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Welcome to our special Le Mans issue The August issue reaches you somewhere between the 24 Heures du Mans in June and the biennial Le Mans Classic in July – the most celebrated motor race in history, and a celebration of all that’s great about it respectively. It’s a shaper of motoring history and a pilgrimage for classic car owners today, so we thought it deserved a special issue of Classic Cars this month.
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A PAIR OF MOTORBEST PANAMERICANA DRIVING GLOVES
I’ve been going to the modern event for 15 years and the Classic since the first one. Before that I was drawn by the tales of immense feats of mechanical and physical endurance, of reputations made and dreams broken. And what I discovered for myself was that just by going you feel like you’ve contributed in some way, been part of the story. Like many of the Le Mans faithful, I have my own history of memorable drives across France, of eleventh-hour rebuilds and mad dashes to the ferry, ingenious roadside repairs and sleepless nights watching brake discs glow as McLarens, Porsches or Dome-Judds slow down for Tertre Rouge corner.
1937 Chapron-bodied Delahaye 145 Coupé won Interpretations of Elegance class
Unique ex-Le Mans 1933 6C Gran Sport fresh from restoration in Canada secures a brace of double-wins at Villa d’Este and Villa Erba
A
one-off 1933 Alfa 6C Gran Sport Flaminia coupé in a log cabin on Lake Siljan in Sweden won the public-voted Coppa during his summer holiday, was on hand to talk about the d’Oro and jury-chosen Trofeo car: ‘It was from a period when I started at the rear, then BMW best of show awards at moved forwards with lots of emphasis on the flanks May’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa – that’s where you see the power. When I returned d’Este on the banks of Italy’s Lake Pininfarina bawled me out for being two days late.’ Como, and a day later it scooped Amid the special-bodied glamour were classes for the streamlining class award and competition cars, with the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO of Charles the public vote at the neighbouring Villa Erba concours. Nearburg making a conspicuous late entry to the Villa The supercharged 1750 model was completed by grounds. ‘I don’t like to get stuck in traffic,’ he explained. Vancouver-based restorer RX Autoworks the day before it Chassis 3943GT’s accolades include fourth in the 1962 was shipped from Canada. According to owner David Montlhéry 1000km driven by Pierre Noblet and Jean Cohen it had an older, tired restoration, but was otherwise Guichet. ‘We went to France and met Noblet, we got old largely original: ‘We’ve tried to preserve as much of that as photos, we even had some of the original paint analysed in possible, such as build instructions handwritten on the a laboratory to make sure we got everything right.’ woodwork, and the inner sills from Alfieri Maserati made his when it was a racing car.’ concours debut to show the last After appearing at the 1933 Paris racing car built by the Maserati ‘We’ve tried to preserve as Salon and various concours, the much as possible, such as build brothers, the unique 1963 OSCA original Figoni body was replaced 1600SP. ‘It was conceived a bit for instructions hand-written on with an open design for 1935’s Le the Le Mans 24-hours and other the woodwork’ Mans 24-hours. Guy Don and Jean long-distance races. Everything Desvignes took the car, with ‘Jacky’ was designed by my father: the painted on the bonnet, to sixth aerodynamic body, the unique place overall, after which the Figoni body was reinstated. spaceframe chassis, the double overhead cam engine, the Gerard van Bergen of the Netherlands chose Villa independent suspension.’ Their agreement with MV d’Este to debut his restored Ferrari 365 GTB prototype, Augusta didn’t include racing, but the car was tested by a one of six and the only one on a Type 563 chassis and with young Alfieri. ‘It was very fast with good handling and an experimental Type 243 4.4-litre V12 engine. It’s a brakes and a very strong chassis.’ Since then it’s been development mule based on a Ferrari 275 GTB/4 with maintained in running condition but never restored. body modifications by Scaglietti to a Pininfarina design. If there had been an award for the most surreal car it When van Bergen bought it in 2003 its uncovered Fiat should have gone to the Volkhart V2 Sagitta, built in 850 Spider headlights had been replaced with a Daytona1946/7 by Kurt Volkhart in a bid to extract more speed like arrangement and the car painted ‘resale red’. Said from standard 1942 VW Beetle underpinnings with Bergen: ‘The old president of Ferrari Club Holland told me aerodynamic aluminium bodywork. I had something special, and once I’d found out its history I decided we had to restore it the right way.’ Thanks to: BMW Classic (www.bmwgroupclassic.com); Tom Tjaarda, who designed the unique 1963 Lancia BMW Classic Park Lane (www.bmwparklane.com)
Peter Kalikow talks to judge Hideo Kodama about his Ferrari 400 Superamerica
Freshly restored 1933 Alfa 6C Gran Sport achieved double triumphs at both Villa d’Este and Villa Erba
David Cohen and his wife celebrate their Alfa’s victory
1967 Ferrari 365 GTB Prototype was a 275 GTB/4-based development mule
Volkhart V2 Sagitta aimed to speed up the VW Beetle
Meticulously restored Ferrari 250 GTO took fourth place in 1962’s Montlhéry 1000km
events, sports and markets neWs
What’s going on in the world of classic cars The inside line on the Villa d’Este concours, Mille Miglia action and MoT exemption for classics THE LE MANS ISSUE
‘ Le Mans MONSIEU R LE M A NS: HENR I PESCA ROLO
is my passion’ He won the Le Mans 24-hours four times from 1972-84 and in 2005 came close to winning it again with his own team. Henri Pescarolo explains his enduring obsession WOR DS M A RTI N GU R DON PHOTOGR A PH Y MCK L EI N, CL A S SIC CA R S A RCH I V E
third out of 1500 entrants and spent a year FRENCHMAN HENRI PESCAROLO is a Le learning to be a racing driver. Mans legend after competing in the 24-hours His talent was spotted by Matra, which 33 times and attaining four outright wins: signed him up as a Formula Three driver at the three times in succession for Matra from 1972end of 1965. Two years later he had gone from 74 and in a Porsche in 1984. Having hung up ‘not knowing if I would be able to race in F3’ his racing helmet in 1999 he’s since headed his to becoming French champion with 11 wins own endurance team, whose petrol-engined – a record that still stands today. cars have snapped at the heels of the Le MansPescarolo didn’t only pilot single-seaters. In dominating Peugeot and Audi diesels on a winter Matra put him behind the wheel of fraction of their budgets. Pescarolo and Graham Hill won the Le Mans 24-hours in 1972 in the Matra MS670 rally cars, while spring saw him hill climbing, This sporting icon is respected and liked by and he also took up endurance racing. The colleagues and rivals alike, yet many I spoke to team entered Le Mans in 1968 with the insaid they didn’t really know Pescarolo the house-designed three-litre V12 MS630, which Pescarolo shared with man. ‘He’s a difficult bloke to know,’ says journalist and Le Mans Johnny Servoz-Gavin. Despite a night battling rain without expert Brian Laban. ‘He’s not anti-social, just very private.’ windscreen wipers, Pescarolo and Servoz-Gavin were running in Born in 1942, Pescarolo is scrupulously polite, charming and often second place when after 22 hours a puncture, followed by an electrical droll, but is not given to well-rehearsed anecdotes or anything that fire, put them out of the race. might smack of self-aggrandisement. When discussing his career you After such a strong performance Matra was bullish about its get a strong sense that he feels talking about it is an irrelevance when prospects in 1969 for its open-topped MS650 and fixed-head, low-drag he could actually be getting on with it. MS640 coupé designed by aerodynamicist Robert Choulet. ‘It was a Pescarolo père was a doctor who augmented a sensible Peugeot 403 very strange shape,’ says Pescarolo, adding that the car was an with a Triumph TR3 which 14-year-old Henri took for illicit drives in influence on the Porsche 917. ‘It should have been very fast.’ the local park after school. ‘It was fabulous,’ he says. It was. Pescarolo was testing it on the Mulsanne Straight at almost By the time he was legally old enough to pilot the TR3, the Peugeot 150mph – which, he mildly observes, is the take-off speed of a Boeing 403 had given way to a 404. On family holidays to the south of France 747 – when an uneven road surface launched the car skywards. his mother and siblings would travel in this, while Henri and his dad Pescarolo was badly burned but scrambled from the wreckage. ‘I’m took the Triumph. ‘We’d drive from Paris to Nice, flat-out through the the only driver to survive such an accident,’ he says. ‘There were no Alps where there were more corners and it was more interesting than guard rails and the car took off straight into the trees and exploded. Route Nationale 7. I found that driving like this came very easily to me, When you survive an accident, that’s a good memory.’ but I wasn’t thinking of trying to become a racing driver.’ Richard Attwood, who won Le Mans in a Porsche 917 in 1970, says Instead he decided to train as a doctor. He describes his studies as surviving a crash of this sort in the late Sixties was miraculous: ‘The ‘all right’, but in his second year he heard about a competition to find cars fell apart if you hit something. You were pretty much on your own.’ new driving talent. It involved building a Lotus 7 and the prizes were The MS650 came good with a win at Montlhéry in October ’69, free driving at events run by the Paris AGACI car club. Pescarolo came
Before Le Mans took over, Pescarolo showed promise in F1. Here he chats with Ronnie Peterson at Circuit Paul Ricard
66 Classic Cars
Classic Cars 51
the people Who shaped our World
Meet the designers, racers, movers and shakers Four times Le Mans winner Henri Pescarolo reveals why he’s addicted to the great race THE LE MANS ISSUE
CORV ETTE Z06 vs FER R A R I 550 vs M A RCOS LM500 vs V IPER GTS
In this issue we’ve brought you a rich mixture of the road cars that grew in to Le Mans players, from the Renault 4CV to the all-conquering Bentleys, the pure race cars and the people dedicated to this unique event. Enjoy this taster and if you like what you see you can now buy this single copy online.
DESTINED
FOR MULSANNE
ON SALE
Which car best makes you feel like a Le Mans hero – Marcos LM500, Chrysler Viper GTS, Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 or Ferrari 550 Maranello?
NOW
CLICK TO BUY THIS ISSUE
ITALY
Tom Tjaarda spent his holiday penning the unique Lancia Flaminia coupé, then got bawled out for going back to work two days late Alfieri Maserati (above) showed the unique 1963 OSCA 1600 SP designed by his father
Gudrun Muschalla
CLASSIC CARS MAGAZINE JULY 2012 | ISSUE 468
ALFA WINS FOUR TROPHIES IN
11
W O R D S C H R I S C H I LT O N P H O T O G R A P H Y C H A R L I E M AG E E
90 Classic Cars
Phil Bell, Editor
Classic Cars 91
choose your next classic
We compare the fantasy to the reality so that you can choose well Le Mans GT contenders for the road: Marcos LM500 vs Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 vs Ferrari 550 Maranello vs Chrysler Viper GTS
O S E R T O g R E aT C a R S OF T H E pa ST THE LE MANS ISSUE
POR SCHE 911S
FROM ROAD
VS
THE LE MANS ISSUE
2.8 RSR
C O L L E C T O R C A R S : E X- S T I R L I N G M O S S A S T O N D B 3 S
JOYTO RACE
Always the
VICTORY
In 1956 this Aston Martin DB3S scored one of three second places for the model at Le Mans. A road and track test, and a chat with Sir Stirling Moss, reveals why
The Le Mans 24 Hours has swarmed with Porsche 911s for five decades. We pit a road-going 2.4S against a 2.8 RSR race car to find out why
WOR DS ROB SCOR A H PHOTOGR A PH Y GEORGE F W ILLI A MS
W O R D S A D A M T OW L E R P H OT O G R A P H Y C H A R L I E M AG E E Porsche’s 911 is the epitome of automotive evolution, but it is the original design that always shines through
51 Classic Cars
Classic Cars 51
51 Classic Cars
road and race cars
Classic Cars 51
neW series: collectors cars
The best road and track cars tested Porsche 911S road car vs the 2.8 RSR race car
Access to the most desirable cars Driving the Aston Martin DB3S that Stirling Moss raced at Le Mans 1956
THE LE MANS ISSUE
THE LE MANS ISSUE
P R E S E R VA T I O N C A R S : A B A R T H - S I M C A 2 M I L A
‘LE MANS’ BENTLEYS
WARRIOR
RACE Bentleys dominated Le Mans through the Twenties, winning the 24-hours in 1924, ’27, ’28, ’29 and, for good measure, 1930 too. We unite a quartet of old warriors to explore how they did it WOR DS JOH N SI M ISTER PHOTOGR A PH Y M ICH A EL B A I L L I E
R ETUR N OF THE
SCOR PION K ING Recommissioning this Abarth Simca without losing its mesmerising originality was a challenge, but now it’s ready to take on the great circuits of the world once more WOR DS M A RT Y N MORGA N JON E S PHOTOGR A PH Y GEORGE F W I L L I A MS
Based on the roadgoing Abarth Simca 2000 GT, the 2mila was designed for competition as a circuit racer and hill climber
51 Classic Cars
Classic Cars 51
neW series: preservation cars
Exploring rare survivors in timewarp condition Rare Abarth Simca 2mila race car brought back to life
Take your pick from (left to right): Bentley Speed Six, 3 Litre, Blower and 4½ Litre
51 Classic Cars
Classic Cars 51
the big test
Find out what it’s like to drive your dream Le Mans-style Bentleys: 3 Litre, 4.5, Blower and Speed Six go head to head
THE LE MANS ISSUE
30|DISCOVERED
BU Y I NG GU I DE: MORGA N ‘ F L AT R A D ’
DISCOVERED
This 1938 4-4 Series I displays the flat radiator that distinguishes 1936-54 fourwheelers from later Morgans. Drophead coupés such as this example didn’t get the folding windscreen of other variants
Lagonda trio once bought for a song unearthed in Cheshire
1a. Not even the Lagonda Club knew about the existence of this 1937 LG45 Saloon de Ville
2a. ‘1967 Ferrari P3/P4’ isn’t what it seems – but could still prove valuable
3b. 1955 Austin-Healey 100/4 BN1 is now undergoing restoration after sitting around in a garage for 46 years
1b. 1952 Lagonda 2.6-litre drophead coupé was bought for a mere £50
1936-54
MORGAN
‘FLAT
RAD’ The original Morgan four-wheeler thrilled road drivers and Le Mans hopefuls when it was new. Now it can do the same for you – if you follow our essential checks first WOR DS M A LCOLM MCK AY PHOTOGR A PHY TOM WOOD
Compact, charming and simple, Morgan’s original four-wheelers offer the marque’s traditional essence in its purest form. All have stalkmounted headlights, wooden floors and uncovered front suspension. For many enthusiasts the 1267cc 4-4 (the designation changed to 4/4 after the war) of 1939-50 is the purest because the engine is unique to Morgan, but the Plus 4 brought more power and performance, so if you want to keep up with modern traffic it’s probably a better choice.
• WHICH ONE AND HOW MUCH
The first production 4-4 arrived in 1935 and had the sliding-pillar independent front suspension of the three-wheelers plus an underslung live rear axle sitting over Z-section chassis side rails and carried on leaf springs. The 34bhp 1122cc Coventry Climax fourcylinder engine, a crossflow with overhead inlet and side exhaust valves, seemed lively enough in 1935, especially in 1098cc competition form with 50-60bhp, but today it’s a leisurely drive and motorways are best avoided. It was mated to a four-speed gearbox directly under the gearlever. Initially a Meadows unit with synchromesh on third and top, it was replaced from 1938 with a three-synchro Moss gearbox, but Meadows ’boxes can be found even on post-war cars. In 1937 a lightened 4-4 won the Tourist Trophy on handicap, prompting Morgan to build four TT Replica models with sloping tails. In 1938 the remarkable Prudence Fawcett drove her 4-4 at Le Mans and finished second in class and 13th overall; three Le Mans Replica and seven Le Mans Specials followed. In 1939 Morgan changed to the 1267cc overhead-valve Standard Special engine. Lighter and more powerful, it’s significantly cheaper to rebuild thanks to shell crankshaft bearings, but the cylinderhead is unique, so beware of cracks and corrosion. In 1950 Morgan replaced it
with the 2088cc Plus 4, taking advantage of the extra power of the Vanguard engine to make the car a little wider and roomier. A cowled radiator arrived in October 1953 with low, faired-in headlights, covered suspension and a slightly curved grille over the radiator with bright top section. The fully-curved cowl entered production in June 1954. Expect to pay at least £10k for a Flat Rad project car, £15k-plus for a scruffy runner and £25k-plus for the best cars. Add 50-100 per cent for a special edition, depending on history.
• BODY/STRUCTUR E
Flat Rads came with steel bodywork over a frame of Belgian ash wood. There were three different body styles: two-seater (from 1936), fourseat tourer (from 1937) and two-seat drophead coupé (from 1938). The drophead was more sophisticated, with fixed windscreen frame, sliding glass windows and three-position hood. For the Plus 4, Morgan stiffened the chassis with box-section crossmembers (instead of channel sections) and a bolt-on rear trunnion tube, plus stiffer sheet steel for the bulkhead. The wheelbase increased from 92in to 96in (2337-2438mm) and the cabin gained a little more space. Chassis tend to corrode along the top and behind the rear wheels; check for cracks around the steering box and bulkhead mountings and
get underneath to prod for chassis corrosion. Most cars will be on their second chassis. Complete new chassis are available from GEE Ltd for £684 for the 4-4 and £828 for the Plus 4, or you can buy the crosshead for £108 or a crossmember for £42. Ash frames weren’t treated for preservation and few cars survive with much original wood, especially in vulnerable areas such as sills, doors and inner wheelarches. To get an idea of frame condition open each door in turn and lift it to discover if the A-post moves; don’t be misled by play in the hinges – the A-post should be rock-solid. Also look at exposed points at the base of the back panel and just in front of each rear wheel. In extreme cases the middle of the car sags. Frames and body panels are available from specialists. Aluminium panels are the same price as steel (£1800-2400 for a set depending on model, from VSM) and you may find cars that have been repanelled in a
the points and started it the exhaust blew out – but with a new exhaust and tyres it passed the MoT. ‘I had a new hood put on because the old one had been given a big plastic window. I repainted it myself last year and had the chrome redone as it had been polished through. ‘I’m taking it to Le Mans Classic this year. It’s very basic, wanders a bit and takes its time, but I like driving it.’
102 Classic Cars
2b. Detective work revealed that the ‘Ferrari’ is a quality replica with an Italian-made chassis
1. FADED GLAMOUR – IN TRIPLICATE
I BOUGHT ONE Doug Crutchfield has owned a Plus 8 for eight years: ‘I wouldn’t part with it, but I also fancied something older and when this Flat Rad came up two years ago I jumped at it. It had had one lady owner for 48 years! The tyres were perished and when we put some petrol in, cleaned
1c. Hugh Howorth built this Howorth Special. It was rescued from a flooded basement
Three remarkable Lagondas were consigned for sale without reserve at H&H’s Rockingham Castle Sale on June 16. All belonged to William Allsager, a retired solicitor from Wilmslow, Cheshire, who was unable to restore them because of back problems. The youngest is a 1952 2.6-litre drophead coupé
STAR FIND
bought for £50 as a spares car for his own 2.6-litre. ‘The garage sold it as having a cracked cylinder block,’ said Allsager, ‘but all that was wrong was that someone had removed the oil filter housing, so when they started the car it threw oil all over the floor.’ He paid a similarly tiny sum for a 1937 Lagonda LG45 saloon, a so-called Saloon de Ville (on the long wheelbase version of the LG45 chassis) by Park Ward. This example is new to the
Lagonda Club, not surprising as a 1955 Manchester Guardian was found inside. The most interesting lot was the Howorth Special, created by keen racer Hugh Howorth from a Lagonda M45 in the Forties. He shortened the chassis and rebuilt the engine, later installing independent front suspension after his wife crashed it off the end of Hartlepool Promenade during a sprint. ‘I paid £200 or £300 for it,’ said Allsager. ‘We had to get
it out of the semi-flooded basement of a mill in Oldham.’ The auction took place after Classic Cars went to press. Let’s hope all three cars return to running order.
2. THE RIDDLE OF THE SANDS
The pictures suggest the most exciting find of the year… a dusty, longforgotten Ferrari sportsracer just unearthed from a pile of old outboard motors in the back of a large garage. But like anything
that seems too good to be true, it was. But it is a potentially valuable car with a claim to genuine Italian craftsmanship in its past. James Lewis first contacted us about a ‘1967 Ferrari P3/P4’ owned by a friend in the Middle East. ‘The story was that the car had been based on a chassis which was kept as a spare at the time the cars were raced,’ says Lewis. ‘It was bought by a friend of mine in the Nineties, then stored for years in a garage
in Oman, where we both work in the oil industry. It has a Ferrari 308 V8 engine, a Renault 30 transaxle and boxes of spares – Jaeger/ Ferrari instruments, fivespoke Campagnolo wheels, lights, the glass and more.’ Detective work led to a phone call to the UK Ferrari specialist who handled the sale in the Nineties, where someone recalled the chassis had been built in Italy in the Eighties. So, in no way an original Ferrari, but possibly the next best thing
– the chassis and aluminium body tub appears to be a much more faithful attempt to replicate the original than, say, the more widelyseen Lee Noble/Foreman designs made in heaviergauge tubing. And while the car is now just an unfinished kit, the best replicas have sold for six-figure sums.
3. HONESTY IS ITS OWN REWARD
Austin-Healey enthusiast Steve Tyler has discovered that honesty really is the best
policy. He explains: ‘I recently sold an Austin-Healey 100/4 and was contacted by a gentleman who was about to sell his father’s 1955 100/4 BN1 and wondered how much he should asking for it. He told me his late father bought the car new and used it for about ten years before starting a partial restoration. He never completed it and the car sat in his garage for 46 years until his death. ‘On inspection I wasn’t disappointed: the car needed new sills, some patch-work
and body work, but it was very original and complete. I told him the car was more valuable than he thought it was and that I would like to buy it, but didn’t have the money because I already had an Austin-Healey 3000 under restoration. ‘A week later he said that if I wanted it he would wait until I’d sold my restoration project and accept my valuation figure because I’d been honest with him about the car’s true worth.’ Tyler duly sold his 3000
and collected the 100/4, which is shown here as first seen in its resting place. The dubious respray in bright metallic paint (covering the original Ice Blue) is one reason the owner took it off the road in 1965 – he was far from happy with it. Tyler has now started the restoration. ‘I found two old pennies on the passenger parcel shelf,’ he says. ‘One was from 1900 and the other from 1941, both still being legal tender the last time the car was used.’
Classic Cars 103
buying guide
Pitfalls, pleasures and prices of the most tempting cars This month we help you buy a ‘Flat Rad’ Morgan
discovered
Barn finds and restoration dreams from around the world Rare Lagondas unearthed in Cheshire, Austin-Healey 100/4 exhumed after 46 years and a one-lady-owner Shelby Mustang from Carolina
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10|EVENTS NEWS
ALFA WINS FOUR TROPHIES IN
ITALY
1937 Chapron-bodied Delahaye 145 Coupé won Interpretations of Elegance class
Unique ex-Le Mans 1933 6C Gran Sport fresh from restoration in Canada secures a brace of double-wins at Villa d’Este and Villa Erba
WORTH
£40
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A PAIR OF MOTORBEST PANAMERICANA DRIVING GLOVES
A
one-off 1933 Alfa 6C Gran Sport Flaminia coupé in a log cabin on Lake Siljan in Sweden won the public-voted Coppa during his summer holiday, was on hand to talk about the d’Oro and jury-chosen Trofeo car: ‘It was from a period when I started at the rear, then BMW best of show awards at moved forwards with lots of emphasis on the flanks May’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa – that’s where you see the power. When I returned d’Este on the banks of Italy’s Lake Pininfarina bawled me out for being two days late.’ Como, and a day later it scooped Amid the special-bodied glamour were classes for the streamlining class award and competition cars, with the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO of Charles the public vote at the neighbouring Villa Erba concours. Nearburg making a conspicuous late entry to the Villa The supercharged 1750 model was completed by grounds. ‘I don’t like to get stuck in traffic,’ he explained. Vancouver-based restorer RX Autoworks the day before it Chassis 3943GT’s accolades include fourth in the 1962 was shipped from Canada. According to owner David Montlhéry 1000km driven by Pierre Noblet and Jean Cohen it had an older, tired restoration, but was otherwise Guichet. ‘We went to France and met Noblet, we got old largely original: ‘We’ve tried to preserve as much of that as photos, we even had some of the original paint analysed in possible, such as build instructions handwritten on the a laboratory to make sure we got everything right.’ woodwork, and the inner sills from Alfieri Maserati made his when it was a racing car.’ concours debut to show the last After appearing at the 1933 Paris racing car built by the Maserati ‘We’ve tried to preserve as Salon and various concours, the much as possible, such as build brothers, the unique 1963 OSCA original Figoni body was replaced 1600SP. ‘It was conceived a bit for instructions hand-written on with an open design for 1935’s Le the Le Mans 24-hours and other the woodwork’ Mans 24-hours. Guy Don and Jean long-distance races. Everything Desvignes took the car, with ‘Jacky’ was designed by my father: the painted on the bonnet, to sixth aerodynamic body, the unique place overall, after which the Figoni body was reinstated. spaceframe chassis, the double overhead cam engine, the Gerard van Bergen of the Netherlands chose Villa independent suspension.’ Their agreement with MV d’Este to debut his restored Ferrari 365 GTB prototype, Augusta didn’t include racing, but the car was tested by a one of six and the only one on a Type 563 chassis and with young Alfieri. ‘It was very fast with good handling and an experimental Type 243 4.4-litre V12 engine. It’s a brakes and a very strong chassis.’ Since then it’s been development mule based on a Ferrari 275 GTB/4 with maintained in running condition but never restored. body modifications by Scaglietti to a Pininfarina design. If there had been an award for the most surreal car it When van Bergen bought it in 2003 its uncovered Fiat should have gone to the Volkhart V2 Sagitta, built in 850 Spider headlights had been replaced with a Daytona1946/7 by Kurt Volkhart in a bid to extract more speed like arrangement and the car painted ‘resale red’. Said from standard 1942 VW Beetle underpinnings with Bergen: ‘The old president of Ferrari Club Holland told me aerodynamic aluminium bodywork. I had something special, and once I’d found out its history I decided we had to restore it the right way.’ Thanks to: BMW Classic (www.bmwgroupclassic.com); Tom Tjaarda, who designed the unique 1963 Lancia BMW Classic Park Lane (www.bmwparklane.com)
Peter Kalikow talks to judge Hideo Kodama about his Ferrari 400 Superamerica
David Cohen and his wife celebrate their Alfa’s victory
Volkhart V2 Sagitta aimed to speed up the VW Beetle
11
IN EV ERY ISSUE
Tom Tjaarda spent his holiday penning the unique Lancia Flaminia coupé, then got bawled out for going back to work two days late Alfieri Maserati (above) showed the unique 1963 OSCA 1600 SP designed by his father
What’s going on in the world of classic cars
Freshly restored 1933 Alfa 6C Gran Sport achieved double triumphs at both Villa d’Este and Villa Erba
1967 Ferrari 365 GTB Prototype was a 275 GTB/4-based development mule
Meticulously restored Ferrari 250 GTO took fourth place in 1962’s Montlhéry 1000km
Gudrun Muschalla
The inside line on the Villa d’Este concours, Mille Miglia action and MoT exemption for classics
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A PAIR OF MOTORBEST PANAMERICANA DRIVING GLOVES
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CLICK TO BUY THIS ISSUE Porsche’s 911 is the epitome of automotive evolution, but it is the original design that always shines through
51 Classic Cars
THE LE MANS ISSUE
POR SCHE 911S
VS
IN EV ERY ISSUE
2.8 RSR
The best road and track cars tested
Porsche 911S road car vs the 2.8 RSR race car
FROM ROAD
JOYTO RACE
VICTORY
The Le Mans 24 Hours has swarmed with Porsche 911s for five decades. We pit a road-going 2.4S against a 2.8 RSR race car to find out why W O R D S A D A M T OW L E R P H OT O G R A P H Y C H A R L I E M AG E E
Classic Cars 51
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WORTH
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A PAIR OF MOTORBEST PANAMERICANA DRIVING GLOVES
THE LE MANS ISSUE
C O L L E C T O R C A R S : E X- S T I R L I N G M O S S A S T O N D B 3 S
Always the In 1956 this Aston Martin DB3S scored one of three second places for the model at Le Mans. A road and track test, and a chat with Sir Stirling Moss, reveals why WOR DS ROB SCOR A H PHOTOGR A PH Y GEORGE F W ILLI A MS
51 Classic Cars
IN EV ERY ISSUE Access to the most desirable cars Driving the Aston Martin DB3S that Stirling Moss raced at Le Mans 1956
Classic Cars 51
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THE LE MANS ISSUE
‘ Le Mans MONSIEU R LE M A NS: HENR I PESCA ROLO
is my passion’ He won the Le Mans 24-hours four times from 1972-84 and in 2005 came close to winning it again with his own team. Henri Pescarolo explains his enduring obsession WOR DS M A RTI N GU R DON PHOTOGR A PH Y MCK L EI N, CL A S SIC CA R S A RCH I V E
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third out of 1500 entrants and spent a year FRENCHMAN HENRI PESCAROLO is a Le learning to be a racing driver. Mans legend after competing in the 24-hours His talent was spotted by Matra, which 33 times and attaining four outright wins: signed him up as a Formula Three driver at the three times in succession for Matra from 1972end of 1965. Two years later he had gone from 74 and in a Porsche in 1984. Having hung up ‘not knowing if I would be able to race in F3’ his racing helmet in 1999 he’s since headed his to becoming French champion with 11 wins own endurance team, whose petrol-engined – a record that still stands today. cars have snapped at the heels of the Le MansPescarolo didn’t only pilot single-seaters. In dominating Peugeot and Audi diesels on a winter Matra put him behind the wheel of fraction of their budgets. Pescarolo and Graham Hill won the Le Mans 24-hours in 1972 in the Matra MS670 rally cars, while spring saw him hill climbing, This sporting icon is respected and liked by and he also took up endurance racing. The colleagues and rivals alike, yet many I spoke to team entered Le Mans in 1968 with the insaid they didn’t really know Pescarolo the house-designed three-litre V12 MS630, which Pescarolo shared with man. ‘He’s a difficult bloke to know,’ says journalist and Le Mans Johnny Servoz-Gavin. Despite a night battling rain without expert Brian Laban. ‘He’s not anti-social, just very private.’ windscreen wipers, Pescarolo and Servoz-Gavin were running in Born in 1942, Pescarolo is scrupulously polite, charming and often second place when after 22 hours a puncture, followed by an electrical droll, but is not given to well-rehearsed anecdotes or anything that fire, put them out of the race. might smack of self-aggrandisement. When discussing his career you After such a strong performance Matra was bullish about its get a strong sense that he feels talking about it is an irrelevance when prospects in 1969 for its open-topped MS650 and fixed-head, low-drag he could actually be getting on with it. MS640 coupé designed by aerodynamicist Robert Choulet. ‘It was a Pescarolo père was a doctor who augmented a sensible Peugeot 403 very strange shape,’ says Pescarolo, adding that the car was an with a Triumph TR3 which 14-year-old Henri took for illicit drives in influence on the Porsche 917. ‘It should have been very fast.’ the local park after school. ‘It was fabulous,’ he says. It was. Pescarolo was testing it on the Mulsanne Straight at almost By the time he was legally old enough to pilot the TR3, the Peugeot 150mph – which, he mildly observes, is the take-off speed of a Boeing 403 had given way to a 404. On family holidays to the south of France 747 – when an uneven road surface launched the car skywards. his mother and siblings would travel in this, while Henri and his dad Pescarolo was badly burned but scrambled from the wreckage. ‘I’m took the Triumph. ‘We’d drive from Paris to Nice, flat-out through the the only driver to survive such an accident,’ he says. ‘There were no Alps where there were more corners and it was more interesting than guard rails and the car took off straight into the trees and exploded. Route Nationale 7. I found that driving like this came very easily to me, When you survive an accident, that’s a good memory.’ but I wasn’t thinking of trying to become a racing driver.’ Richard Attwood, who won Le Mans in a Porsche 917 in 1970, says Instead he decided to train as a doctor. He describes his studies as surviving a crash of this sort in the late Sixties was miraculous: ‘The ‘all right’, but in his second year he heard about a competition to find cars fell apart if you hit something. You were pretty much on your own.’ new driving talent. It involved building a Lotus 7 and the prizes were The MS650 came good with a win at Montlhéry in October ’69, free driving at events run by the Paris AGACI car club. Pescarolo came 66 Classic Cars
IN EV ERY ISSUE Meet the designers, racers, movers and shakers
Four times Le Mans winner Henri Pescarolo reveals why he’s addicted to the great race
Before Le Mans took over, Pescarolo showed promise in F1. Here he chats with Ronnie Peterson at Circuit Paul Ricard
Classic Cars 51
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Recommissioning this Abarth Simca without losing its mesmerising originality was a challenge, but now it’s ready to take on the great circuits of the world once more WOR DS M A RT Y N MORGA N JON E S PHOTOGR A PH Y GEORGE F W I L L I A MS
51 Classic Cars
IN EV ERY ISSUE Exploring rare survivors in timewarp condition Rare Abarth Simca 2mila race car brought back to life
Based on the roadgoing Abarth Simca 2000 GT, the 2mila was designed for competition as a circuit racer and hill climber
Classic Cars 51
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THE LE MANS ISSUE
‘LE MANS’ BENTLEYS
WARRIOR
RACE Bentleys dominated Le Mans through the Twenties, winning the 24-hours in 1924, ’27, ’28, ’29 and, for good measure, 1930 too. We unite a quartet of old warriors to explore how they did it WOR DS JOH N SI M ISTER PHOTOGR A PH Y M ICH A EL B A I L L I E
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IN EV ERY ISSUE Find out what it’s like to drive your dream
Le Mans-style Bentleys: 3 Litre, 4.5, Blower and Speed Six go head to head
Take your pick from (left to right): Bentley Speed Six, 3 Litre, Blower and 4½ Litre
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CORV ETTE Z06 vs FER R A R I 550 vs M A RCOS LM500 vs V IPER GTS
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Which car best makes you feel like a Le Mans hero – Marcos LM500, Chrysler Viper GTS, Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 or Ferrari 550 Maranello? W O R D S C H R I S C H I LT O N P H O T O G R A P H Y C H A R L I E M AG E E
90 Classic Cars
IN EV ERY ISSUE We compare the fantasy to the reality so that you can choose well
Le Mans GT contenders for the road: Marcos LM500 vs Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 vs Ferrari 550 Maranello vs Chrysler Viper GTS
Classic Cars 91
THE LE MANS ISSUE
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BU Y I NG GU I DE: MORGA N ‘ F L AT R A D ’
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1936-54
MORGAN
‘FLAT
RAD’ The original Morgan four-wheeler thrilled road drivers and Le Mans hopefuls when it was new. Now it can do the same for you – if you follow our essential checks first WOR DS M A LCOLM MCK AY PHOTOGR A PHY TOM WOOD
102 Classic Cars
Compact, charming and simple, Morgan’s original four-wheelers offer the marque’s traditional essence in its purest form. All have stalkmounted headlights, wooden floors and uncovered front suspension. For many enthusiasts the 1267cc 4-4 (the designation changed to 4/4 after the war) of 1939-50 is the purest because the engine is unique to Morgan, but the Plus 4 brought more power and performance, so if you want to keep up with modern traffic it’s probably a better choice.
• WHICH ONE AND HOW MUCH
The first production 4-4 arrived in 1935 and had the sliding-pillar independent front suspension of the three-wheelers plus an underslung live rear axle sitting over Z-section chassis side rails and carried on leaf springs. The 34bhp 1122cc Coventry Climax fourcylinder engine, a crossflow with overhead inlet and side exhaust valves, seemed lively enough in 1935, especially in 1098cc competition form with 50-60bhp, but today it’s a leisurely drive and motorways are best avoided. It was mated to a four-speed gearbox directly under the gearlever. Initially a Meadows unit with synchromesh on third and top, it was replaced from 1938 with a three-synchro Moss gearbox, but Meadows ’boxes can be found even on post-war cars. In 1937 a lightened 4-4 won the Tourist Trophy on handicap, prompting Morgan to build four TT Replica models with sloping tails. In 1938 the remarkable Prudence Fawcett drove her 4-4 at Le Mans and finished second in class and 13th overall; three Le Mans Replica and seven Le Mans Specials followed. In 1939 Morgan changed to the 1267cc overhead-valve Standard Special engine. Lighter and more powerful, it’s significantly cheaper to rebuild thanks to shell crankshaft bearings, but the cylinderhead is unique, so beware of cracks and corrosion. In 1950 Morgan replaced it
This 1938 4-4 Series I displays the flat radiator that distinguishes 1936-54 fourwheelers from later Morgans. Drophead coupés such as this example didn’t get the folding windscreen of other variants
IN EV ERY ISSUE Pitfalls, pleasures and prices of the most tempting cars
This month we help you buy a ‘Flat Rad’ Morgan
with the 2088cc Plus 4, taking advantage of the extra power of the Vanguard engine to make the car a little wider and roomier. A cowled radiator arrived in October 1953 with low, faired-in headlights, covered suspension and a slightly curved grille over the radiator with bright top section. The fully-curved cowl entered production in June 1954. Expect to pay at least £10k for a Flat Rad project car, £15k-plus for a scruffy runner and £25k-plus for the best cars. Add 50-100 per cent for a special edition, depending on history.
• BODY/STRUCTUR E
Flat Rads came with steel bodywork over a frame of Belgian ash wood. There were three different body styles: two-seater (from 1936), fourseat tourer (from 1937) and two-seat drophead coupé (from 1938). The drophead was more sophisticated, with fixed windscreen frame, sliding glass windows and three-position hood. For the Plus 4, Morgan stiffened the chassis with box-section crossmembers (instead of channel sections) and a bolt-on rear trunnion tube, plus stiffer sheet steel for the bulkhead. The wheelbase increased from 92in to 96in (2337-2438mm) and the cabin gained a little more space. Chassis tend to corrode along the top and behind the rear wheels; check for cracks around the steering box and bulkhead mountings and
get underneath to prod for chassis corrosion. Most cars will be on their second chassis. Complete new chassis are available from GEE Ltd for £684 for the 4-4 and £828 for the Plus 4, or you can buy the crosshead for £108 or a crossmember for £42. Ash frames weren’t treated for preservation and few cars survive with much original wood, especially in vulnerable areas such as sills, doors and inner wheelarches. To get an idea of frame condition open each door in turn and lift it to discover if the A-post moves; don’t be misled by play in the hinges – the A-post should be rock-solid. Also look at exposed points at the base of the back panel and just in front of each rear wheel. In extreme cases the middle of the car sags. Frames and body panels are available from specialists. Aluminium panels are the same price as steel (£1800-2400 for a set depending on model, from VSM) and you may find cars that have been repanelled in a
I BOUGHT ONE Doug Crutchfield has owned a Plus 8 for eight years: ‘I wouldn’t part with it, but I also fancied something older and when this Flat Rad came up two years ago I jumped at it. It had had one lady owner for 48 years! The tyres were perished and when we put some petrol in, cleaned
the points and started it the exhaust blew out – but with a new exhaust and tyres it passed the MoT. ‘I had a new hood put on because the old one had been given a big plastic window. I repainted it myself last year and had the chrome redone as it had been polished through. ‘I’m taking it to Le Mans Classic this year. It’s very basic, wanders a bit and takes its time, but I like driving it.’
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30|DISCOVERED
DISCOVERED Lagonda trio once bought for a song unearthed in Cheshire
1a. Not even the Lagonda Club knew about the existence of this 1937 LG45 Saloon de Ville
1b. 1952 Lagonda 2.6-litre drophead coupé was bought for a mere £50
1c. Hugh Howorth built this Howorth Special. It was rescued from a flooded basement
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1. FADED GLAMOUR – IN TRIPLICATE
Three remarkable Lagondas were STAR consigned for FIND sale without reserve at H&H’s Rockingham Castle Sale on June 16. All belonged to William Allsager, a retired solicitor from Wilmslow, Cheshire, who was unable to restore them because of back problems. The youngest is a 1952 2.6-litre drophead coupé
bought for £50 as a spares car for his own 2.6-litre. ‘The garage sold it as having a cracked cylinder block,’ said Allsager, ‘but all that was wrong was that someone had removed the oil filter housing, so when they started the car it threw oil all over the floor.’ He paid a similarly tiny sum for a 1937 Lagonda LG45 saloon, a so-called Saloon de Ville (on the long wheelbase version of the LG45 chassis) by Park Ward. This example is new to the
Lagonda Club, not surprising as a 1955 Manchester Guardian was found inside. The most interesting lot was the Howorth Special, created by keen racer Hugh Howorth from a Lagonda M45 in the Forties. He shortened the chassis and rebuilt the engine, later installing independent front suspension after his wife crashed it off the end of Hartlepool Promenade during a sprint. ‘I paid £200 or £300 for it,’ said Allsager. ‘We had to get
it out of the semi-flooded basement of a mill in Oldham.’ The auction took place after Classic Cars went to press. Let’s hope all three cars return to running order.
2. THE RIDDLE OF THE SANDS
The pictures suggest the most exciting find of the year… a dusty, longforgotten Ferrari sportsracer just unearthed from a pile of old outboard motors in the back of a large garage. But like anything
that seems too good to be true, it was. But it is a potentially valuable car with a claim to genuine Italian craftsmanship in its past. James Lewis first contacted us about a ‘1967 Ferrari P3/P4’ owned by a friend in the Middle East. ‘The story was that the car had been based on a chassis which was kept as a spare at the time the cars were raced,’ says Lewis. ‘It was bought by a friend of mine in the Nineties, then stored for years in a garage
IN EV ERY ISSUE Barn finds and restoration dreams from around the world
Rare Lagondas unearthed in Cheshire, Austin-Healey 100/4 exhumed after 46 years and a one-lady-owner Shelby Mustang from Carolina 2a. ‘1967 Ferrari P3/P4’ isn’t what it seems – but could still prove valuable
3b. 1955 Austin-Healey 100/4 BN1 is now undergoing restoration after sitting around in a garage for 46 years
2b. Detective work revealed that the ‘Ferrari’ is a quality replica with an Italian-made chassis
in Oman, where we both work in the oil industry. It has a Ferrari 308 V8 engine, a Renault 30 transaxle and boxes of spares – Jaeger/ Ferrari instruments, fivespoke Campagnolo wheels, lights, the glass and more.’ Detective work led to a phone call to the UK Ferrari specialist who handled the sale in the Nineties, where someone recalled the chassis had been built in Italy in the Eighties. So, in no way an original Ferrari, but possibly the next best thing
– the chassis and aluminium body tub appears to be a much more faithful attempt to replicate the original than, say, the more widelyseen Lee Noble/Foreman designs made in heaviergauge tubing. And while the car is now just an unfinished kit, the best replicas have sold for six-figure sums.
3. HONESTY IS ITS OWN REWARD
Austin-Healey enthusiast Steve Tyler has discovered that honesty really is the best
policy. He explains: ‘I recently sold an Austin-Healey 100/4 and was contacted by a gentleman who was about to sell his father’s 1955 100/4 BN1 and wondered how much he should asking for it. He told me his late father bought the car new and used it for about ten years before starting a partial restoration. He never completed it and the car sat in his garage for 46 years until his death. ‘On inspection I wasn’t disappointed: the car needed new sills, some patch-work
and body work, but it was very original and complete. I told him the car was more valuable than he thought it was and that I would like to buy it, but didn’t have the money because I already had an Austin-Healey 3000 under restoration. ‘A week later he said that if I wanted it he would wait until I’d sold my restoration project and accept my valuation figure because I’d been honest with him about the car’s true worth.’ Tyler duly sold his 3000
and collected the 100/4, which is shown here as first seen in its resting place. The dubious respray in bright metallic paint (covering the original Ice Blue) is one reason the owner took it off the road in 1965 – he was far from happy with it. Tyler has now started the restoration. ‘I found two old pennies on the passenger parcel shelf,’ he says. ‘One was from 1900 and the other from 1941, both still being legal tender the last time the car was used.’
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