Author: Paul Hardiman

Paul Hardiman has written for a variety of British car magazines since 1983. His motorsport career includes racing in the Goodwood Revival and navigating everything from an A35 to a 300SLR. He has been SCM’s English-car specialist since 2007.

1966 Jaguar E-Type Series I 2+2 Coupe

If Les Vingt Quatre Heures du Mans has been responsible for the new E-type Jaguar, then that Homeric contest on the Sarthe circuit will have been abundantly justified. Here we have one of the quietest and most flexible cars on the market, capable of whispering along in top gear at […]

1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Le Mans Sports “Bobtail”

• A two-time factory Le Mans entry • 2nd Overall at the 1929 Brooklands Double Twelve • 3rd Overall at the 1929 24 Hours of Le Mans • The Only Remaining “Bobtail” 4½ Litre For the 1928 season, Bentley was intent on having new Works cars, all based on the […]

1929 Bentley 4½ Litre “Blower”

Among all Brooklands habitués of the 1920–30s, perhaps the most glamorous and charismatic of all the historic motor course’s racing celebrities was the diminutive Bentley-driving Baronet, Sir Henry Ralph Stanley “Tim” Birkin. He combined his “Bentley Boy” high-society image with a fearless driving talent. With fellow enthusiast/racer Mike Couper, Birkin […]

1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback

To describe this magnificent Bentley R-type Continental, it is difficult to improve upon the typically perceptive and balanced analysis that George Daniels himself wrote of the car for his autobiography All in Good Time — Reflections of a Watchmaker, published in 2000: “The ease with which the Continental will cover […]

1962 Aston Martin DB4 Vantage Convertible

Classically proportioned and instantly recognizable from the moment of its introduction in 1958, the Touring-styled Aston Martin DB4 established a look that would survive, with only minor revisions, until 1970. Designed by Tadek Marek and already proven in racing, the DB4’s new twin-cam, 6-cylinder engine displaced 3,670 cc, and the […]

1991 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Sanction II

Of the many models in Aston Martin’s 90-year history, and of the DB series of 6-cylinder cars in particular, the DB4GT Zagato is arguably the best loved and most respected. The original collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato of Milan resulted in a production run of only 19 constructed between […]

1965 Amphicar 770 Convertible

It’s a car. It’s a boat. Actually, it’s both. Developed in West Germany, the Amphicar was aimed squarely at America’s leisure market and debuted at the 1961 New York Auto Show. As the culmination of a 15-year, $25 million development program, the Amphicar was the creation of amphibious-vehicle pioneer Hans […]

1937 Squire 1½-Liter Drophead Coupe

Adrian Squire was just 21 when he set out to build his own motor car. Dreaming of such a venture since he was a schoolboy, at 16 he sketched out a whole catalog for the “world’s greatest sports car.” He envisioned advanced engineering and light, flowing coachwork sitting on a […]

1929 Bentley 6½/8 Litre Tourer

This 6½ Litre Le Mans-style tourer offered here was constructed from parts by well-known Bentley collector/racer and VSCC competitor David Llewellyn. The car was upgraded with the engine block from an 8 Litre model. The car started life fitted with Weymann-type saloon coachwork by H J Mulliner and was first […]

1929 Bentley 4½ Litre Dual-Cowl Sports Tourer

By 1926, Bentley saw a need for a new 4-cylinder model. Although a Le Mans winner, the 3 Litre was wanting in international competition, and the standard road cars suffered from increasingly heavy bodies. With the 6½ Litre in production, Bentley sought to combine the light chassis of the 3 […]