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.

1960 Aston Martin DB4 Series II Sports Saloon

Classically proportioned and instantly recognizable from the moment of its introduction in 1958, the Touring-styled DB4 established a look that would survive, with only minor revisions, until 1970. A new design by Tadek Marek, the DB4’s all-alloy, twin-overhead-camshaft 6-cylinder engine featured “square” bore and stroke dimensions of 92 mm for […]

1962 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk II Rally Car

The last surviving 1962 team car has rally provenance in abundance, but it doesn’t have an original chassis The Big Healey’s first major success was in 1960,  when Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom made history by winning the grueling Liège-Rome-Liège (Marathon de la Route) event outright. It was the first […]

1937 Jaguar SS100

The new cars were assembled from parts from many suppliers, and they might have looked more hand-finished than this piece of perfection. This absolutely stunning SS100 stands today as what must be the finest example anywhere in the world. The quality and detail of its restoration rivals the finest ever […]

1961 Lotus Elite Series II Coupe

With the Lotus 14 of 1959-better known as the Elite-Colin Chapman demonstrated that his skills as a racing car designer and constructor could just as easily be applied to production road cars. The Elite was, nevertheless, conceived with competition in mind, as Chapman had his sights set on class wins […]

1956 Bentley S1 Continental Sports Saloon

Bentley’s magnificent Continental sports saloon has been synonymous with effortless high speed cruising at its grandest since its introduction on the R-type chassis in 1952. Unlike the ordinary, factory-bodied, “standard steel” R-type, the Continental was bodied in aluminum over a steel frame and first appeared with what many enthusiasts consider […]

1965 Aston Martin DB5

“Opinions vary greatly-and inevitably-on which is the ‘best’ of the new breed of Aston Martins. Sir David Brown puts his money on the DB5.”-Geoff Courtney, The Power Behind Aston Martin The DB5 arrived in the autumn of 1963, essentially a positive development of the Series V DB4, sharing its classic […]

1966 Aston Martin DBSC Coupe

With development of the second-generation of DB 6-cylinder sports cars nearing its end, Aston Martin turned to the Italian Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, creator of the original DB4 of 1959, for the next model. Touring built a pair of two-seater prototypes, one right- and one left-hand drive (2661R and 2662L, […]

1970 Lamborghini Miura P400S

The price may have looked high for the U.K., but it equates to about 400k euros. It would be hard to find a nicer LHD car in Europe for the same money {vsig}2009-10_2372{/vsig} “But step back for a minute and work out what makes the Miura so special. In 1966 […]

1958 AC Ace Bristol Roadster

The Ace retains a poise that’s absent from its meatier derivative, offering high-geared steering, enough body roll to orient the driver, and a firm brake pedal Introduced in October 1953, the AC Ace was essentially a reworked version of LOY 500, the handsome John Tojeiro-designed sports racer with which motor […]

1958 AC Ace Bristol Roadster

Introduced in October 1953, the AC Ace was essentially a reworked version of LOY 500, the handsome John Tojeiro-designed sports racer with which motor trader Cliff Davis had notched up six wins and four seconds that season (in addition to placing 9th overall at the Goodwood Nine Hours). Lured into […]