Profiles
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1978 Ferrari 400
Ferrari took some time to come into the four-seat market although Aston Marin, de Tomaso, Lamborghini and Maserati had established that there was a niche for such a car. When Ferrari did decide to make a real four-seat car rather than the two-people-plus-a-mall-dog approach of the 250 GTE and 330 GT, it seems to have…
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Triumph Stag
The birth of the Triumph Stag came almost by chance after stylist Giovanni Michelotti, already responsible for the Triumph Herald, 200 saloon and TR4 models, borrowed a tired 2000 for the basis of a new show car in 1965; the only proviso was that Triumph would have the first option on the design if it…
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1935 Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux
The Type 57 in its various forms was the mainstay of Bugatti’s production car output from 1934 until the outbreak of the war. As such it was the last road-going Bugatti and, many would say, the best. Much of the design was the work of Jean Bugatti and it shows what a great talent was…
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1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 2.5-Liter Evolution II
This extraordinary Mercedes was acquired by The Patrick Collection from the Mercedes-Benz press office fleet, and has covered just over 16,000 carefully-maintained miles. It is one of just six examples exported to Britain of the Mercedes-Benz Evolution II out of a total production run of only 502. Launched at the March 1990 Geneva Salon, the…
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1949 Ferrari 166 Inter Coupe by Stabilimenti Farina
{vsig}1996-4_1702{/vsig} The Tipo 166 was the first of a distinguished line of Ferrari road/racing cars and to Gioacchino Colombo must go the credit for the design of the 60-degree V12 engine. With its single overhead camshaft and hairpin valve springs and wet cylinder liners, Colombo’s engine design was to be adopted for a long line…
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1934 MG Q-Type
Little could rival the MG Midget in the early 1930s, the combination of value for money, cheap running costs, and useful performance capturing the imagination of many sports car enthusiasts of the period. With a supercharger fitted, the MG PB had few equals in its day, and a factory-supported team known as the “Cream Crackers”…
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1935 Fiat Balilla 508S Coppa d’Oro
The Tipo 58 Fiat was first introduced in 1932, very much a car for the mass market and featuring a side valve engine with three speed gearbox and fairly staid two-door saloon bodywork. It was of all-metal construction and available in Saloon, Torpedo or Spyder versions. The little four-cylinder engine was capable of just over…
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1955 Porsche Speedster
Although Ferdinand Porsche did not commence building cars until 1948, his engineering pedigree was well established, with designs ranging from the awesome Auto Union V16 Grand Prix car to the Tiger tank. After World War II, however, and fresh from serving a two year prison sentence as a result, Porsche decided in 1947 to build…
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Aston Martin Ulster Basket of Bits
{vsig}1996-3_1708{/vsig} Introduced at the 1934 Motor Show, the Ulster Aston Marin is simply regarded as the epitome of pre-war Aston Martin achievement. The narrow two-seater coachwork by Bertelli was a replica of the 1934 Team Cars and featured a flat scuttle and a long streamlined tail with the spare wheel laid flat in its base.…
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1964 ASA Mille GT Berlinetta
{vsig}1996-3_1704{/vsig} The ASA Mille was the first car not made by Ferrari to have a Ferrari engine. The prototype was built in 1958 and was road tested by Enzo Ferrari, who used it as his day-to-day car for a year. With a four-cylinder twin-cam engine of 850 cc, it was nicknamed the Ferrarina. Ferrari, however,…