All of my car reviews whether published or unpublished to SR News/Spark/Drivetribe/Blogger.
2021 Bentley Continental GT Speed Review
It has been four years since the Bentley Continental GT received its facelift from the previous 12 year old design and, still it remains one of the top GT cars on the market. In 2022, the market for GT cars is fairly saturated at the moment with Aston Martin having the DB11 and DBS, Ferrari with the Roma, Rolls-Royce have the Wraith Black Badge, and even BMW with the M8 Competition are in with a shout in the grand touring market.
The new Bentley Continental GT Speed has recently re-entered this market as a fast, executive version of the standard Conti GT and it is a very special car. The Continental GT Speed is over 50kg lighter than the standard Continental, and though the car still weighs just over two tonnes, the weight deficit makes a huge impact in the performance factor of the car. With a raised top speed up to 208 mph up from 199 in the standard car, makes it one of the fastest road going Bentley’s ever made. Power is up too from 542bhp in the standard Continental up to 650bhp in the Speed. This is due to the Continental GT Speed having the 6.0 W12 engine rather than the older 4.0 twin turbocharged V8. This uprated engine also has an impact on the torque figures with 900 newton metres of torque compared to 770 in the V8 Continental. The final performance statistic is the 0-60mph time which, once again, is faster on the GT Speed with 60mph achieved in 3.6 seconds which is extremely impressive considering it weighs 2.2 tonnes. Performance wise, the new GT Speed rivals even some supercars which is amazing considering Bentley is a luxury performance brand.
The design of the Continental GT Speed is still debated on the exterior as it follows the modern trend of cars to have quite large grills. Personally I don’t mind the grills but they have been compared by other people to cheese graters which could be a negative but in my opinion the new Bentley shape is stunning. The GT Speed has slightly arched rear fenders which accentuate the wide but sleek Bentley shape as well as the striking 22″ rims which show the cars sporty history within its luxury body. It also features Speed exclusive details such as special trims on the interior and badging as well as the Bentley logo lit up under the door as it opens which as a little luxury element is very fun to see. The interior is immaculate as a Bentley is expected to be. The leather and stitch work on the seats is nothing but perfection as it is fitted with the Mulliner Driving Specification as standard, which was only an option on the standard Continental GT. This allows the car to feel like a proper luxurious Bentley as well as having all the performance elements of a sports car. Every single minimalist element of the interior was also stunning, from the chrome on the centre console, to the carbon fibre weave fitted into the dashboard rather than using wood to save weight. When sat inside the car, I felt special as a person, like I had made it in life to be sat in a car of such luxury, luxury I have only seen before on a car such as the Rolls-Royce Ghost. And when price is brought into the debate, the fact it shares a similar interior quality as a Rolls-Royce is a significant factor.
At the beginning of this article, I listed a few cars that would rival the GT Speed in terms of performance, luxury and overall in the GT car market. Price is the final key factor for a car like this as the customer would want to get the most they can with the money they spend. Beginning on the cheaper end of the scale with the BMW M8 Competition. This car does not have the same luxury or performance as the Bentley and has a price of £153,220 for a top spec car. Aston Martin come next with the DB11 and DBS which pride performance over luxury in this debate and the price of a DBS (best rival to the Bentley) is £225,000. Ferrari’s Roma is pretty much fully performance based as the interior shares a lot of features with the 488 and F8 supercars and the cost of a new Roma is £170,000. Finally is the Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge, a car 100% focused on luxury but including some performance as well, which costs £286,000. The Bentley, with its perfect blend of performance and luxury costs £170,000 for a base car but with options, an average car would be sitting around the £220,000 price bracket. Comparing it to its rivals on price, it can be seen as a no brainer because it is ‘cheaper’ than the rival cars as well as providing a lot of kick for that price.
I believe that this car, is the turning point for Bentley in terms of their target market. Bentley has always been the ‘Gentleman’s Racer’ car, even since the Blowers of the 1920s, through the HJ Mulliner Park Ward cars of the 60s and 70s, to the current VW ownership. However Bentley know that they need to expand their market away from the older generation to appeal to the younger target market to turn their attention away from Bentley’s rivals such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. To do this they seem to have modernised the current line up, especially in the GT Speed to make it more desirable and, despite the high price of the car, make it more like a dream car for younger people. With the Continental GT Speed it certainly has the appeal of a dream car to younger audiences, as having a real in depth look at this car, it made me fall in love. Despite not having a Ferrari badge or the Spirit of Ecstasy adorning the front end, the Bentley Continental GT Speed is a fantastic car and one of, if not the best, grand touring cars currently on the market.
The Forgotten 911 – 997 Speedster
(Published on DriveTribe with 22,500 views – link here)
With the hype around the new Porsche Speedster, and the acclaim of the vintage cars, has everyone forgotten the 997 Speedster?
The Porsche 911 range has massively expanded since the first model rolled off the production line, but in my opinion, none have become more forgotten than the 997 generation of the Speedster.
Recently, I visited Porsche Centre Leeds which is my local Porsche dealership to gaze through the showroom window at the magnificent machines inside, and a spec of blue at the back caught my eye moreso than the 991 Speedster and GT3 RS directly in front of me. That spec of blue happened to be a 997 Speedster and after I left, I was desperate to see it up close. So I emailed around and after lots of work, someone invited me to the showroom so I could see one of my dream cars up close.
And so, less than two weeks after I had last visited, I entered Porsche Centre Leeds and was greeted by the magnificent shape of the 997 Speedster. Stood in awe at the magnificence of the engineering, I thought to myself, most people will have completely forgotten this car existed. Why would that be?
When it launched in 2011, it was labelled as one of the rarest Porsche’s of the 997 generation with only 356 to be built as a tribute to the original 356 Speedster, meaning the only model variant rarer was the 2010 911 Sport Classic with 250 examples. The 997 Speedster was based on the chassis of the, then-new, 997 Carrera GTS with the 3.8 litre flat six that featured the £8000 Power Kit extra as standard, which gave the car 408bhp. There was, however, no manual gearbox offered with the Speedster so a seven-speed PDK was all that was available.
Around the back of the car, the 997 Speedster featured a double bubble tonneau cover where the back seats would be which hides where the manually operated soft top roof will be stored. The wheels are also an interesting point of the car as it has Fuchs style wheels which resemble previous Speedster models such as the 356 and 930, and are the same wheel style used on the 911 Sport Classic.
You may be thinking that this recipe sounds amazing and to why nobody seems to remember it? But now the problems begin to start. Firstly, when this car was new it was £144,000, which was more than a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and the Audi R8 GT. This may be because of its exclusivity you say? Overall it was much slower than the 997 Turbo S Cabriolet, the Carrera GTS featured the same wide-body, rear drive combo but with the addition of a manual gearbox and for the same price as the Speedster at the time, you could get a 997 GT3 and a Boxster Spyder. These factors do not help the 997 Speedster’s case.
So the 997 Speedster seems to be a collector’s item then? To an extent yes as all 356 were snapped up just after the car was released and they are extremely rare to find for sale but it shouldn’t be disregarded because it is a brilliant sports car based on the best generation of Porsche 911 (in my opinion) with the 3.8 flat six and just over 400hp. The price of a 997 Speedster is on the rise as the car at Porsche Leeds was £299,000 meaning it could have been a good investment car.
Though the 997 Speedster isn’t as famous as the initial 356 Speedster, it may not have the popularity of the new 991 Speedster and not even the cult classic status of the 930 and 964 Speedsters, it is unique in its own regard and deserves to be remembered more than it is.
JZM Porsche – Dealership Review
Located in a small corner of King’s Langley, JZM Porsche is one of the best showrooms in the UK, yet is unknown to a majority of the car community.
In advance of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, it has become a tradition to visit car dealerships close to where I am staying so I can get a full weekend of automotive content. This year, on the way down to our hotel, we visited the JZM Porsche showroom which we discovered was a treasure trove of Stuttgart metal. The showroom is situated in King’s Langley, just off the M25 from the M1, and is located in a fairly subtle little village. Yet pulling in to the estate on which its located, we realised it was a seriously incredible place.
Upon being greeted by the loveliest of staff, we were let loose into the toybox to gaze upon the beautiful cars. The dark interior of the building is offset with the white lights makes the building look like the ultimate man cave. We were told that the showroom had begun in the single room in which we were stood, before they expanded to double to showroom size and add a service centre on the end, essentially tripling the size. Fitted on the walls were beautiful images of previous Porsche RS models as well as features from Akrapovic featuring the exhaust for the 991.2 GT3 RS which can be bought directly from JZM.
Typically the cars were as immaculate as the showroom itself with two Porsche 918 Spyders greeting us and a Porsche Carrera GT in the secondary area. Classics did seem to dominate my attention with a Porsche 911 993 SuperCup in the foyer which was one of only 216 made as well as a Porsche 911 993 GT which is one of only 53 built. As visible in the image above, it is not only Porsche they stock, as they’re just specialists in Porsche, as shown by the VW Camper Bus as well as the Lamborghini Murcielago 6.2 featuring the gated six speed manual which was a rare option. Back to Porsche, they had a GT2 RS 991 as well as the Clubsport version which is a new car for me but it looked utterly stunning.
The highlights for me though were the 996 GT3 RS tucked into the back of the image above as well as my first Ferrari 575 SuperAmerica, the roofless version of the GT tourer from the early 2000s which happened to be on my bucket list of cars to see that weekend.
Furthermore, we were later treated to a guided tour of the service bay and a secret area upstairs. The service bays were stacked with some of the rarest Porsche’s you can find including a Porsche 930 Speedster sat below a 997 GT2 RS, as well as some more common cars such as Caymans, 992 Carreras and a new 992 Turbo S. We were then escorted upstairs to find an area I did not know existed, which is the storage bays. I was told that it could hold 85 cars at a maximum capacity and is built above both the service bays and the secondary section of the showroom. Cars will typically be stored there for longer periods of time such as 3-6 months for some and often a few years for others. Though no photos were taken for privacy reasons and the fact that all cars were under covers, it was easy to recognise some of the cars hidden away such as a Lamborghini Countach LP400, Ferrari 488 Pista and even a Lamborghini Diablo. A personal favourite that I managed to recognise was an old BMW 850CSi which is an incredible car and for some reason stood out among the many Ferraris and Lamborghinis hidden away.
JZM Porsche then is truly a hidden gem when it comes to car showrooms and storage sites, whilst holding a brilliant reputation having been open since 2009 as JZM but being open since 1983 under the Machtech racing name. With some of the most iconic Porsche cars housed in such a small area with many of Porsche’s halo cars present such as the Carrera GT, 918, Taycan Turbo S, 993 Turbo and a few 356s in the service area. Even ignoring the Porsche stock, the other cars are still incredible, especially the manual Murcielago, Ferrari 575 Superamerica and my first Ferrari 365 GT4 BB finished in a gorgeous shade of blue.
The range of classics and modern cars, as well as the small division of modern classics of the early 2000s is brilliant meaning everyone will find a car in the showroom that they love more than anything else. For my friend and I, he loved this 991.1 GT3 RS finished in a one off PTS colour with silver wheels and for me, it had to be the manual Murcielago 6.2. I think that shows how incredible this place is that at a Porsche specialist, my highlight car is not even a Porsche.
In conclusion, I highly recommend that anyone around the area of King’s Langley who likes their cars to visit JZM as the staff are so welcoming even with millions of pounds worth of metal hanging around and often they will engage in conversation rather than some places who pretend you do not exist. With thanks to Alexandra for allowing us to come and visit as well as giving us the tour to see the service bays and the storage units, it helped us start the Goodwood weekend in the perfect way. For more information on JZM Porsche, find them on their website at www.jzmporsche.com.
The Forgotten Zagato Aston Martin
Since 1964, Aston Martin and Zagato have collaborated on designing special versions of Aston Martin models. Many people may recognise the initial model, being the DB4 GTZ, for its stunning beauty and racing credentials. The most recent Zagato Aston Martin models include the Vanquish Zagato collection, the new DBS Zagato and the Vantage V12 Zagato but many people seem to forget that Zagato remade a DB9 too.
It was called the DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial and was built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Aston Martin in 2013. It was built alongside a coupe based on the DBS where it debuted at Kensington Gardens before being seen at Pebble Beach on the concept lawn. The DB9 Spyder began life as a standard DB9 Volante and was commissioned by a US client who requested the Zagato treatment. After the car was bought in the US, it was shipped to Italy where Zagato carried out the transformation with the design being similar to the DBS Coupe just replacing the double bubble roof with a folding soft top.
Both cars have styling cues taken from 1970s and 1980s Aston Martin models such as the original DBS, the V8 Vantage and the Virage and due to this, the design is very angular.
The grill itself is very wide and long which gives it a unique look to differentiate from other Zagato Aston Martins. Zagato say that the grill shows off its aggressive character whilst retaining an element of elegance. The rear lights are styled to look like the front lights and the entire rear end is carried from the front which gives it a fairly squared off look. The colour scheme for this car is fairly traditional being Aston Martin Racing Green with an interior shade of Sahara Tan leather.
The interior is more or less unchanged which is strange as Zagato usually create beautiful interiors equivalent to the style of Pagani and Spyker interiors. However on this example, the only interior changes are the stainless steel trims on the centre console and the solid green stripe down the centre of the front and rear seats. An interesting element about this Zagato model is that its debut at Kensington Gardens was the first time anyone besides the Zagato engineers had seen the car. The design was kept secret from any Aston Martin designers which shows the trust that the two manufacturers have with each other. The only person at Aston Martin who had a slight hint at the design was Ulrich Bez, the CEO of Aston at the time, but he only knew what car it would be based on.
In 2015, RM Sotheby’s had their Monterrey auction and lot 229 just so happened to be the 2013 Aston Martin Centennial DB9 Spyder by Zagato. The car had been owned by its US client for two years, and in that time it only showed 2300 miles on the odometer. It’s clear that this car was commissioned as a collectors item more so than an actual car but its a shame for these cars to be so specifically built and not used. RM Sotheby’s suggested when this car went for sale, it would be one of only a few times any Zagato one off would be offered for sale and since then, none of the Centennial cars have appeared. In the Monterrey sale, the DB9 sold for £693,000 which was one of the cheaper cars from that sale but still one of the most unique.
Since the sale, the DB9 Spyder has been very hidden away and rarely seen. There was however an exception as in 2019, at the Hampton Court Palace Concours D’Elegance event, there was a line-up of Zagato Aston Martins to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Zagato and it featured both the DBS Coupe and the DB9 Spyder in one of the most eclectic line-ups possibly ever seen at a car show. But once again, the car is now hidden away from the public eye, waiting for the next time it can show its uniquely styled face at a car event. It may be a forgotten car, it may be a one of one car, but it remains one of the most special Aston Martin Zagato collaborations of all time.
Mercedes-Benz EQC400 Review
Electrifying Discoveries
I love petrol. The smell of it, the things it can make a car do, it really is a love of my life. I have been transfixed on the things petrol can do for many years being an avid car enthusiast. Be it the noise it creates when it flows into the engine, the sound echoing out of the exhaust or the sheer edges of performance it causes cars to achieve, I just love it.
In the last few years however, the electric car panic has begun. Everyone supposedly rushing to get an electric car, manufacturers stopping the production of petrol and diesel cars worldwide and petrol prices rising to astronomical levels. It has been a tough time for petrol heads and so I was anxious when approached to test drive a new electric car, given my love for all things petrol powered.
Arriving on the day, I was anxious that I’d fall in love with the idea of electrification, and I would move away from my one true love, the petrol car. The car I would drive would be the Mercedes-Benz EQC400, based on the petrol powered GLC SUV and visually a stunning car. The design of it made it stand out even among some of the more expensive Teslas and Porsche Taycan sports cars. The LED light strip in the front grill was a highlight along with the futuristic wheels. Upon further inspection the interior was beautiful, nearly comparable to a Bentley or Aston Martin interior let alone a Mercedes. I sat myself comfortably within, silently started the car and I was off.
Before setting off, the brake pedal would slowly lift to remind a manual driver like myself that there was no clutch which was a nice effect. When driving, the car always felt in control with a quiet ride and extraordinarily comfortable considering the car weight 2.5 tonnes. Once I got used to the driving style, I took the car to a closed stretch of road and stuck my foot down. The transfer of power was instantaneous, racing to 60 mph in just less than five seconds, pushing me back in my seat like a small sports car would. It’s amazing to think such a heavy car can accelerate so quickly, given that there was no turbo lag or clutch involvement. It was nearly unbelievable.
Every car has its downsides and the EQC’s is the handling. At a crawl, the turning is fine but at a speed above 30 mph, it rolls due to its weight. That’s almost the part of the driving where I felt I was not in control, hoping the grippy tyres would stick the car to the ground. The cornering was tested at 30 mph in both Sport and Comfort mode and the result was the same. Plus, a starting price of £65,000 would sway me more towards a secondhand Ferrari 360, though economy is the key factor.
Before the drive I was worried my love of petrol would deplete, which it has not. However, I do now understand and believe the hype behind electric cars. The technology and the way electric cars work now fascinates me to the extent I would not mind owning one. I am the petrolhead converted to electric power and after that drive, bring on the future.
Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Review
There are a lot of cars out there that hold a certain presence to them. If say I were stood next to an original 1966 Ford GT40, I would feel in a very special place as it holds esteem in the motoring world. The Lamborghini Aventador is one of those cars. After the Murcielago bowed out in 2010 after the insane LP670 SV, the car world waited for what would be the equally insane replacement. In 2012, Lamborghini announced the Aventador and after many years in production having multiple models and special editions, the Aventador is also to bow out as Lamborghini has decided to move to hybrid-V12s rather than full petrol powered engines. So due to this, Lamborghini had to allow it to bow out in a similarly successful way as the Murcielago.
And here it is. The SVJ. The name comes from the combination of the ‘SV’ label, used on previous Aventador models, meaning SuperVeloce (Superfast). The ‘J’ comes from the genesis of the Lamborghini supercar and from the Miura SVJ. The Miura SVJ was an iteration of the original 1966 Miura which was built in very limited numbers to comply with the old FIA Appendix J racing series. The racing chassis of the Miura SVJ was testing in Brescia when it crashed and burned to the ground. The Miura SVJ is the genesis of the Lamborghini limited series cars and the modern Aventador SVJ lives up to it’s grandfather’s legacy.
This particular example was on display by the Yorkshire Supercar Owners Club at Newby Hall during the Sports Cars in the Park this May. It was finished in Rosso Leto with the SVJ logo on the rear section of the car. It is also finished with the 20″ bronze rims. The presence it had that day equalled being stood next to a Lamborghini Countach or a Ferrari Enzo. The 6.5l V12 engine mounted in the rear of the car produces 759 bhp and can take the car up to a top speed of 217mph making it one of the fastest cars that Lamborghini has ever made. 0-60mph takes only 2.6 seconds due to the massive weight reduction that the SVJ has gone through, cutting over 100lbs from the base car. This car also holds the current lap record for road legal cars at the fierce Nürburgring Nordschliefe circuit. The Green Hell, as it is also known, is a 12.9 mile car-killing circuit known for being the first place many supercars go for testing. The SVJ completed a lap driven by Marco Mapelli, Lamborghini factory driver, in a staggering 6m 44 secs. To put that into perspective, the previous record held by Porsche was 6m 47 secs and the original 2012 Aventador took 7m 25 secs.
One reason for this may be the insanely fast test driver, who for a living drives Lamborghini Trofeo GT3 cars. However one of the more logical reasons is the immense aerodynamic features to the SVJ. The key feature is the wing (below) which uses the Lamborghini ALA aero kit first used on the Huracan Performante. This, plus the 4 wheel steer and 4 active suspension, makes this car one of the best track Lamborghinis and a car that can rival a McLaren 600LT around a track.
In terms of pricing, the SVJ price starts at around £350,000 and with only 700 units, this is a very good deal. There is a Roadster variant coming this year along with the very limited SVJ 63 made to celebrate the birth of Lamborghini with 63 units. A stunning car that certainly lives up to the legacy set by the Miura and a good farewell to the Aventador name.
2021 McLaren Artura First Impression
The Covid-19 pandemic seems to be nearing its end in the UK, with car dealerships opening back up and car shows soon on the horizon, there is now an opportunity to see some of the best new cars at showrooms. On a visit to McLaren Leeds, I managed to get a first look at the new McLaren Artura. Unfortunately due to the fact I wasn’t a customer, I was not allowed in the actual showroom but I still managed to gather some first impressions of the car.
THE SPECS
Before giving my first impression of the car it only seems fit to give some background information on the new Artura. The Artura will be the car to replace the 570S and fairly void the Sport Series which did include the 570S, 600LT and the final model being the 620R. It is also significant as it is McLaren’s first Plug in Hybrid since the P1 back in 2013, meaning it’s the first mass production plug in hybrid McLaren, as the P1 was limited to 375 units. The 3.8 twin turbocharged V8 has been replaced by a smaller 3.0 V6 with the electric motors which produced 671bhp, 94 of which coming from the electric motors. The list price is set to be starting at £182,500 which is the most significant element of the car on face value. When compared with the P1 when it first launched in 2013, the Artura goes 0- 60mph in 3 seconds which is only 0.2 seconds slower than the P1, it has a top speed of 205mph which is slower than the 217mph of the P1. However when the launch prices are compared, the Artura is one sixth of the price of the P1 with similar performance.
Although cars with electric motors are usually heavier than sports cars with ICEs, the Artura only weighs 1498kg, incredible knowing the body carries an engine and electric motors. This is down to the aluminium body and the carbon composite tub used in the Speedtail as well as the fact the entire rear quarter of the car is one body panel which helps to reduce weight as well. McLaren even say themselves that the Artura is as much fun, if not more fun, on track as a 600LT.
VISUAL INSPECTION
Visually I like the styling of the new Artura, as it is recognisably a McLaren car but with lots of new elements that make it more unique than the 570S or 600LT. The headlights for example are pushed back into the body much like the 720S which provides the car with a more aggressive front end than the safe and stable 570S. The front end, though retaining the stylistic element of the Sports Series cars, has a greater gaping ‘mouth’ than the 570S to intake air into the car. It features carbon louvres on the front fenders similar to the MSO option on the 600LT, 765LT and somewhat similar to the new Porsche 911 GT3. The car also features a very large side intake to help get air to the engine, but a much larger intake than any McLaren since the P1. There are struts on the edge of the roofline to allow air to flow freely over the rear quarter. Coming to the rear of the car, I find personally that it is a little understyled, with no rear wing or even a hydraulic spoiler just the small lip on the rear edge which, again, helps with air flow. The exhausts are very similar to the 720S but look a little too high up for the car. The rear end in its entirety is very much like the 570S, however there are hints of the GT and even the Elva in the rear lights. I have not yet seen the interior of the new Artura but I have heard that McLaren have completely restyled the interior with a large touchscreen on the centre console as well as two stalks behind the steering wheel for the drive settings, making it easier for the driver to change settings while on the go.
THE MARKET/RIVALS
The interesting thing about the Artura is where it sits in McLaren’s line up and where it fits in the overall market. Starting with McLaren, as mentioned previously, the Sports Series is no more as the 620R was the last hurrah of McLaren’s tremendously successful range. The new alignment looks like this. The McLaren GT is on its own in the GT class where it rivals such cars as the Aston Martin DB11, the Bentley Continental GT and the new Ferrari Roma. The Artura fits into the newly established ‘Supercars’ branch which is currently made up of the 720S, 720S Spider and the new 765LT. Other than those two, McLaren has the Ultimate class which currently houses the Senna, Speedtail, Elva and Senna GTR.
In terms of rivals, the Artura is a bit of an anomaly. Due to the fact it is a plug in hybrid, it opens a brand new section of the market for it to explore. Yes, some will say Honda’s NSX paved the way for this market but due to the less than successful market reception, it falls short of the mark. In fact, the Artura seems to be one of the first plug in hybrid supercars to be released since the hybrid hypercar trinity at the start of the 2010s. Everyone knows that the hybrid supercars are coming, Ferrari for example are working on a hybrid V6 for a car after their highly anticipated SUV, Lamborghini’s Huracan replacement will be hybrid in some way, Porsche are working on an electric GT3 (as well as e-fuels which could allow ICEs to remain plausible) and I can even see the new Maserati MC20 as an immediate rival to the Artura. The Artura is the first of these cars to get their release and production underway and therefore, it is the market leader. Just over 10 years ago, McLaren had one road car being the MP4-12C, wanting to rival the market leaders of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Now having sold 25,000 models and stretching the market to its bitter ends, McLaren has finally led the market with hybrid supercars. Some may also say that Ferrari are still leading because of the incredible fast SF90, which is a fair observation. However, the list price of the SF90 without any optional extras, such as the mighty Fiorano package, is still £375,000, nearly double that of the, comparably, more affordable Artura.
CONCLUSION
I will admit, I have previously been against the idea of hybrid hypercars. I love the trinity cars but I always thought the heart and soul would be drive out of a car when adding a battery to the drivetrain. How wrong was I? The McLaren Artura is one of the most interesting cars I’ve ever seen and it will for sure be a market leader when the production begins. Such energy from seeing it and I know when I get a closer look at the interior and an up close look at the car, it will change my mind on the idea of hybrid hypercars.
Salon Prive Concours D’Elegance 2020 Review – Part 1
The time of year has come around of the Salon Prive automotive show held at Blenheim Palace and with that, another Concours D’Elegance for classics to be judged and best in class awards to be handed out. In lieu of Covid-19, there has only been one other Concours event so far this year at Hampton Court Palace with the 1970 Porsche 917K coming out on top. This article will go through each of the first four car classes of this year’s Concours, giving a brief description of each of the entrants and releasing the winning cars.
The first class of cars was Veterans at the Palace which is a class for pre-1920 cars and had four entrants this year. The first entrant was a 1904 Napier L49, known as the best car in the world before Rolls-Royce adopted the catchphrase in the post-war era, and press at the time of its release labelled it as the ‘King of Cars’. This particular example was owned by the ruler of the Hyderabad State in India and who was, at the time, the richest man in the world. The car was later discovered in an Argentinean barn alongside two Bugattis, and last year won the best of show at Hampton Court Palace. The next entrant, the MMC 9hp from 1904, has very little information about it. It was produced by Motoring Manufacturing Company of Coventry, a very short lived manufacturer that produced less than five examples of the 9hp. It is documented that this example had its wheels turned for the first time in over a century when it took part in the 2018 London to Brighton rally. The penultimate entrant of this class was the 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Open Tourer. The Silver Ghost nameplate was not standard on this car as it was known as the 40/50 but this car struck an accord with its owner so much that the nickname became the standard nameplate. Since its conception, this car has been rallied through most of its life and even, in 1977, took part in the Queen’s Jubilee Parade through Windsor Castle to the Ascot Racecourse. It even came up for sale at Brooklands Motor Museum at a Historics auction where it failed to sell at an estimate of £350,000 to £450,000. The winner of the class was a 1919 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost which had the higher closed top body rather than the open top version mentioned previously. This example was sold in a era of five years (1917-1922) where Rolls-Royce sales were declining due to other manufacturers entering the market, and therefore is one of only 430 sold in that era. It also featured limousine bodywork making it a very desirable, which could be a reason it won Best in Class for Veterans at the Palace.
The next class was Pre War Touring and the first car in this class was the 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Sports which was produced between 1921 and 1929. The Sports variant was the second most common of the variants with 513 examples produced and was known as the Red Label model which was the second fastest example and didn’t feature a large roofline like the standard 3 Litre. It is mainly known for being the predecessor to the legendary 4 1/2 Litre Bentley which, when supercharged, became one of the greatest racing cars of the 20th Century, as well as the Blower Bentley. The next entrant was a 1936 Lancia Astura Pininfarina ‘Bocca’ Cabriolet which is one of only six produced between 1933 and 1936. Built to replace the Lamba, the Astura used a 2.6l V8 which produced 72bhp, paired to a four speed manual gearbox which sent the power to the rear wheels. There are some versions which can have up to 82bhp because it was a coachbuilt car so not all examples were the same. Next was a 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental, which sounds strange as the name ‘Continental’ is usually associated with either Lincoln or modern Bentleys. This car however started as a coachbuilt one off short wheelbase Phantom which received no interest from the marketing department of Rolls until it won best in show at Biarritz Concours in 1930, when the sales department named the car the ‘Continental Saloon’, wrote a brochure and priced it. 281 examples were later produced. Next is a really interesting car being the Hispano Suiza J12, the ultimate combination of Swiss styling, Spanish money and French engineering. This car was built to rival Rolls-Royce and Dusenberg in the extraordinarily high end of the luxury car market, aiming at luxurious custom built models for high end clients. The J12 is no exception with only 120 being built, each in either saloon, coupe, cabriolet or roadster forms. This example is a roadster which makes it an even rarer car and the last example to sell at auction was just over £2million which should all indicate a best in class award but there was one other car which stopped the Hispano Suiza from winning the class. That car was the SS Jaguar 100 2.5, which surprisingly is not an actual Jaguar car. Built by SS Cars, its predecessor the SS90 had a top speed of 90mph and had the shape of the MGs at the time making it a brilliant little British sports car. The SS 100 however could top the legendary 100mph mark making it a very fast car for the time and most were built as factory-bodied roadsters with only one coupe ever made. During the Second World War, production of the SS100 ceased and in 1945, Jaguar bought SS Cars but due to the nazi connotations, the SS 100 was stopped but engineering elements of it was used in the next Jaguar car, the legendary XK120. Being one of 198 and the unique history led to this being the Best in Class for Pre-War Touring.
The next class was to celebrate the 110th anniversary of one of the most beautiful car manufacturers of all time, Alfa Romeo. The first car is very significant because not only did it win Best in Class but it was crowned Best in Show meaning it joins the Porsche 917K in the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Concours and that car was the 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza Spider by Zagato. This is an extremely important car in Alfa Romeo’s history as it remains in its Monza set up, meaning its racing set up as many were converted after they were raced. It was raced in period by Tazio Nuvolari, meaning this exact car won both the 1931 and 1932 Targa Florio races in Sicily as well as the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 1931, which gave the car its name. There were 188 of these built but very few remain in racing format which gives this car a unique edge which was a factor leading to the Best in Show. Also in this class was an 8C 2300 Cabriolet which is the road legal and non racing version of the 8C Monza but it also took some styling cues from the 8C 2300 LM which was the Le Mans version of that car, which won the 24 hours of Le Mans a few times. The final three cars are fairly similar as they are all the same model, the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Cabriolet. Being the final model in the 6C timeline, it preceded the brilliant Alfa Romeo 1900 also known as the Alfa Junior so it has some brilliant features to it. The 6C was one of the most expensive cars on sale when it first launched and due to that it had some very high class owners such as the former King of Monaco, Rita Hayworth and Tyrone Power and it even featured in The Godfather, driven by Al Pacino on screen as Micheal Corleone. All three trims were present at the event being the standard, the S and the SS, with the only difference being that in the SS it features a double carburetor rather than a single one on the S and standard cars.
The next class was the Post-War Sports Racers which in a nutshell is racing cars or road going versions of racing cars from the 1940s and 1950s, which is the start of what has become my favourite class of cars, vintage and classic Le Mans cars. The first car is the Ferrari 166 MM from 1949 which was the third Ferrari model to be built after the 125S and 159S. Originally this car was labelled the 166S but only 12 of them were produced before the 166 MM arrived which is named after the Mille Miglia race in Italy. 47 of these were produced and were highly successful in road racing and was known for being the first Ferrari to be highly successful competitively which solidified their reputation as a serious competitor. This car won its class and came second best in show for the whole concours. The next stunner entered was the 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Barchetta which replaced the successor to the 166, the 195, and was the first Ferrari to have coachbuilt elements from an external design house, being Vignale. This example is one of only eight Barchetta bodied cars, as the others were either a coupe or spyder format. A famous example of the 212 is the Uovo, ‘the egg’, due to the strange shape of the grill. This car was previously for sale at DK Engineering where it states it has the upgraded 2.5l Colombo V12 from the later 225 model, and a good example of one of these can sell for up to £8million. Next is a 1953 Ferrari 166 MM/53 Pininfarina Berlinetta which is a later version of the previous 166 MM spoken about on here. This was built to race in the two litre class at Mille Miglia and with 154bhp it was more powerful than the predecessor and a lot rarer as well with only 13 of these built for Ferrari clients, only one bodied by Pininfarina. With a five-speed manual and only weighing 650kg, it was a rapid sports car. Auction history for these is sparse due to its rarity but one did fail to sell in 2009 for £1.1million at RM Monterrey. The penultimate car in this class was the 1955 Jaguar D-Type, one of the most important cars in Jaguar’s history. It is their most successful racing car of all time having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in a row from 1955 to 1957 only failing to win the 1954 race out of the ones it entered. Built as a development of the C-Type and XK120C racers, Jaguar knew they needed a new car to keep up with Ferrari, even though they won in 1953 with the Jaguar C-Type. When the prototype was being tested, it apparently hit 178mph, which was over 30mph faster than the C-Type could achieve and with a magnesium alloy body rather than the traditionally aluminium, it was much lighter, though much more expensive. It was such an iconic car for Jaguar that their classic department are creating a limited run of 25 continuation D-Types, following their success with recreating the E Type Lightweight and the XKSS. In terms of auction history, a non race winning D-Type can reach £3million but when RM Sotheby’s sold the 1955 Le Mans winning D-Type, it sold for £21.78million which at the time was a record for a British car. The final car is a 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC by Scaglietti which was originally built to keep the 500 Testarossa up to date with the 1957 racing regulations and to continue their successes. It used an inline-four engine unlike the standard Ferrari V12 that they usually use for racing with but this allowed them to excel in the 2 litre class with 220bhp and a curb weight of only 726kg. It is also exceptionally rare much like the other cars in this class with only 19 examples built and auction prices surprisingly have never surpassed £5million given this knowledge.
Salon Prive Concours 2020 Review – Part 2
This is part two of the review of the Salon Prive Concours D’Elegance event for 2020. This piece will cover the next four classes of the event from Classes H to K, with each section detailing the cars entered as well as announcing the best in class winners.
The first class of this section is the Post War Touring (Open) class which is for convertible cars or roofless cars from the post war era and there were some gems in this class. The first car is a 1948 Delahaye 135 M by Pennock. This French luxury sports car was completely bespoke and generally have coachbuilt bodies meaning no two Delahaye 135 Ms are the same. Fitted with a cast iron 3.6l Inline-Six, it produced 115hp which gave it a top speed of only 100mph but 0-60mph could be achieved in under 10 seconds which for 1948 is truly, incredibly fast. It had to be fast too, as it has history in Grand Prix, rally and endurance racing making it a true sports car of the time. Auction records show that the prices have hovered over £150,000 consistently, making it affordable for all that class. Next up is the 1949 MG YT, fully restored by Bridge Classic Cars, which is one of only 877 produced and was not a commercial success. Launched at Geneva in 1948, this was available in right and left hand drive as an open topped version of the YA, known as the Y Tourer. This was at a time when many British manufacturers were failing to sell open topped variants of their cars and unfortunately this car was axed two years after its launch. At auction, they tend to top around £25,000 as they’re not too desirable in today’s market. Next up is a 1961 Fiat-OSCA 1500-S Pininfarina which is mostly famous for preceding the legendary Fiat 124 Spider. Built by Fiat in the classic style of two doors, two seats, front engined and rear drive, which they would continue with sports cars they made up until this day. As this example is the OSCA version, it had a peppier 1.5 litre twin-cam engine which gave it 71bhp but in a car that weighed less than a tonne that was more than enough. Pricing at auction is generally around £80,000 which seems like a good investment for a car like that. The next car is the 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Short Chassis Volante by Touring. This car is a masterpiece. Built to replace the legendary DB5, the DB6 was a bit slow off the starting blocks with the design being passed from Touring to Aston Martin and then back again meaning the car looked dated even when it first launched, with resemblances to the old DB5 and was therefore not popular with the standard Aston Martin fanbase at the time. Overtime though, like many cars, people came to love and appreciate the DB6 and especially the Volante as shown in the auction results as, in the last few years especially, the prices are around £500,000 increasing to £600,000 quickly. The final car is a 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS by Scaglietti which won this class with flying colours, those colours being dark blue with a tan interior which is one of the best specs for any Ferrari. This example had just undergone a full nut and bolt by DK Engineering making it absolutely spotless. This restoration took three years to complete and has to be one of the most pristine Ferrari Dino 246 GTSs in the world. Known as one of the best V6 cars that Ferrari ever made, the 246 Dino GTS shared the same engine as the legendary Lancia Stratos rally car and gave the road going Ferrari a top speed of 148mph which was ridiculous for 1973. Auction results show this particular model is on the rise much like the other cars featured in the concours, with prices rising above the £250,000 barrier.
The next class is the Post War Touring (Closed, Two-Seater) and features a lot of valuable machinery beginning with a one off 1958 Jaguar XK150. This one is bodied by Bertone and is thought to be the only remaining Bertone XK150. Jaguar had previously sent three XK120s and XK140s to be converted by Bertone into a fixed-head coupe, drophead coupe and a roadster and the XK150 was no exception. It is alleged that they were sent to Bertone to try to come up with a concept to replace the XK150. This is the only one believed to remain as the other two haven’t been seen for decades. Next up is the winner of the class being a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series II. The Series I DB4 has an issue with overheating in the oil cooler and therefore the Series II fixes this issue. Based on the same body as the Series I, the Series II features Touring design and only around 350 examples were built between 1960 and 1961. In terms of auctions, the DB4 has always been a high seller, especially in Zagato form, and can range between £450,000 and £550,000. This car also won the best in class for this category. Next is a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk1, a car famous for beating Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans but this is the road legal version. Built at the same time as the race cars, there were 30 out of 87 cars built for the road making them a rarity among rarities. The road car was obviously downgraded from the racing version but with 335bhp from the Ford Fairline V8 fitted by Shelby American is still no slouch. When it comes to auctioning these, there is hardly a car that dips under £2 million. The last Ford GT40 Mk1 to sell at auction came in 2016 where one sold for £2.9 million. The penultimate car in this class was the 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400S, which to many is regarded as the first supercar. Some believe the Mercedes 300SL was a supercar before the Miura but it focused more on luxury than speed. The Miura is one of the true great cars, featured in the opening of The Italian Job, a 0-60mph time of under 6 seconds and with only 140 produced, rare as anything. In terms of auction history, Miuras of any variation always do well and the P400S is currently hovering around the £1 million price tag but as time goes on, the price will only go up. Finally for this class is the 1974 Dino 246 GT, not badged as a Ferrari Dino which is unique. This is because the 206 Dino was not a true Ferrari with heavy steering and pig-looks, so much so that people called them Dinos and not Ferraris. This example of the 246 GT is unique as it is finished with a green exterior and green leather interior, making it a true one off. The last Dino 246 GT to sell at auction sold for a respectable £440,000 as it is the mid range car, but even so the prices keep on rising.
The penultimate class of this list is the Post War Touring (Closed, 4-Seater) and the first car in this class is actually the class winner, being the 1960 Citroen DS19 Le Paris. This was a small production, custom build by the French coachbuilder, Henri Chapron and he was the person to create the Citroen DS Decapotable, the convertible DS as Citroen did not agree with it being a model in their range. The Le Paris was a coupe hard-top version of the DS convertible conversion and was produced in a tiny run of nine cars, as Chapron had run out of money to buy the DS Coupes in 1959. Due to the rarity of this car, the auction records are very slim but one sold for £148,560. Next is a 1962 Maserati 3500 GTI, which is believed to be the first car to wear the famous GTI badge. Bodied by Touring, this car cost over £10,000 new which was the same sort of price as the top range Ferraris at the time, with 235bhp and a top speed of 144mph it was truly a brilliant sports car even though it looks more like a GT car. This car also preceded the legendary 5000 GT and the most recent to sell at auction sold for just over £126,000. Next is an extremely famous car being a 1963 Aston Martin DB5 by Superleggera. Known mostly for being the James Bond Aston Martin, the DB5 is possibly the most famous Aston Martin car ever produced and to some extent one of the rarest with just 886 produced in the three years it was in production. Even though this example doesn’t have machine guns in the front headlamps, spikes in the bumper or an ejector seat but it is still a brilliantly beautiful car. Auction prices of DB5s have always been high and recently have gotten over the £500,000 mark. The final car in the class is another Aston Martin being the 1966 DB6 Vantage Sports Series, which was a performance version of the DB6 that was produced at the same sort of time as the DB5 which is strange considering the DB6 is the successor to the DB5. The Vantage specification had 325bhp which for 1966 was unheard of and had a top speed of around 150mph, it is not known because as each car was coachbuilt so many figures were different. At auctions, the DB6 is still undervalued compared to the 4 and the 5 but the average price of a DB6 is still around £300,000.
The final class to be covered in this section is the Passione Ferrari class which, quite obviously, is a showcase of the best Ferraris the world has ever seen. The first of these masterpieces is the 1949 166 Inter Coupe which was the first road car Ferrari made, derived from the technology used in their racing cars at the time. Rumoured to be one of only 20 produced, the car produced 110bhp which is a similar figure to many small cars today and had a top speed of just 105mph which, by today’s standards, is extraordinarily slow. However the sheer beauty of this car is something else and its production led to one of the greatest manufacturers of all time, which is reflected in auction results with the most recent sale recorded just shy of £1million. Next is the 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale Coupe which followed the 166 in the evolution of Ferrari and came at a time when Enzo Ferrari was selling detuned racing cars (the 212 being an example). The interesting thing about the 212 is that no two are the same, as many coachbuilders were responsible for the design elements. The Vignale bodied cars are famous due to the fact Ferrari sent two to be a part of the Carrera Panamericana, a rally in the US, which it won with flying colours to the surprise of the runners of Ford and other American muscle cars. The last example to sell at auction went for £1.6million and much like many of these cars, that value continues to rise. Next is the class winner, the 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, one of the more famous in class. The 250 nameplate in the automotive world is renowned for style and expense especially the GT models such as this one. The 250 Lusso was known as the luxury version of the standard 250 GT sports car but inherited racing DNA from its bigger brother, the legendary 250 GTO, and therefore many of their owners took the GT/L racing. This led to the later models of the Short Wheelbase and the Competitzione coming to sale. This car is the first big seller at auction for this class with prices averaging at £1.5million but some examples increase to over two million. Next is the beautiful 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C built originally because the previous generation of racing car, the 250LM, could not meet homologation standards and therefore Ferrari had to race the 275 instead. It’s beautiful curves make it one of the prettiest cars of all time, some would say even rivalling the likes of the Lamborghini Miura or the Mercedes 300SL. The body while similar to that of the 250 GTO, several elements were changed thanks to the Pininfarina design and Scaglietti construction. This example is also finished in blue with a cream interior which is an insane specification. Auction prices are on the rise like many classic Ferraris with the last one to cross the block selling for £3,010,000. Next is a car already covered in a previous class being a 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT and due to the fact it’s already been covered, there’s no need to repeat it. Next then is a 1973 Ferrari Daytona which to some is the greatest looking car ever made. The last classic-era front engined V12, the Daytona features a long stretching bonnet and took over where the 275 left off. The Daytona had a very big rival in the form of the Lamborghini Miura and there are still debates to this day about which is the better car and which is the prettier car, but in terms of being a supercar, the Daytona wins with a top speed of 170mph if the owner was brave enough to use fifth gear, making it the world’s fastest car at the time. Auction records show Daytonas selling for a wide variety of prices but they currently sell for around £700,000. Finally in this class is the 1975 Ferrari 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer which is the rarest car of the Ferrari BB series and ended up being a pinnacle for Ferrari as it featured an F1 derived V12 engine and was the first mid engined Ferrari sports car. While Lamborghini had introduced the Espada and Silhoette which was wowing the world, Ferrari and their mid engined layout kept the 365 a capable sports car. With only 387 examples created before being replaced by the 512 Berlinetta Boxer, it remains to be exceptionally rare with the last auction sale recording just over £420,000.
Salon Prive Concours 2020 Review – Part 3
This is the third part of the Salon Prive Concours D’Elegance review, which has now become longer than originally planned because the Salon Prive entrants list has expanded to include cars that were entered but weren’t shown previously. This means that the number of cars in these four classes has near enough doubled, but the more cars, the more fun in explaining them, so to begin is Class L being the Milestones of Endurance Racing.
The first car in this class is the 1972 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT/3 which can only be described as an open top monster. Built to take part in the World Sports Car Championship, the Tipo 33 follows a long line of Alfa Romeos built to win championships and though this one wasn’t as successful it is still an absolute beast. Powered by a 3.0 V8, the car produced 440bhp which was inspired by the lightweight and powerful Porsche 908, the top speed is unknown as each car was handbuilt and there are only 12 units that exist. This would have been an extremely successful racing car but Ferrari had just begun to race their 312P and so Alfa Romeo couldn’t keep up. Only one example has been sold through auction and it managed to raise £392,000. The next car is the class winner being the 1988 Porsche 962. Anyone who knows endurance racing cars knows how dominant Porsche were in the 1980s with the 956/962 and this particular car, the Kenwood car, is no exception. Powered by the same 3.0 Flat 6 as the Porsche 935, the 962 was mid-engined and twin turbocharged meaning the power produced was 790bhp, which is around the same as a modern day Formula One car. This example was chassis CK6-88 which was built to compete in the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans where it finished a commendable 9th in class, and was later fitted with the Kremer high downforce kit until it finished racing in 1989. It’s been restored to original specification and was driven by Derek Bell at the 2012 Le Mans support race. At auction, there have been a few 962s to cross the block, the most recent selling for £1.5million. Moving a few years on, next is the 2000 Audi R8 LMP900 which was Audi’s first venture into endurance racing after massive success in rallying and touring cars. Two versions were created, the R8C which was built for Le Mans and this version, the R8R, which was built for LMP900 and was open topped much like the Alfa Romeo previously. Powered by a twin turbocharged 3.6 litre V8, it produced around 600bhp, the R8 R took the LMP 900 route because of the new American Le Mans series (ALMS) so much so that at the opener at the 12 hours of Sebring, the R8s recorded a 1-2 win. They later took all three podium spots at Le Mans starting the era of domination for Audi in endurance racing. Only one has sold at auction in 2012 and the final price was £1,034,000. Next is the 2010 Ford GT1, which was a car released in the final few years of the GT1 category of racing being active. Having returned to GT3 racing in 2007, the Ford GT was making waves in the motorsport world and so Matech decided to take a Ford GT GT3 and modify it for GT1 usage. Powered by a 5.0 V8, it produced 600bhp putting it in line with other cars in its class such as the Maserati MC12 GT1 and the Lamborghini Murcielago R-SV. Not particularly successful in GT1 in the few years it was active before the FIA pulled the plug, but one of the best sounding V8s ever fitted to a racing car. One was sold in Monterey in 2014 for £1,200,000 which is much more than expected for this car. Next is the 2012 Peugeot 90X which was the best car a Peugeot could be although there was a slight issue with it. It was built to replace the 908 which had won top honours at Le Mans in 2009 and was built as a hybrid version as the previous generations had been diesel powered. It was taken out for pre-season testing at the Sebring circuit but it would never race again as in 2011, Peugeot cancelled their sport division and therefore the 90X never raced. The only example of Peugeot’s endurance machine to sell at auction was a 908 HDI for £1.5million. The final three cars can be clumped together as they are very similar to each other, all entered by Aston Martin. The first is their 2020 Vantage GTE which is still based on the old Vantage body so is presumed to be the last one made. The GTE is their top car when it comes to endurance racing with multiple class wins at the World Endurance Championship including a few Le Mans class victories. The second car is the 2020 Vantage GT3, which is from a lower class than the GTE but is still featured in the World Endurance Championship. Again based on the previous generation, the GT3 focuses on the British GT Championship as well as the WEC, with a few class wins in each. The final car entered by Aston Martin is the Vantage GT4 which was an updated version of the Vantage N24 car which raced in the FIA GT4 Championship. All three of these cars are special as they have very few miles on as if they’re factory prototypes or owned by the Aston Martin heritage centre. The only record of any of these cars selling at auction was a Vantage GT4 which sold last year for only £81,200.
The next class is fairly similar to the previous, being endurance racers, though this class is exclusive for the V12 powered cars. The first car in this class is the 1974 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT/12 which is the V12 version of the Alfa Romeo in the previous class. In hindsight, this car was used as a developmental car for the later 33SC12 model. However as far as development cars go, it was incredibly successful with seven out of eight race wins against some of the more competitive 1970s racing cars such as the Renault Alpine A442-B and the Porsche 908/3. Powered by a 500bhp V12 and with the car weighing only 670kg, this car is incredibly close to achieving a 1:1 power to weight ratio, which for 1974 is insane. There has never been one of these cars to sell at auction but Girardo & Co. have sold this exact example before and this car ended up winning the Best in Class award. Next is a 1978 Ferrari 512 BB LM which was a racing version of the road going Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer and this example is a second generation example after the first iteration was not very successful. The body was designed by Pininfarina and certainly makes an impact on first view, carrying over very few elements of the original design as it features built in lights rather than pop-up and the tail was extended to the maximum according to regulations. 25 were built in total and the racing success of the cars did not improve as much as Ferrari believed it would. A win in class at the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans is the standout performance by the 512 as it was almost always in the rear view mirrors of the much more powerful Porsche 935 K3s. Only one has been recorded to have sold at auction which was in 2014 when a 1981 example sold for £990,000 which can only increase in the future. Next is a British brute being the incredible 1988 Jaguar XJR9 which is a Le Mans legend. Built by Jaguar alongside Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) it used a 7.0 V8 as well as a unique design package which had the rear wheels covered by the bodywork to increase aerodynamics and top speed on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans. While racing in the 1988 World Sportscar Championship, the XJR9 won the Le Mans 24 hour race and later won the team and drivers championship, with Formula One driver Martin Brundle being the winning driver. It is believed that the XJR9 had around 750bhp which led to an extreme 245mph top speed though it never achieved this speed during any races. This car is also famous for having two iconic racing liveries, the first being the one this example is displayed in being the purple Silk Cut livery and the second being a green Castrol livery, the latter example selling at auction for £2.1million in 2015. Sticking with Jaguar, the next car is a 1991 Jaguar XJR-15 which is known as the car that the world forgot about even though it is a majesty of design. Built based on the XJR9 as a road going racing car made for a one make series that Jaguar planned to run and did so for one year in 1991. Made entirely of carbon fibre, it was built after the XJ220 concept was released to the public and TWR decided to develop a road legal XJR9 as an alternative. The initial plan was to produce 50 examples but in the end 53 chassis were built with a price tag of £500,000 each which was, and still is, extremely expensive. They are much more accepted now as a quality super car than at the time though it has racing heritage in that an XJR-15 chassis was used to develop Nissan’s R390 prototype car. The interesting thing is that since the XJR-15s have been appearing in the last few years, the auction value has not skyrocketed and in fact has gone in the opposite way, with the last example selling just three years ago for £270,000 which is half the value of the car new. The next car is extremely unique and one people may only know from the Gran Turismo racing games being the 1999 Lister Storm. It was built as a homologated version of the racing car and broke the record on its launch of the largest engine in a road car since WW2 with a 7.0 V12, used by the XJR9 racing car. It participated in the British GT Championship where in the first season it raced against Chrysler-Oreca Dodge Vipers, Marcos LM600s, Porsche 911 GT2s and the very rare Venturi 400LM and it came out on top during its first season. Later it became the only factory team in the championship as Chrysler pulled out of the championship, which led to a plethora of wins. The most interesting part about this car, however is that it was owned by Newcastle United. In the late 1990s, Newcastle United bought two Lister Storm cars to race in the GT Championship and finished them with interesting liveries featuring many Newcastle badges, leading to variable successes in racing but no improvement to the football team. This exact Lister Storm was sold at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed for £465,000 which is over £300,000 more than a road car that sold a year earlier. The final car in this class is the 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello GT1 which is a car from the last fine years of the GT1 championship. The Ferrari 550 was never made eligible for racing by Ferrari and so privateers took 550 chassis and developed them into racing cars, the most significant being the projects made by Prodrive. 12 were built by Prodrive to race in the GT1 series and was the final V12 Ferrari to win a race at the GT1 championship. This car has a good record at auctions especially recently as RM Sotheby’s sold a 2001 550 GT1 by Prodrive during their Monterrey online auction this summer for £4.29million which is the most expensive car ever sold during an online auction, even beating a Ferrari Enzo and a Ferrari 275 GTB.
This next class is a very small one with only two cars in the whole class but it is a special class as it celebrates the road going McLaren F1. The first car is one that has appeared at both the 2018 and 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed being McLaren F1 chassis 028 which has a remarkable story behind it. Firstly it is believed to be the only example finished in Grand Prix Red and that paired with a cream interior looks absolutely stunning and this car was owned by a very famous racing driver. In 1993, Michael Andretti was gifted this car by McLaren as a contractual obligation for his stint with the F1 team for that season, though he kept the car in the UK for storage. It was later displayed as the promo car for McLaren at the 1995 Goodwood Festival of Speed before changing hands to Tokyo before going to the US. It then was sold as part of a multi car sale deal so the owner could buy a Ferrari 250 Testarossa before being delivered to DK Engineering and now resides in the UK with its new owner. The second and final car of the class is the McLaren F1 chassis 037 which has a lot less known about it. What is known is that it resides in the UK and is finished in Special Silver over grey alcantara which is a fairly common McLaren F1 spec. The car has made its way around the world with its various owners as it has been spotted in Newport Beach as well as Johannesberg before being spotted at Donington Park for the recent SupercarDriver Super Secret Meet where it featured alongside many other hypercars for one of the best gatherings of cars ever. Auction prices of McLaren F1s have always been high and the last road car to sell at auction was sold for £15,650,000 which is now seen as cheap for a McLaren F1.
The final class of this section of the review focuses on the racing versions of the McLaren F1 and there are four beautiful examples to gawp at. The first example is the McLaren F1 GTR #13R which is finished in the black and red Lark livery. The GTR was the first racing version of the F1 and this example was sold by McLaren originally to Japan and Team Goh Racing (which would become Team Lark McLaren) alongside a second F1 GTR. It was displayed at an auto museum in Japan for a long time alongside a McLaren F1 road car and the extremely rare F1 GT. In terms of race history, it won the All Japan Grand Touring Championship in 1996 with Ralf Schumacher as the lead driver with three wins in total. Since its racing days, the current owner took the car to McLaren to get the car road legalised at a cost of around £200,000 and since then has been seen at many UK events including the Goodwood Breakfast meets and the Festival of Speed. The next car has quite an interesting story to it because it was not a purpose built GTR but a converted road car, built to GTR specification in 1994. It did enter the legendary 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, but was the one F1 that failed to finish in the same race the F1s dominated with 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th. However the following year it managed to finish 6th at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Due to this car originally being a road car, it did not need to undergo the road legality conversion and therefore it has been seen a few times on the road. The car is finished in the red and white UenoClinic livery. The next car is the first of the Longtail variations of the F1 which was built for the FIA GT1 championship and the 1997 Le Mans regulations and is one of only ten built. This one has been finished in many liveries originally being a Lark livery as this was sold to Team Goh in Japan same as 13R, failing to finish the 1997 Le Mans race. It later traded through different teams featuring a yellow Parabolica livery (which the car is finished in now) as well as a full Papaya Orange spray. The final car in class is 28R which is finished in the most famous Longtail livery, the Gulf Warsteiner livery. This car is actually a rebuild of chassis 27R after it was damaged during transport but was later rebuilt as chassis 28R as a spare car for the FIA GT Championship. This car does not have much racing history as by the time it came to be raced it was used as a spare car and never actually raced. When it comes to auction records of F1 GTRs and GTR Longtails, there have actually been a few to come to auction. The only F1 Longtail to sell at auction was in 2014 with the FINA liveried BMW F1 GTR Longtail which sold for £5.2 million, and there’s only been F1 LMs to sell at auction rather than GTRs and the most recent sold for £19.8 million a few years ago.
Cieran Boyne Journo 