Classic & Sports Car

the big picture

After WW2, interest in European sports cars escalated in California and new events included winter road rallies. Here, entrants on the Press-on-Regardless Rally refuel during the long night of 21 January 1951. As well as a strong entry of Brit imports, the event featured an exotic Talbot-Lago T150C SS ‘Teardrop’ by Figoni et Falaschi. Originally brought to the USA by Luigi Chinetti, chassis 90105 was owned by Tommy Lee and regularly run at dry-lake events; later owner John von Neumann drove it on the rally. This is just one of a remarkable collection of images featured in Weekend Heroes 2.0 (p152).…

welcome

Surely we have all played it? That game where you give yourself an imaginary multi-million-pound budget and put together a dream garage consisting of your favourite classics – for me always starting Ferrari 250GT SWB (obviously), AC Ace Bristol and Jaguar MkX. But how many of you have a piece of Japanese machinery nestling in that fantasy heated motor house? Just like when they first arrived on the mainstream global market as new cars, Far Eastern classics tend to be treated with a touch of scepticism at best, at worst sneering cynicism. The good news is that this can result in some bargain price-tags, as Andrew Roberts’ story on the Japanese pioneers reveals (p106). As a convert already, my dream list has traditionally included several, with the Toyota 2000GT very close to…

owners open 2020 in unison

One of the busiest days of the classic car calendar is also the first, as owners start the way they intend to go on and gather all over the country on New Year’s Day. Brooklands is perhaps the UK’s biggest, as a staggering variety descends on the historic venue. More than 1250 cars covering over a century of motoring blanketed the site and its famous banking this year. Among the oldest was a 1909 Mercedes Simplex Type 4 Speedster, a veteran of the Traversée de Paris, while Fords from both sides of the Atlantic were plentiful, with the modified Americana a typical draw. Just as packed was the town of Stony Stratford, near Milton Keynes, for the 11th running of its Vintage festival. Classic variety on two, three and four wheels lined…

capacity scramble success

A diverse array of pre-1990 classics thrilled the sell-out crowd of more than 6500 enthusiasts that flocked to Bicester Heritage on 5 January for 2020’s first Sunday Scramble. A 1968 Tatra 603 II more commonly associated with the other side of the Iron Curtain went well with the historic military backdrop, while a 1984 Peugeot 205 T16 flew the Group B flag. Hardy enthusiasts from the Lotus Seven Club rumbled in with their roofs down, a feat matched by a 1935 Austin Seven Pearl Cabriolet, which drove 35 miles through the chilly pre-dawn mist. Warmer were the cavernous hangars, where dozens of supercars sheltered. Bicester’s own Sports Purpose added to the atmosphere by laying on a free-to-attend talk with 2019 W Series Champion and Formula One development driver Jamie Chadwick. Mission Motorsport…

enzo’s le mans stars

Ferrari is celebrating 70 years of Le Mans success in a new showcase at its Maranello museum, from its first winner to 2019’s class-clincher. The story of the marque’s 36 overall and category victories starts with a 166MM Barchetta Touring, a similar car to that in which Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon claimed Ferrari’s first Le Mans triumph at the 1949 edition (p124). Nino Vaccarella and Jean Guichet’s Le Mans-winning 275P from 1964 (above) is another star, while bringing the story bang up to date is the 488GTE in which Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Daniel Serra secured LMGTE Pro honours last June. ‘Ferrari at 24 Heures du Mans’ runs until 19 April 2020.…

selling the crown jewels in the capital

A staggering collection of 16 hugely significant classics will cross the block at Somerset House on 1 April, as US-based auctioneer Gooding & Co hosts a sale outside America for the first time. The ‘Passion of a Lifetime’ lot list comprises some of the most desirable models ever created from top European marques Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Lancia, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce and Vauxhall, with a total estimated value in excess of £45m. Headlining the London sale is the ex-King Leopold 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports (C&SC, November ’08). Driven by such luminaries as Robert Benoist, Louis Chiron and Piero Taruffi, it contested numerous Grands Prix before being sold to King Leopold III of Belgium. It is expected to fetch more than £10,000,000. The Type 59 is the centrepiece of a trio of pre-war GP…