Magneto Magazine Issue 21: Spring 2024 by Hothouse Media

£12.95 SPRING 2024

30 years on: Ayrton, by those who knew him best

T W O R E V E A L I N G D AY S W I T H WAY N E C A R I N I

RESTORING KYLIE’S D E T O M A S O M A N G U S TA

H O W L I S T E R C R E AT E D T H E 200 M P H S T O R M

I N S I D E S E G R AV E ’ S 1000 H P ‘ S L U G’ S U N B E A M

PRINTED IN THE UK

MISTER MILLER MASTER HATTER Luxurious British artisan hats for him & her

Mistermillerhats.com

21 S TA R T E R McLaren celebrates at Sonoma, Mullin cars up for sale, top ten most expensive cars, Panini museum, David Bull books return, and more

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AY R T O N S E N N A – 30 YEARS ON

M A N G U S TA – T H E COBRA KILLER

SUNBEAM’S 1000HP ‘SLUG’

BEING WAY N E C A R I N I

We speak to some of those on whom this extraordinary and passionate man left the biggest impression

Obsession is a theme throughout the story of this De Tomaso ‘Kylie car’ – and we can’t get it out of our head

Preparing for a very special centenary: the resurrection of Henry Segrave’s 1927 Land Speed Record holder

Time out with the TV star as he prepares for new series and a book on his life with cars

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LE MANS TRIUMPH TR2

GEORGE BARRIS – THE KUSTOM KING

THE STORY OF LISTER

TOP 50 GROUP C CARS

The life of hard yards hero PKV 373, a covert factory development mule hidden in plain sight

The life and work of the greatest-ever automotive showman – and how a planned museum will keep his name in lights

Laurence Pearce tells his former driver Tiff Needell how he revived the much-loved British racing team’s name

The most successful, influential or just plain memorable machinery that ruled the world’s sports car circuits

ACQUIRE Buying an Audi Quattro, collecting watches, art, arcade machines and Carlo Brianza models, books, products and more

212 T H E L AW Y E R: CAR CLUBS

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214 T H E C U R AT O R : LANCIA D50

216 THE RACER: MASTERS MERGER

218 THE INTERVIEW: ZAK BROWN

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider Estimate: $2,800,000 - $3,200,000

2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition Estimate: $600,000 - $650,000 Offered Without Reserve

1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder “Lucybelle III" Estimate: $3,500,000 - $4,500,000

THE AMELIA AUCTION 1-2 MARCH 2024

2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition Estimate: $1,100,000 - $1,250,000 Offered Without Reserve

Editor’s welcome

Welcome to the first issue of 2024. This time five years ago, the team here was holding its collective breath to see what the reaction to the first Magneto would be. Thankfully, it was good – really good! And here we are on issue 21. This time 30 years ago, though, many of us would have been building up to the first races of the 1994 Formula 1 season, preparing to be astounded – and sometimes a little outraged – by the exploits of one Ayrton Senna. Little did we know that both Senna and Roland Ratzenberger would perish just a few weeks into the season. I think the images of the aftermath of the Senna crash will stay with anyone who saw it at the time, or who has watched the documentary since. While we’re not primarily a motor sport magazine, we weren’t going to let the anniversary pass by without a tribute to Senna, so we spoke to many of those who knew him best. The result is a feature that I think is still enlightening – even for those who have studied the Senna legend for years. I hope you find it as moving as I do. This year, we plan to continue to improve Magneto, with even more in-depth features from a wider choice of the very best writers around the world. We’ve also expanded our portfolio, acquiring both Octane magazine and the Historic Motoring Awards. There’s more about that further on in this issue. As a friend said: “When you told me you were buying a magazine, I thought you were just nipping to the newsagents...”

David Lillywhite Editorial director

Magneto

Contributors

Illustrations Peter Allen

WAY N E C A R I N I How did the star of Chasing Classic Cars get to this point of worldwide fame? And how does he deal with it? We spent a relaxed two days with Wayne at his workshop, auto collection, home and local restaurant, as he finished his latest book and prepared for an all-new classic car TV series.

RICHARD MEADEN Although best known for going extremely fast in extremely fast cars, old and new, ‘Dickie’ fell in love with a TR2 with a fascinating Le Mans history. For this issue, he took the race-spec Triumph back to Coventry, where it would have been tested in secret almost 70 years ago.

D AV I D T R E M AY N E As the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash at Imola loomed, David was our first choice of writer to revisit the legend of Senna the man. He spoke with drivers, team manager, engineer and family for a poignant profile of the highly talented, deeply complicated Brazilian superstar.

ADAM TOWLER What a way to make a debut in Magneto; with the epic top 50 greatest Group C cars feature in this issue. This was a pure passion project for Adam, who is best known as a long-time writer for Evo magazine. The breadth of cars he chose from this evocative era is truly mind-boggling.

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THE W COLLECTION From Stockholm to Monaco

ONE MAN. ONE COLLECTION. 46 CARS. NO RESERVE.

Auction Thursday 9 May 2024 Hotel Fairmont, Monaco

Contact +33 (0)1 42 99 20 73 motorcars@artcurial.com artcurial.com/motorcars

Who to contact

Editorial director

Managing director

David Lillywhite

Geoff Love

Deputy editor

Creative director

Managing editor

Advertising sales

Wayne Batty

Peter Allen

Sarah Bradley

Sue Farrow, Rob Schulp

Staff writer

Designer

Accounts

Elliott Hughes

Debbie Nolan

Jonathan Ellis

Marketing and events

Lifestyle advertising

Advertising production

Jasmine Love

Sophie Kochan

Elaine Briggs

Contributors in this issue Dan Bathie, Marshall Buck, Jonathon Burford, Wayne Carini, Nathan Chadwick, Robert Dean, Jakob Ebrey, Jayson Fong, Alex Goy, Rick Guest, Sam Hancock, Matt Howell, Evan Klein, Iain Macauley, John Mayhead, Tim McDonagh, Richard Meaden, Tiff Needell, Clive Robertson, Elana Scherr, Tim Scott, Adam Towler, David Tremayne, Joe Twyman, Rupert Whyte Single issues and subscriptions Please visit www.magnetomagazine.com or call +44 (0)208 068 6829

Geoff Love, David Lillywhite, George Pilkington Unit 16, Enterprise Centre, Michael Way, Warth Park Way, Raunds, Northants NN9 6GR, UK Printing Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE, UK Printed on Amadeus Silk supplied through Denmaur as a Carbon Balanced product. Made from FSC® certified and traceable pulp sources

Who to contact Subscriptions jasmine@hothousemedia.co.uk Business geoff@hothousemedia.co.uk Accounts accounts@hothousemedia.co.uk Editorial david@hothousemedia.co.uk Advertising sue@flyingspace.co.uk or rob@flyingspace.co.uk Lifestyle advertising sophie.kochan2010@gmail.com Advertising production elaine@hothousemedia.co.uk Specialist newsstand distribution Pineapple Media, Select Publisher Services

The making of Magneto D E T O M A S O M A N G U S TA

C U S T O M T Y P E FA C E S

“Back then, you had the design freedom to do whatever you wanted. That’s when cars were absolutely radically different,” said Michael Fisher, owner of the ‘Kylie’ Mangusta. Photographer Rick Guest said the car was unusual in that all the most desirable shooting angles were best seen at head height, showing how well the car was designed.

Creative director Peter Allen has been very productive at the coal [type]face again this issue, creating five new typefaces. The stunning result is that each feature has a specially designed custom style – apart from the Cobra Killer Mangusta’s type projections, which were skilfully added in post production by Rob Rae at Motioncult.

© Hothouse Media. Magneto and associated logos are registered trademarks of Hothouse Media. All rights reserved. All material in this magazine, whether in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form without the written permission of Hothouse Media. Hothouse Media uses a layered privacy notice giving you brief details about how we would like to use your personal information. For full details, please visit www.magnetomagazine.com/privacy ISSN Number 2631-9489. Magneto is published quarterly by Hothouse Publishing Ltd. Registered office: Castle Cottage, 25 High Street, Titchmarsh, Northants NN14 3DF, UK Great care has been taken throughout the magazine to be accurate, but the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions that might occur. The editors and publishers of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances, and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition.

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THE GENUINE ARTICLE The Triple-Four Racing Chronograph. Sir Terence Conran’s last masterpiece, designed in homage to his family’s love of Brooklands circuit, and featuring details inspired by classic racers of the 1930s. A limited edition of 500 pieces. www.brooklandswatches.com

More from Magneto

C O N C O U R S O N S AV I L E R O W

SUBSCRIBE TO MAGNETO

Now in its third consecutive year, on May 22-23 the Magneto team brings you the world’s greatest cars on London’s Savile Row – renowned for its bespoke tailoring. Visitors will be able to browse the cars and tailors’ displays, as well as enjoy talks, craft demonstrations, seminars and live music. Free entry. www.concoursonsavilerow.com

Don’t miss out on any issues of Magneto! You can subscribe for one year for £54 including p&p (€62 or $68, plus postage), or two years for £94 including p&p (€108 or $120, plus postage). Magneto is delivered in strong cardboard packaging. www.magnetomagazine.com or telephone +44 (0)208 068 6829

MAGNETO SLIPCASES

THE CONCOURS YEAR 2023

Slipcases are now back in stock. Each elegant slipcase holds a full year of Magneto magazines. They’re made from Colorado cloth with a Suedel Luxe lining, with ‘Magneto’ embossed on both sides. Keep your publications in pristine condition and easily accessible. www.magnetomagazine.com

More than 50 of the world’s best concours, detailing every Best of Show and Class winner, beautifully presented in this large-format hardback book. Standard Edition: £75.00. Publisher’s Edition: Limited-edition slipcase, £115.00. www.magnetomagazine.com/product/concours-year-2023

Magneto

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How McLaren finished off its 60th year, at Sonoma

What’s going to happen to the Mullin Collection?

The ten highestselling cars at auction – so far

The UK company reviving the Austin J40 pedal car

Events diary: new position, even more dates for 2024

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Words David Lillywhite

Photography McLaren

THIS SPREAD Historic McLarens joined the F1 grids and performed demonstrations with Lando Norris, Stefan Johansson and others at the wheel – they sounded so good.

McLaren’s birthday party After a year of 60th anniversary events, McLaren’s celebrations came to a head at last November’s Velocity Invitational in Sonoma

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IT WAS QUITE A YEAR FOR McLaren in 2023, not least because it was celebrating six decades since Bruce McLaren first started the team. The 60th anniversary was marked throughout the year, but none more obviously than at Sonoma Raceway in California, during the Velocity Invitational event at the end of 2023. It wasn’t quite a McLaren take-over of what’s grown to be a strong event in its own right, but, boy, were there a lot of McLaren race machines, road cars and drivers there... The main attraction for the estimated 20,000 visitors appeared to be team driver Lando Norris. He had been billed as the event’s star attraction from the start, and any doubts that this was a strong strategy were blown away by the huge queues for his autograph; the line started building at 8:00am, even though he wasn’t due to start signing until 4:00pm that day. Amazing! Lando

was accompanied by Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, David Malukas and Tony Kanaan from the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team, as well as NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team driver Tanner Foust. The current drivers were joined by former McLaren Formula 1 men Stefan Johansson and Derek Bell, to the great delight of those in the know. Lando, Stefan and some of the other current drivers soon took to the track, in the largest collection of heritage cars McLaren has ever run in the Velocity Invitational. These included such gems as Niki Lauda’s 1984 World Championshipwinning McLaren MP4/2A-1, Lewis Hamilton’s MP4/23A-05, which he drove to fifth place in Brazil in 2008 to win his first World Championship, and the MP4/6-10 that Ayrton Senna powered to his third and final World Championship win. All that’s barely scratching the

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surface of the cars on display and on track, though. The paddock line-up included the XP1 prototype of the McLaren F1 road car, the oneoff 1969 M6GT road car and a remarkable array of mostly bright orange Can-Am monsters. McLaren added to this with huge track parades of its own Historic cars, led by the first-ever customer model, the M1A that later starred in an Elvis movie (and is featured in Magneto issue 20). Le Mans and F1 legend Derek Bell joined customers and journalists for the parades, driving a wide selection of cars that included several P1s and Sennas. This was McLaren at its most confident, with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown in attendance – and racing his Historic M8D Can-Am car. Bruce McLaren, who died testing an earlier M8D at Goodwood in 1970, would surely have been proud and amazed at the support for the team he founded back in ’63. With its Formula 1 effort going well again, McLaren is now eyeing the hypercar class at Le Mans, in addition to its IndyCar, Formula E and Extreme E campaigns. This was underlined by Lando and Derek’s unveiling of McLaren Automotive’s new limited-production 750S 3-7-59, which celebrates the brand’s longstanding Triple Crown of winning the Monaco GP, Indy 500 and Le Mans. Is regaining that unofficial Triple Crown an ambition? “Of course!” said Zak Brown. Don’t let all this give you the impression that Velocity Invitational was all about McLaren; on its fourth staging, this event really seems to have found its sweet spot. It first ran

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FROM TOP Thunderous Can-Am grid was dominated by McLarens; XP1 F1 road car prototype was displayed in the paddock; Lando proved the star attraction.

‘It undoubtedly introduced plenty of young Formula 1 fans to Historic racing’

in 2019, choosing Sonoma Raceway in northern California because its wine-producing founder Jeff O’Neill is based nearby – and because this is a great circuit that’s been underused in recent years for Historic racing. Covid stopped play in 2020, but the event ran in 2021 and ’22 at Laguna Seca, best known in our world as the home of the Monterey Motorsports Reunion – with McLaren supporting proceedings then, too. For 2023, Velocity Invitational returned to Sonoma, which has now been revamped with much-improved hospitality facilities. What a good move. Sonoma started life in 1968 as Sears Point Raceway, and it became Infineon Raceway in 2002, before being renamed Sonoma in 2012. As with Laguna Seca it’s full of elevation changes, but unlike most circuits it’s remarkably compact despite the full track’s comparable 2.5-mile length. Aside from those entertaining McLaren demos and parades, track action including spirited Historic racing, with grids for everything

from 1920s Brass Era racers to recent Le Mans GTE and ALMS cars. A few could have done with more entrants, and – as is typical with US Historic events – the racing wasn’t as aggressive as in the UK and Europe. But there were several great battles, not least between Jeff O’Neill in a friend’s 250 GTO fighting with a 250 GT SWB and a Porsche Abarth Carrera GTL. The thunderous Can-Ams and the equally deafening muscle cars of the Trans-Am grid, along with the stunning 1966-81 F1 cars, weren’t to be missed, either. There was even a rally stage as well, on the far side of the race track. It proved to be a popular attraction, with support (along with passenger rides) from the DirtFish Rally School with the help of Alister McRae, Max McRae and Benjamin Pedersen, as well as Brandon Semenuk in a Works Subaru. So, the perfect 60th birthday for McLaren, which undoubtedly introduced plenty of young F1 fans to Historic racing in the process.

A U C T I O N S & P R I VAT E B R O K E R A G E

G O O D I N G C O .C O M

+1.310.899.1960

1954 FERRARI 500 MONDIAL SERIES I SPIDER Raced in Period at Spa and Zandvoort Retains Matching-Numbers Engine and Transaxle Coachwork by Pinin Farina Chassis 0434 MD

1925 BUGATTI TYPE 35C GRAND PRIX Selections from The Peter Mullin Collection Raced in England and Ireland in Period Chassis 4634 Without Reserve

1961 PORSCHE RS61 Extensive International Racing History Proven Veteran of Numerous Vintage Events Chassis 718-076

1972 FERRARI 365 GTB/4 DAYTONA SPIDER One of Only Five Examples Delivered in Green Sold New to NART Driver John “Buck” Fulp Jr. Highly Original Example with Approximately 7,800 Miles Coachwork by Scaglietti Chassis 15277

1903 MERCEDES-SIMPLEX 60 HP ‘ROI DES BELGES’ Delivered New to Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe An Exceptionally Original and Important Example of the Legendary “Sixty” with Period Competition History Offered Direct from over 120 Years of Single Family Ownership Coachwork by J. Rothschild et Fils

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 29 FRIDAY MARCH 1 LIVE AUCTIONS

ONLINE BIDDING AVAILABLE VIEW AUCTION PREVIEW AND REGISTER TO BID INQUIRY@GOODINGCO.COM

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Words David Lillywhite

Photography Mullin Automotive Museum

What will happen to the Mullin cars? New plans afoot following the death of top collector Peter and the closure of his renowned museum

WHEN CALIFORNIA-BASED CAR collector Peter Mullin passed away in September 2023 after a long illness, there was much speculation about the future of the stunning collection of mostly French coachbuilt cars he’d assembled, as well as the Mullin Automotive Museum, where the majority were housed. We now know that the museum is to close; indeed, by the time you read this, it’s probably already happened, as the last day was to be February 10. And what will become of the cars? The star in recent years has been the famed 1936 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic, but that was co-owned with Rob and Melani Walton. Four of the collection’s most iconic vehicles – the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 CS ‘Teardrop’, the 1938 Hispano-Suiza H6B Dubonnet Xenia, the 1939 Delahaye 165 and the 1938 Delahaye 145 – have been donated to the Petersen Automotive Museum, which Peter (as chairman) helped transform into the worldleading institution it is today. A few days after the closure announcement came more news –

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FROM TOP Type 35C Grand Prix is among the late Peter Mullin’s cars to be auctioned, while the 57SC Atlantic was the star of his museum.

that Gooding & Company would be offering 20 cars from the museum at its Amelia Island, Florida sale on Thursday, February 29 and Friday, March 1 – all at no reserve. This will be followed by a standalone auction of yet more cars, as well as of automobilia, at the museum itself in April. At the time of going to press, neither the exact date, nor the cars being sold, had been announced. We do know that the 20 cars set for the Amelia sale include several Citroëns and two 1907 Niclausses. The lead cars, though, are a 1925 Bugatti Type 35C Grand Prix, a 1931 Bugatti Type 49, a 1936 Avions Voisin C28 Clairière Berline, a 1946 Delage D6 GP, a 1948 Delahaye Type 175 GP and a 1948 Type 135 MS Cabriolet. That leaves a lot of important cars unaccounted for so far – including around 20 Bugattis, ten Voisins, two Talbots, several Brass Era cars and

the ‘Lady of the Lake’ 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia, which has been preserved in as-found condition after 75 years in Lake Maggiore. Will all be offered at the April sale, or will some be sold privately or stay with Peter’s widow Merle (who’s a great enthusiast)? Where does this leave the Mullin Oxford, UK, which was granted planning permission last year, and sold by Peter in March 2023. No one is saying. And why so quick that 20 cars are being taken across the States rather than waiting for nearby Monterey in August? The probable answer is that the museum was a passion project, costing a huge amount to run, and that the Mullins had bequeathed a lot of money to many organisations. What’s clear, though, is that the Mullin Collection is sadly no more, but at the very least its legacy will be honoured at the Petersen.

Collectors’ Motor Cars & Automobilia Chichester, Sussex | 14 April 2024 | Entries invited

ENQUIRIES +44 (0) 20 7468 5801 ukcars@bonhams.com

One owner and circa 1,600 Miles from new 2005 FERRARI 575 SUPERAMERICA £200,000 - 250,000 *

bonhams.com/members

* For details of the charges payable in addition to the final hammer price, please visit bonhams.com/buyersguide

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BELOW We have many big plans for Octane, as well as for the Historic Motoring Awards.

Words David Lillywhite

Magneto gains new stablemates YOU MAY WELL HAVE SEEN the news already, but we – that’s Hothouse Media, headed by founders Geoff Love and, me, David Lillywhite – have bought Octane magazine and the Historic Motoring Awards. This is a momentous move for us both personally and as a company – and not just because Geoff and I were two of the four original founders of Octane, alongside Robert Coucher and Sanjay Seetanah. The same quartet also launched the Historic Motoring Awards some years later. Geoff and I left that company in 2016 and 2017 respectively, before going on to form Hothouse Media and publish Magneto, which we launched in early 2019. So, how will this work? Both titles are successful in the market – Octane monthly, Magneto quarterly – and both have their own distinct identities and dedicated followings,

Magneto

We’ve only gone and bought another magazine, along with the world’s biggest classic car awards. Here’s why...

so the two titles will continue to be run by separate editorial and advertising teams, overseen by both Geoff and myself. From Octane issue 250, out in early March, the magazine will make use of much higher-quality paper and print, while the editorial team will be given more support to allow it to evolve and improve the content of each issue. The subscriptions service will be boosted, particularly in the US, where deliveries will be significantly quicker. We are also working on a higher digital presence. Crucially, the acquisition also allows us the resources to further grow and improve Magneto, both in the print magazine and on our website and social media. As for the Historic Motoring Awards, we have several exciting new developments in hand. We plan to continue to evolve the event and

to further grow it internationally – the awards ceremony already attracts many overseas guests, and we want to see that continue. Octane, the Historic Motoring Awards and other related titles including the Classic Car Price Guide will sit alongside the rest of our portfolio: Magneto; The Concours Year annual book; Concours on Savile Row event (this year on May 22-23); and the contract publications produced for the likes of Thorough Events, M1 Concourse and Radical. If anyone has any questions on the acquisition, please feel free to contact Geoff (for commercial/ business) at geoff@hothousemedia. co.uk or me (for editorial) at david@ hothousemedia.co.uk. All contacts for the Octane team will remain the same as before. Subscriptions are available at https:// subscribe.octane-magazine.com.

PRE V

th WORLD SHOW FOR VINTAGE, CLASSIC & PRESTIGE AUTOMOBILES, FUTURE CLASSICS, MOTOR SPORT, CLASSIC TUNING, MOTORCYCLES, SPARE PARTS, RESTORATION, YOUNG CLASSICS AND WORLD CLUB MEETING

Artist: Alfredo de la Maria

W IE

3 - 4- 5- 6 -7 APRIL 2024 Tickets online only: www.technoclassica-tickets.de HERE ON SALE NOW!

Words Elliott Hughes

Top ten auction prices

LEFT The sole-surviving original-bodied 412 P was sold at Monterey.

Market fluctuations notwithstanding, the highest echelons of the collector car world continue to push saleroom records. Here are the top achievers

New entry

10 9

1964 FERRARI 275 GTB/C SPECIALE

1967 FERRARI 275 GTB/4 NART SPYDER

1956 FERRARI 290 MM SPYDER

1954 MERCEDES-BENZ W196

1967 FERRARI 412 P BERLINETTA

No. 06701 is one of three Speciale homologation cars, boasting lightweight alloy bodywork, increased power and enhanced brake cooling. It competed in Historic racing, and it was restored under the ownership of collector Brandon Wang. The restoration was completed in 1998, and 06701 has rarely been seen in public since.

One of ten NART Spyders, this example was purchased from US importer Luigi Chinetti by businessman Eddie Smith Sr. Steve McQueen attempted to buy it, but failed – and Smith Sr kept it until he died in 2007. It was sold by Smith Sr’s son in 2013, and the proceeds were donated to charity.

Born in 1956 as a Works prototype, this 290 MM was built to reclaim the World Sportscar Championship from Mercedes-Benz. Expertly piloted by the likes of Fangio, Hill and von Trips, it succeeded, winning the 1956 title. After its racing career ended, 0626 resided in Pierre Bardinon’s collection before its 2015 consignment.

Driven in period by Fangio, chassis 00006 was the first open-wheel ‘slipper-body’ Mercedes Formula 1 car. For a time, it was the most expensive car ever auctioned. It remains the most valuable F1 car ever sold. At the time of sale, it was the only W196 in private ownership.

Date sold: August 16, 2014 Price: $26,400,000 Auction house: RM Auctions Location: Monterey, US

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Date sold: August 17, 2013 Price: $27,500,000 Auction house: RM Sotheby’s Location: Monterey, US

Date sold: December 10, 2015 Price: $28,050,000 Auction house: RM Sotheby’s Location: New York, US

Date sold: July 12, 2013 Price: $29,650,095 (£19,601,500) Auction house: Bonhams Location: Goodwood, UK

Date sold: August 18, 2023 Price: $30,255,000 Auction house: Bonhams Location: Monterey, US No. 0854 is the solesurviving original-bodied 412 P. Raced in period by the likes of Richard Attwood and Jo Siffert, it was then damaged by a fire in 1969. Luckily its original bodywork survived, and it underwent a nine-year restoration in 2005. It has since starred at Pebble Beach and The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering.

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ABOVE In 2023, this 1962 250 GTO became the second most expensive car ever auctioned.

New entry

1957 FERRARI 335 SPORT SCAGLIETTI

1962 FERRARI 250 GTO S1

1955 MERCEDES-BENZ 300 SLR UHLENHAUT COUPÉ

Date sold: February 5, 2016 Price: $35,821,289 (€32,100,000) Auction house: Artcurial Location: Paris, France One of four examples, 0674 was originally built as a 315 S. It was first raced at Sebring, before finishing second in the Mille Miglia. It was then converted to 335 SS spec for Le Mans, but retired. Luigi Chinetti owned it in 1958, before its restoration by Pierre Bardinon in 1981.

Date sold: August 14, 2014 Price: $38,115,000 Auction house: Bonhams Location: Monterey, US

No. 3851GT was ordered by French privateer Jo Schlesser, who raced it to second place in the 1962 Tour de France Automobile. Tragically, his co-driver, Henri Oreiller, was killed in the car at Montlhéry shortly afterwards. Ferrari then rebuilt it, and it dominated Italian hillclimbs in 1963. It was one of the most raced 250 GTOs in period.

Date sold: August 25, 2018 Price: $48,405,000 Auction house: RM Sotheby’s Location: Monterey, US Chassis 3413 was the third 250 GTO built, and it set an auction record at Monterey in 2018. Originally intended for Targa Florio testing, it dominated the 1962 Italian GT Championship, and it also bagged a class win in the 1964 Targa Florio. Its racing provenance and originality contributed to its record-breaking price.

Date sold: November 13, 2023 Price: $51,705,000 Auction house: Sotheby’s Location: New York, US Ferrari 250 GTO/330 LM chassis 3765LM was the only Works-campaigned example, and in 2023 it became the second most expensive car ever auctioned. Ironically, however, it still fell short of its pre-sale estimate. Its competition history includes outings at the Nürburgring and Le Mans, before passing into private ownership and taking awards at the Amelia Island Concours in 2011.

Date sold: May 5, 2022 Price: $143,000,000 (€135,000,000) Auction house: RM Sotheby’s Location: Stuttgart, Germany The unprecedented sale of a 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé in 2022 tripled the previous world record, set by a Ferrari 250 GTO in 2018. Just two Uhlenhauts were built, and both were owned by Mercedes-Benz. Many believed that neither would ever be sold – until this car, the second-built ‘Red’ model, was auctioned.

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Words David Lillywhite

Photography Tim Scott, Kimball Studios

Could an unrestored car win at Pebble Beach? We look at the chances of a less-than-perfect automobile taking Best of Show at the world’s greatest concours

AT LAST YEAR’S PEBBLE BEACH Concours d’Elegance, there was much surprise when an unrestored 1932 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet made it into the final four Best of Show contenders. And while the Alfa Romeo didn’t take first prize, this was still a landmark achievement. So, with the quality of restorations rising all the time, but an appreciation for vehicle preservation increasing in parallel, could an unrestored car ever take Best of Show at Pebble Beach – and, by association, at other concours around the world? The event’s chairman, Sandra Button, has strong opinions on the subject: “The Alfa was a deserving class winner – well preserved and with a fascinating history – and I was glad to see it among our nominees for Best of Show. I do think a preservation car will take our top award someday soon. “In the meantime, there is much to be done to refine how we think about preservation cars. By ‘we’, I’m thinking about those of us on the Pebble Beach Car Selection Committee and judging teams – but perhaps the same holds true for other leaders throughout the collector car world. “At this point, we need to better define preservation cars from what we often call ‘barn finds’. The latter have a certain allure; they encapsulate that moment when a long-hidden treasure is first found. Looking at a barn find, you can place yourself in the role of discoverer; the excitement is palpable. But most barn finds are not well preserved; they’re more often cars that have been long forgotten, cars in a state of disrepair and slow

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FROM TOP Classwinning 1932 Alfa 8C 2300 Corto Figoni Cabriolet flew the flag for preservation at Pebble Beach.

decay. And the longer we leave them ‘as is’, the more they lose what they once were. Time demands its toll.” Sandra goes on: “At Pebble Beach, we want to encourage people to truly care for great cars, so we want our preservation classes to focus on that. We plan to remove barn finds from the preservation category, perhaps hosting a separate class for barn finds every few years. “We also need to do more to think through all that is involved in caring for cars over a long period of time, particularly when a car continues to be not only loved but used. Seats do wear out, paint wears thin in spots… and fender benders do happen. “Traditionally, we’ve tried to set a

firm boundary between preservation and restoration cars, by stating that on the former nothing can be repaired or changed apart from the mechanicals that are expected to wear out, such as tyres, belts and brake pads. “But if other items need careful repair, that does not mean the whole car requires a ground-up

‘We need to encourage people to care for cars more “holistically”’

restoration… And we certainly don’t want to encourage restoration upon restoration when unnecessary. “We need to encourage people to care for cars more ‘holistically’. I’m not exactly sure how we do that as a concours, but it has something to do with softening the border between preservation and restoration – allowing more integration of the two. “We are making progress. In 2021, Arturo Keller’s 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Autobahn Kurier took our top prize with a decade-old restoration by Paul Russell & Co. Few people recognised that fact, but I felt it was important that the car was not freshly redone. And this year, it was notable that our Best of Show had a well preserved rumble seat. While the rest of the car, which had been in tatters, was restored, that section was left unrestored. The owner made a conscious decision to retain that. The nomination of the Alfa for Best of Show is another step forward.” Others take the same view, such as historian and judge Adolfo Orsi: “If a preserved car wins Pebble Beach in the future, my dream will become true. I am sure it will, sooner or later, when all the judges understand the importance to give this signal. Years ago the 8C Touring Spider ‘Rimoldi’ would have been a perfect candidate for its timeless elegance, but it was just shown too early.” Pebble Beach Selection Committee member and judge Ed Gilbertson backs this up: “I definitely think a preservation car could win Best of Show. Each of the class winners is a nominee, and they are all equally eligible – including preservation class winners. Proper preservation and correct restoration have come to the fore. It’s been the same in many other areas of collectables, such as paintings, sculpture and architecture. It would surprise me if a preservation car did not win Best of Show at Pebble Beach in the future.” Still, it will have to be something remarkable to achieve this. The Alfa that sparked the debate, presented by UK specialist Gregor Fisken, had been thought lost for 80 years; it emerged from its hide-out perfectly preserved, having been lovingly looked after for nearly eight decades by the man who had owned it from the age of 21. It’s the epitome of a preservation car.

Preserving the past, present and future:

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www.ferrariparts.co.uk T HE O N LY AUT HO R I S E D WO R L DW I D E F ER R A R I C L A S S I C PA R T S D I S T R I B U TO R

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Words David Lillywhite

Photography Jayson Fong

THIS PAGE A capital day out in prestigious Mayfair, London, celebrating craftsmanship and style.

Concours on Savile Row is back for 2024 Our very own, free, top-class event will take place in London’s Mayfair in May, with even more to see and experience

OUR VERY OWN LONDON event returns this year, to the heart of bespoke tailoring, with more collector cars and motorcycles than ever before. The 2024 Concours on Savile Row will take place on Wednesday May 22 and Thursday May 23, with free entry to the public from 10am to 8pm on both days. As in previous years, there will also be VIP-only areas for special guests of the sponsors and of the tailors based on the famous street. In addition, for the first time, it will now be possible to purchase VIP hospitality tickets, thanks to a new partnership with renowned Savile Row Italian restaurant Sartoria. The majority of the tailors will be open to all visitors, with special craft demonstrations and displays taking place within their premises. In addition, the Royal Academy of Arts will host two classic car seminars on the Wednesday – this year on

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‘There will be more collector cars and motorcycles than ever before’

restoration vs preservation – how tailors, the automotive market and the art world view sustainability – and on the future of fuels. On the Wednesday evening, meanwhile, there’ll be a gala dinner in the Royal Academy’s Collection Gallery. Back on Savile Row itself, the central stage will again feature live music and talks from celebrities and experts in both cars and tailoring. As for the vehicles, the full line-up will be revealed closer to the event, but many manufacturers and specialists are already confirmed, including newcomers to the event Alpine Cars, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera and Langen Motorcycles. Automotive brands returning for 2024 include Audi, Callum Designs, Everrati, Lotus, Lunaz, MercedesBenz and Morgan, with more due to confirm imminently. Vehicles from the manufacturers will be joined by a stunning list of privately owned

collector machinery of all ages, some from renowned collections in the UK, Europe and the US. The major event sponsors already include EFG Private Bank, Hagerty Insurance, Royal Academy, Blick Rothenberg (for the seminars) and Nyetimber, supplier of English sparkling wine. For queries on event sponsorship and partnerships, please contact Geoff Love at geoff@ hothousemedia.co.uk. For private car entries, contact David Lillywhite at david@hothousemedia.co.uk. We are currently working through the private car entries, and will confirm the line-up on the website (below) and in the next Magneto. Last year, Concours on Savile Row was attended by more than 12,000 people, including 1500 invited VIPs. Similar numbers are expected for this year’s event. We hope to see you there! See www.concoursonsavilerow.com.

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THESE CÉBÉ GOGGLES WERE used by New Zealand racing driver Chris Amon throughout the 1969 season, in both single-seat and sports car competition. Driving for Ferrari, he could be seen wearing the white-framed goggles with a tricolour strap consistently throughout the year – including at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where the Kiwi scored a season-best third place. The Cébés were also used for Amon’s final appearance for the Scuderia at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where he ultimately retired after 45 laps with a transmission failure. This race would have also been his last Grand Prix wearing an openface helmet; thanks to the rapid, if long-overdue, safety advancements of that period, the switch to lids with integrated visors was very much on the horizon. Amon’s next Formula 1 race, in March 1970, saw him wearing a full-face helmet.

The Object Chris Amon goggles The New Zealand racing driver’s battered Cébés are a vestige of a pre-safety-conscious motor sport era

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Words Joe Twyman

Photography www.legacyandart.com

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Words Alex Goy

Photography DK Engineering/Dan Bathie

The start of it all With its engaging looks and playful drive, this humble 1950 356/2 hints at all that was to come from the mighty Porsche name

ABOVE Early Gmünd car sports an evocative feel of its era, both in its styling and on the road.

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PORSCHE 356S ARE SOUGHT after, but none more so than those built in Gmünd. The first handmade cars mark the beginning of the company’s journey, and are the purest expression of Ferry Porsche’s goal to create the dream sports machine he wanted to drive. Only 52 356/2 Gmünd road cars were built – eight roadsters, the rest coupés – each boasting an aluminium body, a 40bhp motor and little else. After spending a lot of time far away, 356/2-0032 has now found its way to the UK, where DK Engineering is offering it for sale. Built in 1950, it’s had a life – but it looks all the better for this. Inside is a beautifully patinated bench seat, a speedo, a smattering of buttons, a keyhole and a luggage space behind the seats. Despite being sneakersized, there’s plenty of glass to see out of – which is quite a blessing, because there are no wing mirrors. Vehicles of this vintage and importance can be intimidating, not least because we’re taught that such things are fragile, tricky and to be feared. The 356/2 really isn’t: you can simply treat it as A Car. On startup, its tiny flat-four makes a pleasing thrum. The four-speed manual stick is long but pleasingly wobble free, slotting it into place is easy and the clutch isn’t much work at all. You run out of first gear quickly: second, too. While these ratios are short, the third is a yawning chasm away, and you can potter about there quite happily until you reach a small hill. Staying in third will cause charming deceleration, until it stops being charming and quick action is required to drop to second. Unless,

that is, you’re slow on the uptake and the incline proves too much, in which case you go down to first and cross your fingers. In period, an 87mph top speed was mooted, but these days some of the horses that once pushed the car along are enjoying a well earned retirement. The steering is something of a mystery. There’s less of a dead spot in it, more of a void. While you’re mid-bend it can either remember that its job is to turn and, despite your locked-in hands, turn further – or forget, at which point it seems to unwind the lock without you telling it to. Keeping in a straight line can be a touch frantic. Its brakes, meanwhile, are of their era, so planning is required. The fact that the 356/2 weighs next to nothing means it is rather playful, moving pleasantly as you burble along. If that all sounds like an ordeal, it really isn’t. The 356/2 does keep you on your toes, but in its every micron is a hint of what’s to come. The same characteristics you find in a modern 911 are, admittedly distantly, there. As Porsche experiences go, there are few more engaging, and you won’t forget it. In fact, you’ll wish everyone could experience it, so they can see how humble beginnings can grow into something incredible.

‘Built in 1950, this 356/2 has had a life – but it looks all the better for this’

ALL ABOUT FERRARI HISTORY. SINCE 1978.

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Words Nathan Chadwick

Gimme a ‘G’! Gimme a ‘T’! Gimme an ‘O’...! Three cheers for the Pontiac GTO, which marks its 60th birthday this year. But the model that kick-started the muscle car craze isn’t the only GTO; we look at the other competition-inspired ‘Omologatos’ FERRARI 250 GTO (1962)

PONTIAC GTO (1964)

MITSUBISHI GTO (1991)

FERRARI 288 GTO (1984)

FERRARI 599 GTO (2010)

What’s the story?

An aerodynamically optimised version of the 250 SWB was well underway when its creators fell out with Enzo. A young Mauro Forghieri picked up the pieces.

Seeing the marketing value in street performance, GM’s Bill Collins, John DeLorean and Russ Gee fitted Pontiac’s mid-sized Tempest with the bigger Grand Prix’s huge V8. More than 32,000 were sold, followed by three further generations before a 1974 hiatus.

Mitsubishi had used the GTO nameplate on the two-door version of the Galant back in 1970. The brand’s first individual GTO was a luxury-super GT. Known as the 3000GT in Europe and the US, and also the Dodge Stealth.

While often claimed to be Ferrari’s approach to Group B racing, the 288 GTO came about because Enzo felt the road cars had become humdrum. He set Stratos engineer Nicola Materazzi onto it. Materazzi later got permission for a racing version, but it never competed.

This GTO moniker was controversial – its two predecessors had homologation requirements, hence Omologato. This was a faster, lighter version of the front-engined V12 GT, with 599 XX Corse Clienti trackcar-inspired styling.

What makes it special?

Other than the racing success, mythical driving experience, rarity, engine and looks...?

It pretty much kickstarted the muscle car movement, setting in process more than a decade of V8-powered, high-octane excess.

A host of novel tech, including four-wheel steering. Sadly, the extra weight of all this blunted performance.

The first flagship turbocharged Ferrari, it set in motion a new ‘hypercar’ level, followed up by the F40, F50, Enzo et al.

Perhaps stung by criticism of calling a non-race-bred car a GTO, Ferrari hasn’t used those three little letters since.

The 3.0-litre Tipo 168 Colombo V12 pumps out 296bhp, in a package that weighs between 880kg and 950kg. A mere 36 were built.

The original 6.4-litre engine made 325bhp with a Carter AFB four-barrel carb; the Tri Power option with three Rochester 2Gs upped this to 348bhp. This grew to 360bhp by 1965.

The twin-turbo, 2.9-litre F114 V8 produces 395bhp in a package that weighs 1160kg. There were 272 cars built in all.

The naturally aspirated, 6.0-litre F140 V12 produces 660bhp in a 1746kg body. Production was limited to 599 cars.

How do I win at Top Trumps in the owners’ club?

They’re all special, but our favourite has to be the one bought by the Coombs racing team, and then surreptitiously lent to Jaguar to help it develop the lightweight E-type.

The 1970 Judge Ram Air Convertible is the most prized – just 17 were built, and they now trade for between $445k and $1.1m.

Six 650bhp GTO Evoluziones (and a prototype) were built, but cancelled after Group B racing failed to take off.

The SA Aperta roadster teamed the GTO’s powertrain with a 10mm ride-height drop, thicker anti-roll bar and revised magnetic dampers; just 80 were built.

How much does it cost?

A 330 LM that became a 250 GTO cost $51,750,000 when RM Sotheby’s sold it last year.

Where does the power come from?

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Two versions of the 6G72 3.0-litre V6: 225bhp, and a 276bhp twin-turbo – although 320bhp is believed to be more accurate...

The 1994 MR did away with ABS, four-wheel steer and active aero, losing enough weight to beat a Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 in a Best Motoring acceleration test.

We found a manual MR model in Glasgow for £21,999, although you can pick up normal models for less than half that.

Broad Arrow and RM Sotheby’s both sold 288 GTOs for around $3.9m last year.

We found one of 60 RHD examples in the UK for £685k.

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Practice makes perfect? Can honing skills on a simulator fully prepare you for real-world circuit work? Our resident sim master investigates...

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Words Elliott Hughes

Photography Jakob Ebrey

I’M THROWN FORWARD, AND purple LEDs on the Porsche 911’s steering wheel blink hyperactively as I brake downhill from 130mph into the Fogarty Esses at Donington Park. The LEDs’ ominous glow warns me that my front right wheel has locked up. I’m carrying way too much speed to make the corner. The tyres screech in protest as I scramble to restore control. Cadence braking ends the rubber’s torment, and the 911 slows just enough to be wrestled over the inside kerb and away from the punishing embrace of the tyre wall. Phew! Fortunately, no cars or tyres were hurt throughout the course of those

first two paragraphs. Not because I’ve been gifted cat-like reflexes or possess heroic car control, but because I am neither at Donington Park nor driving a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – although it certainly feels like I am. Instead, I am sitting in Exsim’s VR5 Motion Simulator at the firm’s HQ near Burton upon Trent. The purpose of my visit is twofold; first, I am here to experience one of the finest simulators on the market and find out how it compares to other systems I’ve used in the past. More significantly, however, this £49,995 sim is preparing me to drive a real 911 Cup at Donington in a week’s time… Luckily for me, the VR5 Motion

Simulator comes with the perfect hardware for the ambitious task at hand. It is designed on a bespoke chassis underpinned by four D-BOX actuators. These are effectively giant dampers that allow the carbonfibre Tillet bucket seat to precisely roll, pitch and yaw in such a way as to mimic the effects of G-forces, track geography and, God forbid, collisions. Steering feedback is administered through a Fanatec DD2 directdrive wheelbase, while Heusinkveld Engineering’s Ultimate Pedals resemble the precisely engineered system you’d find in the footwell of a real racing car. It all looks and feels very high end and tactile, but the

THIS SPREAD The view from the driver’s seat on screen and in real life; the same, but very different...

true beauty of the hardware is in its scope of customisation. The brakes, for example, can be tuned to require up to 140kg of force, while the throw of each pedal can be precisely adjusted to emulate a specific car. This theme continues with the steering base, which can provide up to 18lb ft of resistance and can be fitted with virtually any steering wheel you can think of. All this top-end hardware is put to work in Assetto Corsa via a Digital Twin, which Exsim creates by recording reams of data from the real car, and transplanting it into the virtual world. The idea is to create the closest digital representation

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possible, right down to the weight of the controls and the ferocity of the gearshifts. On this occasion, 85kg of brake pressure is required to achieve maximum stopping power, while an Alcantara-trimmed replica of a real GT3 steering wheel transmits detailed feedback into my hands. The result is seriously impressive. Other motion simulators I have used are too violent and distracting, or just don’t resemble the feeling of a real car anywhere near closely enough. The motion effect in the VR5 is subtle, and adds a feeling of inertia and a level of feedback that lesser simulators simply don’t replicate. It’s also clear that the steering base and pedal set-up are in another league to my home Thrustmaster system. Whether it’s the force and precision demanded by the pedal, or the wonderfully detailed and tactile feedback through the steering, both feel extremely close to reality. Now I’m acclimatised to the VR5, the forecast temperature and wind direction are put into Assetto Corsa for my final stint of the day. This is where the bespoke-tyre model comes into its own, because the rubber takes longer to get to its working temperature and grip up. Once the tyres are warm, I get into a rhythm and post my best time, a 1:31.2. I head home feeling confident. Yet one question still remains: is it really that close to the real thing? A week later, it’s time to find out. The butterflies and excitement I feel as I change into my race suit and don my helmet and HANS device are something no simulator can replicate. My nervousness only increases as I’m strapped tightly into the GT3’s

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fixed-back bucket seat, enveloped by safety netting and a full roll cage. I flick the ignition switch and mash the starter button; the 510bhp 3.8-litre flat-six barks into life, and the exhaust note reverberates around the pit garage. The sound of the engine, smell of fuel and vibrations through the seat awaken my senses beyond what any sim can muster. This is very real, and there’s no reset button. My first stint around Donington is a familiarisation exercise, and I’m grateful to have racing driver Tom Jackson riding shotgun. His CV includes GT3, LMP3 and the Porsche Carrera Cup, so he’s the ideal person to guide me through the process of driving such a high-performance car with no electronic safety nets. I squeeze the floor-hinged throttle, shift up into second, and a cacophony of revs builds as we sprint towards Redgate. The sensational acceleration feels far more visceral than supercars I’ve driven with double the power. The steering is equally impressive; quick, accurate and delivering an abundance of feel – essential for Donington’s fast, flowing infield. After a tentative few laps my confidence increases, and I begin to attack the braking points and build the pace. This is where experience from the sim begins to shine. Despite having driven at Donington only once before, I know where all the braking points are, which kerbs to use and which gear to be in. The muscle memory learned through the sim proves invaluable, too, because the steering, brakes and handling characteristics are almost uncanny. I snatch the brakes heading into the old hairpin, but quickly realise

THIS PAGE Elliott hones his skills on Exsim’s VR5 Motion Simulator before hitting Donington Park circuit.

my mistake and correct it in time to avoid going wide or flat-spotting the tyres. Meanwhile, Tom’s encouraging me around the lap and giving me pointers, although it’s hard to hear him over the wail of the flat-six. We’ve been on track for 20 minutes, but it feels like just two have passed when we return to the pitlane. There’s little time to rest on my laurels, though, because next I’ll be flying solo. Despite the small blot on my copy book, my confidence is at an all-time high as I take a quick break to down some water and receive a few last-minute pointers from Tom. Then, it’s back in the hot seat. The tyres are now warm, and the GT3 provides all the grip I could wish for. The more I push, the more confidence it gives back. Each lap, I carry just a little more speed here and brake a tiny bit later there, and the Porsche complies without question. Unfortunately timing isn’t permitted, but it is later estimated that I’m sitting in the 1:34.00-1:35.00 range. Then it all goes wrong. Nearing the end of the stint, I accelerate a bit too enthusiastically out of the Melbourne

‘There is no way I’d have felt comfortable in that car had it not been for the sim’

hairpin. The rear snaps immediately, and the windscreen fills with the blue-and-white barrier as the GT3 spins in what feels like slow motion. I stand on the brake and clutch pedals; spinning in gear can destroy the transmission. The bill for a new gearbox? £40,000. Oh dear! Fortunately, the Porsche doesn’t collide with anything – but the engine has stalled, and other cars are streaming towards me as I frantically try to restart while a marshal waves a yellow flag. It feels like an eternity. Has the gearbox survived? I’ve no idea. After an embarrassing trip back to the garage to lick my wounds, mechanics inspect the GT3. Mercifully, it’s given the all-clear. And with that, my adrenalinesoaked whirlwind of a day comes to a bittersweet conclusion. Feeling drained and back in civvy clothes, it’s time for some reflection. Despite the late drama, one thing becomes very clear: there is no way I would have felt comfortable in that car had it not been for the simulator. It’s frankly amazing how close the VR5 Motion felt to the real thing, and it’s no wonder these are so popular with top drivers such as Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. On the other hand, simulators can be deceptive – particularly for a novice such as myself. For one thing, there’s no sense of speed or fear when you’re staring at a computer monitor. A sim can also give you a false sense of security, leading you to believe you have a handle on the car and the circuit after only a handful of laps. This, as I discovered, can be a double-edged sword. Thanks to Exsim, www.exsim.co.uk.

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Words Nathan Chadwick

Photography Museo Storico Alfa Romeo

WITH ITS STORIED HISTORY of style, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Alfa Romeo’s new models often reference the past. During the launch of the brand’s 33 hypercar, design boss Alejandro MesoneroRomanos told Autocar: “Our nextgeneration cars will bring back the Coda Tronca into a current design language — as a means to boost aerodynamic efficiency and range, of course, but also to give the cars a distinctive, classically Alfa character.” The first application will be on an all-electric SUV, which is very different from the first Alfas to use the Coda Tronca – or short-tail – principles: the lightweight Zagatobuilt SZ and TZs of the 1960s, designed by Ercole Spada. As Ercole now recalls: “Ever since I was a child, I had an interest and admiration for German cars. Perhaps I read something where I found the ‘patent’ of professors Wunibald Kamm and Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld, who theorised about the abrupt cutting off at the rear of the body as an aerodynamic improvement. “I had already adopted this shape in 1962 to improve the performance

BELOW Spada’s Alfa Romeo TZ was arguably the most revered proponent of the Coda Tronca design principle.

of the Alfa Giulietta SZ. Besides improving the drag co-efficient, it reduced lift at the rear end. After this positive experience, I have always applied this principle in various ways, to sedans and limousines as well.” Although the stark Alfa designs would prove influential, at the time Spada’s work was radical. “Perhaps someone had explored this principle in years past, but no one had the courage to apply it so drastically,” Ercole reflects. “I decided to experiment after disappointing results with more acceptable forms. Having confirmed the performance, it could no longer be ignored.” That improved performance could come only with deep thinking with regards to general layout. “It is a matter of grouping the mechanical organs, placing the driver’s seat as low as possible, more in the centre of the car, lowering the radiator – all to have a reduced ‘main section’ and better shape profiling,” Ercole explains. “The skin (bodywork) should skim all the bulk.” The TZ and TZ2 are arguably the most revered proponents of the Coda Tronca principle, but it could have been very different. Ercole again: “Giuseppe Busso was directing the project for Alfa, and he wanted a spider shape for the first prototype, which is notorious for not being the most suitable for good aerodynamics. “After the first tests confirmed this defect, I designed and made a fairing

The long and the short of it Alfa Romeo is reviving the Coda Tronca concept for its new all-electric SUV. We speak to Ercole Spada about the brand’s first use of the aerodynamic principle

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that transformed it into a coupé. Having confirmed its effectiveness, I redesigned the shape. After the first tests proved that a flap [lip] around the entire rear end increased the speed by about 2km/h, it was finally incorporated into the shape.” The TZ2 follow-up featured several engine changes, which aided Ercole’s pursuit of aerodynamic perfection. “In addition to having dual ignition, it had a dry sump, which allowed the engine to be lowered,” he explains. “Another important modification was relocating the exhaust, which no longer passed under the seat. This allowed the seat to be lowered, assisted by lowering the steering wheel by having the column pass under the oval transverse pipe. This overall lowering, as well as reducing the main section, allows the shape to be flattened, and widened for the new tyres. The shape is less rounded and simpler by forgoing the side window.” It’s a period Ercole looks back on fondly. “Today I like to make illustrations of my cars taken during the races they have competed in,” he says. “Those who design sports cars have the greatest satisfaction when they bring back important victories, as is the case with the TZs.” With thanks to both Gautam Sen and Paolo Spada.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM SCOTT

CONCOURSOFELEGANCE.CO.UK

PRESENTED BY

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Words David Lillywhite

projects. Following his 2011 accident, David had published volumes with PacWest Racing’s founder and race car driver Bruce McCaw, and helped to plan future book projects. After the Enzo Ferrari book re-release, the company will publish Volumes IV (1980-1989) and V (1990-1999) of Twice Around the Clock: The Yanks at Le Mans by Tim Considine, Randy Leffingwell’s Against All the Others — Porsche’s Racing History: Volume 1: 1968, and Luigi Chinetti and the History of NART by Michael Lynch. “I miss David so, so much,” Maria told Magneto. “I went to Rennsport last year – the first event I had been to since he died – and reconnecting with the drivers, and seeing his books for sale, was challenging, IT’S BEEN THREE YEARS NOW since David Bull, the founder of David Bull Publishing, sadly passed away from the long-term effects of the 2011 motorcycle accident that left him paralysed. His legacy? Some of the greatest automotive books we’ve ever seen, including works on Mario Andretti, Vic Elford and Dan Gurney, official histories of the Daytona 24 Hours, Daytona 500, Baja 1000 and Sebring, and behind-the-scenes books with Ducati, Ferrari, Honda, Porsche and Suzuki. Many have since sold out. Now the company is back, with David’s sister, Maria Bull, at the helm, alongside co-owner Dan Look and other members of the team. Its first releases are special editions of Luca Dal Monte’s acclaimed 2018

David Bull Publishing returns Top creator of prizewinning books is back in the game, with late founder’s family at helm

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biography Enzo Ferrari: Power, Politics, and the Making of an Automotive Empire. David Bull founded his company on Patriots’ Day, April 19, 1995 with the goal of producing the highestquality motor sports books. Its first tome, Sebring: The Official History of America’s Great Sports Car Race, was named Book of the Year by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association. Many of its subsequent works also received the highest accolades, including the prestigious Dean Batchelor Award, the Motor Press Guild’s Best Book Award, and several gold and silver medals from the Independent Book Publishers Association. Prior to his death, David asked Maria to continue working on book

THIS PAGE David Bull Publishing has re-released Luca Dal Monte’s acclaimed Enzo Ferrari book as special editions.

but people were so very kind.” The Enzo Ferrari book was one of the greatest of the David Bull publications, revealing previously unprinted details of the great man’s origins, business practices and private life. The volume has been out of print for some time, and demands high prices secondhand. Already, the new, $885 Premium Publisher’s Edition and Standard Edition have sold out – but the $575 Publisher’s Edition (covered in Schedoni leather) and the $77.15 Slipcase Edition are still available. We at Magneto were great friends with David, and we are looking forward to more publications from the company he was so proud of. More information can be found at www.bullpublishing.com.

ECURIE ECOSSE

1952 JAGUAR C-TYPE ECURIE ECOSSE

■ The first Jaguar C-Type for Ecurie Ecosse and Ian Stewart ■ Victorious debut at 1952 Jersey International Road Race ■ Two successful period race seasons with Ecurie Ecosse ■ Regular entrant at Goodwood Revival and more, prepared by CKL Developments ■ Retains original engine but currently fitted with race engine

1956 JAGUAR D-TYPE ECURIE ECOSSE

■ The final short-nose Ecurie Ecosse D-Type ■ Raced by ‘56 Le Mans winners Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson ■ Formerly part of the famous Dick Skipworth Ecurie Ecosse collection ■ Lately appearing at Goodwood, Le Mans Classic and other events ■ Recent meticulous bare metal restoration by marque experts CKL Developments

1960 ECURIE ECOSSE TRANSPORTER – COMMER TS3

■ Bespoke construction to the order of the Ecurie Ecosse Association ■ Cemented in schoolboy folklore by best selling Corgi Toys model ■ A much-loved fixture of British historic racing annually displayed at Goodwood Revival

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Meet the ultimate pedal car This may look like an original post-war Austin J40 pedal car – but it’s actually an exquisite £25,000 Continuation that’s already selling fast

Words David Lillywhite

Photography Rich Pearce

“THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST over-engineered, most over-investedin pedal car you’re ever likely to see,” Austin Pedal Cars managing director Mark Burnett tells me. And then he spends several hours demonstrating why that’s the case. I hate to spoil the story, but I end up agreeing. This little Austin J40 pedal car, just 160cm long and 56cm high, costs £25,000 including VAT. It’s one of only 49 that will be made; a completely, beautifully re-engineered Continuation model of a toy with one of the greatest back stories of any automotive product. It’s a masterpiece of engineering, that is as likely to be pedalled at speed by kids as it is to be hung on a wall or placed artfully in the corner of a dot.com office. Do you know the Austin J40 story? These iconic pedal cars were made in South Wales from 1949, as a not-for-profit venture by the Austin Motor Company, employing former

coal miners who had been injured in their gruelling jobs, and were consequently in need of work. Each J40 was made using scrap from the Longbridge Austin factory, the design based on the company’s A40 Devon and Dorset saloons. The cars came complete with working headlights and horn, detachable wheels wearing Dunlop tyres, leather or cloth seating, an opening bonnet and boot, as well as chrome bumpers, hubcaps, grille and boot handle. Although a J40 cost the equivalent of two months of the average salary at the time, 32,098 were made before production ceased in September 1971. Some were used for roadsafety films, many found their way onto fairground rides, but most were kept as cherished possessions, often passed down the generations. They became icons, helped along in more recent years by the closely fought Settrington Cup at the

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THIS SPREAD J40

Continuation in Legacy Editionspec Ensign Red paintwork. Each example features a Moto-Lita steering wheel, GPS speedo and ‘fuel’ gauge to monitor auxiliary battery condition.

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FROM ABOVE From the handformed panels to the exquisitely machined pedals and steering arms, the Continuation is beautifully built.

Goodwood Revival, in which a grid of up to 50 J40s are pedalled furiously down the pit straight by determined-faced children. Trouble is, these little icons were originally built to understandably basic standards. What if, pondered the engineers at Austin Pedal Cars, a J40 could be re-engineered to the highest standards of the current day? What if it was possible to create not so much the Rolls-Royce of pedal cars; more the F1 of pedal cars? What if, indeed... Those thoughts were put into action over three years ago; it’s taken this long to perfect the new Austin J40 Continuation, as it’s now known. At first glance, the Continuation doesn’t look so different from the original – as, of course, it shouldn’t. If the Ensign Red of this early Legacy Edition seems especially lustrous, well that’s because it’s applied to the same standards as any high-quality car-restoration paint would be. It turns out that it’s also accurately matched to the most popular colour of the original J40 pedal cars. Under that paintwork, though, is

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an aluminium body that takes a full three weeks to hand-form. Just look at all the curves. It would’ve been cheaper and easier to have steel bodies pressed overseas – but that wouldn’t have matched the ethos of the Continuation. It had to be lighter, and it had to be British built. Step a little closer, and you surely won’t fail to spot the steering wheel; none other than a genuine MotoLita, an item of great desirability in any full-size sports car worth its salt. Ahead of the wheel is the instrument panel. It’s in the same style as the original J40’s, but features a working electronic GPS speedo, made by Smith’s. A ‘fuel’ gauge next to it monitors the condition of the battery that powers the speedometer, clock, lights and horn. The seat is perfectly trimmed in sumptuous leather, with a similarly finished handbrake gaiter to match. Handbrake, you query? Yes – and it operates a single, custom-made disc and caliper on the rear axle. That brings us to the Continuation chassis. I’m aware that I’m sounding

‘It is as likely to be pedalled at speed by kids as it is to be hung on a wall’

ridiculous, but honestly, it’s a little masterpiece. Each component has been created from CNC-machined billet aluminium. There’s an actual rack-and-pinion steering system, and a perfectly balanced adjustablepedal system to make the J40 Continuation as easy as possible to propel on its new Austin Cord tyres. The pedal mechanism alone took months to perfect, and has been tested over hundreds of miles. All this is the product of a UK engineering company that has been around for decades – but creating new carburettors and spares rather than pedal cars. Briefly, the familyrun Burlen Ltd fell in love with J40s, bought a near-40-year-old J40 parts business from the firm’s soon-toretire founder, and was also able to acquire the Austin trademark for use on pedal cars and related merchandise. To create the new components required for the J40 Continuation, the team needed the use of CAD – something it didn’t have on-site at its factory in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Rather than contract out the work, Burlen invested to set up its first CAD department, which could then also be used to create tooling for other parts, such as the bumpers. The attention to detail is off the scale. The lucky few who’ll be able to buy a Continuation will also receive an embroidered cover, a leather Austin ‘sandwich satchel’, a factory certificate of authenticity, a leather document wallet and even a tool kit. Deposits are now being taken for the remaining J40 Continuations. No, they won’t be Revival eligible. Yes, they’ll look amazing as a toy or an artwork. And if they’re too pricey, good unrestored and restored J40s are available from Burlen, too. www.austinpedalcars.com

A S C O T R A C E C O U R S E S AT U R D AY 2 N D M A R C H

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Words Nathan Chadwick

Maserati museum makeover Modena’s Panini Collection is due to be relaunched this year. Matteo Panini – heir to the sticker-album empire – explains just what this entails

ABOVE Collezione Umberto Panini will be rehoused and refocused, boasting a more dynamic feel.

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WERE IT NOT FOR WORD OF mouth and a few helpful road signs, the Collezione Umberto Panini Motor Museum might escape your notice on any motoring pilgrimage to Modena. After all, it is a fair distance from the town centre, where the brand’s home sits on Viale Ciro Menotti; instead, it is located down a long, tree-lined drive in the middle of a large dairy farm. However, behind the museum’s doors lies Maserati’s crown jewels, the remnants of the brand’s factory museum saved after Alejandro de Tomaso put them up for sale under the nose of Fiat in 1996. They had been destined to be split up at a Brooks auction, but a concerted effort by Adolfo Orsi Jr, plus local historians and politicians, saw the collection saved by Umberto Panini, who had made his money with the eponymous sticker albums, and had set up Hombre, a 310-hectare dairy farm. For 28 years, the ever-growing

museum has been based at the farm, but, as Umberto’s son Matteo explains, the family sold out of the dairy business four years ago. Although the current owners were happy to let the collection remain on site, it’s finally time to start afresh. “The new museum will be more connected with Maserati – we want to welcome people to Casa Maserati with something unique,” Matteo says. The new location, adjacent to the Autodromo di Modena just a few kilometres away from the farm, will not simply be a static display of just cars. Matteo elaborates: “One section will be dedicated to the real soul of Maserati: the engines and mechanical parts. We have a lot of interesting prototype motors to show the world. “We want to give the idea that Maserati didn’t just build cars. The Biturbo, Merak, Quattroporte III and Bora were only made possible by passionate people who had to sit down and find a solution,

with very few resources.” Another section of the museum will be more dynamic, Matteo explains, with a change of emphasis every four to six months. Guest brands and models will also feature. He has visited museums around the world in a bid to offer something fresh. “We want to create something unusual, because the hangar will be totally open with windows – we’ll be using lots of natural light,” he says. “In time, we want to create a place for people to meet at weekends.” While the collection is not aiming to purchase new exhibits directly, a move to foundation status means private collectors can either donate their cars or put them on display. “For example, a woman from Florence came to us after her husband died; she couldn’t bring herself to sell his car, and asked if she could donate it to us,” Matteo says. Another benefit of foundation status is that supporters can become more involved. Aside from a tiered structure with a sliding scale of benefits, members can volunteer in the manner of British museums. The immediate challenge is the new building itself: “Since the 2012 earthquakes, when you restore a building you have to consolidate it with new rules; I hope to finish it by May or June,” Matteo says. In the meantime, the collection will still be available to view in its current location from March to August this year, with Matteo aiming to open the new museum by December to tie in with Maserati’s 110th birthday. “My brother Giovanni and I don’t need to take any money from the visit,” he says. “We just hope people will come back and pass on the good word of the Panini Collection.” www.paninimotormuseum.it

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The events of 2024 Gear up for a full season of excellent events – on the road, on the track and on the concours field

ICE ST MORITZ

SALON PRIVÉ LONDON

February 23-24 International Concours of Elegance – on a frozen lake. This year incorporating extra side shows. www.theicestmoritz.ch

April 18-20 Concours of collector cars for sale at Royal Hospital Chelsea. www.salonprivelondon.com

THE AMELIA February 29-March 3 Florida event is one of US’s best, with auctions, seminars, tours, RADwood, Cars & Community. www.ameliaconcours.com

MODA MIAMI February 29-March 3 New Florida event with concours, supercar day and auction. www.modamiami.com

SYDNEY HARBOUR CONCOURS February 29-March 3 Australia’s top-end concours on Cockatoo Island this year. www.sydneyharbourconcours.com.au

PHILLIP ISLAND CLASSIC March 8-10 Massive Historic racing festival, 90 minutes from Melbourne. www.vhrr.com

TECHNO CLASSICA ESSEN April 3-7 Huge show covering all aspects of classic motoring and motor sport. www.siha.de

MUGELLO CLASSIC April 5-7 Historics racing at famed Italian track with nine varied grids. www.peterauto.fr

FLYING SCOTSMAN April 12-14 Wonderful pre-1948 car rally from Chester to Gleneagles. www.heroevents.eu

BARRETT-JACKSON PALM BEACH April 18-20 Huge Florida auction with the most glitz you’ll see at a sale. www.barrett-jackson.com

UK DRIVE-IT DAY April 21 Events are being staged at Brooklands, Classic Motor Hub, Bicester Heritage and many more. www.driveitday.co.uk

CALIFORNIA MILLE April 21-25 Relaxed rally through northern California for pre-1958 classics. www.californiamille.com

ABOVE May’s staging of the outstanding Cavallino Classic pays homage to Modena, the hometown of Enzo Ferrari.

VINTAGE SHAMROCK May 6-9 Fifth edition of this classic rally explores Ireland’s midlands. www.rallytheglobe.com

VINTAGE REVIVAL MONTLHÉRY May 11-12 Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the famed French banked track. www.vintage-revival.fr

TOUR AUTO

LUGANO ELEGANCE

April 22-27 Legendary road and track event, this year from Paris to Biarritz. www.peterauto.fr

May 17-19 International concours in picturesque Swiss city. https://luganoelegance.com

GREENBRIER CONCOURS

CAVALLINO CLASSIC MODENA

May 3-5 East Coast US event includes drives, dinners, seminars, shows. www.greenbrierconcours.com

May 17-19 Outstanding event pays homage to the hometown of Enzo Ferrari. www.cavallino.com

DONINGTON HISTORIC May 4-5 UK Historic racing festival spans eight decades of motor sport. www.doningtonhistoric.com

CONCOURS ON SAVILE ROW May 22-23 Stunning cars meet top tailoring in this famous London street. www.concoursonsavilerow.com

CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA VILLA D’ESTE May 24-26 Premier concours, on the banks of beautiful Lake Como, Italy. www.concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com

GREENWICH CONCOURS May 31-June 2 Renowned US East Coast event offers something for everyone. www.greenwichconcours.com

LONDON CONCOURS June 4-6 Fantastic cars and hospitality in the heart of the City of London. www.londonconcours.co.uk

THREE CASTLES TRIAL June 4-7 Wonderfully relaxed and popular rally around North Wales, UK. www.three-castles.co.uk

MILLE MIGLIA June 11-15 Legendary regularity through Italy, Brescia-Rome-Brescia. www.1000miglia.it

LE MANS 24 HOURS June 12-16 The greatest motor sport race on earth? We think so. Book early! www.24h-lemans.com

CONCOURS D’ELÉGANCE SUISSE June 14-16 Exclusive and laid-back elegance on the banks of Lake Geneva. www.concoursdelegancesuisse.com

PADRE-FIGLIA June 21-23 Classic car rally exclusively for father and daughter teams. www.happyfewracing.com

GOODWOOD MEMBERS’ MEETING

RALLYE DES PRINCESSES

CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE GERMANY

April 13-14 Like the Revival, but less crowded and with a wider car range (right). www.goodwood.com

May 25-30 All-female rally through France, staged by Richard Mille. www.richardmille.com

July 22-27 New event from Hampton Court team, Tegernsee, Munich. concoursofelegancegermany.com

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Words David Tremayne

Illustration Tim McDonagh

It’s 30 years since one of F1’s greatestever stars lost his life in Imola’s horror weekend from hell. Ayrton Senna was an extraordinary man with a Godgiven racing talent, who was filled with passion, intensity and self-belief. We speak to some of the people on whom he left the biggest impression

AYRTON SENNA WAS THE MOST committed man I ever met. Racing was his life and, ultimately, his death. The sheer depth of his pursuit of ontrack excellence defied understanding by people who weren’t racers. It was his religion, his life blood. And, sometimes, his intensity and selfbelief were frightening. There is neither the space nor, really, the need here to reiterate his myriad achievements. We all know what he did in his all-too-brief life. In any case, when I think of him now, which is often, it’s more about the man rather than the driver. I smile when I hear him talking to Dick Bennetts in that sing-song voice: “No opportunit [sic], Dickie. No possibilite [sic].” I think of a long conversation with a lonely young man in an emptied Silverstone Formula 3 paddock in 1983. Of an older version, pleading for justice in front of the media after Jean-Marie Balestre’s woefully chauvinistic behaviour in 1990. Of the best interview I’ve ever done, in a hotel room in Adelaide soon after the debacle in Suzuka that year. How we spoke of the laps Ayrton did at Jerez so soon after going to the scene of Martin Donnelly’s horrific accident and peering into the black pit. I remain convinced he went out to smash Jerez, to show it that it could not destroy the human spirit. Had he done all of that to prove something to himself? It took him 37 seconds to answer, his voice a whisper I had to strain to hear, his eyes moist. The atmosphere in the room was electric. “For myself,” he said eventually. “I did it because anything like that can

happen to any of us. I knew it was something bad, but I wanted to see for myself. Afterwards, I didn’t know how fast I could go. Or how slow.” There was another long pause. Did he have to be brave to do that? His eyes were now swimming: “As a racing driver, there are some things you have to go through, to cope with. Sometimes they are not human, yet you go through it and do them just because of the feelings that you get by driving, that you don’t get in another profession. Some of the things are not pleasant, but in order to have some of the nice things, you have to face them.” Well, he faced them that day – and he came through his own harsh test with honour. I never admired him more than I did in those moments. I think of others when his pure passion and inner certainty would bring tears welling into those deepbrown eyes. The same eyes that could beam warmth at you, or rake you with the chill of sharp ice. If I have any regrets about my lengthy Formula 1 career, it’s that I wasn’t mature enough intellectually back then. If I could have that time over again, I’d say to Ayrton during one of our ‘cool’ periods: “The hell with this. Let’s have dinner somewhere quiet, forget about racing cars, and talk about proper things, like life and love and family.” In 2019, Bruno Senna drove a McLaren MP4/4 at Interlagos. I went to the garage and found him, and his mother, Viviane, and through him told her of that regret. She smiled at me, and somehow I felt I had been confessed. The Senna Foundation is the most

remarkable legacy of any driver, with its tremendous social reach. Proof that the hard shell Ayrton wrapped around himself right from the start could be very effective at times. We knew his emotional and aggressive sides, but I wish I had appreciated more about that humanitarian side, because I think that was in so many ways the real man. A long time ago, I wrote: “I’m just grateful that we were acquainted and that, in my dotage, I will be able to tell my grandchildren, with pride and misty eyes: ‘Yes, I saw Senna race.’” Well, I have grandchildren now, and I do tell stories about a man called Ayrton Senna. But there are times, three decades on, when those eyes are more than just misty. And I think about what was the last time we really spoke, at Suzuka in 1993, pre-Irvine punch, at a Honda commemorative book launch. Our relationship had again been uneasy at times, because he knew I was sometimes critical of his driving ethics – so when I proffered my book, I laughed and told him he didn’t need to sign it if he didn’t want to. He looked at me and smiled, and as his left hand started scrawling, he said in that soft tone: “Time, Dave, is the big thing.” How could any of us known how quickly his was running out? Yes, he was a flawed genius – but he was also hugely charismatic, and to watch him on those qualifying laps he could so regularly summon was to be awed by majesty. That day at Imola, motor racing lost one of its greatest kings – but the world also lost an extraordinary man.

ALL IMAGES BY MOTORSPORT IMAGES

1966. São Paulo, Brazil.

Ayrton Senna

July 3, 1983. Formula 3 Championship, Snetterton.

March 27, 1982. Formula Ford 2000 Championship, Oulton Park. Magneto

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Recounting the privilege of travelling from Formula 3 to Formula 1 alongside his rival, whom he respected greatly

XX 46

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March 20, 1983. Formula 3 Championship, Silverstone.

August 6, 1983. Formula 3 Championship, Oulton Park. Through good times and bad, Ayrton and Martin went back to F3 racing in the early 1980s.

I SAW THE SAME TRAITS IN Ayrton in F3 that I did later in F1. The difference between Michael Schumacher and him is that Michael was driven from the head, and Ayrton was driven from the heart. His modus operandi was: “Right, I’m going to send one up the inside of you [in a corner], and I’ll leave you to decide if we’re going to have a crash today.” To establish that hierarchy with you. I had to crash with him [at Oulton Park in F3] to actually stop that. He crashed at Silverstone trying to stay with me. He couldn’t compute that somebody was going as fast, if not faster, than him in the same equipment. I think he had the most God-given talent of anybody I ever raced against. He had this sixth sense where the grip was before and during a corner, rather than during and after a corner like the rest of us. I’ll never forget Silverstone 1983, when it was teeming with rain; he was on pole, but I beat him off the line and I led down to Stowe, where he went right round the outside. And as I took a more normal line, I remember thinking, see ya, wouldn’t want to be ya! And he came out in front of me. I was gobsmacked. After the race was red-flagged and restarted, he beat me off the line, and I went down the outside of him into Stowe and aquaplaned off the track, went down the grass, skimmed the barrier, and just survived. He won, I was second. I’ll never forget it until my dying day. I said to him on the podium: “Your line through Stowe didn’t work in the second part.” And he said to me: “I don’t know, I didn’t try – it was too wet.” That sixth sense... His qualifying laps in those

turbocharged F1 cars said everything. Say at Monaco; you did your Saturdaymorning pre-practice with 800bhp and a set of soft-grade tyres. The next time you got in that car, for qualifying, it would have at least 50 percent more power, and you had a set of quali tyres that wouldn’t do a full lap. You would creep around the out lap so you didn’t fire the tyres up. Then, one or two corners from the end of it, you set about it – and you come into the pit stretch and you’ve suddenly got 1250bhp in a 500kg-odd car. It’s like the Starship Enterprise. Your rear tyres are starting to come in, but your brakes are cold, your front tyres are still largely cold. So you navigate the first three corners with a lot of rear grip, not a lot of front grip or brakes. Not optimal. Then, mid-lap, it all starts coming together. You’ve got warm brakes, four tyres giving you unbelievable grip. Something that you haven’t experienced all weekend. Now you’ve done the middle part of the lap, and it’s the sweet spot. Everything’s working, and you roughly know what’s going to happen at the next corner – but in the final part, your rear tyres are crying ‘enough’, and your power’s probably dropped 100bhp just because everything’s so unbelievably hot. In the final two or three corners, you’ve now got shed-loads of front grip, but your rear grip’s disappearing… I remember being clocked at the Massenet left-hander at the top of the hill, heading to Casino Square, at over 180mph, in the Tyrrell… And there, in 1988, Ayrton was 1.4 seconds faster than Alain Prost – in exactly the same car. He had such a gift. And, you know, Ayrton was a

paradox. He would be the first bloke to run you off the road, yet the first to run back and see if you’re okay. In 1993, he ran into the back of me when I was going well in the Ligier Renault at Monza. He was adjusting his brake bias going into the second chicane, and he was too late on the brakes. He hit me up the back so hard, I had a sizeable accident in the barriers. And he came running over and I was sitting there, slightly winded, thinking, if that guy is going to blame me again, I’m going to nail him. But he came to see if I was alright. He was really concerned about me. As soon as he knew I was okay, his brain switched immediately to the championship calculations, and he stopped talking to me. At Imola in 1994, when we restarted the race, we were told Ayrton had moved his head, as if he was alright. But, of course, we realised later that was kind of his soul leaving his body. And then we did another 50-odd laps, past a pool of his blood on the side of the track. It still makes me angry to think that. I don’t know, it just seemed like a lack of respect. I thought afterwards, I had a Christmas card from him, but never got his autograph… Looking back 30 years on, I feel I was incredibly lucky to have raced against him, to have known him. It was a great privilege. And I think, why didn’t I spend more time with him? If we had our chance again, I would handle it better. I do remember having a humongously long conversation with him after the Cadwell Park F3 I won in ’83… About all sorts of things – life, and this and that. I wish I’d done a lot more of that.

Ayrton Senna

March 25, 1990. Brazilian Grand Prix.

July 25, 1993. German Grand Prix.

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Ayrton and his McLaren boss Ron were kindred spirits. Both knew just what they wanted – and neither ever settled for second best

October 25, 1983. Silverstone. F3 driver Ayrton at the wheel of an MP4/1C during a McLaren F1 test. Ron looks on.

October 24, 1993. Japanese Grand Prix.

AYRTON CAME ACROSS AS VERY arrogant during an F1 test at Silverstone at the end of 1983. He blew an engine, because he said he was on a fast lap. Then he was very keen to get an advantage, and that the other car he was going to drive had not been damaged by Martin Brundle or Stefan Bellof, and had fresh tyres. He was clearly impressive, but still young. I’d offered to pay for his season of F3. But he was a bit too casual, and sometimes I like a little bit of respect. He made it very clear, not rudely, that he wanted to be independent. I didn’t totally like that, but I did respect it. But he didn’t appeal much then. When we talked initially about ’88, the discussion ended with money, for which he had a healthy appetite. We butted heads, both of us getting towards being angry. We were half a million dollars out; I suggested we toss a coin. He wanted to be as black and white as possible – chance didn’t enter into his psyche – and, all of a sudden, he totally lightened up. I tossed the coin and I won. But neither of us had twigged we were talking about a three-year contract, so we were actually talking about a million and a half dollars… He and Alain were both to blame for their feud, and broke commitments to one another several times. Testing one day at Pembrey, I was so angry at the way their feud was building up steam that I called them kids. The psychology was that if I was going to be the bad guy and make them hostile towards me, they would join up and say ‘isn’t Ron being tough’. But it was delicate to handle. The deviousness was perfectly matched between them, and they both knew how to play their

national press. Yet I never thought any driver was bigger than the team. After the incident with Prost in the Casio chicane at Suzuka in 1989, when Ayrton set lap record after lap record, catching up to win, Jean-Marie Balestre came up with the specious rule that you had to enter the circuit at the point at which you exited it. It was such a stitch-up; we had footage of many incidents where cars left the circuit and rejoined successfully elsewhere. It was unbelievable. Ayrton decided to retire, and said: “This world is unfair.” I got him to calm down. His sister Viviane was always extremely influential in guiding him, and he spoke to her and his father; in the end, they said: “If you stop, they have won.” In their 1990 incident in Suzuka, all the traces of brake and throttle showed what happened. He didn’t lift. He came back, and I said: “Ayrton, I’m disappointed.” And he got it. We didn’t have to say anything more. It was a rare moment. But he had very few lapses in his life, and generally he was incredibly principled. He knew that he really would make a difference in Brazil. But one of the infuriating things in the latter half of his involvement with McLaren was that he made no secret that, whatever we paid him, he was going to give a reasonable percentage to his Foundation, because he was very much focused on changing the lives of people in São Paulo’s favelas. So as soon as you gave him money, he was going to give it to someone else. But we were close, and after that brilliant pole lap at Monaco in 1988, in which he beat Prost by 1.4 seconds, he opened up. He went into that whole

surreal, out-of-body thing. He could claim, possibly accurately, that he was almost oblivious to everything and that everything he did was intuitive, from the sub-conscious. I think in reality he was just a phenomenal racing driver. He did something uncharacteristic [when he subsequently crashed while holding a big lead over Prost]. He didn’t come back to the pits, but went to his flat, and didn’t appear until later on. He was hugely angry with himself. Occasionally he would not have a compass, and failed to understand things. Viviane was very important to him. She was deeply religious, and so most of the time when I came upon him reading the Bible, I don’t think it was as people perceived it to be, that he was deeply religious. I think his sister steered him into anything that gave an insight into why something happened. For him, there always had to be a reason, and if he couldn’t grasp it he’d ask someone for guidance. I think all of that fell into the category of retrospective scriptwriting, especially the Monaco incident. We were trying to get him to slow down, and one danger then is that you lose concentration. Our relationship was intense. But we talked often about the meaning of life, things outside racing, how you wrestle with finding people you can trust. He was unbelievably competitive, but he’d eventually have had other things in his life had he lived. You remember it so much more, because it all came to an end. I liked his principles. He demonstrated what he was prepared to do to achieve his objectives, and he raised my game. It played to my strengths. He was the best of his time, without doubt.

Nichols led the design on the 1988 MP4/4, and was also race engineer to the newly arrived Ayrton

October 1, 1989. Spanish Grand Prix. C

WHEN SENNA JOINED MCLAREN for the 1988 season, he hadn’t yet won a World Championship, but he was already sort of a legendary figure. After F3, we had seen a bit more of what he was like at Toleman, and then at Lotus. But he arrived with no airs and graces. He didn’t suffer from any sort of diva characteristic. We got on well from a technical point of view. It was a very amicable but professional relationship, based on mutual respect. He knew what I could do to help him with the car, to win races and to win championships. Over the years, I worked closely with the big three – Lauda, Prost and Senna – and later with another multiple World Champion in Mika Häkkinen. But Senna was unique in his level of intensity. He redefined what it meant to be dedicated to the cause. At testing, he’d be constantly trying things, putting in the hard yards and doing all the miles so that race days would just be down to fine tuning for the conditions. Even away from the track, he’d be studying the data and thinking about how to improve himself and the car; how to win the next race and how to win that championship. You got the impression it dominated his whole life. He was intense and single-minded. Everyone could see that, especially his rivals, because he gave them such a hard time on the track. If they saw that yellow helmet in their mirrors,

most drivers would get a little nervous. He could be hard with the press, too. I saw a different side to him, the human side. To me, he was always kind and considerate. It was almost as if he had a double personality. Everybody could see what an incredible driver he was, his dedication to the cause, his competitiveness and his skill. My profound recollection of him outside of that racing aspect is of his kindness and humanity, which I came to greatly appreciate. Quite anonymously, he was doing so much in a charitable sense for children in Brazil – work that’s still being carried on by his sister Viviane and niece Bianca. I was Senna’s race engineer, but I’d work with Prost at tests, for example, and he’d have no problem working with me and vice versa. He wanted me to come with him to Ferrari, which I did. I always thought their personalities were almost the inverse. Prost had a kind of warm, outgoing exterior and was quite kind to the press. I found him to be a sweet, lovable character on the outside, but hard as nails inside, and extremely competitive. He was also dedicated. He wanted to do the testing, wanted to work all weekend to make the car as perfect as it could get. Let the car do as much of the work as it could, and then he’d take over and do the rest. One time we were testing with Ferrari at Imola and the weather was poor, so we couldn’t

do anything. Prost’s son had a skiing accident and broke his leg, and I had to say: “Look, we’re doing nothing here. Go see your son and sort that out, and then come back.” He was willing to stay, even though his son was in the hospital. Of course, Senna was equally dedicated, but also opposite: it seemed like he had a hard exterior, which he’d show to the world, but if you looked inside, his humanity was on display. When he’d win a race, you knew he was immediately going to push the radio button, because he wanted to share it with you. I’d be on the other end to hear this euphoric combination of English and Portuguese screaming, until the microphones were driven into distortion. He’d get out of the car after qualifying and reach out to shake my hand; he wanted to share the emotion. I can’t recall the exact occasion, but it was after we parted ways and he’d gone to Williams. They were celebrating something – cake was involved. He came and shook my hand, and thanked me for the help I’d given him in his career. Here’s this legend of the sport, and I’d be trying to talk to him a little, but he’d sense my hesitancy and ask: “What do you want to say?” I’d answer: “What can I tell you, you’re a legend.” “You can tell me anything. If you have something to help me improve, just tell me.” That’s the way he was. He could get incredibly intense. Even back in the F3 days, I remember

at Oulton Park where he was behind Martin Brundle for several laps, and eventually got frustrated and tried a desperate lunge, and his car ended up on top of Martin’s – that sort of intensity. It was on show again with that first-corner incident at Suzuka, where he basically drove into Prost’s Ferrari. Sometimes his intensity would get the better of him. He was a very complex, interesting character. After I’d left for Ferrari, he’d find out what hotel I was staying in. Then, he’d call me on the Thursday before the Friday practice sessions, and we’d just chat about life, and then about me maybe returning to McLaren or him coming to Ferrari. I was pleased he didn’t get too pissed off about me going to Ferrari. Although I’d moved on, the wonderful working relationship continued. To have the respect of a legend like Senna really meant a lot. In some ways, his spirituality may have been a slight disadvantage, but he was very religious, very spiritual. Prost used to worry about it. His attitude to religion was, Ayrton thinks God’s on his side. He thought it was a bit dangerous, considering he was on the receiving end of Senna’s competitiveness. He probably thinks he’s immortal and that God won’t let him get hurt, or something to that effect. That side was obviously very important to Senna. I suppose it did help him. It comforted him and gave him more confidence.

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April 28, 1991. San Marino Grand Prix.

May 1, 1994. San Marino Grand Prix. 74

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The last driver to see Ayrton alive tells of a bond that will never be broken

(FOLLOWING CONTACT FROM another car on the formation lap, Érik had pitted at the end of the first lap in the 1994 San Marino GP. He was then let out of the pits, even though the race had been red-flagged...) When the crash happened, my mechanics were busy trying to make the restart. None of us knew what had happened. Gérard Larrousse and Patrick Tambay did, and sent me to await the restart at the end of the pitlane. But the guy there waved me out… I went very quickly, to get back to the starting grid. I had no idea how dramatic the situation was. As I came round Tamburello, I nearly crashed into the ambulance. Then I saw the helicopter and Ayrton on the grass. I stopped my car a few metres from his, and he was close by – I was probably the last driver to see the very few last moments. I was so shocked… ineffectual. Helpless. My spirit and body wanted to go to him, but there was nothing I could do: it was up to the doctors. And then I completely cracked. In that moment, I remembered

Ayrton held both McLaren and public education dear, as his beloved sister recalls

my big crash in practice for the Belgian GP in 1992, when Ayrton came to stop my engine because I was unconscious. Just then, at Imola, the marshals took me to a road car, and I saw on the seat beside me was Ayrton’s helmet. As I realised how big the crash was for him, I came back to the pitlane crying. I explained to Gérard: “I’m sorry, but I can’t do the race.” I still think fondly of Ayrton; there is a bond that will never be broken. You cannot forget someone like that. He was a compassionate man, for sure. From the day that he maybe saved my life at Spa, we always had many talks during race weekends. During the morning debriefing in Imola, I suggested that it was a good time to talk about safety. And he answered me: “We will have a meeting in Monaco.” He had already decided to do something. I remember him well. When I crashed at Spa, he wasn’t the first on the scene. Many drivers passed, including my own team-mate [Thierry Boutsen]. But only Ayrton stopped.

MCLAREN MEANT SOMETHING special to Ayrton. It was where came the most important moments of his career. When he was eight years old, and just beginning to go-kart, he wrote that he wanted to become a racing driver, an F1 champion. Obviously he was able to make his dream come true – and, of course, that it happened at McLaren was such a special moment for him. The Senna Institute was launched in 1994, the year he died, and is the only NGO recognised by UNESCO for doing work in education. Since then, it has already helped more than 35 million children in Brazil – and we as a family have donated more than $500m to the Foundation throughout this period, via part of the income from Ayrton’s IP and image rights. This was an important part of his dream, that new generations of Brazilians should have the opportunity to develop themselves fully, as he had. Brazil unfortunately has very poor public education, and 90 percent of the children are in it. We work by giving solutions to help public education, and make children learn what they should learn. When we launched the McLaren Senna, the first car was auctioned, and it raised £1.3m for the Senna Foundation, just in that moment. So we are very grateful to McLaren, along with Matthew Jeffreys and Richard West, for so much.

ABOVE Viviane, mother of future racing driver – and Ayrton’s nephew – Bruno, at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix, São Paulo. LEFT Érik Comas in the Larrousse LH94 during practice at the 1994 San Marino GP.

On driving with Ayrton – and Hill’s discomfort at ultimately benefitting from his team-mate’s loss

January 20, 1994. Estoril, Portugal.

THERE’S A LOT OF MYTHOLOGY around the whole Senna thing, isn’t there? I think Ayrton didn’t spend too long thinking about me when he joined Williams for 1994. I don’t reckon he thought I was going to be a threat. I had put quite a lot of pressure on Alain the previous year, but he maybe wasn’t at his peak. Ayrton didn’t do me any special favours, but did I like him? I think I admired him and was getting to know more about him. He was complex. I think he was not really sure of things. There were things he hadn’t worked out for himself, what his purpose in life was. He was wholly a racing driver, but he was also concerned about things that were way greater issues than the things that were going on in F1. He wanted to know how to exploit his fame and success. He was a campaigner. With his compassion and humanity, he was one of those people who would fight for whatever he felt was right in life, with the same force with which he would fight for what he felt was right in F1. And here comes the slight contradiction, because some of the

things he did in F1, I didn’t agree with. Such as what he did to Alain... He would get angry and take the law into his own hands a little bit on those occasions. I thought that was inconsiderate, quite honestly. At Suzuka in 1990, he might have had an issue with Alain, but what about all the other drivers with full tanks coming down behind him, or the spectators? There was a bit of red mist. I remember at Imola when I first saw the carnage at Tamburello, the day after Roland Ratzenberger’s death: “Oh God, not again. This is turning out to be the worst weekend.” But I had no inkling that his would be a fatal accident. I believed it was serious, meaning life-threatening. But I agreed to do the restart because that’s what I was paid to do. I knew – and Ayrton and Roland knew – that there were risks. I wasn’t sure it was right that a life should be surrendered in the name of sport, so why not walk away? But that never lodges itself in your head for more than a fraction, if at all. Such situations just increase your determination not to let the bad things put you off what you want to

do. But everyone was devastated, in total shock. Horrified. It was suggested that, as a precaution, they disconnect the power steering, in case the belt had broken. Claims were going round that the accident was caused by a weakness in the steering column – but logically, if that was the case, the last thing you’d want is to put more torque through it. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that it was not a failure of the steering column. Far and away the biggest factor involved was the effect falling tyre pressures had on ride height, crawling behind the pathetically underpowered Opel Vectra Safety Car. But any accident is a combination of things, and that was a lethal cocktail of events that came together on top of all the other things that happened that weekend. It was one of those terrible vortexes you get into, which ended up in disaster. There was also Ayrton’s state of mind. He was deeply affected by Roland’s death the previous afternoon, and there were apparently other things in his life. And when you get to critical mass with the

things that conspire against you, something has to give. I took inspiration that dad had lifted the spirits of Lotus in Spain after Jim Clark was killed, and wanted to raise Williams’. Winning there took a ten-tonne weight off my shoulders. Jackie Stewart persuaded me to attend Senna’s funeral, and I was stunned by the outpouring of affection. The last funeral I had been to like that was dad’s. Ayrton’s was one of the most stunning exhibitions of emotion for one individual I have ever witnessed. I don’t think we had ever realised just how much he was regarded in Brazil. I’d looked forward to measuring myself against one of the greatest F1 drivers ever. Instead, I was handed this opportunity to be in contention for the World Championship. That I benefitted enormously that season from the loss of Ayrton Senna was a very uncomfortable feeling. Everything was tinged with poignancy. You wonder what we might have had if he’d still been there. Imola was the shock-horror weekend from hell, and instead that whole season was about the loss of Ayrton, wasn’t it?

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Obsession links the creator of the De Tomaso Mangusta with the owner of this meticulously restored example. It’s the Cobrakilling ‘Kylie car’ – and we can’t get it out

THIS SPREAD A very tight, forward driving position doesn’t allow for a good view out, in what was essentially a racing car for the road. “You have to plan every move,” Michael says.

“I BECAME OBSESSED BY DIFFERENTshaped cars – the more radical, the rarer – and ever more obsessed.” As Michael Fisher’s 1968 De Tomaso Mangusta crackles into life before settling to a baritone churn, it’s easy to see why this Giorgetto Giugiaro-shaped sliver of ItalianAmerican exotica can stir the passions so overwhelmingly. It has got such star appeal that this very car was only just outshone in Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head video by the Australian singer herself. Then again, as we’ll discover, the greater story of the Mangusta is about obsession – that of Alejandro de Tomaso, and his desire to build a Ford-powered supercar and get one over on Carroll Shelby. Fisher, the retired managing director of British creative agency Linney Create, hadn’t set out to become a Mangusta owner; in fact, his journey began with a Pantera. The attraction to the Italian marque started much earlier. “I got into De Tomaso when I first saw one during a school trip to Switzerland,” he recalls. “Can you imagine a lad from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire seeing a Pantera as a 12year-old? It’s like no one knew what the hell it was – I’ve still got the photograph.” Realising his dream, spurred on by that

THIS SPREAD The now-stunning De Tomaso had been abandoned as a bare shell and piles of bits, after a previous owner ran out of money.

Swiss encounter, wouldn’t happen until 2015. “I kept the Pantera for four years,” Michael says. “I took it to have the gearbox refurbished at De Tomaso specialist Roger Brotton’s 3PointFour in Barnsley, and literally bumped into the Mangusta. It was just a bare shell, sitting on stands among piles of bits, after a previous owner ran out of money and abandoned it. I tapped my finger on it and said: ‘Hey Roger, is this my new car?’ “He said: ‘It could be...’ My wife Carolyn and I looked at each other, and the cogs started going. On the way home, I asked her: ‘Shall we just make Roger an offer?’ And then I thought, let’s go for it – you only live once. So we bought the Mangusta shell and sold the Pantera. I had never even seen the Mangusta’s engine, never seen the windscreen or the wheels – nothing…” It’s the kind of project that needs obsession to even contemplate; after all, a mere 401 Mangustas barked into life compared with the

De Tomaso Mangusta

7200 Panteras De Tomaso built, so it’s not as if there’s a huge resource to buy off-the-shelf parts. Ford USA passed on selling the Mangusta directly, but Alejandro de Tomaso had left quite a calling card, and achieved a wry jab at Carroll Shelby in the process – ‘Mangusta’ translates to ‘mongoose’ in English, the famed killer of cobras. The story begins in 1964, with the De Tomaso Vallelunga: a small sports car based on a central-spine chassis with a tuned 1498cc four-cylinder Kent motor from a Ford Cortina. Just two years later, De Tomaso revealed the 302ci V8-engined Ghia 5000 Mangusta at the Turin Motor Show – a golden wedge of ironhearted Yank clothed in futuristic Italian style. What happened in between? Well, a who’s who of automotive engineering and design names: racing driver and constructor Carroll Shelby, design house Ghia, designer Giugiaro, bodymakers Fantuzzi and Fissore, and a fair few failures and fall-outs. Oh, and the Mangusta could have emerged as an Iso, or even a Ford. Architect Alejo Pérez-Monsalvo is the De Tomaso Drivers’ Club historian. He’s currently completing a book with Marcel Schaub titled Racing Blue Blood, on the history of the marque. Pérez-Monsalvo’s huge collection of factory documents is a superb resource, which also puts him in prime position to dispel or confirm some of the myths surrounding the Mangusta. So what of the alleged row between de Tomaso and Cobra maker Shelby? Pérez-Monsalvo says it’s likely more myth than fact, probably propagated by de Tomaso himself. What’s clear is both parties had reason to feel aggrieved, given de Tomaso’s failure to produce a 7.0litre engine for Shelby’s Brock/Fantuzzi 70P CanAm project, and the American’s subsequent shift of focus to Ford’s GT40 programme. Disagreements were a significant part of de Tomaso’s way of life. Yet he’d met and clicked with Ghia during a phase of altercations across the industry over design direction and body production for his projects. He spent more and more time there, later acquiring the firm. “But he actually had an obsession with doing something with Ford,” says Pérez-Monsalvo. “The Blue Oval was the door to mass production, so selling something to it was always an aspiration for him, for a market he considered paramount. Before the Mangusta, he made the Vallelunga. He tried to sell it to Ford, but Ford wasn’t interested.” Meanwhile, Giugiaro had designed a body that was originally intended for Iso. However, Iso owner Renzo Rivolta wasn’t convinced that going mid-engined was right for the marque. So Alejandro asked Giugiaro to adapt it to fit the modified spine chassis from the stalled 70P 94

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ABOVE No two Mangustas were identical from new – so given that this particular car was in a pretty poor state, the restoration was quite a feat.

(aka P70) and one-off Sport 5000 race cars, which was itself a development of the Vallelunga chassis. A heavy, unstressed, all-iron 5.0-litre Ford V8 was chosen to provide the motivation. “The choice of this 302ci engine wasn’t by chance, or because there was one lying around the workshop in Modena,” says Pérez-Monsalvo. “I think he knew what he was doing. What happened later supports that idea, because he didn’t go out with the Mangusta trying to sell it to anyone. He was targeting Ford, and he appealed to the people he knew at Ford. “Fantuzzi built the body that was designed by Giugiaro, then fitted it to the central-spine chassis, and installed the 302. The completed prototype was a fully functional car, inside and out, but it was executed in a very basic way. “The model appeared on the Ghia stand at the 1966 Turin Motor Show as a Ghia and a De Tomaso at the same time – it had the De Tomaso badge on the front grille, but a plate on the rear read ‘Ghia 5000 Mangusta’. Even when it was exhibited, they were not sure what this car was going to be used for. Ford sent someone to Italy to look at the Mangusta, but

ultimately the company didn’t consider it built to the standards that it was looking for.” As for the story that Mangusta panels were shaped on the roots of a tree trunk? That’s certainly how the body of the Mangusta prototype built by Fantuzzi was made, although some De Tomaso followers argue that the approach wasn’t only restricted to the prototype. De Tomaso decided to produce the Mangusta himself, securing funding from his wife Elizabeth ‘Isabelle’ Haskell’s industrialist family to acquire Ghia, even though the firm was ill-resourced for volume. Pérez-Monsalvo continues: “When he developed the Mangusta, he wasn’t ready. But for the later Pantera, he was prepared. Before finalising the agreement with Ford (to sell Panteras through Lincoln and Mercury dealers), he purchased Vignale, which had larger facilities than Ghia, and so could produce cars in the thousands.” However, the Mangusta had done its job, alerting the higher-ups in Ford that an Italian dream machine was feasible. An exemption from US federal safety standards, and the efforts of Kjell Qvale, a San Francisco-based car importer, saw 280 Mangustas find US homes. Around 225 survive globally, fewer than ten in the UK – and the car you’re looking

De Tomaso Mangusta

at is arguably the most famous of them all. As mentioned, the Mangusta featured in the music video for Ms Minogue’s 2001 hit Can’t Get You Out of My Head. Back then, it was yellow – “and likely in a state that leaves me surprised Kylie didn’t fall through its floor,” reckons Roger Brotton. It had pinballed around owners, spending time in a Texas museum before arriving in the UK, then finding its way to his workshop. Michael Fisher paid £100k for that bodyshell and bits, which was largely covered by the £95,000 sale of the Pantera. Brotton says around 40 percent of Michael’s restored car is original. The rest had largely long since degraded to something between rust and fresh air by the time work started. Roger adds: “We knew it’d be corroded – most are. When we stripped it, the rust was in everything: floor pans, sills, A-posts, B-posts... Wherever it could have rust, it had rust. We were pulling bits of cardboard and old socks out of the sills...” While it’s amusing to think that a De Tomaso factory worker might now solve an odd-sock conundrum after 50-plus years, the challenges kept coming, as Fisher reveals: “We’d already taken it apart and sorted the shell with new floors, but the gullwings were still rotten and the bonnet needed doing. There was some small impact damage on the left corner, which sent the grille out. It was two years’ work on the body. “Fortunately, 3PointFour’s Dave Holling had already done three Mangustas, so he understood it. The wings (the engine covers), for instance, are a nightmare, because the spine in the back is flexible. During my research, people told me that no two cars have the same-shaped body panels. There are hammer marks all over the inside, where you can see people have hit the thing to make it fit. Even the door sills have massive hammer marks in them, which I’ve left; they had to bash the sills to get the seats to fit.” Michael found plenty of hand-made items on the car, indicating that De Tomaso was still transitioning from a racing car-producing mindset to that of road machines. “The chassis spine that goes down the middle is offset, so the passenger’s footwell is only about six inches wide and the driver’s footwell is 12 inches,” he says. “It was basically a racing car.” The engine was revitalised quite early in the restoration, by drag-racing specialist EDA in Castleford, West Yorkshire. “It’s the 5.0-litre small-block, but stroked and with a bigger sump. It makes a genuine 350bhp and 400lb ft of torque, but has an original ‘factory look’,” Fisher beams. “Back in the day, factory-fresh Mangustas had around 230bhp at their disposal.” The restoration then became a jigsaw of 96

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‘It’s a noisy, orange Mangusta, so most people will know it is there’

loom, suspension, interior and cooling system. The finest traditions of Italian hand-made automobiles would suggest that short-run sports cars and supercars have been fitted with offthe-shelf lights from Mk2 Cortinas, Rover SD1s or the local motor-spares shop. However, this is a car built in Modena, and the reality was painfully and expensively different; for instance, the rear lights are from a Lamborghini Miura. “There are a lot of parts available, given that the engine is a Ford V8, but there are plenty of bits you just have to fabricate,” says Fisher. “The lads at Roger’s were kept busy making them. The difficult things were parts such as the aircon, which proved quite a challenge to find.” Of course, when it come to Mangustas, the biggest challenge is the simple act of driving one. “I quite like struggling in cars,” Michael smiles. “In my view, as a designer, there’s no point replicating the design and not getting the sense of what it was really like – to sit in, or to get warm in, or to try to park.” Mangusta cabins are notoriously tight, have almost zero rear vision and feature air-con that is easily overwhelmed. However, Fisher did concede to one usability concession – installing a hydraulic clutch: “I’ve tried to retain originality, but at the same time I’ve tried to make it work better. Other than that, I’ve changed nothing.” He reckons he’s spent £300,000 end-to-end,

and is mindful that a couple of the handful or so Mangustas occasionally changing hands have sold for more than £400,000. His example may have started out as a shell and a pile of parts, but five years on he says it’s undoubtedly now one of the best. Just how good is it? Richard Pogson, secretary of the De Tomaso Drivers’ Club, and himself a Pantera and Mangusta owner, confirms: “Michael’s Mangusta is up there with the best. I saw it before he bought it – it was clearly going to be a massive project, one of the toughest restorations I could imagine. But Roger Brotton and his team do brilliant work.” Brotton’s crew is now focusing on setting the De Tomaso up properly, which means Fisher has so far covered only a few hundred yards sitting behind the wheel. “The driving position is very forward,” Michael says. “The car is also wide, and you sit quite to one side. The view out of it is a nightmare. You have to plan every move when driving. “Mind you, it’s a noisy, orange Mangusta, so most people will know it is there, and give it room. But I will be using it. When you restore cars, it’s a shame when people see them just parked up on display.” His inspiration for such use harks back to the 1960s as well. “I’ve got a photograph of them road testing a Mangusta in Italy,” he says. “It is in an Italian square, and it’s covered in dirt. There are two old ladies in black outfits, and two old Fiat 500s parked up. I’m trying to evoke what that felt like in 1968, driving around in that thing.” Using the car keeps an era of automotive design alive, one that we’re unlikely to ever see again. “Design-wise, you couldn’t make it now because the headlamps [in this non-flip-uplight example] are positioned too low to meet international regulations,” Fisher continues. “Back then, you had more freedom to do whatever you wanted. And that is when cars were absolutely radically different.” Although the project unfolded “slowly, painstakingly, carefully, frustratingly”, Michael has no regrets. “Anyone who goes through a big restoration like this, with such a specialist car, has to get their brains in gear as to what it actually means,” he says. “Mainly you seem to be pacifying friends and family who think you are mad.” Some people would claim that obsession is a fractured type of madness – but as film director John Waters once said, without obsession, life is nothing. In that sense, we can’t blame Fisher for being unable to get this particular De Tomaso Mangusta out of his head…

LIGHT, SPEED AND THUNDER The resurrection of the legendary Sunbeam 1000hp Land Speed Record holder

Sunbeam 1000hp

OPPOSITE Major Henry Segrave was ground-breaking – and fearless – in his bid to push the four-tonne, 23ft 6in, nearly-45-litre Sunbeam to more than 200mph.

Words John Mayhead

“THE ENGINES WERE STARTED UP AND the whole building shook. No words can describe the unimaginable output of power which the 1000hp machinery seemed to catapult into the building. It was one continuous deafening roar. The very walls quivered, while the tiles on the roof seemed to dance… I think I stood and stared at the monster as a child would have done. It is the only time I can honestly say when I have stood in front of a car and doubted human ability to control it.” Henry Segrave’s description of hearing the twin Matabele aero engines fully fire up for the first time, in a cradle at Sunbeam’s Moorfield works in Wolverhampton in early 1927, wasn’t an overreaction. Nobody had tried to push the Land Speed Record over 200mph – let alone with a four-tonne, 23ft 6in car powered by engines displacing nearly 45 litres. Everything, from the coupling shaft to the special honeycomb radiators, had to be designed for an environment that existed only in an engineer’s notebook. Some said it couldn’t be done. But those naysayers didn’t factor the skill and determination of three extraordinary men, supported by a host of British engineering companies who flocked to support this homegrown motoring leviathan. Segrave was the face of the project – the driver with a chiselled 100

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jawline whose innate charm hid a ruthless determination to succeed. This included shouldering the logistical challenges of the project, pulling together the financial support of sponsors and finding an appropriate venue for the attempt. As biographer Cyril Posthumus wrote, he was: “Segrave the diplomat, the negotiator, the organiser.” Then there was Sunbeam’s powerhouse, chief engineer and designer Louis Coatalen. Together, he and Segrave had already achieved a motoring milestone by winning the 1923 French Grand Prix in a Sunbeam, the first time a British driver had achieved such a position in a British car. Then, in March 1926, Segrave took the Land Speed Record driving at 152.33mph over the mile in another Sunbeam, a red 4.0-litre Tiger nicknamed Ladybird – but within six weeks the title had been taken by John Parry-Thomas driving Babs on Pendine Sands at close to 170mph. Segrave immediately telephoned Coatalen, who was in Paris, to discuss their response. “I shall be back in London tomorrow,” the latter responded. “Come and see me then.” The pair reasoned that they needed to smash the existing record, not simply break it. Segrave wanted 200mph, and for Coatalen that meant brute force. Said Henry: “He [Coatalen] reasoned that, if it had to be power, then

power he would use – more than any other.” That power came from two huge Sunbeam Matabele engines that were in storage at the factory, having already led rather eventful lives. Built in 1918, but surplus to requirements when World War One ended, in 1920 they’d been two of the four engines that propelled the Maple Leaf V, a 39ft single-step hydroplane, in the Harmsworth Trophy international powerboat race off the Isle of Wight – the British challenger to dominant American competitor Gar Wood. The following year, transplanted into the lighter, 34ft, plywood Maple Leaf VII, the engines ran again in the same event, this time held in Detroit. In the first heat, having led off the line at a reported 70mph, the fragile hull gave way and the boat sunk, leaving Wood to win yet again. The waterlogged motors were recovered, returned to the UK and sat there – until Coatalen and Segrave saw their terrestrial potential. Each was a vast, 22.5-litre V12 with double overhead camshafts and 48 valves, putting out 435hp at 2000rpm. Coatalen quickly created a concept: one engine in the forward position, driving back in the typical manner towards a custom-made three-speed gearbox, and the other placed behind the cockpit, driving forwards through a countershaft, with chain sprockets on either side powering the rear

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ALAMY, MOTORING PICTURE ARCHIVE. PREVIOUS SPREAD: GETTY IMAGES

Sunbeam 1000hp

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them next to useless. Most annoying for Segrave, the test was also an opportunity to trial the official AAA timing gear for the first time, and it proved to be extremely inaccurate, variously recording speeds between 166mph and 280mph – the former being issued as the official time. This was disappointingly low. Later, it was found that spectators had trampled the wires, but Segrave was not told, so the team decided to lower the gear ratios for safety. This, in addition to changes in the wind cowling and the addition of linings to the brake shoes, convinced the team that they were ready to make an attempt on the 200mph target. At precisely 9:30am on March 29, the huge beast rolled out onto the Daytona sands, where the waiting press snapped photographs of car and driver. Using compressed air, the mechanics started the rear engine, which in turn fired up the front one. Segrave rolled out onto the track, delineated with 12ft poles marked with red and black diagonal stripes, and began his run. At first, all went well. But just as he reached the start of the course, a gust of wind caught the car’s vast flanks, pushing him off line. It

‘A gust of wind pushed him off line. It took him nearly a mile and a half to correct the swerve’

took him nearly a mile and a half to correct the swerve. Pushing hard at the peak 2200rpm, he flashed through the measured mile, 1km and 5km sections, only to be pushed off course once again, this time hitting a line of marker poles and skidding over 400 yards before Segrave once again brought the monster back under control, lifted his foot from the accelerator and pressed the brake. Very little happened. He realised that the beach was running out fast, and unless he acted quickly, he’d soon be entering the Halifax River or crashing into sandbanks at speed – neither of which offered much hope for his survival. He took a third option, and pulled the Sunbeam left into the sea, steering for the shallows of around 18in deep. To his great relief the plan worked, and the car slowed enough for him to drive under control back to the tyre depot at the north end of the beach. New wheels were quickly fitted, before he started on the return leg, which proved to be much less eventful than the first. After flashing through the timed area and slowing the car, he circled back to the AAA timing stand, where he was met with beaming smiles. He’d done it: an average of 203.79mph for the mile made him the fastest man on the planet. The press, in both America and Great Britain, went wild. Sunbeam proudly produced a booklet entitled The Greatest Motoring Achievement Ever Recorded, The Motor speculated that “Major Segrave’s record will probably stand for a long time”, and The Autocar called it a “wonderful combination of man and machine”. Unfortunately for Segrave, The Motor was wrong. Within a year, Malcolm Campbell had

MOTORING PICTURE ARCHIVE

wheels. The all-enveloping body was designed to be like an upturned boat, and had a flat steel undertray, described at the time as being in case of “a tyre coming off or any such untoward accident; serious consequences will be avoided by the fact that the car will slide along”, but almost certainly providing aerodynamic benefits. The basic design achieved, Coatalen passed the responsibility for creating the machine – its name rounded up to the press-friendly Sunbeam 1000hp – to the third member of the trio: the firm’s chief engineer Captain JA ‘Jack’ Irving. Working at the Moorfield facility, he quickly put Coatalen’s concept together, combining a chassis frame made by John Thompson Motor Pressings, steel forgings produced by Vickers, specially built Hartford shock absorbers and a Dewandre Vacuum servo-braking system. Various issues were noted and overcome: wind-tunnel tests of a model showed a tendency for the car’s rear to lift at speed, which was overcome by a modified tail design, while the drive chains became almost red hot during trials. Finally, on March 2, 1927 – less than four months after construction started on November 11, 1926 – the car, along with 18 crates of spares, was loaded on the Berengaria liner in Southampton, bound for New York. Just one day out into the Atlantic, they received the news that Parry-Thomas had been killed at Pendine when Babs overturned – prompting yet more discussion about the exposed chain drive on the 1000hp, but not dulling the team’s enthusiasm. When the car, driver and Sunbeam entourage finally arrived in Florida, they were met with a flurry of press, escorted by the local police and feted by Daytona Beach dignitaries. The huge red machine rolled out for its first test run on March 21 in front of an estimated 10,000 spectators, and it quickly gained the rather unfortunate nickname of The Slug. At this point, it had driven just 300 yards or so at Moorfield, so Segrave’s first run was kept to a conservative 110mph. This identified a number of issues, including that the steering was too low geared and the rear engine was overheating. Those problems remedied, three days later he took another run, this time allowing the huge engines to run freely and speed to build. Now, other unforeseen issues became evident: the wind pressure forced oil-misted, sandy air into the cockpit, buffeting Segrave to the point that his goggles and helmet were fluttering around his face. Then, as he stamped on the brake pedal at the end of the run, there was a brief reduction in speed followed by a total failure of the system. The car finally slid to a halt 2.5 miles later. The aluminium brake shoes in the rear drums had melted, rendering

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bettered his record, driving Blue Bird to 206.956mph, and then, in April 1928, American Ray Keech pushed it up to 207.552mph. Undaunted, Segrave linked back up with Irving and tried again in 1929, smashing the record in the Golden Arrow at 231.446mph and gaining a knighthood in the process. The 1000hp car was packed away and, for a time, forgotten. After the war, it was included in various motoring cavalcades then, in 1958, the Montagu Motor Museum at Beaulieu received the Sunbeam on loan from the Rootes Group. It was described thus: “Single-seat aerodynamic, with cowled headrest. Red. Condition indifferent. Tyres do not hold air and pistons missing from forward engine. Truck tyres fitted.” It toured Goodwood in 1960 and Oulton Park in ’62 as a static display, then in ’70 it was purchased by the museum. Other than a repaint in ’72, maintenance and the odd excursion on display to various shows, the old car has remained relatively untouched – until last year, when its refurbishment began. This was the result of a conversation overheard by Martin Braybrook, MD of multiple championshipwinning motor sport team Brookspeed Automotive and keen Beaulieu supporter. “I was standing by the car at the National Motor Museum, and heard Jon and Patrick talking about how great it would be to hear it run again,” Martin tells me. “I’ve raced many times at Daytona, and just thought ‘why not?’, so I said as much.” Jon Murden, museum CEO, and Patrick Collins, curator of vehicles and research, loved the idea; the concept was born. “Getting the 1000hp running again fitted in well with our plans,” Jon adds. “We’re at the start of a programme that will transform the museum – the physical building and the way we encourage people to interact with our exhibits. Bringing the phenomenal Sunbeam 1000hp back to life will help raise funds, as well as introduce a whole new generation to an extraordinary feat of engineering and part of our national heritage.” Not content with just repairing the engines, the museum made the decision to return the car to fully running condition – and aims to send it back to Daytona Beach on the 100th anniversary of its Land Speed Record run, in March 2027, raising the possibility of US donations. “Segrave was born in Baltimore and had an American mother, so was a true transatlantic hero,” Jon explains. “We’d obviously love to gain backers in the US who could support this amazing piece of Anglo-American history.” Bringing this car back to a driveable state requires not only engineering work, but also a very keen focus on maintaining the history of this nationally important artefact – a fine 104

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ABOVE The plan for The Slug is to return it to Daytona Beach, Florida on March 29, 2027 – the centenary of its Land Speed Record run.

balancing act that’s been entrusted to museum senior engineer Ian Stanfield, known as ‘Stan’. “The rear engine has already been stripped, and we’ve tried to keep everything as original as possible,” he tells me. “Parts that weaken over time have been replaced – valve springs, piston rings, brake linings and the like – and other parts that were either missing or damaged, but nothing else. Terry Formhalls kindly offered the support of Formhalls Vintage & Racing, and white-metalled all the surfaces for free. Mostly it’s just been hours and hours of cleaning.” One of the most sensitive parts of the restoration was the chassis. This needed to be inspected for cracks but its historical integrity maintained. Stan pressure-washed before sodablasting it – a less aggressive process than the more traditional shot-blasting. This care paid off: original makers’ marks were found, and will be preserved under a clear-coat of Trimite paint. Next, the unpainted parts will be cleaned with a laser process, and other components will be made from scratch. The compressed-air starting mechanism, unique to this engine, had been lost over time, and another is now being recreated with the help of a distributor borrowed from the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust. Other fascinating links back to the car’s construction were found. A 1921 shilling and an adjustable spanner were discovered embedded in thick oil on the suspension, and a screwdriver turned up in the oil tank. “It’s the first 200mph ’driver,” laughs Stan. “We cleaned out the tank, where the oil had solidified, and after shaking, the vintage tool eventually tipped out.” As the Sunbeam slowly reveals its secrets, the 100-year-old engineering has struck all involved. “Everything is well made,” Stan says. “The

skills back then were phenomenal.” Martin Braybrook agrees: “Given what equipment they had available, it is all very impressive. The wheel bearings are massive, but they look like they could have been made today.” The team have their work cut out. The plan is to have the car running by 2026, ready to tour the UK, Europe and the US, with opportunities for schools and colleges to get involved with STEM activities. Then, on March 29, 2027, 100 years after Segrave’s run, it may once again thunder down Daytona Beach. Exactly how fast is yet to be decided, but a repeat of the 203mph record is out of the question, to preserve both the driver and this piece of motoring heritage – although the experience of hearing this leviathan roar again will be one not to miss. And then what? The museum also owns Segrave’s 1929 Golden Arrow record car. Is this pencilled in as the next major project? Jon Murden is being careful not to over-promise. “One step at a time,” he says. “The museum has just reached its 50-year anniversary, and we must raise millions to transform it for its next half century. We want to improve our spaces, equipment and interpretation for youngsters, as well as upgrade facilities for the conservation and restoration of our display vehicles. “We also plan to open up our stored collections of more than 1.9 million items of automobilia, and make them accessible for everyone. The world of motoring is rapidly changing, and we must keep pace to tell its story. Mind you, imagining the Golden Arrow running next to the other cars is a tempting prospect…” Donations for the Sunbeam 1000hp Restoration Campaign can be made at www.nationalmotor museum.org.uk/sunbeam-1000hp-restorationcampaign. Sponsors and corporate donors who’d like to be associated with it are urged to email michelle. kirwan@beaulieu.co.uk. This article is dedicated to Terry Formhalls, who died the week it was written.

ALAMY

Sunbeam 1000hp

LONDON TO LISBON 25 April - 4 May 2024 A 10-day adventure stretching across 2,800km of europe’s quietest roads and scenic views await the participants, crossing all varieties of landscapes from rolling vineyards and flat marshlands to the pyrenees mountains, douro valley, and numerous national parks.

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OBJECTS IN THE LIGHT The Slug’s stripdown revealed a time capsule of controls, tools and instruments, providing a window into a different age Words Wayne Batty Photography www.legacyandart.com

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Being Wayne Carini

Words David Lillywhite

Photography Matt Howell

2024 is a big year for TV star Wayne, with a new series, appearances at European events and a book on his life with cars

IT’S EARLY-MORNING, MID-WEEK IN Portland, Connecticut. All is quiet at F40 Motorsports. A little too quiet… there’s no sign of Wayne Carini. It’s our second day with him, and we’ve arrived in Wayne’s well used VW Golf, borrowed after a tour of his car collection and a meal out with him the previous evening. The workshop looks deserted but the lights are on, so we tentatively push the door open. And there’s Wayne, engrossed in easing out the last evidence of a dent in the side of our nondescript rental car, anonymously inflicted a couple of nights earlier in our hotel parking lot. Wayne had spotted it, insisted we leave the car overnight, lent us his own VW and headed in early to let in a local dent fixer – and then finished the job himself. Rental-car excess disaster saved. What a star! It struck me before our visit that although I’ve been friends with Wayne for over ten years, and watched his TV programmes for longer, I’ve no idea how he got to the point at which grown men shout and wave at him everywhere he goes. Being Wayne Carini is a full-time job. So, having dragged him away from the workshop and ensconced him in his small, cluttered office, now is finally the time to hear

OPPOSITE Wayne in his happy place: the workshop, in the relaxed heart of Connecticut, East Coast US.

Wayne Carini

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his life story. Sit tight – it’s a good one… “When I was growing up, my father got out of service and worked at a gas station, about four miles from here. He knew a lot about cars before he went into service, and when he got out this old farmer said: ‘I have a Model A in my barn, and I want you to fix it.’ This was in 1949. “So dad took it in – but instead of just giving it a paint job, he did a lot of research and he brought it back to as-new condition. He became a restorer really, when restoring cars was something new or only just catching on. And the owner came to pick it up, and I think the bill was $100 or something, and the guy said: ‘Oh my God, just keep it. That’s too expensive. I don’t want the car anymore.’ “So he signed it over to my father. In 1951 – the year I was born – dad took it to a car show. There were Duesenbergs and Packards and

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OPPOSITE The F40 Motorsports workshop. Ferrari TR, 330 GT and 250 GTE share with Porsche 356 and De Tomaso Mangusta.

brass cars there, and: ‘Oh, here comes a Model A. Well, that’s a used car – you’ve got to park across the street. You can’t come in with that.’ “My father got upset, and he decided he was going to create a club that these cars could go to. And that’s what happened; he formed the Model A Restorers’ Club, or MARC. There are probably tens of thousands of people who are members of the club still to this day. “So he started restoring cars. When I was about eight, he put a piece of sandpaper in my hand, and said: ‘Go like this. You’re hired!’ “I saw the way he worked: seven days a week, on two jobs. He restored cars during the day, and then worked at Pratt & Whitney on aircraft engines at night. He worked me so hard, I had no time to hang out with my buddies, no time to go bicycle riding. Nothing. It was all work. “I decided I wanted to do something different,

and I entered a design into a Home Builders’ Association competition – a model of my house – and I won. So now I was an architect. I went to school for that for about six months, but it didn’t work out. I just saw that becoming an architect was an eight-year commitment. I said: ‘I’m not going to eight-year school.’ “I came back, and then I went off to Idaho and eventually graduated in art education. But I couldn’t find the job I wanted, so I went back to work for my dad, and all of a sudden I started fixing Ferraris. I fixed a Daytona Spyder that had just crashed the whole side of it. And…” Whoah back there Wayne! He is in full flow, but to go from working for his dad to “started fixing Ferraris” is a big jump. Exactly how did that come about? “Oh yes! My father said he had no time to do the Daytona. He said: ‘If you want to take on the project, go ahead.’” I push for more;

Wayne Carini

this still seems a mighty big leap… “Okay,” says Wayne, rewinding a bit more. “My father had gotten to know a few very wealthy guys in the local area. One was Herb Chambers, who started buying Rolls-Royces and Mercedes and things like that. He bought this Daytona Spyder from Luigi Chinetti [racer, owner of NART and Ferrari importer]. “So, all of a sudden, I was detailing and cleaning and doing things with these guys. I was about 12 or 13 years old. I was buffing their cars, and driving them around the parking lots, you know, and so it all started with that. “Later on, when Charlie Warner took the side out of that Daytona, I fixed it and went for some service work down at Chinetti’s afterwards. The old man [Luigi] came out and said, in his broken English: ‘I saw pictures that you fixed that car.’ I said: ‘Yeah!’ ‘Would you like to fix some more?’ ‘Sure!’ All of a sudden, I had five Ferraris in the shop I was working on. This was my dream came true.” Come on Wayne, rewind some more. Why were Ferraris the dream? It’s unusual to get his time for this long; I want to dig deep. “Oh, okay,” he says. “Well, I was brought up around cars. My father used to take me down to Chinettis, and I’d look in the window when I was about 14 years old. That’s when I saw the 365 P centre-steering car. I thought it had to be the wildest car in the world. “I think the thing with Ferraris started when I was ten years old. We used to go to a place up in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. They had these resorts with cottages, swimming pools, tennis and all that. We went every summer. There was this doctor from New York city stayed next to us. He had a 250 GT SWB – I looked at the engine: ‘Wow, it’s got two distributors, two oil filters... this is like the greatest car I have ever seen in my life.’ “He took me for a ride, and still, to this day, the 250 GT SWB is my favourite car in the world. I’ve restored eight of them now. “So that’s what really started me, and then the Ferraris came along. I restored a 275 GTB four-cam, and I showed it at Newport, Rhode Island – there used to be another car show that went on there – alongside a Ferrari restored by François Sicard. “Now, François used to be the head mechanic at the NART racing team, and he had his own little restoration and service shop down in Ridgefield, Connecticut. I looked at François’s Ferrari, and the paint wasn’t very good. I thought to myself: ‘Man, I’ve got a chance of beating this guy.’ “Of course, he ended up winning. So after that, he came over to my car and said: ‘Your 128

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bodywork and paintwork are stunning. But you know nothing about hose clamps.’” Wayne starts laughing; then I’m laughing, photographer Matt is laughing – but actually this was a serious moment in Wayne’s career. He recovers: “I said: ‘What do you mean?’ And François went: ‘This is wrong, this is wrong. This is the wrong colour. This is the wrong texture, this is the wrong hose,’ and so on. He said: ‘From now on, I do hose clamps, you do body and paint. We’ll win every time.’” More laughter, and we’re still chuckling as Wayne explains that he and François restored around 30 cars over the following 15 or so years, taking them to “all the major events”. They even took a class win at Cavallino Classic, with 250 GT SWB chassis 1741GT, beating a GTO. “So that’s what started the restoration business,” says Wayne, “and it just snowballed.” Later, François moved on to look after two major clients’ collections, but he and Wayne are still great friends today. So this is making sense now. But it’s still a big leap from successful restoration business

to worldwide television fame. How the hell did that happen, I have to ask Wayne. “When I was 16, a friend of my father’s brought a 1954 Hudson Italia to him to fix a scratch in the fender. It was just a used car, but I fell in love with it. It was the weirdest-looking car; all my friends in school were into Mustangs, and there was I, in love with a Hudson Italia. “So I kept after it, but the guy died and left it to his sister. And I still kept after it and wanted to buy it for years – and she finally sold it to me when I was 52 years old.” Wayne told the story to Donald Osborne – who was a journalist at the time, although he later went on to become the valuations expert on the Jay Leno’s Garage show. “I knew that Donald loved Italian-bodied cars,” says Wayne. “He said it would be a great story for the New York Times – that was when it still had an automobile section. It published a piece, called First Love. “You remember Jim Astrowski?” asks Wayne. I tell him I remember Jim well – he was Wayne’s cameraman, until he passed

‘Dad put a piece of sandpaper in my hand, and said: “You’re hired!”’

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Wayne Carini

away in 2017 – and Wayne explains that Jim phoned out of the blue, having seen the New York Times article. “He said he’d like to do a TV show about me. So he came here – this was about 18 years ago – and we talked for half an hour, and then he got the camera out and filmed me just doing what I do on a daily basis in the workshop. “I asked how much I’d be paid, and he said: ‘Nothing, but you never know what can happen.’ He asked if I’d be going to Monterey. “I told him that, yes, I was taking six cars. ‘What do you mean, six cars?’ he said. And I told him we’d have one at Pebble Beach, one at Concorso Italiano and a few at the auctions. “So he went and filmed the whole thing, and Discovery [Channel] loved it. That was the one episode we did that year, but the second year we decided to go to Pebble Beach again.” There Wayne met Discovery’s head of programming, Shana Jacobus, who asked to follow him around for a few days. At Gordon McCall’s Jet Center party, she said to Wayne: “It’s like you’re the freakin’ mayor. You know everybody in the business.” “So we sat down,” says Wayne, “and I asked her if she was into cars or athletics or anything, and she said her husband was a huge Miami Dolphins fan. She went off to the ladies’ room, and I looked to my right and there was Don Shula, head coach of the Dolphins, like someone just placed him there. Turns out he was Gordon’s neighbour.” Now Wayne is really laughing. “So Shana came back and I said: ‘I’d like to introduce you to a really good friend of mine.’ She thought I really did know everyone then. “The next morning we had breakfast, and Shana said they wanted me to do 12 episodes of whatever I came up with, and call it anything. So we came up with Chasing Classic Cars, and that was it; we’re in over 100 countries now, and my voice is dubbed in 36 languages.” Is that weird, I want to know. And how did it feel to get recognised? I recall that the most time I’d spent with Wayne previously was on a Florida roadside, as we tried to fix the Rain Man Buick that we’d been photographing. Our conversations were interrupted every couple of minutes as passers-by spotted him. “Sometimes I meet the people who are my voice in other countries. It is kind of weird. After that breakfast meeting I talked about, Shana said: ‘You’re going to be coffee-table material. There’ll be articles on you in magazines, and there’ll be books written about you, and everyone will know who you are.’” Wayne gives a big shrug and laughs at the memory. “I said: ‘You’re crazy!’ But after a few months, I’d be going through an airport and people 130

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would be screaming: ‘Hey, car guy!’ Then, after the third or fourth year, it was: ‘Hey, Wayne!’ “I tell everybody that it got me out of grocery shopping. My wife and I would go to the store together, because it seemed to be the only time we could really connect without the kids jumping all over us. But then people would be shoving phones in her face, saying: ‘Can you take my picture with him?’ Finally she said: ‘You’re a pain in my ass; just sit in the car.’ “There were a couple of weird experiences, too, like some guy taking my picture while I was taking a piss in the men’s room. You can’t let your guard drop for a moment; I stopped putting my arm around women to take pictures, and I never get any picture taken with any alcoholic drink. You just can’t be too careful.” Wayne’s wife, Laurie, joked to me that she knew Wayne before he was famous – but she rarely experiences the way he is swamped at car shows, as he explains. “We have an autistic daughter, Kimberly, who’s now 35 – oh my God, I can’t believe it – and so Laurie is hands-on seven days a week. She bathes her, clothes her, feeds her, brushes her teeth... So that’s been our life.” The couple built a house in Wayne’s childhood town, and were able to buy a house for Kimberly and Laurie’s sister, who helps as an aide. For Wayne and Laurie, it’s all about family, but now they’ll be able to travel more as a couple. “It’s going to be a new experience,” says Wayne. “A lot of people have always said: ‘We don’t think you have a wife.’ So I was happy to introduce Laurie to a lot of people at Newport [Audrain]. We’ve been married 40 years. “This year will be my 40th Pebble Beach, too, but after that I’m going to give it a break. I want to go to Goodwood; I have a famous car

that set the Mount Washington Hillclimb record, so I want to go to the Festival of Speed with that, and I want to go to the Revival. You know, I want to do so many things – I’m 72 years old, I’m healthy and I still can enjoy it.” I hadn’t realised when I asked Wayne if he’d be free for this chat what a time of change this really is. Motor Trend has cancelled Chasing Classic Cars after 17 seasons – Wayne has plans for a replacement series with Speedvision – and he’s releasing a book. My Life With Cars is divided into two parts: the first on Wayne’s childhood up to Chasing Classic Cars, the second from the series onwards. “So yeah, we’re just looking for the future, sorting it all out,” he says. “My family’s good. My grandchildren are wonderful. My grandson is eight, and ever since he was three I could tell he was in love with tractors. My granddaughter, too, she’s into cars. They make me so happy.” While we’ve been talking, Wayne has been keeping an eye on a car for sale on Bring a Trailer – and now he’s bidding on behalf of a customer. “I don’t bid ’til the last 30 seconds,” he says – but it goes past his limit and he’s out. “I’m never gonna retire, but in a few years I’d like to have it so that I just could buy and sell cars, maybe 20 a year out of my barn. “Hey, you want to see the workshop?” he asks, changing tack. And we’re off for another tour of everything Wayne loves: hot rods, muscle cars old and new, race cars, restomods, barn finds, motorcycles, that Rain Man Buick (“This is how David and I met,” he tells Matt) and, of course, Ferraris. We laugh some more, talk cars some more and eventually, reluctantly, leave for the airport to hand over the now-spotless rental car... Wayne Carini: My Life With Cars, is out in Autumn 2024 from Dalton Watson.

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Triumph’s TR2 trio famously found success at Le Mans in 1955, but it was a fourth car that put in the real work on the road to glory. This is the story of PKV 373, a covert development mule hidden in plain sight Photography Matt Howell

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THE STORY OF THE TRIO OF WORKS TR2s that tackled the 1955 Le Mans is one of British sports car maker Triumph’s finest (24) hours. Known by their consecutive registration numbers PKV 374, PKV 375 and PKV 376, all three were painted British Racing Green, with red, white and blue ‘lipsticks’ respectively applied around their grille apertures to help distinguish them from one another. All of them finished the ill-fated race, securing 14th, 15th and 19th places. However, there was a fourth example: PKV 373. Never destined to race, 373 served as the Works development car, and was used by the Competition Department to try out new performance enhancements – most notably,

different disc-brake and alloy finned-drum upgrades, plus engine tuning and a variety of lightweight body panels. Painted in a bright Signal Red, PKV 373 was fitted with steel wheels in order to conceal those then-secret disc brakes from prying eyes. Otherwise visually identical to any other TR2, the stealthy development car was hidden in plain sight, regularly put through its paces on the roads around Triumph’s Canley factory on the outskirts of Coventry. Only a decade after the end of World War Two, the area still bore the scars from the infamous bombing raids of November 1940, in which much of the old city centre was destroyed. Triumph’s original facility was flattened, but

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THIS SPREAD Details such as the 1.75in H6 SU carbs and beautifully detailed cockpit – complete with aviation-sourced clock – finish off this exquisite British restoration.

THIS SPREAD Toy-like looks belie the muscle from the 160bhp four-pot complete with superrare ‘Le Mans’ semi-high-port cylinder head. Not bad in a car that weighs just 835kg...

the company had already gone into receivership in 1939, and was subsequently bought by Standard in 1945. Production recommenced in a former ‘shadow’ factory located away from the centre and used for aircraft manufacturing during the war. As such, Triumph’s connection to Coventry is strong. So strong, in fact, that it feels like absolutely the right place to bring PKV 373 for a photoshoot and drive. A sort of homecoming, you might say. While its three famous brothers lived a postLe Mans life of relative notoriety, the hardworked TR test car was simply prepared for sale. After it had found a new owner, it effectively disappeared. It’s not known whether 373’s invaluable role in Triumph’s Le Mans success was disclosed to the first customer, but given that it retained its registration number (and indeed, the two have never been separated), whoever bought it from the factory must have had their suspicions. Not least because the car would have performed rather better than a regular TR2... After a quiet life of obscurity, 373 was purchased from Jim Lowry – a familiar face on the UK Historics scene, and a vastly experienced MSA/FIA eligibility scrutineer – by Geoff Gordon in 2020. Jim had owned the Triumph for many years, and knew its significance, but

despite all good intentions of bringing it back to its former glory, life got in the way. Knowing the car was going to the best of homes, a deal was agreed, and Geoff took possession just before Covid struck. He has form when it comes to small, red racing cars. If you’re a regular at the Goodwood Revival, you have probably seen his crowdpleasing 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Ti, driven to a number of wins and numerous podiums in the St Mary’s Trophy by the likes of Emanuele Pirro, Steve Soper, Jenson Button and an imposter named Dickie Meaden. That car was built by Raceworks Motorsport, and Geoff entrusted that same specialist with the restoration and race preparation of the ‘lost’ TR. It was quite a project, as he relates: “As purchased, 373 looked pretty good, but – as is so often the way – once the body came apart much rot was found. We retained as many of the original panels as possible, and were relieved to find that the chassis was in much better shape.” Of the four TR2s allocated to Triumph’s ’55 Le Mans effort, 373 is the least well known. Yet the mischievous nature of the secret performance upgrades it tested on public roads, and the role it played in Triumph’s racing escapades, had Geoff hooked. Adding to the mystery, there are no published period

photos of it, although in the definitive TR2/ TR3A reference book Triumph by Name, Triumph by Nature, TR authority Bill Piggott does mention the existence of an image. The car’s story needed to be told. A lack of firm evidence as to 373’s definitive specification – as well as knowing that, as the Competition Department’s development car, 373’s set-up would always have been in a state of flux – gave scope to settle upon an authentic spec that not only honoured the Triumph but also enabled Geoff to use it in Historics. Uppermost among those events was the tantalising prospect of an entry to the Le Mans Classic. For many years Geoff had LMC on his bucket list, but taking the TR to the Circuit de la Sarthe gained greater meaning because it would square a circle started in the early months of 1955, when PKV 373 first took to the roads to trial the new brakes and engine modifications ahead of the big race. Standing between Geoff and the thrill of pointing the TR down the Hunaudières was the small matter of a full restoration; a challenge further complicated by the pandemic. “Fortunately, the Raceworks boys had plenty to be getting on with,” recalls Geoff of those strange and disturbing lockdown days. “The workshop environment meant they could Magneto

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continue working while observing the rules around social distancing. And, without their usual calendar of Historics racing, they could focus without interruptions.” As with most restorations, work on 373 assumed an archaeological quality as the layers were peeled back and the inventory of spares was assessed. Geoff again: “The car came on standard drum brakes, but there was a set of correct front Girling disc assemblies in a box, together with the original, cracked engine block. There were no tell-tales that 373 had ever been fitted with the larger 22-gallon tank used by the race cars, which makes sense.” A steel jig was fabricated to original Triumph dimensions, in order to keep the body in shape during repair and rebuild: “The car did not appear to have had any serious accident damage, which was great news. As the bodies of this period were hand-built and hand-finished, all have minor variations of shape and fit, but we worked hard to keep it as square as possible to help with chassis tuning and race set-up.” Previous owner Jim was extremely helpful in providing advice and guidance on ensuring the finished TR complied with the FIA’s HTP (Historic Technical Passport) requirements, which defined the accepted specification of the other 1955 TR2 Le Mans cars. This outlined a TR with some choice and, at times, highly specific upgrades. Bodywork-wise, aluminium was used for the bootlid, bonnet, door skins, dash panel (without glovebox) and spare-wheel cover. There was also an aluminium nacelle to house the rear-view mirror, for use with the racing aero screens. This proved to be a somewhat vexatious job, but it ended up being one of the defining details of 373. “North Devon Metalcraft did a lovely job of making all the alloy body panels, but creating a correct-looking mirror nacelle was extremely tricky,” explains Geoff. “In the end, I got my mate and tin-basher supreme Simon Hawkes at The Bristol Workshop to tackle it, with the help of automotive artist Reverend Adam Gompertz, who made drawings and interpretations of the nacelle from black-andwhite archive photos of the Works racers. “Simon created not only the mirror nacelle, but also the moulds for the right- and left-hand aero screens. These were formed in Perspex by White Ellerton Plastics – great people who can remake everything from a slotted F40 engine cover to a Spitfire canopy.” In accordance with the FIA-approved mechanical specification, 373 received a standard-capacity, 1991cc, four-cylinder engine, fitted with a ‘Le Mans’ semi-high-port cylinder head (rare as hen’s teeth, apparently) and a 140

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‘Driving position is short armed and short legged, like an XK120 put through a hot wash’ pair of 1.75in H6 SU carburettors. A cast-steel manifold was also mandated – disappointing, because it restricts the engine’s breathing – along with standard period gearbox and diff casings. Other listed components were a standard brass radiator and dynamo-driven electrics. Uprated springs and shock absorbers were permitted – although they needed to be non-adjustable – and the minimum dry weight is a stated 835kg. The last piece of fabrication was the roll cage. Geoff approached fabrication supremo Andy Robinson, who designed a unit that can be configured for use in both single-seat circuit racing and two-seat rallying, and also looks a little prettier than an ugly single hoop. Geoff made sure it was removable, too, should a Triumph collector in the future desire clean, original lines. It’s a very neat job. Indeed, Geoff’s eye for detail and his appreciation of traditional craftsmanship shines from 373’s every nut and bolt. Aaron Radiator Co rebuilt the original brass rad,

adding a further row of cooling tubes and fins for increased efficiency. Cox Auto Electrics rebuilt a large Lucas C42 dynamo – the biggest that would fit in the car – to give a helpful 38 amps at 2500rpm, as well as to power the large, period-correct Lucas SLR 700 spotlamps. Interestingly, Cox said that Works race cars of the period would have been sent to a special development workshop at Lucas during build, for all their loom and electrical installations. The cloth-wrapped wiring loom was remade by Bremax Electronics. Geoff had a choice of brake options: “For the front units, we chose Girling over Dunlop. The latter requires the whole caliper to be removed to change pads, which is not good in a race-car application. Besides, that original Girling set came with the car, so it made sense to restore these. For the correct rear brakes, we went to Typecast Engineering Ltd, owner of the Alfin brand, which made us a lovely pair of 10indiameter aluminium/steel drums.” Another of the Le Mans TR2 mysteries centres upon the dashboard, with the three race machines said to have run with 24-hour, eight-day mechanical clocks. Geoff did some sleuthing, but says: “Frustratingly, no interior shots of the cars seem to exist, so we don’t know exactly where the clock would have been positioned on the dash. They were used in military aviation, and the story goes that they came from Spitfires – but, of course, they could have been from any ex-RAF stock. “In the end, I purchased one in need of repair from a US collector, who said it came from a

Leading TR specialists since 1985 We congratulate Triumph TR2 PKV 373 for the success achieved at Le Mans Classic Racetorations worked closely with Raceworks Motorsport to achieve performance with reliability on a number of major units. We are pleased to continue our support.

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Works development TR2

Grumman Hellcat. It was restored for us by Steve Fletcher at the Clock Workshop, who appears on The Repair Shop TV series.” Geoff continues: “Positioning-wise, I chose a spot that seemed obvious, there being no glovebox on the race cars and it being in the driver’s eyeline.” It’s a very neat touch, and complements another labour of love: the tacho. Built by Smiths Special Projects, it’s an 8000rpm electronic unit finished with the correct typeface and sitting behind the same curved glass as the original 6000rpm mechanical version. You forget just how small cars from this era are. Parked on the street in Coventry’s historic Canal Basin, 373 sits little more than hip high, and has a toy-like quality that makes you smile. Fresh from its two-year tyres-to-tonneau restoration, it is a hugely appealing machine. It’s studded with gorgeous details – many borrowed from the trio of race cars it served to develop – and it really is as cute as a button, yet it feels the part thanks to the lowered stance and a sharp exhaust note that signals its steely sense of purpose. There is so much to appreciate and enjoy, you find yourself lost in admiration. The red paint – embellished with roundels and a white lipstick in the manner of the three Works racers – and evocative interior are immaculate. But it is details such as the alloy fuel filler, leather bonnet straps and oversized spotlights that catch your gaze. Together they evoke the era when modest, near-standard road cars would regularly tackle the world’s greatest endurance races, sharing the track with ferocious Works prototypes such as the D-type and 300 SLR. It’s incongruous and yet entirely appropriate that we should be driving and photographing 373 in Coventry. The city has a deep affinity with the automotive industry, and people really seem to appreciate the diminutive sports car, wandering over to have a proper look. The TR exudes a simply irresistible character. Climbing in is something of a challenge, at least until Geoff reminds me to remove the steering wheel. The flyweight door is so small and low cut, stepping over it would be easier, but politeness and respect for the beautifully trimmed seat prevent me from literally hopping in. Later, while researching this story, I find a terrific Triumph-produced film from the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours. In it, factory driver Ninian Sanderson can be seen leaping straight onto the driver’s seat from the old wooden pit counter, although rather comically he then rapidly opens and closes the door in an effort to satisfy over-zealous Le Mans observers, who might take issue with his unorthodox ingress technique. A very handy driver, 142

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Sanderson would go on to win Le Mans the following year in an Ecurie Ecosse D-type. Whichever method you choose, you don’t so much get into the TR as wear it. And it’s a snug fit, the driving position short armed and short legged, like an XK120 put through a hot wash. You sit close to the wooden wheel, elbows crooked in period style, but with enough space around the pedals to attempt a bit of fancy footwork. You feel reasonably protected behind the full-width windscreen (which 373 would have had as a test car, and something Geoff prefers over the aero screens for road driving and rallies), but the plunging flanks mean most of your torso is above the top of the door. And to think they raced with no seatbelts. With your H-point at hub height and spine almost in line with the rear axle, you feel a long way from the front wheels, but totally at one with what the back end is doing. In this respect, it’d be familiar to anyone who has driven a Lotus Seven. The Coventry ring road isn’t exactly La Sarthe, yet it reveals an unexpected physicality to the steering. This is unassisted, of course, but the weight diminishes little with speed. It’s direct and offers plenty of feel, yet you definitely steer from the forearms and shoulders in a way that defies the TR’s size. With little upper-body support from the low-backed seat, you’d certainly know you’d done a three-hour stint at racing speeds. Watching that Triumph film from the ’55 BELOW Signal Red paint is embellished with white roundels and lipstick. Steel rims – to conceal the then-secret disc brakes – finish off the look.

race, it’s hard to credit how different the Le Mans of then is from the circuit we know today. Very much a long loop of public roads, lined with trees and the odd sandbank to catch errant race cars, it must have been an epic challenge in a tiny TR. The period footage shows frankly terrifying speed differentials, between the close-to production cars such as the Triumphs, and the ballistic Jags and Mercs being driven by the fastest men of the day. The cartoon-character cuteness belies the fact that this race-prepped TR is a snorty, energetic little machine. There’s feistiness to be found when you crack open the throttle, the sharp induction noise from the SUs and a waspish rasp from the barely silenced exhaust enough to turn heads as you work through the gears. No, 160bhp isn’t going to bonfire the rear tyres, but 835kg doesn’t need much to get it moving, especially as Mass Engines ensured there’s a decent spread of torque. More than nippy enough to cut and thrust its way through Coventry’s traffic, 373 has the unmistakable spirit and superior swagger of a car with racing DNA. Thanks to Geoff’s vision and dedication, 69 years after its fabled team-mates completed a flawless demonstration of speed and reliability, PKV 373 – the unsung architect of that impressive performance – finally had the chance to follow in their wheel tracks. Simply restoring this gem of a car would have been enough, but Geoff’s determination to race it at Le Mans – rather well, as it happens, it proving the quickest of four TR2s entered in Plateau 2 – has written the perfect epilogue to this uniquely special tale.

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George Barris was custom car royalty – and now a planned new museum, dedicated to his work, will keep the greatestever automotive showman’s name in lights

Munster Koach 1964

THIS SPREAD Built from three Model Ts, the 18ft, goth-baroque Munster Koach created for TV’s spookiest clan took the notion of a ‘family wagon’ to a whole new level.

Hirohata Merc 1953

THIS SPREAD The Hirohata Mercury really put the Barris brothers on the map, and to this day it remains one of the most influential and respected customs ever.

ASK ANYONE IN THE CAR-CUSTOMISING scene how many automobiles George Barris built during his lifetime, and you’ll get a derisive snort as an answer. Might as well ask how many stars are in the sky, or how many salt crystals blanket the Bonneville lakebed. Even George’s daughter, Joji, simply shrugs when I ask. We’re sitting in what will become the Barris Museum in Ventura, California – but, at the moment, it’s more of a storage unit for all the sketches, trophies, photos and delicate, 60-year-old AMT models covered in handmade graphics that George collected over his 70-year-plus career as the King of Kustomisers. Joji gestures to the piles of file boxes labelled things such as ‘Pink Panther’, ‘Beach Boys’, ‘Sex Machine’ and ‘Bathtub Car’. There are hundreds of them, each dedicated to a particular build or celebrity customer. The crumbling yellow cardboard overflows with hand-edited press releases and photos of modified cars. Under a table, there are stacks

George Barris 1957

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of watercolour sketches on whisper-thin vellum. A pastel render of a tour bus for Tammy Wynette sits atop a pencil-and-marker mock-up for John Travolta’s Travolta Fever Pontiac, the latter’s dark blue stripes turned greeny-gold from the glue used to attach the artwork to a backing board. It doesn’t appear that George ever threw anything out, and the hand-labelled boxes are the closest he came to a ‘filing system’. Joji recently moved all the boxes and drawings, when her family sold the building that housed Barris Kustom from 1961 until George’s death in 2015. She says sorting through it continually surprises her with the people her dad knew, and the projects

Redd Foxx Lil Red Wrecker 1974

THIS SPREAD George’s cars were arguably more about show than go – not that you’d know it to look at Lil Red Wrecker’s supercharged 392ci Chrysler V8.

George Barris

ABOVE Headed by the Batmobile, this is just a drop in the ocean of cars George was involved with.

he was a part of, however peripherally. “Even at home, it was hard to know which of dad’s stories were true,” she recalls. “We’d see a car on TV, and he’d say: ‘I built that.’ That could mean he did build it, or he drew the idea for it, or he repainted it, or he once talked to the actor driving it.” It’s not that George Barris was a liar – simply a man with a big imagination, customising the whole world to his vision. Even the Barris moniker is a bespoke creation, a chopped and channelled version of his Greek mother’s maiden name, Barakaris. Chicago-born George and his brother Sam moved to California in the late 1920s, after their mother’s death and their father’s remarriage. They grew up with an aunt and uncle near Sacramento, where they were encouraged in all their artistic pursuits, from music to model cars. The small cars soon became full-size ones, and Sam and George developed a rep for their boldly painted Buick and, later, for George’s 1936 Ford drop-top. World War Two sent Sam overseas in the 154

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Army, and George to the Merchant Marines. While the latter waited on a boat assignment in Los Angeles – which never came – he opened his first shop in Bell, California. Sam got home in ’45, joined George, and they moved to a fourcar garage on Compton Ave, a few blocks away. George was already referring to his cars as ‘kustoms’, but that spelling didn’t make it onto the sign for the first few years, so it was at Barris’s Custom Shop that the brothers became known for their smoothed-out and lowered builds. In particular, late ’40s Mercury hardtops, dropped down on their frames until the fender skirts nearly touched the pavement, with thin slits of windows and the general aura of a shark moving through shallow water. When Bob Hirohata brought his virtually new 1951 Mercury to the shop, George and Sam went all in. They chopped the top four inches in the front and seven in the rear. They lowered the body until it barely cleared the ground, extended the hood and reshaped the nose. Sam

continued the body lines along the side, and the chrome trim and bumpers were sinuous and floating compared with the ‘freight train’ front end of a stock Merc. Hirohata won awards and nabbed magazine covers with the Mercury, before selling it in 1955. It was found and restored nearly 60 years later, and immediately won its class at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Dave Shuten, who oversees the Galpin Speed Shop collection, which houses the Hirohata today, says that while the Barris brothers weren’t the first to customise a Mercury, they did it better than anyone else. “A ’51 is the hardest Mercury to chop,” he explains. “The only way to do it right is to lean the window back in, which is how Sam and George did it. Most customisers just sink the window without giving it the tilt. That’s just one of the many things they got right on this car. Sometimes, without intending to, you create something that’s unprecedented. This

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George Barris

was the best at the time in 1953, and we’re in 2024 and it’s still the best.” While both brothers worked on the cars in the 1950s, George was the undeniable frontman, arranging deals with model companies such as Revell and AMT, and catching the eye of Hollywood folks casting and commissioning movie cars. Sam often gets all the credit for the early builds, and indeed he may have been the more skilled craftsman of the two, but George wasn’t just a figurehead. “People think my dad didn’t work on the cars,” says Joji. “That is not true: we have plenty of photos of him with his hands dirty, painting or reshaping a fender.” Sam might have been happy to rework fenders for show machines, but George had his eyes set on cars for the stars – and he loved the idea of building them as characters for TV and film. The Hirohata Merc shared the screen with Mamie Van Doren in 1955’s Running Wild, and George could see the possibilities from there. Sam was more reserved – or, as Joji thinks, maybe his wife was – and less taken with the idea of mingling with starlets and rock ’n’ rollers. Sam left the shop in ’56, and if George had quit then, too, the Barris brothers still would be in the hot rod history books for the Hirohata Merc alone. But George was just beginning. He’d go on to build cars not only for TV and movies, but for many of the actors’ and musicians’ personal collections as well. His work in the 1960s was so emblematic of the culture that ‘gonzo journalist’

Tom Wolfe wrote an Esquire profile about Barris in 1963. The Kandy-Kolored TangerineFlake Streamline Baby describes George as an artist, the Picasso of the teen car scene. Personally, I’d call George more of an Andy Warhol type. He pulled inspiration from popular culture, high art and the dumpster. He was delighted by the script of Batman, with its Bams, Pows and Zaps, and he built a car for the 1966 TV series that represents that energy, all black fins and fluorescent pinstripes. For The Munsters he went goth-baroque – and he sexed that up with leopard print in ’88 when he cobwebbed a Thunderbird for Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. At the same time, he could build a zebrastriped Mustang for Frank Sinatra, a swoopy Corvette for Farrah Fawcett and a goldtrimmed Ferrari 308 for himself. In fact, says Joji, he customised all the family cars – and often the furniture and appliances as well. Tom Wolfe was right; an artist can’t stop creating. Even when George took on a build that began elsewhere – such as his rebranding of the Dick Dean Turnpike Hauler, as the Redd Foxx Lil Red Wrecker for Sanford and Son – he had no issues putting his name on it. He touched it and, as far as he was concerned, it became a Barris Kustom. It’s amazing he found time to even design repaints, he was so busy hosting events, writing magazine articles, licensing his show cars as model kits and appearing on talk shows. He never missed a chance to promote himself. We should be grateful for that, says Bill

Ganahl, founder of South City Rod and Custom (and son of hot rod historian Pat Ganahl, who spearheaded the Hirohata resto): “He was a promoter of his own brand, but also, by extension, of the whole industry. What he was doing for himself allowed other people to be able to do the same thing after him and around him.” Ganahl pauses, then says quietly: “I don’t have the confidence in anything in life that Barris seemed to. Maybe that is something no one will ever know, if he really was as confident about his shit as he looked.” Beau Boeckmann, CEO and president of Galpin Motors, is a dedicated collector of customs, with a special place in his heart for Barris. The Hirohata Merc is just one of several Barris cars in his garage, and he was able to work with George on multiple custom projects for the Galpin dealerships in the early 2000s. Even for Boeckmann, Barris’s inner workings were a mystery: “George was very positive, always smiling, but right before he sold the Batmobile at auction [in 2013], we sat down and I saw this very different George. I’d never seen him nervous before. Inwardly there was turmoil. He was selling his baby; what if people didn’t want it? He was backstage, brooding, serious, but he came out of that trailer and went on that stage, and just completely came alive.” The Batmobile would end up selling for $4.2 million. Forget cars for the stars – George Barris made the cars themselves stars. But we may never know exactly how many.

BELOW George’s ‘filing system’ of sketches and paraphernalia will form the basis of the Barris Museum.

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Lister: The Laurence Pearce years

Interview

Tiff Needell

Lister: The Laurence Pearce years

BELOW Early windtunnel model led to a production version of the 7.0-litre V12powered supercar – complete with four seats and a boot.

OPPOSITE Pearce and Jamie-Campbell Walter mark a first place in Belgium in 2001 – although the Storm was later disqualified...

LISTER IS ONE OF MOTOR SPORT’S BESTloved British names – a team often fondly thought of as a giant killer. The first Lister rolled out of the Cambridge factory on July 30, 1954; within three years, the outfit had become one of the world’s most revered racing-car manufacturers. It was all thanks to Brian Lister and his dedicated craftsmen, who gave their all and had one simple belief – that they could build a race-winning car. Using Jaguar D-type engines, Lister took on the Big Cat – and beat it. A second, even more successful, generation of motor sport history was created under the ownership of Laurence Pearce. The engineer took over the company in 1986, firstly racetuning XJ-S Jaguars before creating the Lister Storm. The latter car continues to feature on the PlayStation Gran Turismo game series, as well as Forza on Xbox – over 85 million copies of Gran Turismo and 16 million copies of Forza have been sold worldwide, bringing a whole new generation of fans to Lister. Laurence now lives a quiet life in Portugal, but Tiff Needell, a former driver for the team, headed over to catch up with his old boss and 160

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reminisce. Tiff contested 14 Le Mans 24 Hours races, driving the Storm in 1996 and 1997. He ended his time at Lister with a hat-trick of victories in the British Championship. He has also been one of the stars of the Goodwood Revival meetings, driving a 1957 Lister Jaguar. To kick off the conversation, he asked how Laurence first got involved with the team. LAURENCE: “It goes back to the 1980s, when Lister had reformed as a company, and it brought out a range of conversions for the Jaguar XJ-S. From a marketing point of view, it introduced a racing championship called the Lister Challenge. Being a keen racer all my life – my father was a racing driver – I got enthusiastic about the idea of making my own XJ-S and entering the challenge, but not as a driver. “I had a friend who was quite well off. He wanted to be a driver, and so he said to me: ‘You make that car, I’ll pick up the bills and we’ll go racing.’ I built the car, we did a little bit of testing and we joined the Lister Challenge at its first race at Silverstone, in which it had three cars of its own. “We beat the team in the first race, and it

PREVIOUS SPREAD: RM SOTHEBY’S. THIS SPREAD: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, MATHIEU DAMIENS / BONHAMS

In the 1950s, Lister famously won races against highly stacked odds. Thirty years later, it excited

a new generation of fans under Laurence Pearce. Tiff Needell delves into Laurence’s memories

Lister: The Laurence Pearce years

didn’t really like that. We carried on, and we won the Lister Challenge – the overall thing, which was, I think, ten races. We won the most races, and we beat them all.” One of Lister’s clients at the time was Simon Taylor, a well known journalist and Formula 1 radio presenter. As the writer for club races, Simon had known Laurence from a young age, watching his father race at Brands Hatch. Laurence worked on a car for Simon, who then wanted to introduce him to Brian Lister, and invited him to lunch at Brian’s Cambridge home. TIFF: “How did you find Brian Lister? Were you ‘the mechanic’?” LAURENCE: “Well, I suppose I dressed up a bit. I wouldn’t have had many clothes. We used to go around in boiler suits 90 percent of the time. But, yeah, I got a bit dressed up, and I got the immediate feeling that he liked what I was saying. I knew a fair bit about the cars that he’d made, because I’d seen them on the tracks when I was a kid growing up. I think what he saw in me was a younger guy who wasn’t at the stage where it was just money, money, money; where it was more ‘let’s make a quicker, better car’, rather than worrying about the money.” Impressed by Laurence’s knowledge and enthusiasm, and keen to move onto another project, Brian offered to sell him the Lister Motor Company. This led to Laurence modifying then-current Jaguars under the Lister name. The XJ-S was upgraded in every possible way, leaving nothing standard remaining. The engines were bored out to 7.0 litres, and 12-inch wheels were fitted to the rear in place of the stock six-inchers. Everything was doubled. The brakes were twice the size, as were the dampers. By this time Laurence employed 50 people in the workshop, completing 90 percent of the work in-house, including trimming, bodywork, painting, engine and transmission building, and, ultimately, putting the whole car together. That was the case from 1988 to 1991 – and then the recession hit, causing people to cancel their orders. Laurence drastically restructured the team as a result. LAURENCE: “I ended up with five guys who were doing probably 70 percent of the entire work on the cars – certainly all the clever stuff. And then I thought, well, if I can hold these five guys together, I can maybe do something.” TIFF: “So, slap bang in the middle of a major recession, with no money in the bank, you decided to build a supercar?” LAURENCE: “No, I decided to make a little wind-tunnel scale model. I had a friend down the road who had a carpentry shop, so I took my drawings of what my idea was to him, and I said: ‘Make me a 25 percent-size 162

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wooden model.’ I gave him the dimensions.” TIFF: “The original Lister Storm. Have you still got that wooden model?” LAURENCE: “No... Anyway, I was in love with it, obviously, straight away, because it was exactly what I wanted. It was a four-seater supercar with a massive engine and a boot in the back where you could put your golf clubs and things. There was nothing around at the time like that. Also, uniquely, the Storm was flat bottomed, whereas there had never been a front-engined car made before where it had a flat bottom, for the aerodynamics. “Later on the same day, this client of mine came in with his big XJ-S for a service. He said to me: ‘What’s that on the desk?’ ‘It’s the new Lister Storm,’ I replied. He asked: ‘When are you going to start making that?’ So I said: ‘Well, I’m going to start right now. I’m just looking for some funding to kick it off.’ He asked what I wanted to do first, and I told him I needed to make a prototype, a one-off. He said: ‘What do you think that’s going to cost?’ I told him I had an idea that it would be somewhere around £250,000. So he pulled out his chequebook and wrote me a cheque for £250,000: ‘Go and make a prototype.’ Which I did.” Laurence then personally drove the car

BELOW British-built Storm always looked impressive on the track.

around, and it started to create a stir. It even made it into the national press – and the media created the tag that it was the fastest four-seat car, at some 600bhp. The Storm was officially launched at Earls Court, and the first one was sold straight off the stand, to the Sultan of Brunei. Just as Lister started to go into full production, unfortunately another recession hit. TIFF: “So what did you decide to do then?” LAURENCE: “I always felt, growing up in the 1960s with my father, that racing cars seemed to be so expensive. I liked high-revving, lightweight cars; not these big, cumbersome things that you were used to driving. My first race with my own car was going to be the Le Mans 24 Hours – ambitious, because by now there was the McLaren F1. I went to the launch of the F1 in Monaco, and I fell in love with it. Porsche was doing big things, the Chrysler Viper had come in, with large manufacturers or big teams such as Eureka to build – people who had been in the business forever, building with good engineers.” TIFF: “And little Laurence Pearce was going to take on these established teams.” LAURENCE: “Exactly! Geoff Lees is a driver famously known for winning in Formula 2 in the 1980s. He phoned me, and said: ‘I’d like to come and see the car.’ He drove the road

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Lister: The Laurence Pearce years

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would not go to plan, however, and even the best car designers and mechanics can’t allow for human nature. LAURENCE: “We got to the grid, and Koni gave me two sets of dampers that it had just made the night before. It said: ‘Put these on: these will be better.’ And I did, and it was very exciting. We started the race. Good weather, if you remember. We were running midfield, and we were doing quite well. We had our first fuel stop, which had to be early because I had no way of working out how much fuel we were going to need. I had an idea. But you can’t run out of petrol.” TIFF: “People have...” LAURENCE: “I know! You don’t want to if you can avoid it, because that’s it. End of your race. You don’t get out and put in a spare jerry can. So I had to bring the car in early, as all infant teams would do anyway. I put the other drivers in to do some laps. But then the worst thing happened – it started to rain very, very hard. The car was filling up with water as well, because, in not wanting it to leak, there was also no provision for it not to fill up with water. But I can think on my feet – I drilled two big holes in the footwell on one of the stops, sending bits of aluminium, and all the water, rushing out on the track. And we were off again. “Geoff had it in his mind that the other two drivers weren’t up to those conditions like he was. The engine was running fine, the ’box was working fine, nothing was too hot. Now it was raining, so everything had slowed down. You’re not using the horsepower, the gearbox, the brakes... the car is being let off, really. And he

‘I’m that sort of character; there is no way I would have given up’

ABOVE An ‘executive decision’ by Geoff Lees meant the Storm failed to finish at Le Mans in 1995.

was just looking at the sky and thinking, you know what? This car could probably do 24 hours in these conditions. And he had to end it, because he thought the next driver would get in the car in these conditions and immediately crash. And he just told me this 25 years later.” TIFF: “What, he deliberately broke the car?” LAURENCE: “Yes. He rode the clutch and burnt out the carbon. He parked it on the wrong side of the track, so there was no way of getting it back.” TIFF: “Yeah, we’re not allowed to anyway.” LAURENCE: “He knew if he got to the pitlane, I’d have a spare clutch and I’d change it in half an hour. Because I’m that sort of character; there’s no way I would’ve given up. And that was it. We parked it out on the track, and went to bed. That was my first toe in the water of the 24 Hours. We certainly didn’t disgrace ourselves.” TIFF: “Do you own one of those original XJ-S Lister Le Mans?” LAURENCE: “No!” TIFF: “Would you not like to have one?” LAURENCE: “No! I like modern cars.” TIFF: “Why is it, do you think, that the Lister brand holds such high resale prices?” LAURENCE: “Well, they’re low production, aren’t they? They’re good, they’re fast, they’re flamboyant, they’re successful on the track. To give you an example, one of the old GTs, the aluminium car, sold recently for £750,000. Funnily enough, I found out, and I talked to the guy who actually bought it. He’s never been in racing before, but he was a guy who watched us win the British Empire Trophy at Silverstone in 2000 as a 14-year-old, and he just loved the car. “I have got a ten-year-old grandson who drives a Lister Storm on his Xbox, and he’s drawn pictures on the wall there for me, because his grandpa made that car that he loves to drive with his friends.”

MOTORSPORT IMAGES

version up the hill, and he thought it had potential, so we agreed that he would be the driver. So yes, my first race with my own car was going to be the Le Mans 24 Hours.” TIFF: “1995! I was there, trying to pre-qualify.” LAURENCE: “My wife and I, and Geoff, got in the Storm, drove down to Le Mans, and the car passed scrutineering. That was the first hurdle. And at 10:00am the next morning, we were out on the track. The first thing that happened was the front splitter bumper fell off, because it couldn’t withstand 200mph, the down-thrust of the car. And the Storm was actually not far off: 200mph, straight out of the box. It took probably until the middle of the afternoon to get that back together. And then we went out and did a few more laps, at four or five o’clock, with a couple more little teething problems. “At 6:00pm, it was going to be our last chance. We had an hour to go. No, we were not in; we were nowhere near. Other people were closing down. The pitlane had only about a third of the people in it that were there at 5:00pm. It was all getting very quiet. So we put Geoff in the car for what was going to be the final run. “He came round at the end of the first lap for the pitlane, and he had the gearlever in his hand, with the car stuck in second. Well, unbeknown to me and everybody else, my fabricator, when he made the lever, had made a spare one as well, and it was just there in the cockpit. He popped it in with two screws, and that was it. “We changed the tyres again, and by this time it was 6:40pm, so there was 20 minutes to go and we were nowhere near. Everyone had now cleared the pitlane, and it was just us. Geoff went out in the car, did the first lap, and he flashed the lights at me as he came past down the street. Flash! Flash! Flash! Three flashes. I don’t think I breathed for the next four minutes, because I knew those flashes must have meant it was going all right. And, Tiff, I tell you – Geoff would give it everything, wouldn’t he? Crash or win. “He came round, out of this very slow, 30mph corner at the bottom of the chicane, and I was looking at my clock and thinking, my God, we’re so far up – like, 35 seconds up on the previous time. Click the watch, we’re in. Nobody else knew. My wife and I were standing there, just the two of us on the pitwall, and I showed it to her, and we were hugging. And other people started to see us hugging, and were saying to themselves: ‘Why are the Pearces f***ing hugging?’ And it was because we were in the Le Mans 24 Hours.” Laurence and the team qualified for the race, and went on to their first event, selecting three drivers with Geoff Lees as the lead. Things

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THE THIRD LISTER BRAND CUSTODIANS

How an eBay purchase and Sir Stirling Moss’s endorsement led to a Continuation car and a new lease of life for Lister

“ONE OF THE THINGS BRIAN LISTER said to me before he died was: ‘You must make sure no harm ever comes to Lister under your ownership.’ And that is something I think we are definitely succeeding in.” So says Andrew Whittaker who, as with his son Lawrence, has had a lifelong fascination with cars and motor sport. Andrew knew of the Lister Knobbly through the Stirling Moss era of motor racing, which led to his eBay purchase of a half-finished Knobbly chassis. Tracking down the parts to complete the project resulted in the Whittakers visiting the original George Lister Engineering factory in Cambridge, where the original jigs and body bucks were still held. During their four-hour drive home, the pair decided to buy the company. The owner of the Lister brand was Laurence Pearce, so a trip to see him at his house in Portugal was required to make a deal. The Whittakers then engaged George Lister Engineering, based on it continuing to work for Lister and build cars. This included producing Continuations of the classic racing machinery, as well as tuning modern Jaguars – as Laurence had done with the Lister Storm and Le Mans. Brian Lister put them in touch with some of 166

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the original engineers who had worked on the racing-era cars, as Lawrence Whittaker explains: “One of the great things about Lister cars is they are still built by the original mechanics who made them in period. These guys are in their 80s and 90s now, but we brought them back to the factory to act as consultants. “They train our apprentices, to pass on the knowledge of building these cars the way they were made in period. And that’s so important for achieving the FIA status so we can get a Historic Technical Passport, to be able to race. It’s all part of the magic of what we do at Lister – the knowledge they have and the skills they have in building these cars.” The first models off the revived production line were ten Continuation cars of the famous Lister Knobbly, built to the exact specification of the original, which made them eligible for track racing. With a starting price tag of £300,000, they have gained in value ever since. The Whittakers revealed the Continuation car at Race Retro in February 2014, their very first event, showing just a bodyshell over a chassis. Sir Stirling Moss happened to be attending, and he made a beeline for the stand. He then invited the Whittakers to his home

in London to continue the conversation. It was at this lunch that Sir Stirling said: “I want to do something with Lister. The Knobbly was the best British car I ever drove. It was the fastest car, it was a giant killer – and I want to do something together.” This led to the development of ten Lister Stirling Moss editions, beautifully finished and the exact Continuation of the one Sir Stirling himself raced in 1958. They are a lightweight magnesium-shell car, and are the only racing machines he ever officially endorsed. They were launched at London’s prestigious Royal Automobile Club and, in the US, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. An original 1958 Lister Jaguar Knobbly, which was still racing as recently as 2017 at Goodwood, recently went up for sale at £2.5m. A brand-new Continuation car built on the 1958 design, but made today by Lister, would be eligible for blue-ribbon events, such as Goodwood’s Members’ Meetings, the Le Mans Classic, the Silverstone Classic, the Spa Six Hours and many more besides. The Continuations can also be raced in the Stirling Moss Trophy series, which is limited to cars running to genuine period spec

– as the Whittaker-era Continuation Listers are. The winner receives the original trophy that Sir Stirling won at the 1955 British Grand Prix, which was his first-ever GP victory. “What surprises me is how internationally renowned Lister is,” says Lawrence. “We get calls every week from Europe and the US, but we also get them from Japan, India, New Zealand... It really is a global brand. I have enjoyed being able to see people buying a Lister again, the heritage racing car of the Knobblys and the Costins, but also building on the tuning range that Laurence Pearce started.” He continues: “Laurence started with the Lister Le Mans in 1986 – tuning the Jaguar V12, making the car really quick – and he had a lot of racing success. We’ve done the same today for the F-Pace and the F-Type Jaguars. We take the 5.0-litre V8, with its standard 550bhp, and we take it up to 666bhp. We’ve created the UK’s fastest SUV, and we’ve done a lot of work with the tuning division so that people can go out, buy a Lister and drive it on the road.” Lawrence believes Lister should continue its Le Mans history: “The first thing you need is a recognised racing brand, and Lister has raced at Le Mans nine or ten times over the years. And

ABOVE Sir Stirling Moss met with Lister Cars owners Andrew and Lawrence Whittaker, and Quentin Willson, at the Race Retro show in 2014.

‘Lister cars are still built by the original mechanics who made them in period’

if you raced at Le Mans with a Lister, I think it would be something really special. A Lister has never won Le Mans. There’s a really great, untold, unfinished piece of history there. “The future [for the road cars] is to build on the tuning range to support Jaguar vehicles in terms of having faster, more bespoke conversions. Our customers want to choose the colour, the leather, whatever it may be. Just like AMG is a tuning brand for Mercedes, and Brabus, and Alpina for BMW, Lister has been known as the tuning brand for Jaguar since 1957 – and we can build on that heritage. “The great thing about Lister is we’re a small, dynamic firm who could easily build very fast, very small-volume electric vehicles, and they would be British made. With the future of EVs, Lister is an exciting company that could be really quick moving and nimble, and could stand apart from huge corporate brands who are struggling to move in the modern world. “What’s really special to me, is that my father and I are owners of a car company. If you had asked me, as a little boy, if I could one day own any car company, let alone one like Lister with the success it has had, I would have just thought that was impossible.” Magneto

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The most successful, influential or just plain memorable machinery that ruled the world’s sports car circuits

THE TOP 50 GROUP C CARS Words Adam Towler Illustration Kultkoben

from 1982 until the controversial cancellation of the legendary endurance class in 1993. Is your favourite here?

TJ01 Thibault

THERE’S not much that can be said for this, frankly awful, red blob that showed up for Le Mans scrutineering in 1988 and was promptly refused an entry. Based on a Chevron B36 Group 6 open racer from the 1970s, but with a roof added, it featured bizarre wheel spats covering both the front and rear arches, and was supposedly fitted with a Talbot F2 engine. Quite why anyone thought it’d be a good idea to drive this device on a track alongside a Jaguar XJR-9 reaching nearly 250mph is anyone’s guess. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t seen again.

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Tiga GC88 DFL Turbo

THE penultimate wooden spoon of our Group C Top 50 goes to this low-budget contender that combined a Tiga chassis and an independently developed Cosworth DFL that had been fitted with twin turbos. Entered by English privateer Tim Lee-Davey, the car was chronically unreliable and a very long way off the pace. After qualifying 47th at Le Mans and then retiring early on, it burnt out completely at the Czech round of the championship in Brno. Lee-Davey then took a more sensible route; he bought a Porsche 962 C, in which he’d prop up the back of the C1 order for the next few seasons.

BRM P351

A TRUE one-off, the P351 could be said to sum up the 3.5litre era: had promise, failed to deliver. John Mangoletsi’s Airflow Management firm had been designing a Le Mans car for GM, which was then shelved in 1990, but he was also a friend of the Owen family of BRM fame. A project was hatched involving some big UK auto-industry names, and Paul Brown penned a car powered by a heavily reworked Weslake V12. Sadly, championship instability in 1992 hurt planning and acquiring sponsorship. After a disastrous Silverstone outing the P351 just crept onto the Le Mans grid, but it soon retired. That was that – although later tests showed it simply needed more time to be reliable, and it could have been quick, too.

Rondeau M482 ONE of the strangest-looking Group C cars ever, 1982’s M482 didn’t impress. It was Rondeau’s first and only true Group C design, with a startling rear end styled by aerodynamicist Max Sardou to maximise the Venturi effect. Unfortunately, the aero was problematical, while the continued use of Cosworth’s DFL V8 was now a distinct disadvantage in the C1 class, and also hampered reliability. The M482 debuted at the Silverstone 1000km, but qualified in only 27th place before retiring. With the demise of the Rondeau team at the end of the year, the cars were taken over by Ford France and entered for Le Mans in 1983, but all retired with engine-based issues after running well down the field. Strangely, an M482 continued to appear at Le Mans until ’87.

Argo JM19

THE work of Norfolkbased Argo, the chunky and distinctive JM19 succeeded the JM16 for the 1986 season. Much of the 19’s success would take place in North America, where it was fitted with Mazda rotary engines as well as other powerplants. However, it initially appeared in Group C2 run by rallycross star Martin Schanche with the Zakspeed four-cylinder turbo engine, achieving little in the way of results. The later JM19C variant for 1988 boasted Cosworth DFL V8 muscle, but it was still no match for that year’s Spice chassis, remaining largely uncompetitive.

March 82G

POSSIBLY Group C’s biggest disappointment, the C100 was a victim of corporate politics and never did score the results it probably deserved. Initially designed by Len Bailey as a Group 6 car in 1981, it was reworked after Ford brought in ex-Formula 1 man Tony Southgate (later to find huge success with TWR Jaguar, among much else). Yet despite showing great speed, including leading at the Le Mans 24 Hours, its reliability was very poor. Ford was also attempting to develop a turbocharged version of the Cosworth engine to replace the DFL, which was notorious for vibrating cars to the point of components breaking. Then, when Stuart Turner took over as the Blue Oval’s competition boss at the start of 1983, he cancelled both the Escort RS1700T rally car and the C100 in favour of the fourwheel-drive Group B RS200, and the C100 lived on only briefly with privateer teams.

FAMOUSLY known as the Lobster Claw – on account of its unique, pincer-like front fender design – the March 82G was a purely customer chassis designed by a young Adrian Newey with Max Sardou. Fitted with a range of engines, yet usually associated with big Chevrolet V8s, it was very successful in IMSA racing but much less so in Group C. Nevertheless, a Nissanpowered version (a later 85G) did win the 1985 Fuji 1000km, in monsoon conditions that saw the regular World Championship runners unable to compete. Later, related variants were exclusively used by the Nissan teams, until being replaced by Lola in 1989.

Sauber SHS C6

ONE of the formula’s most idiosyncratic-looking machines, particularly when adorned with iconic BASF livery, the C6 was another of the cars that blurred the lines between the old Group 6 and new Group C rules during the 1982 season. Built by Sauber with engineering firm Seger and Hoffman, it was powered by the ubiquitous DFV, and scored some respectable results in both the DRM and World Championship that year. Sauber then moved on to the C7, and the C6 was rebranded as the Sehcar and run by Brun Motorsport, with Walter Brun sharing driving duties with Hans Stuck. It was then sold on again, fitted with a Porsche engine, and latterly a DFL, and continued to appear well into the 1990s.

Brun C91 WORLD Champion in 1986, Brun Motorsport had been a loyal Porsche customer team for many years, but the new 3.5-litre formula posed the problem of what to do next. At the time, the EuroBrun F1 team had folded after a disastrous run, but an undeterred Walter Brun pressed ahead with his own sports car for the new rules. The subsequent design had all the fashionable cues of the new breed of machinery, albeit without the extreme design of the Lola. As with the car from Huntingdon, the Brun used a Judd engine – but in this case it was the EV series V8 as seen in the EuroBrun effort. The C91 debuted during 1991, yet poor reliability meant little success. With financial issues and the collapse of the series in 1992, the project was shelved.

Gebhardt C91

THE Gebhardt brothers, Günther and Fritz, began making sports cars in the early 1980s. As successful producers of industrial equipment, their designs steadily increased in performance during the Group C years, but thanks to a carbonfibre tub and sophisticated aerodynamic thinking, the C91 was their ultimate creation. Originally paired with an Audi turbo engine for racing in IMSA, the car made it over to Europe in 1992 and was fitted with a Cosworth DFR. It came fourth in that year’s Monza 500km – but admittedly that was the last of the finishers, and many laps behind the winning Toyota in a race with only 11 starters.

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Ford C100

Aston Martin Nimrod

NIMROD Racing Automobiles was formed in 1981 between racer and car dealer Robin Hamilton and Aston Martin owner Victor Gauntlett. Its sole car, the NRA C2, made its debut in 1982, combining an Eric Broadley chassis with Aston’s 5.3-litre V8. Originally sporting a wide, low cockpit, Viscount Downe’s privately run example came seventh at Le Mans in 1982. The next year was less successful, with the ‘factory’ team concentrating on the US, Downe struggling in the World Championship and NRA going bust. For 1984, the cars were redesigned by Ray Mallock and again entered by Viscount Downe, but an infamous accident at Le Mans eliminated both team cars on the spot and curtailed any further racing activities.

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Courage C20 Porsche

HILLCLIMBER Yves Courage turned to sports car racing in the 1980s, forming the Courage Compétition team. His Cougar-badged cars initially used Cosworth engines, but results began to improve when he fitted Porsche flat-sixes, as seen in the 962 C. In 1987, his C20 design ran reliably and took advantage of that year’s high rate of attrition in the field due to the use of substandard fuel (which ironically led to the demise of many a 962 engine). It finished third overall behind two 962 Cs. Courage Compétition continued to enter the C1 and C2 classes, and was active in sports car racing for many years until it was bought by Oreca in 2007.

Ecurie Ecosse C286

THE famous Scottish outfit from the 1950s and ’60s made an emotional return to sports car racing in the early ’80s, thanks to Scotsman Hugh McCaig. Starting in 1984 with the Lola-based C284, the team brought out its own distinctive design in 1985, before evolving it in 1986 with the predictably named C286. Unlike the ’85 car and its DFL engine, for ’86 Ecosse used the V64V Austin Rover unit as seen in the 6R4 Group B rally car, and fought a season-long battle with Gordon Spice and his first homegrown Spice chassis. The teams’ prize went north of the border, with the Englishman retaining the C2 drivers’ crown. For 1987 the C286 returned to Cosworth DFL power, but had to give best to the Spice outfit.

Mazda 767 THE 767 was Englishman Nigel Stroud’s second design for Mazda, succeeding the 757 model for the 1988 season. Once again it had an aluminium-honeycomb tub construction, but with muchrefined aerodynamics. There was also the addition of the new four-rotor 13J Wankel rotary engine (the 757 used a three-rotor unit), which provided nearly 600bhp – considerably more than before. Mazdaspeed’s cautious approach was always much in evidence, but once the teething issues were overcome the 767 racked up creditable results, particularly in its home country. The B model for 1989 boosted power to 600bhpplus, and continued Mazda’s dominance of Le Mans’ IMSA GTP category – although it was the only team to contest that particular prize...

Sauber C7

THE C7 might have remained merely a bit-player in one of the most memorable racing posters ever, were it not for the significance of Sauber’s later involvement in the wider motor sport world. That poster? The ‘nobody’s perfect’ Porsche artwork following its crushing 1983 Le Mans performance. There, in ninth, among nine 956s, is listed the lone C7. Only one car was built for ’83 by the tiny Swiss team, but its Le Mans result hinted that it’d one day be a force to be reckoned with. It was all the more impressive given that Sauber still sported the naturally aspirated M88 BMW straight-six, as used in the M1 Procar. The C7 was seen once more in Group C, later in 1983, but its maker wouldn’t return until 1985.

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WM P82

GÉRARD Welter and Michel Meunier (the WM in the name) were two Peugeot designers who built and raced cars in their spare time, which eventually led them to first enter the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1976. The P82, and its successive derivatives used up until the 1987 24 Hours, were powered by the PRV (Peugeot Renault Volvo) V6, turbocharged to increasingly heady amounts. Decent results were hard to come by, particularly due to reliability issues. However, the cars showed flashes of speed by the middle of the decade, and became increasingly aerodynamically sophisticated due to the team having access to Peugeot’s considerable resources, such as a wind tunnel.

Lola T616

THE highly unusual-looking T616 – with its slab sides and small, 13in wheels – was specifically designed for smaller engines in the IMSA Lights and C2 categories, with three of the four aluminiumhoneycomb chassis built being powered by a tworotor Mazda rotary engine developing around 300bhp. During the 1984 season, Jim Busby’s team competed on BF Goodrich radials (leading to the car’s distinctive sponsorship livery), and achieved some impressive results on both sides of the Atlantic. These included first in the C2 class at Monza and at Le Mans, and some creditable second and third places at other rounds.

Tiga GC85

March Nissan 87G

Toyota 88C

TIGA Race Cars was founded by former F1 drivers Tim Schenken and Howden Ganley, and produced a large number of customer racing machines throughout the 1970s and ’80s for a variety of disciplines. The GC85 (sometimes called the GC285 or GT285, depending on what engine was in the back of it, including Hart or BDT four-cylinder turbo units) was a conventional aluminiumhoneycomb tub chassis with a 3.3-litre DFL Cosworth V8, and was used by Spice Engineering to win the C2 drivers’ and teams’ championships in 1985 (including 14th overall and first in class at the Le Mans 24 Hours). It was the last year before the team began to develop its own chassis.

NISSAN’S Group C challenger in the late 1980s was based on the 86G chassis that Bicester-based constructor March built for it, as well as for BMW and Buick. Originally using a 3.0-litre V6 turbo engine, for 1987 Nissan bought further new chassis and equipped them with a turbocharged V8, with the sole aim of proving successful at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Sadly, the cars were beset with poor performance and unreliability, so Nissan began work on a new V8 that would go into a further-refined 86Gbased car for 1988. These also had little success on the world stage, but would hold the line until the Lola-designed R89 was ready for the 1989 season.

THE ultimate expression of the four-cylinder power that had provided Toyota’s sports car racing action throughout the mid-1980s, the 88C used the famous 3S-GT turbo as also seen in the IMSA cars and the rallying Celica GT4s and Corolla WRCs. Its conventional aluminium tub chassis (related to the original 85C Dome-Toyota) and a March five-speed gearbox were once again built by the Japanese Dome company, and it achieved some success at home – but less so during its rare appearances on the world stage. Toyota dreamed of Le Mans glory, and would need V8 power to take a step closer after the 88C – although the car did show much more competitiveness during the 1989 IMSA season alongside Dan Gurney’s own Eagle chassis.

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Kremer CK5

AS with Joest and its 936C, this front-running Porsche customer team couldn’t wait for its 956 to arrive in the mail… so the Kremer brothers took some of the tried-andtested 908/917/936 bits and refashioned them into this dramatic sports prototype powered by a 2.8-litre air-cooled flat-six turbo. With its shovel nose, deeply drawn-down glazing at the front and unusual ‘spine’, the CK5 looked very futuristic in 1982, but results were better in the German national series than on the world stage, where it was no match for a 956. Kremer sold its original chassis to Briton Richard Cleare, who raced it in 1983, but entered a new CK5 alongside its own 956 for a while (just as Joest did). The type continued to be seen on the grid in various forms until the end of the 1985 season.

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Joest 936C

Aston Martin AMR1

WHAT do you do if, in 1982, you can’t get Porsche to sell you a 956 quickly enough? If you’re Reinhold Joest, former driver and latterly to run one of the most successful sports car racing teams of all time, you don’t sit around and wait – you make your own Group C car to be getting on with. Joest’s pragmatic approach was to take his 908/80 – effectively a customer version of the Group 6 936, which he had built with the help of the Porsche factory – rework its spaceframe spyder body with a roof and more modern-appearing aerodynamics, and enjoy the proven power of a range of turbocharged flat-six Porsche engines. Joest continued with the car into 1983, and scored some good results, often finishing inside the top six. It was then sold on, but it continued to be seen in Group C races until the end of 1986.

ONE of the great tragedies about the demise of the classic fuel-efficiency Group C formula is the sheer waste of manufacturer involvement of the type that hasn’t been seen in top-level sports car racing since. A perfect example of this is Aston Martin fielding a two-car Works team during the 1989 season. Run by Ray Mallock, the beefy AMR1 looked like a beast and sounded like rolling thunder, courtesy of the classic Aston V8 in 6.3-litre form, tuned by American Reeves Callaway. Good results were hard to come by, but improvements were steady; the cars were around 20mph off the fastest machinery at Le Mans that year, on the last occasion the race was run without chicanes on the straight. Sadly, Aston’s 3.5-litre challenger for the new formula, designed by Tony Southgate, was a victim of Ford’s purchase of Jaguar, and was abandoned before it came to fruition.

ABOVE Aston Martin’s AMR1 was the last car of its kind for the British manufacturer.

THE T92/10 was the first customer sports car built by Lola since the early 1980s, and it formed the firm’s sales offering for the 1992 season. In recent years, Lola had designed chassis exclusively for major manufacturers, but it now had to go it alone. As a 3.5-litre, naturally aspirated contender for the new rules, its advanced aerodynamics were developed by Wiet Huidekoper. These were combined with a Judd GV10 engine, related to John Judd’s contemporary F1 engine. Historic events have proven the car, with its carbonfibre chassis and exceptionally low drag, to be searingly quick. In period, however, it was hampered by various issues – and it had the misfortune to participate in a dying championship that curtailed its career before it’d properly begun. Only three were made, with the final car being seen in the Interserie Championship later in the decade.

Aston Martin V8 EMKA

NAMED for project instigator Steve O’Rourke’s daughters Emma and Katherine, the EMKA continued the patriotic efforts of the late 1970s and early ’80s to put a famous British name back at the forefront of international sports car racing. O’Rourke, the manager of the rock band Pink Floyd, had Len Bailey (of GT40 fame) design an aluminium tub chassis and distinctive body. This was built by Michael Cane Racing, with power from an Aston Martin 5.3-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. Debuting in 1983, the car retired on the last lap of the Silverstone 1000km and came 17th overall at Le Mans. The team sat out 1984, but achieved a moment of glory at Le Mans in 1985 by leading the race for nine minutes. It eventually finished 11th overall – after which the project was shelved.

Spice SE86 THE first eponymous car constructed by Gordon Spice’s team, the SE86 was a neat, distinctive Group C2 machine that formed the basis of Spice’s contender for the 1986 and ’87 seasons, but was also sold to the US market. Developed initially with the help of Pontiac for the IMSA series, the desire to have Fiero road-car styling cues gave the car its fastback look and sleek front end. Usually powered by the ubiquitous Cosworth DFL engine (although some teams used Hart four-cylinder turbo units), it had an aluminiumhoneycomb tub and a conventional approach to chassis design. The SE86 and Spice Engineering team narrowly lost out to the Ecurie Ecosse outfit in ’86, although Spice was drivers’ champion, but they came back strongly in 1987 to take Gordon Spice to another drivers’ and teams’ C2 title. A classic design from Graham Humphreys’ pen.

Sauber C8

THE Mercedes challenge in sports car racing began here. An initial low-key entry saw a single C8 appear at Le Mans in 1985, powered by the 5.0litre M117 V8 engine boosted by twin turbochargers. A huge accident for John Nielsen saw the car dramatically flip on the Mulsanne Straight, but the C8 returned for a full season in 1986 with sponsorship from Kouros, and the team began to look like a major player. A first win at the Nürburgring that year must have gone down well with Mercedes bosses, who’d been developing the V8s under the cover of Mader in Switzerland, so as not to have any official involvement. The C8 was replaced by the C9 at the year’s end, but its legacy was clear; the new car was good enough to sweep Sauber to success over the next three seasons.

Toyota TS010 DESIGNED by Tony Southgate, the TS010 entered motor sport folklore after it broke the ribs of both Andy Wallace and Hitoshi Ogawa during pre-season testing, due to the extreme cornering forces it could generate. It was widely regarded as having better aerodynamics (particularly in low-drag configuration) and a nicer chassis than the Peugeot 905 Evo 1, but its V10 powerplant trailed its French rival’s, as often did its reliability. Neither could the Toyota team match the preparedness and attention to detail of the Jean Todt-run French squad. The TS010 won its maiden outing in 1992 at Monza, but thereafter it struggled to match the 905s. Its only other appearance was at Le Mans in 1993, where despite having the pace it was roundly beaten by the Peugeots. After the implosion of the Sports Car Championship, the car enjoyed just two more wins in Japan, before becoming a museum piece.

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Lola T92/10

Toyota 89CV

WM P88 WHILE this car was far from a successful Group C entry, it achieves its place in the top half of our leaderboard for the notoriety surrounding the WM team’s attitude to one race in particular: Le Mans. From 1987 onwards, the small outfit (led by Peugeot designer Gérard Welter) focused solely on achieving the highest speed on the Mulsanne Straight – and this it reached with the P88, at an astonishing 252mph. With wild aerodynamics specifically dedicated for ultimate speed, and 900bhpplus from the twin-turbo Peugeot V6, this figure wasn’t altogether surprising. However, although only a few mph faster than the front-running cars achieved, this was undoubtedly a factor in convincing the FIA that chicanes had to be installed on the Mulsanne Straight to slow the cars down – also another needle in the ongoing battle between the ACO and the FIA. The move changed the nature of the event forever.

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AS with Nissan, Toyota spent much of the 1980s longing to beat the established European sports car opposition – and in particular at Le Mans, which held a mystical appeal. While its four-cylinder cars would later find much IMSA success in the US, in Europe they were never able to mount a serious challenge; hence the arrival of the V8 twin-turbo 89CV was a major step forward. Now it really had the firepower to take on Merc, Porsche and Jaguar. Alas, the results never fulfilled that potential in the World Championship. The car was seriously hampered by its V8 thirst, while having a team based in the UK, with engines crated over from Japan, provided considerable logistical headaches. A later evolution of the car narrowly missed out on taking the last ‘Group C’ win at Le Mans, in the 1994 race.

Spice SE89 FOR 1989, Gordon Spice’s team took advantage of the new 3.5-litre rule-set, and moved up to the C1 class, replacing the 3.3 Cosworth DFLs with 3.5 DFZs, as used by the smaller teams in F1. Given that the length of Group C races was also dramatically reduced during this period, reliability over long distances became less of a factor, and as an ‘atmo’ entrant in the new class, Spice benefitted from greatly reduced weight limits: 750kg versus the turbo cars, which were now at 900kg. The Spice was another tidy design, with good handling characteristics, but the team was at a distinct disadvantage in qualifying without the option to run at high boost. That meant positions some way down the grid, with the cars then having to battle through the field – correspondingly resulting in various collisions and mishaps as the Spices attempted to use their impressive race pace to gain positions. No longer entering a Works team in C2, Spice nevertheless sold C2 versions of the SE89 – and Chamberlain Engineering secured the C2 title that year.

Rondeau M382

LE Mans-born Jean Rondeau began his quest to win the 24 Hours in 1976, with the Inaltéra – a car named after his wallpaper-company main sponsor. After it pulled out he entered the cars under his own name, and won outright in 1980. The M382 was based on those earlier machines, but with a longer wheelbase and revised aero for the new-in1982 Group C regulations. Still powered by naturally aspirated Ford DFL V8s, it won at the Monza opening round, and Rondeau was a title frontrunner until it was pipped by Porsche after a Group B 911’s score was controversially counted in the overall total. Rondeau and sponsor Otis were outraged, and the team was closed, bringing to an end a great French motor sport story. Tragically, Rondeau was killed on a local level crossing in 1985, having finished second overall in a Porsche 956 during the ’84 24 Hours.

Peugeot 905 THE 3.5-litre rules were tailormade for a big corporate such as Peugeot – perhaps literally conceived with it in mind. Having conquered Group B rallying and long-distance Rally Raids, Jean Todt’s Works Peugeot Sport team was primed for a new challenge – and that arrived in the form of this new sports car, along with the synergy around the new-for-’89 F1 engine rules. In theory it was perfect: win in sports cars, win Le Mans, go to F1. Unfortunately, Peugeot rather misfired with the original 905, despite a 1990 debut giving plenty of time to perfect the advanced carbon construction and naturally aspirated V10. The distinctive car had clearly been designed to look like the firm’s road machines rather than with advanced aero in mind, and it was soon shown up by Jaguar’s new XJR-14. While it’s easy to feel bitter about the destruction this rule change left in its wake, the 905 was a pioneering car, and it formed the basis of the all-conquering Evo.

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ABOVE Despite its less-thanauspicious start, the 905 was a pioneering step towards the Evo.

Nissan R89C

THE much-maligned C291 was Sauber’s great effort for the new 3.5-litre formula in 1991. Coming off the back of utter domination with the C11 the year before, expectations were high – but the complex car proved to be troublesome. It was handsome, but nevertheless had the look of an updated ’80s Group C machine, rather than an F1 car with a roof, as with the XJR-14. Unlike the Jag, Mercedes had no readily available F1 engine to slot into place, so it took the internally controversial option of designing an all-new flat-12. While being one of the bestsounding engines ever, there were numerous teething issues, and reliability would be a major factor, despite the introduction of car-to-pit telemetry. Nevertheless, the C291 was a car with potential, as proved by victory for Karl Wendlinger and Michael Schumacher in the final round of the championship at Autopolis in Japan. The C292 for 1992 boasted much more radical aero, and had it not been a victim of Mercedes’ withdrawal from the sport, it may have been very successful indeed.

NISSAN’S new Lola-designed challenger for 1989 showed just how serious the Japanese brands were about beating the European opposition – and, in particular, seizing that prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours victory. In its iconic blue/ white/red corporate livery, the R89C most definitely looked the part, and its new 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8 engine was hugely powerful. The car clearly had much more potential than any of Nissan’s previous efforts, but with ’89 being a development year there were still the usual niggles to contend with. The team struggled with set-up, the brakes – initially metal, not carbon – were not up to the task, and fuel efficiency was an issue. There was almost too much power, as well, with a shift to radial tyres from the initial crossplies only gradually alleviating traction problems. Le Mans was a disaster, not least thanks to Julian Bailey’s infamous collision with John Nielsen’s Jaguar at Mulsanne Corner very early in the race.

Jaguar XJR-12

THE final V12-powered Big Cat followed the usual theme since the original XJR-6, but featured a higher-downforce aero package on account of its debut at Le Mans coinciding with the 1990 introduction of the two Mulsanne chicanes. Although TWR had by now switched to the turbocharged XJR-11, it was viewed as not the best option for Le Mans, hence the arrival of the 12. It was a good decision: politics had weakened the field, with Mercedes staying away, while Nissan’s formidable effort fell short. Jaguar scored a one-two. The XJR-12 was used in ’91 as well, now upgraded to 7.4 litres and with a longer nose, but the Jags were constrained by a limited fuel allocation and unable to capitalise when Mercedes crumbled. They came second, third and fourth behind the winning Mazda.

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Mercedes C291

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Spice SE88

Jaguar XJR-6

THE SE88 was in some ways the pinnacle of Gordon Spice’s achievement in the junior C2 category, and a worthy series champion and Le Mans winner in 1988. The two-car team was on another level in C2, the Cosworth DFL-powered cars proving too strong for the Tiga and Argo opposition. This marks the last of the purely C2 Spices, given that its successor could be entered in either class depending on what type of Cosworth V8 was fitted. It was another simple but elegant Graham Humphreys design, while the immaculately presented Works team raised the standard of preparation in the junior class. The SE88 also sold in numbers to privateer C2 teams, and its sensible running costs and available parts ensured it was a staple of the lower end of the grid for the next few seasons.

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THIS original Group C Jaguar would go on to be studiously evolved, but the template was forged here. Tony Southgate knew he had to offset the handicap of the heavy 6.2-litre V12, so he mounted it as far forward as possible. With superb aerodynamics and the rigidity of a full carbonfibre tub, if lacking the vents and scoops of its later life, the Big Cat was so bold it won a Design Council Award. Upon the mid-1985 debut in Canada, Martin Brundle surged to the front to lead in the early stages, eventually finishing third. TWR mounted a two-car attack on the full championship in 1986, in Silk Cut’s white, purple and gold livery. The V12 now displaced 6.5 litres, and there was a longtail body for Le Mans, as well as the regular Sprint set-up. Silverstone saw the first victory, with Derek Warwick and Eddie Cheever ending Porsche’s dominance.

Jaguar XJR-11

Mazda 787B

Nissan R90CK

AS the 1988 season wore on, it became obvious that Jaguar would need to relinquish its trusty V12 in favour of a turbo motor, to achieve the boosted power with economy being enjoyed by the emergent Sauber-Mercedes threat. But what engine to use? In an ingenious move, TWR heavily reworked and turbocharged the V64V V6 from the Metro 6R4 Group B rally car. The resultant XJR-11 didn’t appear until mid-1989, making its debut at July’s Brands Hatch 1000km. On paper the 11 was a world-beater, with a carbon tub – as with its predecessor, and unlike the alloy structures of Sauber and Porsche – and 1000bhp-plus in qualifying trim by 1990. Yet it was beset with reliability, handling and economy issues, and claimed only one victory, at Silverstone in 1990 (when the junior-team Mercedes C11 was disqualified in practice and its lead sister car retired in the race) before the rule change of 1991. A definite case of ‘what might have been’, because the XJR-11 merely needed more time to show what it could do.

THE 787 was designed by Nigel Stroud (who had overseen the development of Richard Lloyd’s Porsches), and its carbon tub was also made in the UK. A new, quadrotor R26B engine was used, and the radiators were moved from the sides (in the previous 767) to the nose, while the B for 1991 saw improvements such as carbon brakes. However, there were other factors that would play a part in the car’s eventual victory. Mazdaspeed consultant Jacky Ickx and the team lobbied regulatory body FISA to adjust the 787B’s weight favourably. This was crucial in 1991, because Group C was in the middle of its ill-advised 3.5litre transition, which was not going to plan. Alarmed by the prospect of tiny grids, the FIA said that for ’91 the old fuel-formula cars could still compete, but with a minimum limit raised from 900kg to 1000kg. Mazda successfully argued that its 787B could run at just 830kg, and reportedly reduced the engine revs to prioritise economy. When the Mercedes team crumbled and Jaguar struggled to stay on the fuel, the Mazda surged to the front for an historic win.

THE R90’s place as a legend in motor sport history is assured for largely one reason. Arguably it failed to capitalise on the impact of its immediate successor, the R89C, during the 1990 season, and while its record in the domestic championship was impressive, in the World Championship it couldn’t blend pace with fuel economy like the Sauber C11 could. Instead, it’s best known for a few minutes (3m 27.02s to be exact) during qualifying for the 1990 Le Mans 24 Hours. Did the wastegates on the 3.5-litre twin-turbo really stick open? Did Mark Blundell really fail to hear the cries from his Japanese engineers over the radio? Whatever, the footage of the lap, immortalised by in-car camera and now a YouTube favourite, shows what it was like to have considerably in excess of 1000bhp at Le Mans. Pole by a margin of six seconds; Group C excess at its finest.

Jaguar XJR-8

8 ABOVE Martini Racing LC2 was often the fastest car in the field. Only reliability let it down.

AS the Porsche factory team crumbled, TWR Jaguar really hit its stride, evolving the V12 XJR-6 into the XJR-8 for 1987 and in the process claiming 64 individual changes between the models. The 8 introduced the purple and yellow iteration of the Silk Cut livery that was to become so synonymous with late-’80s Jags, while the V12 was taken out to 7.0 litres and 720bhp. There were also smaller headlights, magnesium (not cast) wheels, minor bodywork changes and a new LM spec for Le Mans that for one year only did away with the rear wheel spats. The XJR-8 won eight out of the ten races, with only Le Mans and the Norisring eluding the team; Porsche took both. Jaguar easily clinched both the drivers’ and teams’ championships, with Brazilian Raul Boesel taking the former. For the Big Cat it was job done, save for that elusive Le Mans victory…

Lancia LC2

Peugeot 905 Evo

THE crisp, Martini-adorned lines of the LC2 represented the main – and, in fact, only real – opposition to the Porsche steamroller in the early years of Group C. From 1983 through to part-way through the 1986 season, the beautiful Lancia was often the fastest car in the field, thanks in part to well over 800bhp from its twin-turbo Ferrari V8. What it couldn’t offer was reliability, all of its seasons being beset with problems. With a chassis designed by Abarth and built by Dallara, and run by the fabled Martini Racing team headed by Cesare Fiorio, the LC2 had everything going for it. However, only three wins – two of which were against weaker opposition, and at Spa in 1985, when the race was halted prematurely following Stefan Bellof’s fatal accident – were a poor reward for so much potential. LC2s continued to race sporadically in private hands for the rest of the decade, but with woeful results.

IF the XJR-14 had initially made Peugeot Talbot Sport look a little foolish in 1991, then the crack French team was not going to take it lying down. The resultant 905B Evo 1 was an altogether far more convincing vehicle, with aerodynamics now more suited to a cutting-edge racer than a marketing-led concept road car. More power was found for the V10, too, reliability was massively increased thanks to a punishing testing programme, and the car’s competitiveness immediately shot up, with Peugeot winning the final two rounds of the championship. Jaguar was gone for 1992, and in a very small field only Toyota proved decent completion; Peugeot crushed it anyway. An even wilderlooking Evo 2 was trialled towards season’s end, but it wasn’t taken any further when the series folded – yet the Evo 1 would be back for Le Mans in 1993, when it took another convincing victory. Peugeot then fled to F1, job done for the FIA – but despite the politics, the 905B was an incredible machine in its own right.

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Jaguar XJR-14

Sauber-Mercedes C9

Jaguar XJR-9

THE spectacular XJR-14 revolutionised sports car racing the moment it turned a wheel in anger – and if the 3.5-litre formula hadn’t been such a cul-de-sac for the championship in general, the Big Cat may have appeared even higher in this list. Designed by Ross Brawn, and powered by a rebadged Ford HB Series F1 motor tuned for the new World Sports Car Championship’s shorterlength events, its extreme aero was clearly a step beyond that of its rivals, and certainly influenced the design of sports prototypes over the following seasons. It also brought in the new, all-purple Silk Cut colours, which were to be seen for just one year. As 1991 progressed, TWR came under more pressure from a rejuvenated Peugeot squad that reacted strongly to being outclassed, but it still hung on to take the teams’ championship and Teo Fabi the drivers’ crown. It was deemed unsuitable for Le Mans, so Jaguar reverted to the V12 cars for the 24 Hours.

IF the C11 is the ultimate turbocharged SauberMercedes, the C9 is possibly the car that resonates most with fans and means the most to the brand. In it, you can see the genes of the C7 from Le Mans back in 1983 – the dome of the roof and the bluff front end are both recognisable. But by the time the C8 came along in 1985, the old BMW ‘six’ had been replaced by 5.0litre V8 twin-turbo Mercedes power – and it was this engine that was to become a key component of the Sauber’s rise to domination. The C9 appeared in 1987, taking another win, before becoming a true front-runner in ’88. Yet it was in ’89, with a switch to four-valve heads and more overt Mercedes involvement, that the team became the one to beat, and victory at Le Mans against another huge Jaguar effort was the stuff of legends. Sauber took the C9 to Suzuka early in 1990, and even against the best of the new Japanese cars it emerged victorious. With its unmistakable deep roar, the C9 is an all-time classic endurance racer.

ARGUABLY the definitive V12-powered Jaguar, the XJR-9 earns its place in the racing car hall of fame – not so much for notching up another championship double (Martin Brundle lifting the 1988 drivers’ crown), but for providing Jaguar with that elusive, long lusted-after Le Mans 24 Hours win. As TWR’s third consecutive year contesting the race, pressure was really building for the team to deliver – and after an epic battle against the factory Porsches, it narrowly scored the victory. Without any turbo boost to increase, the XJR-9 was often at a disadvantage during qualifying, but its economy against the fastest of the

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Porsches, the Saubers and the new Japanese contingent – who had to reduce their boost to save fuel later in the race – meant the Jag’s race pace was mighty, particularly with a first-class driver line-up. Nevertheless, even at the height of the 9’s powers, it was becoming clear that the opposition was starting to catch up with Jaguar’s lead; unlike 1987’s dominance, in ’88 the Big Cat scored six wins to the five of Sauber-Mercedes, and TWR knew the writing was on the wall for the big V12 in sprint races. To be competitive in Group C from now on would require a smaller, more packagefriendly, more powerful engine, as the secret to success in the formula inevitably became more homogenised.

2001 2001PANOZ PANOZLMP07 LMP07 2001 PANOZ LMP07

2008 2008FERRARI FERRARIF430 F430GTC GTC 2008 FERRARI F430 GTC

2010 2010ASTON ASTONMARTIN MARTINV8 V8VANTAGE VANTAGEGT2 GT2 2010 ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE GT2

2011 2011MERCEDES MERCEDESSLS SLSAMG AMGGT3 GT3 2011 MERCEDES SLS AMG GT3

C IOON CCOOOLLLLLLEEECCCTTTI IO NN

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Porsche 956

Sauber-Mercedes C11

“WE’VE never built a monocoque car before. We’ve never built a ground-effect car before. But we’ve never been wrong before, either.” So said Porsche engineering maestro Norbert Singer, when offering a drive to Derek Bell ahead of Group C’s inaugural season. The 956 exemplified the adage ‘if a car looks right, it is right’. Porsche knew what was required to make a successful long-distance racing machine, and so it created a new type of car that catered for both the hardened professional and the wealthy gentleman driver. It helped that a potent and relatively fuel-efficient 2.65litre twin-turbo flat-six was waiting in the wings, left over from a failed IndyCar attempt; while the boxer configuration compromised the underbody tunnels, it was made to work. Rivals looked amateurish in comparison, and the 956 won Le Mans four times in a row. Customer cars were sold for 1983, and soon the races were resembling a Porsche benefit run: to be competitive, you had to have a 956. A true classic.

PORSCHE may have pipped the C11 to the top spot on this leaderboard, on account of the Stuttgart team’s importance to the sport, but there’s no doubt the Sauber-Mercedes is the ultimate fuel-formula Group C car, and certainly the fastest. It was unequivocally the machine to beat in 1990, the last year of the traditional Group C formula, rendering Jaguar’s turbocharged XJR-11 largely impotent, and at the same time emphatically putting the new Japanese teams in their place. It won eight of nine races that year, losing to Jaguar at Silverstone only after the ‘junior’ drivers’ car was disqualified in qualifying and the lead machine suffered a rare engine failure in the race. It failed to win at Le Mans, too, but that was for an altogether different reason: with the ruckus between the ACO and the FIA, the 24 Hours was a non-championship event, and Mercedes declined to send its team. The C11 would have to wait until the following year, when it was being campaigned as a back-up to the new-era, 3.5litre C291. It most definitely should have won Le Mans – indeed, Mercedes absolutely dominated from the front, its trio of entries in control until one by one they suffered rare

mechanical woes, letting the Mazda through for the win. The cause? An alternator bracket that had been anodised to look pretty, weakening it in the process… Compared with the C9, which could trace its alloytubbed forebears back to the early 1980s, the C11 was a much more sophisticated beast, using a carbonfibre tub, Mercedes five-speed ’box and rocker-type rear suspension. It was stiffer, lighter and more aerodynamically efficient, and in the hands of Schlesser, Baldi, Mass, Schumacher, Frentzen and Wendlinger, it was virtually uncatchable. One thing that hadn’t changed much was the potent four-valve 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which delivered around 750hp in race trim and up to 1000bhp in qualifying, yet retained the best fuelefficiency figures on the grid by some margin. Really, the others never stood a chance.

BUCKLE UP FOR THE 2024 SEASON by Peter Auto! Considered one of the most glorious periods in endurance racing, the years 1982 - 1993 saw what many consider as the most successful and innovative cars ever conceived for competition, born from the imagination of some of the most brilliant minds motorsport has ever known. Their names were Porsche 956 and 962, Jaguar XJR9, 12 or 14, Spice, Peugeot 905, Mercedes-Sauber, Rondeau or Lancia LC2, and their playing fields were temples of speed such as Le Mans, Spa or Monza. Since 2016, Peter Auto has been bringing back to life this Golden Age of motor sport, where patent manufacturers and brilliant craftsmen competed to offer their cars speed, often over 350 km/h, and endurance, notably at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2024, 4 top circuits will host one of the most spectacular grids of the Series by Peter Auto: Mugello, Spa-Francorchamps, Dijon-Prenois and Le Castellet. 4 circuits, 4 opportunities for all Group C owners to come and drive within a prestigious grid, between enthusiasts who respect these unique machines, on tracks tailored to their spectacular performances.

Information & Entries : competition@peter.fr Peter Auto - 103 rue Lamarck - 75018 Paris FR - Tel.:+33 (0)1 42 59 73 40 - www.peterauto.fr

NOT necessarily the outright fastest Group C car of all time, and possibly not the most visceral, the 962 C is nevertheless our Top 50 number one because in so many ways it is Group C racing, from the way it looks to what it did for the sport itself. Placing it above its twin sister, the earlier 956, is not the easiest of decisions, and there is a case to say the original was more dominant – the Works drivers certainly preferred the way the 956 drove, at least initially. However, outside of Lancia, the 956 also lacked any credible opposition for much of its career, whereas the 962 C had not only extreme longevity, and ubiquity, but a horde of major rivals to contend with. The 962 C was a reaction to a rule change that meant the driver’s feet had to be behind the front-axle line. As Porsche had already had to comply with a similar rule with its 1984 962 for the IMSA series, adapting the 962 into C form for the World Championship in 1985 was logical enough, with the 956 eventually being outlawed for customer teams

Porsche 962 C

at the end of 1986. To comply, Porsche simply pushed the front axle 12cm forwards, shortening the nose slightly in the process, and fitted the rear half of the 956 to it (the US-spec IMSA cars initially were forced to use air-cooled engines, as the organisers were worried about Porsche domination of the series). Of course, the changes didn’t stop there. A host of details evolved over the years as could be expected, particularly because Porsche liked to use its Works cars as a technological test bed – for example, with the introduction of the PDK twin-clutch gearbox. Originally equipped with the 2.8-litre air-/water-cooled engine, in 1987 the car was upgraded to a fully watercooled 3.0 unit, which in due course made its way into the hands of numerous customers. By now, many of them were independently building their own 962 Cs, often incorporating changes, too, after period-related circuit safety standards resulted in three accidents with tragic outcomes. Having swept all

the titles in 1985-86, by ’87 the car was understandably showing its age. Yet much to the frustration of drivers such as Derek Bell, Porsche would not invest or replace it, instead winding down its efforts, with the Works team focusing purely on Le Mans. Upgraded engine management and further tweaks meant Porsche could, and arguably should, have beaten Jaguar at Le Mans in 1988, and Joest was leading in ’89 until it hit issues. The final win also came that year, with the team’s heavily modified car (with low-key factory assistance) beating the Sauber-Mercedes at Dijon. Nevertheless, even into the 3.5-litre years the 962 C formed the bulk of the grid, encouraging privateers to go racing. When they were gone, the series crumbled – but the 962 C outlasted even that, continuing to race in certain forms around the world with dispensation until the mid’90s, a decade after its launch. That makes it arguably the greatest racing machine of all time, and certainly the number one Group C car.

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Market Watch: Buying an Audi Quattro

Watches and art: Cartier Crash and Craig Warwick

Automobilia: The beauty of ABC Brianza models

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M A R K E T WAT C H

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Audi Quattro and Sport Quattro Motor sport pedigree, legendary handling prowess and just enough performance to exploit that all-four-paw grip, the Ur-Quattro and its exotic Sport stablemate are great for drivers – and now also for collectors

THE AUDI QUATTRO’S ORIGIN story is a wonderful reminder that sometimes you can find a diamond in a shovel-load of coal. Or, it would seem, in a pile of deep snow. During the 1976-77 test season, Audi’s engineers found their own metaphorical diamond – the idea for the original Quattro – in the snow-swept tracks of northern Sweden. Apparently, after their front-wheel-drive prototype test units were shown up on the icy roads by a 75bhp Volkswagen Iltis 4x4, they got thinking. Why not mass produce a high-performance, all-wheel-drive passenger car? Originally developed by Audi for the wider VW Group, the Iltis’s relatively crude four-wheel-drive system was convincing at low speeds, but proved too unwieldy when paired with a powerful, turbocharged, five-cylinder engine. Deemed unfit for purpose, it would need to be re-engineered. What followed was some hollow thinking by Audi’s head of transmission design, Franz Tengler. His clever solution – a 263mmlong, drilled-out secondary shaft, with the output shaft rotating concentrically within – allowed torque to be sent equally to both front and rear axles via a centre differential. It was a lightweight, compact and elegant solution, which would go on to revolutionise the world of rallying and entrench the brand’s growing reputation as a technology leader. Subsequent highly successful tests convinced Audi’s board of directors to sign off on a development exercise, referred to as EA 262, midway through 1978. In charge of various aspects of this all-wheel-drive, high-performance, passenger-car programme were Jörg Bensinger, Walter Treser and Ferdinand Piëch. The final model, based on the Audi Coupé B2, featured a body and interior designed by Hartmut Warkuss, Gerhard Pfefferle, Martin Smith and Peter Birtwhistle, among others. Simply called the Quattro, the first mass-produced highperformance car to feature a permanent all-wheel-drive set-up made its debut at the Geneva

ABOVE Early cabin’s distinctive cloth trim and white dials take you straight back to the 1980s. Motor Show in March 1980. The first Quattros, heftily priced at DM49,900 and left-hand drive only, were delivered to German buyers later that year. These were powered by a 2144cc, five-cylinder, ten-valve, turbocharged engine bearing the internal code WR. The motor produced 197bhp and incorporated novel new electronic engine-management kit. Features such as power steering, foglights, headlight washers and Goodyear 205/60 VR15 tyres on 6Jx15 Ronal rims were standard fitment. At £15k each, only around 160 of these early LHD cars made their way to the UK before Audi added right-hand-drive models to the production line. For the 1983 model year, revisions included more powerful, single-unit headlights, and suspension mods aimed at improving straight-line stability and overall ride refinement. The first batch of US-bound Quattros, with chunkier bumpers, catalytic converters and a ‘mere’ 160bhp, landed in 1983. A new green-lit digital dashboard and a ‘talking’ autocheck unit, voiced by Patrizia Lipp, were added soon after. The following year saw minor revisions to the interior, significant suspension modifications and the addition of ABS. Meanwhile, a switch to 8Jx15 wheels and 215/50

VR15 Pirelli rubber required slightly wider wings, too. Also in 1984, Audi introduced the 302bhp Sport Quattro, a shortwheelbase homologation special built for Group B rallying. Of the minimum 200 that had to be made, only 164 were sold as road cars, each costing around three to four times more than a ‘regular’ Quattro – about £50k in the UK. For the 1985 model year, the Quattro received its first major visual tweaks. These included a sleeker grille and headlight units – now rear-angled for improved aerodynamics – smoked tail-lights and a body-coloured spoiler at the back. Proper name badges replaced the stickers used previously. Significant mechanical upgrades were made towards the tail end of 1987. These incorporated a slightly larger-capacity, 2226cc engine – the MB unit – with hydraulic valve lift, a higher compression ratio and a more advanced ECU. There were more powerful front brakes and a new self-locking Torsen diff to replace the old, manually lockable centre unit. Inside, the dash now glowed orange, adopted a fully electronic odometer and ditched Patrizia for conventional warning lights. Halfway through 1989, Audi gave the Quattro a new heart – the 20v RR engine. The high-tech multi-valve head, Bosch Motronic control and higher compression ratio together boosted power to

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217bhp, delivered almost 310Nm of torque and allowed 6.3-second sprints to 60mph. More interior tweaks and ventilated rear brake discs rounded out the changes. Right from its launch, the Audi Quattro set new dynamic standards. Motor Sport magazine’s Clive Richardson followed up on a demanding drive during the car’s 1980 Geneva debut by reporting: “Its handling on Tarmac is superbly balanced, neutral most of the time, responding best to power-on all the way round a corner, yet barely disturbed by lifting off in mid-curve. “The roadholding is in a class of its own, the wide tyres biting ever harder the more the throttle is applied, with no sensations of scrub or squeal. Traction takes on a new meaning with the Quattro.” However, the model’s continual development, regular mechanical upgrades and ongoing additions to the standard equipment list

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ABOVE The Quattro’s technical spec and kit list saw regular upgrades over its 11-year life. Exterior updates that came after this 1981 model, however, were far more subtle.

meant that, by 1990, the legendary Audi cost more than double what it had done at launch. In total, nearly 11,500 of these motoring icons left the factory before production ended in May 1991. The Ur-Quattro, as it became known, was replaced by the more modern and significantly cheaper S2. While initially well received, this failed to emulate the impact of its groundbreaking predecessor.

T H E VA L U E P R O P O S I T I O N

‘The Quattro’s roadholding is in a class of its own – traction takes on a new meaning’

It wasn’t too long ago that base Quattros were seen as regular everyday cars, and therefore not considered particularly special. In recent years, though, they’ve landed firmly on the radars of committed Audi enthusiasts and collectors. A visit to Quattro specialist AM Cars, in Ilminster, Somerset, confirms the uptick in interest. “We’re very busy,” says owner Adam Marsden. “There are five on the floor right now.” Known as a

one-stop shop for everything from a minor service to a full nut-andbolt restoration, AM Cars receives Quattros of every kind – road cars, SWBs, even Groups 4 and B rally machinery – from all over. Of those five mentioned, two live in Jersey, and one’s from Oman. Since buying his first Quattro in 1986 – an ’83 right-hand-drive example finished in black – Adam says at least 100 have passed through his hands. With that much experience buying and selling them, he’s perfectly placed to talk about values. “Price-wise, they’re very strong. An early car such as this one,” he says, pointing to a silver 1981 model on display in the corner of the reception area, “which has done only 50,000km, would probably hit £100,000.” That’s definitely the upper range for an early example. Figures provided by classic insurance and valuation specialist Hagerty suggest the

T H E D E TA I L S 1980-91 AUDI QUATTRO WR/MB/RR ENGINE

INLINE-FIVE, SOHC 10V/ SOHC 10V/DOHC 20V, 2144/2226/2226CC

POWER

197/197/217BHP

TOP SPEED

137/138/143MPH

0-60MPH

7.3/6.7/6.3SEC

VA LU E S F R O M H AG E RT Y P R I C E G U I D E Sport Quattro (UK)

Sport Quattro (US)

£400,000

$600,000

£250,000

$500,000

£100,000

$400,000 2014

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2019

Quattro (UK)

Quattro (US)

£70,000

$95,000

£50,000

$88,000

£30,000

$82,000

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2020

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1984-86 AUDI SPORT QUATTRO ENGINE

INLINE-FIVE, DOHC 20V, 2133CC

POWER

302BHP

TOP SPEED

155MPH

0-60MPH

4.8SEC

average for an ’81 model in Condition 1 (Concours) is closer to half that, at £53,500. Mileage and paperwork are great levellers. Recently, at an auction in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, a well documented, concours-spec 1981 car with nearly 90,000km on the clock sold for €82,800. Condition-based US prices for a 1985 Quattro range from $20,900 to $90,800, with Sport models currently valued at anything between $276,000 and $584,000. These are early cars, though – so what about the later ones? According to Hagerty, the average values for a 1991 model start at £30,500 for a car in Condition 4 (Fair), rising to a heady £86,600 for one in concours condition. As ever, significant machines can deliver surprising results, as seen with the 2021 sale of the last right-handdrive car to leave the factory, which fetched a huge £163,125 at auction. Gems such as these are few and

£10,000

$75,000 2013

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far between. It’s much easier to find a middle-range 1984, ’85 or ’86 model, because this was when production was at its peak. Still, prices have been rising across the condition range as well. Adam tells of a “red ’86 basket-case, rotten and wanting complete restoration, which made £18k plus charges at auction recently”. When asked how much the buyer would need to spend to get it going and looking the part once more, the answer comes back: “Quite easily £50,000£60,000, and likely even more.” Ready to go off-piste and buy one, but you’re not sure which model to go for? Adam again: “That’s a tough question. I get asked it a lot. The 20v is more refined, more relaxed and more tractable. It just eats the miles. But obviously, the iconic one is the first one. I guess it’s the same with any car; the first and last are the ones that people seem to like most.” He continues: “We source cars

2021

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for people, but be aware, there are no bargains anymore. With the internet the way it is, people know what stuff is worth – unless you can find one in a barn where the owner’s never been online.” And then there are the unicorns, the Sport Quattros. Adam’s owned and passed on a few over the years. One of his even found its way to Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay. “We still look after it today,” reveals Adam. With the limited numbers, Group B supersuits and legendary driving thrills, prices are now going into overdrive. Hagerty reckons £207,000 for a daily driver (you know you would!) ballooning to £460,000 for the best ones – a 10x return on a 40-year investment.

T H E D E S I R A B I L I T Y FA C T O R Even after being around them for decades, Adam Marsden’s passion for the Quattro hasn’t waned an inch. Why these cars specifically? “My late father worked for a

Dutch company in 1980-81. His boss came over with one of the first cars, in silver. I went home for lunch, and it was parked outside our house. I said: ‘Bloody hell, it’s one of those Quattros.’ I went inside, chatted to him, and he slid the keys across the table and said: ‘Take it up the road.’ Just one quick blast up the A30 sold it for me. Obviously there’s the motor sport side of it as well.” That aspect hardly needs an explanation. Quattro and motor sport, especially of the rallying variety, were made for each other. Enthusiasts and spectators all over fell in love with the Audis – but then, who doesn’t love a winner? The brand’s purpose-built allwheel-drive coupés won more than 20 major rallies and two World Rally Championships for the marque in the early 1980s, making household names and lifelong heroes of drivers such as Blomqvist, Mouton, Röhrl and

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Mikkola. In their hands, over lowgrip surfaces, the car looked almost unbeatable. By the time the others caught up, the Quattro had already carved out a place as one of motor sport’s greatest machines. It was the rally programme that spawned the lighter, shorter, wilder Sport Quattro road car. Audi’s chief goals when developing it were to reduce weight and increase power. Cutting 12.6 inches out of the wheelbase and reclothing the chassis in carbonKevlar and other composites resulted in dramatic weight loss, while installing a new dual-cam 20v 2.1-litre five-cylinder engine with a huge KKK-K27 turbo boosted power and torque outputs significantly. Job done. With stylistic freedom, the designers really went to town, creating a distinctively vented, more muscular body with wickedly blistered wheelarches that looks as exciting and desirable today as it did back in 1984 – a genuine motoring icon. Even in standard Quattro guise, the car was defined by its sharp handling, dynamic agility and remarkable traction. It rode well, too, courtesy of independent suspension all round. Notably, it used a repeat of the front set-up at the rear, although minus the steering bits and rotated 180º. And it sounded fantastic in a multi-dimensional way; all bassy five-pot warble, glorious turbo blow-off and the rapid-fire ignition of unburnt fuel hitting hot exhaust metal on sudden lift-off. Its performance figures improved with each update, crowned of course by the Sport model’s addictive acceleration when the big turbocharger kicked in. All suffered from turbo lag, especially the early cars, which also did without anti-lock braking. In the end, the Quattro’s sheer desirability stems from a combination of four key elements: an advanced technical package; motor sport pedigree; a handsomely chiselled aesthetic; and the promise of a thrilling drive. They’re classics that will you to drive them, often.

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TIMELINE

Acquire

1981

Cable-operated diffs changed to push/pull pneumatic-switch system.

1982

RHD production starts. Two single-lens Cibie headlamps replace quad units for ’83 MY.

1983

Bosch ABS standard. Green digital dash with voice check fitted. Cabin revised.

1984

Suspension modified. 8Jx15 wheels and wider tyres. Sport Quattro introduced. Late-year changes for ’85 MY include new front with rearslanting grille and lights. Back gets colour-coded spoiler and smoked lights.

1987

2.2-litre, 10v MB engine and Torsen centre diff introduced. Bonnet gains twin gas struts. Bootlid made from glassfibre.

1989

217bhp, DOHC, 20v RR motor introduced. Improved rear brakes. Forged-alloy wishbones. Three-spoke steering wheel. Half-leather interior now standard.

1991

Production ends in May; 80 B4-based S2 is successor.

T H E N U T S A N D B O LT S If you’re searching for a project car, or even one that appears to be in good condition, there are a few key things to look at. Adam suggests making sure the engine is not burning oil, the exhaust manifold isn’t cracked and the fluids are clean: “A full head refurb is expensive, especially on a WR.” He continues: “The condition of the suspension and subframe bushes, and the engine and gearbox mounts, tells you plenty about how a car has been treated. Obviously you don’t want any slack in the propshaft, either, and check all the fuel and brake lines, because these can corrode.” Despite the galvanised panels, corrosion can be an issue: “Look for it in the floor wells, behind the front wings at the bottom of the A-pillar, on the boot hinges where they’re bolted to the body, at the top corners of the windscreen and on the mud shield on the inner wing. “Although most are looked after reasonably well, we do get the odd Quattro that ends up being a full restoration. If you’re unsure, get it to us and we’ll inspect it for you. Make sure you know when it last had its cambelt done. We always recommend doing those every 60,000 miles or four years. “Replacing a clutch is another really costly exercise, so give the car a good run and ensure the gearbox and differential are quiet, too. Corrosion on the gears can cause the transmission to whine if it’s been stood a long time.” What about the availability of

spares? Adam says: “We have squirrelled away a huge collection of second-hand parts over the years. When Quattros were everyday motors and insurance companies had a parts-only order on them, we’d have to break them. Sad, but those cars saved the others. “We also have loads of new old stock, and good contacts at the factory. Audi Tradition will not supply the UK anymore due to the hassle of Brexit paperwork, but we can still get parts from it through a third party in Germany.”

THE FINAL DECISION Quattros may have spent a decade or three in the wilderness, but they’re firmly back in the spotlight now. This resurgence in interest has been accompanied by a slow but steady uptick in valuations – and there’s little to suggest that won’t continue given sufficient economic stability. As ever, well documented but not well travelled cars command a premium. With prices approaching £100k for a special and spotless, lowmileage, early or very late car, they are not exactly entry-level collector grade, but they’re not strato-crazy either. However, if these are still a little lightweight for you, it’s the rarer Sport Quattro and factory competition models that you will want, although the road cars don’t come up for sale too often. This is most likely because they are being enjoyed for more than their ability to appreciate in value. Thanks to Adam Marsden at AM Cars, on www.amcarsquattro.co.uk.

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M A R K E T A N A LY S I S

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Market forecast 2024: Consolidation with a hint of optimism

Words John Mayhead

Global instability can never bring good news – can it? We look at the various factors affecting ongoing trends in the collector market

EVERY MARKET RESPONDS to supply and demand; limit one, increase the other, and prices go up. That’s why, in the historic car world, homologation specials, limited editions and ‘bookend’ cars (the first or last of a type) all tend to attract a healthy premium. But supply and demand doesn’t account for every movement in the market. Last year, 51 percent of the c.20,000 different models covered by the US Hagerty Price Guide rose in value. Worldwide, these represent millions of cars, and the supply argument falls down: they can’t all be extra special. In fact, the classic market is highly complicated. On the one hand, it’s an asset class showing distinct growth over time, with tax advantages and a buying simplicity that is rare within alternative investments. The usual economic factors – interest rates, inflation and cashflow – have the same impact on collector car buying as on any other large purchase, but here you must also consider the human factors. Owners often share a sense of fellowship that weds them to a marque. Years of media articles, word of mouth and race results can fuel demand for a particular model. And a car creates its own narrative as it is driven, personal to the owner. Such psychological and sociological elements mean the market is affected by local, national and even global events. Take Covid: the UK Government Office for Budget Responsibility reported that global GDP fell 3.5 percent in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. Based on this, it would be reasonable to expect that sales

EVOLUTION OF THE ONLINE AUCTION SPACE

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of classics, a non-essential luxury item, would fall. Actually, the exact opposite happened, with sales, sell-through rates and prices rising sharply. A lot of people had suddenly realised that life was short. Yes, forecasting how values will change over the next 12 months is a tricky prospect. 2024 is already shaping up to be an interesting year, with major elections and wars knocking onto the cost of living, fuel prices and, fundamentally, consumer confidence. That may lead to consolidation. In a time of uncertainty, those who see their cars as assets may want to reduce their level of risk by selling those vehicles that are not just right in investment terms. This both releases less-than-perfect cars into the market and raises demand for the top models, driving down the values of the former and increasing those of the latter. Hagerty has identified that this most affects the top of the market: the difference between Condition 4 (Fair) and Condition 1 (Concours) values for

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$1 million-plus cars has risen by nine percent in the past year. Consolidation is also likely to affect businesses. The post-Covid online sales boom was reminiscent of the late 1990s dot com surge. Now, as then, a host of small firms sprung up to fill a market gap, but when stock quality and/or quantity subsides, reputations are affected, and only the strong – especially those who can market their cars most effectively – will survive. Take the online auction market. It is currently dominated by big hitters such as the UK’s Car & Classic and Collecting Cars, and the US’s Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids. These go-to outlets tend to attract both the right cars and the right bidders, which puts a lot of pressure on smaller companies. The live auction market will be put under similar pressure by a lack of confidence. When many values are dropping, consignor confidence can be damaged if the sell-through rate falls due to a run of no-sales. The first major live auction of

2024, Mecum in Kissimmee, had a sell-through of 70 percent, down nine points from 2023, while total sales values remained flat. One way such firms can attempt to manage confidence is by selling their top models in sealed-bid or closed auctions. That way, the sale price doesn’t have to be reported. Sotheby’s has been doing this since 2022, with the Sotheby’s Sealed auctions selling 20 cars so far, including the record-setting, €135m Mercedes-Benz Uhlenhaut Coupé. It has now expanded its sealed lots to include handbags, jewellery and watches – and this method is likely to continue to develop. And what of market values? Most of the global factors listed here are not new, and this suggests 2024 will see a continuation of the trends from 2023: mean values of more costly (£750,000/$1m-plus) cars increasing, driven by big rises in the very best machinery; the enthusiast segment (sub-£75,000/ $100,000) remaining buoyant and relatively unaffected; but an ongoing stagnation of the market in between as prices of some ‘investment’ cars fall to a more sustainable level. Yet when I speak to those in the trade, there’s also an optimism that wasn’t there six months ago. People know it’s a buyers’ market, finance rates are dropping back a little and bargains are there to be found. Plus, talk to any group of enthusiasts, and there’s an ‘end of an era’ feeling that is growing steadily – the belief, right or wrong, that ICE cars may not be around for much longer. That’s a pretty effective psychological incentive to buy now the vehicle you’ve always wanted.

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WAT C H E S

Words Jonathon Burford

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Crazy world of Cartier’s Crash Its design redolent of Dalí-esque surrealism and the free-wheeling 1960s, this quirky wristwatch has never gone out of style

THEY’VE BEEN SEEN ON THE wrists of celebrities, rappers, racing drivers and fashionistas, and have achieved iconic status. But how has a yellow-gold, time-only, unusually shaped watch from a jewellery brand reached such heights? In 1902 Cartier opened its first premises outside of Paris, on London’s Bond Street, where it remains today. More of a workshop than a retail emporium, its designers, goldsmiths and jewellers created some of the brand’s most iconic products, alongside custom orders and commissions. It also began to offer watches for sale, but to begin with, this was the retailing of watches made by the brand in Paris and Switzerland. Two things changed in the mid1960s. Firstly, after the death of Pierre Cartier, the company was split into three (Paris, London and New York), giving each outpost a more independent basis for design and production. Secondly, London was at the centre of a cultural revolution. Cartier London was under the control of Jean-Jacques Cartier (son of Jacques Cartier, the founder of the London emporium), and he was someone who embraced the era and the throwing off of post-war austerity, espoused the rebellion of the era, and had an ‘anything’s possible’ attitude while retaining his family brand’s focus on craftsmanship and quality. Cartier watches to this point were traditional and angular in design (think of its Tank, Normale and Cintrée), but this era demanded something special and unusual. The Cartier Crash design has several origin stories, including the oft-repeated trope that it was based on a client’s melted and mangled Baignoire, wrecked in a car crash, or that its inspiration lies with the 1931 Persistence of Memory, a masterpiece by Salvador Dalí. In reality, Jean-Jacques simply enlisted designer Rupert Emmerson to take a stylised new look at the Oval, pinching the ends of the case, creating a kink on the case side and adapting the dial to the design with a unique layout and the removal of the chemin de fer chapter ring. The first versions were made in

1967 after an exhaustive back-andforth between Cartier-run London casemaker Wright & Davies and watchmaker Eric Denton. These first watches were hand-made, and as such each case and dial is unique, but all retain the same JC (Jacques Cartier) and London hallmarks. It’s thought that fewer than 20 original London Crashes were made, although I suspect there are several more. These are the holy grail of Cartier watch collecting, with the past two examples sold publicly trading for c. $930,000 in 2021 and $1.65 million in 2022. Cartier has reissued the watch in a limited number of guises. Another batch of London pieces arrived in the 1980s, with a handful of platinum editions from Paris in the early 1990s, along with 400 numbered watches from France in 1991. These Paris versions are most regularly traded, with prices now exceeding $200,000. Under the stewardship of the Richemont Group, Cartier is now leaning into its iconic designs, producing a number of regular editions of the Crash in multiple metal types, some mounted on bracelets and others set with gemstones and enamel. It has also recently launched a limited run of 100 Privé Normales in platinum and yellow-gold, and 150 yellowgold Pebbles based on the iconic 1960s London original, all to great fanfare. Custom commissions are still available from the Bond Street boutique for valued clients, at a surprisingly reasonable cost, and we are seeing a number of unique and creative versions of the Crash. Given the limited number of vintage Crashes, and their prices, the 1991 Paris watches are the ones to consider. Few survive with their original papers, so condition is key, with wear and careless watchmakers’ marks reducing the price. Given the Crash’s profile across fashion and media industries, it is safe to assume its place in collectors’ hearts and a stable store of value in the volatile watch market. Writer Jonathon Burford is SVP and specialist at Sotheby’s watch department. For its ongoing watches sales, see www.sothebys.com.

MOTORING ART

The portrait master

Words Rupert Whyte

Craig Warwick, the artist revered for his ability to render automotive and human subjects with equal skill

THE LATE CRAIG WARWICK was born in 1948 in Lancashire, and studied fine art and graphic design at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol. He was considered by many to be the finest portrait painter among automotive artists. Warwick often created mixed-media artworks, using watercolour and gouache for soft skin tones, airbrushing for the hard, reflective surfaces of racing cars, and oils for larger portrait pieces. He was unanimously nominated and elected for membership by the prestigious Automotive Fine Arts Society, and in 2002 he won the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Award with the AFAS Exhibition in Florida, US. A regular exhibitor at major events during the 1990s and 2000s, Warwick’s highly acclaimed work was regularly featured on the covers of Coys Historic Festival catalogues during this period. He showed

annually in Monte Carlo during the Monaco Grand Prix week, and Ferrari and Maserati both commissioned him to produce special artworks to commemorate landmark anniversaries. With his professional eye for detail, he was regularly called upon as a judge of the International Motoring Art Competition during this period. By his own admission Warwick was difficult to work with, and he shunned help from anybody other than his mother, Joy. He had many fans among collectors, but his misjudged trust and lack of business acumen often meant that he sold his original paintings for wildly differing prices. Consequently, his artworks were difficult to value while he was alive – but among them remain some of the finest automotive works produced in the early part of the 21st century. His large-scale oil paintings are thought to be

worth upwards of £4000, with mid-sized ink, wash and gouache pieces fetching around the £500-£1000 mark. His original works rarely come up for sale, however. His glorious unique compositions showed insight into a mind that few could interpret. Driver portraits and pit scenes were his most common subjects, although later he went through a stage of car-and-woman pieces. Warwick was always accompanied by Joy to events; she communicated on his behalf, because Warwick himself was deaf. Following his mother’s death in 2012, he gave up painting and sold all of his remaining works, reference library and artist’s paraphernalia. Very sadly he became a recluse and heavy drinker, and he died in 2015. Writer Rupert Whyte runs Historic Car Art, www.historiccarart.net, selling original works and posters.

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AUTOMOBILIA

Words Marshall Buck

IT WAS BACK IN 1961 THAT Carlo Brianza built his first one-off model – a Bugatti Type 35B. He later said that, at the time, he had minimal model-making experience – but it was clear from the start that he had truly great talent and ability. At the beginning he made only single models. These were in various scales, ranging from 1:13 to massive 1:3, but the majority were in 1:13 and 1:10. The bodies of Carlo’s scratchbuilts were handformed in brass, with further parts made of copper, aluminium and various other materials. Most had engine detail, and a number of them, such as his 1:13 Isotta Fraschini, also had other functional details. Each model was a testbed for new ideas and techniques with materials and fabrication of parts. Carlo said he learned something different with each model he made. He noted that around 2000 hours went into making the Isotta Fraschini. Conversely, he was able to create his 1:10 Alfa Romeo 33/3 in an astonishingly short 260 hours. Carlo’s clients were well heeled, knowledgeable car enthusiasts, and included collectors Junichiro Hiramatsu and Jacques Greilsamer. In addition, Carlo built pieces for the Alfa Romeo and the MercedesBenz museums (for the latter he made Simplex models in 1:4 scale), and at least one other piece in huge 1:3 scale for the Porsche museum. In 1973, Carlo and wife Ella founded ABC Brianza, which was later taken over by children Laura and Andrea, some years after Carlo passed away in 1994. Initially ABC made 1:43-scale hand-builts, then the firm expanded to produce

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The model master Carlo Brianza was a master model maker of scratchbuilt cars long before he produced any of his famous line of ABC Brianza 1:43 and larger scale replicas. We find out more

models and kits from 1:43 up to 1:10. The early pieces were simple and, by today’s standards, crude, but have a certain charm and soul. The chrome, body and window trim, wipers and door handles were often rendered in wire. Other details were sometimes handpainted. He also created miniature hand-laced wire wheels, which might not have been too accurate but looked great. Those little rims were also very popular aftermarket accessories with hobbyists. These days, ABC’s photo-etched wires are much more accurate, as are the majority of the brand’s models. Now they are generally made up of resin, white metal and

FROM TOP Carlo Brianza with some of the models he produced from the mid-1980s to early 1990s; this 1:24 Ferrari 340Mexico is one of the rarest.

photo-etched metal parts, still made in Italy, just as they have been from the beginning. Today’s ABC Brianza catalogue has more than 400 1:43 models; some aren’t in stock but can often be ordered. Adding to that are well over 200 1:43 Brianza kits, plus other larger-scale pieces, and at times it has a few rare, out-ofproduction models available. Acquiring early ABCs today is not easy. The offerings are limited, and many haven’t been well cared for. Prices vary dependent on condition, model and who’s selling – from about $50 up to $500 plus. Some ABCs also came mounted on simple display bases, which are worth having and add some value. Most 1:24- and 1:18-scale handbuilts and kits are Italian marques, mainly 1950-60s Ferrari, Alfa and Maserati road and track cars. The first 1:18, a 250 GT Lusso, was made in the early 1990s in both built and kit form. This is out of production, and is the only 1:18 with engine detail; all the rest are kerbside only. The 1:24 line is not active, but 1:18 has 20 different cars in multiple versions, all in the $600-plus range for the builts. As for Carlo’s early one-offs, it is not known just how many he built, which also makes values hard to give. Also, none of the individual scratchbuilts has publicly come up for sale, so there is no dealer information or auction results. Only the semi-scratchbuilts have any record of pricing – and, of course, all are highly desirable. Thanks to Automobilia Resource, www.automobiliaresource.com, and www.abcbrianza.it.

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Words Nathan Chadwick

FOR MANY PEOPLE, ONE OF their strongest teenage memories is of hours spent in games arcades. It’s a draw that has led to numerous vintage arcade cabinets popping up in garages or games rooms. “The hot titles have always been the likes of Star Wars; anything to do with the movie franchise still packs a huge collector punch,” says Jamie Stanford of Liberty Games. “However, Space Invaders and PacMan are the gifts that keep giving.” You might think that with today’s mobile-phone gaming, let alone consoles, arcade cabinets would have lost their allure – and their price tag. Yet that’s simply not the case, as Jamie explains: “Back in the day, when these machines were coin-operated, the minute the cabinets lost favour they were stripped for parts and thrown into skips. That’s created a real rarity – it’s hard to find good-condition, original examples on the market.” A mixture of factors has helped to keep the costs of arcade cabinets high. With arcades holding onto their units during Covid, and manufacturers releasing fewer ‘replacement’ new titles, there isn’t the same ready supply of unwanted cabinets as there was. However, there is part of the market that has remained stagnant: racing games, such as Sega Rally or Daytona USA. Jamie again: “Five years ago, most arcade games we’d be selling to the home market would be racing ones, because the homeconsole market didn’t have a great selection of games, or a very realistic feel to the steering wheels. The whole point of the arcade machines was to get you in that driving

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Game on From Pac-Man to Sega Rally, arcade cabinets will always appeal to the inner adolescent. Here’s how to get one in your games room

position, for an immersive feel. “The recent introduction of wheels [and other equipment] that can do everything you could ever want, especially in terms of force feedback, for console and PC-based simulators, means the market has flattened out a bit. There’s also the convenience factor; you can have your gaming seat set up with the pedals and wheel in a space that’s

ABOVE Whether original or repro, arcade cabinets are very desirable. a lot less than a Sega Rally cabinet.” Sheer size is one problem – such cabinets were never designed to fit through an average home’s door frames – and the other is keeping them running. Sega Rally 3 is the most popular version of the franchise, largely because the first

game’s boards are getting harder to repair with age. It’s a problem that afflicts all vintage arcade cabinets. “There used to be go-to people in the industry to get your screen or cabinet fixed,” Jamie explains. “Now most have retired, or people don’t want to take the jobs on because they believe clients will want a warranty on a part that’s getting on for 50 years old.” One answer to this issue would be to buy a new retro arcade cabinet. “The tech has improved, the electronics are better and the cabinets have been put together in a way that makes them much more accessible – they’re about threequarters of the size of the originals,” Jamie says. “The main thing, however, is that you can have multiple games within one cabinet – the processing power of the old machines is massively dwarfed by your mobile phone now.” He cites Arcade1Up and AtGames as good bets in terms of build quality, aesthetics and garnering the proper licences for the old games. “Certainly for those who like collecting for the look of the cabinet, as well as the game, Arcade1Up is leading the field,” he says. Vintage games are not cheap – you are looking at just under £10,000 for a Sega Rally 3 – although new cabinets from the likes of Arcade1Up cost £500£700. Still a luxury purchase, but think about those quarters and pennies lost to the arcades. Apply a little creative maths, and it works out as a cost saving… www.libertygames.co.uk https://arcade1up.com www.atgames.us

SHUTTERSTOCK

COLLECTING

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DIVERSIONS

Compiled by Nathan Chadwick and Sophie Kochan

LAUDORACING ALFA ROMEO 33 STRADALE MODELS Alfa Romeo fans will love Laudoracing’s 1:18-scale resin models showing prototype development of the 33 Stradale. Three versions are available, all with subtle exterior differences. Each one costs €119.90. https://laudoracing-models.com

MISTER MILLER ALBERT’S TIDES BAKERBOY CAP Hand-made in navy blue from Donegalstyle lightweight Merino lambswool, this Bakerboy cap is warm yet lightweight. Available in cashmeres, Harris tweed and linens for warmer months. Prices from £95. www.mistermiller.co.uk

CHANEL MONSIEUR WATCH H6672 This Monsieur’s manual-winding mechanical movement is encased in a 30mm 18ct white-gold case, with an ivory opaline dial displaying a retrograde minute indicator, a jumping hour window and a small second counter. The strap is made from alligatorpattern calfskin with an 18ct white-gold ardillon buckle. It costs £37,500, although a beige-gold version is also available, priced at £40,000. www.chanel.com

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SILVER RAY-BAN FOR SCUDERIA FERRARI These unisex sunglasses are said to be inspired by the atmosphere of Formula 1, with a mix of colours and materials that reference the sport’s racing jackets. There are 3D-effect grooved temples, while the nose pad and tips pay tribute to Ferrari racing red. They are made in Italy and constructed from stainless steel, and each polarised lens measures 2.2in. Cost is €230. https://store.ferrari.com

Wednesday MayWednesday 22 Wednesday – Thursday MayMay May 22 –23, 22 Thursday –2024 Thursday MayMay 23, 2024 23, 2024 www.concoursonsavilerow.com www.concoursonsavilerow.com www.concoursonsavilerow.com Two of the greatest cars and the finest tailoring inenquiries the enquiries heart of Mayfair. To offer your cardays for inclusion To offer Toyour For offer sponsorship car your forcar inclusion for enquiries inclusion For sponsorship For sponsorship david@hothousemedia.co.uk david@hothousemedia.co.uk david@hothousemedia.co.uk geoff@hothousemedia.co.uk geoff@hothousemedia.co.uk geoff@hothousemedia.co.uk Free to visit, 10am - 8pm

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DIVERSIONS

MASERATI 450S MODEL This 1:8-scale model depicts the 450S Juan Manuel Fangio and Jean Behra drove to victory at the 1957 Sebring 12 Hours. The 1956 F1 World Champion had sensationally jumped ship from Scuderia Ferrari to Officine Alfieri Maserati, and won overall again for his new team. Cost is £1375. www.maseratistore.com

HERBELIN NEWPORT AUTOMATIC CERAMIC 35TH ANNIVERSARY Designed, engineered and hand-assembled in France, this special watch references 35 years of the Newport model. Limited to 500 editions, it is available in 38mm and 43mm case sizes, formed from polished ceramic. The dial is also ceramic, while the bracelet is FKM elastomer. It costs £1799 for both case sizes. https://herbelin.com

ARTHUR SLEEP WHOLECUT LOAFER IN HAND-PATINATED BROWN CALF

SAMSONITE BOSS This Samsonite and Boss collaboration has resulted in a range of aluminium luggage finished in graphite with the Boss monogram. The lining is made from 100 percent post-consumer PET, equivalent to 23 recycled bottles. Four smooth-rolling double wheels run on ball bearings to reduce noise and vibration. The four sizes of case – 55cm, 69cm, 76cm and 80cm (above) – range in price from £800-£1000. www.samsonite.co.uk

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Crafted and handpolished on London’s Savile Row, these loafers are patinated in dark brown museum calf, with an Italian leather sole. They’re coated in Arthur Sleep’s DryWired Texture Shield water and stain technology. They are available in UK sizes 5 to 17, and cost £1350. www.arthursleep.com

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BOOK REVIEWS

Reviews Nathan Chadwick

A no-holds-barred appraisal of Alejandro de Tomaso that would be worthy of a Ridley Scott-directed Netflix series

THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY is full of characters – but then there are Characters. Ecclestone, Briatore, Iacocca: figures who traverse the high wire at the upper echelons of that world – loved, hated and loved to be hated in equal measures. Alejandro de Tomaso is among them. His was a life that vibrated with the kind of energy the most amphetamine-addled Hollywood scriptwriter would struggle to conjure up. Even the part before he came to Italy would be worthy of a movie; accused of bombing in an attempt to oust the Argentinian government, he fled the country with bags of cash garnered from his then-wife’s estate sale. He headed to Modena to pick up some bits for his Maserati, and met US heiress Isabelle Haskell in the queue. Talk about landing on your feet… Paolo Tumminelli’s 276-page, €90 book was written without the assistance of the de Tomaso family, and as the author readily points out, there are myths, legends and half-truths, many of them part of Alejandro’s theatre; the reality may be lost to history. It was a life lived as fast as his eponymous cars, thus making a comprehensive biography all but impossible. However, its independence does mean we get a fuller picture of de Tomaso the man than might

otherwise have been ‘authorised’. Written with a dry and somewhat irreverent sense of humour, backed up with superb period images, the book largely charts his movements in Europe. It’s a true rollercoaster, taking in the reasons for Henry Ford II’s sudden desire for all things Italian, a feud with Carroll Shelby, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Lee Iacocca, the retribution against Giulio Alfieri when de Tomaso acquired Maserati in the 1970s, and much more. It culminates in a stress-induced stroke in 1993 that saw Maserati sold, and the De Tomaso name attached to several projects that left its founder wandering in the doldrums for the last ten years of his life. It’s all here in true pulp-fiction style – from tragedy to triumph – and not only concerning Alejandro; the antics from those around him make for fascinating reading. For many, it’s Maserati and the Pantera for which de Tomaso is best known, and both these epic sagas will leave you reeling at his sheer chutzpah, if not exactly warming to him. Then again, the man himself cared not one jot about ruffling feathers, as long as the job got done. You get the sense he rather revelled in it… Tumminelli’s insistence on giving his personal viewpoint on some of the cars produced under Alejandro is arguably unnecessary, and some captions are in questionable taste. Yet these minor gripes don’t detract from a rip-roaring riot of a read, which will have you simultaneously fascinated, shocked and chuckling. Will it change your opinion of de Tomaso? Probably not, but you’ll be glad to have come along for the ride. www.waft.be

‘The man himself cared not one jot about ruffling feathers, as long as the job got done’

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FROM LEFT The ups and downs, the triumphs and tragedies; all are here in this comprehensive character study.

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25/01/2021 17:32

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BOOK REVIEWS

Design & Desire There’s more to Keith Helfet than just the XJ220 – it’s only a shame we never got to drive more of his projects

EVERY CAR DESIGNER HAS ‘the one that got away’. A project that got tantalisingly close to production, before market forces or simple boardroom whim meant that, at best, a full-scale model and sketches are all there is to show for months – years, even – of work and, ultimately, unfulfilled hope. You could argue that Keith Helfet has got an entire showroom of cars that got away. While his most famous creation, Jaguar’s XJ220, did become a production reality, there are many others that could have, and should have, been built. After creating a Triumph Spitfirebased car in his native South Africa, Helfet enrolled at London’s Royal College of Art. This eventually led

him to Jaguar in 1978, honing his craft in the very workshops that had developed the C- and D-types. He got to work on the XJ41 sports car project, which earned Sir William Lyons’ favour; as Helfet recalls, Lyons had never sketched his designs and preferred to visualise in 3D, much like Keith himself. Pretty soon the young stylist was working very closely with Sir William, for the last five years of the latter’s life. By 1984 the car had performed well in US customer clinics, but it was not to be. The replacement for the E-type, in development for nearly a decade by 1989, would be cast aside by new Ford management after more than £50m had been

spent on R&D. While the project would ultimately see the light in the form of the Aston Martin DB7, given the success of the contemporary R129 MercedesBenz SL, would Jaguar be in a much different place these days? History would repeat itself ten years later, with the gorgeous F-type concept. Despite 50,000 orders, a changing of the design guard at the turn of the millennium meant this alluring project never reached fruition. After so many disappointments, Helfet took the opportunity to work for himself. However, it is the XJ220 for which he is best known, winning the Turin prize for concept cars, up against his idol Giorgetto Giugiaro’s

ItalDesign Nazca. The story of Jim Randle’s Boxing Day bright idea is well told, but Helfet’s fascinating take on the design process offers greater insight into how the XJ220’s shape was developed, with input from Cliff Ruddell and Mark Lloyd. It’s Helfet’s design for an MRI scanner that’s even more important for most people, however… This 128-page tome boasts many archive images from Helfet’s own collection, which add yet another dimension to a book that represents great value at just £39. Engaging and unafraid of self-reflection, as well as lifting the lid on auto-design politics, it is a fine addition to any British car enthusiast’s library. www.porterpress.co.uk

GOLDIE: THE AMAZING STORY OF ALFRED GOLDIE GARDNER, THE WORLD’S MOST SUCCESSFUL SPEED-RECORD DRIVER

THE COMPREHENSIVE STORY OF BENTLEY’S LAST LE MANS WINNER: BENTLEY SPEED 8

THE LAST EYEWITNESS: THE PIONEERING MOTOR RACING PHOTOGRAPHY OF MAURICE LOUIS BRANGER 1902-1914

THE SUCCESS STORY OF PORSCHE AT LE MANS

That Alfred Goldie Gardner isn’t more well known in British motoring history is a travesty, given that he notched up 150 speed records before his untimely death in the late 1950s. John Mayhead’s beautifully researched 312-pager contains many previously unseen documents and images of a life lived at the very edge of physics. It’s an engaging book that revels in Goldie’s chutzpah in the face of adversity. Highly recommended, and excellent value at £20. www.nationalmotormuseum.org.uk

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The story of the Bentley Speed 8 is one of dogged determination – and unfulfilled promise. Upon winning the 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours, the entire project was unceremoniously cut. This absorbing tale – told enthusiastically and engagingly by author Andrew Cotton over 324 pages, and backed up with plenty of behind-the-scenes and atmospheric racing photography – really does get to the heart of a fascinating slice of Bentley history. It costs €225, and is limited to 550 copies. www.sportfahrer-zentrale.com

To slip into Doug Nye’s beautifully produced, 192-page tribute to Louis Branger’s work is akin to visiting a new world. The images largely cover the higher echelons of French motor sport, alongside the epic 1902 Paris to Vienna and 1903 Paris to Madrid races. The atmosphere generated by the photos is palpable, while Nye’s incisive text provides deep context. Limited to 100 copies per year at £195 each (a limited-to-ten deluxe edition is £625), this is an exquisite experience. www.porterpress.co.uk

This heavyweight production scores heavily on bang for buck – Wilfried Müller’s Porsche Museum-backed tome covers 72 years of history in 702 pages. Pleasingly, the €100 book does not solely focus on the headline-grabbing top flight, but gives the GT classes full weight, too. Beautifully illustrated with museum archive imagery, it takes a year-byyear look at Le Mans, discussing the corresponding decade’s wider context and also Porsche’s exceptional posters. Excellent value and well worth a dive for non-Porsche lovers. www.rallyandracing.com

1938 ASTON MARTIN 15/98 SHORT CHASSIS £230,000 A truly exceptional example of a 15/98, this vehicle has been kept in immaculate mechanical and cosmetic condition and has extensive records. The car spent much of its life in West Germany, returning to the UK in 1988 via Morntane Engineering (now Ecurie Bertelli). The car underwent a complete nut-and-bolt restoration, including new bodywork to standard short chassis open specification, completed in 1991/92. Over the years, C8/843/SC has seen many summer months on the road, including trips to Angouleme, Pau and Chinon and many AMOC concours gatherings. Most recently, Ecurie Bertelli completed a thorough maintenance schedule in winter 2020 which included: suspension re-build, brake re-build, engine maintenance, replacement exhaust system and upgrade to a Speed Model clutch system. Since then, the car has seen very light use. Completely ready to run and enjoy for many miles, this outstanding car is available to view by appointment at our showroom.

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Ruf: A Family Affair If you like Ruf, this epic tale will leave you as breathless as one of the company’s cars

FANS OF THE TREND FOR THE hyper-performance modification – and arguably retro modification – of Porsches have much to thank Alois Ruf for. After all, without the engineering integrity of Ruf’s products, and their truly giantkilling abilities, the 911’s tuning potential might have been seen as less worthy, shall we say. Today’s mod scene for 911s is vibrant, and actively encouraged by Porsche. Of course, Rufs are not simply modified. Formerly using Porsche bodies-in-white to build cars, the company now utilises its own chassis and shells, as well as offers a plethora of upgraded parts. Alois Ruf Sr had operated a garage in Pfaffenhausen since 1939,

turning to restoration in 1960. In 1962, Aloises Jr and Sr renovated a crash-damaged 356, igniting their Porsche passion. However, the loss of his father and mentor in 1974, when Alois Jr was just 24, meant that the young man had to support an entire family. Ruf as we know it now really began when a young designer wanted to update and modify, rather than simply restore, his 911 with the firm. So began the first tentative trips into modification, in 1976, and ever-more powerful alternatives to ‘normal’ Porsches. However, it would be 11 years later when Ruf really hit the big time, thanks to the CTR Yellowbird and Stefan Roser’s heroic efforts

around the Nordschleife, courtesy of an infamous video lap. The two massive turbos, huge intercoolers, more power than the 959 and Bosch Motronic fuel injection allowed Ruf to run enormous power effectively. The result was a 469bhp, 1160kg animal. It walloped the 959 for top speed, establishing Ruf as a performance legend throughout the world. Ever more powerful cars have come, of course, with even wilder designs – including the CTR3, the 2007 realisation of a mid-engined supercar dream that initially failed around the turn of the 2000s. In 2016, Alois Jr took the decision to bring modern-day construction methods to older 911 designs, and

in 2017 Ruf built the Yellowbird Anniversary. Nowadays it offers a wide range of cars, as well as restoration services for classic 911s and, most famously, 901s. This is a beautiful book and, weighing in at 312 pages for €90, it’s good value – much like some of Ruf’s products compared with similarly fast vehicles; for example, the CTR2 was the world’s secondfastest car, and significantly cheaper than the first, the McLaren F1. This is no dry marque profile, however. It features fabulous period imagery and a useful model guide – but what makes it so enjoyable is Alois Jr’s honesty, dry wit and a warmth that shines through. www.waft.be

CLASSIC CAR AUCTION YEARBOOK 2022-2023

100 YEARS OF LEGENDS: THE OFFICIAL CELEBRATION OF THE LE MANS 24 HOURS

TALES FROM THE GARAGE

RAYMOND HENRI DIETRICH: AUTOMOTIVE ARCHITECT OF THE CLASSIC ERA AND BEYOND

Now in its 28th edition, Adolfo Orsi’s granular take on the auction market becomes more comprehensive every year. The past 12 months have seen an icy wind pass through the market – or so the doomsayers would have you believe. However, with the aid of this $109.95, 420-page book’s number crunching, the reality isn’t quite as horrifying as you might imagine; take away last year’s post-Covid boom, and the market is still performing well. With more than 10,737 auction cars analysed, it is a great go-to for those who buy and sell regularly. www.classiccarauctionyearbook.com

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This 336-page book has been written in association with Le Mans organiser the ACO. The four authors have produced a fine work that brings to life all of the endurance race’s differing elements. Intelligently but not densely written, there are nuggets that even seasoned Le Mans lovers may have missed. However, it is the interviews with the likes of Derek Bell, Vanina Ickx and Henri Pescarolo that are the icing on the cake, providing a superb insight into what it takes to survive 24 hours around La Sarthe. It costs £70. www.evropublishing.com

Rodney Kemerer’s Tales From the Garage column has been a highlight of Garage Style Magazine for many years, chronicling everything that’s weird, wonderful, fascinating and sometimes poignant in the world of cars. This collection brings together some of the most entertaining tales, such as a chance meeting with Bruce Meyer over lunch that ends up far more profound than you’d ever guess. The key throughout these stories in this 158-page, $29.95 book is the human element to car ownership, whether you’ve got a Ford Pinto or a Ferrari. Highly recommended. www.talesfromthegarage.com

In eight decades, Raymond Henri Dietrich established a stellar reputation as a stylist and consultant, with projects encapsulating elegant bespoke bodies, Checker cabs and presidential limousines. Necah Stewart Furman has revised this authorised biography of Dietrich with fresh insight and never-seenbefore imagery. The 640-page, $225 labour of love provides the definitive insight into the man’s creations, and the often turbulent and tragedy-filled life that ran alongside them. www.daltonwatson.com

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20/01/24 18:42

The Lawyer Clive Robertson

www.healys.com +44 (0)7768 997439

In these complicated and litigious times, car clubs are coming under increasing pressure

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experts, will collate further data, recording matters such as past owners, major chassis or spec changes and competition history. Often these experts will be appointed as liaison offers to the DVLA, whose assistance in individual registration applications can be invaluable. That is the theory and express purpose of 21st century car clubs. So, how are they measuring up to expectations? This question must be answered in the context of their increased commercialisation. A small team of chums meeting monthly to agree the agenda is a charming anachronism. Clubs must commercialise – or be left behind. Indeed, a number of the larger outfits, such as the Porsche Club GB and the MG Owners’ Club, operate out of permanent business premises with full-time staff. No surprise, then, that the notion of camaraderie has witnessed a dilution of purpose. In 2021, the Aston Martin Owners Club found itself in the High Court to settle the issue of whether or not the management was acting in the best interests of the club and its members. The matter was resolved in favour of the incumbent management. It’s not for me to criticise how clubs and their members spend their money, but hearings in the High Court come at a considerable cost and should be, in all circumstances, the solution of last resort. Clubs should be best advised to have their articles of management reviewed to ensure effective dispute-resolution

‘Club membership brought a wealth of benefits, not least the notion of camaraderie’

procedures are safely in place. An exponential growth in classic car values has brought club officers who maintain their marque registers under increasing pressure for two particular reasons. Firstly, registers are being increasingly interrogated by members, and also by the trade and potential private buyers. Beyond data being recorded at first build, material comes to light with the passage of time in regard to individual entries. The internet has accelerated the discovery of fresh information in recent years. Oft-times material is contradictory or, worse, barely credible. For a registrar to amend, update or alter the register, they will have to make a value judgement. Secondly, registrars are being asked for their opinion on the provenance or authenticity of particular cars. Another value judgement is called for. What if, in hindsight, the decisions made are proven to be disastrously wrong. The club and its registrars could be open to substantial claims being made, so endangering the very existence of the organisation, which will likely be funded to the value of accrued yearly membership fees. One school of thought holds that

the common-law defence of qualified privilege would be sufficient to see off any claims being made. The defence provides that, in simple terms, there needs to be a reciprocal relationship of duty and interest between an individual – here the registrar, making a statement – and the recipient of that statement, the enquiring individual. The registrar would be protected in the event of a claim, save and unless the registrar had made the statement maliciously. How should one-make clubs now go forward? The answer is boldly: by fostering the fine concept of camaraderie; continuing to deliver top benefits and services; refraining from testing the defence of qualified privilege; ensuring that registers remain unaltered save for the addition of unedited new material; and disqualifying registrars from opining on provenance and authenticity. The AC Owners’ Club chairman recently asked: “Are our registers the very essence of our club or a burden we don’t need?” Reading this column might be some small assistance in seeing that the essence should prevail. Clive is a solicitor and consultant with London law firm Healys LLP. Contact clive.robertson@healys.com.

TIM SCOTT / CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE

“A CAR CLUB OR AUTOMOTIVE community is a group of people who share a common interest in motor vehicles.” So states Wikipedia, which goes on to identify types of grouping based upon vehicle, brand or activity. What follows will focus on the brand type, commonly referred to as ‘one-make car clubs’. Clubs burgeoned in the 1900s, with the advent of mass production. Membership brought a wealth of benefits, not least the notion of camaraderie fostered by a shared ethos. Enthusiasm for a particular marque or model united individuals without heed to wealth, race or ideology. Interestingly, and slightly counter this notion, the Ferrari club restricts membership to past and present owners. If Groucho Marx were to be eligible, I rather suspect he wouldn’t have applied to join. On a practical level, a club’s daily work consists of the administration of a range of member services and benefits. Online forums provide a debating arena where mechanical issues can be solved, chassis-specific histories can be researched and even club conduct is open for discussion. Many organisations keep a stock of spare parts, and have systems in place that provide for remanufacture of, say, windscreens. Members enjoy discount schemes for tyres, oil and so forth, as well as services including breakdown cover and insurance. The social side isn’t ignored. While drinking and dining are regularly provided for, the ardent enthusiast will usually be drawn to competitive events such as MSA-governed races, sprints and hillclimbs. Last, and most importantly, many one-make clubs are charged with the responsibility of maintaining registers of cars manufactured, showing the date of registration, any chassis/VIN/engine numbers, colour and first owner. Appointed registrars will manage separate model registers and, as

BELOW Clubs should try to avoid the High Court – where the Aston Martin outfit recently found itself.

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The Curator Robert Dean Reflecting on his favouriteever build project, the recreations of the Lancia and Lancia-Ferrari D50s

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the bodies, I kept forgetting to tell them to cut the slots. Then the bodies were painted, and it was too late. Jim has an incredible eye for detail, and did seemingly little things that made all the difference. For instance, the front grille was chicken wire of a particular size. It couldn’t be sourced in the UK, but he discovered that it was still made in Italy, so he got some sent over. The other thing I liked was that the domed wire mesh on the Dellorto carbs graduated in size

‘Jim Stokes has an incredible eye for detail, and did seemingly little things that made all the difference’

from front to back. Jim had seen this in a photo, so that’s what he made. Another issue was that we sort of knew what the chrome hooks that held down the rear of the engine cover looked like, but we couldn’t quite get them perfect. Then I found a period image of the cars in the paddock, with a hook in sharp focus. After the Lancias were finished, there were still enough parts to make another couple of drivetrains. It was decided to build two 1957 Lancia-Ferraris, with all-enclosing bodywork. These had vestigial fuel tanks in the side pods, and a huge rear tank – an idea from Fangio. My OCD detailing went into overdrive. I wanted a period-correct colour, and Paul Vestey kindly gave me the Pantone code for Rosso Corsa, taken from his own 1957 Ferrari. One day, Doug Nye said to me: “Why don’t you make it a Fangio tribute?” He gave me some photos of

Fangio’s car during a test session, with a long nose cone over the top of the original unit. This was painted in the blue and yellow of the Argentine flag, which he often had on his cars. Roach made me an extended nose, and I then asked the Argentinian Embassy for the Pantone codes for the yellow and blue, which perfectly complemented the red. I could find only one photo of the Fangio’s interior, with its wooden gearknob and brown corduroy trim. My mum, a well known interior designer, found the correct material one day quite by accident, and bought enough for two seats there and then. Fangio would also attach to the chassis rail a tennis ball with the top cut off, holding water and a sponge to wipe his goggles – but I could never find an old, grey ball, as they’re now all yellow. These cars are now there forever with all the nuances and details, although I’m sure I could have found some more given a bit of time. I had put a lot of thought into the change to the rear tank. Finally, it occurred to me that Fangio would have liked a car to change during a race, so at the start the driver is fresh and full of energy, with a full tank and new tyres you could really push on with a slightly oversteering car. Halfway through, the tank would be much lighter and become more neutral, then, by the end, the driver would have been tired and the tyres worn. Also, the fuel level would be down at the bottom, making the car understeer, which is a bit easier on the driver. I asked Juan Manuel Fangio II, and he said it sounded about right for his uncle to think like that. They were fabulous cars to be involved with – I just wish I’d had the damper-adjusting slots cut in the D50. Fuss over your machinery and make it perfect. Former Ecclestone Collection manager Robert now runs Curated Vehicle Management. See www.c-v-m.co.uk.

GP LIBRARY

I’VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH ANY number of restoration and build projects, but the one that interested me most was the recreation of the Lancia and Lancia-Ferrari D50s, masterminded to such a wonderful conclusion by Anthony Maclean. Back in the early 2000s, I received a call from Anthony to say that he was building five Lancia D50s, and that my then-boss Bernie Ecclestone had told him to ring me so that I could help with Bernie’s example. My first job was to visit Guido Rosani, who was building them in Italy. He had a complete set of drawings and a huge knowledge of the D50s, and he was also a lovely man to spend time with. Bernie’s model had the engine and transmission out of the Alberto Ascari car, and so when it arrived in England I took it to my friend Jim Stokes to turn it into a proper race car, and also to make some detail changes for further accuracy. We wanted to replace the modern, braided, stainless-steel brake hoses and the banjo bolts on the back plates. One of Jim’s guys filed a beautiful brass union for each wheel cylinder, and Jim found a US hose system with a Christmas-tree fitting over which you pushed the hose. No one believed it would work, but I saw a big bloke hanging off the end of a test hose fitted to the union, and it didn’t budge. Jim and I went to see one of the two original cars in the Lancia museum, and found that the tubes and floor were different to those in our car. I’d also read that Ascari liked a centre throttle, so we decided to replace all the tubes and floor, and make it centre throttle (it is the only one of the five D50s like that). I did make one mistake, though, which still annoys me. To aid damper adjustment, the tail has slots in it, and the nose cone two holes, but every time I visited Keith and Stuart Roach of Roach Manufacturing, who made such a fabulous job of creating

BELOW Original Fangio LanciaFerrari (at Reims, top) inspired the tribute Robert helped to create.

C O N C O U R S O F E L E G A N C E G E R M A N Y.C O M

PRESENTED BY

The Racer Sam Hancock The Masters/GP Extreme merger promises great things. Sam talks to the men who should know...

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and pass the reins to Fred.” “My team will also come to every round this year,” concurs Fred, “to observe, learn and listen to the customers’ feedback. In addition, I will participate in some of my Historic Formula 1 cars myself, because I want to really feel the competitor experience first-hand. We will also keep Ron’s existing team in place for the long term.” OK, so, a transition year and some sensible initiatives for stability. What, then, can competitors expect for 2025 and beyond from Masters? “First of all, I would like to develop the focus beyond that of just the cars and their drivers, by creating an

‘Participation in Historic racing is more than just a sporting endeavour; it is a lifestyle’

environment at the circuit that is as enjoyable for the whole family as it is for the competitors, just as we have tried to do with the Gulf Historic in Dubai,” explains Frenchman Fred. “For many of us, participation in Historic racing is more than just a sporting endeavour; it is a lifestyle, and I think we can develop a product that appeals not only to drivers, their families and friends, but also to sponsors and partners – which is important, because we don’t want to increase the costs for competitors.” It’s clear that Fred, an experienced amateur racer and keen collector of Historic sports and grand prix cars, remains bullish about Historic motor sport’s long-term commercial prospects. But I wonder whether he feels that the ongoing generational shift might soon threaten the series that cater for older machinery, such as those for pre-’66 Touring or GT cars? “Not at all. I think these earlier cars still have tremendous appeal, even to the younger generation of race fans and drivers. You only have to look at Goodwood for evidence of that. At the same time, we do, of

course, have to make sure we remain attractive to the next generation of drivers, by considering new series for cars of their era.” While Fred won’t be drawn on specifics, I have previously said in this column that it would defy logic if an Historic series focused on GT3 machinery wasn’t up and running within a year or three from now, given how successful that category has been over the past two decades in contemporary motor sport. And while I remain sceptical about the viability of a racing series for finicky, turbo-powered GP cars of the mid-1980s, or the shrinkwrapped monocoques of the 1990s that are ill-suited to all but the most jockey-sized drivers, you only need 20 or so cars to create a grid – and one suspects that if anyone can corral enough owners to make it happen, Fred can. So, snazzy hospitality, better promotion, perhaps some new series and, if the 2024 calendar is evidence of what’s to come, a superb schedule. But is it enough? Despite the odd whinge about Ron’s pasta bake, the real blow to Masters’ hard-won momentum was the quick succession of Covid, followed by the burdensome realities of Channel crossings for competitors in a post-Brexit world, especially with a near 50/50 split of events either side of the customs union. Most of the larger preparers have since acclimatised to the situation, but the administrative and financial requirements still remain potentially dissuasive for privateers. “We have a plan for that!” exclaims Ron. “We are working on a travel package to support single-car owners, which I hope will really help them.” Ever the visionary… thank you for everything, Ron. Sam is a professional racing driver, coach and dealer in significant competition cars. See www.samhancock.com.

MASTERS HISTORIC RACING

WITH RACE CAR VALUES SO intrinsically linked with the quality and quantity of opportunities for owners to use and enjoy their machinery, the health of any Historic racing organisation is absolutely critical for the market. The recent announcement, therefore, that Ron Maydon’s long-established Masters Historic Racing outfit is to merge with Fred Fatien’s UAE-based GP Extreme, is significant. It is no secret that grid sizes for some Masters series have suffered in recent years, and that the oncestrong North American schedule has effectively ceased. This has impacted car values across several of Masters’ series, particularly those that face stiff competition from alternative operators with similar concepts. The merger makes perfect sense for both Ron who – after 20 years at the helm – has an eye on retirement, and Fred. The latter’s exceptional Gulf Historic race meetings held in recent years at the Dubai Autodrome not only prove what his organisation is capable of, but also offer a timely insight to his future vision for Historic racing events, with a broad mix of grids for cars both young and old, slick marketing, compelling social media and luxurious hospitality among the major cornerstones. Will the merger help reinvigorate what for two decades has been among the world’s pre-eminent Historic racing organisations – one whose contribution to the sport’s growth cannot be overstated? I chat with both men to find out. “First of all, nothing will change for 2024,” says Ron, who retains every ounce of his inimitable energy and enthusiasm despite nudging 73 years of age. “We have a fantastic calendar, I’ll be at each of the rounds and the existing team will manage and coordinate them, just as before. Then, for 2025, I will step back

BELOW Fred (left) and Ron shake on the deal that could transform Historic motor sport.

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DUD THE IMPERIAL LLAN

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Words David Lillywhite

Photography McLaren

The Interview Zak Brown What’s your favourite period of McLaren in motor sport? Late-1980s, Senna and Prost. That’s what got me into Formula 1. I was a Senna guy; he won in the Lotus and moved to McLaren, so I became a McLaren guy. I have been ever since.

Collector, Historic racer, team owner, McLaren Racing CEO. We caught up with Zak for McLaren’s 60th birthday at Velocity Invitational in late 2023

You have got quite a collection yourself. Which is your favourite? My favourite race car is my Senna ’91 Monaco winner, but I’ve never taken it out because I don’t fit. My favourite to race is my Jaguar XJR-10. The more modern cars I don’t race, but I’ve got Daniel Ricciardo’s 2021 Monza winner – driving that was the most amazing experience ever. Do you get to race with your United Autosports team much? Yes, four times in ’23: this [Sonoma], Monterey, Spa and Portugal. I am racing the awesome M8D this weekend. It’s a Dan Gurney car, from after Bruce McLaren was killed in 1970, so it’s kind of a transition from Bruce to the new outfit at the time.

‘Bruce was a racer, designer, innovator and entrepreneur; that’s the culture we embody’

How about favourite road cars? My Porsche 959 and McLaren Speedtail. They’re my daily drivers.

Mans, too – they’ve really nailed the regulations, and budgets are very sensible compared to how they were.

When you started your motor sport marketing agency [JMI], did you ever imagine you would end up running McLaren Racing? No! A natural progression would’ve been a role in F1 on the commercial side. Then I got the chance to go to McLaren. As I love racing and being part of the race, I felt I could do the commercial side and the racing side.

You joined seven years ago. How was McLaren Racing back then? The culture and team spirit were in a bad place, and we were behind on infrastructure. We had one driver ready to leave, a second who wasn’t quite clicking. We had to rebuild the sponsor base to be able to afford the drivers and tech, rebuild the culture, trust, communication... We went in the right direction through 2021, we hit a speed bump in ’22, we made changes, and now we’re back ahead of where we were in ’21.

You talk a lot about F1, Indy and Le Mans. Which is your true love? All three! I think F1 is the true pinnacle of motor sports, but I grew up around IndyCar, and Le Mans and Daytona. If I had to rank them I’d say F1, IndyCar, sports cars. Where do you think F1 is heading? I think it’s in great shape. The rules are sound and the cost cap has been fantastic. If you take Max out of the equation, it’s unbelievably close. Le

What changed for 2023? Leadership from Andrea Stella. Now the team is working, the culture and the environment are great. Same tech, same people, different leadership. What had gone wrong? You had Ron Dennis, Martin Whitmarsh, Éric Boullier and Jost Capito as bosses, all within five years. And there were shareholder issues. If the boardroom’s not unified, how can you expect the team to be? How hands-on are you at races? I’m very involved with the drivers, with the leadership, with sponsor partners, media, representing the brand... so I’m very involved, but not in the “I think we pit this lap” way. I’ll attend 17 or 18 F1 races, five or six IndyCar races, a few Formula E and Extreme E races, and just make sure everything’s working as it should. And is Bruce’s influence still felt? There’s a lot of Bruce. Going back to the papaya [orange] for example – changing the colour of our cars was a nod to our history. He was a racer, designer, innovator and entrepreneur, and that’s the culture we embody. He was humble. He was visionary. He was fast. We try to be all those things.

Magneto (ISSN No: 2631-9489, USPS number 22830) is published four times a year – in February, May, August and November – by Hothouse Publishing Ltd, UK. Magneto is distributed in the US by RRD/Spatial, 1250 Valley Brook Ave, Lyndhurst NJ 07071. Periodicals postage paid at South Hackensack NJ and other additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Magneto c/o RRD, 1250 Valley Brook Ave, Lyndhurst NJ 07071.

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