The London Concours was first held in 2017 and it has taken place every year since then, yes, even in 2020 when a rescheduled event was slotted into the gap between first and second lockdowns. The format has barely changed, and, frankly based on my experience of attending all bar the first couple, it really does not need to. It takes place at the Honourable Artillery Company, one of those venues which surprises everyone as the entrance from the street looks so unpromising, but walk a few yards through the gatehouse and you find an expansive lawn area with a cricket square in the middle. It’s a lovely setting for a display of some of the world’s loveliest and rarest cars. Unlike most events, this one takes place for three day during the middle of the week, and not surprisingly, given its proximity to the City and to Canary Wharf there are plenty of people who managed to take time out of the office to come and enjoy the spectacle of some priceless cars, the displays by a number of manufacturers, dealers, specialists and other life-style purveyors. Each of the three days have a different theme, so whilst the core of the event is constant for all three days there will be a part of the event that is different. I had a bit of a diary challenge this year, as I was booked to go and watch the British Squash Open in Birmingham on the evening of the day I planned to attend this, but by ensuring I was at the gate for opening time, I was able to get a good look around, and to take advantage of the fact that there are fewer visitors in the morning than there are in the afternoon. Fortunately, the weather was on side, as this event would really be a problem if it were raining, and I could revel in a lot of delightful cars. Here is what I saw:
THE CONCOURS
As in previous years, the Concours is split into a number of different classes, 9 in total, and these are changed every year. There is always more imagination here than you see at many an event which goes for the obvious. Here there is some real creativity in thinking about the combination of how to group together cars that get proposed and how to fill the gaps to make some interesting displays. The cars are displayed by group, mostly in a circle and there are discrete signs which identify the car but tell you little else (and which are easily moved for photography purposes!). Here are the 2024 Classes:
GREAT BRITISH RACING
1951 Jaguar XK120: This prominent racing Jaguar featured in “XK120 in Competition” by James Fraser and Paul Skilleter. It was raced from 1951 until the late 1990s when a crash saw its chassis dumped and then replaced. In more recent years, its history and rebirth have been documented as the car was reunited with its original carefully repaired chassis. The XK120 retains many authentic features and has been restored. In period it was raced successfully by John Rissley-Pritchard, most notably at Goodwood. Notable highlights included the seventh BARC Members’ meeting in August 1951, the Goodwood International in September 1951, Castle Combe in April 195s and the Eight Clubs at Silverstone in 1952.
1962 Lotus Elite Type 14: Chassis1928 was originally sent to Bob Chapman, the agent for Lotus in LA and the West Coast of America. It was supplied as a factory race car and had all the works modifications seen on the Team Elite cars entered at le Mans in 1961. Challman raced no 1928 under the Ecurie Shirlee banner throughout the 1960s, competing extensively across the US. He famously ran the Elite with a raccoon’s tail hanging from the boot lid – the car became nearly as famous for this quirky feature as it did for its competition success. When Challman sold the Lotus it remained in the US and went through a chain of owners including one who shared the car with British racing driver Sir John Whitmore in the 1970s. The last American owner, John Delane, sold the Elite through Hall & Hall to the current owner in 2010. It has since been prepared by Neil Twyman and JRP Racing for selected events across Europe.
1967Ford Escort Mk1: This red and gold Alan Mann Escort was turned into a racing car in 1968 with a 210 bhp 1600cc FVA Cosworth engine. The likes of Roger Clark, Jackie Oliver and Graham Hill would get behind the wheel for the British Saloon Car Championship. In 1969 it was run by the Frani Racing Belgium team before being passed to the Dutch Racing Team in 1970, In 1971 it was run by Racing Belgium for Yvette Fontaine. Throughout the 1970s it passed through five owner-drivers before joining the collections of the likes of Vic lee, Mike Chittenden, ex Alan Mann mechanic Jim organ and in 2004 Alan Mann. The current owner acquired the car in 2006 and after four tears of research set about an 11 year restoration. It still has its original shell, suspension, rims, steering rack and pedal box.
1969 Chevron B16: Derek Bennett designed the B16 to replace the B8 for the 1970 2.0 litre Group 6 season. It used a spaceframe chassis with steel and duralumin sheeting added to form a monocoque central section. Wearing the Specialised Mouldings body, the car was just 36” high. Its engine was a 1.8 litre Cosworth FVX. This car first went to Denys Dobbie’s Dobbie Automobile Race Team. Ex Ecurie Ecosse driver Graham Birell won its first race, the Lombard Trophy at Ingliston. In later life it changed hands and colours many times and called Switzerland and Sweden home. It returned to the UK in 2002 before joining the owner’s collection in 2007. It is now raced in World Sportscar Masters.
1971 Surtees TS9: Designed by seven-time bike GO champ and 1964 F1 World Champion John Surtees, along with Peter Connew, the TS9 featured a Ford-Cosworth DFV in an aluminium-alloy monocoque. The team could prepared only one chassis for the car’s debut, the 1971 South African GP and Surtees had to retire the TS9 after a gearbox malady. Chequered results were to follow with Rolf Stommeln, Derek ell and Mike Hailwood joining the team but results continued in the mid-part of the top ten if the car didn’t retire. In the US GP, Sam Posey would retured whilst Surtees and Hailwood were well out of the points.
1972 Surtees TS9B: The competitive TS9 F1 package was adapted into the TS9B for 1972. John Surtees retired from driving to concentrate on team management with Tim Schenken and Andrea de Adamich starting the season and Mike Hailwood joining from the South African GP onwards. The season was pock-marked with retirements with 15 non-finishes overall. However, Hailwood did provide some highlights finishing fourth in Belgium and sixth in France before coming fourth in Austria and second in Italy. TS9B would also be run by John Love (Team Gunston) and Sam Posey (Champcar Inc) although not with a great deal of success. The TS9B would be used only twice in 1973 as the team had moved on to the TS14A. luiz Bueno finished 12th in Grazil NS DE Adamich finished eighth in South Africa.
1978 Hesketh 308E: The most controversial Formula 1 car livery ever? Designed by Frank Dernie and Nigel Stroud, the 308E was the last Hesketh before the team folded in late 1978. Although its design was fairly conservative – an aluminium monocoque with a Cosworth DFv V8 – the paint scheme wasn’t – a Penthouse model embracing a packet of Rizla cigarette papers. The livery would turn out to be the most racy part of the package. While Rupert Keegan qualified the 308E for every F1 round in 1977, the highest he’d finish was seventh. The team stuck with the same car for 1978 although now sponsored by Olympus. 1978 would be even worse with Divina Gallica and Derk Daly failing to get the car on the startline and Eddie Cheever retiring from the only race it did, the South African GP, due to a cracked oil line.
1986 Jaguar XJR-9: Tom Walkinshaw’s TWR team and Jaguar had seen great success in European Touring Cars but Group C endurance racing was a whole new ballgame. Tony Southgate’s car sat at the cutting edge of carbon-fibre monocoque design. While chassis 186 ended its career as an XJR-9, it debuted as an XJR-6 in 1986. Its first race ended in retirement, much like Jaguar’s assault on le Mans that year, but it would finish seventh at the Silverstone 1000km and third at the Norisring 100 Miles before winning the Supercup Nurburgring Super Spring. It was extensively revised for 1987. The V12 was taken out to 7.0 litres at 720 bhp. As the XJR-8 it was used sparingly during 1987 and would finish neither Le Mans nor the Silverstone 1000km. It would race once more, now in 750 bhp XJR-9 spec, finishing fourth at the Le Mans 24 hours.
1986 MG Metro 6R4: Group B elevated rallying to new heights and MG-Rover turned to Williams to get involved. Unusually, its Metro 6R4 eschewed turbos in favour of a naturally aspirated 410 bhp 3.0 litre V6 mounted in the middle, in order to avoid turbo lag, excess heat and reliability issues and make the car nimbler and easier to drive. No. 22 was built for David Llewelin to use in the latter half of the 1986 British Rally Championship. After taking two victories, the car was driven to two second place finishes in 1987 by Roger Clark. In 1990 it won the Camel Off Road Rally in Tenerife driven by Fernando Capdevilla. It has now been returned to Group B Spec.
Winner here was the 1986 Jaguar XJR-9, with Highly Commended going to the 1967 Ford Escort MK1 and 1986 MG Metro 6R4
THE LEGENDARY V12
1972 The Beast: Raised from the ashes of the original Beast. Built by Paul Jameson and taken over by John Dodd, this 750 – 1000 bhp 27 litre rolls Royce Merlin engined machine is more than a car, it is rolling folk history. Developed by Dodd after a fire in Sweden, the car’s body was designed by Roy and Bob Phelps of FibreGlass Repairs. It also had a GM Turbo 400 auto trans plush a fresh engine from a Boulton Paul Balliol trainer plane, and of course a rolls Royce grille. This would lead to a High Court case with Dodd battling a copyright infringement claim. Rolls-Royce won but Dodd was unrepentant. Refusing to pay damages, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment. He escaped to Spain, taking The Beast with him. Dodd passed away in 2022 and the car is back in the UK with a new owner.
1979 Ferrari 512 BB: When the 365 GT4 BB was updated, Ferrari renamed it in recognition of the 512 racing car. The newcomer produced 340 – 260 bhp at 6200 rpm, slightly lower than the 700 rpm of the earlier car. However, a flatter torque curve from the now 4.9 litre V12 made it easier to drive. The 512 BB also used dry-sump lubrication to avoid oil starvation in hard cornering. Other changes included a chin spoiler to avoid front-end lift and NACA ducts to aid exhaust and brake cooling. Twin tail lights replaced the 365s triples. This example was delivered to Maranello Concessionaires in 1979 as a demo model. It is rare in Azzurro Metallizzato which many say is one of the best BB colours. This car is Classiche certified and underwent a full restoration in 2018 with a leading specialist.
1989 Ferrari Testarossa: Of the 7177 Testarossa produced between 1984 and 1991, only 438 right hand drive cars were made available worldwide and just 8 of them were built in yellow (six of which were delivered to the UK). This car is the sole one with the Crema over Chocolate trim, the other Testarossa had either black or navy blue. This particular example was supplied new by Nigel Mansell Ferrari in 1989. The first owner was fastidious about it and as soon as he took delivery, he took it apart to detail it, even down to the mechanical parts. This car has had many features about it, including in the Cavallino magazine. The Testarossa spent 12 months having a light mechanical and cosmetic restoration by Bell Sport Classic. The owner then drove it from the UK to the factory in April 2023.
1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV: The Diablo SV arrived in 1995 replacing the usual car’s four-wheel drive system with rear wheel drive. This being a Lamborghini, there was a serious power increase, swelling to 510 bhp at 7100 rpm, with 428 lb/ft of torque at 5000 rpm. Despite these changes, the SV was actually the cheapest Diablo. Other enhancements included extra front brake cooling ducts, larger front brakes and wheels, plus an adjustable rear spoiler. You also got black tail-lamp surrounds, revised fog and reversing lights and an engine lid similar to that of the Diablo SE30 Jota. P11Lam was the cover star of Evo’s “Future Icons” feature in 2015 and it has also featured in Evo SuperCars’ “Behind the Wheel of the Greatest Cars of All Time” and Henry Catchpole drove it for the Carfaction YouTube channel.
1999 Ferrari F50: Formula 1 engines in road cars are now very much the “in” thing thanks to the new AMG hypercar but Ferrari got there first nearly three decades ago with the thunderous F50. At its heart is a 4.7 litre V12 developed from the 3.5 litre used in the Scuderia’s 1990 641 F1 car and adapted for the 1994 333 SP IMSA car. It produced 512 bhp at 8000 rpm while 347 lb/ft of torque thuds in at 6500 rpm. The carbon-fibre tub means the F50 is relatively light at 1230 kg. This all adds up to reality-warping performance, wit 0 – 60 mph flicking by in 3.8 seconds, 100 mph in 8.5 seconds and a claimed 202 mph. Only 349 were built of which 302 were finished in Rossa Corsa. Plans to take the f50 racing sadly got no further than 3 GT versions. This UK example originally went to Guernsey and has done only 9023 miles since new.
2005 Aston Martin Vanquish S: The Vanquish was both a look at the future and a fond farewell to the historic vision of Aston Martin. The last new car produced at Newport Pagnell, it was a preview of the styling and chassis direction to come. Styled by Ian Callum, the model had an aluminium composite chassis with a carbon-fibre backbone built with the assistance of Lotus. The engine was a development of the DB7 Vantage’s 5.9 litre V12. The 2004 Vanquish S lightly refreshed the looks, but there was nothing light about the performance. Whilst the capacity stayed the same, power shot up to 520 bhp from 460 bhp. The Sports Dynamic Package’s optional kit came as standard including stiffer suspension, revised steering and larger brakes. A small front splitter helped to drop the drag co-efficient to 0.32 from 0.35.
2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series: The Black Series is AMG’s hard-core arm and for its third outing the team turned its attention to the R230 SL. Not only was the car turned into a hard top but it was significantly lighter thanks to the use of composite components. Its turbochargers were also 10% larger with the intake and exhaust systems upgraded to improve throttle response and reduce back pressure. The result was a monstrous 661 bhp and 738 lb/ft of torque from its twin turbocharged 6.0 litre V12. First registered in the UK in September 2009, this example was purchased by a Hong Kong national and exported as a new car. The current owner has just acquired it returning it to the UK. The car is believed to be one of only seven British-supplied SL Black Series and among just 15 right hand drive models ever produced from a global total of 350. It has covered a mere 7800 miles from new.
2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S: The 2005 Vantage was hugely popular. Its V8 giving high octane thrills. Then Aston surprised everyone by putting its V12 in the confines of its smallest rear-wheel drive car. The result was one of the firm’s finest and most revered machines. The S, launched in 2013 saw power grow to 565 bhp and torque increased to 452 lb/ft. Lighter than the standard V12 Vantage, the model feature three-stage adaptive damping and carbon ceramic brakes. This car, chassis 503053, was ordered by Aston Martin Works in June 2017 as its demonstrator. It was delivered in November in Alloro Green with Speed Yellow graphics. Today’s owner bought it in April 2018 and it has been meticulously maintained by Aston Martin Works ever since. It has the rare dog-leg seven speed ‘box, lightweight sports seats and titanium exhaust.
Triumphing as Class Winner was the 1999 Ferrari F50 and Highly Commended was awarded to the 1972 The Beast and the 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
HYPERCARS
2004 Ferrari Enzo: Any Ferrari that bears the name of the marque’s founder has to be special, and the Enzo was certainly that. It represented the peak of what was then possible. The 651 bhp Tipo F140 V12 was a clean sheet design packing in four overhead camshafts in each cylinder bank, four valves per cylinder and a 6.0 litre displacement. The Enzo would be Ferrari’s last naturally aspirated mid-engined V12 for nearly two decades. It was also a triumph of aerodynamics. Whereas the F40 and F50 had huge rear wings to stay planted at high speed, the Enzo used a novel rear diffuser and a flat underbody. Only at very high speeds did a spoiler pop up to keep the car glued to the road. This seriously fast car could crack 60 mph in 3.65 seconds and go on to 200 mph plus.
2006 Porsche Carrera GT: The genesis of the Carrera Gt can be traced back to an early 1990s Formula 1 engine which did not get to race. It would be left on the self for years before Porsche fancied another crack at a Le Mans prototype season. However, rule changes, plus the money needed to find the R&D of the Cayenne, saw the racing plan canned. The spectacular V10 would finally be used in 2003’s Carrera GT, three years after a prototype was shown at the Paris Motor Show. The car broke new ground – it was the firm’s first with a strong light monocoque cabin and carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic engine support unit, with steel bracing around the screen and cabin. The 5.7 litre V10 produced 631 bhp at 8000 rpm, delivered via a six-speed transaxle. All out you would exceed 200 mph and would have hit 60 mph in three seconds.
2007 Bugatti Veyron: The Veyron took the hypercar to a whole new level. Not only was this the world’s fastest car at 253 mph but it also had to be as luxurious and easy to drive as a normal car. There was nothing “normal” about it, however, with four turbos, 8.0 litres and 16 cylinders in a W Set-up. Add in ten radiators, Haldex AWD and a dual-clutch direct-shift box/ the result was 987 bhp. But there was more to it than sheer brute force. To hit that top speed, the swooping shape would lower 2.6” and the rear wing retract to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.36. In full-bore acceleration, the Veyron hit 0 – 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. Stopping was just as swift thanks to AP Racing cross-drilled ventilated carbon-fibre-reinforced silicon-carbide composite discs and aluminium six-piston monobloc calipers.
2008 Koenigsegg CCXR Edition: The CCXR used the CCS’s solid foundations – a twin supercharged V8 – and added the ability to run on E85 and E100 ethanol fuel. This required modified injectors, uprated lines and piston rings and a raised boost setting. When run on ethanol, the standard car’s 806 bhp peak power swelled to 1018 bhp with 782 lb/ft of torque . the Edition models were more track oriented than standard having stiffer springs and anti-roll bars. New dampers and a lowered chassis plus a bare-carbon body. Tis CCXR Edition is the only one in right hand drive out of the four built. It was ordered by the Malaysian Royal Family but never made it to its destination. Instead it was looked by Esser Automotive from new. It was imported to the UK in 2017 and sold to a collector before joining the Octane Collection.
2013 McLaren P1 XP05: The P1 was one of the “Holy Trinity” hypercars that heralded the hybrid era of ultra performance alongside the Porsche 918 and LaFerrari. It was a bold step for McLaren, having only recently started road car production. It was certainly at the cutting edge of tech. For example it used Brake Steer which McLaren developed for the 1997 F1 season before the system was banned. It applies the brakes to the inside-rear wheel in fast corners which brings the nose closer to the apex. The mid-mounted twin-turbo 3.8 litre V8 made 717 bhp. One of 14 prototype P1s and one of few not crash-tested, XP05 was used only to test the gearbox and Bosch fuel injection. McLaren also employed it as the GTR Show Car at the New York Motor Show and Geneva Salons before returning it to P1 spec.
2014 McLaren P1 HDK MSO: McLaren’s P1 was already a phenomenal hypercar, capable of 0 – 60 in 2.8 seconds and twice that in 6.8 seconds before hitting a top speed of 217 mph. This particular car is different, benefitting from two acronyms steeped in McLaren lore. MSO stands for McLaren Special Operations, which can tailor your car to whatever spec you wish. HDL refers to High Downforce Kit, following the HDK variants of the McLaren F1 which offered more performance and looks emulating those of the GTR race cars. Each p1 HDK was a Lanzante bespoke build, offering upgrades such as a revised rear bodywork, uprated suspension and a spectacular power increase. The Cosworth-tuned twin turbo V8 displaced 4.0 litres and had just under 1000 bhp. The refinements continued with a bespoke interior.
2015 Jaguar C-X75: The C-X75 concept showed off the British marque’s future thinking. A rapturous response meant it came close to production but a global economic malaise meant that it never moved forward. A certain secret agent had other ideas, however. This C-X75, which was used in the 007 film Spectre’s dramatic car chase has been substantially re-engineered by Callum to make it road legal. Built by Williams Advanced Engineering for the 2015 film, the C-X75 stunt cars were designed to withstand punishing chase scenes and were constructed around a robust, tubular spaceframe chassis with a rally-derived suspension and Jaguar’s 5.0 litre supercharged V8. Just four of the five survived with this chassis, Car Seven, the only one now licensed for UK road use. A private customer commissioned Callum to transform the Jaguar while preserving its iconic history.
2015 Porsche 918: The Porsche 918 was a stunning vision of the German sports car manufacturer’s future way back in 2010. Its naturally aspirated 4.6 litre V8 powerplant developed 599 bhp which was supplemented by electric motors that provided an additional 282 bhp, for a combined 875 bhp and 944 lb/ft of torque. The car could sprint from 0 – 62 mph in 2.6 seconds and hit a top speed of 124 mph less than five seconds later before maxing out at 210 mph. Appropriately, of course, a mere 918 examples were built. Some of the cars were delivered with the Weissach package which featured magnesium wheels, an extended rear diffuser, lashings of carbon-fibre and an alcantara trimmed interior.
2020 Ferrari SP2 Monza: Along with the SP1, the SP2 marked the start of a new range of Ferrari only available to its elite level clients – the Icona series. This programme is aimed at crafting very special cars that draw their influences from Ferrari’s unsurpassed lineage of classics and is produced in very limited numbers. The SP2 used the 812 Superfast’s 6.5 litre F140 V12 but with a 10bhp bump to 799 bhp and torque of 530 lb/ft. At the time, this made it the most powerful V12 road Ferrari. The 812-based chassis was clothed in carbon-fibre composite bodywork. The SP2 differed from the SP1 by offering two seat. It had smaller scissor doors and a Ferrari patented Virtual Windshield instead of a windscreen. The car weighed 1520 kg and could hit 60 mph in 2.9 seconds topping out at more than 186 mph.
2021 Ford GT: Built with the aim of creating a cutting-edge Le Mans car, the GT broke cover to mark 50 years since the GT40 won at La Sarthe. With a teardrop profile similar to the LMP cars, the Gt was an aerodynamic tour de force. Although a V8 or V12 were considered, the 3.5 litre Ecoboost V6 got the nod. It was certainly powerful enough, with 647 to 700 bhp depending on spec. This was mated to a seven-speed Getrag dual clutch gearbox. The body consist of a carbon-fibre monocoque, aluminium subframes and carbon-fibre panels. A pushrod suspension system allowed more space for aerodynamics. An active rear spoiler adapted to different driving conditions and downforce requirements. All out you would be doing 218 mph having it 60 mph in three seconds.
2023 Ferrari SP3 Daytona: the Daytona SP3 marked a stunning return to the naturally aspirated, mid-mounted V12 layout that had not been seen from Maranello since the 2002 Enzo. The 6.5 litre V12 was sourced from the 812 Superfast, which here made 829 bhp and 514 lb/ft. the result was 211 mph, 0- 62 mph in 2.85 seconds and 124 mph in 7.4. The design, produced under Flavio Manzoni at the Ferrari Styling Centre was inspired by the 330 P4 that was victorious at the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours. Further historical inspiration came from the wrap-around screen which referenced the P3/4 while the double-crested wings were reminiscent of the 512S, 712 Can Am and 312P. However, there were no active aerodynamics. Inside the cabin, while the two piece seats weren’t adjustable, the pedal box could be moved.
Winner here was the 2023 Ferrari SP3 Daytona with runner-up Highly Commended prizes going to the 2006 Porsche Carrera GT and 2015 Jaguar C-X75
WILD CARDS
1958 Chevrolet Corvette C1: The Corvette may be an all-American sports car but it owes its creation to the Continental tastes of GM styling supremo, Harley Earl. He loved European roadsters and believed there was a market for a cheaper maximum-bang-for-your-buck sports car from America. After his Corvette prototype was first shown to the public at the January 1953 Motorama at New York’s Waldorf Astoria, it was rushed into production only a matter of months later. The car wore a glassfibre body and was powered by a 150 bhp 6 cylinder engine. This Corvette is unique as it is the only C1 in “root beer” paint and has had a £100k restoration. It comes from previous celebrity ownership and was voted “Best in Class” at a California Classic car event in 2020.
1958 Mercedes-Benz 220 S ‘Ponton’ Cabriolet: With its pontoon-lie sides, the 220 marked the debut of Mercedes’ uni-bodies and set a new standard for structural integrity and design innovation. In 1958 the 220S Cabriolet brought refinements such as a silken 2.2 litre in-line six with twin carbs. This 220S is an original UK RHD car with under 100,000 miles on the clock and matching numbers. The previous owner bought it in the 1970s, drove it until 2012 then laid it up in storage. It was finally recommissioned in 2019. The current owner acquired it in September 2020 and subjected it to an extensive nut and bolt restoration carried out by Templar Classics of Buckinghamshire.
1961 Jaguar E-Type S1 ‘Pinto’: One of Portugal’s first E Types, 3.8 litre Series 1 roadster, no 875807 was delivered in October 1961 via official importer Martins and Almeida of Lisbon and the dealer Joao Gaspar. Its first owner, Manuel Nogueira Pinto of Porto, belonged to a prominent racing family and during 1962-63 he took several victories and podiums. In subsequent years, it was owned by several people in Portugal and in 2011 it had a nut and bolt restoration. It now looks how it raced in its race heyday with its white lipstick and open bootlid and retains its matching numbers, engine, gearbox, diff engine frames and trim.
1965 Costin-Nathan Prototype: The prototype Costin-Nathan, no 66-202, was built mainly in North Wales by Frank Costin in 1965. It was used for the Dorchester Hotel press debut despite being finished that day. The car was very competitive setting five lap records and winning five races in its first five outings. It won the Coupe de Paris against Abarth opposition. After the 1966 season it was acquired by Geoffrey Horsely who kept it until his passing in 2016. It had not stored well, spending 49 years in an unheated garage. The Costin-Nathan was then acquired by a US owner who took it to Roger Nathan for a complete restoration. The car was displayed at Beaulieu for two years.
1966 Iso Grifo GL350: This Grifo was ordered from concessionaire Trojan Motors by the Eton Motor Group and arrived in the UK on 15th June 1966. Its history until 1984 is opaque but early on it was upgraded to the GL350 five-speed spec with a 350 bhp L79 engine and a ZF S5-325 box. The original motor and transmission were transplanted into the 1964 Iso Rivolta GT four carb Earls Court Motor Show car and concurrently the 3.31:1 diff from that car was fitted to this Grifo. In 1984, Bill Dick, a collector of weird and wonderful cars bought this Grifo and re-registered it on its current plate. The current owner bought it from Bill as a scruffy non-runner in 1986. He then restored the car on and off as resources would allow and finally finished it all last summer.
1974 Porsche 911 RSR Art Car: This race-ready 1974 RSR by Tuthill was painted by a famed Chicago – but living in Los Angeles – artist called Lefty, aka Francesco Campanella. It was built to race spec in the Peter Auto Series in Europe in events such as the Le Mans Classic and the Spa Classic. This was an amazing project which came to life in just 12 days. The car was purchased in Silverstone, resprayed white, serviced and then flown o LA. Within those 12 days the paintwork was finished and the car driven 7 hours north for Monterey Car Week where it turned heads.
1977 Jaguar XJC: The first generation XJ was on sale for now fewer than 24 years with two major facelifts along the way. The 1973 Series II spawned the tewo door XJC between 1975 and 1978. Poer came from either a 4.2 litre straight six or a 5.3 litre V12. This XJC was famously owned by Ian Callum CBE, who after a long sear for a good base car, eventually finding one in France in 2014. He duly embarked on a full restoration including a conversion to RHD and added personal design touches such as the dash, special wheels and bullet wing mirrors. The XJC has been featured at various shows and social media channels. Having enjoyed it as a daily driver, Ian passed it on to is current owner.
1982 Lotus Esprit – Bond Replica: The first Turbo Esprits came in the blue livery of Essex Petroleum, sponsor of Lotus F1 at the time. However, they soon appeared in other colours. In fact there were two Lotus press cars in the livery of Monaco White with red decals. One such model appeared in 007 film “For Your Eyes Only”, albeit only briefly before it suffered an explosive fate and James Bond’s car was replaced with a copper-coloured model with skis attached. The Esprit seen here was undergone an extensive body restoration but the red leather trim is original. It is a ruched style which designer Giorgio Giugiaro specified for the Esprit Turbo at the time yet was not applied to many cars. It also has the rare roof-mounted stereo which was a factory option. The car’s mechanicals have been restored to factory condition although certain aspects such as the transmission exceed the original specs.
2007 TVR Scamander Amphibious: Conceived by former TVR boss, Peter Wheeler, to blend on-and off-road prowess, the Scamander Amphibious is perhaps the ultimate “wild card”. Three seats sit beneath a sliding canopy inside an elongated body that’s half hull, half aircraft fuselage. Initially using a modest 2.0 litre engine, it later got a mid-mounted 275 bhp Ford V6 feeding power to the rear through an automatic gearbox. To compensate for the lack of four wheel drive in a vehicle that was designed to cross moorland, Peter used tall bespoke 21” rimes and 35” tyres. With help from Evo founder and YouTuber, Harry Metcalf, the Scamander has recently been recommissioned after 12 years lying dormant.
Winner was the 2007 TVR Scamander Amphibious and Highly Commended were the 1966 Iso Grifo GL350 and 1958 Mercedes-Benz 220 S ‘Ponton’ Cabriolet
AERO – FRONT ENLIGHTENED
1967 Lamborghini Miura P400: Chassis 3198 was the UK’s first right hand drive Miura from a total of 26 made. Production number 110, it was the October 1967 Earls Court Motor Show car, presented in Royal Blue with off-white leather trim. Travel agent Thomas Cook saw the car, loved it and ordered one in Rosso Miura with black leather trim. He was flown to Milan at the expense of the Lamborghini UK importer and he drove the car back to the UK. He was apparently unaware that this was in fact the very car he has seen at Earls Court and that the factory had prepared it to his spec. The Miura has been maintained by numerous specialists including Colin Clarke who worked on it from 2005 to 2012. A full restoration was undertaken in 2018 by SJV Classic Cars. The Miura’s fifth owner purchased it in May 2022.
1969 Maserati Ghibli Spyder: The Ghibli is one of the most seductive shapes of the 1960s, made ever more alluring in Spyder form. Just 125 drop-tops were built and only the last 45 were 4.9 litre SS Spyders. Most were sent to the US with just a handful remaining in Europe. The UK received a mere four right hand drive examples. This particular car was sold new to Mr Matacena, owner of Caronte, which managed ferries between Italy and Sicily. He kept it until 1982, selling it to Alberto Alberoni. Alberoni took care of it as it it were his baby. He kept the Campagnolo wheels and replaced them with Borrani wires. He then had the car resprayed and returned to its original spec. In 2020 the Spyder went to its third owner, Belgium’s Thierry Dehaeck to complete his Citroen and Maserati collection.
1970 Dodge Charger 440 R/T SE 500 Magnum: the Charger was redesigned for 1968, with “Coke Bottle” styling by Richard Sias. It replaced the original Charger’s fastback roof with a shaped that aped the Pontiac GTO. R/T stood for Road/Track, Dodge’s high performance package that included the 440ci Magnum V8, with an optional 426ci Hemi. Visual clues included “bumble bee” stripes. The SE (Special Edition) had extra trim detailing. In 1970 the last of these Chargers had electric headlight covers, not pneumatic as before. This car is one of fewer than 200 built in Burnt Metallic Orange with a Gator Skin vinyl roof.
1971 Maserati Indy: Designed to replace both the Sebring and the first Quattroporte, the Indy was named after Maserati two Indy 500 victories. Styled by Vignale’s Virginio Vairo, its svelte body ensconced V8s in 4.2, 4.7 and 4.9 litre forms. Between 1969 and 1975, 1104 of this 2+2 were made with either a ZF manual or Borg Warner auto ‘box. One of 364 4.7 litre cars, this Indy was supplied new to Geoffrey Verdone-Roe. Bronze with black leather trim, it hit a quoted 166 ph top speed. Geoffrey sold the car during the 1973 fuel crisis and it was repurchased in 2021 by his son. Restoration took place at McGrath Maserati in the early 2000s.
1973 De Tomaso Pantera GTS Group 4: This Pantera was sold new to Bobby McIntyre, son of Lord Sorn. De Tomaso’s competition team prepared it to Group 3 spec with uprated cooling and brakes and a larger carb. It was then further modified to Group 4 with high compression pistons and high-lift cams among other items. It produced 450 bhp and had a theoretical top speed of 200 mph plus. The founder of the UK’s de Tomaso Club acquired the car after Bobby’s death in 1988 and fitted new carbs to boost power to 490 bhp. Having done only 13,700 miles the car has now been gently recommissioned by Romance of Rust.
1973 Lotus Elan Sprint: Back in the 1980s, Harry Metcalfe was regularly driving a modified Lotus Elan Sprint in the C&CC National Hillclimb championship but the more he modified it, the more he fancied owning a perfect road-going Elan Sprint as well. He bought thus Elan as an unfinished restoration project in 1993. A year of late nights and hard work created the car you see here. Special tweaks include his favourite yellow/white paint, leather trim and ultra-rare optional Elan close-ratio box, adjustable spring platform, bigger Elan +2 front brake discs and a 3.55:1 diff to aid motorway cruising.
1975 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale: Lancia and Bertone left no stone unturned in the quest for performance in arguably the very first thoroughbred rally car. Marcello Gandini’s wedge design clothed a transverse 2.4 litre Dino V6 tucked behind the cabin. A short 2.18 metre wheelbase and 880 kg made the Stratos nimble and direct, and hugely successful with 18 World Rally Championship victories and three overall wins. While 500 road spec cars needed to be built to homologate a competition variant, Lancia did not quite manage it. One of only 499 HF Stradales made, this example was first sold to Switzerland. In 1988, an Italian collector returned it to its native land. The next Italian custodian cherished it for more than a decade before it came to the UK in 2006. Its subsequent UK owner has had it ever since.
1988 Aston Martin Lagonda: William Town’s “folded paper” Lagonda caused a sensation at the 1976 Earls Court Motor Show. Only about 250 are thought now to survive. This Series IV is one of a mere 104 built between 1987 and 1989 when production ceased. In 1988 just 33 were made, at £99,500 around double the cost of an average house. This car started life as a factory demonstrator and was once owned by Aston Martin Heritage specialist Roger Bennington of the Stratton Motor Company. It features in several books and won its class at the Aston Martin Virtual Concours during Lockdown. Later in 2021 it took part in the Top Gear Christmas special. In 2022 it was shown in a display of “wedges” at the Aston Martin Heritage Trust festival at Brooklands.
1991 Porsche 928 S4: The 928 had an unusually long production period from 1997 to 1995. After winning Car of the Year in 1978 – so far the only sports car to do so – it would go through seven distinct versions. The all-aluminium V8 started life at 4.5 litres which grew to 5.4 by the end of production. Its 50:50 weight distribution and transaxle set-up gave great high speed cornering. This was aided by the Weissach axle mountings which allowed for rear-wheel toe-in when lifting off mid-corner. The 928 S4 was fitted with a limited slip diff, further enhancing the handling. Finished in Horizon Blue with a Light Grey and Cobalt Blue interior, this 928 as covered 86,000 miles. The owner plans to replace the hydraulic engine mounts and upgrade the rear suspension from the original BOGE to Bilstein dampers.
The 1973 De Tomaso Pantera GTS Group 4 was the Winner here with Highly Commended going to the 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 and 1969 Maserati Ghibli Spyder
CHEVROLET CORVETTE
1957 Chevrolet Corvette C1 Fuelie Convertible: In 1957. The Corvette got the performance it deserved, with an optional 283 bhp 4.6 litre V8 fitted with Rochester fuel injection and a high-lift “Duntov” cam. Now Chevrolet could take the fight to the Ford Thunderbird, Studebaker Speedster and Chrysler C300. You could also get it in ready to race form. The “fuelie” came at a large price premium and only around 240 were sold. Although they were always rare, general Corvette sales increased by 83% for 1957. This particular Cascade Green ’57 car also has the optional four speed manual gearbox. Following restoration in the 2000s, it was exhibited in a North Carolina car museum before being into the UK by its current owner.
1959 Chevrolet Corvette C1: The Corvette was hurriedly introduced as a concept on January 16th 1953. For expediency, the body was made from glassfibre and many parts were utilised from other GM models. It was so well received that 300 production models were sold that year and the “all American sports car” was born. The first generation Corvette went through significant changes both to its body and its engines. This car is number 7779 of 9670 built in 1959. Al the major parts are original, apart from the engine which has been replaced with a 327 ci V8. It originally put out 275 bhp but uprated headers have increased that to nearer 300 bhp. Classic Corvette Club UK (CCCUK) membership secretary, Rob King, brought it from the US five years ago. It’s since had a respray, a leather retrim, a stainless exhaust and radial tyres among other improvements.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette C2 Split Screen Coupe: this C2 was purchased in 1963 by a California TWA pilot for his stewardess daughter’s 21st. Her car park pass can still be seen on the rear-view mirror. The second owner was a British ex-pat working in California who brought it to the UK when he returned in 1986. He had it modified to go HSCC racing. The car entered the stewardship of its current owner as a surprise 40th birthday present from his wife, in 1996. He had all the racing mods removed and the original 327 ci/340 bhp engine rebuilt to replace the 350ci V8 the Corvette had when purchased. The car was repainted in 2005 in preparation for the Goodwood Festival of Speed where it won the Cartier Style et Luxe Spirit of America class.
1966 Chevrolet Corvette C2 Stingray: By 1963, the Corvette was shedding its image as a boulevard cruiser. The design team and styling heads Bill Mitchell and Larry Shiroda somewhat clandestinely created the Stingray, developing ideas from the still-born Corvette race-car concept. Its distinctive boat-tail and unique split rear window proved to be controversial. Mitchell claimed to have been inspired by Bugatti’s Type 57SC Atlantic for the design motif while the pop=up headlamps would remain a Corvette styling feature until the end of C5 production. This 1966 example was a US Show winner in 2015. A very original car, it’s a rare “side pipe” example and its white exterior and petroleum blue trim are rare combination for 1966.
1971 Chevrolet Corvette C3 Stingray LT-1: The classic “coke bottle” C3 ran from 1968 to 1982. It was available both as a coupe and a convertible up to 1975 after which it was a T-Top coupe only. The LT1 engine option arrived in 1970 and ended in 1972 with under 5000 cars produced. It used the small-block powertrain but with a factory-fitted forged crank, transistor ignition, forged pistons and solid lifters. It came close to the big block’s 451cc power figure with 330 bhp but retained the better balance and handling of a small block arrangement. As with many examples, this LT1 was used on drag strips or racetracks. It is displayed by Stuart Curtis who organises the CCCUK Nationals event at Sywell Aerodrome.
1991 Chevrolet Corvette C4 ZR1: the C4 was planned as a 1983 model year car but regulatory glitches delayed the launch until 1984/ Its chassis and body were all new with a more rigid platform than the previous model. The C4 ran until 1996 by which time 358,180 had been made. Only 6939 were the ZR1 model as seen here. Then GM-owned Lotus was commissioned to develop an all-new V8. Crafted in alloy, it had 32 valves and two sets of injectors and throttles for each cylinder. The second set was activated by a removable “valet key” . this unleashed 362 bhp taking the ZR1 to 60 mph in around five seconds and on to 175 mph/ the $65,000 price was nearly double that of a regular Corvette which ensured that this model remained a relatively rarity. In 1993, engine revisions achieved 405 bhp and the car now reach 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
2004 Chevrolet Corvette C5 Z06 Le Mans Edition: The C5 was built from 1996 until 2006. Convertibles and Targas were offered first, then a Coupe arrived. Power ranged from 354 to 405 bhp. This is a limited edition Le Mans Commemorative car with the Z06 package. It has uprated suspension, carbon-fibre bonnet, titanium exhaust, lighter wheels and striping. Just 2025 were built to mark Chevrolet’s 1-2 class win. 325 were solod outside the US. Le Mans cars were 65 kg lighter than standard and had a 405 bhp LS6 V8. They hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and could do 175 mph. Owner Paul Watkins has had this car for 9 years and it took part in the 2015 le Mans Drivers’ Parade.
2006 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06: Introduced in 2005, the C6 was the first Corvette since 1962 without pop-up lights. It was a leap forward with a new design, new engine, uprated suspension, aluminium frame and carbon-fibre wings. It was also roomier due to a lengthened wheelbase that also added handling and ride quality. However, it was overall 5” shorted than the C5. Various engines were offered with the ultimate being the supercharged 638 bhp 6.2 litre ZR1. Gary Garwood’s Z06 arrived in 2006 with a 505 bhp naturally aspirated LS7 V8 of 7.0 litres. It was the largest displacement small-block ever built.
2019 Chevrolet Corvette C7 ZR1: Arriving in 2014, the C7 marked the end of the front-engined Corvette. The ZR1 was available only in 2019, the final year of the run. Available in either Coupe or Convertible form, it had a supercharged 755 bhp 6.3 litre LT5 V8 which meant it could do 60 mph in 2.8 seconds and 212 mph. Despite extensive use of carbon-fibre, the ZR1 was heavier than the Z06 due to extra cooling fluids. It was never officially sold in Europe, making it a rare sight. CCCUK PR rep, Nigel Dobbie, ordered this ZR1 with the ZTK package, including a carbon-fibre front splitter and rear wing and it also has optional competition seats.
2022 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z51 Stingray: Upon its arrival in July 2019, the C8 boldly redefined the American sports car’s identity. The first mid-engined Corvette, it was also the first available in right hand drive. 300 so-equipped cars sold around the world within 60 hours of launch. The Z51’s heart was its LT2 6.2 litre V8 which made 495 bhp and hit 60 mph in 2.9 seconds. The Z51 Performance Pack elevated this, with a performance exhaust, eight-speed box, magnetic ride control and electronic limited-slip differential, and it also added larger brakes, enhanced cooling and adjustable suspension. The car shown here belongs to Gabriela Crowther.
Obviously a Corvette won this class. It was the 1971 Chevrolet Corvette C3 Stingray LT-1, with Highly Commended going to the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette C2 Split Screen Coupe and the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06
CARNABY STREET
1956 Porsche 356 Speedster: The 356 Speedster came about because US importer Max Hoffmann said a low-cost stripped-out drop-top could sell well there. With its low screen, removable for weekend racing, bucket seats and minimal folding roof top, the Speedster was a smash. This example left the factory in 1956 and was delivered to its first owner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in May. Many years later, its second owner had it restored. This was completed in 2000 after which it won the 356 Class at the Virginia Porsche Club of America Concours in 2001 and 2002. It was then imported to the UK by the third owner who kept it in excellent condition before selling to the current owner after 20 years. The paint, trim and mechanicals have all recently been refurbished and the car is used regularly.
1960 Mercedes-Benz 190SL: if it was glamour and sophistication you were after back in the 1960s, the Mercedes 190SL roadster, with is low slung looks and distinctive eyebrows over the wheelarches fitted the bill like a Givenchy gown or a Savile Row suit. Fresh from an extensive restoration, this pristine 1960 example in the Carnaby Street collection was driven by Welsh singing star Dame Shirley Bassey during the 1984 recording of her album “I am what I am” at Olympic Studios in London and was later owned by founder member of the group Manhattan Transfer, Tim Hauser. A rare right hand drive model, and one of around 1000 built, it has a removable hard top and is fitted with a 1.9 litre four cylinder engine and a manual gearbox.
1961 Sunbeam Harrington Le Mans: Thomas Harrington and Sons was one of Britain’s top coachbuilders during the 1920s and 30s. In collaboration with the Rootes Group, a Harrington-bodied car won the Index of Thermal Efficiency at the 1961 Le Mans. To celebrate, the Sunbeam Harrington le Mans was introduced at the 1961 Earls Court Motor Show. It featured radical body moulds plus bespoke engine and trim options. Most of the 250 cars were exported ot the US with fewer than 50 surviving in running condition. No 19 has been restored over a 12 year period from a barn find to its current condition. It features a le Mans engine which mirrors the car built for the late Prince William, Duke of Gloucester.
1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale: Penned by legendary Bertone chief of design, Franco Scaglione, the SS’ aerodynamic form was developed in a wind tunnel and bears a resemblance to the famed trio of BAT concepts. At just 950 kg, with front disc brakes and the top of the range 1600cc twin cam engine, AR 380576 was supplied new to Giorgi Perfetti in Piacenza in 1963. In 1970 it moved to its second owner and it stayed with one Milanese family for 40 plus years. In 2015 it was bought by ex-pilot and racing driver Robs Lamplough. He sold it to the current owner in 2020 who asked Surrey-based DTR Sports Cars to address all aspects of the bodywork including a full bare-metal respray in its original Dutch Blue. One year later, after 1200 hours of labour, the restoration was complete with the engine fully overhauled and the interior kept 100% original.
1965 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III: The Silver Cloud III made its debut in 1963, sporting a 100kg weight saving over previous models and a compression ratio boost to 9:1 for its 6.2 litre V8 engine. Although Rolls Royce does not share performance figures, it is estimated that with crank changes and upgraded carbs, the engine was seven percent more powerful than the Series II. The HM Hydramatic autobox was used while further changes included a steeper bonnet slope to fit a slightly smaller grille. Chassis SJR617X is one of 49 cars built in right hand drive to design number 2045 by Mulliner Park Ward. The current owner bought the car in Australia at auction and imported it back to the UK. Frank Dale and Stepsons performed a comprehensive restoration of the coachwork and chrome along with some mechanical work and fitted a new hood.
1966 Citroen DS Chapron: The DS took many forms, from everyday car to exotic transport for those with an eye for the finer things in life. The Decapotable – French for convertible – appeared in 1960 using a special frame that was reinforced in a similar manner to the Break (estate) versions. First registered on 3rd November 1966, this matching numbers examples is one of the last Decapotables supplied to the UK. It must also be one of very few right hand drive cars sent here and to the highly desirable 1967 specification. Records show that this was the third cabriolet d’usine constructed by Henri Chapron for the 1967 series and it is the only examples known to have been supplied with the later – and superior – green hydraulic fluid.
1966 Ford Mustang 2+2 Fastback: The Mustang’s impact was seismic, as canny Ford parts sharing meant it could offer seductive style for just $2638. Sales were huge with more than one million built during its first 18 months. The Fastback was introduced in August 1964, four months after the Coupe and Convertible. This particular car was bought in LA in 1966 and came to the Uk via Tilbury Docks, still with its US plates and options such as Minilite wheels, disc brakes, sports suspension and Shelby rear quarter windows. It is linked to novelist Jackie Collins and was an everyday driver from 1969 to 1976. It spent most nights outside London’s Tramp Club. More recently it has been restored by marque specialist, Cope, in Wales.
1966 Ford Mustang GT Convertible: This Ford was a sensation on its 1964 launch, at a stroke destroying sales of the Falcon and Fairlane on which it was based. The standard Mustangs ran in-line sixes and V8s but the most potent early cars were those equipped with the GT Equipment Package, such as this Convertible. This option got you a 298ci 4.7 litre V8 with 225 bhp along with fog lamps, rocker panel stripes and disc brakes. In the cabin upgrades included a bespoke panel with five smart round gauges. For 1966, 25,517 people specified the GT, up by 10,000 over the previous year. The Mustang also became the US’ best-selling drop-top with 72,119 finding homes, almost double the number of Chevy Impala.
1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante: This car’s owner first fell in love with the DB6 Volante at the 1966 London Motor Show, aged 14. While he managed to satiate his Aston passion with some DB6s and a DB9 over the years, the DB6 Volante remained out of reach. However, in 2021, he bought a project car form Nicholas Mee & Co which then restored it for him. The engine was sent to Aston Engineering ltd for a full rebuild to a 4.2 litre spec while the body was sent to Surrey Car Craft with fabrication performed by RS Williams. It was found that the car had been in a shunt in the 200s which meant Bodylines produced a new nose cone. The gearbox has also been rebuilt, the limited slip diff overhauled and the interior refurbished.
1967 Jensen FF: No.119/006 was a Vignale-built pre-production car delivered to a survivor of the Great Escape and restored by Cropredy Bridge under the guidance of the world’s top FF expert. Vignale FFs are very rare and different in many ways from the production car. Factory records suggest six were made and it is believed only two or three of them survive. This one was the subject of a near £300k restoration with the main focus being to preserve originality – a challenge when the Vignale cars were so different from the production ones. Take the Vignale leather, which had a different grain – it was restored at the University of Nottingham. New hoses were made with the correct stampings and the restorers even used the same metal production and lead beading as the Vignale panel beaters had done.
1968 Volvo P1800S. This P1800S was made in Sweden but still with a lot of British parts left over from Jensen’s involvement with the model. It’s done 51,000 miles and the owner has had it since 2016, the start of a five year restoration odyssey. It needed new floors and sills and may fresh and refurbished parts were with the aim of maintaining originality where possible but also to make the car usable. The bodywork restoration was performed by Carrozzeria of Maidenhead with the upholstery works done by Richard Felton of Leather by Muirhead in Glasgow. The finishing touches were carried out by Templar Classics in Farnham Common. The car has covered 3000 miles since the restoration including a trip to Corsica and the owner now plans to take it to the Arctic Circle.
1970 Ferrari 365 GTC: This car set off Eric Clapton’s Ferrari obsession. It started after George Harrison introduced him to a 365 GTC he’d just bought. For Eric, it was love at first sight. In May 1970 he paid £7900 to Maranello Concessionaires for this car specifying air con and a radio as options. Eric used it extensively throughout the 70s and changed the colour to bright purple although he later returned it to silver. He eventually sold the car in 1993 when it was purchased by a director of Modena Engineering. He decided to emigrate to South Africa taking the car with him. It came back to the UK via the current owner, who asked FH Ellis to perform a bare-metal restoration with the trim kept largely original. The car has since been used extensively across Europe and has received Ferrari Classiche Certification.
1970 Ferrari Dino 246 GT: Tis Dino 246 GT is a Series 1, chassis no 01080. It is one of a total of 3576 produced and its original owner drove it back from Italy to London. Apparently a gambler, he kept the car for only a few short months before selling it because he needed the money after losing big in West End casinos. It was purchased by the current keeper’s father for £3000. He was in the motor trade, specialising in the repair of Italia sports cars, via an outfit called B&A Motors, just off Chiswick High Street. The car has only ever changed hands from the current owner’s father to him, he was born in the same year that his father acquired the Dino. As a kid he was obsessed with it to the point that all his school drawings were done in the same shade of orange.
1977 Meyers Manx Buggy: Created in the 1960 by the indomitable Bruce Meyers, the Meyers Manx beach buggies came to represent the spirit of free-wheeling California, but there was much more to them than just the beach and surf lifestyle. Based on VW Beetle running gear, a genuine Manx was capable and strong which Meyers proved by setting a record run traversing the Mexican Baja peninsula in his first car, known as Old Red. It wasn’t long before a Manx found fame on the big screen, either with Steve McQueen famously driving one in The Thomas Crown Affair. Both that car and Old Red still exist today. Meyers died in 2021 but just before his death he sold the rights to Trousdale ventures. It has relaunched the firm with Continuations of the classic design and new EV versions styled by Freeman Thomas.
Winner here was the 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante and Highly Commended were the 1970 Ferrari 365 GTC and 1961 Harrington Le Mans
COACHBUILT – ZAGATO
1958 Abarth 750 Zagato DB: Tis 750 Abarth was first bought by John D Sheets in Encino, California in July 1958. A Hollywood producer, he was responsible for early Tarzan productions and the Lassie tv series. The car had fallen into disuse in the late 1970s and found its next owner, Glen Heyenhuis by chance. He’d stopped at a diner en route from California to Arizona when transporting a car and was approached by a man who said that there was a vehicle sitting in the weeds in a storage compound. A few day’s later the 750 was Glen’s. An attempted restoration was never completed and Glen passed away in 2012. Six years later, the Abarth was sold to its current UK owner, John Chatley, whom I know well, and he has thoroughly restored it.
1960 Bristol 406 Zagato: Even before he bought his minority stake in Bristol, Tony Crook commissioned Carrozzeria Zagato to create a limited series of lightweight four seaters on the 406 chassis. Just six 2+2s and a solitary two seater were built, which were 11” shorter and 260 kg lighter than standard. One of five four seater Zagatos known to survive, chassis number 5299 was displayed at the 1960 Earls Court Motor Show and sold new to Richard Robinson in May 1961. The active Bristol Owners Club member kept the car until 1991, faithfully recording all the work carried out. He then sold it to Joas Liden of Sweden who eventually commissioned a major restoration from Jaye Engineering. This took place between 2002 and 2005 and the current owner acquired the car in September 2021.
1972 Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato: When Lancia wanted a more aerodynamic, lighter and sportier version of the Fulvia for use in rallying and racing it turned to Zagato. Chief designer Ercole Spada’ Series 1 included a side-opening bonnet and a spare wheel well on a rotating panel that also held the rear number plate. Some of these innovations were lost for 1970’s Series II which also saw a raised ride height, 2+2 seating and an all steel body. A 1.6 litre engine was added to the range as well. This car featured in the Lancia Motor Club journal before its current owner bought it in 2022, after it had received a bare-metal rebuild in 2018-19.
1991 Alfa Romeo SZ ES30: The SZ was conceived to inject some glamour into Alfa’s range after Fiat’s takeover. It went from concept to production in little more than a year and a half. Despite the Zagato badging, it was actually styled at Centro Stilo Fiat by Citroen SM designer Robert Opron and Antonio Castellana. Zagato productionised the design and then built it. Its glassfibre body covered an Alfa Romeo 3.0 litre V6 with a race-honed chassis from an Alfa Romeo 75 IMSA car. The owner bought this car in 1991, number 47s of 1036 built. It’s never been restored and is almost totally original. Whilst it has never been raced or rallied, it has survived being ragged by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear.
1993 Alfa Romeo RZ: Debuting in 1993, the Alfa Romeo RZ was developed as a roadster version of the SZ. Unlike the original car, this was a Zagato design. Just 278 RZ left o the factory and none was originally sold in the UK by Alfa Romeo. However, it is believed that there are 15 examples here now and this is one of the three in red, the others being black or yellow. The conversion to a roadster saw the weight spiral 120 kg to 1380 kg but what the car may lose in nimbleness, it gains in the diver being able to hear the Busso V6 in unadulterated form with the roof down. The car, number 124, was first registered in Italy and then imported into the UK in August 1996. It was owned by two respected collectors until its acquisition by its current owner, the country’s leading RZ and SZ specialist. In 2016. It has been regularly seen since.
2001 Ferrari 550 GTZ Barchetta: The completion of three Zagato-bodied 550 GTZ Barchettas concluded the Zero project which had started in 2005 with the rebodying of the six 575 GTs. Inspired by the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta, Zagato crafted an electronically controlled roof . this 478 bhp 5.5 litre V12 powered car is tre last Barchetta built and the only RHD example. Its bespoke dark grey exterior and cream leather trim distinguish it from its two stablemates. Following the Zero Project initiative, Ferrari appointed Zagato as an official coachbuilder for its One to One programme. Clients interested in starting a new Ferrari/Zagato initiative will be directed to Maranello where all future Zagato-designed Ferraris will be built. That makes this car the last series of special-bodied Ferraris to be built at the Zagato factory.
2012 Aston Martin Vantage V12 Zagato: Built to celebrate the 50 year partnership between Aston Martin and Zagato, the V12 Vantage ade its debut at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2011, a year before the first deliveries were made. It was designed at Aston’s UK studio with its suspension returned by One-77 engineers. The engine is a hand-built 5.9 litre V12. The hand-built aluminium body has a double bubble roof section in tribute to the past Zagato cars. Despite a forecast 350-strong production run in the end only 61 cars were sold. Racing versions were used in ADAC racing in Germany including at the Nurburgring 24 hours. Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez and his fellow drivers finished 26th overall and second in class in 2012.
2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Coupe: One of the most heralded classics is Aston Martin’s DB4 Zagato, whose sheer magic has led to several further collaborations between Aston Martin and Zagato. This one-of-99 Vanquish Zagato has a bespoke body and trim. It made its debut at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2017. The Zagato uses the Vanquish S’ all-alloy quad-cam V12 which delivers 595 bhp, 465 lb/ft of torque and 201 mph. You can hit 62 mph in 3.5 seconds luxuriating in a Zagato-themed interior. Having covered less than 500 miles from new with its one and only owners, the Vanquish Zagato on show is the perfect grand tourer.
2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Speedster: Aston Martin continued its long association with Carrozzeria Zagato in 2018 for a project that saw four bodystyles available to the marque’s most devoted customers: Coupe, Convertible, Shooting Brake and Speedster. All except the Speedster were limited to 99 and there are just 28 Speedsters in existence. Umder the body lies the Vanquish S’ 595 bhp V12 delivering 201 mph and 0 – 62 mph in 3.5 seconds. Inside, bespoke Zagato stitching can be found on the headlining and seats. Having covered just over 500 miles from new with its single owner, this Zagato Speedster is a truly special combination of British engineering and Italian design.
Winner of this class was the 2001 Ferrari 550 GTZ Barchetta whilst Highly Commended were the 1991 Alfa Romeo SZ and 1960 Bristol 406 Zagato
PURPLE REIGN
1964 Aston Martin DB5: Chassis DB5/1604/R is an early Series IV. Presented in it is original Roman Purple colour, it is one of 1022 built. The owner acquired it in 2018 when it had been off the road for 40 years and it has now been refurbished to ensure its preservation whilst keeping its patina. In 2019, RS Williams undertook a complete mechanical overhaul during which the engine was rebuilt to 330 bhp 4.7 litre spec. Cometic improvements included new carpets spotlights and a concealed radio. The car was stripped in order to attend to rust and deterioration but the paint was left untouched to retain the feel of an unrestored car. Since 2020 the Aston has covered 18,000 miles including a cross-continent trip.
1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso: Designed to bridge the gap between the sporty 250 GT SWB and the luxury-focused 250 GT/E 2+2, the 250 GT/L Lusso turned out to be the last of the 250 line. A 240 bhp 3.0 litre Columbo V12 gave 150 mph and a sub 8.0 second 0 – 60 sprint. The valves and crank were sourced from th 250 GT/E. The Lusso element meant the car offered hitherto unknown levels of space compared with its sportier sisters. And of the fixed position seatbacks gave taller occupants a challenge, the driver could at least adjust the pedals by up to 5cm/ There was also a Nardi three-spoke wood and aluminium steering wheel.
1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona”: Also known as the Daytona after Ferrari’s victory on Ford’s home turf in the 24 hour race of the same name, the 365 GTB/4 was the last of an era until the 1990s. It marked the end of the two seater front-engined V12 ferrari flagship – but what a way to go out! Penned by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti, the 365 GTB/4 used a 347 bhp development of the 275 GTB/4’s Colombo V12. Independent suspension featured at each corner. Just 156 were built in right hand drive. Early cars had fixed lights behind an acrylic glass cover but this was changed to retractable pop-up headlamps in 1970.
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring: the Carrera RS 2.7 was built to allow Porsche to put up a strong fight in endurance racing but its impact went far beyond that. Despite the marketing department’s fears about such a hardcore car, it sold more than twice what was needed for motor sport homologation. Using the 911S as a basis, the engine was bored out to 2.7 litres and the car was light-weighted down to the minimum. It also featured Bosch fuel injection, beefier suspension, larger brakes, wider rear wheels and the infamous duck-tail spoiler. Spending 30 years in the care of Simon F Phillips, a five time Le Mans starter and former BRDC Director, this matching numbers 2.7 Touring was purchased by the current custodian in 2013 having been previously finished in dark metallic grey. Restored to its original colour in 2015, it is one of just 16 examples built in Lilac and one of 117 cars from right hand drive production.
1985 Porsche 930 Turbo RWB: Rauh Welt Begriff – “Rough World Concept” – was set up in 1997 by Nakai-San. This custom Porsche workshop pushes boundaries by drawing inspiration from classic racing cars and blending modern aggressive aesthetics with track-ready performance. He widens the body and hones the aerodynamics to create a unique driving experience preserving each car’s character and soul. The wide-body conversions, the iconic riveted fender flares and the over-sized rear wings all contribute to the unmistakable aesthetic of RWB Porsches. Nakai-San worked on this 930 Turbo in late 2022 at the same time as Daniel Arsham’s custom slant-nose conversions, RWBA.
1994 Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Supercharged: this impressively upgraded 634 bhp SE30 prototype boasts a supercharger upgrade and a unique purple finish. It is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, born of the creativity and passion of the team at Lamborghini Hoecker in Landau, in collaboration with the marque’s Sant’Agata Bolognese factory. Said to be one of the fastest Diablo ever, it has been sparingly driven in recent years and is in excellent condition. Various modifications include McLaren FD1 brakes, a specially adapted engine control for the supercharger, a carbon intake for the supercharger air duct and a 400 km/h speedometer.
1995 Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Jota: The SE30, built to mark Lamborghini’s 30th year, was essentially a street-legal race car. A reworked fuel system, exhaust and air intake helped it to kick out 523 bhp. It also did without the standard Diablo’s four-wheel drive system. The SE30 used Plexiglass side windows and it lost the air con, stereo and power steering set-ups. It also got carbon-fibre seats, a larger rear spoiler, magnesium alloys and a deeper front spoiler. The Jota kit further upped power to 595 bhp. This car was sold new to a major UK collector and is one of just two factory built RHD cars that came to the UK and it is the only one that is here now.
2013 McLaren P1: As with its F1 predecessor, the P1 was at the cutting-edge of racing tech. Using a carbon-fibre monocoque, it is powered by a 722 bhp 3.8 litre twin turbo V8 with a 177 bhp electric motor. That is a huge 903 bhp, send to the rear tyres via a Graziano Trasmissioni seven=speed dual-clutch gearox. Further F1 technology can be found elsewhere with the Instant Power Assist System and Drag Reduction System. The Frank Stephenson penned P1 generates 600kg of downforce at 160 mph. Just 375 vars were built, with little more than a quarter of them remaining in Europe.
2022 Ferrari 812 Competizione: The 812 Competizione follow in the footsteps of the 599 GTO and F12 TdF by turning the adrenaline up to 11 on Ferrari’s flagship production series car. The 812 Superfast’s 6.5 litre V12 was retuned to produce 819 bhp with 510 lb/ft of torque at 7000 rpm. Many of the internals were revised with upgraded conrods, pistons and crnak. The intake system was also redesigned, helping to deliver more power at higher revs. Further upgrades included the reworking of the 812’s aerodynamic profile, as well as adding independent four=wheel steering. The seven speed dual-clutch gearbox was uprated as well. This particular car was purchased in September 2022 from Meridien Modena in Lyndhrust and this Ferrari visits charity days at Goodwood on a regular basis.
2022 Zenvo TSR-S: The Zenvo TSR-S is the road-going version of the TSR, the track-only version of the TS1 GT. The TSR-S is 85 kg lighter than the latter at 1465 kg. Its carbon-fibre wing can rotate in two axes acting as an air brake and for further stabilisation in corners. Whilst the cabin can be as stripped out as the TSR’s a radio and air-con can be added. The 5.8 litre supercharged V8 kicks out 1177 bhp which can punt the Zenvo to 62 mph in 28 seconds and on to 202 mpoh. Owned by Tim Burton – better known as Shmee150 – it ahs been showcased on the Road to Zenvo video series. He’s taken the car to the US and to Europe.
Winning this class was the 1994 Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Supercharged and Highly Commended were the 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB14 ‘Daytona’ and 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 RS Touring
SPECIALIST SHOWCASE
Also present are a number of dealers and other specialists who have their own display areas, mostly around the perimeter of the site. Most of these come to this event year after year and between the, they always seem to have some lovely cars on show which complement the concours cars very well.
ASTON MARTIN
Seen here was the latest DB12, a thorough update of the well-received DB11 model which was launched last year.
CALLUM
Making another appearance here, after its debut at the recent Savile Row Concours was the Callum Skye. As the first all-new Callum model, the Skye succeeds successful programmes unveiled since the company was founded in 2019, including a highly individualistic reinterpretation of the 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish (an Ian Callum original), a string of impressive forays into product design and some still-secret collaborative projects. The Skye is expected to launch in summer 2026, and between 50 and 250 units will be produced annually, priced between £80,000-£110,000. That lines the electric off-roader up against the similarly conceived Ariel Nomad, which entered its second generation earlier this year. The Skye is powered by two electric motors (one on each axle) with combined outputs of 247bhp and 221lb ft, as well as a 42kWh battery that yields a claimed range of 170 miles. Speaking at the car’s public debut at the Savile Row Concours earlier this year, Ian Callum told Autocar: “This is not just a pretty street car. It’s going to have real off-road capability. “We’ve been working on this for two years so far, and now we’re ready to start developing prototypes. So now is the right time to let the world see it, and we’ll be in production within two years.” He added: “I do see this as a west coast of America-inspired car. It’s an off-road car, it’s a sand car, it’s a mud car, and I think the west coast will be where a lot of our customers are based.” It’s fast. It’s unfiltered. And it’s agile. Join Matt Prior as he drives the new Porsche 911 GT3 It’s fast. It’s unfiltered. And it’s agile. As such, Skye will be available in two guises: one tailored more towards off-road ability, the other for on-road dynamics. The off-road car will feature a higher ride height and up to 100mm of suspension travel – as well as a pared-back interior with less of a focus on luxury than the on-road edition. The Skye’s bold shape, which the company says is “driven by its capabilities”, is based on a strong ‘accent loop’ surrounding the door apertures, with a horizontal body structure running through the whole car and providing mountings for the two large doors, which are glazed below the waistline as well as above it. Its chassis is a rugged steel spaceframe with plenty of ground clearance and travel for its bespoke all-independent suspension, and it sports a lightweight composite body. Underneath, most of its chassis componentry has been developed in-house, but the battery and electric motors are sourced from an unnamed supplier. Callum director of engineering Adam Donfrancesco said: “We’ll take motors from places we like and include that with a lot of powertrain electronics that have been created for us, including wiring looms. Anything more serious we’ll get from our trusted supply network.” Francesco added that the influence of rally cars was key in making it enjoyable to drive. He said: “It’s not just about how fast it goes down the road, because it wants to have great steering feel, it wants to have nice suspension feel, it wants to be like a Tarmac rally car.” Before customer deliveries begin, the Skye will be taken on a testing programme around the Midlands, as well as more extreme locations, but without the traditional testing camouflage usually worn by test mules. Ian Callum said: “OEMs camouflage the cars because they want to take them out testing. And they camouflage them because the competition is out there and they don’t want other people to see it. “We don’t really have any competition. It’s quite a unique product. So we’re not averse to letting the world see what we’re doing. We’ll be out in the open testing it.” “We want to make the car as usable as possible”, said Ian Callum. “Is ingress going to be perfect? It’s not bad. It’s easier than some sports cars. We think the inside of a classic Porsche is big enough for most people to still enjoy the car. That, in some ways, has been our dimensional benchmark.” The Callum company’s total staff now runs to more than 20 people, although Ian Callum says the firm’s intention is always to remain “small and agile”.
CHESIL ENGINEERING
Chesil is well known for its Porsche 356 replicas, but these days the company also includes the heritage Westfield business and there were cars from both side of the business here. This is a Westfield XI. In 1982 Westfield Sportscars, responding to the popularity of the original Lotus XI, started production of a replica with a fiberglass body available as either a finished car or kit car. Initially called the Westfield Sports, the factory-finished cars were usually fitted with an uprated 1,275 cc BMC A-Series engine, although some factory cars were fitted with Ford Kents. The majority of Westfield XIs are sold as self-build kits without engines and designed to accept the 1275cc A-series from a donor MG Midget or Austin-Healey Sprite. Owners have fitted a variety of engines, including Coventry Climaxes, Lotus twin-cams and Alfa Romeo engines, although engine fitment is limited by the small size of the engine bay. The kit is designed to utilise other components from a donor Sprite or Midget: the rear axle (modified by Westfield), gearbox, driveshaft, front upright/brake assembly, radiator, wheels/tyres, steering rack, wiring, and gauges. In 1983 and 1984, Road & Track featured two articles about the Westfield XI, telling the story of how the magazine’s team built a kit car and subsequently took it for a 5,000-mile (8,000 km) cross-country trip from California to Wisconsin. This article raised awareness of the car in the United States and led to more sales. Production of the original Westfield XI ceased in 1986, although the company offered kits until about 1988. In 2004 Westfield restarted production, still using the A-series engine. Westfield continues to offer the XI kit in small production batches.
DE VINCI
The De Vinci DB719, often referred to as the De Vinci Brigitte, is an electric car model produced by the De Vinci company. It’s known for its elegant design and is marketed as a luxury electric car experience, particularly in locations like Monaco and Monte Carlo. The DB719 is sometimes associated with luxury car rental services in these areas.
EMM LONDON PRIVATE OFFICE
EMM London is a specialist boutique private office dedicated to providing a suite of tailored services to blue-chip classic and supercar collectors. Typical clients are a mix of collectors, enthusiasts, private banks, single and multi-family offices, wealth managers and VIPs from around the globe. EMM operates deep in the C2C market. They had a couple of cars on displa here.
Aston Martin Valkyrie: The Aston Martin Valkyrie (also known by its code-names as AM-RB 001 and Nebula) is a limited production hybrid sports car collaboratively built by British automobile manufacturers Aston Martin, Red Bull Racing Advanced Technologies and several other parties. The sports car is a product of collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing to develop a track-oriented car entirely usable and enjoyable as a road car, conceived by Adrian Newey, Andy Palmer, Christian Horner, and Simon Spoule. Adrian Newey, who is Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer, aided in the design of the car. The original codename was Nebula, an acronym for Newey, Red Bull and Aston Martin. The name AM-RB 001 was chosen as the final codename, and was decided since Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing had collaborated all throughout the project. AM stands for Aston Martin, and RB stands for Red Bull. 001 may be a reference to it being the first production car the two have collaborated on. In March 2017, Aston Martin revealed that the car would be named Valkyrie, after the Norse mythological figures. According to Red Bull, the name was chosen to continue the tradition of “V” nomenclature of Aston Martin’s automobiles and to distinguish the vehicle as a high-performance car (the “V” was used as the distinguishing factor). The Aston Martin Valhalla, which is known as “Son of Valkyrie”, likewise has its origin in the mythological location Valhalla. A show car was initially unveiled to the public in order to give the public an idea of its design. The design was in a near-production-ready form. The exterior of the car is extremely aerodynamic for a sports car, with an extensively open underfloor, that works on the principle of the Bernoulli and Venturi effects and is capable of producing 18,000 N (1,800 kgf) of downforce at high speed (See Ground effect (cars)). Gaps on top of the car (for example, above the front axle and the roof intake) and a large front splitter aid in generating downforce. The wheels are also designed to manage the airflow and be as light as possible at the same time. The interior design was leaked online on 20 June 2017 and gave a preview of the car’s design. The interior has no gauge cluster, but rather a collection of screens. By the left and right corners are the screens for the camera side mirrors. One screen sits at the top of the center console, which may have a collection of live vehicle information, and regular vehicle controls, but this is not confirmed. A screen is used on the race-inspired steering wheel and acts as the driver gauge cluster. Dials and switches sit beside the wheel screen to allow for easier changes without driving interruption. The seats, formed from hollow carbon fibre straight into interior perimeter, are bucket variants, and have two seat belts for each car seat. Because of the extremely small interior and doors (which are practically roof-only hatches), each seat is designed specifically for the owner’s body shape through 3D scanning. A removable steering wheel provides slightly more space for entry and exit. In February 2017, Aston Martin revealed most of the vehicle’s specifications. The final specifications were revealed later in the year. Several manufacturers (other than Aston Martin and Red Bull) have taken part in the Valkyrie’s construction, those being Cosworth, Ricardo, Rimac Automobili, Multimatic, Alcon, Integral Powertrain Ltd, Bosch, Surface Transforms, Wipac, HPL Prototypes and Michelin. The car contains a 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 engine tailored by Cosworth, which produces around 746 kW (1,000 hp) at 10,500 rpm, with a redline of 11,100 rpm. This will make it the most powerful naturally-aspirated engine ever to be fitted to a production road car. With a KERS-style boost system akin to those fitted to F1 cars, the Aston Martin Valkyrie’s hybrid system has been developed by two main technical partners; Integral Powertrain Ltd, who supplied the bespoke electric motor, and Rimac for the lightweight hybrid battery system. As a result, the full hybrid system contributes an additional 120 kW (160 bhp) of power and a further 280 Nm of available torque with the certified max power output of Aston Martin Valkyrie standing at 865 kW (1,160 hp) @ 10,500rpm. Equally, with the full hybrid system, peak torque will stand at 900 Nm (664 lb/⋅ft) @ 6,000 rpm. At the same time the power output figures were released, the weight was announced to be 1,030 kg (2,271 lb), surpassing the intended 1:1 power-to-weight ratio with 840 kW (1,126 hp) per ton. The car can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in a time of 2.6 seconds. The exhausts exit at the top of the car, near the engine, similar to those of Formula One cars and the Porsche 918 Spyder. Bosch supplies the Valkyrie’s ECU, traction control system, and ESP. The braking system is provided by Alcon and Surface Transforms. The front and rear lights are manufactured by Wipac. The car has all-carbon fibre bodywork and is installed with a carbon fibre Monocell from manufacturer Multimatic. Michelin supplies the Valkyrie with the company’s high-performance Sport Cup 2 tyres, having sizes of 265/35-ZR20 at the front and 325/30-ZR21 at the rear. The wheels are constructed out of lightweight magnesium alloy (20 in (510 mm) front, 21 in (530 mm) rear) with race-spec centre-lock wheel nuts to reduce mass. In 2020, after Red Bull Racing’s Red Bull Racing RB16 had its first shakedown in Silverstone Circuit, drivers Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon drove the car around the track.
Ferrari F12 TdF: The F12 TdF was unveiled in October 2015, as a faster, lighter and more powerful special edition of the regular F12 Berlinetta. The accompanying press releases informed us that the the car was created in homage to the legendary Tour de France road races, which it dominated in the 1950s and 1960s with the likes of the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta. However, the full Tour de France name cannot be used, as this is registered to the famous annual cycle race held in France, and even the might of Ferrari’s often belligerent and bullying legal department clearly had not managed to get past that obstacle. The F12 TdF, described by its maker as “the ultimate expression of the concept of an extreme road car that is equally at home on the track”, keeps the same 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine as the regular F12 Berlinetta, but power has been boosted from 730bhp to 770bhp at 8500rpm, while torque has increased from 509lb ft to 520lb ft at 6750rpm. Ferrari says 80% of the car’s torque is available from 2500rpm. By comparison, McLaren’s 675LT features a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and produces 660bhp and 516lb ft – enough to give it a 0-62mph sprint time of 2.9 seconds. The older Ferrari 458 Speciale, meanwhile, made 597bhp from its 4.5-litre naturally aspirated V8. The car is capable of reaching 62mph in 2.9sec and has a top speed of more than 211mph. Official fuel consumption is rated at 18.3mpg, with CO2 emissions of 360g/km. Ferrari says it has has used various modifications derived from its F1 cars to boost the engine’s efficiency. The F12 TdF uses a new version of the firm’s dual-clutch automatic transmission, which features shorter gear ratios. New one-piece brake calipers – the same as those used on the LaFerrari supercar – are said to provide “outstanding” stopping distances, allowing the F12 TdF to brake from 62-0mph in 30.5 metres. Ferrari says the car’s performance is “second to none”, but that it has also been conceived to be “an extremely agile and powerful car which could also be driven by less expert drivers”. The F12 TdF has lapped Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in 1min 21sec. The regular F12 Berlinetta completed the lap in 1min 23sec – the same as the new 488. The LaFerrari currently holds the fastest time on the course, with a time of 1min 19.70sec. Among the other changes made to the F12 TdF are larger front tyres, allowing greater lateral acceleration through corners. Ferrari says the car’s “natural tendency” to oversteer has been compensated for by the use of a new rear-wheel steering system. Dubbed Virtual Short Wheelbase, the system – which automatically adjusts the rear wheels for the optimum steering angle – is said to increase stability at high speeds while guaranteeing “the steering wheel response times and turn-in of a competition car”. The F12 TdF’s aggressive bodywork includes a longer and higher rear spoiler, larger air vents to channel air flow along the sides of the car, a redesigned rear diffuser and new wheel arch louvres. It sits on 20in alloy wheels. Overall, the changes combine to give the F12 TdF 30% more downforce compared to the F12. Ferrari says the redesigned bodywork has almost doubled the aerodynamic efficiency of the car compared to the standard F12, while the use of lightweight carbonfibre inside and out has reduced the F12 TdFf’s kerb weight by 110kg over the standard car, which weighs 1630kg. The cabin is deliberately stripped out. The door panels feature carbonfibre trim, while knee padding replaces the traditional glovebox. The majority of the cabin is trimmed with Alcantara instead of real leather. Aluminium plates feature on the floor instead of mats, again hinting at the car’s track-focused nature. Just 799 examples were built, around 20 of which came to the UK, with an asking price of £339,000, around £100,000 more than the regular F12 Berlinetta.
HALF SCALE CARS
HILTON and MOSS
In mid-1956, sales of the Mercedes 300SL GullWing had begun to fall, and the board decided to show a convertible version at the Geneva show in March and convert the factory to a roadster version in May 1957 to serve the California market. The 300 SL Roadster, with conventional doors, was first exhibited at the Geneva Salon in May 1957. The production of an open 300 SL involved redesigning the cockpit with lower sills for improved access. The rear suspension also incorporated low-pivot swing axles. The 1,420-kilogram (3,131-pound) roadster weighs 125 kilograms (276 pounds) more than the coupe; with 240 hp, the roadster has slightly more power. Its tubular frame was modified to create more space in the boot. The spare tire was placed under the boot floor and, combined with a smaller fuel tank, made room for custom-made fitted luggage. The lower door sill provides a more comfortable entry. The rear axle was changed to a single-joint arrangement, with its pivot point located 87 millimetres (3.4 in) below the differential centreline. This improved handling (particularly in corners) and comfort. Head engineer Uhlenhaut wanted the new low pivot axle for the coupe but was voted down by the board of directors, which reminded him that 3,000 manufactured axle units remained at the factory and costs were already high for the car. An optional hardtop became available in September 1958. Production ended in 1963 when the “Pagoda” W113 model was introduced.
Produced between May 1955 and February 1963, having first been seen in prototype at the 1954 New York Auto Show, the 190SL was designed as a more affordable sports car than the exclusive and rather pricey 300SL, sharing its basic styling, engineering, detailing, and fully independent suspension. While both cars had double wishbones in front and swing axles at the rear, the 190 SL did not use the 300 SL’s purpose-built W198 tubular spaceframe. Instead, it was built on a shortened monocoque R121 platform modified from the W120 saloon. The 190 SL was powered by a new, slightly oversquare 105 PS Type M121 1.9 litre four cylinder engine. Based on the 300 SL’s straight six, it had an unchanged 85 mm bore and 4.3 mm reduced 83.6 mm stroke, was fitted with twin-choke dual Solex carburettors, and produced 120 gross hp. In detuned form, it was later used in the W120 180 and W121 190 models. Both the 190 SL and the 300 SL were replaced by the Mercedes-Benz 230SL in 1963.
ICONIC AUCTIONS
A new name for the Company formerly known as Silverstone Auctions, this renowned auction house had a couple of cars on display here which were part of the LifeStyle auction they held here on the Wednesday.
Launched for 1936, the SS100 was the first real high-performance model produced by SS Cars Limited and used a new Weslake-developed, overhead-valve engine in a shortened SS1 chassis. The introduction of the OHV unit was considered to justify the adoption of a new name for the series, SS Car’s boss, William Lyons, later recalling ‘” immediately pounced on Jaguar as it had an exciting sound to me.’ (‘Jaguar’ would be adopted as the marque name in 1943, ‘SS’ having by then acquired a somewhat tarnished reputation). Although a fine touring car, the SS 100 was marketed as primarily for competition work. Its first major success came early, if somewhat unexpectedly, when Tommy Wisdom, crewed by his wife, won the arduous International Alpine Trial in 1936, beating Bugatti and bringing the fledgling marque to the attention of the Continental public. This would be the first of many successful rallying forays, including class wins in the RAC events of 1937 and 1938. A total of 191 2½-Litre and 118 of the later 3½-Litre cars had been made by the time SS 100 production was prematurely ended by the outbreak of war. I wouldn’t think for a moment that Tommy Wisdom would have considered the possibility that a 15-year old Rumanian Prince (Michael) would have been so impressed by his exploits that, when his father, King Carol II, asked him what he would like for his 16th Birthday, an SS100 Jaguar was top of the list. The very first 3½ litre SS100 built duly arrived and all concerned were very impressed, particularly the King who immediately ordered a 3½ litre SS Jaguar Saloon, the fifth example built. In May 1938, another car, a complete SS100 chassis (#39070) with electrics and instruments but with no bodywork, was shipped to Romania by Anglo Cars and Jaguar historian, the late Andrew Whyte, is recorded as having assumed that this was a ‘spare’ chassis for Prince Michael’s car (a 16-year old in one of Europe’s most powerful cars!!), however, it was actually ordered by King Carol’s mother, the Queen Mother, who had purchased it for her second son Prince Nicholas. Prince Nicholas was a motorsport enthusiast and had formed a friendship with his mechanic, notable Bugatti racer Jean Calcianu, who agreed to design an attractive aluminium body for the car and asked the firm of coachbuilders, Leonida & Co, whose premises were very close to the Royal Palace, to build the car to his design and they were naturally pleased to receive the Royal Commission. We understand that to this day, #39070 remains in that same configuration and is finished in the same shade of, appropriately, Royal Blue. In the very late 1930s, the political climate was becoming anti-Monarchy in a number of Eastern European countries and Prince Nicholas, concerned for the safety of his beloved SS100, asked his friend and Air Force flying instructor, Captain Cula, to hide the car for him awaiting better times, which he duly did. However, tragically, he was killed in a flying accident shortly afterwards leaving the whereabouts of the Jaguar unknown to anyone apart from his wife. In, we assume, a distressed state Mrs Cula engaged a solicitor to help sort out her late husband’s affairs. One thing led to another and the widow Cula became romantically involved with her solicitor which was fine until the relationship cooled and the solicitor had not been paid for his services. Eventually it was agreed that he would take the car and its paperwork as full settlement and the Jaguar was spirited away to another secret location. The next part of the story involves an influential and wealthy Bucharest dealer who had heard of the car and its important history from Calcianu and approached Mrs Cula to see if she would sell him the car only to hear the story of her relationship and debt to her solicitor. The dealer then contacted one Nicholas Mazilu, an engineer and motoring enthusiast to whom he owed a favour, and arranged to meet the solicitor along with Mazilu and a member of the Security Services, the Securitat, ‘mob-handed’ as we would say these days. The intent was to scare the solicitor into selling the car and parting with the papers, so as to recover his debt from the wife. On seeing the car for the first time, the Securitat man recognised it and identified it as having belonged, or possibly still belonging, to the Royal Family, an obvious problem for the solicitor, so a sale price to Mazilu was quickly agreed. So once again the SS was driven off into the night not to be seen again by the solicitor or Mrs Cula. Having planned to sell it, Mazilu became enchanted with the Jaguar and began to use it on a regular basis, even proposing to his wife in it. He worked as an engineer at Brasov University and apparently whenever his fiancé arrived there, Mazilu and the Jaguar were surrounded by pretty girls, leading to him being given the ultimatum “It’s me or the Jaguar” or whatever that is in Rumanian. It was subsequently sold to Dr Viorel Pop who lived in Hunedoara and that’s where the early history of #39070 appears to stop until it was offered for sale in 2000 by Philip Scott after purchasing it from an anonymous dealer in Hungary who was keen to protect himself from any questions from the Hungarian and Romanian authorities, about how the car came into Hungary and in his possession in the first place. Shortly afterwards, now registered WLD 100, it was sold by Coys at auction and by this time was in need of a major restoration. Having initially been concerned about the amount of work involved, our vendor, the car’s current owner, purchased it later in the year and commenced what became a painstaking, decade-long restoration with incredible attention to detail, even making several visits to Romania to talk to people and track the cars history. #39070 was coach-built as a one-off and is certainly not identical in shape to the factory-built cars. The front wings are completely different to the standard model and at the rear the spare wheel is set into the boot lid, reminiscent of the prototype SS90 that Jaguar made in 1935. The quality of the restoration is simply exceptional, however, although fully restored; the engine, gearbox, axle, chassis and 90% of the body are original. The restoration was completed in 2011 and only around 1,500 miles have been covered since then. Supplied with the car are folders full of history (too much to photograph) and many happy hours could simply be spent going through these and learning about this unique car’s history. Included in the files are, a substantial number of invoices, detailed photographs of every aspect of the restoration, history sourcing and even correspondence with King Michael himself.
JAGUAR
A very varied display of Jaguar sports cars here, ranging from an E Type of the early 1960s to the very latest and one of the last of the line F Types
In 1986, the newly-formed Lister Cars, under the leadership of engineer Laurence Pearce, began offering a high performance package for the Jaguar XJS. The cars were sold as Lister-Jaguar and 90 customer cars in total were converted. Lister teamed up with two manufacturers namely WP Automotive and BLE Automotive to carry out the conversion process. The standard package included increased engine displacement to 7.0-litres, a modified fuel injection system with four additional injectors and throttle bodies, larger engine valves along with connecting rods manufactured by Cosworth, a new crankshaft, new cylinder heads, new inlet and exhaust valves, new bearing caps, and a new body kit featuring a spoiler at the rear with a modified rear light clusters and flared wheel arches to accommodate the wide tyres. The modified suspension system featured Koni dampers having 30% stiffer rebound than the original and having a modified rear subframe arrangement with wishbones and radius arms relocated to provide greater triangulation and reduce axle tramp. The new shocks were 100% stiffer at the front and 50% stiffer at the rear. The braking system had ventilated brake discs and were moved outward for better cooling and stability. The interior was also modified and now had Recaro racing bucket seats and a new steering wheel with optimised feedback. The modified engine was rated at 496 bhp and 500 lb/ft (678 Nm) of torque. The engine was mated to a 5-speed Getrag manual transmission. The cars were fitted with 17-inch wheels with wide Pirelli tyres measuring 10 inches at the front and 13 inches at the rear. Performance figures include a 0-97 km/h (60 mph) acceleration time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h). Some customers chose to have their cars further modified with the addition of the Le Mans package. The package included a 6-speed Getrag manual transmission, a new exhaust system, and twin-superchargers over the standard package applied in order to extract a power output of 604 bhp from the engine.
KOENIGSEGG LONDON
Koenigsegg London is a relatively new retailer, dedicated to Sweden’s revolutionary hypercar and was making its second appearance at the Concours, following the opening of a new Kensington showroom a few months ago. Since it was founded in 1994 by Christian Koenigsegg, the company has become known for developing all-new technology and engineering solutions to produce hypercars that push design and performance boundaries. Only a small number of cars are produced every year, so this was a rare chance to see a couple of the company’s models and not surprisingly the stand was pretty busy whenever I wandered by.
Star here was a Koenigsegg Jesko, a limited production mid-engine sports car produced by the Swedish automobile manufacturer Koenigsegg. The car was introduced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and was completely sold out before the show ended. Succeeding the Agera, the Jesko is named as a tribute to the company founder’s father, Jesko von Koenigsegg. There are two variations of the car, the “Absolut” and the “Attack”. The automobile is named after Jesko von Koenigsegg, the father of Christian von Koenigsegg. The engine is a development of the 5,065 cc twin-turbocharged V8 engine used in the Agera. It has four valves per cylinder each with a bore and stroke of 92 mm × 95.25 mm and a compression ratio of 8.6:1. The engine has a power output of 1,280 hp at 7,800 rpm and 1,000 Nm (738 lb/ft) of torque at 2,700 to 6,170 rpm on normal petrol and has a power output of 1,600 hp and 1,500 Nm (1,106 lb/ft) of torque at 5,100 rpm on E85 biofuel. Changes from the Agera’s engine include the use of a new 180-degree flat-plane crankshaft that saves 5 kg (11 lb) and increases the redline from 8,250 rpm to 8,500 rpm. The Jesko also utilises active rubber mounts from the Regera that reduce engine vibrations in the cabin. The two large turbochargers are equipped with a 20-litre air tank made from carbon fibre, coupled with an electric compressor which feeds pressurised air to the turbochargers at a pressure of 20 bar (290 psi) in order to reduce turbo lag. The engine has pressure sensors for each cylinder in order to achieve real time cylinder monitoring for the multipoint fuel injection system. The engine is mated to an in-house developed 9-speed multi-clutch transmission called the “Light Speed Transmission (LST)” by the manufacturer. The new transmission has a weight of 90 kg (198 lb) and it is at least 50% shorter in length than the previous 7-speed dual-clutch unit. It has 9 forward gear combinations using a layout with an input shaft with 3 fixed gears which is mated to a secondary shaft with 3 gears fixed to the output shaft and 3 clutched gears mated to the input shaft and an output shaft with 4 clutched gears (one set is used for reverse which mates directly to the input shaft), allowing the transmission to change gears without an interruption in power delivery due to the speedy nature of clutch actuation and overlap between the clutches opening and closing. The engine’s crankshaft is mated directly to the LST and uses the rotating mass of the transmission components in place of a traditional flywheel. The transmission has a shift time ranging from 20 to 30 milliseconds. It also has an overdrive mode called “Ultimate Power on Demand” that is designed to skip directly to the optimal gear depending on user input, rather than down or upshifting sequentially to that gear. The transmission is controlled by an onboard computer which uses engine and road speed data to engage a gear. Gears are selected by the driver either using the shift paddles mounted on the steering column or the gear selector. Unlike its predecessors, the high-downforce Attack variant of the Jesko has Koenigsegg’s ‘Triplex’ dampers at the front and the rear combined with traditional Öhlins dampers. A horizontal rear damper prevents the rear from pressing on the ground during hard acceleration. The front dampers stabilise the car at high speeds while active rear wheel steering ensures further stability at all performance levels. The carbon body tub used in the Jesko is 40 mm (2 in) longer and 22 mm (1 in) wider from that of its predecessor in order to allow for more passenger room. The tub has been redesigned and incorporates an aluminium monocoque structure for increased rigidity. The car comes standard with forged aluminium centre lock wheels, with diameters of 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear. Lighter carbon fibre wheels are available as an option, weighing 5.9 kg (13 lb) at the front and 7.7 kg (17 lb) at the rear. The tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2’s with codes of 265/35 20 for the front and 345/30 21 for the rear. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres dedicated for track driving are also available as an option. The braking system uses ventilated carbon-ceramic discs. The use of a redesigned monocoque improves leg and headroom in the interior of the Jesko when compared to previous Koenigsegg models. Though weight saving is a priority for interior features, the car is still equipped with amenities such as a climate control system, an infotainment system with a 9.0-inch screen, Apple CarPlay and USB phone charging. The car has unique screens mounted in the steering wheel spokes and a 5.0-inch screen mounted behind the steering wheel displaying vital information to the driver. The seats will be made from hollow carbon fibre but will be electrically adjustable. The Jesko shares Koenigsegg’s ‘Autoskin’ capabilities from the Regera, allowing for remote operation of doors and the hood. It is also possible to hydraulically lift the front and rear axles of the car to give additional ground clearance. The doors have been redesigned so that they open further outward and have more ground clearance while open. The roof has screws in order to ensure it remains in place during high speed driving. The Jesko will be offered in either a high-downforce Attack or low-drag Absolut configuration, with subtle differences between the two variants. The Attack variant, as shown at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, comes equipped with the dual front and rear ‘Triplex’ damper system and added aerodynamic features for track use. Due to this dual suspension setup, it is not possible to store the Targa roof in the front of the car, although this is possible in the Absolut as it will not have a front ‘Triplex’ damper system or front hood air dam.
The Jesko Attack is the high-downforce, default version of the Jesko. This variant has a large rear-wing and a large carbon fiber front splitter that Koenigsegg claims to generate 800 kg (1,764 lb) of downforce at 249 km/h (155 mph), 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) at 275 km/h (171 mph) and 1,400 kg (3,086 lb) at its top speed. This car lapped the Gotland Ring in 2:56.97, beating the former record set by a Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey-Racing edition by nearly seven seconds. The car also lapped the Laguna Seca in 1:24.86. Unveiled online alongside the Gemera on 3 March 2020, the Jesko Absolut is a high speed version of the Jesko. The rear wing on the Jesko Attack is replaced by two rear fins which enable a reduction in downforce from 1,400 kg (3,086 lb) to 150 kg (331 lb) and a drag coefficient of Cd=0.278. The front splitter and side winglets are removed and the front louvers are smoother with the rear wheels featuring removable covers for high speed stability. The vehicle is also slightly elongated featuring a rear extension which adds 85 mm (3 in) of additional length. The engine and transmission remain the same as the Jesko Attack. 3,000 hours were spent on the aerodynamic analysis while an additional 5,000 hours were spent design and engineering work of the Absolut. The Absolut will be priced higher than the Jesko due to the development work taken to lower the drag coefficient. The Jesko Absolut is estimated by the manufacturer to have a top speed of 500 km/h (310 mph), with theoretical speeds as high as 531–563 km/h (330–350 mph). Production of the Jesko was announced to be limited to 125 units, with 40–50 units being produced each year. Unlike its predecessors, the Jesko will be homologated worldwide. It was announced in March 2019 that all the build slots of the Jesko were sold out. In July 2021, Koenigsegg revealed the first pre-series production Jesko and claimed that the first Jesko customer cars are slated for delivery in spring 2022. The first car was delivered in June 2023.
Also here were a couple of examples of the Regera. The Koenigsegg Regera is a limited production, plug-in hybrid grand touring sports car. It was unveiled at the March 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The name Regera is a Swedish verb, meaning “to reign” or “to rule”. Koenigsegg produced 85 Regeras, most of which were sold upon unveiling. The Regera was developed and designed to be a more practical, luxurious, grand touring alternative to the rest of Koenigsegg’s lightweight sports car lineup: initially the Agera and later the Jesko. Consequently it is focused on the smooth and instant delivery of power provided by its overhauled powertrain, rather than on-track performance. The introduction of the Regera alongside the Agera RS in 2015 resulted in Koenigsegg for the first time simultaneously having two models in production. This role was passed from the Agera to the Jesko in 2019, which briefly shared the production line with the Regera when Jesko production began in late 2021. Koenigsegg founder Christian von Koenigsegg purchased a Tesla Model S P85+ in 2013 and was impressed by the car’s ability to instantly deliver power without the need for a downshift or to wait out turbo lag. He was especially impressed with the direct and intuitive experience provided by an electric car like the Tesla, remarking that the instantaneous response of the motors was something even a Formula One car could not attain with a traditional internal combustion engine. Von Koenigsegg sought to combine this desirable aspect of electric powertrains with the traditional Koenigsegg experience of a lightweight, powerful sports car. Realizing some form of compromise was necessary, von Koenigsegg decided to look to a hybrid solution. By removing the traditional 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and switching to a single-gear direct-drive system, Koenigsegg mitigated the added weight of the three electric motors and a 4.5 kW·h battery pack installed in the Regera as compared to the previous Agera models.[15] The single-gear electrical solution also provided the instant response that von Koenigsegg sought, while the onboard internal combustion engine would then maintain the rapid acceleration and power at higher speeds where the electric motors are less effective. The Regera was designed with a combination of the CATIA software suite and Autodesk Inventor, with AutoCAD Electrical being primarily used to redesign the vehicle’s electrical systems from past Koenigsegg models. According to Koenigsegg Technical Director Jon Gunner, the Regera makes use of several power nodes to connect wiring throughout the car compared to the single power node of previous models, which saves weight. Koenigsegg uses 3D printing technologies to manufacture many parts of the Regera. This includes static components like details in the interior of the car under the upholstery and the large electrical exhaust port at the rear of the car, as well as dynamic components like the variable-geometry turbocharger in the engine. This manufacturing technique allowed Koenigsegg to better tune airflow through the turbochargers and achieve a more complex inner housing shape which was impossible with conventional methods. The Regera was used by NVIDIA to introduce Project Holodeck, a virtual reality environment capable of importing and manipulating high-detail 3D models. This technology was used by Koenigsegg engineers to collaborate on design ideas in real-time and could allow customers to experience their custom made vehicle in VR before it is purchased or built. The Regera is a two-door targa top with a detachable roof that can be stowed in the boot.[19] It is the first hybrid car to be produced by Koenigsegg, as well as the first vehicle to use their Direct-Drive System for power delivery. As the company’s ‘grand touring’ oriented offer in their two-car lineup, the Regera focuses more on interior luxury and daily usability instead of hardcore track performance like the Jesko. The Regera has a reported total power output of 1,340 kW (1,797 hp) through a hybrid powertrain. As in general, the Regera’s internal combustion engine (ICE) generates its greatest power only at high rpm; however, due to the fixed gear, this corresponds to very high speeds. Power at low speeds is filled in by the electric motors, giving a maximum combined mechanical power output of 1,500 hp and 2,000 Nm (1,475 lb/ft) of torque. The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) is a mid-rear mounted, in-house developed, twin-turbocharged V8 engine with a 5.0-litre displacement. It has four valves per cylinder, each with a bore and stroke of 92 mm × 95.25 mm and a compression ratio of 9.3:1. The engine utilizes dry sump lubrication and dual overhead camshafts, and has a cylinder bank angle of 90º. It is rated at 1,100 hp at 7,800 rpm and 1,280 Nm (944 lb/ft) of torque at 4,100 rpm on 95 octane RON gasoline. A flex fuel sensor is installed in the fuel tank to detect E85 biofuel, which increases the power output to 1,500 hp. The ICE is rev-limited at 8,250 rpm. The ICE works in conjunction with three YASA electric motors with a total capacity of 520 kW (697 hp) and 900 Nm (664 lb/ft) of torque. One 160 kW (215 hp; 218 PS) YASA 400 Motor Generator Unit mounted on the crankshaft acts as starter and generator and supplies torque fill; and two 180 kW (241 hp) YASA 750 wheel-shaft mounted electric motors drive each rear wheel and provide torque vectoring and manages traction. The electric motors are powered by a 4.5 kWh, 800 volt, 75 kg (165 lb) liquid cooled battery pack developed by Rimac Automobili, making it the first 800-volt production car. Koenigsegg claims that the battery pack is the most power-dense battery pack ever created for a production car. Under braking, the kinetic energy recovery system in the Regera can regenerate up to 150 kW of power to recharge the battery during operation. Koenigsegg originally planned to build 80 Regeras, making it the largest single-vehicle production run from the company at the time of its unveiling, though ultimately 85 Regera were built. All sold out on 13 June 2017 to customers and dealerships, just over two years after the initial unveiling of the car in Geneva. A number of special editions of the Regera have been built on customer request. These special editions usually involve custom paint jobs or carbon fibre work, special interior materials, and optional aerodynamics packages.
LOTUS
There are now three different models in the Lotus range, two of them all-electric and very different from all former models from this Norfolk-based firm. The Emira is a proper sports car and it ias now joined by the Eletre SUV and the Emeya saloon.
McLAREN
McLaren had an example of each of the three cars in their current range here, the 750S, Artura and GTS.
NICHOLAS MEE
Renowned Aston Martin specialist, Hertfordshire-based Nicholas Mee Ltd had a trio of cars on display.
1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series II Lightweight Race Car: Stripped out, paired down, re-engineered and developed to race. The DB4 lightweight’s when seen on track, provided a formidable sight and spectacle. Becoming ever faster, with over 20 years of evolution. The high state of development and engine tune resulted in spectacular racing within club motorsport. With power in excess of 400 bhp available from the fully developed original Tadek Marek designed Aston Martin 6-cylinder engine, a total weight of less than 1000 kilos and with limited traction from the regulated narrow width tyres, driven via a limited slip beam axle. The extreme performance of the lightweight DB4’s attracted many professional and amateur drivers, entertaining many race spectators in period, with their lively performance and easily provoked ‘sideways action’ on UK and international circuits. This exciting Lightweight DB4, chassis DB4/552/R, is an early Series II example, was supplied by AM dealer Charles Sidney of Yorkshire in March 1961. Enjoyed as a road car for some 20 years, its first taste of competition was between 1980 and 1982, when it was driven in AMOC hill climb events. Between 1986 and 1990, the car was restored and rebuilt to its Lightweight specification by the combined efforts of Ian Mason Ltd, Tickford Engineering, and ADA Engineering. Initially fitted with an upgraded 4.2-litre engine, between 1990 and 2000 it was owned and raced by Kohji Nakauchi, a Japanese collector passionate about British cars, who had previously owned both the Scimitar sports car marque and the Brabham F1 team during the late 1980’s. When this car returned to the UK, just after the millennium, it was the subject of a further upgrade programme, including the engine being rebuilt to a 4.5-litre specification by Aston Engineering in 2005 and further uprated to, full race specification in 2007. Its David Brown four-speed gearbox was rebuilt with Hewland competition internals, the front suspension modified with lowered front roll centre, adjustable front anti roll bar, competition springs, adjustable dampers and AP Racing brakes fitted. The limited slip live rear axle also equipped with adjustable control arms, competition coil springs & dampers and with Girling competition brake callipers. For many years DB4/552/R was maintained and prepared by the late racer and engineer Colin Blower and Aston Engineering Ltd and has been an extremely reliable and competitive entrant in Aston Martin Owners Club racing. Throughout its motorsport life it has appeared in circa 100 races, a remarkable achievement which certainly bears testament to the quality of its competition build and maintenance. This Lightweights last circuit appearance was at the AMOC Racing St John Horsfall Memorial Meeting in October 2020, when it was campaigned by renowned motoring journalist and racer Andrew Frankel and Peter Smith, whilst in 2021 it ran in that years Brighton Speed Trials. Quite possibly the most developed of all of the DB4 Lightweights, this example is finished in Metallic Chiltern Green and its interior is presented in tidy and good cosmetic condition.
Also here were a DB5 and the thunderous Vantage V550 of the mid 1990s.
SUPERCAR THURSDAY
My visit was on the Thursday which was designated as Supercar Thursday and there were special displays of supercars in various areas of the site. Many of these were organised through the auspices of the Drivers Union, and unlike many events that their members attend, on this occasion, the cars actually stayed in place for a significant period of time.
ASTON MARTIN
This version of the Vanquish started life as the Project AM310 Concept that was unveiled at the 2012 Concorso D’Eleganza at Villa D’Este on the shores of Lake Como, Italy. The concept car was based on the fourth generation VH platform. It included a tweaked version of Aston Martin’s familiar grille and headlight design and a more pronounced bulge in the bonnet – with the real One-77-inspired flourishes saved for the sides and the rear, the side vents run almost to the door handles (from One-77), new rear light design from One-77, and a 5.9-litre V12 engine that produced 550 PS. Aston Martin later announced that the concept would be put into production as the all new Aston Martin Vanquish. The exterior styling of the Vanquish is an evolution of the DBS with many styling cues such as the elongated side strakes being inspired by the Aston Martin One-77. The boot lid included an integrated rear spoiler designed to look as if it is impossible to make; this was done on the orders of Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr. Ulrich Bez. The car has an exposed carbon fibre side skirt showing its all carbon fibre body. The Vanquish uses the new VH Generation IV platform which is lighter and uses more carbon fibre components than the VH Generation II platform used in the DBS. The car featured an all new interior based on the one found in the exclusive One-77. The standard interior was trimmed in hand stitched leather and alcantara and was available in a range of colours. The centre console features an revised infotainment system over the one found in the DBS. The car was available as either a 2-seater or 2+2. The Vanquish used an upgraded version of Aston Martin’s flagship 5.9-litre AM11 V12 engine called the AM28 with a power output of 565 bhp at 6,750 rpm and torque of 457 lb/ft at 5,500 rpm. The Vanquish can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.1 seconds, and has a top speed of 295 km/h (183 mph). Like most Aston Martins, the engine is front mid-mounted for better weight distribution, with the power going to the rear wheels. The Vanquish has 51/49 front/rear weight distribution, and a kerb weight of 1,739 kg (3,834 lb). It uses a fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves. The Vanquish uses an updated Touchtronic II six-speed automatic gearbox. It was the first Aston Martin model to be available with launch control. The combined space of cabin and a boot that, at 368 litres, is more than 60% larger than that of the DBS. The brakes are ventilated carbon ceramic discs, 398 mm (15.7 in) six-piston callipers in the front and 360 mm (14.2 in) four-piston callipers in the rear. The suspension is a lightweight aluminium front subframe with hollow castings with independent double wishbones incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar, and monotube adaptive dampers in the front and independent double wishbones with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar, and monotube adaptive dampers in the rear. It has a three-stage adjustable adaptive damping system including normal, sport and track modes. The tyres are Pirelli P Zeros, 255/ZR20 in the front and 305/30 ZR20 in the rear. The vehicle was unveiled in the London Film Museum, Covent Garden, followed by 2012 Monterey Car Week. Deliveries to UK and Continental Europe began in late 2012. In August 2014, Aston Martin revealed technical modifications to the Vanquish. The changes include a new eight-speed Touchtronic III gearbox and upgraded AM29 V12 engine that produces 568 bhp and torque of 465 lb/ft. The changes greatly enhanced performance, with an acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds, and a top speed of 324 km/h (201 mph). In 2013, Aston Martin unveiled a convertible version of the Vanquish, called Volante. The Volante includes a full carbon fibre body, triple-skin lightweight fabric roof, 50% larger boot than its predecessor and the third generation Brembo 398 mm × 36 mm front and 360 mm × 32 mm CCM rear Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brake discs with six-piston front and four-piston rear brake callipers (from the One-77). The Vanquish Volante is 13% torsionally stiffer than the outgoing DBS Volante. The carbon fibre-skin of the Vanquish Volante was created by the engineering team at Aston Martin. The vehicle was unveiled at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Deliveries to Europe began in late 2013. On 16 November 2016, Aston Martin announced the new Vanquish S model. The Vanquish S features the same AM29 V12 engine, with power now increased to 595 bhp, and a new aerodynamic package. The Vanquish S can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.5 seconds, and the top speed remains unchanged at 201 mph (324 km/h). The starting price at launch was £199,950 and deliveries started in December 2016. Aston Martin also unveiled a convertible version of the Vanquish S called the Vanquish S Volante in 2017.
The latest and still current Aston Martin Vantage was unveiled on 21 November 2017 with production starting in June 2018, replacing the previous model which had been in production for 12 years. It introduced a new styling direction but this was not universally well received and the car had a hefty price increase over its predecessor. Muted press enthusiasm did not help and sales have been disappointing. Aston Martin have continued to develop the model with a number of new versions introduced, to try to improve demand. The Vantage AMR is a track-focused variant of the Vantage. The main highlight of the model is the replacement of the ZF 8-speed automatic transmission with a dog-leg Graziano Trasmissioni 7-speed manual transmission previously used on the V12 Vantage S. The AMR also comes with a driver-selectable AMSHIFT system which controls the throttle during gear shifting. A new limited-slip differential ensures linear delivery of power. The power-band of the engine is wider and the unit is designed to deliver 625 Nm (461 lb/ft) of torque from 2,000 rpm to 5,000 rpm. The use of a manual transmission and carbon-ceramic brakes reduce the weight by 95 kg (209 lb). New adaptive dampers with the section of Sport, Sport + and Track modes improve handling. Performance figures include a 0–97 km/h (60 mph) acceleration time of 3.9 seconds, half a second more than the standard Vantage while the top speed remains the same as the standard model. Visual changes include 20-inch forged wheels as available on the Rapide AMR, new carbon fibre side vents and cooling vents present on the hood a sports exhaust system with quad tailpipes and racing bucket seats. Production of the AMR will be limited to 200 units worldwide. Available exterior colours for the AMR include Sabiro Blue, Pnyx Black, China Grey and White Stone. The final 59 cars will be finished in a Sterling Green exterior colour with Lime accents and will pay homage to the 1959 24 Hours of LeMans victory of Aston Martin. Once the production of the AMR ceases, the 7-speed manual transmission will become available on the standard Vantage. The vehicle went on sale in May 2019, with delivery set to begin in Q4 2019. Revealed in February 2020, the Vantage Roadster is a convertible version of the V8 Coupe with a fabric roof. The roof claimed to be the fastest of any automotive automatic convertible system, takes 6.7 seconds to lower and 6.8 seconds to raise and can be operated at speeds of up to 50 km/h (31 mph). The Vantage Roadster has a dry weight of 1,628 kg (3,589 lb). The F1 Edition is a version of the V8 Coupe and V8 Roadster commemorating Aston Martin’s return to Formula One after 61 years. The car features a fixed rear wing at the back, increased engine power to 535 PS (528 bhp), a top speed of 314 km/h (195 mph), new 21-inch wheel rims, and a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration time of 3.5 seconds. The car is available in three colours: Aston Martin Racing Green, Jet Black, and Lunar White. A convertible version called the Roadster is also available. Delivery began in May 2021.
Also here was the DBS Superleggera, top of the regular range, production of which is about to cease in favour of a model which will see the return of the Vanquish nameplate.
AUDI
The Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car (designed by Frank Lamberty and Julian Hoenig) first appeared at the 2003 International Geneva Motor Show and the 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The R8 road car was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There was some confusion with the name, which the car shares with the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning R8 Le Mans Prototype (LMP). Initial models included the R8 4.2 FSI coupé (with a V8 engine) and R8 5.2 FSI coupé (with a V10 engine). Convertible models, called the Spyder by the manufacturer, were introduced in 2008, followed by the high-performance GT model introduced in 2011. The Motorsport variants of the R8 were also subsequently introduced from 2008 onwards. An all-electric version called the e-Tron started development but would only reach production stage when the second generation model would be introduced. 6-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx described the R8 as “the best handling road car today” and the car was well received by everyone who drove it. The car received a facelift in 2012 and a new model called the V10 Plus was now added to the range. Production of the Type 42 ended in August 2015
CHEVROLET
There was another example of the C8, the latest and still current version of the Corvette here.
FERRARI
The 275 GTS was a two-seat grand touring spider produced from 1964 to 1966. The 275 GTS was introduced at the same time as the 275 GTB and was mechanically almost identical, sharing the 3.3 litre V12, transaxle, chassis and fully independent suspension. Ferrari reported that the engine fitted to the 275 GTS produced 260 bhp. This was less than the reported 280 bhp produced by the 275 GTB, although there was likely no difference in engines between the models. The 275 GTS was never equipped with a torque tube, unlike the 275 GTB series II. This model was fitted with 205Vr15 Pirelli Cinturato CN72 tyres on Borrani wire wheels. The all steel 275 GTS body was designed and manufactured by Pininfarina. Its appearance was entirely different than that of the 275 GTB coupé, with a shorter front hood, smaller uncovered headlights, and overall balanced proportions suggesting earlier 250 Pininfarina Cabriolet models. All 275 GTS were equipped with a folding cloth convertible top and an additional removable hard top was a factory option. Ferrari produced a total of 200 275 GTS between late 1964 and early 1966, including 19 in right hand drive. The 275 GTS was replaced in 1966 by the 330 GTS, leaving no 3.3 L spider in the range until the creation of the 275 GTB/4 NART Spider.
The 308 GTB was launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1975 as a direct replacement for the Dino 246. Designed by Pininfarina with sweeping curves and aggressive lines, the 308 has gone on to become one of the most recognised Ferraris of all time. Fitted with a 2.9 litre DOHC V8 engine fed by four Webber 40DCNF Carburettors, the power output of 255bhp was sufficient to propel the 308 from 0 to 60mph in 6.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 159 mph. Tougher emissions standards in the 1980s challenged Ferrari more than many other marques. In 1980, fuel injection was adopted for the first time on the 308 GTB and GTS models, and power dropped quite noticeably from 240 bhp to 214bhp. Two years later, at the 1982 Paris Motor Show, Ferrari launched the 308 quattrovalvole, in GTB and GTS form. The main change from the 308 GTBi/GTSi it succeeded were the 4-valves per cylinder—hence its name, which pushed output back up to 240 hp restoring some of the performance lost to the emission control equipment. The new model could be recognised by the addition of a slim louvred panel in the front lid to aid radiator exhaust air exit, power operated mirrors carrying a small enamel Ferrari badge, a redesigned radiator grille with rectangular driving lights on each side, and rectangular (in place of round) side repeaters. The interior also received some minor updates, such as a satin black three spoke steering wheel with triangular centre; cloth seat centres became available as an option to the standard full leather. Available included metallic paint, a deep front spoiler, air conditioning, wider wheels, 16-inch Speedline wheels with Pirelli P7 tyres, and a satin black roof aerofoil (standard on Japanese market models). Apart from the 32-valve cylinder heads, the V8 engine was essentially of the same design as that used in the 308 GTSi model. The gear and final drive ratios were altered to suit the revised characteristics of the four valves per cylinder engine. One other significant benefit of the QV four valve heads was the replacement of the non-QV models sodium valves which have been known to fail at the joint between the head and the stem. Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and Marelli Digiplex electronic ignition were carried over from the GTBi/GTSi. The car was produced in this form until the launch of the 328 models in the autumn of 1985 which had larger 3.2 litre engines and a number of styling changes. 308 GTB models are becoming increasingly sought after, with prices rising steadily and quite steeply.
Object of many a poster on a young enthusiast’s bedroom wall when the car was new was the Testarossa and there was a couple of nice examples here. A replacement for the BB512i, the final iteration of Ferrari’s first ever mid-engined road car, the Testarossa was launched at the Paris Show in October 1984. The Pininfarina-designed car was produced until 1991, with the same basic design then going through two model revisions, with the 512 TR and later F512 M which were produced from 1992 to 1996 before the model was replaced by the front-engined 550 Maranello. Almost 10,000 Testarossas, 512 TRs, and F512 Ms were produced, making it one of the most-produced Ferrari models, despite its high price and exotic design. The Testarossa followed the same concept as the BB512, but was intended to fix some of the criticisms of the earlier car, such as a cabin that got increasingly hot from the indoor plumbing that ran between the front-mounted radiator and the midships-mounted engine and a lack of luggage space. This resulted in a car that was larger, and at 1,976 millimetres (78 in) wide the Testarossa was half a foot wider than the Boxer and immediately condemned for being too wide, though these days it does not appear anything like as wide as it did when new. This resulted in an increased wheelbase that stretched about 64 mm (2.5 in) to 2,550 mm (100 in) which was used to accommodate luggage in a carpeted storage space under the front forward-opening lid. The increase in length created extra storage space behind the seats in the cabin. Headroom was also increased with a roofline half an inch taller than the Boxer. The design came from Pininfarina with a team of designers led by design chief Leonardo Fioravanti, the designer of many contemporary Ferraris. The design was originated by Nicosia, but the guidance of Fioravanti was equally important. Being a trained aerodynamicist, Fioravanti applied his know-how to set the aerodynamics layout of the car. This meant the large side intakes were not only a statement of style but actually functional – they drew clean air to cool the side radiators and then went upward and left the car through the ventilation holes located at the engine lid and the tail. As a result, the Testarossa did not need a rear spoiler like Lamborghini’s Countach yet produced zero lift at its rear axle. The aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.36 was also significantly better than the Lamborghini’s 0.42. Pininfarina’s body was a departure from the curvaceous boxer—one which caused some controversy. The side strakes sometimes referred to as “cheese graters” or “egg slicers,” that spanned from the doors to the rear wings were needed for rules in several countries outlawing large openings on cars. The Testarossa had twin radiators in the back with the engine instead of a single radiator up-front. In conjunction the strakes provided cool air to the rear-mounted side radiators, thus keeping the engine from overheating. The strakes also made the Testarossa wider at the rear than in the front, thus increasing stability and handling. One last unique addition to the new design was a single high mounted rear view mirror on the driver’s side. On US based cars, the mirror was lowered to a more normal placement in 1987 and quickly joined by a passenger side rear view mirror for the driver to be able to make safe easy lane changes. Like its predecessor, the Testarossa used double wishbone front and rear suspension systems. Ferrari improved traction by adding 10-inch-wide alloy rear wheels. The Testarossa drivetrain was also an evolution of the BB 512i. Its engine used near identical displacement and compression ratio, but unlike the BB 512i had four-valve cylinder heads that were finished in red. The capacity was 4,943 cc, in a flat-12 engine mid mounted. Each cylinder had four valves, lubricated via a dry sump system, and a compression ratio of 9.20:1. These combined to provide a maximum torque of 490 Nm (361 lb/ft) at 4500 rpm and a maximum power of 390 hp at 6300 rpm. That was enough to allow the Testarossa to accelerate from 0–60 mph in 5.2 seconds and on to 100 mph. The original Testarossa was re-engineered for 1992 and released as the 512 TR, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, effectively as a completely new car, with an improved weight distribution of 41% front: 59% rear. The F512 M was introduced at the 1994 Paris Auto Show, with the M standing for “modificata”. That car is easy to spot as it lost the pop-up headlights and gained awkward glazed in units.
Introduced at the 1985 Frankfurt Show alongside the Mondial 3.2 series, the Ferrari 328 GTB and GTS (Type F106) were the successors to the Ferrari 308 GTB and GTS which had first been seen in October 1975. While mechanically still based on the 308 GTB and GTS respectively, small modifications were made to the body style and engine, most notably an increase in engine displacement to 3185 cc for increased power and torque output. As had been the case for a generation of the smaller Ferraris, the model name referred to the total cubic capacity of the engine, 3.2 litres, and 8 for the number of cylinders. Essentially the new model was a revised and updated version of the 308 GTS, which had survived for eight years without any radical change to the overall shape, albeit with various changes to the 3-litre engine. The 328 model presented a softening of the wedge profile of its predecessor, with a redesigned nose that had a more rounded shape, which was complemented by similar treatment to the tail valance panel. The revised nose and tail sections featured body colour bumpers integral with the valance panels, which reflected the work done concurrently to present the Mondial 3.2 models, with which they also shared a similar radiator grille and front light assembly layout. Thus all the eight-cylinder cars in the range shared fairly unified front and rear aspects, providing a homogeneous family image. The exhaust air louvres behind the retractable headlight pods on the 308 series disappeared, coupled with an increase in the size of the front lid radiator exhaust air louvre, which had been introduced on the 308 Quattrovalvole models, whilst a new style and position of exterior door catch was also provided. The interior trim also had a thorough overhaul, with new designs for the seat panel upholstery and stitching, revised door panels and pulls, together with more modern switchgear, which complemented the external updating details. Optional equipment available was air conditioning, metallic paint, Pirelli P7 tyres, a leather dashboard, leather headlining to the removable roof panel plus rear window surround, and a rear aerofoil (standard on Japanese market models). In the middle of 1988 ABS brakes were made available as an option, which necessitated a redesign of the suspension geometry to provide negative offset. This in turn meant that the road wheel design was changed to accommodate this feature. The original flat spoke “star” wheels became a convex design, in the style as fitted to the 3.2 Mondial models, whether ABS was fitted or not. The main European market 328 GTS models had a tubular chassis with a factory type reference F 106 MS 100. Disc brakes, with independent suspension via wishbones, coil springs, and hydraulic shock absorbers, were provided all round, with front and rear anti roll bars. There were various world market models, each having slight differences, with right and left hand drive available. The V8 engine was essentially of the same design as that used in the 308 Quattrovalvole model, with an increase in capacity to 3185 cc. The engine retained the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system of its predecessor, but was fitted with a Marelli MED 806 A electronic ignition system, to produce a claimed power output of 270 bhp at 7000 rpm. As with the preceding 308 models the engine was mounted in unit with the all synchromesh five-speed manual transmission assembly, which was below, and to the rear of the engine’s sump. The 328 GTS continued in production for four years, until replaced by the 348 ts model in the autumn of 1989, during which time 6068 examples were produced, GTS production outnumbering the GTB (1344 produced) version almost five to one.
It was with the 360 Modena that sales of Ferrari models really took off, with unprecedented volumes of the car being sold. The 360 Modena was launched in 1999, named after the town of Modena, the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari. A major innovation in this all new model came from Ferrari’s partnership with Alcoa which resulted in an entirely new all-aluminium space-frame chassis that was 40% stiffer than the F355 which had utilised steel. The design was 28% lighter despite a 10% increase in overall dimensions. Along with a lightweight frame the new Pininfarina body styling deviated from traditions of the previous decade’s sharp angles and flip-up headlights. The new V8 engine, common to all versions, was of 3.6 litre capacity with a flat plane crankshaft, titanium connecting rods and generates 400 bhp Despite what looks like on paper modest gains in reality the power to weight ratio was significantly improved on over the F355, this was due to the combination of both a lighter car and more power. The 0 to 100 km/h acceleration performance improved from 4.6 to 4.3 seconds. The first model to be rolled out was the 360 Modena, available as a manual, or an F1 electrohydraulic manual. Next up was an open car. The 360 was designed with a Spider variant in mind; since removing the roof of a coupe reduces the torsional rigidity, the 360 was built for strength in other areas. Ferrari designers strengthened the sills, stiffened the front of the floorpan and redesigned the windscreen frame. The rear bulkhead had to be stiffened to cut out engine noise from the cabin. The convertible’s necessary dynamic rigidity is provided by additional side reinforcements and a cross brace in front of the engine. Passenger safety is ensured by a strengthened windscreen frame and roll bars. The 360 Spider displays a curvilinear waistline. The fairings imply the start of a roof, and stable roll bars are embedded in these elevations. Due to use of light aluminium construction throughout, the Spider weighs in only 60 kg heavier than the coupé. As with the Modena version, its 3.6 litre V8 with 400 bhp is on display under a glass cover. The engine — confined in space by the convertible’s top’s storage area — acquires additional air supply through especially large side grills. The intake manifolds were moved toward the center of the engine between the air supply conduits in the Spider engine compartment, as opposed to lying apart as with the Modena. In terms of performance, the 0-60 mph time was slightly slower at 4.4 seconds due to the slight weight increase, and the top speed was reduced from 189 to 180 mph. Despite the car’s mid-mounted V8 engine, the electrically operated top is able to stow into the compartment when not in use. The convertible top was available in black, blue, grey and beige. The transformation from a closed top to an open-air convertible is a two-stage folding-action that has been dubbed “a stunning 20 second mechanical symphony”. The interior of the Spider is identical to that of the coupé.
Firmly placed in Ferrari’s history as one of their finest big GTs, the 550 Maranello’s combination of stylish Pininfarina lines and front mounted 12-cylinder engine meant this car had the potential to become an instant classic, following in the footsteps of its forebear, the 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’, and if you look at the way the prices are steading to go, it’s clear that the potential is being realised. Launched in 1996, and with modern styling cues, a 5.5 litre V12 engine producing around 485bhp and a reported top speed of 199mph, the 550 Maranello was a serious motor car. A less frenetic power delivery, the six speed manual box and excellent weight distribution were all factors in the 550 becoming the perfect European Grand Tourer. Ferrari updated the car to create the 575M. Launched in 2002, it is essentially an updated 550 Maranello featuring minor styling changes from Pininfarina. The 575M was replaced by the 599 GTB in the first half of 2006. Updates from the 550 included a redesigned interior and substantial mechanical improvements, including bigger brake discs, a larger and more powerful engine, improved weight distribution, refined aerodynamics and fluid-dynamics along with an adaptive suspension set-up (the four independent suspensions are also controlled by the gearbox, to minimize pitch throughout the 200-milliseconds shift time). Two six-speed transmissions were available, a conventional manual gearbox and, for the first time on a Ferrari V12, Magneti Marelli’s “F1” automated manual gearbox. The 575 model number refers to total engine displacement in cc, whilst the ‘M’ is an abbreviation of modificata (“modified”).
Superamerica was a convertible version of the 575M Maranello; it featured an electrochromic glass panel roof which rotated 180° at the rear to lie flat over the boot taking 60 seconds for operation. Patented Revocromico the roof incorporates a carbon-fibre structure that is hinged on the single axis with a luggage compartment lid, allowing access to the latter even with an open roof. The roof was manufactured in collaboration with French glass specialist Saint Gobain. With the roof open, the rear window, apart from holding the third stoplight, also acts as a wind deflector. This roof design was previously used on a 2000 Alfa Romeo Vola, designed by Leonardo Fioravanti. The Superamerica used the higher-output tune of the V12 engine used on the 575M, codenamed the F133 G, rated at 540 PS (533 hp) and Ferrari marketed it as the world’s fastest convertible car, with a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). The GTC handling package was optional. Total production amounted to 559 units; this number followed Enzo Ferrari’s philosophy that there should always be one fewer car available than what the market demanded; only 43 of those had a manual gearbox.
The next V12 engined Ferrari was the 599 GTB (internal code F141) a new flagship, replacing the 575M Maranello. Styled by Pininfarina under the direction of Ferrari’s Frank Stephenson, the 599 GTB debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in February 2006. It is named for its total engine displacement (5999 cc), Gran Turismo Berlinetta nature, and the Fiorano Circuit test track used by Ferrari. The Tipo F140 C 5999 cc V12 engine produced a maximum 620 PS (612 hp), making it the most powerful series production Ferrari road car of the time. At the time of its introduction, this was one of the few engines whose output exceeded 100 hp per litre of displacement without any sort of forced-induction mechanism such as supercharging or turbocharging. Its 448 ft·lb of torque was also a record for Ferrari’s GT cars. Most of the modifications to the engine were done to allow it to fit in the Fiorano’s engine bay (the original Enzo version could be taller as it would not block forward vision due to its mid-mounted position). A traditional 6-speed manual transmission as well as Ferrari’s 6-speed called “F1 SuperFast” was offered. The Fiorano also saw the debut of Ferrari’s new traction control system, F1-Trac. The vast majority of the 599 GTB’s were equipped with the semi-automatic gearbox, with just 30 examples produced with a manual gearbox of which 20 were destined for the United States and 10 remained in Europe. The car changed little during its 6 year production, though the range did gain additional versions, with the HGTE model being the first, with a number of chassis and suspension changes aimed at making the car even sharper to drive, and then the more potent 599GTO came in 2010. With 670 bhp, this was the fastest road-going Ferrari ever made. Just 599 were made. The model was superceded by the F12 Berlinetta in 2012.
After a gap of some years, Ferrari added a 4 seater V8 model to the range at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, with the California. According to industry rumours, the California originally started as a concept for a new Maserati, but the resulting expense to produce the car led the Fiat Group to badge it as a Ferrari in order to justify the high cost of purchase; the company denies this, however. The California heralded a number of firsts for Ferrari: the first front engined Ferrari with a V8; te first to feature a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission; the first with a folding metal roof; the first with multi-link rear suspension; and the first with direct petrol injection. Bosch produced the direct injection system. The engine displaces 4,297 cc, and used direct injection. It delivered 453 bhp at 7,750 rpm; its maximum torque produced was 358 lb/ft at 5,000 rpm. The resulting 106 bhp per litre of engine displacement is one of the highest for a naturally aspirated engine, as other manufacturers have used supercharging or turbocharging to reach similar power levels. Ferrari spent over 1,000 hours in the wind tunnel with a one-third-scale model of the California perfecting its aerodynamics. With the top up, the California has a drag coefficient of Cd=0.32, making it the most aerodynamic Ferrari ever made until the introduction of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. Throughout the California’s production, only 3 cars were built with manual transmission, including one order from the UK. On 15 February 2012, Ferrari announced an upgrade, which was lighter and more powerful. Changes include reducing body weight by 30 kg (66 lb), increased power by output of 30 PS and 11 lbf·ft, acceleration from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) time reduced to 3.8 seconds, introduction of Handling Speciale package and elimination of the manual transmission option. The car was released at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as a 2012 model in Europe. To give the clients a more dynamic driving experience, an optional HS (Handling Speciale) package was developed as part of the update. It can be recognised by a silver coloured grille and ventilation blisters behind the front wheel wells. The HS package includes Delphi MagneRide magnetorheological dampers controlled by an ECU with 50% faster response time running patented Ferrari software, stiffer springs for more precise body control and a steering rack with a 9 per cent quicker steering ratio (2.3 turns lock to lock as opposed to the standard rack’s 2.5). A more substantive update came in 2014, with the launch of the California T, which remains in production. It featured new sheetmetal, a new interior, a revised chassis and a new turbocharged powertrain.
Next up was the 458, of which there were examples of both the closed Coupe and the later Spider model. An all new design, the 458 Italia was first officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Once more, Ferrari advised that the model incorporated technologies developed from the company’s experience in Formula 1. The body computer system was developed by Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting. The 458 came with a 4,499 cc V8 engine of the “Ferrari/Maserati” F136 engine family, producing 570 PS ( 562 hp) at 9,000 rpm and 540 N·m (398 lb/ft) at 6,000 rpm with 80% torque available at 3,250 rpm. The engine featured direct fuel injection, a first for Ferrari mid-engine setups in its road cars. The only transmission available was a dual-clutch 7-speed Getrag gearbox, in a different state of tune shared with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. There was no traditional manual option, making this the fourth road-car after the Enzo, Challenge Stradale and 430 Scuderia not to be offered with Ferrari’s classic gated manual. The car’s suspension featured double wishbones at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear, coupled with E-Diff and F1-Trac traction control systems, designed to improve the car’s cornering and longitudinal acceleration by 32% when compared with its predecessors.The brakes included a prefill function whereby the pistons in the calipers move the pads into contact with the discs on lift off to minimise delay in the brakes being applied. This combined with the ABS and standard Carbon Ceramic brakes caused a reduction in stopping distance from 100–0 km/h (62-0 mph) to 32.5 metres. Ferrari’s official 0–100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time was quoted as 2.9–3.0 seconds with a top speed of 340 km/h (210 mph). In keeping with Ferrari tradition the body was designed by Pininfarina under the leadership of Donato Coco, the Ferrari design director. The interior design of Ferrari 458 Italia was designed by Bertrand Rapatel, a French automobile designer. The car’s exterior styling and features were designed for aerodynamic efficiency, producing a downforce of 140 kg (309 lb) at 200 km/h. In particular, the front grille features deformable winglets that lower at high speeds, in order to offer reduced drag. The car’s interior was designed using input from former Ferrari Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher; in a layout common to racing cars, the new steering wheel incorporates many controls normally located on the dashboard or on stalks, such as turning signals or high beams. At launch the car was widely praised as being pretty much near perfect in every regard. It did lack a fresh air version, though, but that was addressed with the launch of the 458 Spider at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. This convertible variant of the 458 Italia featured an aluminium retractable hardtop which, according to Ferrari, weighs 25 kilograms (55 lb) less than a soft roof such as the one found on the Ferrari F430 Spider, and can be opened in 14 seconds The engine cover was redesigned to accommodate the retractable roof system. It had the same 0–100 km/h time as the hard-top but a lower top speed of 199 mph. It quickly became the better seller of the two versions.
The Ferrari F12berlinetta (Type F152) is a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive grand tourer which debuted at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, and replaces the 599 grand tourer. The naturally aspirated 6.3 litre Ferrari V12 engine used in the F12berlinetta has won the 2013 International Engine of the Year Award in the Best Performance category and Best Engine above 4.0 litres. The F12berlinetta was named “The Supercar of the Year 2012” by car magazine Top Gear. The F12berlinetta was replaced by the 812 Superfast in 2017.
Launched at the 2015 Geneva Show, the 488GTB followed the lead set by the California T in bringing turbocharging into a modern-day, mid-engined V8 Ferrari supercar for the first time. The engine is completely new when compared with its V8 stablemate, not only in components but also in feel and character. It is a twin-turbocharged 3902cc unit whilst that in the California T is 3855cc. In the 488 GTB, it produces 660bhp at 8000rpm and 560lb ft at 3000rpm. Both outputs are significant increases over the normally aspirated 4.5-litre V8 used in the 562 bhp 458 Italia and 597 bhp 458 Speciale, and also greater than the car’s biggest rival, the McLaren 650S. The torque figure of the 488 GTB is such that it also exceeds the 509lb ft at 6000rpm of the normally aspirated V12 used in the range-topping Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. The mighty new engine in the 488 GTB drives the rear wheels through a revised seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox derived from the 458. It features a new ‘Variable Torque Management’ system which, Ferrari says, “unleashes the engine’s massive torque smoothly and powerfully right across the rev range”. The gear ratios are also tuned to “deliver incredibly progressive acceleration when the driver floors the throttle”. The 488 GTB can crack 0-62mph in just 3.0sec, 0-124mph in 8.4sec and reach a top speed of 205mph. Its 0-62mph and 0-124mph times match the McLaren 650S’s, but the Woking car’s top speed is slightly higher at 207mph. The engine also accounts for the ‘488’ element of the car’s name, because each of the engine’s eight cylinders is 488cc in capacity when rounded up. The GTB suffix, standing for Gran Turismo Berlinetta, is a hallmark of previous mid-engined V8 Ferraris such as the 308 GTB. Not only is the new turbo engine more potent than the 4.5-litre V8 from the 458 Italia, but it is also more economical. Combined fuel economy is rated at 24.8mpg, compared with 21.2mpg in the 458 Italia, and CO2 emissions are 260g/km – a 47g/km improvement. Ferrari’s HELE engine stop-start system features on the 488 GTB. Developments on the dynamic side include a second generation of the Side Slip Angle Control system, called SSC2. This allows the driver to oversteer without intruding, unless it detects a loss of control. The SSC2 now controls the active dampers, in addition to the F1-Trac traction control system and E-Diff electronic differential. Ferrari says the result is “more precise and less invasive, providing greater longitudinal acceleration out of corners” and flatter, more stable behaviour during “complex manoeuvres”. Learnings from the Ferrari XX programme have also been incorporated into the 488 GTB, something that Ferrari says allows all drivers and not just professionals, to make the most of its electronic and vehicle control systems. It also claims the 488 GTB is “the most responsive production model there is”, with responses comparable to a track car. The 488 GTB has lapped Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in 1min 23sec – two seconds faster than the 458 Italia, and half a second quicker than the 458 Speciale. The dimensions of the 488 GTB – it is 4568mm in length, 1952mm in width and 1213mm in height – closely match the 458 Italia from which it has evolved. Its dry weight is 1370kg when equipped with lightweight options – 40kg more than the McLaren 650S. The new look, styled at the Ferrari Styling Centre, features several new aerodynamic features that improve downforce and reduce drag. Most notable is the addition of active aerodynamics at the rear through a ‘blown’ rear spoiler, where air is channelled from the base of the glass engine cover under the spoiler. This contributes to the 50% increase in downforce over the 458 Italia. Also new is a double front spoiler, an aerodynamic underbody, a large air intake at the front that references the 308 GTB, a diffuser with active flaps, new positioning for the exhaust flaps and new-look lights. The interior has been redesigned to be made more usable, including new switchgear, air vents and instrument panel. The multi-function steering wheel remains, while the infotainment system gets a new interface and graphics. The Spider followed the closed coupe model six months later, and it soon became the bigger seller of the pair, as was the case with the 458 models.
Known internally as the Type F152M, this is a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive grand tourer that made its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. The 812 Superfast is the successor to the F12berlinetta. The 812 Superfast has a 6,496 cc F140 GA V12, an enlarged version of the 6.3-litre engine used in the F12berlinetta. It generates a power output of 800 PS (789 bhp) at 8,500 rpm and 718 Nm (530 lb/ft) of torque at 7,000 rpm. According to Ferrari in 2018, the 812 Superfast’s engine was, at the time, the most powerful naturally aspirated production car engine ever made. It does not feature turbocharging or hybrid technology.
The Ferrari 296 (Type F171)is a sports car built since 2022 by the Italian company Ferrari. The 296 is a two-seater, offered as a GTB coupé and a GTS folding hard-top convertible. It is a plug-in hybrid with a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and its power train combines a twin-turbocharged 120-degree block-angle V6 with an electric drive fitted in between the engine and gearbox. The 296 can be driven in electric-only mode for short distances, to comply with use in urban zero-emission zones. Unveiled on 24 June 2021, the 296 is Ferrari’s first stock model with 6-cylinders other than the Dino 206 GT, 246 GT and 246 GTS cars produced by Ferrari but sold under the Dino marque. Its power pack puts out a combined 830 PS, giving the 296 a power-to-weight ratio of 560 hp/ton. The 296 GTB was presented as the first “real Ferrari with just six cylinders on it” on 24 June 2021. Previously, such models were both designed and built by Ferrari, but marketed as a new, entry-level Dino brand, below Ferrari’s exclusively V12-model policy, until 1974. The new car went on sale in 2022. The 296 in the model name reprises the original Dino’s naming scheme, indicating the engine’s displacement and the number of cylinders. GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. It remains a current model.
There was another example of the SP2 Monza here.
FORD
GT40
HONDA
In December 2007, Acura announced plans to launch a NSX successor by 2010, based on the styling of the front V10-engined Acura ASCC (Advanced Sports Car Concept). Despite prototypes being tested for production, just a year later, Honda announced that plans had been cancelled due to poor economic conditions. Instead, in March 2010, Honda unveiled the HSV-010 GT for participation in the Japanese SuperGT Championship. This car never reached production as a street-legal car. Reports that Honda was again developing a successor to the NSX remerged in April 2011. By December 2011, Honda officially announced a second generation NSX concept, which was unveiled the following month at the 2012 North American International Auto Show as the Acura NSX Concept. The production model was displayed three years later at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, for sale in 2016. Although the original name was retained, this time it was defined as “New Sports eXperience”. Unlike the first generation NSX which was manufactured in Japan, the new NSX was designed and engineered in Marysville, Ohio, at Honda’s plant, led by chief engineer Ted Klaus. The new NSX has a hybrid electric powertrain, with a 3.5 L twin-turbocharged V6 engine and three electric motors, two of which form part of the “SH-AWD” all wheel drive drivetrain, altogether capable of close to 600 hp. The transmission is a 9-speed dual-clutch automatic. Its body utilizes a space frame design—which is made from aluminium, ultra-high-strength steel, and other rigid and lightweight materials, some of which are the world’s first applications. The first production vehicle with VIN #001 was auctioned off by Barrett Jackson on 29 January 2016. NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick won the auction with a bid for US$1,200,000. The entire bid was donated to the charities Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Camp Southern Ground. The first NSX rolled off the line in Ohio on 27 May 2016. Hendrick was there to drive it off. The first sales of the new NSX were registered in the second half of 2016
ICON-PORSCHE
With less than 60 of them ever built, your chances of seeing a 917 on the road, let alone actually driving one are next to nil. Enter Icon Engineering. The British outfit has spent the past few years developing exacting replicas of the 917 starting with nothing but an original 917 shell acquired by co-founder Dave Eaton, and the attention to detail that has gone into the car is simply breathtaking. It’s so good that organizers of the Goodwood Festival of Speed used one of the company’s replicas for 2018’s Central Feature sculpture. Icon Engineering’s 917 replica is being developed for road use and so is now ready to start accepting orders and will build the cars at a rate of no more than five per year. It means the wait time on one might stretch out a while, especially if demand picks up. There’s a good chance of that happening considering the asking price. Icon Engineering’s 917 replica starts at a very reasonable £200,000 (approximately $241,200) for cars equipped with air-cooled 3.6-litre flat-6 engines originally designed for the 964-generation Porsche 911. Buyers with deeper pockets can opt for a water-cooled engine from a later 911, as well as turbocharged units. The standard transmission is a Porsche 5-speed transaxle. The company has also previously said that the engine bay is big enough to fit the flat-12 engines used in some of the original 917s, so theoretically it could fit most engines. Icon Engineering is even investigating the potential of a battery-electric powertrain to help future proof the car. Each car features a steel tubular structure with a fibreglass body shell. Should demand be sufficient, Icon Engineering is prepared to develop a carbon fibre body. Just imagine that in unpainted form. According to the company, the design is 95 percent true to the original. The main changes were to make the car street-legal, such as developing front crash structures, as well as an interior with all the necessary gauges and warning lights. The company also used steel for the structure instead of aluminium like the original, but an aluminium setup can be installed should the buyer desire. As mentioned above, you’d be lucky to find an original Porsche 917 for sale, and if you did it would cost millions. Icon Engineering’s replica is an interesting, reasonably priced alternative, especially for anyone with a longing for nostalgia or perhaps jaded by modern supercars.
JAGUAR
The second generation of the XK debuted in 2005 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, styled by Jaguar’s chief designer Ian Callum. The X150’s grille was designed to recall the 1961 E-Type. The XK is an evolution of the Advanced Lightweight Coupé (ALC) introduced at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. The XK features a bonded and riveted aluminium chassis shared with the XJ and body panels, both a first for a Jaguar grand tourer. Compared to the XK (X100), the XK (X150) is 61.0 mm (2.4 in) wider and is 162.6 mm (6.4 in) longer. It is also 91 kg (200 lb) lighter resulting in performance and fuel consumption improvements. Unlike the X100, the X150 has no wood trim on the interior offered as standard equipment. The interior featured steering column mounted shift paddles. A more powerful XKR version having a supercharged variant of the engine was introduced in 2007. The XK received a facelift in 2009,[10] with minor alterations to front and rear lights and bumper designs, together with the introduction of a new 5.0-litre V8 for both the naturally aspirated XK and the supercharged XKR. The interior also received some changes, in particular the introduction of the XF style rotary gear selector mated to the new ZF automatic transmission. The XK received a second and more minor facelift in 2011 with new front bumper and light design, which was presented at the New York Auto Show. A higher performance variant of the XKR, the XKR-S, was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012. The XKR-S gained an additional 40 bhp over the XKR bringing the 0-60 mph acceleration time down to 4.4 seconds and the top speed up to 300 km/h (186 mph). A convertible version of the XKR-S was introduced in 2012. Production of the XK ended in July 2014 without a replacement model.
LAMBORGHINI
At a time when the company was financed by the Swiss-based Mimran brothers, Lamborghini began development of what was codenamed Project 132 in June 1985 as a replacement for the Countach model. The brief stated that its top speed had to be at least 315 km/h (196 mph). The design of the car was contracted to Marcello Gandini, who had designed its two predecessors. When Chrysler bought the company in 1987, providing money to complete its development, its management was uncomfortable with Gandini’s designs and commissioned its design team in Detroit to execute a third extensive redesign, smoothing out the trademark’s sharp edges and corners of Gandini’s original design, and leaving him famously unimpressed. In fact, Gandini was so disappointed with the “softened” shape that he would later realise his original design in the Cizeta-Moroder V16T. The car became known as the Diablo, carrying on Lamborghini’s tradition of naming its cars after breeds of fighting bulls. The Diablo was named after a ferocious bull raised by the Duke of Veragua in the 19th century, famous for fighting an epic battle with ‘El Chicorro’ in Madrid on July 11, 1869 In the words of Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, the Diablo was designed “solely to be the biggest head-turner in the world.” The Diablo was presented to the public for sale on January 21, 1990. Its power came from a 5.7 litre 48-valve version of the existing Lamborghini V12 featuring dual overhead cams and computer-controlled multi-point fuel injection, producing a maximum output of 499 PS and 580 N·m (428 lb/ft) of torque. The vehicle could reach 100 km/h in about 4.5 seconds, with a top speed of 202 mph. The Diablo was rear-wheel drive and the engine was mid-mounted to aid its weight balance. The Diablo came better equipped than the Countach; standard features included fully adjustable seats and steering wheel, electric windows, an Alpine stereo system, and power steering from 1993 onwards. Anti-lock brakes were not initially available, although they would eventually be used. A few options were available, including a custom-moulded driver’s seat, remote CD changer and subwoofer, rear spoiler, factory fitted luggage set and an exclusive Breguet clock for the dash. The Diablo VT was introduced in 1993. Although the VT differed from the standard Diablo in a number of ways, by far the most notable change was the addition of all wheel drive, which made use of a viscous centre differential (a modified version of LM002’s 4WD system). This provided the new nomenclature for the car (VT stands for viscous traction). The new drivetrain could direct up to 25% of the torque to the front wheels to aid traction during rear wheel slip, thus significantly improving the handling characteristics of the car. Other improvements debuting on the VT included front air intakes below the driving lamps to improve brake cooling, larger intakes in the rear arches, a more ergonomic interior with a revised dashboard, electronically adjustable dampers, four-piston brake calipers, power steering, and minor engine refinements. Many of these improvements, save the four-wheel drive system, soon transferred to the base Diablo, making the cars visually nearly identical. Further updates would follow before the car gave way to the Murcielago in 2001. The Diablo sold in greater numbers than its predecessor with 2898 examples being made during its 11 year production life. There were several here, including the VT and the SV, a few of them were the late model cars with their faired-in headlights.
In its turn, the Diablo gave way to the Murcielago in 2001. Taking its name from the Spanish for “bat”, this was Lamborghini’s first new design in eleven years and more importantly, the brand’s first new model under the ownership of German parent company Audi, which was manifest in a much higher level of quality and reliability. The Murcielago was styled by Peruvian-born Belgian Luc Donckerwolke, Lamborghini’s head of design from 1998 to 2005. Initially it was only available as a Coupe. The Murciélago was an all-wheel drive, mid-engined supersports car. With an angular design and an exceptionally low slung body, the highest point of the roof is just under 4 feet above the ground. One of the vehicle’s most distinguishing features are its scissor doors. which lends to the extreme image. First-generation Murciélagos, produced between 2001 and 2006, were powered by a Lamborghini V12 that traces its roots back to the company’s beginnings in the 1960s. The rear differential is integrated with the engine itself, with a viscous coupling centre differential providing drive to the front wheels. Power is delivered through a 6-speed manual transmission. The Murciélago suspension uses an independent double-wishbone design, and bodywork features carbon fiber, steel and aluminium parts. The rear spoiler and the active air intakes integrated into the car’s shoulders are electromechanically controlled, deploying automatically only at high speeds in an effort to maximise both aerodynamic and cooling efficiency. The first generation cars were produced between 2001 and 2006, and known simply as Murciélago, sometimes Murciélago VT. Their V12 engines produced just under 580 PS (572 hp), and powered the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds. Subsequent versions incorporated an alphanumeric designation to the name Murciélago, which indicated their engine configuration and output. However, the original cars are never referred to as “LP 580s”. The Murciélago Roadster was introduced in 2004. Primarily designed to be an open top car, it employed a manually attached soft roof as cover from adverse weather, but a warning on the windshield header advised the driver not to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h) with the top in place. The designer used the B-2 stealth bomber, the Wally 118 WallyPower yacht, and architect Santiago Calatrava’s Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències in Valencia, Spain as his inspiration for the roadster’s revised rear pillars and engine cover. In March 2006, Lamborghini unveiled a new version of its halo car at the Geneva Motor Show: the Murciélago LP 640. The new title incorporated the car’s name, along with an alphanumeric designation which indicated the engine’s orientation (Longitudinale Posteriore), along with the newly updated power output. With displacement now increased to 6.5 litres, the new car made 640 PS ( 631 hp) at 8000 rpm. The Murciélago’s exterior received a minor facelift. Front and rear details were revised, and side air intakes were now asymmetrical with the left side feeding an oil cooler. A new single outlet exhaust system incorporated into the rear diffuser, modified suspension tuning, revised programming and upgraded clutch for the 6-speed “e-Gear” automated sequential transmission with launch control rounded out the performance modifications. Interior seating was also re-shaped to provide greater headroom, and a new stereo system formed part of the updated dashboard. Optional equipment included Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) ceramic composite brakes, chrome paddle shifters and a glass engine cover. At the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show, Lamborghini announced that the roadster version of the Murciélago would also be updated to LP 640 status. At the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini unveiled the ultimate version of the Murciélago, the LP 670–4 SuperVeloce. The SV moniker had previously appeared on the Diablo SV, and Miura. SV variants are more extreme and track-oriented, and are released at the end of each model’s production run. The SuperVeloce’s V12 produced 670 PS (661 hp) at 8000 rpm and 660 N·m (490 lbf·ft) of torque at 6500 rpm, thanks to revised valve timing and upgraded intake system. The car’s weight was also reduced by 100 kg (220 lb) through extensive use of carbon fibre inside and out. A new lighter exhaust system was also used. As a result of the extensive weight loss, the SV had a power-to-weight ratio of 429 bhp/ton. Also standard were the LP 640’s optional 15-inch carbon-ceramic disc brakes with 6 piston calipers. The original production plan for the SV was limited to 350 cars, but in fact only 186 LP 670-4s were produced before the factory had to make room for the new Aventador production line. Numbered cars 1–350 do not represent the order in which cars were manufactured. Only 5-6 were made with manual transmission. Production of the Murciélago ended on November 5, 2010, with a total run of 4,099 cars. Its successor, the Aventador, was released at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
The Lamborghini Gallardo is a sports car built by the Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini from 2003 to 2013. Named after a famous breed of fighting bull, the V10 powered Gallardo has been Lamborghini’s sales leader and stable-mate to a succession of V12 flagship models—first to the Murciélago (4,099 built between 2001 and 2010), then to the current flagship, the Aventador. The first generation of the Gallardo was powered with an even firing 4,961 cc (5.0 L) 90 degree V10 engine generating a maximum power output of 500 PS at 7500 rpm and 510 Nm (376 lb/ft) of torque at 4500 rpm. The Gallardo was offered with two choices of transmission; a conventional (H-pattern) six-speed manual transmission, and a six-speed electro-hydraulically actuated single-clutch automated manual transmission that Lamborghini called “E-gear”. The “E-gear” transmission provides gear changes more quickly than could be achieved through a manual shift. The driver shifts up and down via paddles behind the steering wheel, but can also change to an automatic mode via the gear selector located in place of the gear shift lever. The vehicle was designed by Luc Donckerwolke and was based on the 1995 Calà prototype designed by Italdesign Giugiaro. For the 2006 model year (launched in late 2005), Lamborghini introduced many changes to the car to counter some criticisms garnered from the press and owners. The exhaust system was changed to a more sporty one (including a flap to make it quieter during city driving), the suspension was revised, a new steering rack was fitted, the engine power was increased by 20 PS to a maximum of 520 PS and the biggest change was overall lower gearing ratios, especially in 1st to 5th gear. These changes gave the car a much better performance than the original and were also included in the limited edition Gallardo SE. The convertible variant of the Gallardo, called the Gallardo Spyder, was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006. It was considered by the company to be an entirely new model, with the engine having a power output of 520 PS (382 kW; 513 hp) and a low-ratio six-speed manual transmission. The Spyder has a retractable soft-top. At the 2007 Geneva Auto Show, Lamborghini unveiled the Gallardo Superleggera. The name paid tribute to the construction style of the first Lamborghini production model, the 350 GT, designed and built by Carrozzeria Touring and its emphasis on weight reduction. The Superleggera is lighter than the base model by 100 kg (220 lb) due to the use of carbon fibre panels for the rear diffuser, undertray, the rearview-mirror housings, the interior door panels, the central tunnel, engine cover; titanium wheel nuts and carbon fibre sports seats. The engine power was uprated by 10 PS courtesy of an improved intake, exhaust and ECU for a total power output of 530 PS. The 6-speed E-Gear transmission was standard on US spec models with the 6-speed manual transmission offered as a no cost option. Production of the Superleggera amounted to 618 units worldwide. Presented at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the Gallardo LP 560-4 was a significant update of the Gallardo, powered by a new, uneven firing5,200 cc V10 engine that produces 560 PS at 8,000 rpm and 540 Nm (398 lb/ft) of torque at 6,500 rpm. Featuring “Iniezione Diretta Stratificata” direct fuel injection system to improve efficiency; fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have been reduced by 18% despite the increase in performance. The car was redesigned, inspired by the Murciélago LP 640 and Reventón. The new engine, 40 PS more powerful than in the previous car, comes with two transmission choices: a 6-speed manual or 6-speed E-gear, the latter of which was revised to offer a Corsa mode which makes 40% quicker shifts than before and decreases traction control restrictions, a Thrust Mode launch control system was also added. Accompanied with a 20 kg (44 lb) weight reduction. All the improvements add up to a claimed performance of 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds, 0-200 km/h (124 mph) of 11.8 and a top speed of 325 km/h (202 mph). The MSRP base price was $198,000 in the US and £147,330 (including NavTrak vehicle tracking system and delivery package) in the UK. The first US car was sold in the 16th Annual Race to Erase MS charity auction for $198,000 to former True Religion Jeans co-founder/co-creator Kymberly Gold and music producer Victor Newman. The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder was unveiled at the 2008 LA Auto Show.as the replacement for the previous Gallardo Spyder. It is the convertible model of the Gallardo LP 560-4 and as such possess all of its features like the new uneven firing 5.2 L V10 engine, improved E-gear transmission and 20 kg (44 lb) weight reduction. Performance has been improved to 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds, 0-200 km/h (124 mph) of 13.1 and a top speed of 324 km/h (201 mph) In March 2010, Lamborghini announced the release of the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera, a lightweight and more powerful version of the Gallardo LP 560–4 in the same vein as the previous Superleggera. With carbon fibre used extensively inside and out to reduce weight to just 1,340 kg (2,954 lb) making it the lightest road-going Lamborghini in the range. The odd firing 5.2 L V10 on the LP 570-4 gets a power bump over the standard Gallardo to 570 PS at 8,000 rpm and 540 Nm (398 lb/ft) at 6,500 rpm of torque. Performance has been improved to 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds, and a 329 km/h (204 mph) top speed. The Gallardo became Lamborghini’s best-selling model with 14,022 built throughout its production run. On 25 November 2013, the last Gallardo was rolled off the production line. The Gallardo was replaced by the Huracán in 2014.
McLAREN
Now an established part of the McLaren range, the 570S along with its slightly cheaper and less powerful brother, the 540C, was revealed at the 2015 New York Auto Show, going on sale towards the end of that year. These were labelled as part of McLaren’s Sports Series. This mid-engine sportscar features the lightweight carbon fibre MonoCell II chassis, and a highly efficient 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 engine generating 562bhp and 443lb/ft of torque. Although the model has been conceived with a greater focus on day-to-day usability and refinement, it is still very much a pure McLaren, boasting a class-leading power-to-weight ratio of 434PS per tonne, and electrifying performance. The 570S Coupé accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.2 seconds, reaches 200km/h (124mph) in 9.5 seconds, and on to a top speed of 204mph. Pricing for the 570S Coupé started at £143,250, though like all cars of this type, that figure can quickly rise once you raid the options list.
Also here was a GT3 version of the 570S.
In June 2018, McLaren unveiled the top-of-the-line sports series variant online. The car, called the 600LT is based on the 570S and is the third McLaren production car to receive the longtail treatment. Inspired by the 675LT and the F1 GTR Longtail, the body of the car has been extended by 73.7 mm (2.9 in). The car also features enhanced aerodynamic elements such as an extended front splitter and rear diffuser, new side sills, and an aero-enhancing fixed rear wing for increased downforce. McLaren claims that 23% parts on the 600LT are new as compared to the 570S. The carbon fibre monocoque utilised in the 600LT is modified and this combined with the extensive use of carbon fibre in the roof along with the cantrails and front wings, results in a weight saving of 96 kg (212 lb) over the 570S, with the total weight amounting to 1,247 kg (2,749 lb). Another distinguishing feature of the 600LT is the lightweight titanium exhaust system which is mounted on top of the rear of the car which harks back to its original application in the Senna. The interior features sports bucket seats from the P1 and Alcantara trim but can be optioned with the much lighter bucket seats found in the Senna. The 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine utilised in the 600LT is tuned to produce a maximum power output of 600 PS (592 bhp) (hence the 600 in the name) and 620 N⋅m (457 lb⋅ft) of torque, achieving a power-to-weight ratio of 479 PS per tonne. Performance figures and production numbers of the car remain unknown. Production of the 600LT started in October 2018. In January 2019, McLaren unveiled the convertible variant of the 600LT at the Detroit Auto Show. Due to the use of the same carbon monocoque as the other models in the 570S lineage the 600LT Spider required did not need any extra modifications to incorporate a folding hardtop roof. As a result, the Spider weighs 50 kg (110 lb) more than the coupé while maintaining the same performance statistics. The Spider has the same engine and aerodynamic components as the coupé and share the roof folding mechanism with the standard 570S Spider which can be operated at speeds upto 40 km/h (25 mph). The car can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.9 seconds, to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 8.4 seconds (0.2 seconds more than the coupé) and can attain a top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph) with the roof retracted and 323 km/h (201 mph) with the roof closed. The car can achieve a dry weight of 1,297 kg (2,859 lb) when equipped with the MSO ClubSport package which includes the removal of air-conditioning and radio, titanium wheel nuts and the replacement of the standard seats with the carbon fibre seats from the Senna. The car has received rave reviews.
The 720S – a complete replacement for the 650S – was a star of the 2017 Geneva Show, and it was clear on looking at it, that the Woking firm really is increasingly a serious threat to Ferrari’s supercar supremacy, even before learning that total sales in just five years of production had passed 10,000 units. The 720S was presented as the firm’s new core model and the first of 15 new-generation McLarens, half of which will be hybrids, promised by 2022 under CEO Mike Flewitt’s ambitious Track 22 development plan. The 720S obeys all existing McLaren design rules. It is a two-seat supercar based on an all-carbonfibre tub, with aluminium space frames carrying the front and rear suspension, and it is powered by a twin turbo V8. However, within that envelope, it has been redesigned and updated in every detail. The exterior introduces a new ‘double skin’ door construction that eliminates the need for the prominent side air scoops previously thought essential in supercar design, while the engine grows to 4.0 litres, up from 3.8-litres, and now produces 710bhp. McLaren has further developed its carbonfibre chassis tub and upper structure, taking lessons from previous models, including the P1. Now dubbed Monocage II, the structure is cited as the key to the 720S’s 1283kg dry weight, which undercuts all competitors and beats that of its predecessor by 18kg. Monocage II’s stiffness has allowed McLaren’s designers to give the 720S remarkably thin A-pillars, a deep windscreen, B-pillars set well back and slim, glazed C-pillars, all of which contribute to first-class all-round visibility for the driver. The body panels are made either of carbonfibre or superformed aluminium, and their novel shape plays a key role in the 720S’s impressive aerodynamic performance. Low down at the front there are anti-lift aero blades reminiscent of those on the P1, while ultra-compact LED headlights fit into frontal ‘eye sockets’ that allow room for vents to feed the air conditioning and oil cooler. The body sides incorporate channels, formed by two skins and flowing past the dihedral doors, so cooling air can be directed along the body into the engine bay, uninterrupted by turbulence and resulting in a 15% improvement in cooling airflow. On the outer, lower part of the doors, there are F1-inspired blades that direct air away from the front wheel arches, assisting downforce and cutting drag. A big under-body diffuser at the rear sweeps up from the 720S’s flat floor almost to its rear wing, where the two elements frame the ultra-thin LED tail-lights. Because the top of the 720S’s engine is a remarkable 120mm lower than that of the 650S, the car also has a low, teardrop-shaped engine cover that allows an uninterrupted flow of air over the roof to the hydraulically actuated rear wing, which has a DRS drag reduction setting for optimal straight-line performance, an Aero setting for downforce in corners and a Brake setting (which sets the wing a steep 56deg from the horizontal) to increase drag and improve chassis balance under heavy braking. The result, says McLaren, is that the wing has 30% more downforce and its aero efficiency (the ratio of downforce to drag) is doubled. McLaren claims “new heights of performance” from its expanded turbo V8, now re-engineered for a capacity of 3994cc, thanks to a 3.6mm lengthening of its stroke. The engine also has lighter pistons and conrods and a stiffer, lightened crank, plus twin-scroll turbochargers with faster-spooling turbines, capable of spinning at 145,000rpm, and electronically controlled wastegates. In total, 41% of the engine’s components are new. A cast aluminium air intake system, visible through the mesh engine cover, feeds extra air to the more potent engine that now uses two injectors per cylinder. But rather than simply pumping in more fuel, the improved injection system gives more accurate metering, which helps to cut CO2 emissions by around 10%, to a class-leading 249g/km. Combined economy falls by a similar percentage to 26.4mpg. The 720S’s peak output of 710bhp is produced at 7000rpm, while maximum torque of 568lb ft is delivered at 5500rpm. The engine, longitudinally mounted behind the occupants, drives as before through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox mounted end-on to the engine, but McLaren says further refinement of its control software brings smoother gearchanges at low speeds and faster, sharper shifts at higher speeds. The launch control has also been improved, and as before, there are three driving modes — Comfort, Sport and Track — that govern both engine and dynamics. The chassis weight savings, allied to other reductions in mass, including 2kg from the brakes, 3kg from the electrics and 1.5kg from the airboxes, contribute as much to the 720S’s enhanced performance as its 11% power increase. The power-to-weight ratio is now 553bhp per tonne (up 15%) and, according to McLaren, beats the best in the segment. As a result, McLaren claims a “crushing” 0-60mph time of just 2.8sec, 0-124mph in 7.8sec and a top speed of 212mph. The 720S will also dispatch a standing quarter-mile in 10.3sec, representing a blistering performance for a pure road car. To accompany the performance, the 720S has a carefully engineered engine note which can be further enhanced with an optional, louder, sports exhaust system. Despite its performance potential, McLaren is adamant that its new car is as easily handled by ordinary drivers as it is by experts, with throttle response calibrated to provide “the optimum blend of immediate reaction and progressive comfort”. Although only five years old, McLaren’s all-independent system of front and rear double wishbones has been completely re-engineered, both to allow wheel geometry changes and, thanks to a redesign of the uprights and wishbones, to cut unsprung mass by 16kg. The 720S has an updated version of the Proactive chassis control electronics used by the 650S. The system features hydraulically interlinked dampers at each corner that remove the need for anti-roll bars, but the big improvement for the 720S’s system, which is dubbed PCCII, results from new software developed during a six-year collaboration with the University of Cambridge and using sophisticated information gathered by 12 new sensors and accelerometers. The result is even better contact between the tyres and the road surface. The system can assess conditions and adjust the suspension every five milliseconds. It also includes a Variable Drift function, which allows you to slide the car without losing control, and McLaren Brake Steer, pioneered in F1, which enhances agility in corners and traction out of them by braking separate wheels. McLaren engineers have retained electro-hydraulic steering for the 720S, despite rivals’ adoption of electric only systems, because they still feel it gives superior “clarity of feel”. Brakes are large, ventilated carbon-ceramic discs and the tyres are specially developed Pirelli P Zeros, 245/35 ZR19s at the front (up from the 650S’s 235s) and 305/30 ZR20s at the rear. McLaren claims a 6% increase in mechanical grip, which is about the same advantage as fitting track-focused Pirelli Corsas to a 650S. Although the 720S closely follows the outgoing 650S in its major dimensions, there are differences between them. The thin pillars, the depth of the windscreen and the all-round glass give a commanding view to all points that modern supercar drivers will find surprising. The redesigned interior surfaces have been ‘pushed away’ from the occupants as much as possible, to further enhance the feeling of space. Unlock the door and various instrument and courtesy lights go through a welcome sequence as the mirrors unfold. Opening the door also triggers an elaborate sequence on the upright TFT screen which changes its configuration according to driving mode. The driver can also ‘declutter’ the instruments, for example when on a track, via a special Slim mode. There’s a central 8.0in infotainment screen on the centre console, with ventilation settings carried along the bottom. The layout of switches, most of which are machined from aluminium, is simple. Standard cabin trim and seats are plush but, as with previous models, colour and trim material upgrades are available. McLaren has already begun taking orders, with the first cars due to be delivered in May. The entry price in the UK was £207,900. All 400 units of the Launch Edition version were sold even before the general public saw the car though many of these then hit the pre-owned market quite quickly, traded in once owners could take delivery of a car in the spec that they really wanted. McLaren’s goal is to sell around 1200 – 1500 720S models a year.
The McLaren Senna is a limited-production mid-engined sports car manufactured by McLaren Automotive. The car is the third addition in the McLaren Ultimate Series, joining the F1 and the P1; however, it is not a direct successor to either of the cars. The Senna was unveiled online by the company on 10 December 2017, with the official unveiling taking place at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. The car is named after the Brazilian Formula One race driver Ayrton Senna (1960–1994), honouring and giving tribute to his success with the McLaren Formula One Team between 1988 and 1993 Formula 1 seasons. McLaren’s main focus while designing the Senna was to achieve faster lap times. In order to do so, McLaren developed a lightweight design that incorporated aerodynamic elements. The Senna is largely based on the McLaren 720S, using a modified version of its carbon fibre monocoque and engine. The Senna is powered by a modified version of the McLaren 720S’ 3,994 cc twin-turbocharged V8 engine codenamed the M840TR. It utilises a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that delivers all 789 bhp at 7,250 rpm and 800 Nm (590 lb⋅ft) of torque at 5,500 rpm to the rear wheels. Unlike the previous offering in the Ultimate Series, the McLaren P1, the Senna does not use an electric motor in favour of its low claimed dry weight of 1,198 kg (2,641 lb), which allows for a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 658 bhp per ton. The car has many aerodynamic elements, there being a large adjustable double-element rear wing (that is operated electronically and has various settings in order to provide optimum performance while also acting as an airbrake), double-element diffuser, Formula One-inspired roof scoop, front and side air intakes, rear air louvres, and large front fenders. Inside the panel beside the intakes is a small set of mini-canards. Areas of low pressure are accompanied using high-performance radiators that ensure improved engine cooling. The car uses dihedral doors, like the previous offerings in the Ultimate Series, and also has optional windows applied on the lower area of its doors. The Senna uses a new generation of Brembo’s carbon ceramic brakes, containing a compound that has three and a half times better thermal conductivity than before, making the brakes smaller and lighter. It also features a new set of lightweight center-lock alloy wheels designed for Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R tyres. Its central design is a new generation of McLaren’s carbon fibre monocoque named MonoCage III, which contributes to the car’s relatively low dry weight. The car utilises a top mounted (hot-vee) inconel-titanium exhaust system with three outlet pipes in order for a more aggressive exhaust note and engine emissions. he interior consists largely of exposed carbon fibre and Alcantara, with seats that can be upholstered in Alcantara or leather, depending on the customer’s preference. Behind the two seats is room large enough for two helmets and race suits, reflecting the car’s minimalist and track focused design. The car utilises McLaren’s hydraulic RaceActive Chassis Control II (RCC II) suspension along with double-wishbone control arms. Every car was hand-built at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, Surrey, England with a production run of just 500 units, all of which are already sold. The McLaren Senna is listed at a price of £750,000 with the final car auctioned at a price of £1,916,793. Deliveries began in the third quarter of 2018.
MERCEDES-BENZ
The CLK 63 AMG Black Series is a high-performance version of the CLK 63 AMG coupé, produced between 2007 and 2009. 500 examples were produced in total, with 349 headed to the United States and only 120 examples built with right-hand drive. It is powered by the M156 6.2 L (6,208 cc) V8, producing 500 bhp at 6,800 rpm and 630 Nm (465 lb/ft) of torque at 5,250 rpm and uses Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres and features Mercedes’ SpeedShift 7G-Tronic transmission. Additional features also include a manually adjustable suspension system designed and manufactured by KW, a limited-slip differential, larger air intakes, bucket seats, 19-inch alloy wheels, and a spoiler, diffuser, and wider fenders made of carbon fibre. The rear seats have also been removed in order to save weight, and the top speed has been extended to 300 km/h (186 mph).
PORSCHE
The 911 traces its roots to sketches drawn by Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche in 1959. The Porsche 911 was developed as a more powerful, larger and a more comfortable replacement for the 356, the company’s first model. The new car made its public debut at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show. The car was developed with the proof-of-concept twin-fan Type 745 flat-six engine, but the car presented at the auto show had a non-operational mockup of the single-fan 901 engine, receiving a working unit in February 1964. It originally was designated as the “Porsche 901” (901 being its internal project number). A total of 82 cars were built as which were badges as 901s. However, French automobile manufacturer Peugeot protested on the grounds that in France it had exclusive rights to car names formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle. Instead of selling the new model with a different name in France, Porsche changed the name to 911. Internally, the cars’ part numbers carried on the prefix 901 for years. Production began in September 1964, with the first 911s exported to the US in February 1965. The first models of the 911 had a rear-mounted 130 hp Type 901/01 flat-6 engine, in the “boxer” configuration like the 356, the engine is air-cooled and displaces 1,991 cc as compared to the 356’s four-cylinder, 1,582 cc unit. The car had four seats although the rear seats were small, thus it is usually called a 2+2 rather than a four-seater (the 356 was also a 2+2). A four or five-speed “Type 901” manual transmission was available. The styling was largely penned by Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche, son of Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche. Butzi Porsche initially came up with a notchback design with proper space for seating two rear passengers but Ferry Porsche insisted that the 356’s successor was to use its fastback styling. 7 prototypes were built based on Butzi Porsche’s original design and were internally called the Porsche 754 T7. Erwin Komenda, the leader of the Porsche car body construction department who initially objected, was also involved later in the design. In 1966, Porsche introduced the more powerful 911S with Type 901/02 engine having a power output of 160 PS. Forged aluminium alloy wheels from Fuchsfelge, with a 5-spoke design, were offered for the first time. In motorsport at the same time, the engine was developed into the Type 901/20 and was installed in the mid-engine 904 and 906 with an increased power output of 210 PS, as well as fuel injected Type 901/21 installed in later variants of the 906 and 910 with a power output of 220 PS. In August 1967, the A series went into production with dual brake circuits and widened (5.5J-15) wheels still fitted with Pirelli Cinturato 165HR15 CA67 tyres. and the previously standard gasoline-burning heater became optional. The Targa version was introduced. The Targa had a stainless steel-clad roll bar, as automakers believed that proposed rollover safety requirements by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would make it difficult for fully open convertibles to meet regulations for sale in the US, an important market for the 911. The name “Targa” came from the Targa Florio sports car road race in Sicily, Italy in which Porsche had several victories until 1973. The last win in the subsequently discontinued event was scored with a 911 Carrera RS against prototypes entered by Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. The road going Targa was equipped with a removable roof panel and a removable plastic rear window (although a fixed glass version was offered from 1968). The 110 PS 911T was also launched in 1967 with Type 901/03 engine. The 130 PS model was renamed the 911L with Type 901/06 engine and ventilated front disc brakes. The brakes had been introduced on the previous 911S. The 911R with 901/22 engine had a limited production (20 in all), as this was a lightweight racing version with thin fibreglass reinforced plastic doors, a magnesium crankcase, twin overhead camshafts, and a power output of 210 PS. A clutchless semi-automatic Sportomatic model, composed of a torque converter, an automatic clutch, and the four-speed transmission was added in Autumn 1967. It was cancelled after the 1980 model year partly because of the elimination of a forward gear to make it a three-speed. The B series went into production in August 1968, replacing the 911L model with 911E with fuel injection. It remained in production until July 1969. The 911E gained 185/70VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN36.and 6J-15 wheels. The C series was introduced in August 1969 with an enlarged 2.2-litre engine. The wheelbase for all 911 and 912 models was increased from 2,211–2,268 mm (87.0–89.3 in), to help as a remedy to the car’s nervous handling at the limit. The overall length of the car did not change, but the rear wheels were relocated further back. Fuel injection arrived for the 911S (901/10 engine) and for a new middle model, 911E (901/09 engine). The D series was produced from Aug. 1970 to July 1971. The 2.2-litre 911E (C and D series) had lower power output of the 911/01 engine (155 PS) compared to the 911S’s Type 911/02 (180 PS, but 911E was quicker in acceleration up to 160 km/h. The E series for 1972–1973 model years (August 1971 to July 1972 production) consisted of the same models, but with a new, larger 2,341 cc engine. This is known as the “2.4 L” engine, despite its displacement being closer to 2.3 litres. The 911E (Type 911/52 engine) and 911S (Type 911/53) used Bosch mechanical fuel injection (MFI) in all markets. For 1972 the 911T (Type 911/57) was carbureted, except in the US and some Asian markets where the 911T also came with (MFI) mechanical fuel injection (Type 911/51 engine) with power increase over European models (130 hp) to 140 hp commonly known as a 911T/E. With power and torque increase, the 2.4-litre cars also got a newer, stronger transmission, identified by its Porsche type number 915. Derived from the transmission in the 908 race car, the 915 did away with the 901 transmission’s “dog-leg” style first gear arrangement, opting for a traditional H pattern with first gear up to the left, second gear underneath first, etc. The E series had the unusual oil filler behind the right side door, with the dry sump oil tank relocated from behind the right rear wheel to the front of it in an attempt to move the centre of gravity slightly forward for better handling. An extra oil filler/inspection flap was located on the rear wing, for this reason it became known as an “Oil Klapper”, “Ölklappe” or “Vierte Tür (4th door)”. The F series (August 1972 to July 1973 production) moved the oil tank back to the original behind-the-wheel location. This change was in response to complaints that gas-station attendants often filled gasoline into the oil tank. In January 1973, US 911Ts were switched to the new K-Jetronic CIS (Continuous Fuel Injection) system from Bosch on Type 911/91 engine. 911S models also gained a small spoiler under the front bumper to improve high-speed stability. The cars weighed 1,050 kg (2,310 lb). The 911 ST was produced in small numbers for racing (the production run for the ST lasted from 1970 to 1971). The cars were available with engines of either 1,987 cc or 2,404 cc, having a power output of 270 PS at 8,000 rpm. Weight was down to 960 kg (2,120 lb). The cars had success at the Daytona 6 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, the 1000 km Nürburgring, and the Targa Florio. The G Series cars, with revised bodies and larger impact-absorbing bumpers arrived in the autumn of 1973 and would continue in production with few visual changes but plenty of mechanical ones for a further 16 years.
During the 1990s, Porsche was facing financial troubles and rumours of a proposed takeover were being spread. The signature air-cooled flat-6 of the 911 was reaching the limits of its potential as made evident by the 993. Stricter emissions regulations world wide further forced Porsche to think of a replacement of the air-cooled unit. In order to improve manufacturing processes, Porsche took the aid of leading Japanese car manufacturer Toyota whose consultants would assist in the overhaul of the Zuffenhausen manufacturing facility introducing mass production techniques which would allow Porsche to carry out production processes more efficiently. Porsche had realised that in order to keep the 911 in production, it would need radical changes. This led to the development of the 996. The sharing of development between the new 911 and the entry level Boxster model allowed Porsche to save development costs. This move also resulted in interchangeable parts between the two models bringing down maintenance costs. The Porsche 996 was a new design developed by Pinky Lai under Porsche design chief Harm Lagaay from 1992 to 1994; it was the first 911 that was completely redesigned, and carried over little from its predecessor as Porsche wanted the design team to design a 911 for the next millennium. Featuring an all new body work, interior, and the first water-cooled engine, the 996 replaced the 993 from which only the front suspension, rear multi-link suspension, and a 6-speed manual transmission were retained in revised form. The 996 had a drag coefficient of Cd=0.30 resulting from hours spent in the wind tunnel. The 996 is 185 mm (7 in) longer and 40 mm (2 in) wider than its predecessor. It is also 45% stiffer courtesy of a chassis formed from high-strength steel. Additionally, it is 50 kg (110 lb) lighter despite having additional radiators and coolant. All of the M96 engines offered in the 996 (except for the variants fitted to the Turbo and GT2/GT3 models) are susceptible to the Porsche Intermediate Shaft Bearing issue which can potentially cause serious engine failure if not addressed via a retrofit. The 996 was initially available in a coupé or a cabriolet (Convertible) bodystyle with rear-wheel drive, and later with four-wheel drive, utilising a 3.4 litre flat-6 engine generating a maximum power output of 296 bhp. The 996 had the same front end as the entry-level Boxster. After requests from the Carrera owners about their premium cars looking like a “lower priced car that looked just like theirs did”, Porsche redesigned the headlamps of the Carrera in 2002 similar to the high performance Turbo’s headlamps. The design for the initial “fried egg” shaped headlamps could be traced back to the 1997 911 GT1 race car. In 2000, Porsche introduced the 996 Turbo, equipped with a four-wheel-drive system and a 3.6-litre, twin-turbocharged and intercooled flat-six engine generating a maximum power output of 420 bhp, making the car capable of accelerating from 0–60 mph in 4.2 seconds. An X50 option which included larger turbochargers and intercoolers along with revised engine control software became available from the factory in 2002, increasing power output to 451 bhp. In 2005, Porsche introduced the Turbo S, which had the X50 option included as standard equipment, with the formerly optional Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) composite ceramic brakes (PCCB) also included as standard. In 2000, power output on the base Carrera model was increased to 300 bhp. 2001 marked the final year of production for the base Carrera 4 Coupé in narrow body format. In 2002, the standard Carrera models underwent the above-mentioned facelift. In addition, engine capacity was also increased to 3.6-litres across the range, yielding gains of 15 bhp for the naturally aspirated models. 2002 also marked the start of the production of the 996 based Targa model, with a sliding glass “green house” roof system as introduced on its predecessor. It also features a rear glass hatch which gave the driver access to the storage compartment. Also in 2002, the Carrera 4S model was first introduced.
In February 2006, Porsche unveiled the second generation of GT3, the 997 commonly now known as the 997.1 GT3. In addition to a new 415 PS 3.6 litre flat-six engine, the vehicle featured “zero lift” aerodynamics, meaning the car creates only aerodynamic downforce and no grip-diminishing “lift” upwards and away from the road surface. The GT3 made use of a modified, track oriented version of Porsche’s active PASM suspension making it the first of Porsche’s RS or GT3 versions to feature an electronically adjustable suspension system. Also available was a navigation system and Porsche’s “sports chrono” gauge package. The car went to sale in summer of 2006. A total of 917 units were sold in the United States and 46 units in Canada. The 997 GT3 has a rated 0–60 mph acceleration time of 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 311 km/h (193 mph). Road and Track was able to achieve a 0–60 mph acceleration time of 3.8 seconds. Porsche’s official test-driver Walter Röhrl completed the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes 42 seconds with the 997 GT3 in 2006. In 2009, Porsche launched the 2nd Generation 997 GT3 (commonly known as the 997.2 GT3), with an enlarged 3.8 litre engine rated at 435 PS. It also featured a number of new options including dynamic engine mounts and a pneumatically lifting front axle to compensate for the low ground clearance. The rear spoiler was also modified along with other parts of the bodywork. Deliveries in Europe commenced in November the same year. A total of 654 units were sold in the United States and 58 units in Canada.
Final Porsche 911 here was an example of the current 992 gemeration.
OTHER CARS
Alfa Romeo 158 replica:
Ferrari SF90 Stradale: The Ferrari SF90 Stradale (Type F173) is a mid-engine PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari. The car shares its name with the SF90 Formula One car with SF90 standing for the 90th anniversary of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team and “Stradale” meaning “made for the road”. The car has a 7.9 kWh lithium-ion battery for regenerative braking, giving the car 26 km (16 mi) of electric range. The car comes with four driving modes depending on road conditions. The modes are changed by the eManettino knob present on the steering wheel. The eDrive mode runs the car only on the electric motors. The Hybrid mode runs the car on both the internal combustion engine and the electric motors and is the car’s default mode. In this mode, the car’s onboard computer (called control logic) also turns off the engine if the conditions are ideal in order to save fuel while allowing the driver to start the engine again. The Performance mode keeps the engine running in order to charge the batteries and keeps the car responsive in order for optimum performance. The Qualify mode uses the powertrain to its full potential. The control logic system makes use of three primary areas: the high-voltage controls of the car (including the batteries), the RAC-e (Rotation Axis Control-electric) torque vectoring system, and the MGUK along with the engine and gearbox. The SF90 Stradale is equipped with three electric motors, adding a combined output of 220 PS to a twin-turbocharged V8 engine rated at a power output of 780 PS at 7,500 rpm. The car is rated at a total output of 1,000 PS at 8,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 800 Nm (590 lb/ft) at 6,000 rpm. The engine is an evolution of the unit found in the 488 Pista and the upcoming F8 Tributo models. The engine’s capacity is now 3,990 cc by increasing each cylinder bore to 88 mm. The intake and exhaust of the engine have been completely modified. The cylinder heads of the engine are now narrower and the all-new central fuel injectors run at a pressure of 350 bar (5,100 psi). The assembly for the turbochargers is lower than that of the exhaust system and the engine sits 50 mm (2.0 in) lower in the chassis than the other mid-engine V8 models in order to maintain a lower centre of gravity. The engine utilises a smaller flywheel and an inconel exhaust manifold. The front wheels are powered by two electric motors (one for each wheel), providing torque vectoring. They also function as the reversing gear, as the main transmission (eight-speed dual-clutch) does not have a reversing gear. The engine of the SF90 Stradale is mated to a new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. The new transmission is 10 kg (22 lb) lighter and more compact than the existing 7-speed transmission used by the other offerings of the manufacturer partly due to the absence of a dedicated reverse gear since reversing is provided by the electric motors mounted on the front axle. The new transmission also has a 30% faster shift time (200 milliseconds). A 16-inch curved display located behind the steering wheel displays various vital statistics of the car to the driver. The car also employs a new head-up display that would reconfigure itself according to the selected driving mode. The steering wheel is carried over from the 488 but now features multiple capacitive touch interfaces to control the various functions of the car. Other conventional levers and buttons are retained. The interior will also channel sound of the engine to the driver according to the manufacturer. The SF90 Stradale employs eSSC (electric Side Slip Control) which controls the torque distribution to all four wheels of the car. The eSSC is combined with eTC (electric Tractional Control), a new brake-by-wire system which combines the traditional hydraulic braking system and electric motors to provide optimal regenerative braking and torque vectoring. The car’s all-new chassis combines aluminium and carbon fibre to improve structural rigidity and provide a suitable platform for the car’s hybrid system. The car has a total dry weight of 1,570 kg (3,461 lb) after combining the 270 kg (595 lb) weight of the electric system. Ferrari states that the SF90 Stradale is capable of accelerating from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.5 seconds, 0–200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.7 seconds and can attain a top speed of 340 km/h (211 mph). It is the fastest Ferrari road car on their Fiorano Circuit as of 2020, seven tenths of a second faster than the LaFerrari. The manufacturer claims that the SF90 Stradale can generate 390 kg (860 lb) of downforce at 250 km/h (155 mph) due to new findings in aero and thermal dynamics. The main feature of the design is the twin-part rear wing which is an application of the drag reduction system (DRS) used in Formula One. A fixed element in the wing incorporates the rear light, the mobile parts of the wing (called “shut off Gurney” by the manufacturer) integrate into the body by using electric actuators in order to maximise downforce. The SF90 Stradale uses an evolution of Ferrari’s vortex generators mounted at the front of the car. The car employs a cab-forward design in order to utilise the new aerodynamic parts of the car more effectively and in order to incorporate radiators or the cooling requirements of the hybrid system of the car. The design is a close collaboration between Ferrari Styling Centre and Ferrari engineers. The rear-end of the car carries over many iconic Ferrari Styling elements such as the flying buttresses. The engine cover has been kept as low as possible in order to maximise airflow. According to the car’s lead designer, Flavio Manzoni, the car’s design lies in between that of a spaceship and of a race car. The rear side-profile harkens back to the 1960s 330 P3/4. Deliveries in the UK started in late 2020 and so numbers here are gradually building up.
Jaguar E Type Series 1: The Series 1 E Type was introduced, initially for export only, in March 1961. The domestic market launch came four months later in July 1961. The cars at this time used the triple SU carburetted 3.8-litre six-cylinder Jaguar XK6 engine from the XK150S. Earlier built cars utilised external bonnet latches which required a tool to open and had a flat floor design. These cars are rare and more valuable. After that, the floors were dished to provide more leg room and the twin bonnet latches moved to inside the car. The 3.8-litre engine was increased to 4,235 cc in October 1964. The 4.2-litre engine produced the same power as the 3.8-litre (265 bhp) and same top speed (150 mph), but increased torque approximately 10% from 240 to 283 lb/ft. Acceleration remained pretty much the same and 0 to 60 mph times were around 6.4 seconds for both engines, but maximum power was now reached at 5,400 rpm instead of 5,500 rpm on the 3.8-litre. That all meant better throttle response for drivers that did not want to shift down gears. The 4.2-litre’s block was completely redesigned, made longer to accommodate 5 mm (0.20 in) larger bores, and the crankshaft modified to use newer bearings. Other engine upgrades included a new alternator/generator and an electric cooling fan for the radiator. Autocar road tested a UK spec E-Type 4.2 fixed head coupé in May 1965. The maximum speed was 153 mph, the 0–60 mph time was 7.6 seconds and the 1⁄4 mile from a standing start took 15.1 seconds. They summarised it as “In its 4.2 guise the E-Type is a fast car (the fastest we have ever tested) and offers just about the easiest way to travel quickly by road.”. Motor magazine road tested a UK spec E-Type 4.2 fixed head coupé in Oct 1964. The maximum speed was 150 mph, the 0–60 mph time was 7 seconds and the 1⁄4 mile time was 14.9 seconds. They summarised it as “The new 4.2 supersedes the early 3.8 as the fastest car Motor has tested. The absurd ease which 100 mph can be exceeded in a 1⁄4 mile never failed to astonish. 3,000 miles (4,828 km) of testing confirms that this is still one of the world’s outstanding cars”. All E-Types featured independent coil spring rear suspension designed and developed by R J Knight with torsion bar front ends, and four wheel disc brakes, in-board at the rear, all were power-assisted. The Coventry engineers spared nothing with regards to high automotive technology in braking. Like several British car builders of the middle and late 1950s, the four-wheel disc brakes were also used in that era by Austin-Healey, MG,putting the British far ahead of Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz. Even Lanchester tried an abortive attempt to use copper disc brakes in 1902. Jaguar was one of the first vehicle manufacturers to equip production cars with 4 wheel disc brakes as standard from the XK150 in 1958. The Series 1 (except for late 1967 models) can be recognised by glass-covered headlights (up to 1967), small “mouth” opening at the front, signal lights and tail-lights above bumpers and exhaust tips under the number plate in the rear. 3.8-litre cars have leather-upholstered bucket seats, an aluminium-trimmed centre instrument panel and console (changed to vinyl and leather in 1963), and a Moss four-speed gearbox that lacks synchromesh for first gear (“Moss box”) on all except very last cars. 4.2-litre cars have more comfortable seats, improved brakes and electrical systems, and, obviously, an all-synchromesh Jaguar designed four-speed gearbox. 4.2-litre cars also have a badge on the boot proclaiming “Jaguar 4.2 Litre E-Type” (3.8 cars have a simple “Jaguar” badge). Optional extras included chrome spoked wheels and a detachable hard top for the OTS. When leaving the factory the car was originally fitted with Dunlop 6.40 × 15-inch RS5 tyres on 15 × 5K wire wheels (with the rear fitting 15 × 5K½ wheels supplied with 6.50 X15 Dunlop Racing R5 tyres in mind of competition). Later Series One cars were fitted with Dunlop 185 – 15 SP41 or 185 VR 15 Pirelli Cinturato as radial ply tyres. A 2+2 version of the fastback coupé was added in 1966. The 2+2 offered the option of an automatic transmission. The body is 9 in (229 mm) longer and the roof angles are different. The roadster and the non 2+2 FHC (Fixed Head Coupé) remained as two-seaters. Less widely known, right at the end of Series 1 production, but prior to the transitional “Series 1½” referred to below, a small number of Series 1 cars were produced with open headlights. These Series 1 cars had their headlights modified by removing the covers and altering the scoops they sit in, but these Series 1 headlights differ in several respects from those later used in the Series 1½ (or 1.5), the main being they are shorter at 143 mm from the Series 1½ at 160 mm. Production dates on these machines vary but in right-hand drive form production has been verified as late as July 1968. They are not “rare” in the sense of the build of the twelve lightweights, but they are certainly uncommon; they were not produced until January 1967 and given the foregoing information that they were produced as late as July 1968, it appears that there must have been an overlap with the Series 1.5 production, which began in August 1967 as model year 1968 models. These calendar year/model year Series 1 E-Types are identical to other 4.2-litre Series 1 examples in every respect except for the open headlights; all other component areas, including the exterior, the interior, and the engine compartment are the same, with the same three SU carburettors, polished aluminium cam covers, center dash toggle switches, etc. Following the Series 1 there was a transitional series of cars built in 1967–68 as model year 1968 cars, unofficially called “Series 1½.” Due to American pressure the new features were not just open headlights, but also different switches (black rocker switches as opposed to the Series 1 toggle switches), de-tuning for emissions (using two Zenith-Stromberg carburettors instead of the original three SUs) for US models, ribbed cam covers painted black except for the top brushed aluminium ribbing, bonnet frames on the OTS that have two bows, and other changes. Series 1½ cars also have twin cooling fans and adjustable seat backs. The biggest change between 1961–1967 Series 1 E-Types and the 1968 Series 1.5 was the reduction in the number of carburettors from 3 to just 2 (North America), resulting in a loss in horsepower. Series 2 features were gradually introduced into the Series 1, creating the unofficial Series 1½ cars, but always with the Series 1 body style. A United States federal safety law affecting 1968 model year cars sold in the US was the reason for the lack of headlight covers and change in dash switch design in the “Series 1.5” of 1968. An often overlooked change, one that is often “modified back” to the older style, is the wheel knock-off “nut.” US safety law for 1968 models also forbade the winged-spinner knockoff, and any 1968 model year sold in the US (or earlier German delivery cars) should have a hexagonal knockoff nut, to be hammered on and off with the assistance of a special “socket” included with the car from the factory. This hexagonal nut carried on into the later Series 2 and 3. The engine configuration of the US Series 1.5s was the same as is found in the Series 2. An open 3.8-litre car, actually the first such production car to be completed, was tested by the British magazine Motor in 1961 and had a top speed of 149.1 mph and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of 21.3 mpg was recorded. The test car cost £2,097 including taxes.The cars submitted for road test by the motoring journals of the time (1961) such as Motor, Autocar and Autosport magazines were prepared by the Jaguar works. This work entailed engine balancing and subtle tuning work such as gas-flowing checking the cylinder heads but otherwise production built engines. Both of the well-known 1961 road test cars: the E-Type coupé Reg. No. 9600 HP and E-Type Convertible Reg. No. 77 RW, were fitted with Dunlop Racing Tyres on test, which had a larger rolling diameter and lower drag coefficient. This goes some way to explaining the 150 mph (240 km/h) maximum speeds that were obtained under ideal test conditions. The maximum safe rev limit for standard 6-cylinder 3.8-litre E-Type engines is 5,500 rpm. The later 4.2-Litre units had a red marking on the rev counter from just 5,000 rpm. Both 3.8 test cars may have approached 6,000 rpm in top gear when on road test, depending on final drive ratio. Production numbers were as follows: 15,490 of the 3.8s, 17,320 of the 4.2s and 10,930 of the 2+2s. And by body style there were 15,442 of the FHC, 17,378 of the OTS and 5,500 of the 2+2, making a total of 38,419 of the Series 1 car.
Land-Rover Range Rover: The first-generation Range Rover was produced between 1969 and 1996. It was available only in a 2-door body until 1981. (Before then, 4-door models had been produced by specialist firms). Unlike other 4x4s such as the Jeep Wagoneer, the original Range Rover was not designed as a luxury vehicle. It was up-market compared to preceding Land Rover models, but the early Range Rovers had fairly basic, utilitarian, interiors with vinyl seats and plastic dashboards that were designed to be washed down with a hose. Convenience features such as power steering, carpeted floors, air conditioning, cloth/leather seats, and wooden interior trim were fitted later. The Range Rover was a body-on-frame design with a box section ladder type chassis, like the contemporary Series Land Rovers. The Range Rover used coil springs as opposed to leaf springs, permanent four-wheel drive, and four-wheel disc brakes. The Range Rover was originally powered by various Rover V8 engines and diesel engines. Originally, the Range Rover was fitted with a detuned 130 hp version of the Buick-derived Rover V8 engine. In 1984, the engine was fitted with Lucas fuel injection, boosting power to 155 bhp. The 3.5-litre (3,528 cc) engine was bored out to a displacement of 3.9 litres for the 1990 model year, and 4.2-litre in 1992 for the 108-inch Long Wheelbase Vogue LSE (County LWB [long wheelbase] in North America). One of the first significant changes came in 1981, with the introduction of a four-door body. Shortly after twin thermo fan technology was introduced to reduce significant overheating problems 1970s models experienced in Australia. In 1988, LR introduced a 2.4-litre turbodiesel (badged Vogue Turbo D) with 112 bhp, manufactured by Italian VM Motori. The same engine was available in the Rover SD1 passenger car. The diesel project was codenamed project Beaver. During the project, 12 world records were broken, including the fastest diesel off-roader to reach 100 mph (160 km/h), and the furthest a diesel off-roader has travelled in 24 hours. In 1990 project Otter was unveiled. This was a mildly tuned 2.5-litre, 119 bhp version of the ‘Beaver’ 2.4. In 1992, Land Rover finally introduced their own diesel engines in the Range Rover, beginning with the 111 bhp 200TDi, first released in the Land Rover Discovery and following in 1994, the 300 TDi, again with 111 bhp. The first generation was known as the Range Rover until almost the end of its production when Land Rover introduced the name Range Rover Classic to distinguish it from its successors. The original model served as the basis for the 1989 introduced 1st generation Discovery (directly based on the standard (short) wheelbase Range Rover), and for the 2nd generation Range Rover, based on the LWB chassis of the Classic.
Mercedes S Class Estate: The car is a modified Mercedes S 600 L W140 estate with a 6-litre V12 engine under the bonnet. The Mercedes S-Class Estate is the ultimate form of luxury: generous interior space, a spacious trunk combined with the refinement and torque of the 6-liter V12 engine. The example, which is featured on the DK Engineering website and for sale at an auction organized by Carhuna, was built by Falcon Design based on a Mercedes S 600 L from Japan. For the body modification, Falcon Design took the roof and rear hatchback from the E-Class Estate S210. Since the rear seat is fixed in this example, there was no need to move the gas tank. The rear seats are electrically adjustable, and the front seats can be operated by rear passengers. This car appears to be the only Mercedes S-Class Estate with a left-side steering wheel. The example offered for sale is painted in Polar white (149U) and has Designo Green (X08) leather upholstery and Designo Green (W07) inserts. Working under the bonnet is the M120 6.0-litre V12 engine, also used by the Pagani Zonda C12, and this Mercedes S-Class estate is one of the few V12-powered estate cars in the world. There are only 18 Mercedes S-Class Estate examples worldwide, all modified by AMG. Of these, 15 were commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei, who has an impressive collection of exotic cars. The other three have never been seen because they have never changed ownership and haven’t been seen much at auction. All the modified examples of the Mercedes S-Class Estate that exist in the world are based on a Mercedes S 600 L (W140), and all have the V12 engine under the bonnet, as all the VIN series of these models indicate. To work on the modifications, AMG enlisted the help of coachbuilders. All examples have the roof and rear part taken from the E-Class Estate S210. It is straightforward to see if you look at the curved shape of the C-pillar. Also taken from the E-Class Estate S210 are the rear screen, and from the E-Class Estate W124, the rear subframe, which comes with a flatter tank that allows the rear seats to be folded down. As mentioned above, the example in these pictures has a fixed rear seat. There have been other attempts to modify the S-Class into an estate. Coachbuilders Cadform and Binz modified a standard wheelbase S-Class with a 5-liter V8 engine, to which they adapted the roof and rear end from the W124 E-Class Estate, but only one example was built.
Vauxhall Viva HB Brabham: Named after triple world champion Sir Jack Brabham and said to have been developed with his assistance, the Brabham performance kit was introduced in 1967 and could be applied to any version of the SL/90 HB Viva. The key elements of the kit were an additional Stromberg carburettor on a bespoke manifold, related free-flow air filters, throttle linkage and the aforementioned stripes. A sports exhaust, wider wheels and suspension mods were also available off the shelf for those that wanted to take matters a stage further. The kits could be acquired in three ways, namely: by purchasing one from a dealer and carrying out your own conversion; having your car converted by Jack Brabham Ltd of Worcester Park (note the sticker in the rear window of the sale car), or ordering a new Viva complete with the kit already in place. Brabham and GT Vivas are now the two most sought after versions of the HB range. It is believed that there are only seven . Brabham HB Vivas remaining.
The 2024 Concours was an excellent event, maintaining the high standard set in previous years. It is not massive, so you can visit this in a morning, or an afternoon and still see everything properly. That was quite a blessing for me, as I needed to leave in the early afternoon to get a train back to the Midlands as I had an evening event for which I also had a ticket. I do look forward to seeing what the 2025 Concours will bring. The dates are already announced as 3 to 5th June 2025.
