the group has been 50%, with the top riser, the F40, gaining 67% in value (see Fig 1).

The high values of all models could be the reason why the typically more well-off Baby Boomer generation (born 1946 to 1965) are still dominant in ownership terms: that demographic represents the most, or joint top, owners for all five cars and for all but one of the models has more than the Hagerty average of Baby Boomer owners.

The anomaly in both cases is the F50, which has the same 27.8 ownership percentage for Generation X as it does for Baby Boomers, and this is under the latter’s average of 32.1% for all cars Hagerty insures. The F50 is also the only car that has owners in every demographic group.

That’s fascinating because the F50 is the car that has really exploded

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Hagerty ownership demographics of Ferrari halo models (percentage total per vehicle)  288 GTO  F40  F50  Enzo  LaFerrari 0

5

Pre-Boomer

20 0 16.7 0 0

Boomer

40 33.3 27.8 38.9 50

Gen X

33.3 28.2 27.8 22.2 36.4

Millennial

6.67 25.6 22.2 27.8 13.6

Gen Z

0 12.8 5.6 11.1 0

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

SOURCE: HAGERTY

in relative value in the past few years. In May 2015, it was the least valuable model on the list; today it is the most valuable. Using Hagerty’s Collectability Algorithm, which analyses factors as diverse as engine size, cultural references and the willingness of buyers to spend above estimate, the F50 ranks at the 98.6th percentile of over 2800 cars. It looks as though the F50 combines collectability with an attraction to all ages that has translated into value growth.

Interestingly, the two halo models that score even higher than the F50 according to the Collectability Algorithm – the F40 and Enzo are both in the 99th percentile – are also the cars with the greatest proportion of owners born since 1965 (Fig 2).

The valuation forecast for the cars is likely to be strong. Although around a third of Hagerty Price Guide values have dropped over the past 12 months, the Ferrari marque has once again demonstrated its resilience. Take this summer’s Monterey auctions as an example: total Ferrari sales were down 7% compared with 2023, but measure that against a 41% drop for Porsche and 60% for Mercedes-Benz and it looks rather healthier. Plus, the sale rate for Ferraris was down just 5% year-on-year, compared with a drop of 10% for all cars, 11% for Porsche and 19% for Mercedes-Benz. That adds up to a group of cars that will likely remain one of the most sought-after automotive collections on the planet.

Fig 1. Who owns Ferrari’s halo cars?

Fig 2. Ferrari halo cars: owners under 60 Percentage of Hagerty owners that were born since 1965, as a percentage of each model’s total

60 40 20

288 GTO

F40

F50

Enzo

La Ferrari

SOURCE: HAGERTY

From top left 288 GTO not much liked by Millennials; F40 is Boomers’ favourite; F50 has been galloping out of the shadows since 2015; Enzo has the biggest number of Gen X owners; about half of LaFerrari owners are under 60.

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Targa Florio 1924 Mercedes, a century on

This Mercedes 2.0-litre Targa Florio was part of the winning works team on the fabled road race in 1924. Now it’s back to tackle those same Sicilian mountain roads a century on Words Glen Waddington Photography Mercedes-Benz Classic

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Targa Florio 1924 Mercedes, a century on

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t’s all in the paint. In 1924, Mercedes won the Targa Florio in a 2.0-litre racer very much like this one. Almost identical, in fact, and finished in red – unusually for a German racing car. The winner no longer exists, but this works team car is one of three that competed, and it finished 11th in the hands of Christian Lautenschlager (the third came 16th, driven by Alfred Neubauer), in the process helping Mercedes to earn the Coppa Florio (for an extra lap, after which they finished first, ninth and 13th) as well as the Coppa Termini, the overall team prize.

This car has belonged to Mercedes-Benz since 1937, when it bought it back for its own collection; you might even have seen it on the ‘banking’ in the marque’s Stuttgart museum, where it had previously been assumed to be the winning car, driven to victory on the winding mountain roads of Sicily by Christian Werner on 24 April 1924. Over the course of 18 months, it has been put through an exhaustive and exacting restoration by Mercedes-Benz Classic. And now here it is, in Sicily once more, to tackle those very same tortuous (and torturous) roads fully 100 years on.

We’ll come back to the paintwork. For now, time to take in the raging blue of the sky and the Mediterranean, the stained white rocky outcrops and backdrops, bleached green grass and spiny, blasted trees, the burnished terracotta buildings of Palermo and the disparate mounts of competitors in this year’s Targa Florio Classica. There’s a Ferrari Tribute, in which owners of 812 Superfasts, Romas,

488 GTBs and the like are taking up more than their fair share of tarmac. One of them just about gets away with an extravagantly exhibitionist display of oversteer, sliding noisily within inches of a mooring bollard by the edge of Palermo’s marina. Thankfully they run ahead of the pack, so the multitude of Fiat Balillas and 1500 Sei Cilindris, Porsche 356s and 911s, Lancia Aprilias and Aurelias, Jaguar XKs and E-types, and (one of the rarest entries) a 1955 Fiat 1100 Trasformabile get to take to the Circuito delle Madonie without too much interference from newer supercars.

And we, in not only the rarest but also the oldest car here, leave the others on the second day of the event so that Octane can experience the 1924 Mercedes-Benz 2.0-litre Targa Florio on a route that begins in Caltavuturo and takes in Polizzi Generosa, Collesano, Campofelice and Cerda. Placenames I note from history, roadsigns I’ve seen in old photos, bleakly beautiful landscapes I recognise from magazines and books: the same route this car last traversed in 1924, if a bit faster then than it will now. I’ve never been here, yet it’s remarkably familiar, all the same.

The car is less so, though this is not the first time I’ve laid eyes on it, having been to Stuttgart more than once during the time in which it had been removed from the museum display, stripped, examined, refurbished, repainted and reassembled. But this is the first time I’ve driven it, and immediately it’s evident that it will take some acclimatisation.

I’m sharing the narrow cockpit with Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Heritage (see Octane 243). The driver sits slightly ahead of the passenger (or ‘mechanic’

as once would have been the case), who can reach behind the cockpit to grasp a leather handle mounted behind the driver. The steering wheel is on the right, but so is the gearlever, and there are no doors so it’s a case of clambering onto the passenger-side rear leaf spring, boosting yourself onto the seat and shuffling behind that broad four-spoke rim.

All well and good. Then you realise there’s a centre throttle and the brake pedal is to the right, the two being separated by the steering column. There’s an external handbrake, and it’s suggested that’s the best bet if you need to shed speed suddenly. I’ve driven cars of this era before, of course, but not exactly every day, so a period of adjustment is necessary. Out here.

On the Circuito delle Madonie. In this uniquely storied car. With the guy who signed off all the invoices on its mega-money restoration. No pressure, then.

I’m in and mechanics swarm around us, Manfred Öchsle (whom I’ve met before, during the restoration process) manning the crank, one of his team juggling steering wheel levers that control mixture and idle speed.

Manfred swings and wah-wah-wah drrrrrrrr bub-bub-bub-bub-bub: it’s idling, a black whoosh of oil smoke wafting up from the exhaust manifold. Then it’s over to me. ‘You need to be quick with the clutch,’ says Manfred, mindful of when the leather cones overheated as the car was presented to Mercedes-Benz chairman Ola Källenius at Stuttgart in spring.

Right foot touches centre throttle and the engine responds like little else I’ve driven, with an immediate roar, quite incredible considering the age of this car. I recall my passenger ride at the company’s own Untertürkheim test track

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Clockwise, from far left Glen Waddington casts an appraising eye over the Mercedes before heading out on the Circuito delle Madonie; little protection for the driver, even less for the passenger; original steering wheel has been preserved – this is a replica; surprisingly adept in corners.

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Targa Florio 1924 Mercedes, a century on

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‘Foot touches throttle and the engine responds like little else I’ve driven’

Above, from top Christian Lautenschlager with riding mechanic Wilhelm Traub on the 1924 Targa Florio in this car; the winning team car before the race; all four team cars line up at the Mercedes factory before setting off for Genoa; winner Christian Werner with mechanic Karl Sailer on the Circuito delle Madonie.

in April, when driver (and race legend) Karl Wendlinger revealed that the rev limit, while officially 4500rpm, should be kept to 2800, and we wouldn’t be engaging the supercharger via the kickdown function. Noted.

The gearshift is a thing of joy, conventional in H-pattern and with an open gate that’s tight across but long of throw, fore and aft. The lever moves with oiled precision, up with the clutch, a sniff of gas (still too much!) and we’re away with a jerk as Manfred and co assist with a shove from the rear, all the better to preserve those old leather cones.

There’s a chug from under the bonnet, a percussive burble from the exhaust, the geartrain sings and we double-declutch into second – pretty smooth! – quite happily. Then comes a corner, and with it my discovery that the foot brake really does as little as was suggested, but thankfully that external handbrake soon becomes second nature.

The steering is really sweet, the car rounds the bend tidily, speed builds along with confidence and second gives way to third. Our pace is nothing compared with Werner, Lautenschlager and Neubauer, but even though we are denied the chance to bring forced induction into play there is plenty of torque and the car moves with supreme fluidity, feeling far younger than 100 years of age.

The roads are narrow, corners tight, sheer hillsides make sighting difficult, and there is livestock to be wary of. Surfaces are mostly tarmac, a little of the old-style gravel here and there, but seismic activity is no stranger to these parts and in places the roads are extraordinarily rutted, with severe disruption to overcome, testing the Merc’s (original) leaf springs to the extreme.

We go slowly and carefully, picking our way along, then building up speed again as the surface smooths and the views reveal themselves, incredible vistas beyond vertiginous edges across valleys and peaks strewn with rocky pavements, dotted with farmsteads and punctuated by villages that cling to the countryside, little changed in the intervening century bar the abundance of Fiat Pandas on the roads.

In 1924, Berlin’s Allgemeine AutomobilZeitung wrote about the ‘tyre-killing Madonie circuit with its 1562 bends and constant sections of gravel’. Dangers could lurk around every bend as drivers encountered donkey carts, cows, sheep and dogs; spectators found it difficult to judge the speed of the cars – often 65

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Targa Florio 1924 Mercedes, a century on

From left to right Rebuilt engine and chassis are finally reunited; Dr Gundula Tutt puts original paint under the microscope; period documents under scrutiny in the Mercedes-Benz archive; Volker Lück applies new paint; engine was in surprisingly good condition.

more than 100km/h on an island where even the sight of a car was unusual – and the roads themselves could be little more than dirt, requiring lightning reactions as the dust hid obstacles until the drivers were upon them.

And as La Gazzetta dello Sport reported immediately after the race: ‘The Coppa and the Targa Florio are going to Germany: Alfa Romeo, first among the Italian manufacturers, takes the places of honour alongside the victorious Mercedes. While Ascari came close to victory after a fast and courageous race, Werner broke the lap record and took the two coveted victories.’

Our run is punctuated in Collesano and a civic welcome at the Museo Targa Florio, a shrine to the road race featuring a collection built by a bus driver who used to ferry such greats as Nino Vaccarella and Arturo Merzario; they would reward him with mementoes such as steering wheels, racesuits or helmets. It’s run today by his son, Michele Gargano. There are photographs dating back to the time before even our car, and the evolution of these racers from open-wheelers to the prototype hillclimbers of the late 1960s is staggering.

Around this pretty little high-altitude town, you’ll find the legend Viva Nino (‘long live Nino’) painted on garage doors and stone walls in tribute to the Palermo-born F1 driver and triple Targa Florio winner. You’ll also spot the location of many a legendary Targa Florio photograph, noting those roadsigns and placenames that seemed so strangely familiar.

Attention turns to our mount, a development of Paul Daimler’s 1923 Indianapolis racer and the first project for Mercedes of a certain

Ferdinand Porsche. It features a highly advanced 1989cc inline four-cylinder with twin overhead camshafts and 16 valves.

Unforced, it’s capable of 67.5bhp, which nearly doubles to 126bhp when the supercharger is activated by kicking down on the accelerator to engage its clutch. Roller bearings grant it a theoretical rev limit of 4500rpm. Weighing less than a tonne, the 2.0-litre is lightweight and only 3.8m in length, running on a 2690mm wheelbase, described by engineering chief Max Sailer as ‘the smallest of all the competing vehicles’ – appropriate for the winding passes of the Madonie, and perhaps surprising given the epic scale of the cars that followed.

Four were built and three entered for the 1924 race; remarkably, they were driven from Stuttgart to Genoa, for the ferry to Sicily. Two survive. This car was sold to businessman and motorsport enthusiast Wilhelm Eberhardt in 1925, subsequently being fitted with broader cockpit bodywork so that, as well racing it, he could enjoy greater comfort on road trips with his wife. Mercedes-Benz re-acquired the car in 1937, first exhibiting it in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, then from 1961 in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Untertürkheim; it became a star of the ‘racing curve’ display when the current museum opened in 2006. The third-placed Neubauer car is in a private collection. Neubauer himself went on to become racing manager of the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix team from 1926 to 1955. Werner had taken the flag at an average speed of 66km/h; no mean feat.

Back to the paint. When Mercedes won the Targa Florio in 1924 it was the first victory for

a non-Italian driver. The race was one of few major competitions open to cars of German origin, which were not allowed entry to the French Grand Prix following World War One. German cars traditionally raced in white, but locals spectating along the Targa Florio route would make way for the cars wearing Italian racing red. It turns out that to beat ’em, you had to join ’em. As Breitschwerdt tells me, with a twinkle in his eye: ‘It’s not a disadvantage in an Italian street race to have your car painted red.’

But what is that exact shade of red, and how do you replicate it in a car a century on – especially when very little of it remains and surviving photographic evidence is in black and white? Enter Dr Gundula Tutt, a specialist in artwork restoration and colour forensics.

Octane meets Dr Tutt at Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Stuttgart while the car’s engine is still in pieces but its bodywork has been largely restored, including the reinstatement of its original, narrower cockpit surround and seating. Traces of the conversion process carried out in the 1920s remain visible and were reversed during work done in partnership with MCW Carrosserie en Wagenbouw in the Netherlands.

With the chassis and panels separated, Dr Tutt found vestiges of the original paint hidden well within the structural elements. ‘You look in places where a painter would not like to sand,’ she smiles. ‘That’s the primary evidence, as we say in art restoration.’

A sample was analysed under a microscope, revealing the multiple layers of primer, paint and varnish, which allowed the authentic pigment to be determined for restoration.

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Targa Florio 1924 Mercedes, a century on

‘It wasn’t only the colour that helped Mercedes to victory; its domination of the race was schemed’ An original patch has been kept unrestored for reference on the side of the fuel tank, though so perfect is the match that you would struggle to tell.

Indeed, up close you would not recognise the 2.0-litre as a restored car. While the bodywork has been returned to its 1924 shape, MCW’s Gert Jan van der Meij and his team worked hard to ensure it still wears its history in its surfaces: this is no toffee-apple job. ‘This is conservation,’ he says. ‘Restoration would be the wrong approach.’

The colour is deep and mellow but free of shine, having been painstakingly applied by Volker Lück, a cabinetmaker and restorer, all by hand and brush in ten wafer-thin layers.

The visible strokes in the paint surface are important: they can be discerned in photos from 1924. ‘Hammer marks and rivets were visible, too,’ says Lück.

‘Yes, we didn’t want an orgy of filler!’ laughs Dr Tutt. The finish of the racing cars was very different from the high-gloss paintwork of Mercedes passenger cars, although Dr Tutt maintains that Mercedes finished its racing cars to a higher standard than its rivals.

All four springs are original, as are the front dampers. Within the cockpit, the original

intruments have been restored. The revcounter was made by watch firm MühleGlashütte in Saxony. The engine rebuild was handled by Dietmar Krieger with help from external consultant Dieter Braun. ‘We had to repair a lot,’ says Krieger. Indeed, welding work was required on the engine block, and a new water jacket had to be created. ‘There was a lot of corrosion, some of it penetrative.’

Astonishingly, and thanks to those roller bearings, the crankcase is in perfect shape, needing only a clean. The crankshaft is being repaired, but the rods are original. Even the Roots-type supercharger is original, receiving a new mount and seals; likewise the carburettor.

‘No other existing engine is the same,’ says Krieger. ‘We even had to make new dies for the fixings: metric diameters, imperial pitch. That cost €10,000 on its own.’

Camshafts were repaired rather than replaced; new valves and springs are being made as we take our tour, a job made much easier by the Mercedes-Benz archive. Even the original order from the works racing team is kept there, complete with handwritten notes

by Max Sailer, handled only in white gloves by Christian Biederstädt. ‘We have the biggest corporate archive in Europe,’ exclaims a visibly

proud Breitschwerdt. Then he deadpans: ‘This is the nicest Porsche ever built.’

AFTER LEAVING COLLESANO we head to Campofelice di Rocella, down at sea level, then head along the Buonfiornello straight (longer than the Mulsanne!) and back towards Caltavuturo via Cerda. There we find the original pits, location of the start-finish straight, and a chance for reflection.

It wasn’t only the colour that helped Mercedes to victory; its domination of the race was schemed. Max Sailer had analysed the circuit well before the race and drilled his team.

In a foretaste of the effort that goes into making Formula 1 pit stops as efficient as possible, Sailer got the average time for a fuel-fill and tyre change down from three minutes to 2min 30sec. He certainly impressed Neubauer, who was inspired in his later approach as race team manager. Beyond the performance of car and driver, media noted that ‘rehearsal is important’.

It’s an approach that has come full circle.

One hundred years on, this exceptional machine is back on the roads where it dominated as part of a three-car team, establishing Mercedes as a racing force. And really, so little has changed.

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Targa Florio Legendary mountain laps

The world’s craziest road race?

ALAMY

Surprising history of the Targa Florio

ALAMY

MERCEDES-BENZ

From top Achille Varzi winning the 1930 Targa Florio in his Alfa Romeo P2; Stirling Moss won not only the Mille Miglia but also the Targa Florio in 1955, in the MercedesBenz 300 SLR; Gérard Larrousse in Porsche 908 at Collesano, 1970.

T

here’s a tiled mural in the Sicilian town of Collesano commemorating the epic drive of Stirling Moss in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. Not on the Mille Miglia but on the Targa Florio. The 39th Targa marked the sixth and final round of that year’s FIA World Sports Car Championship, following the cancellation of the Carerra Panamericana. Mercedes hadn’t taken part in the first two rounds, and withdrew from Le Mans that year. Even so, the title was between Ferrari, Jaguar and MercedesBenz. Jaguar failed to show; Mercedes (true to form) arrived three weeks early and learnt the route, new for that year. Fielding three SLRs, the German team took first (Moss with Peter Collins), second ( Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling) and fourth (Desmond Titterington and John Fitch). Ferrari managed third, with Eugenio Castellotti and Robert Manzon in the 857S. Mercedes took the title.

The Coppa Florio had its roots in a 500km Italian road race in 1905, from Brescia to Cremona and back via Mantua, with a trophy (coppa) donated by Sicilian Madeira wine magnate Vincenzo Florio. A year later, the race – named the Targa Florio – moved to Sicily and was held in the Madonie mountains, amid Florio’s vineyards. The route, which varied much over the race’s history, would start and finish in Cerda, with an elevation change of 900m. It ran until 1977, though it formed part of the World Sports Car Championship for the final time in 1973.

All the roads of all the circuit variations are still in use today, though in some places the surfaces are treacherous. There are still gravel sections.

It developed a reputation for being extremely difficult, thanks to the number of corners: around 2000 per lap on the original Grande 146km (91-mile) circuit, and the best-prepared teams spent an enormous amount of time learning the course. Safety concerns brought about its demise. Brian Redman crashed his Porsche 908/3 in 1971, suffered third-degree burns and waited 45 minutes for medical help while spectators waved fans in an effort to cool him. There were not enough marshals, most spectators sat too close to the roads, and the FIA mandated safety walls on all circuits from 1974 – impractical here.

The cars had become increasingly spectacular, however. Alessandro Cagno won the inaugural 1906 race in nine hours, averaging 30mph in an Itala 35/40hp; by the late 1960s, race cars with 600bhp were the norm. Helmut Marko set the lap record in 1972 in an Alfa Romeo 33TT3 at 33min 41sec at an average of 79.693mph during an epic charge where he made up two minutes on Arturo Merzario and his Ferrari 312PB. The fastest ever was Leo Kinnunen in 1970, lapping in the Porsche 908/3 at 79.890mph or 33min 36sec.

Time was called when two spectators were killed and five injured in 1977 (it had taken place as a national event since 1973). It has run as a rally since 1978, and the Targa Florio Classica retrospective has been held since 2015. Porsche, having won several times, immortalised the race by naming the plate-like lid of its open-roof 911 a ‘Targa top’.

Targa is Italian for ‘plaque’.

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Touring greats Aston Martin and Lamborghini

TOURING PARTY Lamborghini 350 GT and Aston Martin DB4 Vantage: two 1960s super-GTs with a special Carrozzeria Touring connection. But which thrills the most?

Words Peter Tomalin Photography GF Williams

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Touring greats Aston Martin and Lamborghini

LONG, LOW AND LEAN,

its upper structure seemingly fashioned almost entirely from glass, and quite unlike anything else seen before or since… Sixty years on from its launch, the first production Lamborghini still looks brilliantly, beguilingly exotic. It’s not often that an Aston Martin DB4 Vantage isn’t the immediate centre of attention, but today is one of those days.

Not least because the 350 GT is so very rare, and chances to see one, let alone drive one, are so fleeting, especially here in the UK. At the time of our shoot, as summer gives way to autumn, this is reckoned to be the only example in the country.

Until earlier this year this 350 GT had spent its whole life in South Africa. When it was delivered to its first owner (in Johannesburg, December 1965) it was the first Lamborghini on the entire African continent, and its life there helps explain why its body and underlying structure are in such sound condition. It’s gently patinated, almost entirely original and mechanically completely standard. In short, this 350 GT looks really rather wonderful.

Current owner Bryan Webb acquired it when he sold his Cape Townbased classic car dealership. ‘I was paid partly in Lamborghinis – a Countach, an Aventador Roadster and this!’ he smiles. That was seven years ago, but it’s only since he brought the 350 GT to the UK in February – specifically to undergo a full bare-metal restoration by Hertfordshirebased Colin Clarke Engineering – that he’s begun to appreciate just what a special car it is. ‘I’m seriously impressed,’ he says. ‘It’s a car I very much intend to keep.’

Rarity is undoubtedly part of the 350 GT’s appeal. In all, a mere 120 were built in a two-year production run from 1964 to ’66. The first 50 (this being one of them) had lightweight aluminium bodywork stretched over their Superleggera tubular frames, which makes them especially appealing.

Later cars had substantially heavier steel bodies, as did the 350’s successor, the 400 GT 2+2, of which twice the number were made.

By that point the 3.5-litre V12 had grown to 3.9 litres, while the 2+2 also heralded a number of other changes, most obviously four round headlamps, an extended roofline, smaller rear windscreen and the addition of rear seats where the 350 offered a luggage shelf (or a rarely selected plus-one option, this being a single central rear seat). The 400 is generally reckoned the better, more robust, more rounded car, but these early aluminium 350s are arguably purer and in some ways more special, certainly more sought-after by collectors.

Now, an Aston DB4 isn’t exactly a common sight, but ten times as many DB4s were built as 350 GTs. Total DB4 production reached 1210 between 1958 and 1963, followed by 1023 DB5s between 1963 and ’66.

That said, the particular DB4 derivative here is actually even rarer than the Lamborghini, an end-of-line Series 5 (only 55 were made) in superdesirable Vantage form, which means it has the ‘Special Series’ engine with triple rather than twin SU carburettors, bigger valves and a higher compression ratio, plus those faired-in headlights, the latter meaning it’s often mistaken for a DB5.

As standard, the Vantage’s 3.7-litre twin-cam straight-six produced a claimed 266bhp, a pleasingly close match for Lamborghini’s claimed 276bhp for the 350 GT’s quad-cam 3.5-litre V12. This particular DB4 has a few tasty modifications, as many do, including an RS Williams 4.2-litre engine upgrade, typically good for a measured 290bhp. So, highrevving quad-cam Italian V12 versus barrel-chested British straight-six.

It’s a mouthwatering prospect.

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Touring greats Aston Martin and Lamborghini

Aston first, and this DB4, owned by Bryan’s Virginia Water neighbour Andrew James for the past 20 years, is deeply desirable in its own right. It looks simply wonderful in Avus Silver (somehow a little richer than the usual Silver Birch), its rear ’arches gently flared to accommodate slightly wider, lighter, 16-inch Turrino aluminium wires, while the rear suspension’s original lever-arm dampers have been replaced with telescopic Konis. That’s a popular mod, as is the switchable electric power steering fitted to this car.

The straight-six fires easily, with a rich, throaty growl. With those slightly wider-than-standard tyres, I’m glad of a little power-assistance as I manoeuvre onto the leafy backroads of Surrey. DB Astons of this period are always such physical cars to drive, and there’s plenty of weight to the pedals and gearshift (a David Brown four-speed with overdrive).

It’s part of the appeal.

Less appealing is the degree of free play in the steering around the straight-ahead. It’s a common trait and you grow used to it; once you apply some lock it feels connected enough. Better, though, is the tightly controlled ride, no doubt improved here by the uprated suspension and lighter wheels of this example. In corners you’re aware of the weight of the engine up front, but the whole car feels nicely together. The DB gearbox’s shift has an undeserved reputation for being tricky; take time to learn it, don’t rush it, and it actually engages really sweetly. The shift from fourth down into third as you line up the next corner is a peach, machined and sheened in oil.

The 4.2-litre Vantage six is simply magnificent – the standard 3.7 is a fine engine, but this just has even more of everything. Low-end and midrange torque is formidable, and there’s no need to push much past 4000rpm, though there’s a beautifully savage rasp when you keep the throttle pinned, a brassy blare that’s classic British straight-six.

It might get a little wearing on a long journey, but the overdrive helps, and as Andrew says: ‘We drive to our villa in the South of France and it’ll sit all day at 90mph.’ The upgrades make a fine car even better; even with a standard example there’s no denying the appeal of a well-sorted Series 5 DB4 Vantage (or indeed the DB5 that it soon became).

For many the DB4/5 remains peak Aston Martin. The lines were penned by Federico Formenti, in-house designer at Carrozzeria Touring at the time, and they blend a noble English face with immaculate Italian tailoring. Underneath, the DB4 employed Touring’s by then well-

‘ITALIAN V12 VERSUS BRITISH STRAIGHT-SIX: A MOUTHWATERING PROSPECT’

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Clockwise, from above Touring was responsible for both cars, in terms of styling and assembly method; old-school DB4 dash; beefy straight-six has been tweaked.

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Touring greats Aston Martin and Lamborghini

established Superleggera (super-lightweight) construction technique, a framework of thin tubular steel mounted on a platform chassis and clad in aluminium panels. Aston licensed the process from Touring so that DB4s (and subsequently DB5s and DB6s) could be assembled at Newport Pagnell.

The DB4’s many admirers at the time included a certain wealthy Italian industrialist by the name of Ferruccio Lamborghini. He particularly loved the way the fastback roof met the bootlid – one of the stipulations for his own GT was that it should have a similar confluence of lines.

Ferruccio also followed Aston to Touring for the final styling of his car and for its Superleggera construction. In fact, the first Lamborghini was even more leggera than the Aston: as well as using a thin tubular steel frame to support the body, the 350 GT employs square-section steel tubes for the backbone, too. The quoted weight of the alloy-bodied car

was a very trim 1200kg (the figure generally given for the later steelbodied 2+2 is 1380kg – much closer to the Aston’s quoted 1400kg).

Did Signor Lamborghini really go into car-making after a spat with Enzo Ferrari? It’s a great story, but then both men were famously adept at burnishing their own mythology. ‘I have bought some of the most famous gran turismo cars,’ Ferruccio told journalists, ‘and in each of these magnificent machines I have found some faults. Too hot, or uncomfortable, or not sufficiently fast, or not perfectly finished. Now I want to make a GT car without faults… a perfect car.’

The newly formed Automobili Lamborghini SpA first announced its arrival with the unveiling at Turin’s 1963 Salone dell’Automobile of the extremely sleek and avant-garde concept car, the 350 GTV (V for Veloce), its striking lines the work of the famed designer and aerodynamicist Franco Scaglione, he of Alfa Romeo ‘BAT car’ fame.

‘THE DB4’S ADMIRERS INCLUDED ITALIAN INDUSTRIALIST FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI’

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But the GTV was very much a show car; the V12 engine that was being developed wouldn’t actually fit, so floor tiles from the new factory at Sant’Agata Bolognese were placed under the bonnet to give the correct ride height, while a number of the GTV’s eye-catching features, such as its rotating hidden headlights, made it impractical for production.

Ferruccio turned to Carrozzeria Touring, both to reconfigure the design and to build the bodies.

And the designer responsible for turning concept into viable production reality? None other than Federico Formenti, the unsung hero of Touring’s design offices and stylist of the DB4.

Formenti subsequently reworked the 350 into the 400 GT and, when struggling Touring went bust in 1966, he oversaw the transfer of body production to a new plant run by the Marazzi brothers. So impressed were Ferruccio and his team that they later commissioned him to design

and build the 400’s replacement, the Islero, at Marazzi. Intriguingly, in 1965 the self-effacing Italian also sketched a mid-engined coupé for Lamborghini. Called the Tigre, it had low, swooping lines and, in some sketches, slats over the rear window. A year or so later Lamborghini would unveil the Gandini-penned Miura, slats and all.

Ferruccio certainly recruited well. Leading his engineering team for his first car was the young Giampaolo Dallara; other key players included chassis man Paolo Stanzani and test driver Bob Wallace. And to design the engine, Giotto Bizzarrini, father of the 250 GTO. How that must have stung Enzo Ferrari.

The V12 that Bizzarrini produced initially was very much a racing design: all-aluminium, four chain-driven camshafts, high compression ratio, wild cam lobes, dry sump and so forth. But Ferruccio wasn’t particularly interested in motorsport and wanted something less highly

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Touring greats Aston Martin and Lamborghini

strung for his road car, so the engine was detuned and wet-sumped for the 350 GT. Still, a quad-cam 60º V12 with six twin-choke Webers was a tantalising prospect. Just as it is today.

Approach the 350 GT and, if not quite as handsome as the Aston nor as pretty as a contemporary Ferrari 250 Lusso, it’s nevertheless an arresting machine – here in Notte Blu (‘night blue’) with Crema hide – and it sits beautifully on its Borrani wires. Originally the car was finished in dark metallic grey, then briefly (and rather disturbingly) bright orange, but this colour scheme suits it perfectly.

You drop down into the Lamborghini and sit much lower and more reclined than in the Aston. It’s a typically Italian driving position, but that’s fine; the only obvious flaw is that the pedals are noticeably offset to the left. Oh, and the handbrake is all but buried between seat and transmission tunnel.

That huge wrap-around glasshouse, a classic teardrop in plan view, allows for quite exceptional all-round vision, and there’s loads of headroom, too. One can only imagine how hot it gets in here when the sun’s beating down (many owners have retro-fitted air-conditioning) but, fortunately, today is cool and overcast and I can simply enjoy the view down the l-o-n-g bonnet.

Clearly visible through the polished alloy-spoked wood-rimmed wheel are a Jaeger rev-counter redlined at seven and a matching speedometer reading to 170mph. Minor gauges and a long row of toggle switches are ranged across the centre of the dash; it’s all quite restrained, tasteful, a world away from the Countach and Diablo.

It wasn’t until the DB5 that Aston adopted a five-speed gearbox, a ZF unit, in fact the very same ’box that’s in the 350. The shifts are a touch long-winded, as they are in the DB4, but there’s an agreeable feeling of precision and mechanical engagement.

The unassisted steering is another source of pleasure. There’s little of the Aston’s looseness at the straight-ahead, inputs are met with

1962 Aston Martin DB4 Vantage (standard spec) Engine 3670cc DOHC straightsix, three SU HD8 carburettors Power 266bhp @ 5750rpm Torque 255lb ft @ 4500rpm Transmission Four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front: double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers.

Rear: live axle, trailing arms, Watt linkage, coil springs, lever-arm dampers Brakes Discs Weight c1400kg Top speed 150mph 0-60mph 6.8sec

1965 Lamborghini 350 GT Engine 3464cc 60 º V12, DOHC per bank, six Weber 40DCOE carburettors Power 276bhp @ 6500rpm Torque 240lb ft @ 4500rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers Brakes Discs Weight 1200kg Top speed 158mph 0-62mph 6.8sec

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Clockwise, from above The influence of the Aston’s roof/boot styling on the Lamborghini is clear; stylish, patinated 350 GT interior; glorious V12 and a usable boot.

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Touring greats Aston Martin and Lamborghini

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Touring greats Aston Martin and Lamborghini

an immediate and linear response, and the 350 GT turns-in with a keenness that immediately makes you smile. Through every curve it seems balanced, biddable, and you feel nicely connected, both through the steering and the chassis – no soggy GT this. That sense of affinity and precision permeates the whole car.

The positioning of the engine is key. In the Aston the straight-six sits tall, the front of the block nosing ahead of the front axle line; open the Lamborghini’s long bonnet and – once you’ve finished salivating – you note how much lower the V12 sits and the fact that it’s virtually all behind the axle line. On the move you can sense that the masses are slung low and towards the centre of the car, and the corresponding lack of inertia is obvious when compared with the DB4.

The ride is impressive, too. Where the Aston has a live rear axle, the 350 GT has independent double-wishbone suspension at all four corners. Our DB4’s uprated suspension is a clear improvement on standard; a regular example’s rear end is prone to get a bit loose and crashy over broken tarmac, and again the 350 GT would have its measure here. The brakes of both are reassuringly strong, though the Lamborghini currently pulls to the right under hard braking – something to be rectified when it goes in for restoration.

And what about that fabulous V12? From warm, and after a few seconds’ churning, it smoulders into life, sounding busy with the gentle thrashing of chains and valvegear. On the move, the throttle pedal’s action is quite stiff and long of travel, not ideal with an engine that loves to rev, but it picks up cleanly from 1500rpm or so and pulls solidly into the mid-range. It’s from 3500rpm onwards, though, that it really comes alive, and from 4000rpm the power just grows and swells, the discreet

hum slowly morphing into a cultured wail. When it’s fully wrung out, I’ve little doubt it would have the legs of a standard 3.7 DB4 Vantage, if not the RS Williams-tuned 4.2.

There’s still the hint of a race engine in the way it sounds and the way it delivers its power, but it’s also seemingly temperament-free. Admittedly this is not a hot day, but despite lots of stop-start low-speed manoeuvring it barely misses a beat. This remarkable engine would grow and evolve right up until the end of Murciélago production in 2010. It was the fierce heart of Lamborghini for five decades, and this is where it all started.

Each 350 GT was reportedly sold at a hefty loss, despite a price of well over £6000 in the UK when an Aston was around £4000 and an E-type little more than half that (which probably explains why only five 350 GTs were sold to UK buyers). It wasn’t as perfect as Lamborghini would have hoped, of course. The tubular framework and ally body were prone to flexing (something largely addressed with the steel-bodied 400 GT 2+2), the engine lacked a little in low-down torque (ditto), and the ergonomics were slightly flawed. But nothing like those of a Miura or early Countach. This is a far more spacious, habitable, refined and far less compromised machine than either of those mid-engined pin-ups.

For a first effort, it was quite remarkably good.

As Ferruccio told the press: ‘A Lamborghini has to be beautiful, fast, comfortable, luxurious and fun to drive; it has to be the best GT ever made.’ Few Lamborghinis over the years delivered on that promise more convincingly than the very first. And, as we’ve discovered, it was all the better for its Aston Martin and Touring connections.

THANKS TO Bryan Webb, Andrew James and Paul Cox.

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Tesla Roadster and Lotus Elise

Elon Musk’s first foray into the automotive world was based on the Lotus Elise.

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How does the electric Tesla Roadster compare today? Words Robert Coucher Photography Paul Harmer 87

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Tesla Roadster and Lotus Elise

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Left and right Tesla Roadster (far left) took the Elise as its basis, but kept very little of its make-up; this Elise has been spiced up to better match the Tesla for power and price.

hat incredible sensation of whoosh is still there after ten years! With 295lb ft of instant torque and 288bhp on tap, the Tesla Roadster Sport is dramatically fast in otherworldly fashion. Amazing to think that this is pretty much the first of the current wave of electric cars, having sprung out of the trap in 2006 and launched Tesla into the vanguard of automotive technology. Its performance remains, ahem, electrifying, if slightly weird.

That equally weird but smart billionaire, Elon Musk, decided to back internet pioneers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning’s allelectric car and approached Lotus to help with the design and engineering, using its lively and lightweight Elise sports car as a template.

Again, a bit weird – you’d think an electric vehicle should be practical for ostensibly urban use, and the low-slung, two-door open Elise is hardly that. Musk obviously knew what he was doing – grabbing attention – as he now owns the world’s most valuable automotive company ($71.9bn in June 2024). He later admitted that the Lotus was not the best starting point, as only about 7% of the donor was retained for the Tesla Roadster and just 2456 examples were manufactured between 2008 and 2012.

The first prototypes were released in Santa Monica (where else?) in 2006 and Musk received the first road car. It is 2in longer than

the Elise, with a stiffer chassis to take its greater weight – being packed with lithium-ion batteries (in a world first for a car), at 1237kg it’s a lot heavier than the flyweight Elise. Its induction motor is air-cooled, and the Borg Warner transmission has a single ratio, which gets the Roadster to 60mph in just 3.7sec.

Range is claimed to be 244 miles.

But let’s go back to Hethel and the beginning.

The Lotus Elise was conceived in 1994 and released in 1996. Obviously mid-engined, rearwheel drive with Lotus’s usual glassfibre bodywork, its bonded extruded aluminium chassis was the real innovation, providing strength with light weight (the bare chassis weighs just 67kg) and ease of manufacture.

The car was allegedly named after Elisa Artioli, granddaughter of Romano Artioli – the somewhat improbable chairman of the fastbankrupting Bugatti and Lotus at the time. He gave Lotus the freedom to design a radically new sports car. It was an instant all-time great.

Styled by Julian Thomson (with Richard Rackham as structural engineer), the Series 1 Elise looks cute, curvy and cheerful. It weighs only 725kg so the 16-valve 1.8-litre K-series engine’s 118bhp output equates to 164bhp per tonne, for 0-60mph in 5.8sec. Its top speed of 125mph is matched by the Tesla.

‘Simplify, then add lightness,’ Colin Chapman used to say. So the Elise’s interior is pared to the bone, suitably for an all-out sports car, with bare aluminium and painted 89

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Tesla Roadster and Lotus Elise

2010 Analogue Elise SuperSport Engine 1796cc DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder, throttle-body fuel injection Power 210bhp @ 7250rpm Torque 160lb ft @ 5900rpm Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, coil-over-dampers, front anti-roll bar Brakes Vented discs Weight 695kg Top speed 135mph 0-60mph 4.0sec

This page (lower images) and opposite Tesla Roadster is recognisably Elise-derived, especially inside, yet it features carbon bodywork. Biggest difference is in the engine bay…

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glassfibre throughout. Unlike a Lotus 7 it features wind-up windows (with drilled winders!) and there is the luxury of a heater.

But many of you cannot have failed to notice that the Elise we have here is rather more special than the standard offering. This is a SuperSport by Analogue Automotive.

When launched, the Tesla Roadster was priced at £92,000 whereas the Lotus Elise Series 1 was around £20,000. The Tesla has gained an enthusiastic following, hailed as the first ‘classic electric car’ and offering startling performance, the upshot being that good examples now command £150,000. A stock Elise is worth about £25,000 and is considerably outgunned by the 285bhp Tesla. The Analogue Elise SuperSport is harder and much faster than stock, and takes the internal combustion fight to the electric whizzkid.

Analogue Automotive is based in West Sussex, the brainchild of arch Lotus guru Steffen Dobke. You can’t miss the smartlooking showroom, with a phalanx of Lotuses lined up outside, when driving down the A286 to Goodwood Circuit. The workshop inside looks more like a racing car works, with half-adozen Elises in various states of stripdown and rebuild. Steffen says: ‘I have been driving and working on Lotuses for decades and think the

Elise is one of the best. Underrated, with great potential, I thought it deserved attention in the way of a Singer 911 or Alfaholics GTA.’ His immaculate workshop certainly looks the part. ‘We source good donor cars, then strip them back to the bare chassis. The aluminium tub is the strongest part of the car.

We add a little reinforcement here and there and replace all the suspension components with specially developed hubs and wishbones.

We have got the SuperSport’s weight down to 695kg and all this takes about 600 hours per car,’ says Steffen.

That’s a lot of labour, which doesn’t come cheap, so at around £150,000 (similar to the Tesla) the bespoke SuperSport is pitched at the driver who wants a modern Elise finished to a higher standard than the original car.

In black on black on black, this Series 1 looks superb. The body panels are sharp and smooth and the paint is deep. The black alloys are neat and the ride height is dropped so they really fill the ’arches. The Yokohama tyres are modest at 195/225 front and rear, as Steffen’s aim is to retain the Lotus’s light and nimble mien, and the bespoke wishbones widen the track nicely.

Hop into the fixed Tillett driver’s seat and the Alcantara-covered steering wheel looks noticeably small in front of the Stack

instruments; you also notice genuine carbonfibre finishes and new switchgear. Turn the key and the engine bursts into a busy idle.

The sound is deep and purposeful through four throttle-bodies – the K-series is producing 210bhp, for a very useful 307bhp per tonne.

The SuperSport moves off with ease thanks to 160lb ft, making it feel featherweight. The steering is accurate and the whole package feels tight, yet the fabled Lotus suspension compliance remains intact and the car is lightning-quick around the country lanes.

Think large superbike.

Soon you don’t feel like you are sitting in the Elise but wearing it. Being small, it takes up little road space. The unassisted steering is telepathic, the grunt is great, and the Nitron NTR46 coil-overs keep everything nicely composed. The snappy short-throw gearshift works a very close-ratio PG1 ’box with a Quaife limited-slip diff. Plant the throttle and the powerful engine revs straight up to 7500rpm and you can carry all the speed thanks to the superbly set-up chassis.

All I can think is, if McLaren were to build a sports car in this class, this would be it. The SuperSport is balanced and sharp and offers an intense driving experience. Build quality, finish, dynamics are all superb and the

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Tesla Roadster and Lotus Elise

2009 Tesla Roadster Signature 250 Engine Three-phase four-pole 400V AC induction motor Power 288bhp @ 5-8000rpm Torque 295lb ft @ 0-6000rpm Steering Rack and pinion Transmission Single-speed, rear-wheel drive Suspension Front and rear: double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, front anti-roll bar Brakes Servo-assisted vented discs, ABS Weight 1255kg Top speed 125mph 0-60mph 3.7sec

menacing-sounding engine delivers slugs of high-revving performance. Indeed, as the name implies, it really is analogue.

So how does the Elise’s Sci-Fi relative compare? Also finished in black, the Tesla Roadster looks like a smoothed, more mature Elise. The Lotus stamp is evident, but it’s longer and the body panels are expensive carbonfibre instead of glassfibre in an attempt to keep weight to a minimum. This example, brought along by Drew Wheeler Sports & Classics, is rare, being one of only 12 right-hand-drive Signature 250 models with the uprated motor.

The Tesla Roadster’s interior is simple, spacious and comfortable, with red leather heated seats and carpeting, eschewing the Elise’s extruded ally finishes. Complete with cupholder, electric windows and glovebox, it was designed to appeal to early adopters, who included the likes of George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And never mind the lack of power steering.

Operation is a cinch. Switch on with the conventional key and the central display lights up, with the P for Park button illuminated.

Then press D and you are ‘good to go’, as the techies like to put it. And go you do, in a silent instant that then stretches relentlessly.

You have to hold on to the small steering wheel firmly as the Tesla lunges off the mark

with chest-crushing ferocity. Yes, we all now know EVs produce their full whack of torque from standstill, yet this is still a very enjoyable shock. With only one gear and all that grunt, the Roadster concentrates on seamless acceleration without gear-changing interruptions. It is eerily silent at low speeds yet, as you push the Roadster harder, the mechanical whine of high-revving motor joins the tyre trammel and rush of wind and, when you come off the throttle, the pull of engine braking is noticeable. But with 288bhp per tonne it really feels incredibly quick and alive.

And the acceleration is still a real party trick. If you want to impress (or frighten!) someone, just press the pedal and the Tesla will do the rest. All the way up to 15,000rpm!

Being quite a bit heavier than the SuperSport Elise, the Tesla’s progress is less of a dance and more of a steamroll. It is still relatively light and reactive, but the steering requires more concentration, especially if you boot it on B-roads. When that torque hits the wheels all in one go, the steering writhes over the camber and undulations, whereas in the Elise you simply allow it to glide with a dab of directional assistance. And under braking you feel the mass behind you and realise why four-piston AP calipers and vented discs are a popular upgrade, as fitted to this car.

The same yet very different, then. Both based on the Lotus Elise, these cars offer supercar levels of performance but in different ways.

The Tesla Roadster really is shockingly fast.

You could argue that it’s heavy and so loses some of the point of the Elise, but never mind that. On the road it handles superbly and is laugh-out-loud quick. At low speed it’s whisperquiet and extremely easy to drive. There is the fact that the range is around 200 miles and some components, such as the Power Electronics Module and batteries, are expensive should they need to be replaced. But if you want the first electric sports car, and you have a charger in your garage, the Tesla is for you.

The Analogue Elise SuperSport is the polar opposite. It’s about as mechanical as an object could be: light, raw and intoxicating. Power delivery is linear, its strong engine loves to rev, and is this the best steering in the word?

Probably. Properly engineered, a beautifully built package that’s impossibly fast on real roads, the Analogue Elise SuperSport has to be one of the most exciting sports cars you can buy at any price.

Electrifying, in fact.

THANKS TO Analogue Automotive, analogueautomotive.co.uk, and Drew Wheeler Sports & Classics, drewwheeler.co.uk.

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Beyond the Elise Platform partners

E OT H E R H T

LOTU S E LI S E SP

IN - OFFS

The Elise platform was both talented and flexible. Here’s what else it underpinned Words Matthew Hayward

Lotus 340R

Lotus Exige Turning the idea of a track-focused Elise to the max, the Exige was launched in 2000 as its first proper derivation. While the standard Elise was all about interaction, feedback and generally being fun on the road, the Exige ramped up the aggression – with stiffer suspension, grippier tyres and significantly more on-track capability.

The non-removable hardtop featured a gulping air intake, and the rear spoiler added considerable downforce to improve high-speed stability. It became a defining car for the company, spawning even more hardcore S2 and S3 versions.

Billed as the most extreme Lotus ever built when launched in 2000, the 340R took the company’s lightweight ethos to the extreme – with no roof and custom-built skeletal bodywork that went without opening doors.

Initially displayed in concept form at the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show, the 340R went on to be powered by the same 177bhp VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) engine as the Exige, and weighed in at a staggeringly light 701kg. Lotus built only 340 of them.

Vauxhall VX220/ Opel Speedster Lotus needed funding to develop the S2 Elise and old partner General Motors helped in return for getting its own version.

Radically different styling aside, major changes included a 30mm longer chassis, wider rear track, larger wheels, and lower sills to make entry and egress easier. The biggest change was the adoption of GM engines: initially a 145bhp 2.2-litre four, then a turbo 2.0-litre pushing 200bhp – way faster than the Lotus it was based on. The 220bhp track-ready VXR220 arrived in 2004 and was the ultimate iteration.

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Lotus Europa

Detroit Electric SP.01

Lotus knew that the Elise platform was incredibly versatile, and it revived an old name to see whether it could successfully turn the Elise into a mini-GT: longer, with more creature comforts and with a GM-sourced 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 200bhp (later 222bhp). It was not a sales success, and only 458 were built between 2006 and 2010. Initially it was also intended to be sold in Malaysia under parent company Proton’s name, but the plans were shelved.

The platform was also considered for use by Dodge in the US as an EV sports car called the Circuit.

It never made production.

Reviving the name of a pre-war American electric car model, this new venture was planned by a couple of former Lotus executives. The SP.01 followed a formula similar to the Tesla Roadster’s and was powered by a 150kW (201bhp) electric motor.

After being shown in Detroit and Shanghai in 2013, and despite further occasional rumblings, the car failed to proceed beyond the prototype stage due to funding issues.

Rinspeed sQuba Rinspeed is well-known for its outlandish concept cars, and this has to be up there as one of the most inspired. While it looks like a relatively normal Elise at a glance, this 2008 Geneva motor show star took a page out of the James Bond rulebook and offered occupants the full submersible experience. The engine was removed and replaced with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack and three electric motors at the rear. One provided propulsion on land, the other two would steer the car when underwater. Once in its aquatic environment, powerful Seabob jet drives took over.

Hennessey Venom GT

2-Eleven and 3-Eleven Both of these cars channelled the spirit of the 340R, creating even more tightly focused, lightweight trackday specials. The 2-Eleven came along in 2007 and was based on the S2 Exige S, with 252bhp pushing just 670kg. The 3-Eleven followed in 2015 and was derived from the S3 Exige S, powered by the Evora’s supercharged 3.5-litre Toyotasourced V6. With power up to 430bhp and weight of 925kg it’s a seriously effective track car.

From one extreme to the other. Hennessey installed a twin-turbocharged 7.0-litre LS7 V8 engine into the back of a heavily modified Elise chassis to create the Venom GT in 2011. With 1244bhp, it recorded a top speed of 270mph at the Kennedy Space Centre in 2014. A Spyder version was built at the request of one notable customer, the Aerosmith lead vocalist Steven Tyler, and from 2016 power was increased to an even more ridiculous 1451bhp. Only 13 were built in total.

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THE O C TA N E INTERVIEW

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Shiro Nakamura Nissan’s long-standing Chief Creative Officer became architect of the marque’s style-led revival… and is also known as ‘Mr GT-R’

MANY OF US FONDLY recall childhood moments spent gazing at photographs of exotic cars – it’s often the starting point for a lifelong passion. For Shiro Nakamura, however, it sparked a remarkable career as a car designer, spanning more than four decades. Best known for his near-20-year tenure at Nissan, Nakamura has designed everything from humble hatchbacks and city cars to crossover SUVs and saloons. Yet his true passion has always been sports cars, and he is the visionary behind one of Japan’s most iconic performance machines: the R35 GT-R. ‘I was born in Osaka in 1950, and when I was young, there weren’t many sports cars in Japan,’ Shiro reminisces. Amiable, softly spoken, and dressed in a crisp white shirt, he sits in his Tokyo office during our video call. Behind him, on neat shelves, a gunmetal grey R35 GT-R model is proudly displayed beneath myriad books on design.

‘When I was ten, I had this book on Italian carrozzerie, and I remember loving Ferraris and thinking they were very impressive. I was attracted to all of these exotic sports cars, but all I had were photographs, and they were all in black and white. There was no chance to see them in the metal in Japan back then – all I had was my imagination. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a car designer.’

Luckily for the young Shiro, he didn’t have to wait too much longer before real sports cars began to roll out of factories and onto the roads of 1960s Japan. ‘I grew up as the Japanese auto industry was developing, and my career grew alongside it,’ he explains. ‘Gradually, some domestic sports cars began to appear, and when I was 20, fast cars like the Nissan 240Z had come out as Japan’s car industry began its global expansion.’

Four years later, in 1974, Shiro graduated from Tokyo’s prestigious Musashino Art University with a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design, the closest field to automotive design available in Japan at the time. This education paved the way for his first steps in a career at Isuzu that began as a studio draughtsman primarily designing commercial vehicles.

As Japan’s car industry went global, so too did Shiro’s career. Recognising his talents, Isuzu sent him to the renowned ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 1978. ‘All of a sudden, Japan was open, and

Words Elliott Hughes Portrtait Toru Hanai/Reuters Left Designer Shiro Nakamura with the ‘powerful, mechanical and very Japanese’ Gundam manga robots that helped to inspire the ethos beind the R35 GT-R.

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The Octane Interview Shiro Nakamura

‘I think the 350Z is the first car I designed that truly looked Japanese’ after I joined Isuzu, I had the chance to move to the US,’ Shiro recalls. While there, he studied alongside another car designer, Chris Bangle, and drew inspiration from the vastly different culture and automotive landscape of the US. ‘I saw so many great cars while I was there – it really opened my eyes,’ Shiro adds.

After his second graduation, the stage was set for his career truly to take off. There came a brief spell back in Japan, then he relocated to Europe. ‘Isuzu had a studio in Brussels, so I spent a lot of time in the UK. But when I first moved there, I needed to put a team together to work with me and, at that time, Lotus was also affiliated with GM – so I talked to them and said: “Why don’t we work together?”

That’s what led to the creation of what was my first breakthrough project, the Isuzu 4200R.’ Shiro was working with esteemed designers such as Peter Stevens and Julian Thomson, both at Lotus at the time. Stevens’ era at Lotus is remembered for his redesign of the Esprit and for the M100 Elan, while Thomson was responsible for creating the Elise after Romano Artioli took over the marque in 1993; Stevens had moved on to design the McLaren F1’s body. ‘I worked with many English designers; it was such a great time for me,’ Shiro remembers. ‘I was still relatively young and all of these people became my friends.’

Although it was a concept car, the Isuzu 4200R was a radical departure from the utilitarian commercial vehicles and off-roaders the Japanese manufacturer had previously produced. This smooth, pebble-shaped piece of exotica featured a mid-mounted 4.2-litre V8,

active suspension developed by Lotus and even a fax machine. Sadly, it never made it into production but it was the first of three concept cars that put Shiro on the map as a designer.

He and his team were commissioned to design other concepts, not least of which was 1993’s VX. Designed to be lightweight but tough and environmentally friendly, it was put into production as the VehiCROSS with minimal design changes in 1997. It was ahead of its time, predating today’s crossover SUV trend by more than a decade, and presaging some of Shiro’s most successful designs at Nissan: the Qashqai and Juke.

While the VehiCROSS didn’t sell in great numbers, it attracted the attention of BritishFrench designer Patrick Le Quément, who was working with Carlos Ghosn to turn Nissan’s Clockwise, from below Isuzu VehiCROSS; 1989 4200R outside; and in; 2015 GP du Design in Paris; with Chris Bangle and Frank Stephenson; the R35 GT-R; at Pebble Beach with Bangle, Freeman Thomas and Peter Schreyer.

fortunes around following its partnership with Renault and Mitsubishi in 1999. Ghosn asked Le Quément for a shortlist of designers he could headhunt for Nissan; Shiro got the call.

‘I went to New York and met with Patrick and Carlos and joined Nissan Motor Company in 1999. Nissan was almost bankrupt at the time and they were looking for a new head of design who was Japanese. This is what pushed me to join the company: the chance to make original Japanese designs. The 4200R was a fantastic, beautiful car, but it’s not clearly a Japanese car – it could be European or American. This was my golden opportunity.’

Nissan quickly reaped the benefits of Shiro’s talent and his first design for the manufacturer, the 350Z, was released to critical acclaim in 2002. ‘I think the 350Z is the first car I designed that truly looked Japanese. There may be a touch of European influence, but the styling definitely has Japanese finesse,’ Shiro reflects.

His next project was a complete departure: the Nissan Cube. ‘It’s obviously very different, a car that’s “anti-speed”, something that aligns with Japanese culture. In European history, up to eight horses would pull the aristocracy in carriages, but Japanese noblemen used one cow – slow, but elegant. In Japanese culture, driving fast isn’t considered elegant. The Japanese mentality is more about travelling slowly and appreciating your surroundings.

‘I also wanted the Cube to stand out, so I drew inspiration from the asymmetry of famous Japanese architecture. This asymmetry also had practical benefits: if the driver sits on the right-hand side, why not wrap the window

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around the rear-left corner for better visibility?

The Cube was designed from the inside out.’

With the 350Z and Cube under Shiro’s belt, Nissan’s revival was well underway. Yet, as successful as those cars were, their impact pales in comparison to the next machine penned by Shiro: the R35 GT-R. The R35 was released in Japan all the way back in 2007 and is still (just about) in production. It will be remembered as one of the most disruptive sports cars of the 21st Century, priced at £56,795 when it was released in the UK, yet, with 473bhp, all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, it offered supercar levels of performance for around half the cost of an equivalent Porsche 911 Turbo.

‘R35 was the fifth-generation GT-R and the performance of the model was always top class.

I remember speaking to the R35’s lead engineer Mizuno-San, who said “There’s no doubt about the level of performance, this will be one of the quickest cars on the planet.” I knew the GT-R had to look totally different from a Ferrari, Aston Martin, Corvette or Lamborghini. I also knew that it had to look completely Japanese – and not necessarily beautiful. We had to ignore trends. The GT-R was designed to stand alone.’

That doesn’t mean the R35 would turn its back on its predecessors, however. ‘Of course, we had to respect the GT-R’s history and there’s some influence from the Hakosuka Skyline and the R34. But another big influence came from the manga. One day the design team was talking about the R34 and one of them said it looked a little bit like a robot from Gundam.

That probably wasn’t a completely positive comparison because you might say Gundam is childish or toy-like, but I agreed – and Gundam is part of Japanese culture and younger people love it. So we decided to be proud of that: it looks powerful, mechanical and very Japanese.’

Ironically, the R35 went completely against Shiro’s own aesthetic tastes. ‘I love the curves of ’60s cars. But to create something totally new you must keep your mind young. After all, young people know modern culture, so when I was finished with the GT-R design I was 100% convinced by the vision.’

The R35 will soon come to an end. Sales will cease in the USA, its last major market outside Japan, after the car bowed out of the UK and Europe in 2022 because of upcoming noise regs. Yet the fact that it has remained relevant

for so long, with a design that still doesn’t feel 17 years old, is testament to Shiro and his team.

‘I never expected it to be in production for so long – it’s incredible!’ he laughs.

‘I bought the very first GT-R that was built in 2007 and then I bought a 2022 model because Nissan said it was going to end production two years ago. I wanted the first and very last models, but they kept building it for another two years! The GT-R is one of the cars I’m most proud of, alongside the Cube and Juke.’

After almost 20 years, Shiro retired in 2017, allowing him to enjoy his other lifelong passion, playing jazz and classical music, though he has remained involved in automotive design via his own consultancy SNDP. His most recent creation is the AIM EV Sport 01, reflecting that love of elegant ’60s styling.

In many ways, Shiro’s storied career is the perfect example of the Japanese concept of ikigai. Roughly translated into English as ‘a reason for being’, it says you should ask yourself what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for to achieve a long, enriching life and career. Shiro is living proof that the maxim works.

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GT-R The end of the line

SAYONARA

GT-R

After a remarkable 17-year career, the supercar-humbling Nissan GT-R bows out on a high Words Stephen Dobie Photography Hirohiko Mochizuki / Nissan

SEVENTEEN YEARS. Very few car designs have soldiered on for quite so long outside of the world of Land Rovers, Morgans and Caterhams. Yet the GT-R will be nudging legal drinking age by the time production finally ends, a momentous occasion that’s expected around summer 2025 in its native Japan. Sales have already ceased in most of its other markets, regulations constricting its inimitable swagger. So for one last blast, we must land at Nissan’s Yokohama HQ to finagle a GT-R Nismo for a drive into the scenic Hakone hills.

Such a hardship, I know…

The GT-R and I go way back, the car launching at the same moment as my career in motoring journalism began. I’m lucky enough to have driven seemingly endless model year iterations and special editions. But with this MY24 Nismo, perhaps the end has come. Time to stifle the tears and get on with wringing every last drop of excitement from it, then.

Excitement has always been a GT-R byword because, golly, are the internet myths of ‘Oh, those things drive themselves’ the epitome of fake news. Every flavour of GT-R entices and enthrals, but these halos have always been wildest. This latest one takes the already banzai

MY22 Nismo and further tweaks it. The front axle gains a limited-slip differential for the first time, the rear wing is 10% greater in surface area (and now propped up by sexy swan-neck struts), while inside are surely two of the most beautifully slim carbon Recaros on Earth. Their appearance alone could almost justify the car’s doubling in price over a stock R35, its ¥30.6m tag roughly translating as £160,000.

Plenty enough for a Nissan, but for one of the last GT-Rs of its kind (until some form of ‘final edition’ likely signs off production, at least)? A potential bargain, despite the raw clunks and whines emanating from its mechanical components, a curiosity that hasn’t abated across its lifespan. Given the near-witchcraft achieved elsewhere in the car, Below, from left Curvaceous struts hold up a rear wing with 10% more surface area; super-slim carbon Recaros in more familiar cockpit; same 592bhp as previously.

it’s easy to assume there has been a conscious decision to leave them alone.

The engine has largely been left alone, too, the familiar, hand-built 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 producing the same 592bhp and 481lb ft as before, but offering strengthened internals in this Special Edition form (marked out visually by the carbon bonnet and red wheel trim) for track-day longevity. The six-speed twin-clutch transmission and rear-biased 4WD stand firm.

How the Nismo (Nissan’s in-house motorsport division) engineers have made something so brutal feel so dainty, I’ll never know. The steering babbles away with feedback and flicks you into every corner as if there’s no weight at all up front. It’s the kind of interaction that makes your confidence soar. The switch between its coddling turbo-lag and the oblivion beyond becomes addictive and you’ll quickly learn to teeter the car right on the 4000rpm boundary between the two as you exit corners, propelling onwards with indecent haste, the steering wheel dripping with feel to relay the intricacies of the traction below. For a car of its prodigious weight and age, it remains rich in youthful vigour – and almost ripe to live another 17 years. I only wish it could.

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Un invito a Roma

You are invited to the inaugural Anantara Concorso Roma, a spettacolo of rare and significant automobili italiane in the heart of historical Rome. Please join us in April 2025 for a celebration of the very best in Roman hospitality, Italian cuisine and luxury style—La dolce vita delle automobili.

To enter a car, or to book an all-inclusive visitor package, visit anantaraconcorsoroma.com 24-27 APRIL 2025

ANANTAR A PAL A Z ZO NAIADI ROME HOTEL Piazza della Repubblica 48-49, 00185 - Roma, Italy | +39 06 489 381

Gyro-X A vision of the future

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REINVENTING THE WHEEL The gyroscopically stabilised Gyro-X blurred the line between reality and science fiction. Sam Glover takes the prototype for a spin Photography Richard Dredge

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Gyro-X A vision of the future

gyroscope with the studio air-lines, give the thing a push and it would go straight as an arrow to the opposite wall and crash.’ His experiments culminated in the Ford Gyron concept car unveiled at the 1961 Detroit Auto Show, a twowheeled two-seater with styling that resembled the flying car from The Jetsons.

‘I believe that historians will one day write that the gyro contributed more to land transportation than it did to sea and space travel,’ Tremulis proclaimed. Ford’s management was unconvinced and baulked at the projected cost of $135,000 to develop a working gyroscope. Tremulis left in 1963 and set up his own automotive consulting firm.

Summers and Tremulis met in 1966. The Summers Gyrocar Company had already fulfilled a contract with the US Department of Agriculture for five small two-wheeled ‘mules’ to carry loads slowly up mountain tracks. These performed satisfactorily, though no further orders were placed. Summers had begun raising the necessary capital for his magnum opus: a gyrocar capable of mixing with modern traffic. Tremulis reached for his pencils…

A gyrocar was nothing new – but a gyrocar that worked would be. The 1912 Schilovsky gyrocar was a steampunk contraption built by Wolseley in the UK for Russian Count Pyotr Schilovsky. Balanced like a spinning-top by a single horizontal flywheel, it was capable of remaining upright while passengers hopped on and off, but it became easily upset at speeds above walking pace and turning corners proved problematic. Also in the UK, Irish-Australian engineer Louis Brennan demonstrated a monorail balanced by a pair of vertical flywheels in 1909 and applied the same concept to a two-wheeled car in 1929. How well it functioned is unclear, but it failed to win backing from any of the car manufacturers to whom it was touted.

The Gyro-X, like Summers’ ‘mules’, used a single gyroscope consisting of a vertical flywheel in a spherical

Below Designer Alex Tremulis has form with twowheeled cars, having first styled the Gyron for Ford, seen at the 1961 Detroit Auto Show.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

T

he Gyro-X should never have existed. A two-wheeled gyroscopically stabilised car, like contemporary flying, magnetically levitating and nuclearpowered cars of the 1950s and 1960s, would not normally have made it beyond the pages of Mechanix Illustrated magazine.

Its improbable leap from fantasy to reality was thanks to two uniquely talented individuals: a designer with a penchant for heroic failures, and a scientist with worldleading knowledge in gyroscopes. They met in 1960s California, as NASA launched the first Americans into space and Sharp landed the first microwave ovens on the shelves of Sears department stores. If ever there was a time and place that anything seemed possible, it was then and there.

Tom Summers had a flair for logic, physics, mathematics and mechanics. A textbook genius. He also had an aviation fetish, attaining a pilot’s licence before he graduated from high school. In early adulthood, he invented a gyroscopic air speed indicator that became the basis of the US Navy’s Norden Bombsight in World War Two. He continued in the same field post-war and established the Summers Gyroscope Company in 1946. When he stepped down 15 years later at the age of 51, the company had over 1500 employees and he had more than 30 patents to his name. In 1961, he formed the Summers Gyrocar Company in Northridge, California, to scratch his itch to develop gyroscopically stabilised vehicles. ‘Four wheels are ridiculous, three wheels are foolish, but two wheels are proper,’ he explained in 1975.

Alex Tremulis enjoyed pushing the envelope of car design and rarely let dreary practicalities or the laws of physics get in his way. He believed that cars should be aerodynamic, efficient and fast. He began his career fresh out of high school at Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg in 1933, rising to head of styling in 1937 (the trademark exhaust pipes that protruded from the bonnet of the supercharged Cord 812 were his doing). After A-C-D’s demise, he moved to the coachbuilder Briggs Manufacturing, under John Tjaarda, and penned the stylistically prescient Chrysler Thunderbolt and Newport concept cars, six each of which were built. He was drafted into the Air Force in 1941 and settled in what became known as the ‘Buck Rogers room’ at Wright Field airbase, Ohio. Here, he sketched characteristically farfetched aircraft and imaginatively backwards-engineered German technologies from fragments of wreckage. Studying the gyroscopic guidance system of a V2 rocket kindled his interest in applying similar principles elsewhere.

Tremulis’s highest-profile project came in 1947, when Preston Tucker recruited him as chief stylist of the Tucker 48. While Tremulis was quick to credit the input of others, it was he that was largely responsible for the outlandish final design. A brief tenure as chief of advanced styling at KaiserFrazer led to another radical failure in the dashing form of the Kaiser 105, which would have had a glassfibre body, a flat-four engine and front-wheel drive. He assumed the same job title at Ford in 1952. A surprisingly free remit allowed him to indulge his interest in gyroscopic stabilisation.

‘Alex bought a toy gyroscope at an Army-Navy surplus store and tied it to a bar with two tandem wheels,’ recalled co-worker Bob Thomas in 2008. ‘He’d power up the

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‘A FREE REMIT ALLOWED TREMULIS TO INDULGE HIS INTEREST IN GYROSCOPIC STABILISATION’ housing mounted behind the front wheel. The flywheel was a robust 113kg in weight and 508mm in diameter. It was aligned with the front wheel but rotated at a constant speed in the opposite direction (relative to the front wheel when the car was moving forwards). It could be turned left and right – again like the front wheel – inside its housing by a hydraulic ram. Turning a spinning flywheel (or ‘gyroscopic precession’, to use the correct term) creates a resultant force at 90º to its plane of rotation. Thus, steering the Gyro-X’s flywheel to the left caused the car to lean to the left, and vice versa. With the addition of a tilt sensor and a control system that made constant split-second adjustments to gyroscopic precession – like a tightrope walker does with a weighted pole – the car could be made to stand upright. With the additional inputs of speed and steering wheel position, the system could make the car lean into corners, as a motorcycle rider does by throwing their body-weight around.

‘An aerodynamically sleek two-wheeled sports car that tracks die-straight down the most slippery of highways, manages 125mph from a tiny 80hp engine, can’t skid or flip and literally flies around 40º embankments like an airplane…’ This is just a taste of the hot air that surrounded the Gyro-X’s unveiling at the New York International Auto

Show on 1 April 1967. In reality, the prototype could do none of these things. It was, nonetheless, spectacular.

Tremulis’s torpedo body dragged the Ford Gyron concept towards the 1970s, with crisp and unadorned lines, a jet-age pop-up headlight and a quartet of afterburner taillights from a Chevrolet Corvair. Its tubular spaceframe and allaluminium body had been hand-built to impeccable standards by famed Los Angeles coachbuilder TroutmanBarnes, where it was painted cherry red by custom car artisan Hershel ‘Junior’ Conway. Summers described the cabin as large enough for two occupants to sit side-by-side in ‘tolerable comfort’. The passenger would have had to be intimately acquainted with the driver and, in the prototype, happy to take charge of the left-mounted clutch pedal.

Air-cooled flat-four and flat-six Volkswagen and Corvair engines were mooted for the production versions, driving the gyroscope and the rear wheel hydraulically: in effect, an automatic transmission. It would also have allowed the gyroscope to be used to store kinetic energy, spooling up under deceleration and feeding energy back into the drive system under acceleration. The prototype had to make do with a BMC A-series engine, albeit in its raciest 76bhp Mini Cooper S form. Two hydraulic pumps powered the 105

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Gyro-X A vision of the future

‘THE SIX-YEAR RESTORATION WAS COMPLETED JUST IN TIME FOR A PUBLIC DEBUT AT PEBBLE BEACH’

Above and right Period ‘freeway testing’ involved a little sleight of hand; a high-tech yacht gyroscope is now fitted – and it works!

gyroscope and its control system, but drive was delivered to the wheel via a chain and a four-speed Mini transmission with its differential locked.

Whether the prototype functioned with any degree of adequacy is doubtful. ‘We had stabilisation problems in high-speed cornering that were never resolved,’ reminisced Summers Gyrocar Company employee Robert Poteet in 2018. Period video footage, often slyly speeded up, never showed the car moving much above walking pace. Press shots that claimed to demonstrate it running on public roads all featured the same cars posing as traffic – and all giving it a conspicuously wide berth. It had its gyroscopic control system removed on the occasions that it was shown to the motoring press, supposedly because the US military had expressed an interest and wished it to remain classified, but more likely because it ruled out practical demonstrations that the journalists might have found unimpressive.

Further Gyro-X prototypes never appeared and press excitement gradually fizzled out. The original car made it onto the road in Summers’ hands in the mid-1970s, but it had acquired a second rear wheel and a Volkswagen Beetle drivetrain. Summers continued to toy with concepts for gyroscopically stabilised vehicles for many years, but never saw another project realised. Tremulis resumed his quixotic career, designing the Subaru BRAT pick-up, styling a 413mph rocket car, developing a gyroscopic monorail for the Lyndon B Johnson administration, and setting a land speed record for motorhomes at Bonneville in an Oldsmobile Toronado-powered behemoth of his own construction (97.6mph, now surpassed, though not by a significant margin).

There was more to come for the Gyro-X, however, thanks to a second pair of uniquely talented individuals: Lane Motor Museum founder Jeff Lane and master restorer Michael Hüby. The car surfaced on YouTube in 2004 in the ownership of a Las Vegas entertainer named John Windsor, who’d acquired it in settlement of a debt. It was still a Volkswagen-powered three-wheeler, but it had been much hacked-around. It had also been denuded of its gyroscope and various other key components. Windsor sold it to eclectic car collector Mark Brinker in 2009, who, after a long courtship, sold it to Jeff Lane in 2011.

‘We wanted to return the Gyro-X as closely as possible to what it was in 1967, rather than reimagining it and ending up with a car that it never was,’ says Lane. ‘We were lucky that Alex Tremulis’s nephew, Steve Tremulis, was able to supply a large quantity of photos from his archive.’ Hüby used these as his guide as he worked his way through the car from tip to tail, restoring parts that were originally there, removing parts that were not, and replacing parts that had gone missing. A lot fell into the latter category.

Hüby went to great lengths to source correct off-the-shelf components: a Halibrand Sprint rear wheel, Hurst Airheart brake calipers, Koni dampers and, of course, a Mini Cooper S engine and transmission. What he couldn’t buy, he fabricated. ‘I ended up making almost everything needed to make it drive,’ says Hüby. ‘I fabricated the chain drive, the shifter mechanism, the rear swing-arm, the front suspension, the braking system, much of the cable steering system and so many bits-and-pieces. I used Steve Tremulis’s photos to work out dimensions. For example, I could tell that the rear brake used a Hurst Airheart four-piston caliper. I knew that the distance between the caliper’s mounting screws was 5.25in, so from the photo I could extrapolate the size of the swing-arm, the diameter of the hub bearing and so on.’

Hüby used 3D modelling software and a 3D printer to design bespoke components, which could then be sent off for CNC machining. These included the front wheel, the front hub assembly and the gearbox that delivered drive to the hydraulic pumps. ‘The original wheel and hub were cast aluminium and had only a fraction of the required strength,’ he observes. ‘The hub also had no caster angle, so the car could never have been very good at driving in a straight line.’

Building the gyroscope was delegated to Agency Impianti in Pisa, Italy, a world leader in active gyroscopic stabilisation systems for large yachts. The completed instrument was slightly smaller than the original, with a flywheel 104kg in weight and 434mm in diameter. ‘It still has a huge amount of kinetic energy,’ says Lane. ‘At 3000rpm it has as much potential energy as a 900kg car travelling at 30mph – and it keeps spinning for two hours after you turn it off.’ Developing the computerised control system became a labour of love for Hüby and Agency Impianti founder Stefano De Simoni.

‘We’re now running version 129 of the control software,’ reports Hüby. ‘I don’t see how Tremulis and Summers could ever have got it working well with only analogue control.’

The Gyro-X’s body was in good enough shape to restore, but the interior had to be built from scratch. The six-year restoration was completed just in time for a public debut at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was a worthy winner of the Dean Batchelor Trophy for ‘the most significant car related to our hot rod heritage’.

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1967 Gyro-X Engine 1275cc Austin OHV four-cylinder, two SU carburettors Power 76bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 79lb ft @ 3000rpm Transmission Four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive by chain Steering Worm and roller, with cable Suspension Front: single leading arm, coil-overdamper. Rear: double swing arm, coil-over-dampers Brakes Discs Weight 1300kg Top speed 55mph (to date)

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Gyro-X A vision of the future

Left and below Stabilisers up: Sam Glover takes the Gyro-X for a drive; interior looks sparse, but complexity hides beyond the dashboard.

‘GUSTS OF WIND, POTHOLES AND ANY SUDDEN INPUTS LEAD TO TWITCHES, LURCHES AND WOBBLES’ So… what’s it like to drive? The cabin’s lack of ergonomics betrays the car’s prototype status. The gyroscope housing is directly in front of you, with the clutch pedal on the left, the brake on the right. The accelerator, awkwardly, is in front of the brake, which makes moving your foot between them a gymnastic exercise. The right-handed gearchange has a backwards gate, with first to the right and back, second to the right and forward, and so on.

Starting it feels like starting a spaceship. Pull out the choke, turn the key, ease the choke in as it warms up and adjust the thumbscrew on the accelerator pedal to achieve a steady 2000rpm idle. Flip the power switch to turn on the control system, then another to power up the gyroscope.

Wait for the gyroscope to reach its operating speed of 3000rpm, for the hydraulic motor pressure to drop to around 400psi and for the hydraulic oil temperature to reach 50°C, which takes around five minutes unless it’s a cold day. Ensure the control system is in ‘park’ mode and push up the toggle switch to raise the parking wheels until the light on the dashboard turns green. The cacophony that accompanies this is suitably otherworldly, the thrashing of the A-series competing for prominence with the drone of the hydraulic pumps and the whine of the gyroscope.

You can now engage first gear, switch the control system to ‘drive’ mode and pull away. And it feels every bit as weird as you’d expect. The gyroscope saps little of the engine’s power once it’s up to speed, so acceleration is as swift as the driver is brave. On the rare occasions that everything goes smoothly, it really works: it tracks straight while remaining

bolt-upright and leans itself smoothly into corners. Most of the time, though, extraneous forces interfere with the extremely sensitive control system. Gusts of wind, undulations, potholes and any form of sudden input from the driver lead to twitches, lurches and wobbles. Sneeze and the car sneezes with you. The momentum of the gyroscope can be felt through the steering wheel.

At its best, the car practically steers itself round corners with the lightest of driver input. At its worst, it fights back, tugging at the wheel as it yanks itself upright or teeters perilously in the wrong direction. Occasionally, it becomes unsettled for no apparent reason, which is partially linked to the digital sensors operating at a similar frequency to the vibrations generated by the A-series engine.

Hüby has mastered the Gyro-X to a greater degree than anyone else. He’s braved Nashville’s traffic and achieved 55mph on a private track. ‘We figure this is as good as it gets without throwing more time and money at it,’ he says. I ask if, with modern technology and the wealth of knowledge he’s accumulated, it would be possible to reengineer the car to function as Summers and Tremulis intended. ‘Probably not,’ he replies. ‘The laws of physics would still apply. But with today’s materials and computing capabilities, it would be possible to make it much better. An all-electric, carbonfibre-framed version would solve the problems of vibration, weight, torsional stiffness and energy recovery.’

Nonetheless, Hüby believes that the Gyro-X should not be considered a failure: ‘As with every futuristic concept, there are visions that can’t be turned into reality at the time they are conceived, but once they are put out there, the hive mind of science starts thinking about them and eventually you end up with partial realisations. Look at Arthur C Clarke’s novel Imperial Earth, in which he basically described a modern smartphone in 1975. Just like that, the regenerative braking, dynamic stability control and aerodynamics that were all part of the Gyro-X concept have now found their way into modern cars.’

It’s a shame, however, that the future we live in is nowhere near as cool as the one that Tremulis envisioned.

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1928 H. M. B ENTLEY’S FINEST

T H E LA S T H A R R IS O N TO U RER

1927 SPEED MODEL 200B HP LE MA NS REP

B LUE RN

LE MANS REP NUMBER 7

AL L MATCHING N UMBERS

Pebble Beach star 1948 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport

A star is

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reborn

This recently revived coachbuilt beauty made the final four at the Pebble Beach concours in August Words Peter M Larsen Photography Petr Michalek

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Pebble Beach star 1948 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport

T

he 35th Salon de l’Automobile opened its doors in the centre of Paris on 7 October 1948. The location was the Grand Palais, close to the Place de la Concorde and sandwiched between the Champs-Élysées and the river Seine. With its grandiose illumination, the venue was a beacon of light in a world of post-war austerity. Yet despite the widespread hardship, the great coachbuilders were out in force: Figoni et Falaschi, Pourtout, Franay, Chapron and others showed exquisite machinery that all wanted, but hardly any could afford.

Prominently displayed on the stand of the Carrosserie de Luxe Jacques Saoutchik was the undisputed star of the Salon: Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport no.110101, the first GS chassis made. The voluptuous Saoutchik body it wore was a first showing, a world premiere of its design. It was a dazzling fastback coupé that would become the ‘signature’ body style for the Grand Sport chassis. A total of six of these coupés were built, no two completely alike.

The story begins in late 1942. Paris was occupied by the Wehrmacht, and the Talbot-Lago factory had been commandeered to manufacture for the Nazi war machine.

With German defeat a small but growing hope on the horizon, Anthony Lago and his chief engineer Carlo Marchetti surreptitiously set about developing a new powerful six-cylinder engine for the post-war market.

Reliability and power were assured by a seven-main-bearing crank, wet sump, an iron block and a capacity of 4482cc.

This equated to 26CV, or fiscal horsepower, hence the T26 model designation.

Twin camshafts, one either side of the block, operated large overhead valves (inclined at an efficient 90º to one another) via short pushrods and rockers. The single sparkplug was in the centre of the hemispherical combustion chamber; to the casual observer, the engine looked like a DOHC design. This top end provided some of the advantages of a chain- or gear-driven overhead-cam configuration without incurring high development and production costs, which was always a problem for Talbot.

The large valves gave good breathing, while the light

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reciprocating parts made the engine relatively free-revving, if rather short of the dizzying heights of the V12 Ferraris that came just a few years later.

Equipped with two Zénith-Stromberg carburettors and a compression ratio of 7:1, the engine’s output was 170bhp at 4200rpm, which made the big Talbot six one of the most powerful passenger car motors in the world at the time.

Given the company’s shoestring budget, it was a remarkable achievement for Lago and Marchetti, and this great engine would remain unchanged in essence until the end of Talbot six-cylinder production in 1954.

In October 1946, Talbot-Lago had only a small stand behind the huge Peugeot layout at the Paris Salon. The brandnew Lago Record model was shown, a four/five-passenger grande routière available in four body styles, including a lovely convertible. However, the real jewel on the stand was its magnificent T26 engine. Not only was it lovely to look at, with its polished valve covers featuring prominent Art Decostyle TALBOT-LAGO script, it also gave exceptional torque and made the Lago Record one of the most capable passenger cars on the market. It was the start of something remarkable.

‘The Grand Sport remained a true sports car chassis, more akin to a Bugatti T57S than a grande routière’

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Pebble Beach star 1948 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport

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In October of the following year, the Lago Grand Sport chassis made its debut at the 1947 Paris Salon, fitted with a tweaked T26 engine that was conservatively rated at 190bhp.

The wet sump and iron block were carried over from the Record but, like the Talbot Grand Prix engines, the cylinders were sleeved, the cylinder head was aluminium, compression was raised to 7.9:1 and three capped Zénith-Stromberg carburettors were present sans air filter.

The chassis itself was a continuation of the legendary prewar T150 C-SS model and shared virtually all of its specification with the exception of the new powerplant. It was a very exclusive roadgoing sports chassis for the carriage trade, as close as technically possible in its conception, feel and drivability to the Grand Prix cars. Concise sports car handling was a must. This necessitated a short 2.65m wheelbase that would also ensure the car was very fast indeed on the road and competitive on circuits for certain disciplines. Consequently, like the T150 C-SS, the T26 Grand Sport was conceived strictly as a two-seater.

Making a virtue of financial necessity, Anthony Lago took the direct route. He simply mounted his revised engine, a Wilson pre-selector gearbox and GP-derived suspension components on the pre-war T150 C-SS chassis rails with few modifications. It worked: the complete Grand Sport chassis with all its mechanicals and ancillaries weighed a mere 850kg dry compared with the 1280kg of the Record family car chassis. Even full of fluids, the entire assembly still came in at just about a ton.

But it was a layout rooted in pre-war technology: the engine, gearbox, firewall and suspension components were bolted directly onto the chassis. The front suspension remained independent with a transverse leaf spring. The live rear axle was suspended by half-elliptic leaf springs with their mounts on top of the chassis rails. As with the T150 C-SS, there was a very short propshaft between the engine and the gearbox, followed by another short propshaft, and the chassis was available only in right-hand drive.

This short-wheelbase T26 Grand Sport therefore remained a true sports car chassis in the pre-war idiom, more akin to a Bugatti Type 57S than to a luxurious grande routière such as the Delahaye Type 135 or the Delage D8120. It was a chassis aimed at a moneyed, sporting clientele that wanted a fast daily driver and would not be averse to entering rally and racing events as privateers, with the odd appearance at a concours d’élégance thrown in for good measure. It was a profoundly bespoke and outrageously exclusive motor car for the genuinely sophisticated driver who could appreciate its classic pedigree and aesthetics.

In retrospect it is evident that, although the target group may have existed, the market did not. While great fortunes had been lost during the war, just as many had been made.

But times had changed. A cold financial climate had dawned,

1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Engine 4482cc twin-cam OHV straight-six, three ZénithStromberg carburettors Power 190bhp @ 4200rpm Torque 251lb ft @ 3000rpm Transmission Four-speed Wilson pre-selector, rear-wheel drive Steering Rack and pinion Suspension Front: double wishbones, transverse leaf spring, hydraulic dampers. Rear: live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, hydraulic dampers Brakes Drums Weight 1350kg Top speed 124mph 0-60mph 8.7sec

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Pebble Beach star 1948 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport

the hunt for collaborators and war criminals was in full swing, and few were willing to draw attention to their gains, ill-gotten or otherwise.

And the staggering price did not help. By a considerable margin, the Talbot-Lago Grand Sport was the most expensive domestic chassis available in post-war France, if not the world, and even if one were to factor out the reluctance of people of means to display their wealth, the T26 GS was so pricey that hardly anyone could afford it, no matter what. As a result, 32 or 33 Grand Sport chassis were manufactured from 1948 to 1952, at least seven of which (possibly nine) were sold directly for export in spite of being RHD-only. In five years, somewhere between 23 and 25 Grand Sports were sold into a French domestic market of 40million people. It could hardly be called a sales success.

Chassis 110101 was the first Grand Sport chassis delivered to the trade, leaving the Talbot factory in the Paris suburb of Suresnes on 10 July 1948 as a chassis nu, or bare chassis, for the Saoutchik works in nearby Neuilly-sur-

LIFE / SHUTTERSTOCK

Clockwise, from above Gold-plated instrument bezels; 110101 at the Paris Salon in 1947; T26 Grand Sport chassis as shown in brochure; Jacques Saoutchik in 1947; Anthony Lago and Carlo Marchetti.

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LIFE / SHUTTERSTOCK

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Pebble Beach star 1948 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport

Seine. That same day the chassis was registered to its first owner, the man who had placed the order and decided to have Saoutchik execute a body for him: Jean-Louis Robert Bogey of Levallois-Perret. How convenient to be able to use local craftsmen when ordering what was possibly the most spectacular car built in post-war France, as if you were merely renovating your house!

Bogey was 40 years old when he indulged himself with one of the most expensive cars money could buy. In 1956 and 1957 he filed patents in France and the US for ‘Sinker Heads of Rectilinear Knitting Machines’. Perhaps he was an inventor or a manufacturer, but he was clearly a man of considerable means. He died in 1990 in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Details of the dealings between Bogey and the Carrosserie Saoutchik are not known, but it can be assumed that

Saoutchik presented several designs for approval, and whether Bogey received a favourable price for allowing Saoutchik to display the finished car at the Paris Salon and later at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1950, or was merely content with his new plaything being the centre of attention, will likely never be cleared up.

For chassis 110101, Saoutchik created a fastback coupé with astonishing proportions, a masterpiece, a true chefd’oeuvre of the coachbuilder’s art. The design synthesised an elaborate interactive flow of alluring, gorgeous yet delicate curves – as close to the essence of automobile-as-sculpture as any carrosserie has conceived in the history of automotive style. The Saoutchik fastback coupé is justly regarded as a crowning achievement of post-war French car design, and is one of the most sensational bodies ever created in France.

This page and opposite Grand Sport had a comprehensive restoration to original spec and periodcorrect colours, carried out in Czechia by Chropynska; engine looks like a DOHC and is a twin-cam – but via pushrods.

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‘As with the complex and sinuous curvatures of the metalwork, Saoutchik achieved harmony from chaos’ Its unique livery was no less audacious, a daring paint scheme that blended a pastel mint green body colour with chocolate brown fender panels, matching brown wire wheels and a grille with alternating green and brown vertical stripes. It was trimmed in dark blue and azure leather, with instrument bezels and fixtures plated in 24-carat gold. One would have thought it would all clash horrendously. Not so.

As with the complex and sinuous curvatures of the metalwork, Saoutchik had achieved harmony from chaos.

For the duration of the 1948 show, multitudes passed by and were swept off their feet by the almost carnal voluptuousness of this Saoutchik Talbot-Lago, as their drab post-war austerity garments provided a grim counterpoint, all the while highlighting that, despite the years of privation inflicted by the war, refinement, elegance and sophistication remained alive and well in the world. It was unquestionably the star of the Salon.

Bogey kept 110101 until the spring of 1956. On 25 May that year it was registered in Paris to Jean Foulon, but by November 1961 chassis 110101 had crossed the Pond to a new owner in the State of Washington, repainted in a single colour, likely dark blue.

Sometime around 1965, Tom Owens of Grafton, West Virginia, owned a Saoutchik fastback coupé that is virtually certain to have been 110101. The next owner was Edsel Pfabe of Painesville, Ohio, likely from the early 1970s.

Exactly when 110101 stopped being a runner is not known, but sometime in 1976 or 1977 the car was discovered in an Ohio barn by Marvin Newman and Bill Ziegenbein, who operated Prestige Motors in Madison Heights, Michigan.

Newman was another Ohio collector. While Newman was aware that he had become the owner of a Paris show car, when he gave 110101 its first restoration it was of a kind in which questions of originality and authenticity did not carry the weight they do today. So when the car was shown at Hershey in 1979, it had been kitted out in two intense shades of ‘French blue’, a livery that would stick for the next 38 years. The original dark blue and azure interior was leather-painted in a single dark blue shade to match the greater part of the exterior.

The one thing to be thankful for is that the car was at least saved for posterity and not allowed to sit on its axles, sinking into the ground and oblivion in a remote barn in the American Corn Belt.

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Pebble Beach star 1948 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport

In the early 1980s, 110101 was acquired by the late collector Jacques Harguindeguy, aka ‘Frenchy’, of Walnut Creek, California, and was subsequently shown by him at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elégance. The car then went to the Blackhawk Collection before being sold to the late Peter Mullin and his wife Merle in 1990. The Mullins continued to show 110101 at the Pebble Beach Concours as well as at other leading events, while also having it on display at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California, which closed its doors for the final time on 10 February 2024 before the bulk of the collection was broken up.

In 2017, chassis 110101 was bought out of the Mullin Collection, and a seven-year restoration was embarked upon by Chropynska that finished in 2024. The result can be admired in these images. All the grace, refinement and style that eclipsed the 1948 Paris Salon is present and accounted for. This Talbot-Lago truly is a star reborn.

Jacques Saoutchik Maître Carrossier: 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Chassis 110101

by Peter M Larsen and Ben Erickson, ISBN 978 1 956309 19 5, is available from Dalton-Watson Fine Books, daltonwatson.com.

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Advertising feature

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What I’ll be

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drinking this Christmas…

Robert Coucher

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asks Master of

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Wine, Nicola

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Hot topic THE VIEW FROM THE CEO, DALE KELLER I am delighted to update you a few weeks into the role of CEO at the HCVA, following a lifelong passion for historic and classic vehicles. What immediately struck me is the incredible range and diversity of the specialised businesses in our industry that we are so fortunate to retain in the UK – many of them exporting their products and skills globally. These businesses not only maintain the UK as a global centre of excellence but also play a vital role in keeping valuable and in-demand skills alive.

Across the four pillars of the HCVA – Environment & Sustainability; Education & Skills; Regulation & Policy; Community – we can harness the wealth of knowledge and ideas from our members that will help shape our future. A good example is recognising the importance to all of us in reducing our environmental impact and becoming less wasteful. The HCVA Environment & Sustainability pillar therefore has an increasingly important role in identifying initiatives, sharing information and communicating across our membership, with Government and the public at large.

Good progress is being made on ‘drop in’ renewable liquid alternatives to fossil fuels, as witnessed on the grid at Goodwood Revival, and there is a strong case for the historic and classic vehicle fleet becoming an important proof of concept and early adopter of these fuels as supply ramps up.

There are also exciting developments in biosynthetic engine and transmission oils formulated for classics, for improved performance and to be better for the environment due to their fossil-free chemistry. I am sure you will agree that historic vehicles represent so much more than transportation, and that preserving our heritage creates benefits extending far beyond our niche. The HCVA remains focused on ensuring that future policy decisions, sustainability gains, and the regulatory environment will enable the next generation of owners and enthusiasts to enjoy and use these vehicles in the decades to come. We welcome all businesses and individuals with an interest in the future of our sector to join us at www.hcva.co.uk.

Classic British car parts: over one million parts in stock, for immediate dispatch worldwide. +44 (0)121 356 3003 www.motaclan.com

Organiser of Yorkshire Elegance, sponsor of the 1000 Miglia, plus vehicle sourcing, storage and tours. +44 (0)1924 427836 www.thefastlaneclub.com

Jaguar XK120, XK140, XK150 and E-type specialist. +44 (0)2392 570900 harry@jagxk.com www.jagxk.com

The world’s foremost global historic motoring events company, running rallies for classic and vintage cars. +44 (0)1869 254979 www.hero-era.com

World-renowned Aston Martin specialist and official Heritage Parts Partner established in 1983. +44 (0)1332 371566 www.astonengineering.co.uk

Suppliers of top-quality automotive and inspection lighting, including Retrofit Classic LEDs. richard.armstrong@lumileds.com www.philips.co.uk

HCVA .CO.UK

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13/11/2024 09:20

Octane Cars The trials and tribulations of the cars we live with

Rotary rationale 2007 Mazda RX-8 Ben Barry MY OCTANE CARS debut comes at a time of consolidation, since I’ve just reduced two cars to one: my Porsche 996 Carrera has departed, while my Mazda RX-8 stays on. Both are synonymous with engine-based woes, which is partly why they’re such good value, though the underlying truth is too often over-hyped.

I’m including the now-sold 996 to balance horror stories you hear about Porsche’s first water-cooled 911, because in seven years I took mine from 139,000 to 150,000

miles with minimal issues. That’s partly because – I think – I bought well. The previous owner covered 70,000 miles in four years, let Autofarm maintain it as Porsche intended, and sold it with a recent service, new clutch and upgraded Intermediate Shaft Bearing (the part that can occasionally and randomly fail, with catastrophic consequences for the flat-six).

It drove fantastically well (fizzy engine, feelsome steering, nicely balanced chassis, still plenty quick enough with almost 300bhp from

This page and opposite Clever RX-8 doors not quite enough to distract you from fuel and oil thirst and a tax rate that’s keeping the UK economy afloat; dear departed 996.

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OCTANE’S FLEET These are the cars – and ’bikes – run by Octane’s staff and contributors

3.4 litres), and cost under £138 to insure on a limited-miles policy and £345 to tax last year. My two biggest bills by far were around £1100 for a service and refresh of the leaking steering rack, and around £700 for a large pre-sale service. More often I spent £300 once or twice annually.

I wasn’t entirely convinced about selling the Porsche but I had become overly precious about it, almost never taking it out in the rain, never using it in winter and generally leaving it in the garage too often. It sold in under two weeks to the first viewer when I finally stopped dithering.

The RX-8 arrived three years ago, precisely because I pampered the Porsche too much – I wanted something rear-wheel drive and affordable that could be driven harder when the mood took me; plus Mazda’s last rotary-engined car is as technically interesting as it is enjoyable to drive.

The lightweight Wankel engine is pushed far back in the chassis for a front/mid-mounted layout (the 1350kg is split 50:50 front:rear), there’s a lightweight composite propshaft, doublewishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear. My car also has an upgraded set-up from the Prodrive-fettled RX-8 PZ, featuring Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs. It’s fantastic.

The RX-8 is also a far more practical design than a 911, thanks to those distinctive and cleverly engineered ‘suicide’ rear doors, no B-pillars and four seats.

RX-8s are neither as pretty nor as powerful as their twinturbocharged FD RX-7 predecessor, but they are significantly more affordable – where RX-8 prices range from £1000 to £10,000, RX-7s are typically upwards of £20,000, sometimes a long way upwards.

Mine’s the more ‘potent’ 228bhp model, which not only holds a small advantage over the

‘I wanted something rearwheel drive and affordable that could be driven harder when the mood took me’

entry-level 189bhp RX-8, but also revs far higher at 9000pm and gets a six-speed gearbox: base models make do with 7500rpm and five speeds. This year it cost £168 to insure, with tax a horrific £735.

The ‘Renesis’ engine is too finickity for the average driver – they can refuse to re-start if you knock them off quickly after a cold start, to the point that Mazda actually has an official procedure to follow for this. Rotary engines also like oil – Mazda suggests the oil level should be checked every other tankful of petrol, which is pretty often when 20mpg is good going. Once warm, they also like to be revved right out on a regular basis rather than traipsed around town – handy, since they produce just 156lb ft torque at 5500rpm.

My RX-8 is currently showing 50,000 miles on the original engine, and it’s not uncommon for cars to need a rebuild by that point. But with rebuilds typically costing £2000-3500, it’s not a terrible worst-case scenario.

I haven’t done many miles in it, but those miles have been hugely enjoyable. Hopefully I’ll get it on track for the first time this year.

ROBERT COUCHER International editor • 1955 Jaguar XK140 GLEN WADDINGTON Associate editor • 1989 BMW 320i Convertible • 1999 Porsche Boxster SANJAY SEETANAH Advertising director • 1981 BMW 323i Top Cabrio • 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Volante • 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK200 MARK DIXON Contributing editor • 1927 Alvis 12/50 • 1927 Ford Model T pick-up • 1942 Fordson Model N tractor • 1955 Land Rover Series I 107in JAMES ELLIOTT Editor-in-chief • 1965 Triumph 2.5 PI • 1968 Jensen Interceptor • 1969 Lotus Elan S4 ROBERT HEFFERON Art editor • 2004 BMW Z4 3.0i DAVID LILLYWHITE Editorial director • 1971 Saab 96 • 1996 Prodrive Subaru Impreza MATTHEW HOWELL Photographer • 1962 VW Beetle 1600 • 1969 VW/Subaru Beetle • 1982 Morgan 4/4 BEN BARRY Contributor • 2007 Mazda RX-8 MASSIMO DELBÒ Contributor • 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230 • 1972 Fiat 500L • 1975 Alfa Romeo GT Junior • 1979/80 Range Rovers • 1982 Mercedes-Benz 500SL • 1985 Mercedes-Benz 240TD SAM CHICK Photographer • 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider ROWAN ATKINSON Contributor • 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom 125

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Octane Cars Running Reports

Left and below New home at Canley Clasics; Tripadvisor review for five years in Potters Bar not wholly positive.

ANDREW RALSTON Contributor • 1955 Ford Prefect • 1968 Jaguar 240 SAM CHICK Photographer • 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider RICHARD HESELTINE Contributor • 1966 Moretti 850 Sportiva • 1971 Honda Z600 PETER BAKER Contributor • 1954 Daimler Conquest • 1955 Daimler Conquest Century • 2005 Maserati 4200GT DAVID BURGESS-WISE Contributor • 1924 Sunbeam 14/40 • 1926 Delage DISS MATTHEW HAYWARD Markets editor • 1990 Citroën BX 16v • 1994 Toyota Celica GT-Four • 1996 Saab 9000 Aero • 1997 Citroën Xantia Activa • 1997 Peugeot 306 GTI-6 • 2000 Honda Integra Type R • 2002 Audi A2 JESSE CROSSE Contributor • 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 • 1986 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth MARTYN GODDARD Photographer • 1963 Triumph TR6SS Trophy • 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII DELWYN MALLETT Contributor • 1936 Cord 810 Beverly • 1937 Studebaker Dictator • 1946 Tatra T87 • 1950 Ford Club Coupe • 1952 Porsche 356 • 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL • 1957 Porsche Speedster • 1957 Fiat Abarth Sperimentale • 1963 Abarth-Simca • 1963 Tatra T603 • 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 RS • 1992 Alfa Romeo SZ EVAN KLEIN Photographer • 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider • 2001 Audi TT HARRY METCALFE Contributor • 20 cars and 15 motorbikes To follow Harry’s adventures, find Harry’s Garage on YouTube.

Phoenix from the flames 1968 Jensen Interceptor James Elliott IT WAS HARD, nay impossible, to think that anything positive might come from this tale, but, like me, you might be surprised.

On 16 August, I received the phone call that I suppose I had been expecting for years. Massimo Olimpi – who had taken delivery of my Jensen for a quickfire two-month resto in March 2019 – was shutting down at the end of the month, and the Autostilo workshop in Potters Bar had to be cleared by then or whatever was in it would be lost forever.

Pretty distressing in any circumstances, but add the fact that early on 17 August I was due to fly to Corsica for a family holiday, and would not be back until the post-deadline 3 September, and you might understand why I completely

freaked out. I mean totally wigged out – have you ever seen a grown man cry?

Then something really rather special happened. Before I could wallow in my situation (and consider all the ‘lost’ time and money), I had work to do.

I expected an evening of frantic calls and begging, but I just didn’t know where to start. So I contacted my pal Luke Harding of D&G Assist and Luden Classics fame (many of you will know him from Twitter but, if not, give him a follow on @LUDENClassics, for he is the master of UK auction reportage) to ask his advice on how best to get the car safely

removed and stashed until my return, when I would work out what to do with it.

I genuinely wasn’t angling for his personal assistance, but he just replied: ‘No one needs that sort of stress when they’re on holiday; give me the number and I’ll sort it.’ Blimey.

Then I remembered something else. James Godfrey-Dunne, who had just finished a full body restoration and rather more on my Triumph 2.5 PI, had mentioned that he might have a ‘major project’ gap coming up in the New Year. So, obviously I called him, too.

Hence, while I was on a beach listening to music and reading a book, the frankly saintly Luke took a wagon and one of his team, collected my car from Potters Bar – it can’t have been easy to remove – grabbed every spare they could see and delivered it to Coventry, where Dave Pearson of Canley Classics is storing it and James Godfrey-Dunne is mid-way through doing an inventory of the parts and building up a quote to finish the job for me.

OK, given my recent experience it clearly doesn’t apply to everyone, and admittedly these pictures are pretty depressing after five years of supposed ‘progress’, but generally classic people are the best people and it brings me endless joy to be part of this world. I currently feel more optimistic about my Jensen than I have at any time since, well, about June 2019.

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1962

JAG UA R E -T YPE One of the most successful period competition E-types Race-prepared and delivered new to Jaguar racer & dealer, Robin Sturgess Competed in over 20 races during the 1962 season, with race wins at Silverstone, Mallory Park and Snetterton Highly eligible and a potential winner in Pre-63 GT or the prestigious Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy at the Goodwood Revival

Contact us on +44 (0) 20 7078 0835 or visit www.roryhenderson.com Facilitating the acquisition & sale of exceptional motor cars

Octane Cars Running Reports

Tatra troubles 1946 Tatra T87 Delwyn Mallett

THE STORY SO FAR. Having successfully reverted to a points distributor in place of the unique but failed Tatra electronic ignition system fitted to the T87 before my stewardship, the regained mobility revealed a persistent ‘clunk-clunk’ from somewhere down below. What I failed to mention in my previous report was that, following my brief return to the road and attempting another exploratory spin around

the block, I discovered that a front brake was seized on.

After a backbreaking day of hammering and levering, I managed to remove the brake drum. Yes, I did open the bleed nipple in the hope that it would ease the pressure on the brake shoes – but it didn’t. Brake cylinder stripped and cleaned and refitted, it stuck on again after a week of non-use.

Next, the beast suddenly

refused to run for more than a few seconds. Fuel starvation was a fairly obvious diagnosis and exploration of the carburettor’s innards revealed a startling amount of green sludge. Another clean-up followed. Then the carburettor persisted in pumping out fuel even after I fitted a new needle valve.

Finally, as hinted at in my last report, I capitulated, phoned Harry at Stuarts Towing Services

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v

P M E

Over 22,600 vehicles insured for Private Clients

Over 93% of our Private Clients renew their policy with us

and dispatched the fuel-fouled, ill-running and badly stopping T87 to my usual and reliable vintage car professionals, Ben and Janos in Laughton, near Lewes, East Sussex.

Fixing the fuel problem was the first job. Dipping a stick into the fuel tank revealed a layer of greenish sediment, so there was no sensible alternative to administering a comprehensive enema: tank out for a clean and a thorough blow-through of the fuel lines to expel any crud.

With the tank removed (something I was never brave enough to do, as there were several doodads such as brake fluid reservoir and central lubrication oil reservoir bolted to it), Janos was also able to fix the reserve and on/off valves located deep under the dash, which haven’t worked since I acquired the car. The electric fuel pump had also submitted to the glutinous embrace of the ‘green sludge’ so that was stripped and cleaned, too. A new Filter King fuel regulator has also been fitted.

The carb was completely stripped, cleaned and rebuilt, with new gaskets fashioned by Janos, and an encouraging progress video soon pinged into my phone

S c f

Left, above and below left Fuelling issues finally forced Delwyn to hand over his Tatra to the experts; fuel system and brake cylinders all had to be cleaned out and rebuilt.

featuring the Tatra in its full sonorous glory, firing magnificently on all eight cylinders.

In the momentum-arresting department, brake cylinders and master cylinder were sent for re-sleeving and a ‘while you are at it’ decision was made to have new front brake linings, too.

Expecting a call at any minute to come and drive the car home, I received another video clip. The good news – actually, I suppose it was also the bad news – was that the road test had revealed the source of the ‘clunk-clunk’. Being a rotational kind of sound, it had led me to believe that something in the braking system was fouling on the backing plate. I wasn’t far out in my guess: in fact, only a couple of inches. The holes in the front suspension upright had worn oval, allowing, as the video clip showed, the whole brake assembly to move on its locating pins. Ouch. Stand by for the next instalment.

‘I was recommended to use Footman James by a friend and having been a customer that has just renewed the insurance on five cars, I am happy to state that their service is quite exemplary, such that I too have referred friends to them.’

Graham, FJ Private Client

0330 162 1328 footmanjames.co.uk

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Octane Cars Running Reports

Left and bottom Honda was going great guns on its mini break to Wales until its crew needed to call the Fuel Doctor after a petrol/diesel misfortune.

One for the birds 1971 Honda Z600 Richard Heseltine IT WAS A pleasant agony. My hands started to tingle as feeling slowly returned, but at least the car hadn’t required much pushing.

And besides, we were back inside it as the icy rain pelted down.

Then the seagulls attacked.

Day one of our mini road trip had not been a success, but not even a failure to proceed, Biblical weather and avian dive-bombers darkened the sunshine mood in the Little Orange Joy Machine during our weekend in Wales.

To be honest, I have barely used the Z600 of late, beyond a few trips to the supermarket. That, and a local evening car show by mistake, which was clearly inclined more towards Japanese ‘tuner’ cars than silly Kei cars.

Then there was the schedule of the Honda’s co-owner, Chris Rees, who lives about four hours

away when he isn’t in Italy (which is quite a lot of the time). Finally we found a window of opportunity. We would depart my place in Shropshire and make for Snowdonia and also Portmeirion.

We ‘did’ Snowdonia, the Honda being unperturbed by the steep inclines, while the descents were only mildly terrifying. However, Portmeirion didn’t happen,

although we did spend quite a lot of time in Porthmadog. Chris, a man often playing with thirsty exotica via his gig with The Official Ferrari Magazine, thought it best if we top-up with fuel on spotting a petrol station. It was at this juncture that there was a slight (major) snafu involving a diesel pump rather than a petrol one.

Chris realised his mistake about 30 seconds into the refill. The air then turned blue, as did our extremities. We didn’t start the car. Instead, we pushed it in pouring rain and increasingly high winds until we found a car park.

It was at this juncture that we repeatedly trudged off to a hardware store in a bid to acquire tubing, a knife with which to cut it, and heaven knows what else that we had forgotten during the previous visit, only to conclude that neither of us was up to draining the tank. We called Green Flag instead, which sent a nice man who did the job for us.

While we waited, rain hammered the car’s roof and the windows steamed up. There followed a dull thud, followed by another one and then another. For some sort of Hitchcockian reason, seagulls began attacking the Honda, a rear overrider rubber being a casualty. They weren’t easily dissuaded, either.

However, with the car sorted, our not-exactly-linear route took us to a night stay in Dolgellau before we meandered back a day later via Oswestry. The Honda never missed a beat. It just kept on pulling while we kept on laughing.

I swear this is the best car ever.

OTHER NEWS ‘The Boxster covered an easy 600 miles in one week with top up and down, and managed a measured 34mpg on a round trip to Derbyshire and back.

The odometer clicked round the magic 100,000 just before I arrived home’ Glen Waddington

‘Browsing a Land Rover autojumble on a sunny day gave me sudden pangs to get my 1955 Series One back on the road. It’s a LWB version and I need it to shift building materials for my house renovation!’

Mark Dixon

‘Doris the Daimler has disgraced herself at the end-of-season Rallye Prescott meet, when her exploding diff could be heard the other side of Gloucestershire’ Peter Baker

‘I’ve just made my third road trip to Sant’Agata in the Countach and it’s now done 35,000km in my ownership. How we got on will be revealed in a future issue’ Harry Metcalfe

‘I’ve noticed what I think might be a noisy cam follower when starting the XK140 from cold, so it’s going down to my regular specialist, Twyford Moors, for a checkover’ Robert Coucher

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Rolls-Royce and Bentley Heritage Dealers “Attention to Detail”

Bentley S3 Continental 1963 2 door Coupé

by H.J. Mulliner Restored by P & A Wood many years ago and maintained by us for nearly 40 years. One of only 8 right hand drive models made out of a total of just 11 cars. An exceptionally rare car in excellent condition.

Bentley S2 Continental 1962 Flying Spur

by H.J. Mulliner Maintained by P & A Wood since the late 1960’s with 458,000 miles from new. The original owner, Mr H.C. Green, covered nearly 440,000 miles in his 30 year ownership.A unique and very special motor car with extensive history.

Great Easton, Dunmow, Essex CM6 2HD, England Telephone: 01371 870848 Fax: 01371 870810 E-mail: enquiries@pa-wood.co.uk www.pa-wood.co.uk

Octane_FP_2Car_11:24.indd 1

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Overdrive Other interesting cars we’ve been driving

Hyperactivate!

1967 Austin-Cooper MkII 998 by Crafted Classics Tuning Glen Waddington Capacity is 1160cc. The ported and polished cylinder head features a 1.3 forged rocker assembly and runs a Piper 285 camshaft and lightweight vernier timing gear. A set of competitionspec SU H4 carburettors sit on a steel inlet manifold. There is an X-lite flywheel assembly with race starter motor and alternator, powered by DTA engine management with no distributor.

‘She makes a fraction under 100bhp, revs to nearly 9000rpm and has launch control with full-throttle gear-shifting.’ Power drives via a four-synchro ’box with a close-ratio straight-cut gearset to a helical ATB diff and straight-cut drop gears.

Suspension is Hydrolastic, modified for a lower stance. At the front are adjustable MED bottom arms and tie bars with Rose joints, damped by a pair of Bilsteins; the rear runs KAD adjustable toe and camber brackets. It’s held in check by 7.5in Cooper S-spec grooved front discs with Mintex pads. The wheels are rose-petals with custom CCT centres, running Yokohama 008 tyres.

The build began in lockdown, the idea being to restore for sale,

but after £4000 spent on panels and repainted in its super-rare (and Heritage Certified) Almond Green with a black roof, plans changed. Within are a replica recliner for the driver, a high-end Momo Prototipo steering wheel with custom CCT logo, and a period-style extended clock pack with Smiths rev-counter and oil temp/pressure gauges.

Back to that road through the forest. The car feels somewhat unhinged as you rumble way past 7000rpm, yet you’re in full control. It’ll pop and bang if you give it the beans below 3000rpm, then it all comes together and full throttle is standard practice. But you can bimble, too, enjoying solid low-end torque and a ride that smooths out most edges.

Few cars feel as intense when you’re trying, and there is plenty of room for me to learn to try harder. ‘We aim for driver-focused cars that can withstand a thrashing yet be tame enough for you to drive to the local shop,’ says Christopher. Replicating CCT No.1 would cost around £70,000.

No.2 is in build, and slightly less extreme; 4 and 5 will follow soon.

No.6 can be as crazy as you like…

AMY SHORE

TEARING DOWN A twisting B-road through a forest in Suffolk, I suddenly realise how broad is my grin. The engine is screaming, the gears are shrieking; the steering wheel writhes and tugs and you barely seem to think about shuffling its rim before you’ve executed a turn, apparently in a permanent drift yet without so much as a chirrup from the tyres.

This is a Mini, through and through, but with every single sensation heightened to the max.

This is CCT No.1 by Crafted Classics, an outfit founded by Mini enthusiast and expert tuner Christopher Hamilton after he parted company with Swiftune in 2016. ‘I made the perfect Mini for me, but also as a showcase for the business,’ he tells me. He made his name rebuilding, tuning and supplying engines worldwide, so that’s a good place to start.

This one features a pre-A+ block with steel cap conversion, bored to 73.5mm, with a 1071 short-stroke steel Arrow crankshaft, steel Arrow con-rods and forged Omega pistons. ‘It’s fully forged, with ARP fasteners throughout. That’s why it holds together,’ Christopher smiles.

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‘This is a Mini, through and through, but with every single sensation heightened to the max’

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Overdrive Also tested

The power to corrupt 2024 Aston Martin Vanquish David Lillywhite

HOW’S THIS for point-proving?

Two weeks after the first drives of Ferrari’s new 819bhp 12Cilindri, Aston Martin let loose a small group of journalists in Sardinia to drive the 824bhp Vanquish.

Nothing was said… but it was one heck of a statement.

The Vanquish was always Aston Martin’s flagship model and always a V12. It was first introduced in 2001 as an

Ian Callum design, while the DB7 was still current, and found fame as a Bond car in 2002’s Die Another Day. Then came the more powerful 2004 Vanquish S, but the name disappeared three years later, in favour of the flagship DBS. It sprung back in 2012 with the Marek Reichman-designed second-gen Vanquish and 2017 Vanquish S, only to be superseded by the DBS Superleggera in 2018.

Now we have this new, third-generation Vanquish, with an all-new twin-turbo quad-cam V12. ‘All-new’? Really? The engineers insist it is, from a stronger cylinder block right through to a different firing order.

The turbos are the same size as the previous V12’s but with 15% less inertia (making them easier to spin), the injection system can deliver up to 10% more fuel, and

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the combustion temperature is 15% higher for greater efficiency.

Why so many changes? It’s all about that power figure.

Bear in mind that the DB12 develops 671bhp, the Vantage 656bhp and the now-defunct bad boy of the range, the V12 Vantage, made 690bhp. So this increase to 824bhp and 738lb ft for the Vanquish makes the new model easily the most powerful production Aston Martin ever.

This comes with its own challenges, particularly heat.

Look at the size of that front grille, and bear in mind that the car is wider in part just to accommodate the necessary cooling inlets and outlets. And

the Vanquish’s wheelbase is longer than that of the current Vantage and DB12, by 180mm and 80mm respectively.

The upside is performance, with 0-60mph in 3.2sec and a 214mph top speed. Funny thing is, on the road it doesn’t feel uncomfortably fast or powerful.

Yes, there’s always rumble from the exhaust and just a hint of whine from the ZF eight-speed transmission, even with the exhaust on its quietest setting and the engine only just above idle speed. And, oh yes, the exhaust is more than capable of an exhilarating V12 scream when pushed, despite the muting effects of twin turbos.

Its ride is firm, the rear wheels thumping over rough surfaces, but the overall feel is pure grand tourer. The quality of the cabin, surely the best-equipped and most resolved of the newgeneration Astons so far, simply underlines that refinement.

Much of this is down to electronics. The active Bilstein DTX dampers, sophisticated traction control and the new fast-acting electronic differential do much to keep this monstrously powerful car from feeling overly, well, monstrous. If you were brought up on crude but effective Quaife mechanical differentials and the like, consider then that the Vanquish’s e-diff goes from

fully open to 100% locked in 135 milliseconds.

So yes, this is quite the machine, but with that one (literally) big downside. Despite variable-rate steering that gives quicker turn-in at lower speeds to disguise the longer wheelbase, the 1774kg Vanquish doesn’t feel as alive as the Vantage, and on small Sardinian roads it feels too large to really hustle.

A hot hatch would be better here – though that’s missing the point, of course. This is an eye-wateringly fast super-GT that isn’t meant to feel raw, and a few hours driving it round an island in the Med won’t do justice to its real capabilities. Or its 824bhp.

This page and opposite Editorial director David Lillywhite samples the Aston Vanquish on the island of Sardinia, and discovers that it’s a touch too big to be hustled there – but also that it’s hugely refined, despite its 824bhp power output. Yours from £333,000.

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Overdrive Also tested

On another level 2024 McLaren 750S Matthew Hayward

ALTHOUGH THE constantly evolving nature of McLaren’s line-up makes for a confusing set of model-variant numbers, all those incremental improvements to a fundamentally brilliant supercar recipe have led to this 750S. It looks like a mildly updated 720S, but this is the lightest and most powerful series-production McLaren ever built – and one of its best cars yet.

McLaren is no stranger to hybrid drivetrains, as the legendary P1, recent Artura and new (already sold out) W1 hypercar prove, but the 750S remains a pure ICE offering. That means McLaren could bring its weight down from the 720’s 1419kg to 1389kg with fluids.

Meanwhile, as the name hints, power has increased – from 711bhp to 740bhp (it makes more sense in metric) – thanks to new lightweight pistons from the 765LT for the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 and increased boost from the ultra-low-inertia, twin-scroll turbochargers.

Arguably making more of a difference is the gearbox’s reduced final drive, dropping top speed to 206mph but ensuring even more explosive acceleration: 0-124mph comes in at 7.2sec!

Another huge update is to the interior, which adopts the Artura’s more modern infotainment system and driver-focused chassis and engine control rockers. As with all McLarens, there’s something special about the way the 750S feels inside. The driving position is spot-on, the steering wheel and paddles have a Goldilocks quality, even the bespoke indicator stalks add to the atmosphere. McLarens have not always been known for their build quality, but this car feels extremely well screwed together.

My introduction to the 750S is at Silverstone, and after a few warm-up laps it’s clear that the ferocious acceleration is far from its most impressive feature. An incredibly communicative chassis, with talkative steering and confidence-inspiring brakes,

makes it generally easy to read, more forgiving than you would expect of a mid-engined, rear-drive supercar – especially after the track’s surface becomes slightly damp and greasy.

It’s one thing to make a car with this much power fast on a circuit, which it most certainly is, but quite another to make it involving, fun and equally impressive on the road. The 750S uses the latest version of McLaren’s Proactive Chassis Control linked-hydraulic suspension, and it’s one of the best-resolved road car set-ups ever conceived, working especially well on the UK’s lumpy, pockmarked tarmac. It’s slightly softer at the front and firmer at the rear than the 720S, and ranges from supple and well-controlled in its softest mode to extremely tightly damped and more neutrally balanced in Track mode.

Performance on the road is astonishing, but what really dazzles is the ease with which you can deploy the power, and how

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much fun the 750S remains within legal limits – sure, outside Silverstone you are barely scratching the surface of its capabilities, yet it’s not as frustrating as some cars. You really appreciate the (again, ever so slightly tweaked) hydraulic steering, which is not only perfect in its weighting and ratio but also tingling with feedback, imbuing you with supreme confidence.

The chances are that 99% of 750S drivers will not use this car every day, but I’m convinced that you could. The dihedral doors make getting in and out a doddle, even in tight spaces, and, with ride comfort that shames most family cars, the 750S might be one of the most usable supercars ever built.

There’s nothing radical in the specification of the 720S’s replacement. Instead, this comprehensive evolution has simply elevated the best qualities of an already brilliant car to the next level.

Opposite and below Latest McLaren doesn’t shout about visual change – instead, the tweaks are concentrated in the parts you see less of. Priced from £254,320.

Hate complication?

Here’s the antidote 2024 Dacia Duster Glen Waddington THERE’S MORE substance to the new Duster, and a little more style as well. I’ve long been a fan of its no-nonsense nature, but I’d never ventured off-road before.

Here we are in the Derbyshire Dales. In a quarry. There’s rock, mud and water, trees to dodge, inclines to scale and slopes to cling to (we end up at 23º laterally). And the 4x4 version of the Duster tackles everything confidently, feeling robust and capable as it does so.

This model is yours for 26 grand. Delivered on a brand new, significantly stiffer platform (that’s no heavier than before), it features a 128bhp 1.2-litre 48V mild-hybrid turbo triple. Also standard are a modified front bumper and raised ride height, for a 31º approach angle, 36º in departure, and 217mm ground clearance. There are mud and snow tyres, a hill descent function, and a parallel-link rear axle in place of the front-driver’s twist beam, aiming to make the Duster ‘the best 4x4 among non-specialists’.

You have to juggle clutch and six-speed manual trans yourself, so it’s involving and makes you

thankful for on-boost urge and docility when you need to tread with caution. The perfect companion for wild camping?

You can spec an optional ‘sleep pack’ (basically a folding bed platform) and make the most of standard modular roof rails that can be repositioned transversely.

Eco warriors will be pleased to hear of the 20% recycled plastics, and that there is now a full-hybrid version, similar in price but with a 1598cc four-cylinder/electric combo that adds up to 138bhp and drives the front wheels through a four-speed auto ’box.

But my favourite away from the mud is the mid-ranking TCe 130 Expression, base Corsa money at £21,000 but with the same engine as the 4x4, a no-nonsense equipment level, and the same sensible, wipe-clean interior that adds a little colour here and there via new technical fabrics and the more usual tough plastics. Bar that ‘half a 911’ thrum it’s not the most exciting drive, but it is comfortable, spacious, full of nooks, crannies, hooks and anchors, and – that rare thing these days – character. It’s the Renault 4 for the modern era.

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Overdrive Also tested

The Pro route to faster lap times Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+ Ben Barry

FOR A CAR called Pro, the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+ is surprisingly benign in the hands of an amateur – it’s a 911 Turbo rival, not a GT3 alternative like its edgier predecessor, the GT R Pro of 2019.

Five-time DTM champion Bernd Schneider concurs: ‘I guess most customers will be faster [in the 63 Pro],’ says the man who’s guiding laps around the Ascari circuit in Southern Spain today.

‘The GT R was a real race machine; this is much more forgiving and easier to drive.’

No surprise there. Better usability has been baked into the second-generation AMG GT from the off. Requests for all-wheel drive, plus-two rear seats and more luggage space have all been granted, with the caveat that the old car’s transaxle must make way for a transmission bolted to the back of the engine. It’s partly why weight distribution flips from 47:53 to a nose-heavy 54:46.

Not ideal for limit handling, no, but the Pro aims to make the existing GT 63 4Matic+ fitter for track duties without compromising usability and does so very ably indeed. Performance for the 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 increases to 603bhp with 627lb ft (uplifts of 26bhp and 37lb ft), various aero revisions reduce front lift by over 30kg and increase rear downforce by 15kg, and there’s better cooling for drivetrain and brakes.

The chassis is unchanged, weight falls by just 20kg but hardcore Michelin Cup 2 Rs are a no-cost option, while carbonceramic brakes are standard and upgraded versus similar optional stoppers on the regular 63.

The 5.4-mile Ascari track is wet when we head out in Race mode, but the tyres are already warmed from previous laps and the Pro immediately feels planted.

4Matic+ all-wheel drive blends rear bias with awesome traction, the steering is direct, with a stable self-centring effect, and there’s such richness to the mid-range and the nine gear ratios are so tightly stacked that you can simply short-shift your way to a faster lap.

The V8 also sounds incredible, ripping thunderously from low rpms, and never actually feels short on revs, even if peak power at 6500rpm is pretty low.

A drying track lets us dig deeper into the Pro’s capabilities.

Turn-in is sharp thanks to rear-steer and the sticky Cup 2 Rs (it does not feel nose-heavy), rapid-fire direction changes are smoothed over, and the Pro feels surreally calm barrelling through a long, heavily banked left-hander – the abruptly checked rebound so typical of weighty, stiff cars never materialises.

Sometimes cars that do a lot of heavy lifting for their driver feel a little unrewarding, but that’s not the case here – you’re just encouraged to explore the massive competence and excitement on offer. As such the GT 63 Pro finds some fresh air between its 911 Turbo rival and Aston Martin Vantage step-sibling, being more characterfully brawny than the former, and sharper and more capable on track than the latter.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but bank on £180,000 or so – a circa-£16,000 increase over the regular 63 and a worthwhile upgrade if you’ll be heading to the track.

Left Mercedes-AMG GT is more practical than of old, in return for on-paper engineering compromises – none of which are evident on track.

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ADVERTISING FE ATURE

McGURK PERFORMANCE CARS INVESTS IN THE FUTURE NEW EQUIPMENT MAKES THIS THE ONLY INDEPENDENT ASTON MARTIN SPECIALIST TO OFFER ALL-ERA ASTON MARTIN SERVICING

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McGURK PERFORMANCE CARS has added AMDS 2 (Aston Martin Diagnostic System 2) to its servicing department, opening up the workshop to customers with the most recent Aston Martin models.

The new equipment makes McGurk Performance Cars the only independent Aston Martin specialist able to offer the possibility of servicing all Aston Martins.

‘While we’ve had AMDS 1 forever for our servicing work on older Aston Martins, we’ve just made a substantial investment to obtain AMDS 2, this latest diagnostic equipment allowing our servicing technicians to maintain not only the preDB9 models, but also to offer servicing for Aston Martins coming straight from the main dealership showroom,’ says McGurk Performance Cars owner, John McGurk.

The AMDS 2 equipment is not usually available outside Aston Martin franchised dealerships – McGurk Performance Cars has become the sole independent Aston Martin specialist with no factory association to be able to offer this cuttingedge diagnostic servicing equipment.

‘It’s been a lot of hard work obtaining it, but while we’ve been waiting for its arrival, we’ve prepared by adding key staff appointments,’ says McGurk. Aston Martin Master Technician, Gary Cosby, joined McGurk Performance Cars earlier this year. He is an expert in using AMDS 2, as well as training technicians how to use it.

McGurk continues: ‘It’s all very well having the equipment, but it’s also vital to have the right people to use it – and we have those people.’ Another recent key staff appointment is Workshop Manager Simon Thorpe, who anticipates being busier than ever with customers now able to bring any Aston Martin to McGurk for regular servicing and maintenance.

As well as opening up the servicing opportunity to all models, the AMDS 2 equipment usefully allows the most thorough preparation and examination of all the cars available for sale within the McGurk Performance Cars showroom.

The existing AMDS 1 equipment already covers Aston Martins up to the Rapide and DB9, with AMDS 2 picking up from the DB11, through models including the 4.0 Vantage, DBS Superleggera, the latest Zagato models and right up to the DBX. Furthermore, AMDS 2 will be regularly updated as Aston Martin adds new derivatives to its line-up.

‘We made the decision to explore the possibility of getting AMDS 2 equipment almost a year ago now, because as the UK’s largest independent Aston Martin specialist for both sales and servicing, it was becoming increasingly apparent that to allow us to deliver our expert levels of care and service to all Aston Martin owners that we needed to invest in the very latest equipment,’ says McGurk.

‘IT’S ALL VERY WELL HAVING THE EQUIPMENT, BUT IT’S ALSO VITAL TO HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO USE IT – AND WE HAVE THOSE PEOPLE’ With its new AMDS 2 diagnostic equipment, McGurk Performance Cars can now offer its renowned personal expertise and attention to detail to owners of Aston Martins of all eras, giving customers an alternative to the expense of main dealer servicing and the vagaries of care offered where AMDS 2 is not available.

McGurk explains: ‘We’ve spent many years building up a loyal customer base who appreciate us looking after their cars, and with AMDS 2 we no longer have to turn them away if they bring us a newer Aston Martin model, which is a win-win for all concerned.’ He adds: ‘For servicing any Aston Martin, please do get in touch and we’ll be only too happy to book you in.’

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Gone but not forgotten Words by Richard Heseltine

Len Terry Racing car designer who hit his stride with All American Racers and Lotus in their 1960s heyday HE WASN’T SOMEONE who went along to get along. Len Terry knew his own mind and wasn’t about to be cowed by anyone. He refused to be exploited, and the great and the good of motor racing found this out the hard way. In a professional life that spanned 54 years, this prolific designer crafted cars that won the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 via Porsche-engined Mini ‘silhouette’ racers and pastiches of pre-war commercial vehicles. He was nothing if not prolific. As relations with one paymaster flamed out, another invariably came along.

Which isn’t to say that he wasn’t good company. He was a hugely amusing interviewee in his dotage, recounting that there had been no burning youthful desire to get involved in motor racing. He had no great interest in cars at all. He didn’t even have a driving licence until he was 29. A product of the 1950s ‘specials’ movement, the draughtsman and technical illustrator followed the lead of many of his peers during a period of ‘make do and mend’ and reconfigured an Austin Seven into a sporty one-off. This, in turn, let to him acquiring the JVT Special, which had been designed by John Teychenne of Progress Engineering.

The upshot was that Terry pressed the car into service as his daily transport. He also ventured trackside, but soon discovered that he had little talent as a wheelman. However, his circuit forays sparked an interest in design.

He concluded that he could create something that might find a ready market in the burgeoning 1172cc Ford sidevalve-engined class of club racing. He constructed a car in the lounge of his home in Tottenham, North London, the finished article being taken out via the sash windows. It would in time spawn a litter of Terriers, the problem being that he was soon working for a direct rival.

Terry joined kit car giant Falcon Shells in 1957 but didn’t get on with the boss, Peter Pellandine. He then spotted an advertisement in the situations vacant column in Autosport, the upshot being that he became a draughtsman at Lotus a year later. He didn’t gel with its talismanic founder, Colin

This picture After Lotus, Terry (by tub) moved on to Dan Gurney’s All American Racers team; they got on better socially than in the workshop.

Chapman, either. ‘You have to appreciate that I already had 20 years’ working experience whereas nearly everyone else was straight out of school or college; I wasn’t in awe of him,’ he recalled in 2012. Matters reached a head when Brian Hart started routinely trouncing Lotus Sevens aboard his Terrier Mk2. Terry was told he couldn’t serve two masters and was out.

However, the small matter of him attempting to instigate industrial action brought about by the Lotus move from Hornsey to Cheshunt may also have had something to do with his ousting. Terry soon found a design gig with Gilby Engineering, only to freelance for Chapman after a rapprochement of sorts. This heralded a return to Lotus in September 1962. He left for good in May 1965, the same month that Jim Clark famously won the Indy 500 aboard the Terry-penned Type 38. The restless designer then threw in his lot with Dan Gurney’s start-up All American Racers squad.

The partnership resulted in the gorgeous Eagle-Weslake in which ‘Handsome Dan’ won the 1967 Belgian GP at Spa, but inevitably there were issues. ‘I got on well with Dan as a person,’ he claimed. ‘We got on like a house on fire socially – in complete contrast to Colin – but whereas I could work with Chapman, I found it difficult to work with Dan.’ Hence the decision to move on, subsequent spells with BRM and Gulf Research proving unrewarding.

Terry then formed Transatlantic Automotive

Consultants with Elva founder Frank Nichols to build a new sports-racer for Carroll Shelby, the hope being that it would act as a springboard to bigger things. Instead, the Can-Am Cobra proved a dud while Nichols concluded he would rather be making boats.

The 1970s saw Terry operate under the Design Auto banner from his home in Poole, his career nadir being the Stanley-BRM 207 F1 car, which he soon disowned. Life as a jobbing freelancer was beginning to take its toll, not least the small matter of him repeatedly being stiffed. As such, the end of the decade saw the 50-something depart the high-octane world of motor racing to fashion a Mercedes-Benz SS clone for Church Green Engineering. Terry rounded out his career with Fleur de Lys, the Newark firm best known for its 1930s-style vans.

There was to have been one final hurrah. In 1988, aged 64, he persuaded the management that it should diversify and make a modern sports car. He created a stark roadster with a stainless-steel monocoque and a Ford CVH engine set crossways amidships. The Firefly project reached the prototype stage, only for the plug to be pulled in 1992. It wasn’t the triumphant ending he’d hoped for, but Terry was a contented retiree. A mild stroke in 1993 couldn’t stop this keen cyclist and table tennis player and he died in August 2014, aged 90, having left an indelible mark on motor racing even if his name wasn’t necessarily to the fore.

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1957 Jaguar D-Type XKD-551 On 12 July 1956, the car was dispatched on loan to Henlys, Piccadilly in London, where it was presumably used for display. By 21 November 1956, it was back at Jaguar where it was part of the stock of unsold D-types (Robson Jaguar D-type p.130). It was subsequently sold to Coombs of Guildford and invoiced on the 22 May 1957. In October 1957, Coombs sold it to G Sportoletti Baduel of London who used it as a road car. It was modified by removing the central member between the seats, fitting a passenger door, a full-width windscreen which Andrew Whyte thought was most likely a rear screen from a saloon car, and a passenger headrest fairing (Whyte Jaguar ... from 1954 pp.569-70). It was registered ULU 336 (issued in London in 1957) and Baduel kept it until at least 1961. In July 1963, the car was bought by the Hon James Dawnay (Autocar, June 1979) and in 1966 it was advertised for sale by Paul Hawkins.

Later owners included Colin Crabbe whose dealership Antique Automobiles Ltd advertised it in Motor Sport, August 1968. In 1969, David Hoskison and his brother bought the car from Paul Vestey. They used it at various events, including the 1970 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, where Pedro Rodriguez rode in the car, and the celebrations for 21 years of the XK engine, as shown by a plaque on the dashboard. In 1971, the car was advertised in Autosport without much response. Dentist Rupert Glydon bought it and a Ford GT40 for £16,000 (letter from MH Hoskinson in Jaguar World, March/April 1993, p.18). Coopers Metals owned the car which at some time they re-registered 77 EWV, an age-related mark issued in Wiltshire in approximately 1975 (Autocar, June 1979). The car was advertised in Jaguar Journal, Winter 1976, p.48, and a sale was negotiated through Nigel Clarkson Ltd. Peter Agg owned the car in 1979 (Autocar, June 1979). During the 1970s, the car had been returned to its original D-type shape with a tail fin. In 1984, it was sold to Klaus Werner (D) via Coys auction, and in 1991 then sold to Mr. R. Pferdmenges (D). It was then advertised for sale by Klaus Werner of “Klassische Automobile GmbH” in 1994 and sold to the actual Swiss collector who owns the car since over 30 years. POA

1952 Talbot T26 GS The Talbot-Lago racing car #110060, the sixth and last of its kind with a Talbot engine, was completed in 1952 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Engine #45155 remains in the car, and it has a distinctive gear selector on the Wilson box, unlike its predecessors. It entered Le Mans (June 14-15, 1952) as car #9 with drivers Meyrat/Mairesse but retired after 13 hours due to an oil pump issue. Two weeks later, the car achieved a second-place finish with Guy Mairesse at the GP of Reims on June 29, 1952. It was then stored until sold to Sweden in 1953, and later moved to the UK (1971), the USA (1983), Japan (1986), and back to Europe in 1990. Swiss collector Nicolas Seydoux acquired it in 1991, and it has since been restored to its „with fenders“ 1951 Le Mans version, though it could be restored to its 1952 configuration. The car is registered in Switzerland, road-legal, and eligible for historic events. CHF 850‘000

Graber Sportgarage AG 20241104_Octane_FP_GB.indd 1

3125 Toffen / Switzerland

ch.traber@grabersportgarage.ch 04.11.24 10:01

Gearbox

Adam Gompertz Artist, man of the cloth, Rover P4 owner and creator of the REVS online community 1 2

1. These items are both pictoral prayers. One (drawn by my daughter Flynn) is for homeless people, while the other (drawn by my son Noah) is a remembrance service prayer. Our kids have grown up now, but they continue to make both my wife and me so very proud.

2. I love tea (well, I am a Rev after all), and this mug, designed by the ever-supportive and hugely talented Ian Cook of Popbangcolour, was made as part of the REVS outreach done during lockdown. It reminds me of all the amazing people who have played a part in the REVS story and those who continue to support me in my ministry.

3. I bought a set of large and small ellipse guides when I was studying automotive design at Coventry University. The material they are made of smells like vomit, but in order to get the right ellipse for the right wheel angle they are invaluable.

4. This was made by a good friend of mine who found two old Rolls-Royce spanners at a car boot sale, welded them together and gave it to me. I wear it at events and it always gets such a positive reaction; people either find it amusing or they see the deeper significance, but no one is ever offended by it.

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5. Bob Freeman has been a huge inspiration to me as an artist; his work is just stunning.

I was given this picture by [veteran motoring journalist] Steve Cropley, and it hangs above my drawing board. Bob’s work never ceases to elicit a sharp intake of breath in wonder and admiration.

6. It may sound obvious but I’m including my wife Charlotte here. Does that make me the first to put a person into a Gearbox article?

Without her support, encouragement and love, I could not do the things I do.

6 5

7

7. My sketching instrument of choice is a Bic biro. Other artists may recommend posh pencils or pens, but the biro does it for me. You can even rub out mistakes if you draw lightly.

A thousand car designers can’t be wrong!

8. This book belonged to a close family friend who was also sales manager for an Aston Martin dealership. I was only five years old when he gave a ride in a Vantage and it was that which kicked-off my lifelong love affair with cars, and Aston Martins in particular. I was given this book when he sadly passed away.

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9. Like many car-people I have a collection of car brochures, some quite rare, but none of them very valuable. Yet to a child growing up with a love of drawing and a love of cars, they were things to treasure.

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10. I always wanted a Tamiya radio-controlled car when I was a kid and my wife finally bought me my first during lockdown. I spent two days in my pyjamas building it and loved every second. I even painted it in the same colour scheme as the REVS logo, although it’s now looking beaten up from kerbside accidents.

A new body has been ordered.

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THE SWIMMING POOL

Icon

The AVUS As fast as it was treacherous, the Silver Arrows’ favourite circuit became a showcase for Nazi technical strength OPENED IN 1921 in the suburbs of Berlin, the AVUS was a racetrack of almost mythical reputation and phenomenal speed. For decades it was the world’s fastest circuit, the scene of spectacular accidents on its notorious banked north turn.

Officially known as the Automobil Verkehrs und Übungsstrasse (‘Automobile Traffic and Training Road’), AVUS was Europe’s first motor-vehicle-only road and the model for Autobahnen and Italian Autostrade.

Racing ended in 1998 but developers had been nibbling away at the track for years, with the most recent news being that another piece of the historic circuit will soon make way for a skyscraper, a logistics centre and lorry park for the nearby Messe Berlin exhibition centre.

First mooted in 1907 by the Kaiserlicher Automobilclub (‘Imperial Automobile Club’) as a test track for the German auto industry and a racing circuit, work did not commence until 1913 – not a good year to start a project, when war was about to consume Europe.

Post-war, with Germany burdened by reparations, funds were still hard to come by. Then, in 1920, wealthy industrialist Hugo Stinnes – described by Time as ‘The Emperor of Germany’ – stepped in to complete it.

The inaugural race was on 24 September 1921 and was won by Fritz von Opel, grandson of the founder of the Opel marque, at the wheel of a racing 8/25. Fritz is best remembered for a different appearance at the AVUS, when in 1928 he (metaphorically) lit the blue touch paper on the 24 rockets stuffed in the tail of a bewinged cigar tube named the Opel-RAK2 and hurtled to a record speed of 148mph (238km/h). That exploit earned him the sobriquet ‘Rocket Fritz.’

The circuit could not have been more different from other tracks. Originally 12.160 miles long (19.569km), it was in effect two parallel six-mile drag strips, each 26ft wide, separated by a similar-width grass median with a long-radius curve at the northern end and a tighter hairpin at the southern.

More than at any other circuit, the enemy of a fast lap at AVUS was air resistance. This was demonstrated conclusively in 1932 when Manfred von Brauchitsch had his privately entered and outclassed Mercedes SSK reclothed in a wind-cheating body designed by aerodynamicist Reinhard von KoenigFachsenfeld. Not a pretty sight, it was immediately nicknamed ‘the gherkin’ but against expectation it won at a then-record speed of 120.5mph for the 124-mile race, heralding in a new era of streamlined racers.

The weekend of 29-30 May 1937 arguably saw AVUS at its zenith when, in glorious sunshine, an estimated 380,000 spectators turned out for the annual Avusrennen. The Nazis had spared no expense to upgrade the circuit as a showcase for German technical superiority, building a magnificent cylindrical control tower (now listed) and a 4000-seat stand, but most spectacularly the soon-to-beinfamous ‘wall of death’, a vertiginous brick-paved 43° banking.

In qualifying for the main event, Bernd Rosemeyer clocked a 171.788mph lap in his Auto Union Type C, a time not bettered until qualifying for the 1957 Race of Two Worlds at Monza. Hermann Lang won in a Mercedes W125 at an average of 162.61mph – a record that stood until the 1986 Indy 500. On the long straights the Silver Arrows were reaching speeds in excess of 225mph, giving a mind-boggling potential closing speed of around 450mph with a car approaching on the parallel track a mere 35 feet away! In 1939 a World War once again stopped play and racing did not return to the AVUS until 1951.

Negotiating the banking flat-out demanded exceptional bravery. In 1956 Richard von Frankenberg, accomplished Porsche works racer and editor of its in-house journal, soared over the lip of the banking in an experimental 550 Spyder, his flight caught on camera as he floated from the airborne car. The Spyder crashed into a parking area below, where its magnesium body caught fire.

Von Frankenberg was at first assumed to have perished but miraculously he had landed in acacia bushes and, although injured, was alive. The press dubbed the incident ‘The Miracle of Avus’. Not so lucky was French ace Jean Behra, when in 1959 the wall of death lived up to its name. On a rainsoaked track his Porsche RSK fishtailed and slid over the lip of the banking and he was flung from the car, striking a flagpole with fatal results.

Over the years progressive emasculation and the demolishing of the banking in 1957 reduced the track to a little over five miles. By the final race in 1998 it was down to 1.6 miles.

From the outset, when not in use for racing the AVUS was used as a toll road connecting Berlin’s Charlottenburg to Nikolassee. The straights have long been fully incorporated into the autobahn network but don’t bother to take your Veyron for a top-speed blast – they are now subject to a 100km/h limit!

Top left and below The VI Internationales Avusrennen on 30 May 1937; Auto Union mastermind Ferdinand Porsche timing a rival Mercedes Silver Arrow.

ALAMY

ALAMY

Words by Delwyn Mallett

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1992 ALLARD J2X-C “A UNIQUE 3.5 LITRE GROUP C THAT REVOLUTIONISED AERODYNAMICS IN ENDURANCE RACING“

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COLLECTION

Chrono Words by Mark McArthur-Christie

The best watch in the world We’ve been here, but it bears repeating – these gems will soon be cheaper than a 1st class stamp IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG. Usually somewhere around the second pint of the evening someone will ask ‘You’re into watches, aren’t you?

So what’s the best watch in the world then? Rolex, right?’

At this point the tyro will try to explain to a rapidly glazing-over audience that, yes, Rolex watches are splendid, but they’re actually mass-produced and have you heard of Parmigiani, A. Lange & Söhne or Moser et Cie? For the seasoned watch connoisseur, however, there is a quicker and more straightforward answer: the Casio F-91W. The Octane watch desk has already demonstrated the Mighty F’s ability as a dedicated saturation diving watch (issue 213). Filled with silicone oil (the stuff you use to lubricate treadmills), our Casioil™ happily survived in 112m of water and under nearly 180psi. This is, admittedly, a narrow use case and little justification for our claim, although handy for pub boasting rights. So what about the rest of the evidence to justify such an outlandish suggestion?

Let’s start with the easy and obvious one: price. Now, it’s simply not true that the F is the cheapest watch in the world. Even Casio offers the snappily named MQ-24-7BLL quartz analogue for less (a penny under a tenner at time of writing). But at £19.90 the F-91 is hardly a wallet-shredder, so buying one over even the cheapest new Rolex leaves you almost enough for a car insurance policy.

This economy is reflected in the street price for a stolen F. There isn’t one. As a consequence, you can wear your Casio in perfect safety even in the middle of London without attracting the attention of those nice gentlemen on scooters.

Then there’s the F’s sheer capability:cost ratio. As well as the time, date and day, you get an alarm that makes the Breitling Aerospace’s (about £3900) sound weedy. There’s an hourly chime and you’ll need a minimum of £3100 for an admittedly gorgeous Christopher Ward Bel Canto to do the same job with cogs and springs. That’s around £130 per bong for the CW vs 83p for the F-91. And there’s even a 100th of a second stopwatch. An FP Journe Centigraphe Souverain with a mechanical 100ths chrono will be around £131,000.

At this point, most watch people will get all sneery and cite the longevity and durability of ‘proper’ mechanical watches. Buy an Oyster Perpetual 41 and, with proper servicing, your great-grandchild will probably be handing it on to their offspring one day. But even assuming an F-91 lasts only five years, the £5550 you’d spend on the Rolex will keep your descendents in Casios for nearly 280 years (not allowing for inflation, of course). So simply trade durability for replaceability.

Another round to the F on points.

Unsurprisingly, just like all the great watches, the F-91W isn’t immune to fakers. There are plenty of hokey Fs out there. You can usually spot them by the badly-stamped caseback and display lettering.

But if you buy a snide F, you can shrug your shoulders, put it in the bin and drop £20 for a real one. Picking up a pretend Patek, on the other hand, is going to be painful.

Finally, there’s accuracy. According to the Swiss COSC chronometer standard: ‘One of the criteria for chronometer certification is the average daily rate on the first 10 days of testing: from -4sec to +6 seconds, or up to 10 seconds per day.’ The margins of error for the F? Casio suggests +/- 30 seconds a month. It’s a clear win for the F. Despite all this, there’s still a good chance your pub companions will assume you are, in fact, barking mad and start buying you beer in sympathy. Another win – you won’t get that with a Rolex.

ONE TO WATCH

Lorus ‘Magic Hands’ The ‘Japanese Speedmaster’ starts at just £50

AS ANALOGUE QUARTZ slowly became mainstream in the 1980s and makers realised integrated circuits could do clever things, there was a brief vogue for ‘magic hands’ watches. These looked like stock analogues but, at the turn of the crown, the hands would whizz round to operate as a chronograph, a timer or to set an alarm.

Although Seiko developed the movement, its Lorus sub-brand perhaps offered the smartest option, this N945-7A10. It came in several case materials and with different bezels, but these ‘Japanese Speedmaster’ variants seem to have survived without dating. You’ll pay anything from £50 upwards for a sound daily wearer.

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Handcrafted driver’s watches. derijkeandco.com

Books Reviewed by Mark Dixon

De Tomaso Racing Blue Blood

ALEJO PÉREZ MONSALVO and MARCEL SCHAUB, McKlein Publishing, €350, ISBN 978 3 947156 58 0

IF THE MARQUE De Tomaso is mainly familiar to you through cars such as the Mangusta, the Pantera, maybe the Longchamps and, if you’re next-level classic car geek, racers such as the P70, then the sheer variety to be found in this mammoth tome is going to come as something of a shock. There are literally dozens profiled here, and one or two will probably be news to even the most seasoned enthusiast.

Anyone remember the De Tomaso T68, for example? A hotted-up Ford Anglia 105E that was restyled by Michelotti and built by OSI in Turin, it was a dull-looking three-box saloon that never got beyond the prototype stage. The photos show it wearing go-faster sill stripes and a bonnet scoop, under which was supposedly a 68bhp version (hence the name) of the 997cc Ford engine, fitted with De Tomaso’s Formula 3 cylinder head.

It’s just one of the many curios to be found here in this lavishly produced hardback that lives up to McKlein’s reputation for publishing beautiful books. Every part of De Tomaso history is covered in its 458 pages, though, as the co-authors point out, the focus is very much on the cars rather than on Alejandro de Tomaso himself.

More examples: the 1980s and ’90s are a particularly rich seam of De Tomaso styling proposals and special editions, and no fewer than nine different styling sketches for the ‘pocket rocket’ Daihatsu Charade-De Tomaso are shown, one above the other. De Tomaso’s last venture was the Nuova Vallelunga of the early 2000s, a compact little sports coupé looking rather like a curvy, more Italianate version of a Ford RS200, but it was stillborn – as was a last-ditch attempt to save the company by assembling Russian UAZ Simbir 4x4s in Italy with Iveco engines. Alejandro de Tomaso died on 21 May 2003, and a year later so did his company.

You get words with the wonderful pictures, too, as proven by the spread, inset left. The authors spent years researching the text and it’s full of fascinating nuggets (sample: at his high school in Argentina, one of Alejandro’s classmates was the future revolutionary Che Guevara) but the way it’s formatted, with no paragraph indents or spacing in between, makes it hard work to read. One page, in particular, is a solid wall of words that quickly bogs your brain in an impenetrable quagmire.

Fortunately, the images have the upper hand and, once this book gets into its stride with Alejandro’s first own-name car in 1959, a Formula Two single-seater, you forgive the typographical clumsiness. Appendices detailing chassis numbers and race results complete the story but, really, it’s all about the photos. They are just glorious and worth the price of admission in themselves.

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Classic Car Auction Yearbook 2023-2024

Honda, the Golden Age Isle of Man TT 1955-1967

Motoring Through the 20th Century: 1980s and 1990s

If you’re fond of a good graph, you’ll find no fewer than 107 of them in this round-up of the auction year – along with 736 images and details of 11,312 cars sold at 101 auctions. These definitive hardbacks have now been tracking the market for 31 years and are essential for anyone ‘in the trade’ or buying a classic with an eye to its financial future value. Besides all the stats, there’s insider analysis from some of the top auction houses; it’s an incredible resource.

As Honda works rider Mike Hailwood recalled: ‘They hoisted motor-cycling out of its “cloth-cap” image, gave it sparkle and sophistication, and made international, jet-set heroes of their racing stars.’ How and why Honda came from nowhere to dominate the world’s greatest motorcycle race is brilliantly told here, and you don’t need to be a ’biker to enjoy it. With plentiful first-hand accounts, it’s a lively romp through a truly revolutionary time.

ADOLFO ORSI, Historica Selecta, €45, see ClassicCarAuctionYearbook.com for stockists

MATTHEW RICHARDSON, Pen & Sword, £20, ISBN 978 1 39905 147 7

A novel concept, this medium-format softback is one of four volumes (the rest cover the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s) that draw on a huge collection of archive images, presented in a close-packed picture/caption style. Covering everything from concept cars to manufacturers’ press shots to TV publicity pics to motorsport, the sheer amount of content is daunting, the ring-bound presentation rather low-rent (although paper is thick and glossy), but it’s certainly a thorough depiction of the era. www.auto-heritage.co.uk, £29.99 plus p&p

Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories

Factory-Original Sunbeam Alpine & Tiger As the classic car world evolves, certain marques and models seem to drop out of sight. Thirty-five years ago, the Sunbeam Tiger was a ‘hot’ motor in terms of both performance and popularity. It’s still sought after by those in the know – and a good one will make very strong money – but, now that there are so many lower-priced, more recent, faster sports cars to choose from on the used-car market, it’s perhaps no longer on the shortlist of the typical buyer. As for the Alpine; well, it always lived in the shadow of its more numerous MGB rival, although anyone who has owned a nice example will know how well they drive. The finned Series I-III cars are particularly stylish, too.

So, who’s for an Alpine/Tiger revival? If you fancy leading the charge, then invest 40 quid in this attractive hardback, which, as per its title, describes and illustrates with hundreds of colour images (courtesy of photographer Simon Clay) all the little detail differences that apply to each model. It’s a straightforward chronological guide that will help you judge the originality of any car you may be thinking of buying, with separate chapters devoted to the Harrington fastback Alpines and to factory-authorised and aftermarket accessories.

If we’re nit-picking, the main car photos are less inspired aesthetically than in previous releases in this series, and it would have been useful to have an ‘at a glance’ checklist of how to spot a fake Alpine-converted Tiger. Regardless, this is a must-have reference work for these underrated cars.

JAMES TAYLOR, Herridge & Sons, £40, ISBN 978 1 914929 10 6

Irv Gordon and his ‘thirteen-times-to-themoon-and-back Volvo P1800S’, as the author puts it, is a fairly well-thumbed footnote in the history of classic cars, so the title does a mild (but catchy) disservice to this pocket-sized hardback. It’s a lot more interesting than that.

Among the 50 car-related people profiled here are names you almost certainly won’t have heard of before. Take, for example, The Sweeney stunt car driver Peter Brayham, whose two dozen acting roles tended to be credited as ‘heavy’, ‘angry driver’, or simply ‘thug’; or Boris Forter, the MD of Helena Rubinstein’s cosmetics empire, who commissioned the Ogle SX250 sports coupé and moved in a world of high-rollers but died almost penniless.

Others will be familiar by name but less so in detail – such as Lagonda saviour Alan Good, or Saab designer Sixten Sason. It’s a fascinating mix, presented in short and easily digestible chapters: a great read.

GILES CHAPMAN, The History Press, £14.99, 978 1 80399 549 6 151

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Gear Compiled by Chris Bietzk

Mercedes-AMG One remote-control model by CaDA The development of the One was so difficult and protracted that Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius joked that he and the rest of the board must have been drunk when they greenlit the hypercar – so it’s only fitting that this 1:8-scale model of the One is a properly challenging build. Made up of 3295 pieces, it features two motors and four-wheel drive, and the powered butterfly doors and rear wing can be operated using the remote control, assuming you assemble everything correctly. £249.99. wonderlandmodels.com

Fisherman Jumper

by Lewis Leathers

Ducati 750 SS print by Martin Squires

Designed, despite that name, especially for bikers. The team at Lewis Leathers took the famous guernsey fisherman’s sweater and altered it to fit more comfortably and tidily underneath a motorcycle jacket.

The 1974-model Ducati 750 Super Sport is now half a century old, and it’s still the prettiest motorcycle ever built. Artist Martin Squires has perfectly captured the features (the duck-egg-coloured frame that shows off the V-twin engine; the shapely case; the flared tank with its translucent stripe) that make the bike such a knockout.

From £225. lewisleathers.com

From £15. sketchbooktravels.com

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Piloti Shift ‘Tennessee Pine’ driving sneakers

Moritz Grossmann Benu 37 Arabic Vintage

Sadly, Piloti is shutting up shop here in the UK – but dropshipping arrangements are being made so that we lot can use the brand’s US website to order goodies such as these new shoes, featuring the latest version of the ‘Roll Control’ heel that was originally developed for Piloti’s racing boots. £138. piloti.com

All that money buys you Moritz Grossmann’s in-house, hand-wound calibre 102.1 movement; a heat-treated German-silver dial almost velvety in appearance; and, as always, the most exquisitely formed hands in the business – a set of which takes a whole day to craft. €39,700. boutique.grossmann-uhren.com

Activo P1 portable hi-res music player The striking, sculptural digital audio players produced by Astell & Kern have always been much admired, but they’re not terribly walletfriendly. Now, though, a sister brand, Activo, has been introduced with the aim of offering first-rate sound quality in a device with fewer frills. The A&K-tuned DAC and ‘Teraton Alpha’ amp are the main attraction here, then, but that’s not to say the P1 has nothing else going for it: the player has a refreshingly simple and snappy interface; it comes with Google Play Store built-in and supports streaming over wifi and Bluetooth; and it boasts a 20-band EQ and an adjustable gain control. £399. activostyle.com

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Gear

Fairlight Holt 1.0 The first mountain bike from London-based outfit Fairlight has already become a favourite of cross-country riders and bikepackers, and this year Alex McCormack pedalled a Holt to a new course record (3d 5hr 30min!) on the Highland Trail 550 – a 550-mile, entirely self-supported slog across some of Scotland’s wildest and most knackering terrain.

Frameset only from £999; complete from £3299. fairlightcycles.com

Nyetimber Cuvée Chérie sparkling wine

Messenger bag with MGA artwork by Robin Bark

BMW 326 Stromlinie resincast model by AutoCult

A wonderful British bubbly to enjoy over the festive period: the Cuvée Chérie multivintage is Nyetimber’s demi-sec offering, made from Chardonnay grapes grown in West Sussex and Hampshire.

Robin Bark has teamed up with Me and My Car to offer a range of bags featuring his artwork, our favourite of which is this – a totable tribute to a car sure to be celebrated more widely in 2025, when it turns 70.

This 1:43-scale model is as close as we’re ever likely to get to seeing a BMW 326 Stromlinie: all three examples of the car completed by Karosserie Wendler are assumed to have been destroyed during World War Two.

£42.50. nyetimber.com

£65. meandmycar.co.uk

£128.95. grandprixmodels.com

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ASMotorsport Motorsport ltd AS ltd Poplar Farm, Bressingham, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 2AP Tel: 01379688356 Mob: 07909531816 Web: www.asmotorsport.co.uk Email: info@asmotorsport.co.uk

ASM hand build bespoke versions of the R1 roadster, inspired by the Aston Martin race cars that won Le Mans and the world Sportscar championship in 1959.

Contact us for details of commission builds and stock.

Poplar Farm, Bressingham, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 2AP

Tel: 01379688356 • Mob: 07909531816 Web: www.asmotorsport.co.uk Email: info@asmotorsport.co.uk I-307295.indd 1

About 45 selected vehicles Viewing in Gstaad: December 28th & 29th 2024 12/11/2019 12:30

ASM R1 Stirling Moss tribute car enjoying track time at Goodwood.

ASM hand build bespoke versions of the R1 roadster, inspired by the Aston Martin 2010 Mercedes SLS AMG race cars that won Le Mans and the world Sportscar championship in 1959.

Contact us for details of commission builds and stock.

2023 Ford GT Holman Moody Herit. 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II DHC

1951 Hotchkiss Anjou by Worblaufen 1971 Mercedes 600 Saloon

9764.indd 1

1970 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2

15/11/2018 13:08

1959 Alfa Romeo 2000 Coupé Vignale

1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427

1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Piccadilly

2006 Ford GT

1971 Ferrari Dino 246 GT

2006 Abt-Audi A4 DTM

1963 Ferrari 250 GTE

1964 Porsche 356 C Convertible

1970 Lamborghini Islero 400 GTS

Please use our online-form for your catalog orders (EUR 40.-) Guerbestrasse 1 Phone +41-31-8196161 CH-3125 Toffen info@oldtimergalerie.ch www.TheSwissAuctioneers.swiss 155 P0002549-GraysonPace-Lotus-Octane-126x96-Sep24-v1.indd 1

08/10/2024 10:29

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Gear

Wetter Than an Otter’s Pocket by Paul Howse The latest work from watercolourist Paul Howse is a 1m-wide portrait of Jaguar D-type 774 RW splashing about in a deluge at this year’s Goodwood Revival. It was shown at the recent Art of Motoring Exhibition and, to the dismay of many who attended, it’s already spoken for and won’t be reproduced as a print – but prints of some of Paul’s other paintings are available via his website, along with a handful of originals, and he’s currently accepting commissions, too.

Commissions from £295; prints from £40. paulhowseart.co.uk

‘Ken’ toy by Playforever

Timex WW75 V3

Thanks to the success of the 2019 film Ford v Ferrari, Ken Miles is considerably better known than he once was, and we suspect even casual racing fans will immediately recognise this new toy as a tip of the cap to Miles and the Ford GT40. It measures 17cm long and is available in four colours, but smartest by far is the version seen here, in Shelby American-style blue with white racing stripes.

Timex collaborated with the team from Worn & Wound to produce this cheap and cheerful, limited-edition 37mm watch, based on a quartz model from the 1970s but fitted with a hand-wound mechanical movement.

£43.50. playforever.co.uk

£220. timex.co.uk

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1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/2

1973 Ferrari 246 GTS Dino

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553936

Brand

Edited by Matthew Hayward

The Market B U Y I N G + S E L L I N G + A N A LY S I S

TOP 10 PRICES OCTOBER 2024 £7,217,383 ($9,355,000) 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (alloy) RM Sotheby’s, Los Angeles, California, USA, 26 October £3,579,648 ($4,675,000) 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, 10 October £3,186,295 ($4,130,000)

RM SOTHEBY’S

1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Sindelfingen Coupé RM Sotheby’s, Los Angeles, California, USA, 26 October £2,701,258 (€3,220,000 )

Junkyard Gullwing sells for record $9,355,000 Mercedes and a handful of others aside, bidders at the Klein sale stayed sensible ALTHOUGH PEPPERED WITH some incredible results, the buyers at the $29.6m RM Sotheby’s Rudi Klein Junkyard sale seemed to be bidding with very level heads. It’s the opposite of what we’ve seen at other ‘once in a generation’ sales such as the 2015 Baillon collection.

The star car was undoubtedly the alloy-bodied Mercedes-Benz 300SL, bought from Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti in 1976. It never left his yard again, and surpassed the Gullwing world record with a price of $9,355,000. Not quite living up to some of its pre-sale hype was the 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K ‘Caracciola’ Special Coupé by Sindelfingen, which sold for $4,130,000 – just over lower estimate.

Another heavy-hitter was the 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster by Gläser, the sole-surviving production Horch 855, which sold for $3,305,000.

Three Lamborghini Miuras, all in need of restoration, found willing buyers: a 1968 P400 was the highlight at $1,325,000, followed by a 1969 P400 S at $967,500 and 1967 P400 for $610,000.

Something of a surprise was the popularity of the

one-off NSU Ro80 concept by Pininfarina, which smashed its $60-80k estimate to raise $461,500.

RM Sotheby’s also returned to London ahead of the Brighton run, pulling in a relatively healthy £18,293,215 from 93% sell-through. John Mayhead looks at the results on the opposite page as he analyses the health of the UK market.

Although no longer headline sponsor, Bonhams continues to hold its Golden Age of Motoring Sale to coincide with the Run, and it managed to raise £1,108,455 with an auction of veteran and early cars.

Top-seller was a 1904 Darracq 12hp Twin-Cylinder Four-Seat Side-Entrance Tonneau at £189,750.

Artcurial’s end-of-year Automobiles sur les Champs auction saw total sales of almost €4.6m and a 90% sale rate. Exceptional results include a 2006 BMW Alpina Z8 roadster, which sold for €324,224, although top-end cars such as the 1976 Lancia Stratos HF struggled to sell.

Just as we went to press, Iconic smashed yet another Ford auction record at the NEC with a £202,500 Escort RS Cosworth… Matthew Hayward

2010 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss Edition Bonhams, Knokke-Heist, Belgium, 6 October £2,549,808 ($3,305,000) 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster RM Sotheby’s, Los Angeles, California, USA, 26 October £2,122,417 (€2,530,000) 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder Bonhams, Knokke-Heist, Belgium, 6 October £1,551,986 ($2,019,500) 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Roadster Bring a Trailer, Texas, USA, 29 October £1,530,400 ($2,000,000) 1984 Porsche 911 SC RS Gruppe B ‘Evolutionsserie’ Broad Arrow Auctions, Tennessee, USA, 25 September £1,446,563 ($1,875,000) 1964 Iso Grifo Spider RM Sotheby’s, Los Angeles, California, USA, 26 October £1,205,919 (€1,437,500 ) 2011 Aston Martin One-77 Bonhams, Knokke-Heist, Belgium, 6 October The top ten data is supplied courtesy of HAGERTY

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UK budget blow cushioned – now all eyes are on the USA Thanks to elections across the globe, 2024 has been a year of great uncertainty for the classic market. Maybe we shouldn’t expect that to change any time soon…

OVER THE PAST few months there had been an assumption that the looming UK 2024 Autumn Budget might be encouraging potential buyers of collectable cars to pause until the outcome was clear.

Whether or not it did cause anyone to sit on their hands rather than buy a classic is debatable, but tabloid headlines threatening the end of motoring as we know it thanks to aggressive pay-per-mile road pricing or the redefinition of historic cars’ tax status didn’t come to pass.

In fact, most motoring tax hikes were firmly focused on new petrol and diesel vehicles, with large increases in most first-year vehicle excise duty rates, and even hybrid and full EV rates rising. The fuel duty freeze was welcome, and any potential small increase in future would be unlikely to put off enthusiasts. Inheritance tax changes, although possibly relevant to those families with classic car collections, probably won’t affect buying patterns.

Of course, increases in other taxes and National Insurance contributions could affect certain people’s bank balances and make them think twice about buying a classic, but other budget outcomes, notably Stamp Duty changes for additional dwellings and company-bought properties, could encourage people to seek alternative investments and this could push up demand for some classic cars.

So far, it’s too early to tell. Just one auction, the RM Sotheby’s event in London, has so far taken place since the Budget and, although the headline sell-through rate of 83% was higher than recent expectations at this level, there are a lot of caveats.

Nearly half of the cars that sold were offered with no reserve, and, of the seven lots estimated at over £1m, just one – a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing – exceeded its low reserve. Two cars in this price range failed to sell, including the cover star of the auction, a hen’s teeth 1957 Jaguar XKSS, although that may say more about the current collectability of the model rather than the wider economic situation.

Overall, the results were mixed, but exactly what I would have expected.

2024 has been a year of correction in the classic car world. As I’ve written before, many prices asked during the post-Covid boom were unsustainable and around a third of all Hagerty Price Guide values have dropped since summer 2023. Although things are slow, there has not been a general sense of negativity, rather an acceptance that asking prices are stabilising.

Three dealers I spoke to this week, all representing very different areas of the market, reported that 2024

had, so far, been their best ever and Tom Wood, CEO of online sales and auction powerhouse Car & Classic, said interest hadn’t dimmed at all, although prices had reduced. ‘We’ve seen a 28% asking price reduction in the UK in the last year and a half,’ he told me, ‘although it definitely feels like price drops are flattening and the market is excited to grab a bargain deal compared with 18 months ago.’

Now that the Budget has set the economic conditions for the time being, it is possible that next spring could see another general growth in collectable car prices, but another world event will bring into play an element of what Donald Rumsfeld famously called a ‘known unknown’. Donald Trump will be inaugurated on 20 January 2025 as 47th President of the United States and the impact he will have on the global economy is likely to be dramatic.

The inauguration clashes almost exactly with the Scottsdale sales in Arizona, and then Rétromobile 2025 opens in Paris a fortnight later, marking the first major European auction event. 2025 is likely to be anything except dull.

John Mayhead Hagerty Price Guide editor, market commentator and concours judge

‘Budget outcomes could encourage people to seek alternative investments and this could push up demand for some classic cars’

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RM SOTHEBY’S

The Market Auction Previews

Coachbuilt to perfection RM Sotheby’s, Arizona, USA 24 January 2025

THE ERA OF coachbuilt Bugattis gave us some of the most beautiful cars of all time, and this 1939 Type 57C Atalante by Gangloff is no exception. By this point, Bugatti’s in-house production was focused on the four-door Galibier, so a handful of special order Type 57s – including this one – were outsourced to different coachbuilders.

This car’s unique specification starts with a late third-series chassis, the most developed of the Type 57s. It benefits from a host of improvements over the earlier cars, such as a reinforced chassis, strengthened rear axle and rubber engine mounts. This one is also particularly special, because it was specified with a supercharger from the factory. The

body was built in a similar style to the original Bugatti design, with a slightly longer, more flowing tail. A rolling fabric roof, known as a ‘bureau top’, finished it off.

Hotchkiss dealer Louis Dupont of Oran, Algeria, placed the order, and it remained relatively sheltered throughout the war years.

It was sold into France during the mid-1950s and, after passing through a string of Bugatti enthusiasts, it found a home in the Petersen Automotive Museum in 2006.

The older restoration is still holding up well, and it retains most of its original components, although it had a replacement engine block during the 1980s. It’s estimated to sell for $1,750,000-2,500,000. rmsothebys.com

Streetfighter Bonhams, London, UK 12 Dec THERE REALLY ISN’T any such thing as a ‘regular’ Koenigsegg, but Bonhams has consigned a particularly significant prototype model to its Bond Street auction.

The first giveaway to its identity is the stickers, signifying that this is ‘Streetfighter 7031’ from 2006, the first of the company’s E85 fuel-compatible CCXR models. Although the fuel was marketed as being more ecofriendly thanks to its higher bio-ethanol content, Koenigsegg was one of the first manufacturers to build a car capable of using it for increased performance, with 1018bhp from a 4.8-litre twin-supercharged V8.

Bonhams estimates that it will sell for £1,400,000-1,800,000. cars.bonhams.com 162

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1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Continental Coupe

AUC T ION DI A RY

Broad Arrow, Amelia Island, USA 7-8 March 2025 broadarrowauctions.com

27 November H&H, Buxton, UK Historics, online 27-29 November Mathewsons, online 1 December Aguttes, Paris, France RM Sotheby’s, Dubai, UAE 4 December Brightwells, online Dore & Rees, Bradford-on-Avon, UK 5 December Brightwells, online 5-7 December Mecum, Kansas City, USA 7 December Classic Car Auctions, Leamington Spa, UK WB & Sons, Killingworth, UK 7-8 December Manor Park Classics, Runcorn, UK 10 December Ewbank’s, Send, UK 12 December Bonhams, London, UK 14 December Barons, Southampton, UK 29 December Oldtimer Galerie, Gstaad, Switzerland 7-19 January Mecum, Kissimmee, USA 18-26 January Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, USA 24 January Bonhams, Scottsdale, USA RM Sotheby’s, Phoenix, USA 25 January WB & Sons, Killingworth, UK 25-26 January ACA, King’s Lynn, UK 29 January – 1 February Mecum, Las Vegas, USA (motorcycles) 30 January SWVA, Poole, UK 4-5 February RM Sotheby’s, Paris, France 5-7 February Mathewsons, online 6 February Bonhams, Paris, France 7 February Artcurial, Paris, France 15-16 February Manor Park Classics, Runcorn, UK 16 February Iconic Auctioneers, London, UK (motorcycles)

Importer Max Hoffman convinced Porsche to name its top-of-therange 356 model the Continental Coupe in 1955, something Ford’s legal department took exception to – understandably, given Lincoln had a model of the same name!

That makes this ‘preservation class’ example a rare thing indeed.

Estimated at $175,000-250,000.

1972 Saab 96 V4

1993 Caterham Super 7

1997 Mitsubishi Pajero Evo

Brightwells, Herefordshire, UK 4 December, brightwells.com

CCA, Leamington Spa, UK 7 Dec, classiccarauctions.co.uk

Manor Park Classics, Norfolk, UK 7 Dec, manorparkclassics.com

There’s always an argument about using classics in all weathers but, if we take it on a case-by-case basis, then this Saab looks like it would make a great winter toy.

Recent work includes new brakes, a replacement engine and lots of fabrication and welding. It’s a way off being perfect, but that’s what makes it so usable and a potential bargain at £2000-2500.

Caterham has built some extremely compelling versions of the 7 over the years, but this Super 7 Sprint has to be one of the best-looking.

Showing just under 35,000 miles, this factory-built example is fitted with its original Ford ‘Kent’ 1600cc crossflow engine and a set of optional ‘Prisoner’ alloy wheels.

It’s expected to make between £30,000 and £50,000.

When we think of rally homologation cars, we normally picture Delta Integrales, Impreza Turbos and Mitsubishi Evos, although maybe not anything quite like this. Built to compete in the Dakar Rally’s production-based T2 class, this is a wild, wide-bodied 3.5-litre V6-powered Pajero with 276bhp. What’s not to like? It’s guided at £22,000-24,000.

Also Look Out For… existence, and the winner forked out $15,000 to own them. That was an awful lot of money at the time, but won’t compare with the sum that is likely to be paid for Michael Shaw’s ruby slippers when they are sold by Heritage Auctions in Dallas on 7 December: the FBI valued the shoes at an astonishing $3.5m.

HA.COM

ON THE MORNING of 28 August 2005 staff aarrived at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota to find a display case smashed.

Among the broken glass was a single red sequin. The museum’s prize exhibit, a pair of ‘ruby slippers’ worn

by Garland in The Wizard of Oz, had been stolen.

The shoes, which had been loaned to the museum by costume collector Michael Shaw, were eventually recovered by the FBI in 2018. In a delicious twist, it was revealed the culprit was not a movie memorabilia hunter but a clueless common thief who had assumed the slippers to be embellished with real rubies. He no doubt also believed the shoes to be unique, but several pairs were made by MGM’s costume department for The Wizard of Oz, and four are known to survive.

The first time a pair came to auction was in 1970, after MGM’s entire store of costumes had been sold to a liquidator. It was, ahem, convenient to let bidders think they were fighting for the only ruby slippers in

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Thought you’d like to know The 1913 Flying Merkel Model Seventy-One motorcycle (see issue 256) sold for $132,250.

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The Market Data Mining

Porsche 911 (997) GT3

PORSCHE 911 GT3

The 997 has become a collectable sweetspot, but beware, generation and spec can still be crucial

997.1 vs 997.2 CC

3600:3797

THE PORSCHE 911 (997) GT3 is a car that seemingly ticks all the boxes that ‘true’ Porsche enthusiasts desire: the last of the sonorous Mezger engines, bored out and tuned to a level undreamt of when the model was launched in 1964, paired with a manual gearbox and clothed in a design that remained true to its history.

The 996 that preceded it still struggles with its self-image and the 991 that replaced it is too big and too digital for many, but, as the years go on, the 997 is the one that seems to be emerging as a true collectable and a driving classic. The GT3 RS is faster, more brutal, especially in top 4.0-litre guise, but the standard GT3 has a practicality that is

rarely matched in a sports car of its ability. Even the standard 997 rear seat kit can be dropped in, if you want to bring your kids.

Values of this emerging classic have been stable over the past two years, with Hagerty Price Guide ‘excellent’ values of the early 997.1 GT3 model with 3600cc, 415PS (409bhp) engine built between 2006 and 2008 sitting at £75,900.

In 2009, the model was updated to 997.2 specification, gaining the 3797cc M87/77 engine producing 435PS (429bhp) and other refinements, including Porsche Stability Management (PSM) suspension and centre-lock wheels. The market values them much higher

than the first generation: Hagerty’s ‘Excellent’ value currently sits at £124,000, with more for low mileage, exceptional condition and Carrera GT or GT3 RS seat options.

The outlook for the 997 GT3 of both generations as a collectable car is good. Hagerty’s Collectability Algorithm, which analyses numerous factors to decide the relative demand for a car, puts both models in the 92nd to 94th percentile bracket.

With a thousand fewer built and with various desirable options unique to the second generation, the 997.2 will probably continue to have the edge over its older brother in terms of price.

John Mayhead

Percentage of owners born since 1965: 71.6 (average across all cars insured

by Hagerty: 64.2)

Auction Tracker

premium today. They’ve appeared rarely at auction over the past ten years, and mostly change hands when they do.

Bonhams’ Scottsdale sale in 2016 drew $341,000 (£263,000) for a Polaris silver example that had formed part of a noted German collection. Bonhams followed that with a result at the same event a year later of $330,000 (£254,500) for a car that had previously traded at Worldwide Auctioneers in 2016, when it achieved $242,000 (£186,500). A Taiga green Batmobile made $291,000 (£224,500) at RM Sotheby’s

Amelia Island in 2022, a significant uplift from Monterey in 2009, where it fetched $150,000 (£115,500).

RM set the benchmark of €578,750 (£482,000) at its 2022 Munich sale, one of several record results for BMWs at the time; its car (pictured) had reportedly received a replacement engine and was the final CSL produced.

Dan Norris of Munich Legends comments: ‘It’s unlikely you will be buying one with a full service history: a Bat is one of those cars that needs other provenance to back it up. The condition I can fix, but the history you can’t.

‘It is really important to make sure the basics are right. Get the engine scoped and make sure it’s got matching numbers: the chassis and engine numbers are the same sets of digits.

‘Make sure that you really do have a Bat because it’s very easy to fake one, and I’ve seen very convincing CSis or even CSAs that have been converted.

‘Because so few were built, they are often attractive to people with big collections that might not necessarily be BMW fans, but people of that sort will pay stronger money for cars that tick all the boxes.’

Rod Laws

BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ BMW’s lightweight homologation special proved a great success on track, winning six European Touring Car Championships. The ultimate evolution of the CSL is the final run of 167 cars that were developed in 1973 with a larger 3153cc engine and dramatic aero package, and it’s these bewinged ‘Batmobiles’ that command a

£500,000

POWER @ 7600RPM

415PS:435PS NUMBER MADE

3329:2256 TOP SPEED MPH

192:194

0 - 60 MPH IN SECONDS

4.3:4.2

Line charts the top prices for comparable cars at auction.

£400,000 £300,000 £200,000 £100,000 2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Glenmarch is the largest free-to-access online resource for classic and collector car auction markets.

Visit glenmarch.com to keep up to date.

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The Market Dealer News

SHOWROOM BRIEFS

1953 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT POA Not just a great-looking car, but one with a brilliant history, and a few interesting performance upgrades. An older restoration, but with substantial recent expenditure, it’s fighting fit. phoenixgreengarage.com (UK)

1948 Bristol 401 Farina £245,000 from Ranmore Fine Motor Cars, Surrey, UK COACHBUILT BRISTOLS are a particularly rare breed, with just 38 rolling chassis delivered to various companies for bespoke bodywork, most notably Touring, Langenthal, Vanden Plas, Beutler, Ghia-Aigle and Pinin Farina. This beautiful 401 is one of somewhere between eight and ten such cars bodied by Farina.

Leaving the factory on 9 August 1949, this example was bodied in the company’s usual cabriolet style – very similar to post-war Alfa Romeo and Lancia models. Originally registered to AFN Ltd, the supplying dealership, it was fitted with a replacement engine at 2246km, before being sold to Lord Jersey.

Promptly shipped to the island of Jersey, it returned

to the mainland in 1955. By 1968 it found its way into the hands of Roger Pearce Harvey, who ran the car until 1989, when it was sent to TT Workshops for a full restoration. It was sold in 2011, at which point the restoration was completed to a high standard.

Amazingly, the original engine was found in Switzerland, so it was reunited with the car before being offered for sale once again through Bristol Cars. The current owner, who bought it in 2014, set about further improving the car, rebuilding the original engine to Mitchell Motors’ ‘fast road’ specification – allowing an 85mph cruising speed.

On offer from Ranmore, it’s ready for more long-distance, high-speed touring. ranmorefmc.co.uk

The Insider HOW’S BUSINESS? We’ve had a good year. Auction houses chasing the flavour of the day – modern classics right now – leaves space for dealing in former favourites such as early Ferraris.

So what’s the secret of your success?

A phenomenal global client base and focusing on cars that have just come very slightly off the boil so auction houses are moving away from them.

Is that market as strong as it was?

Less demand means lower prices, but there are still plenty of people who want to go for a test drive or do a trade. You can’t do that at auction.

Is there a demographic change?

Yes. Younger people wanting younger, faster, more reliable cars. That’s why the Porsche market is exploding.

So are pre-war cars doomed?

The top of the market is fabulous, the middle is spotty and the bottom is slow.

How is trade across the Atlantic?

In the late ’80s, 98% of my trade was exporting to Europe, but that’s changed.

It’s a function of the exchange rate, though ’30s European glamour cars still have a huge market in the US. What should people buy?

What they love, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be shrewd. The best examples will always sell, so buy the best. For a bargain, buy a fully restored $100,000200,000 car– they’ll have spent more restoring it than you’re paying!

What cars are best value?

On the enthusiast level, the Alfa Montreal is a great automobile that trades for far less than it should. Higher up, 1950s-60s Ferraris were once the most desirable and valuable cars in the global market, but values have retreated so there are important Ferraris that can be bought at prices that make sense.

1990 Mercedes-Benz 500SL €24,950 This Canadian-spec SL – with 129,161km on the clock – has somehow found its way to Belgium, where it is for sale with Oldtimer Farm. It looks great on period-correct AMG wheels. oldtimerfarm.be (BE)

1997 Panoz Esperante GTR-1 $1,950,000 One of the lesser-celebrated GT1-class cars, the Panoz remains the fastest American GT car to lap Le Mans. This is chassis 001, which has been fully restored by Panoz. fantasyjunction.com (US) Mark Hyman Respected dealer with 37 years operating out of St Louis, Missouri, and 200+ cars in stock. hymanltd.com 1969 Datsun 2000 Sports AUD $45,999 A very tidy-looking example of Datsun’s delightful 2.0-litre roadster. Restored in 2013, it’s a well-known car in Datsun circles, with partial history going back to 2002. Ready to be enjoyed. collectableclassiccars.com.au

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PETERBRADFIELD BRADFIELD LTD PETER LTD

1965 Alfa Romeo TZ1 - Period competition history, known provenance, beautifully restored

1931 1934 Bentley 4½Nash LitreTT Supercharged Frazer Replica

One of the originalunparalelled 50, certified provenance, Super-realistic Outstanding condition, evocative history, matchingprice numbers.

PETER BRADFIELD LTD

1965 Alfa Romeo TZ1 - Period competition history, known provenance, beautifully restored

1925 Bentley 3-4½ Speed Model - Original super patinated Vanden Plas with sorted mechanicals

1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Roadster

by Park Ward 1934 Invicta S Type

by Carbodies Unique and gorgeous.

In superb condition with documented history.

Highly original with unique history and matching numbers

1925 Bentley 3-4½ Litre 1925 Bentley 3-4½ Speed Model - Original super patinated Vanden Plas with sorted mechanicals

YK 1360 is a Short Chassis Speed Model still fitted with its original Vanden Plas coachwork. It has been uprated with a perky 1925 Bentley Litre 4½ litre engine giving it a good turn of speed and mechanically3-4½ feels good on the road. The talented Mr. Getley at Kingsbury Racing has maintained it. However, a number of previous owners have taken a dogged delight in willfully ignoring the YK 1360 is a Short Chassis Speed Model still fitted with its original Vanden Plas coachwork. It has been uprated with a perky paintwork and it has accordingly developed a depth of patina you could drown in. Its bears its battle-scars and witness marks 4½ litre engineofgiving a good turn of speed and mechanically the road.

The talented Getley at Kingsas badges honouritand has appeared with distinction on at leastfeels threegood Flyingon Scotsman Rallies and racedMr. at the Goodwood Frazer Nash Targa Florio Unique, highly eligible competition car with good road manners bury RacingRevival. has1952 maintained it.

However, a number of previous owners have taken a dogged delight in willfully ignoring the Concours types and ‘try-hards’ need not apply but will suit any number of bounders, blaggards or cads.

paintwork and it has accordingly developed a depth of Bentley patina you3-4½ couldLitre drown in. Its bears its battle-scars and witness marks 1925 Also available as badges of honour and has appeared with distinction on at least three Flying Scotsman Rallies and raced at the Goodwood Invicta Type 1954 Bentley Roriginal Type Vanden Continantal 1967 Maserati Mistral YK 1360 1934 is a Short Chassis SSpeed Model still fitted with its PlasReplica coachwork.

It has been uprated with a perky 1954 Frazer Nash Le Mans Revival. Concours types and ‘try-hards’ need not apply but will suit any number of bounders, blaggards or cads.

4½ litre engine giving it a good turn of speed and mechanically feels good on the road. The talented Mr. Getley at Kings-

See Website for more detailseligible 1934 Frazer Nash TT Replica Ulimate period international comp history, everything. bury Racingspecification, has maintained it. However, a number of previous have details taken a dogged delight infor willfully ignoring the See website forowners more Impeccably restored history numbers paintwork and it has accordingly developed with a depthawesome of patina you could drownand in. Itsmatching bears its battle-scars and witness marks as badges of honour and has appeared with distinction on at least three Flying Scotsman Rallies and raced at the Goodwood Also available 1952 Frazer Nash Targa Florio Unique, highly eligible competition car with good road manners Revival. Concours types and ‘try-hards’ not apply but will suit any number of bounders, blaggards or cads.

1931 Bentley 4½need Litre Blower 1934 Invicta S Type

Also available

8 REECE MEWS KENSINGTON See Website for 1952 more detailsTarge Florio LONDON SW7 3HE Bentley 3-4½ Speed Model Frazer Nash Also available 19521925 Frazer Nash Targa Florio 1925 Bentley 3-4½ Speed Model peter@bradfieldcars.com www.bradfieldcars.com 1934 Invicta S Type Bentley Continantal 1967 Maserati 1954 Frazer Nash Le 1954 Mans RepR Type 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25Mistral Roadster Tel: 020 7589 8787

8 REECE MEWS 8 REECE 8 REECEMEWS MEWS peter@bradfieldcars.com

See See website for more details Website more details See Websitefor for more more details See website for details KENSINGTON

www.bradfieldcars.com www.bradfieldcars.com

peter@bradfieldcars.com peter@bradfieldcars.com

KENSINGTON KENSINGTON

www.bradfieldcars.com

LONDON SW7 3HE LONDONSW7 SW73HE 3HE LONDON Tel: 020 7589 8787 Tel: 020 7589 8787 Tel: 020 7589 8787

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The Market Buying Guide

THE LOWDOWN

WHAT TO PAY Whether or not you want a Z11 or Z12, prices start at around £3000 for highermileage examples, rising to £4500 for something in slightly fresher condition.

There are plenty of great cars priced from £5000, with some of the best, freshly imported Cubes advertised closer to £7500.

LOOK OUT FOR

Nissan Cube This brilliantly styled car was a cult hit when new, and is now cheaper than ever ASYMMETRY IN AUTOMOTIVE design is uncommon, and probably one of the main reasons that the Nissan Cube caused such a stir when it was launched in 2002. With a perfectly descriptive name, this boxy Nissan quickly found a cult following globally. And over 20 years on, it still oozes visual character and offers brilliant packaging and usability – for which you can thank Shiro Nakamura, subject of this month’s Octane Interview (see page 96).

Just like Nissan’s earlier ‘Pike cars’ – the Pao, Be-1 and most notably the Figaro – Nissan’s Cube coupled Micra underpinnings with a much more interestingly styled body. Although the ‘cool’ second-generation Cube arrived in Japan in 2002, the first-generation was actually launched in 1998. Considerably less remarkable to look at, it set the model’s template, in essence a small footprint with tall sides and boxy proportions to maximise cabin space.

The second-generation car, codenamed Z11 (pictured above), was a real breath of fresh air when it was launched – so much so that the Cube quickly gained a strong cult following around the world, despite being intended purely for the Japanese domestic market.

An efficient 1.4-litre engine provided 97bhp as standard, with a 1.5 option in 2005 upping that to 109bhp, both available with either a four-speed automatic or a smooth CVT, but no manual.

Ultimately, this is just a no-frills propulsion unit, and with the Micra also providing the suspension, brakes and the majority of the mechanical components it’s more than capable enough to live with – not to mention easy to maintain.

Ultimately, however, you don’t buy a Cube for the

driving experience, you buy one because of the way it looks. It’s a brilliant combination of straight lines and soft edges with plenty of great details. The side-hinged rear tailgate – with a single wraparound glass section on one side only – not only looks unique, it also makes the Cube an incredibly useful family/utility wagon. Inside, the cabin is spacious, and clever storage spaces abound.

For those wanting a little extra space, Nissan later offered a seven-seater version called the Cubic. There was also a (mild) 4x4 variant that offered limited rear wheel propulsion via an electric motor to aid in occasional low-grip scenarios. As you might expect, personalisation was common – and encouraged by Nissan, which offered 12 different grille variants, as well as various bodykits and wheel designs.

After the Cube became a cultural phenomenon around the world, Nissan decided that it would offer the third-generation Z12 officially in the USA and Europe for the first time. Launched in 2008, its style was a natural evolution of the Z11, although it has gone even further with the rounded edges – and the interior is considerably cooler, adopting a casual lounge vibe, with a sofa-style rear bench seat.

Despite more engine and gearbox options, suited to each market (the UK was limited to a 1.6 petrol) sales sadly didn’t live up to expectations. The model was discontinued in Europe after 2011 and, after similarly disappointing results, in 2014 in the US. Japanese production continued to 2019.

While the newer, officially imported Cube is probably the more sensible option, there’s something very cool about the second-gen car – and prices are now seriously tempting.

Matthew Hayward

The main problem with Japanese cars, and their reputation for reliability, is that owners often assume that servicing is not strictly necessary. With the Cube, that’s far from the truth and, while engines are long-lived with proper care, missed oil changes can lead to timing chain issues. Thankfully, replacement engines are cheap and plentiful.

Quite a few Cubes were fitted with the factoryapproved Impul supercharger kit, pushing power to a heady 140bhp. Certainly worth keeping an eye out for if you want more performance.

The JATCO CVT gearbox should be serviced every 60,000km and will eventually fail if not. Cars with the conventional four-speed automatic are more rugged.

Mechanical items and consumables are generally easy to find and affordable, but some Cube-specific parts can be expensive – especially if you need to replace the tailgate glass. If you’re swayed by one of the Autech cars, or those with unusual bodykits and trim, just be aware that finding spare parts might not be straightforward – although the community for Cube owners in the UK is generally pretty helpful.

Failed central locking actuators are common, so make sure all doors lock.

Inspect the underside for rust. As with any imported JDM car, it’s vital that it’s protected before being ravaged by salted roads.

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THE CLASSIC THE THE THE CLASSIC CLASSIC ASSIC THE CLASSIC CLASSIC

MOTOR HUB MOTOR MOTOR MOTOR HUB HUB HUB MOTOR HUB

AVA I L A B L E F O R S A L E AAA VVV AAAIILILLAAABBBLLLEEEFFFOO ORRRSSSAAALLLEEE AVA I L A B L E F O R S A L E

1963 Aston 1963 1963 1963 Aston Aston AstonMartin Martin Martin MartinDB4 DB4 DB4 DB4 1963 Aston Martin DB4

£495,000 £495,000 £495,000 £495,000 £495,000

1967 Jaguar E-type Series 1 4.2 1967 1967 1967Jaguar Jaguar JaguarE-type E-type E-typeSeries Series Series114.2 14.2 4.2 1967 Jaguar E-type Series 1 4.2

£125,000 1981 Ferrari 308 GTBi £125,000 £125,000 £125,000 1981 1981 1981Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari308 308 308GTBi GTBi GTBi £125,000 1981 Ferrari 308 GTBi

£89,500 £89,500 £89,500 £89,500 £89,500

1960 Jaguar “XKSS” Replica 1960 1960 1960Jaguar Jaguar Jaguar“XKSS” “XKSS” “XKSS”Replica Replica Replica 1960 Jaguar “XKSS” Replica

£285,000 1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth £285,000 £285,000 £285,000 1987 1987 1987Ford Ford FordSierra Sierra SierraRS500 RS500 RS500Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth £285,000 1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth

£150,000 £150,000 £150,000 £150,000 £150,000

ENQUIRIES : +44 (0)1242 384092 : SALES@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM : CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM ENQUIRIES ENQUIRIES ENQUIRIES : :+44 :+44 +44 (0)1242 (0)1242 (0)1242 384092 384092 384092: :SALES@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM :SALES@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM SALES@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM: :CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM :CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM ENQUIRIES : +44 (0)1242 384092 : SALES@CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM : CLASSICMOTORHUB.COM

A C

H E R I T A G E

1964 AC COBRA 289 Fully matching numbers, recent cosmetic restoration by AC Heritage. Extensive hillclimb history at the hands of Paul Channon, continuous history from new and Channon owning the cobra for forty years from 1969. Supplied with factory hardtop and weather gear, one of the finest examples of the marque through our doors. POA

1955 AC ACECA Period Works Rally Entrant (Monte Carlo, Liège Rome Liège etc.)

Ruddspeed 2.6 Ford Zephyr engine upgrade with four speed manual with overdrive. POA

1985 AC MKIV COBRA 15,000 miles from new. Period looking Mk3 dashboard conversion and 15” Halibrand wheel upgrade. One of very few factory supplied hardtop. £125,000

1960 AC ACE BRISTOL Full AC Heritage works restoration completed in 2020. Rare factory supplied hardtop. One previous keeper from 1963 to 2019. £289,995

1956 AC ACE BRISTOL ‘MARY SEED” The first AC Bristol exported to Australia. Set a womens land speed record in 1957. Extensive race history in NSW. Full matching numbers and conservation restoration by AC Heritage. FIA HTP expires 2030. POA

For more information about any of these vehicles, please contact our sales team.

AC Heritage · International Broker of Historic & Classic Motorcars · Brooklands Motor Circuit, Surrey, UK Telephone +44(0)1932 828545 · Mobile +44(0)7557 878123 · www.acheritage.com AC HERITAGE

2016 FERRARI F12 BERLINETTA Rosso Corsa with nero leather. A fantastic spec on this car includes extensive carbon fibre throughout the interior and exterior, front and rear parking cameras, suspension lifter, 20” forged alloys, Scuderia shields, FFSH, 1,897 miles

2017 FERRARI 488 SPIDER ‘TAILOR MADE’ Bianco Lagos with nero interior, possibly the highest specification available in the UK and includes F12 TDF style seats, extensive red carbon throughout the interior and exterior of the car, front and rear parking cameras, suspension lifter and full PPF protection, FFSH, 5,800 miles

2015 PORSCHE 911 (991) GT3 (LHD) White with black interior, Clubsport package, roll cage, front axel lift system, 20” GT3 alloys with central locking nut, sports seats, 6 point racing harness, cruise control, dynamic conering light function, optional 90 litre fuel tank, ASK sound package and PCM with Sat Nav and Bluetooth, 161 miles

2021 PORSCHE (992) C4S TARGA ‘HERITAGE EDITION’ Guards red with Atacama beige interior and a black top, 1 of 992 cars produced worldwide, BOSE sound system, Sport Design package and side skirts, front axel lift system, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC) plus many more extras, 1 owner, 39 miles

+44 (0) 1772 613 114

|

sales@williamloughran.co.uk

|

www.williamloughran.co.uk

The leading specialist in sourcing the rare and unobtainable. We are always looking to buy interesting cars.

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C HARLES P RINCE

Le Mans

Worldwide Collector Car Sales

1938 Alvis 4.3 Litre Short Chassis by Whittingham & Mitchel

An opportunity to purchase one of the rare Alvis 4.3 Litre short chassis cars. The unique concealed hood coachwork make this car very special. Other special feature include the high compression engine and high ratio back axle, and overdrive. A wonderful touring car. Full history.

1923 Bentley 3 Litre TT Model Factory Uprated to full Speed Model Spec

1938 BMW 327/80. One of the rare 327 cars fitted with the 328 engine. Full history

We are always eager to buy important collectors cars.

All cars can be seen tried and tested at Quin Hay Farm Petersfield Hampshire GU321BZ or in central London.

Please see our website for full stock photos videos and details. Valuations always available.

Int T 0044 (0) 79 85 98 80 70 sales@charlesprinceclassiccars.com charlesprinceclassiccars.com

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A SELECTION OF OUR CURRENT STOCK

1961 ASTON MARTIN DB4GT

£POA

We are delighted to present this rare opportunity, to acquire a restored and fully run in example of the Aston Martin DB4GT, spared the ravages of a life in motor sport, comprehensively restored by renowned specialists and in superb condition, having covered just 5,000 miles, since the restoration’s completion.

Presented in its build colour of Sage Green, the interior, re-trimmed during restoration, is in Connolly Tan hides. Retaining its matching engine number, which was completely rebuilt by RSW and dyno tested, giving 365 bhp and 385 lbs/ft of torque. Fitted with suitably uprated suspension, improved braking and uprated engine cooling, performance can best be described as, sensational.

Available for viewing now at our Hertfordshire showrooms.

1967 Aston Martin DB6 Volante £POA

Aston Martin DBZ Centenary Collection £POA

1960 Aston Martin DB4 Series II £425,000

1988 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante ‘X-pack’ £350,000

1999 Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550 £189,950

1987 Aston Martin V8 Efi Volante £185,000

Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd, Essendonbury Farm, Hatfield Park Estate, Hertfordshire, AL9 6AF 0208 741 8822 info@nicholasmee.co.uk

nicholasmee.co.uk

CAR SALES & PURCHASES • SERVICING & MAINTENANCE • RESTORATION • PARTS & MERCHANDISE TRIM & UPHOLSTERY • TRANSPORTATION & STORAGE

THE UK’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT FERRARI SPECIALIST | EST. 1968 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona

1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS

1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer

1989 Ferrari Testarossa

2005 Ferrari 575M - Manual

1988 Ferrari 328 GTB

£POA

£147,995

£324,995

£POA

£82,995

£184,995

D ELIVERING U NRIVALLED F ERR ARI S ALES , S ER VICE & R ESTOR ATION FOR OVER 50 YEARS

FOSKERS.COM E M A I L : i n fo @fo s ke r s.co m | S A L E S :+4 +4 4 (0 )1 4 7 4 8 7 4 5 5 5 B R A N D S H AT C H P A R K , K E N T , DA 3 8 P U

SPEEDMASTER SPECIALIST IN HISTORIC AUTOMOBILES SPEEDMASTER SPECIALIST INHISTORIC HISTORIC AUTOMOBILES SPEEDMASTER SPECIALIST INHISTORIC HISTORIC AUTOMOBILES SPEEDMASTER SPECIALIST IN AUTOMOBILES SPEEDMASTER SPECIALIST IN AUTOMOBILES Tel: +44 (0)1937 220 360 or +44 (0)7768 800 773 Tel: +44 (0)1937 220 360 or (0)7768 +44 (0)7768 800 773 Tel: +44 (0)1937 220 360 or +44 (0)7768 800 773 Tel: +44 (0)1937 220 360 or +44 800 773 Tel: +44 (0)1937 220 360 or +44 (0)7768 800 773 info@speedmastercars.com www.speedmastercars.com info@speedmastercars.com www.speedmastercars.com info@speedmastercars.com www.speedmastercars.com info@speedmastercars.com www.speedmastercars.com info@speedmastercars.com www.speedmastercars.com

1974 Williams FW03—Ford DFV SPEEDMASTER SPECIALIST IN HISTORIC AUTOMOBILES 1974 Williams FW03—Ford 1974 Williams FW03—Ford DFVDFV 1974 Williams DFV 1974 Williams FW03—Ford DFV Built by WilliamsFW03—Ford for the 1974 Grand Prix season, Tel: Arturo+44 (0)1937 220 360 or +44 (0)7768 800 773 Built

by Williams for the 1974 Grand Prix season, Arturo Built by Williams for the 1974 Grand Prix season, Arturo Built byby Williams forfor the 1974 season, Arturo Mezario finished 4th in this carGrand at thePrix Italian GP which at Built Williams the 1974 Grand Prix Arturo info@speedmastercars.com Mezario finished incar this car at theseason, Italian GP which Mezario finished 4th in4th this at Italian GP which at at Mezario nished inresult this car at the Italian GP which at the time fiwas the 4th best for the flthe edgling Williams team, Mezario fi nished 4th in this car at the Italian GP which at the time was the best result for fledgling Williams the time was the best result for the flthe edgling Williams team,team, the time was the best result for the fl edgling Williams team, off ered with spares package, and recently rebuilt including the time was the best result for the fl edgling Williams team, off ered with spares package, and recently rebuilt including off ered with spares package, and rebuilt including off ered with spares package, and recently including fresh Richardson DFV engine, the carrecently is offrebuilt ered complete off ered with spares package, and recently rebuilt including fresh Richardson DFV engine, the is off ered complete fresh Richardson DFV engine, iscar off ered complete 1974 Williams FW03—Ford DFV fresh Richardson DFV engine, thethe carcar iscates. off ered complete with fresh crack test and fuel cell certifi Finished in the fresh Richardson DFV engine, the car is off ered complete with fresh crack test and fuel cellcates. certifiFinished cates. Finished with fresh crack test and fuel certifi in thein the with fresh crack test and cellcell certifi in the iconic Marlboro livery is a fuel competitive car cates. for theFinished early Monaco with fresh crack test and fuel certifi cates.

Finished in the Built by Williams for the 1974 Prix season, Arturo iconic Marlboro livery is Grand acell competitive carthe for the early Monaco iconic Marlboro livery is a competitive car for early Monaco iconic Marlboro livery is a competitive car for the early Monaco Historic GP grid and a great for Masters Historic F1. iconicHistoric Marlboro livery is aacar competitive car for early Mezario finished 4th inand this car at the Italian GP the which at Monaco GP grid great car for Masters Historic F1.

Historic GP grid and a great car for Masters Historic F1.

Historic GPGP grid and a great car for Masters Historic F1. team, Historic grid and aresult great car for Masters Historic F1. the time was the best for the fledgling Williams offered with spares package, and recently rebuilt including fresh Richardson DFV engine, the car is offered complete with fresh crack test and fuel cell certificates. Finished in the iconic Marlboro livery is a competitive car for the early Monaco Historic GP grid and a great car for Masters Historic F1.

SM HMRN SEPT 24.indd 1

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www.speedmastercars.com

17/09/2024 14:44 17/09/2024 17/09/2024 14:44 14:44 17/09/2024 14:44 17/09/2024 14:44

17/09/2024 14:44

2017 Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Zagato 1 owner example comes optioned with Villa D’este package, Carbon fibre centre console, 1-77 Style steering wheel, Fully electric and memory front seats, Alarm upgrade. 69 miles. £389,990

2018 Lamborghini Huracan V10 LP 640-4 Performante 1 owner from new, dark chrome interior package, Lazer engraved stitching, 20” Loge alloy wheels finished in Gloss black. 16,000 miles. £204,890

2019 Lamborghini Huracan LP640-4 Evo Coupe Multi functional steering wheel in alcantara, Sports exhaust system, Verde mantis brake callipers.

11,000 miles. £174,990

2017 Porsche 911 991 GT3 Carbon fibre bucket seats, Sports chrono package, Red sports chrono dial, 6 point racing harnesses, Carbon ceramic brakes, Full Porsche main dealer service history from new. 4,700 miles. £139,990

2016 Lamborghini Aventador V12 LP 750-4 Superveloce

2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV Roadster

1 owner, Gloss carbon exterior, Carbon fibre interior package, Sports exhaust system, 20/21” Dianthus centre lock alloy wheels. 7,000 Miles. £337,990

Satin Carbon fibre exterior, Transparent engine cover, Sensonum sound system, Lifting system, Sports exhaust system, 6,800 miles. £334,990

2019 Lamborghini Urus V8 BiTurbo Terra Asia leather interior. Fully electric and memory front seats, Heated front and rear seats, Electric rear seats, Soft close doors, Full Carbon fibre interior including Sill plates,. 12,000 miles. £189,990

2021 Lamborghini Urus V8

2008 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640# Arancio Atlas with full Nero leather interior and contrasting Arancio stitching, Branding to headrests, Arancio painted brake callipers.

18,800 miles. £189,990

2013 Ferrari 458 Spider

Panoramic roof, Fully electric and heated seats, Lamborghini anima off road modes, Comes with the balance of the warranty and 4 year maintenance package. 28,000 miles. £169,990

Equipped with Carbon fibre race seats, Carbon fibre driving zone with LED’s, Exterior stripe in Argento Nurburgring, Yellow rev counter, Silver brake callipers.

12,000 miles. £169,990

2016 Ferrari 488 T V8 GTB

2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK CLK63 AMG Black Series

Fully electric and heated seats, Daytona style seats, Carbon fibre driving zone with LED’s, Yellow rev counter, Front and rear parking sensors, Adaptive front headlights, Full body PPF. 18,000 miles. £132,990

Being 1 of just 500 made, just 2 delivered in Calcite white.

Carbon fibre components, Stripped out rear seats, 19” AMG multi spoke alloys. 37,500 miles. £129,990

2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera

2014 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-2

2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4

Full specification car including Full carbon fibre exterior package with high level rear wing, Full carbon fibre interior package, Alcantara steering wheel, Race harnesses, Roll cage. 27,900 miles. £124,990

50th anniversary finished in Nero Serapis metallic, This example comes with Fully electric and heated comfort seats, 19” Superleggera alloys finished in Titanium. 11,900 miles. £119,990

Black leather and Race-tex interior. This highly optioned example comes with Carbon bucket seats, Sports chrono package, Clubsport package, Automatically dimming mirrors with rain sensors. 950 miles. £86,990

BUYING OR SELLING LAMBORGHINI MOTORCARS T +44 01580 714 597 E sales@vvsuk.co.uk W www.vvsuk.co.uk (Viewing by appointment only) Address: VVS UK LTD PARK FARM, GOUDHURST ROAD, CRANBROOK, KENT, TN17 2LJ www.lamborghinibuyer.com Additional Websites: www.justlamborghini.com

The ex-Peter Agg, extensively upgraded by John May

1952 Jaguar XK120 Coupé

Also available: 1936 Talbot AZ100/AV105 Alpine Team Car Replica, 1934 Bentley 3½-Litre Tourer, 1925 Vauxhall 30-98 OE Velox Landline: +44 (0) 1440 841 447

Mobile: +44 (0) 7493 897 975

john@polsonmotorco.com

@polsonmotorco

Please see website for more details: www.polsonmotorco.com

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1989 Mercedes 300SL £37,500

You may well recognise this stunning SL, as it belongs to one of Octane’s founding partners and has been featured several times in the ‘Octane Cars’ section. Finished in Almandine Red with Ivory leather, this 1989 example is one of the last R107s sold in the UK. It was previously owned by the Vice-President of the Mercedes Club UK, and has been extremely well maintained throughout its life, confirmed by its fully documented history. 124,000 miles. It has just been serviced and has a fresh MOT.

To arrange a viewing please contact Kieran Bicknell at V Management – kieran@v-management.com or call 01635 867705.

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Ferrari 612 Scaglietti F1 Rosso Corsa 44,513 Miles

Stock Number - 22751

Ferrari 430 Spider F1 Nero Daytona 19,138 Miles

£79,995

Stock Number - 22741

Ferrari 488 GTB Rosso Corsa 14,424 Miles

£54,995

£139,995

Stock Number - 22807

Ferrari California 2 Plus 2 Rosso Corsa 47,061 Miles

Ferrari 550 Maranello Nero Daytona 13,334 Miles

£119,995

Stock Number - 22864

Ferrari 488 Spider Grigio Silverstone 16,188 Miles

£59,995

Stock Number - 22832

£156,995

Stock Number - 22631

www.tfcgb.com True Ferrari Connoisseurs Cavallino Building, ME15 9YG

Three rare and exceptionally original examples of the Mini Cooper S sold as either a collection or individually.

1964 AUSTIN MINI COOPER S MK1 1071

CALL JULIEN +4 4 (0)17 37 8 4 49 9 9

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1965 AUSTIN MINI COOPER S MK1 1275

1968 MORRIS MINI COOPER S MK2 1293

SURRE Y, ENGL AND R ANMOREFMC .CO.UK

1959 Austin Healey 3000 Mk1

1965 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet

BT7, black interior, fully restored some red interior, first owner to 2003, lightly years ago, fantastic....................£42,995 restored......................................£19,995

1974 Lancia Fulvia Monte Carlo

1975 Lancia Fulvia S3

factory car, 25,000kms, original Italian completely restored, in beautiful car.............. ................................£27,495 condition throughout......... .........£24,995

2000 TVR Chimaera 450

1973 Reliant Scimitar GTE SE5a

black leather piped yellow, 39,000 miles, tan interior, ZF gearbox, low ownership, history, immaculate........... .........£22,995 stainless exhaust.. .....................£10,995

£69,990

£82,990

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Now is the time to experience an E-Type...Why wait?

1966 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L FHC VIN: 1E32211

1965 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E10734

1961 JAGUAR E-TYPE O.B.L. 3.8L OTS VIN: 875360

1970 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1R12850

1965 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 10155

1967 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E13011

1968 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E16622

1967 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E13274

1964 JAGUAR E-TYPE 3.8L FHC VIN: 889819

1965 JAGUAR E-TYPE 4.2L OTS VIN: 1E10570

Jaguar Specialists

R AW L E S M O T O R S P O R T LT D

Austin Healey Restoration - Upgrades - Sales - Service - Upholstery - Concours Prep - Engine Build & Rolling Road

1965 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII w. Air Conditioning, 5 Speed, Brake Upgrade, Mohair & More

1962 Austin Healey 3000 MkII BN7 Two-Seater, Tri-Carb - New Restoration

For sale the ultimate continent crossing Healey. With our stage II thermal insulation and sound deadening, air conditioning, a very smooth 5 speed gearbox, a much improved bespoke mohair hood, 4-piston front brakes, new leather bound carpet all fitted to an extremely well restored car. £98,500.

The MkII BN7 cars provide one of the purest and most elegant drives Austin Healey produced. The clean uncompromised lines of the two-seat roadster body are backed up by the most powerful engine Austin fitted to a two-seater production body. This car a superb new restoration with delivery miles. £90,000.

1956 Austin Healey 100 BN2 | Original RHD, 145HP, LSD, CSC Classified Pick!

1966 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII Barn Find Project for Restoration

Stunning specification painted just 300 miles ago here at Rawles. The brawny engine together with the side exhaust and straight cut gears sounds incredible. A new chassis, Michelin tyres and 5.5in wheels, a quick steer box, front disc brakes and improved suspension back up the performance. £85,000.

For sale a very attractively priced project Healey of the much desired 3000 MkIII Phase II type. This Healey can be for sale on a outright basis or we can restore to your specification in full or in part. LHD but easily can be RHD. £12,000.

Rawles Motorsport Ltd, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 4JR

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01420 23212

Enquiries@RawlesMotorsport.com

www.RawlesMotorsport.com

1951 Ferrari 212 Inter: Vignale / Drogo, Mille Miglia 1952, 1954. Ground up restoration. Race and Rally ready.

WE WILL BUY AND CONSIGN ALL FERRARI AND ALL VINTAGE SPORTS RACING & GT CARS PARTIAL TRADES CONSIDERED - FINANCING AVAILABLE

1974 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33-3/Flat 12: Rare, 1968 Fiat Dino Spider: Rare. Frame-up fantastic race record, Ickx, Stommelen, resto; bare metal repaint. Driveline & Reutemann, Monza, Nurburgring, Imola. suspension rebuild; new interior top & chrome. With photo docs. Stunning!

All orig., fresh rebuild, race ready.

1970 Porsche 917:5 liter, flat 12. Total comprehensive rebuild by ex-factory 917 specialist. Driven by Derek Bell, Vic Elford, Jo Siffert; used in the making of Steve McQueen’s movie “Le Mans”.

1974 Jaguar XKE V12 Roadster: One of a kind, uniquely built. Bare metal repaint, new interior, 5-sp, Webers, SS headers, Alloy radiator, Two tops.

1960 Mercedes Benz 190SL: Matching numbers, Concours quality restoration.

Ready for show or rally circuit.

1965 Porsche 356SC Cabriolet: Match1996 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo, Arena 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 BJ8, red/tan, ing #s, 1 of 533. 3-owner, full docs, COA. Red/Tan, 55k miles, clean CarFax, frame-up resto., 4sp OD, Webers, comp 67k miles. One repaint. Euro version. excellent cosmetic/mechanical condition, wheels, headers, electronic ignition.

Outstanding original throughout. service records from new. A beauty.

Performs better than it ever did.

www.MotorClassiCCorp.CoM 350 ADAMS STREET, BEDFORD HILLS NEW YORK 10507 914-997-9133 • SALES@MOTORCLASSICCORP.COM MtrClassicDec24octaneHalf.indd 1

10/14/24 11:09 AM

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speedsport gallery

An extensive variety of original motor racing paintings, photographs and autographed items for sale.

Jean Behra, Monaco Grand Prix 1956

by Dexter Brown A very early (1961) painting, one of a series of four created for Kelloggs and used on cereal packets (included) the same year. It depicts Jean Behra driving a Maserati 250F at the Monaco Grand Prix, in which he ultimately finished in third place.

This is a rare and highly unusual artwork.

Goache on board Image size 32cm x 15.5cm PRICE: £2,250.00

­ ­ ­ ­

­ ­ ­­

­ ­

­ ­

T: 01327 858 167 E: info@speedsport.co.uk www.speedsport-gallery.com

Key Repairs & Personalisation for all Marques Worldwide New Signature Range

Bentley Arnage Key Upgrades & Restoration

The perfect Christmas gift for that special someone who has (nearly) everything

Bespoke Rolls Royce Key Backs

Gift Cards available

Maserati Key ‘Blue Key’ Upgrades

Aston Martin Valet Key Button Upgrades

www.phoenixbespokekeys.com | +44 (0) 7500 831761

Derby Plating PlatingServices ServicesLtd LtdEst. Est.1979 1979 Derby Derby Plating Services Ltd Est. 1979

Specialist electroplaters, polishers and Specialist electroplaters, polishers Specialist electroplaters, polishers and metal finishers. and metal finishers. metal finishers.

Re-chroming to Re-chroming to theconcours highest and Re-chroming to the the highest highest concours and show standards show concours andstandards show standards 148 148 Abbey Abbey Street, Street, Derby Derby DE22 DE22 3SS 3SS Tel: 1332 382408 148 Abbey Street, Derby DE22 3SS Tel: +44(0) +44(0) 1332 382408 Email: Email: info@derbyplating.co.uk Tel: info@derbyplating.co.uk +44(0) 1332 382408 www.derbyplating.co.uk www.derbyplating.co.uk Email: info@derbyplating.co.uk

www.derbyplating.co.uk 184 I-273575.indd 1

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WIRE WHEELS FOR

GROUP

CLASSIC JAGUARS

5% DISCOUNT ON THESE PARTS WITH OUR PRIVILEGE ACCOUNT - 12 MONTH MEMBERSHIP £20 UK / £25 NON-UK 5% Off*

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C14802/6

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C14802/61/2 C14802/61/2SS C28044SP C28044 C28044SS C28044/61/2 C28044/61/2S C28044AM/6SP C28044AM/6 C28044AM/6SS C33762 C33762/SS XW5784C/3-TL BXW715 C12436

Chrome Stainless Steel Silver Painted Chrome Stainless Steel Chrome Stainless Steel Silver Painted Chrome Stainless Steel Chrome Stainless Steel Chrome Chrome Chrome

15 x 6.5 Curly Hub 15 x 6.5 Curly Hub 15 x 5 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 5 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 5 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 6.5 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 6.5 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 6 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 6 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 6 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 6 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 6 Flat - Easy Clean 16 x 7 Flat - Easy Clean 15 x 6.5 Curly Hub 16 x 6 Flat - Easy Clean

Description Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 1 / MKI / MKII / S-Type / 420 & more Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 1 / MKI / MKII / S-Type / 420 & more Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 1 / MKI / MKII / S-Type / 420 & more Competition or Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 1 / MKI / MKII / S-Type / 420 & more Competition or Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 1 / MKI / MKII / S-Type / 420 & more Competition or Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 1 / MKI / MKII / S-Type / 420 & more Jaguar E-Type Series 1 / XKE Jaguar E-Type Series 1 / XKE Jaguar E-Type / XKE / S-Type / 420 & more Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series I & II / S-Type / 420 & more Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 2 Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 2 Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 2 Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 2 Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 2 Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 2 Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 3 V12 Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 3 V12 Jaguar E-Type / XKE Series 3 V12 Jaguar XJ-series (pre-1994) Jaguar XK120 XK140 XK150

www.martinrobey.com | info@martinrobey.co.uk | +44(0) 2476 386 903 | All prices include vat. All prices subject to change without prior notice | HP024-21-1

MIDDLE BARTON GARAGE F I A T

A N D

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S P E C I A L I S T S ESTABLISHED 1987

MBG specialises in both parts and engineering for all classic MBG specialises in both parts and engineering for all classic Fiats and Abarths.We can supply most parts and our workshop Fiats and Abarths. We can supply most parts and our workshop undertakes and restoration restorationofofallall models. undertakesservicing, servicing, repairs, repairs, and models.

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NEW - WATERPROOF & BREATHABLE HALF COVERS FROM £79 PROTECTOR4 FLEECE LINED BREATHABLE FROM £125 PROTECTOR4 PROTECTOR4FLEECE FLEECE FLEECELINED LINED LINEDBREATHABLE BREATHABLE BREATHABLEFROM FROM FROM£115 £115 £115 PROTECTOR4 FLEECE LINED BREATHABLE FROM £115 PROTECTOR4 PROTECTOR4 FLEECE LINED BREATHABLE FROM £115 PROTECTOR4 FLEECE LINED BREATHABLE FROM £115 WATERPROOF & BREATHABLE FROM £229 OUTDOOR OUTDOOR CUSTOM CUSTOM WATERPROOF WATERPROOF FROM FROM £275 £275 OUTDOOR CUSTOM WATERPROOF FROM £275 OUTDOOR OUTDOOR CUSTOM CUSTOM WATERPROOF WATERPROOF FROM FROM £275 £275 OUTDOOR CUSTOM WATERPROOF FROM £275 Suite 4, Burgess Farm Industrial Estate, Farthinghoe Road, Middleton Cheney, Banbury, Northants, OX17 2NE T: ++44 (0)1869 345766 • carsandparts@middlebartongarage.com www.middlebartongarage.com

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THE ASTON MARTIN THETHE ASTON ASTON MARTIN MARTIN SPECIALISTS SPECIALISTS SPECIALISTS Maintaining thefuture future Maintaining Maintaining the the future withwithwith engineering the engineering engineering of the ofofthe past pastpast

LOCKHEED & GIRLING

TRINITY TRINITY ENGINEERING ENGINEERING TRINITY ENGINEERING www.trinityaston.co.uk www.trinityaston.co.uk www.trinityaston.co.uk

Diagnosti cs – Parts – Engineering Servicing Servicing –Servicing Diagnosti – Diagnosti cs ––cs Parts – Parts – Engineering – Engineering For all ForAston allFor Aston Marti allMarti Aston ns from ns from Marti PostPost War ns War tofrom Gaydon to Gaydon Post Era EraWar to Gaydon Era • • Restorati Restorati • Restorati onon on • • Engine rebuilds Engine • Engine rebuilds rebuilds • • Re-trimming Re-trimming • Re-trimming • • MOT MOT • MOT preparati preparati preparati on on on • • Product advice Product • Product advice advice

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Servicing enquiries tel: Servicing Servicing enquiries enquiries tel: tel: Parts & online store enquiries PartsParts & online & online store store enquiries enquiries tel: tel: tel: Parts enquiries email: PartsParts enquiries enquiries email: email: Online Online Online parts partsparts store store store enquiries enquiries enquiries email: email: email:

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1965 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage in Fiesta Red with a Perfect Black hide interior and sitting on Perfect Chrome Wire Wheels. Purchased by the current owner in 1993 and entrusted to Trinity Engineering for complete refurbishment at eye watering cost and every invoice for this work has been diligently filed and is with the vehicle. The result is a 57-year-old Aston Martin that is probably now in finer condition than when it left the factory.

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This Charming and very original Aston Martin DB2/4 Drop Head Coupe is one of only 46 to have left the production line in Left Hand Drive format. Exported to the USA when new where it has had only 4 previous owners and comes with the Original Factory Build sheet. The car has recently had a surface magneto-optical scan due to the fact that the chassis number was illegible to the naked eye, which revealed the chassis number confirmed as LML 736. It also has the original 3.0 litre engine for 1954 and the casting number that exists on the engine block of LML 736 is 56742 which corresponds to the new 3.0L variant supplied for the DB2/4 Mk1 from 1954. All of this matches the original build sheet and is the correct type for this car, being a VB6J series engine. Furthermore, the engine number VB6J 172 is stamped on the timing cover which confirms the original engine and front cover. The car also has its Original Feltham alloy chassis Plate and Patent plate. Mille Miglia eligible and likely to be welcomed due to its rarity. A likely investment at £249,950

1971 Aston Martin DBS V8 in truly outstanding condition throughout. Signal Red with contrasting Cream hide interior with bespoke Walnut dash and door cappings. We have owned this car on 3 previous occasions in the past 40 years and all 3 purchasers have been diligent with maintenance of the car and meticulous records have been kept. During the period that we have been associated with this fine example, works have included a back to metal repaint and a complete re-trim of the interior. The car is superb to drive and mechanically outstanding and we feel that it is likely to be purchased by a serious enthusiast who appreciates its exceptional condition. The very comprehensive history is further testament to the exemplary manner in which this car has been looked after. Please feel free to ask any specific questions you may have.

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Autobiography

LAMBORGHINI

Interview by Stephen Dobie

Stephan Winkelmann The Lamborghini Chairman and CEO is fully focused on keeping the iconic brand relevant in the 21st Century AS A KID I was very much into motorcycles – much more so than cars. Growing up in Italy at that time it was pretty normal, as you could ride bikes earlier. I lived in Rome and motorbikes meant freedom. But it’s easy to love cars and the first one I really noticed in my youth was the Countach. I was always aware of the ‘wow effect’ of seeing that car.

It’s something Lamborghini must retain.

After college my career started at Mercedes before I moved to Fiat Auto for 11 years. My first project was the Alfa Romeo 156, to prepare its global launch from a marketing and sales perspective, which was very demanding at that time. It was a very important car. It was repositioning the brand in a huge segment, but we achieved all the targets we set ourselves. I then moved roles between Fiat, Alfa and Lancia, my last being CEO of Fiat Auto in Germany before switching to Lamborghini.

I was in a generation where they’d begun

to put younger people into leading positions.

When they called me to ask if I’d run Lamborghini, I wasn’t expecting such an opportunity. I approached a lot of people in the automotive industry for advice and some told me not to do it, that it was a ‘hire and fire’ position where the CEO changed a lot, but I concluded it was a unique opportunity that I’d be foolish not to take.

I turned 40 shortly before starting the position in January 2005. It’s a choice I’ve never regretted. Lamborghini was a small company at the time, 700 people, and I was working worldwide from development to purchasing, production to marketing. The team was very committed and enthusiastic about the job. You could see how the brand was only moving in one direction: up, up, up.

The substance of Gallardo was very good; Murciélago was a little bit old-fashioned but already an icon. I was responsible for its facelift. Both worked very well and bred lots

of successful versions: Superleggera, Spyder, SuperVeloce. I’ve grown with Lamboghini.

My first full development was Aventador, then Huracán and Urus. In between those larger projects we started a strategy of ‘few-offs’, such as the Reventón. The brand was a sponge that soaked up all of these ideas.

I moved to Audi Sport as CEO in spring 2016. It presented a lot of opportunities.

The RS models taught me a lot about how a premium brand works. They were all about design and performance, so I was in my element. I then became President of Bugatti at the beginning of 2018. Here was a company with huge potential but which wasn’t making money. My job was to prove companies like this don’t just exist to shoot for the stars, waiting a decade between each car; I needed to create the roots for the products of tomorrow. A brand that relies on itself and not on a mother company to pay the bills. Bugatti was one of the strongest names at the start of the last century. Alongside Alfa and Bentley it was the name. With Veyron it returned to the landscape in one heck of a way.

I rejoined Lamborghini as CEO in December 2020. The new Countach project was on the way and, while I liked how it represented our DNA in its design, I tend not to do retro cars. For me this is running out of ideas when you need to be forward-oriented.

You have to always stay restless and look to the future.

I feel the responsibility of leading Lamborghini in the current climate. It’s paramount you build a better brand not only for this generation, but for those coming after.

Hopefully our first step into the future – the hybridisation of our whole range – proves the right one. You don’t need to be first with this type of technology, but you need to be there with it when it’s accepted. You constantly have eyes and ears on the market, with a lot of researchers to identify the megatrends.

If you asked me ‘Would you rather stop doing cars altogether or do an electric car?’ it’s clear for me: we need to forge ahead and put our best efforts and technology into electrification. We cannot replicate what we’ve done with internal combustion engines, while remembering that we are not selling mobility, we are selling dreams.

My proudest moment is always the car I’ve just been working on, with all its headaches and challenges. I’m fond of Aventador, a car I followed from beginning to end. But now my favourite is Temerario. Then it’ll be the next one we’re working on…

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