Profiles
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1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
This particular 300SL Gullwing is one of the most famous of all British Gullwings as it is RYT 28, the press car, that was completed on the 5th of December 1955 and delivered new in January 1956 to Mercedes-Benz (GB) at Camberwell. This information is documented in both the chassis records and in Michael Frostick’s…
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1957 Ferrari 625/250 TRC
{vsig}1996-12_1665{/vsig} The new 500 TR (Testa Rossa, red-topped cylinder heads) was introduced in 1956 as a replacement for the previous 500 Mondial and although designed for customers only, a few factory-entered races were undertaken while development work was progressing with the new 250 Testa Rossa. The first three cars were bodied by Touring and were…
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1967 Lotus 47A Sports Racing Coupe
When Lotus launched its then quite radical mid-engined Europa in 1966 it received lavish praise for its superb roadholding and handling, but was criticized for a lack of power from the Renault 16 engine. A tuned Gordini option was mooted but when Lotus developed the racing Europa Type 47 to contest the Group 4 GT…
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1968 Lamborghini 400GT 2+2
Legend has it that Ferruccio Lamborghini began building cars because he felt insulted by Enzo Ferrari’s treatment of him as a customer. Whether true or not, Lamborghini was not one to do things by half, investing in a brand new factory and recruiting the best available engineers – amongst them Giatto Bizzarrini, designer of the…
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1970 BMW 3.0 CS Coupe
Introduced in 1971 and in production until 1975, the BMW 3.0 CS shared the same wheelbase and style of the 2800 CS with an improved Karmann-built bodyshell, a full three-liter engine (straight-six overhead-camshaft) and four-wheel disc brakes. It provided more power and improved torque, output of 180 bhp being recorded on this model and even…
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1966 Austin Mini Cooper S
Few cars in competition have fueled the imagination like the giant-killing Mini Cooper, the combination of diminutive size, outstanding roadholding and punchy power often running rings around the opposition. Following the original 997 cc Mini Cooper’s launch in July 1961, Pat Moss gave due warning of the car’s potential by winning the 1961 Tulip Rally…
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1936 Maserati 6 CM Monoposto
There were seven Maserati brothers and Alfieri, Ernesto, and Ettore were for many years involved in racing with a variety of cars. In 1926 they set up a small factory in Bologna and started making cars under their own name, using the trident insignia of that city as their badge, which continues to this day.…
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1955 Porsche 356 Speedster 1600/90
{vsig}1996-8_1671{/vsig} Dr. Ferdinand Porsche had been a major influence in the development of the German motor industry since Edwardian times and yet the only car design to perpetuate his name was not, in fact, his own work, but that of his son Ferry. The basic design of this new car utilized the mechanical components of…
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1956 Ferrari Boano 250GT
The 1954 Paris Salon hosted the world premiere of the Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo which was to become one of the most important milestones in the history of Automobili Ferrari. The 250 GT Series was the first Ferrari standardized production touring car, and in its many guises spanned a period of almost ten years. This…
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1959 Jaguar XK 150 4.1 Fixed Head Coupe
Jaguar’s new six-cylinder twin overhead camshaft engine was ready by 1948 and launched in the XK 120 sports car which took the motoring world by storm. Some 12,000 XK 120s were subsequently sold. This was succeeded in 1954 by the XK 140 and the final evolution example was the XK 150 in 1957. This new…