Classic Cars May 2019

Welcome A long drive on a cold, dark February night has been my highlight of 2019, putting me in the mood for a smart buy A dark, cold night in February and a long drive north on the motorway hardly sounds like the backdrop most of us would paint for a great drive, but such things depend on the car. Always. In this case, the Daimler Double Six Coupé we’d just spent a day with in the studio for the Smart Buys cover feature. I had managed to stitch myself up with the job of returning the car to its enthusiastic long-term owner, Mike Horlor, nearly 150 miles in the opposite direction to my home. ‘Oh, the things I do in the line of duty,’ I thought to myself, stifling…

A dark, cold night in February and a long drive north on the motorway hardly sounds like the backdrop most of us would paint for a great drive, but such things depend on the car. Always. In this case, the Daimler Double Six Coupé we’d just spent a day with in the studio for the Smart Buys cover feature. I had managed to stitch myself up with the job of returning the car to its enthusiastic long-term owner, Mike Horlor, nearly 150 miles in the opposite direction to my home. ‘Oh, the things I do in the line of duty,’ I thought to myself, stifling a smug grin as I headed out into the night; two-and-a-half hours to bathe in the soft green glow of the dash instruments, eerily quiet V12…

[ The List ] Your dream drive made real ‘That exhaust is your PA system…’ As a teenager obsessed with music and cars, Paul Bulger was mesmerised by the De Tomaso Pantera’s vertically housed stereo. Will a first-person reprise put it at the top of his classic chart? Words ROSS ALKUREISHI Photography DEAN SMITH The climb up Little Mount Sion is considerable. I’m huffing and puffing, but Classic Cars reader Paul Bulger is taking it in his stride while explaining why the Pantera is on his wishlist. ‘There was no internet when I was young,’ he says. ‘I’d never seen a De Tomaso before, so I attended a supercar day and it’s the stereo I remember. In every other car they were horizontal, but when I saw the…

The climb up Little Mount Sion is considerable. I’m huffing and puffing, but Classic Cars reader Paul Bulger is taking it in his stride while explaining why the Pantera is on his wishlist. ‘There was no internet when I was young,’ he says. ‘I’d never seen a De Tomaso before, so I attended a supercar day and it’s the stereo I remember. In every other car they were horizontal, but when I saw the Pantera’s I thought, “That’s so cool.”’ Just off the fashionable High Street in Royal Tunbridge Wells may seem a strange place for a classic car specialist, but then Justin Banks’ premises is more boutique, modern art gallery than traditional garage. As we finally reach it and peer in the vast glass frontage, the Pantera is the only…

Ferrari 328 ‘Sat in a 328GTS at Maranello Sales in Egham when I was 14 and started it – wanted to drive one since, but never have.’ TVR Griffith ‘Like my 280i – amazing and scary, but turned up to 11.’ Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera ‘Late-Eighties car with G50 ’box, please.’ Lotus Esprit ‘The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only have a lot to answer for.’ De Tomaso Pantera ‘Italian styling and US muscle, why would you not want to own one?’ Porsche 944 Turbo ‘Owned a 924S, but would like more power with that chassis.’ MGA ‘Beautiful – perfect for a spring day with nowhere in particular to be.’ Jaguar E-type ‘The most beautiful car in the world? Has to be on my list.’ Aston Martin V8 Vantage ‘B-reg, if possible with optional rocket launchers though preferably not driving in the snow.’ Jaguar XK150 ‘Amazing…

PAUL’S DREAM DRIVE LIST Ferrari 328 ‘Sat in a 328GTS at Maranello Sales in Egham when I was 14 and started it – wanted to drive one since, but never have.’ TVR Griffith ‘Like my 280i – amazing and scary, but turned up to 11.’ Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera ‘Late-Eighties car with G50 ’box, please.’ Lotus Esprit ‘The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only have a lot to answer for.’ De Tomaso Pantera ‘Italian styling and US muscle, why would you not want to own one?’ Porsche 944 Turbo ‘Owned a 924S, but would like more power with that chassis.’ MGA ‘Beautiful – perfect for a spring day with nowhere in particular to be.’ Jaguar E-type ‘The most beautiful car in the world? Has to be on…