Two things kept the price down: British buyers are notoriously suspicious of automatics in “sporty” cars; and it was presented on a cheap set of tires The culmination of Aston Martin’s long-running line of “DB” 6-cylinder sports saloons, the DB6 was introduced in 1965. Aston Martin lengthened the wheelbase by […]
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.
1968 Lotus 51R
Even if another road racer comes along claiming to be the Flower Power car, this one wears the right chassis and registration numbers {vsig}2009-7_2346{/vsig} Formula Ford was introduced in Great Britain in 1967 as a new form of poor man’s motor racing. Written into its regulations was the requirement for […]
1954 Arnolt-Bristol Bolide
This car had come straight out of a $55,000 restoration and the restorer was on hand on sale day to answer questions, which always helps Stanley Harold “Wacky” Arnolt made a fortune selling engines and other equipment to the armed forces during WWII. A lifelong motorhead, he set up SH […]
1939 Jaguar SS 100 3½-Liter Roadster
Any patina has been lost in a slightly over-shiny restoration and repaint, though it does have a big history file and is eligible for many prestige events {vsig}2009-5_2320{/vsig} Launched for 1936, the SS 100 was the first real high-performance model produced by SS Cars Limited, and used a new Weslake-developed […]
1976 Lotus Esprit S1
Even if the “real”-or “other,” if you prefer-Lotus appeared in most of the action shots, we can fairly say this car has Bond film provenance {vsig}2009-3_2298{/vsig} The Lotus Esprit was unveiled as the Silver Car concept at the Turin Motor Show in November 1972. Based on a Europa twin-cam chassis, […]
1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Re-creation
I doubt whether anybody could tell the difference between this and aSanction II without looking at the chassis number {vsig}2009-2_2281{/vsig} The competition variant of the legendary Aston Martin DB4, the DB4GT, was introduced in September 1959 at the London Motor Show. It was based on the race-winning prototype DP199/1, which […]
1997 McLaren F1
The buyer wouldn’t be beaten. He replied “Yo” to each raise of $150,000, all the way to $4 million, winning a lot of affection from the crowd No ABS. No traction control. No power steering. No airbags. No add-on spoilers. The McLaren F1 didn’t need them. The thinking man’s supercar […]
1938 Horch 853 Special Roadster
Though the 853 bears an uncanny resemblance to the legendary Mercedes-Benz 540K, and has a similar output, values lag behind the better-known car Horch is one of the four companies that merged to form Auto Union, from which the present-day Audi descends. After training as a blacksmith and qualifying as […]
1936 Lagonda LG45R Rapide
It always used to come to us in November, to be readied for the Mille Miglia, and it’s a gutsy car that hasn’t been tarted up for Pebble Beach {vsig}2008-11_2246{/vsig} Lagonda introduced the 4½-liter M45 at the 1933 London Motor Show. With its overhead-valve 6-cylinder Meadows engine, here was a […]
1955 Jaguar XKD-type Sports Racer
This is the first production D-type, out of long and dedicated ownership, unspoiled and still in its original form {vsig}2008-10_2233{/vsig} XKD 509, the first “production” D off the line in 1955, has a long and interesting history. It was supplied new to New York distributor Chuck Hornburg, who sold it […]