Paul Hardiman

Pre-war development of the 6-cylinder Alvis culminated in the announcement in August 1936 of the 4.3-Litre, designed by the company’s distinguished Chief Engineer, Captain George Smith-Clarke. The 4.3-Litre was based on the 3½-liter Speed 25 introduced the previous year, powered by an enlarged version of Alvis’ new seven-bearing, overhead-valve engine producing 137 horsepower on triple…

As the copy of a letter from Ford Motorsport, signed by Bob Howe [Ford’s RS200 program sales chief] and dated October 15, 1991, indicates, this RS200 was sold new to a Swedish enthusiast for £57,498. It was one of the few RS200s to have been finished in dark red when it came off the production…

Launched for 1936, the SS100 was the first real high-performance model produced by SS Cars Limited and used a new Weslake-developed overhead-valve engine in a shortened SS1 chassis. The introduction of the OHV unit was considered to justify the adoption of a new name for the series, SS Cars boss William Lyons later recalling, “I…

Aston Martin and Zagato have enjoyed a long but fitful association. They first collaborated in 1960, when the British carmaker asked the Italian coachbuilder to reinvent its DB4GT competition model for the following season. Despite its success, but no doubt on account of the small number of cars built, it would be another 25 years…

“The Bristol Zagato Grand Touring model is designed to cater for those who desire an even faster car than the standard type 406 saloon. The Bristol Zagato is lighter and smaller, with a tuned version of the 406 Bristol engine. The lightweight 2-door coachwork has been built to the requirements of Anthony Crook Motors Limited…

With the DB6 Mk II’s introduction in June 1969, the final incarnation of the original DB Series, begun in 1958 by the DB4, had arrived. The option of AE Brico fuel injection was the most significant mechanical development, while flared wheelarches, necessitated by the adoption of the wider DBS wheels, were the most obvious. In…

One of the little-known aspects of Ford’s GT40 program was the company’s early interest in civilizing it for the road as the Mk III, to be marketed as an exotic halo model. To that end, 20 late-production GT40 chassis were commissioned in late 1966 by Ford headquarters in Detroit for the planned Mk III program.…

Launched in 1957, the Jaguar XK 150 was the third and final iteration of the XK series, following on from the XK 120 and XK 140. Available as both a fixed-head coupe or a drophead coupe, the XK 150 featured updated styling and various mechanical improvements, including four-wheel disc brakes. The car was originally launched…

It may look vintage with its chromed radiator grille and separate fender wings, but there is nothing remotely old-fashioned about the engineering of the Morgan Aero SuperSports — or the way it performs. Introduced for Morgan’s centenary in 2010, the Aero SuperSports was a targa top-equipped evolution of the revolutionary Morgan Aero 8. The first…