Paul Hardiman
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1970 Land Rover Range Rover
The original Spen King-designed Range Rover was one of the British motor industry’s proudest success stories. When it went out of production at the end of 1996, it still looked as fresh and forward-thinking as it did back in 1970, when one was chosen for an exhibit in the Louvre as an example of modern…
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1936 Lagonda LG45R Rapide Sports-Racing Two-Seater
This is the most famous Lagonda of all. Special competition variants of the LG45 were tailor-made at Staines Bridge for the Lagonda company’s experienced and battle-hardened quasi-Works racing team: Fox & Nicholl Limited of Tolworth, Surrey. Just as Enzo Ferrari’s private Scuderia ran the quasi-Works Alfa Romeo team cars from 1932 to ’37, so Fox…
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Two Mercedes-Benz 190SL Cars, One Price Gap
Production of the Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster can be credited to New York importer Max Hoffman, who foresaw that the competition success of the 300SL Gullwing would translate into something that he could easily sell in America. The 190SL was first displayed as a show car at New York in 1954. This high-quality, two-seat roadster was…
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1964 Aston Martin DB5 Sports Saloon Project
Undoubtedly one of the “must-have” cars as well as James Bond’s iconic vehicle, the DB5 continues to generate immense interest among car collectors, owners and users. Understandably so, as the total production of all DB5s over a two-year period was only a little over 1,000 cars. Born of the frustration that Harold Beach had encountered…
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1970 Aston Martin DBS Sports Saloon
This famous Aston Martin DBS was manufactured in the spring of 1970, complete with special modifications for its role in the British television series “The Persuaders!” in which star Roger Moore drove it in almost all of the 24 one-hour episodes. Moore had expressed an interest in the Aston Martin, which he felt would be…
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1952 Jaguar C-Type Roadster
Some 54 C-types were manufactured in all, the majority for customer sale, leaving the model rarer than examples of the replacement D-type family. This Ecurie Ecosse C-type has often been listed as having been intended originally for export to a customer in Argentina named Carlos Lostalo. The order was allegedly canceled due to customs difficulties,…
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1969 Land Rover Series IIA “Air-Portable”
Always designed with strength, mechanical simplicity and durability in mind, Land Rovers have often been the vehicles of choice for individuals looking to take a trip on the road less traveled. Over its 65-year history, the company built up a well-respected name by manufacturing the finest off-road vehicles money could buy for both individual and…
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007 Lotus Esprit Submarine Car
The 007 Lotus Esprit Submarine Car from “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) commonly tops the polls when multiple generations of movie fans are asked to pick their favorite film cars of all time. Like all the best Bond cars, the Lotus was a veritable war chest of weaponry and gadgetry that was designed to…
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1931 Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged Le Mans
The “Blower” Bentley is one of the most masculine, muscular and sporting motorcars ever built. While some companies hid their superchargers behind the radiator grille, the Bentley wears it right out front, and that statement alone says it all about the car and its creators. First shown at the 1929 London Motor Show, it was…
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1953 Austin-Healey 100 Special Test Car
This remarkably well-documented ex-Mille Miglia, ex-Le Mans 24-Hour race Austin-Healey Works car began life as one of the Donald Healey Motor Company’s pre-production competition vehicles — properly referred to as the Special Test Cars — destined for use in International motor races and world-class distance and speed-record attempts. Of the four Special Test Cars built…