Retro

Retro cars road test

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1920 Bugatti Type 13-27 two-seater Yankee

Bugatti’s origins were in this tin voiturette, small in stature but gigantic in ambition. Massimo Delbo takes a trip back in time.

Editor's comment
‘It was my first time driving a Bugatti Type 13, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. So exhilarating, though it came at a price: after sliding it around on a dirt road, even though my head was covered by a leather helmet, I'm still finding mud in my ears' Legend of the Bugatti Brescia
1624
1963 Volvo P1800 Racer

There aren’t so many Volvo P1800s in Historic racing, though maybe there should be — as both history and this brilliant build would suggest.

4780
1971 Citroen SM Espace - Heuliez's head-turningly individual Convertible

Remarkably, the collection that boasts the world’s fastest Citroen also yields what is arguably the most beautiful

Editor's comment
‘When they were new my father had Citroen SM company cars, but Heuliez's SM Espace was in another realm: that of dream cars. I was seven when it premiered and it instantly became my fantasy to drive it. Doing so 50 years later was surreal, yet the Espace did not disappoint at all.'
3795
1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith

When your profession trains you to the most thorough approach, a matter of mere distance won’t stop the search for the right car.

1399
1986 Rolls-Royce Camargue

Pininfarina’s styling for the Camargue was as close as Rolls-Royce ever got to radical. After 47 years, can we finally appreciate the car’s unique looks?

1721
1957 Porsche 356 A T2 Speedster

This 1957 Porsche 356 A T2 Speedster has survived near seven decades without a single dink, dent or any impact damage, resulting in an unrestored body the like we’re unlikely to witness again...

1170
1970 Innocenti Mini Cooper Mk3

When Chris Hand spotted a 1970 Innocenti Mini Cooper Mk3 for sale in Italy, for €7,500, he decided to take a trailer to Tuscany, buy it and bring it home to restore.

2411
1955 Buick Century Riviera two-door pillarless Coupe

New to the American car scene and really loving it, Jerramy and Anna Topping embrace an altogether different take on classic motors after a traditional English diet of Jags and Jensens.

1993
1947 MG TC

When Geoff Browne’s father bought himself a well-used sports car, in 1956, it was the start of a family relationship that lasted over six decades.

882
1965 Mercedes-Benz 190Dc Ambulance W110

Blessed with a restored 190Dc ambulance and motivated to escape the stresses of everyday life, the father and daughter team of Loek and Nika Scheepers began the road trip of a lifetime.

955
1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SLC C107

Having never driven a 107-series SLC before, William Terrington paid a visit to Kingdom Specialist Cars in Hampshire to sample a refreshed 450 model manufactured in 1979 – here’s how he got on...

4046
1954 OSCA Tipo MT4-2AD

With an incredible history in some of the world’s greatest road races, this tiny Osca MT4 is ready to take on its next competitive challenge.

986
1976 CMC A11 Checker Taxi

For decades, Checker Taxis defined New York streets. One enthusiast has coveted one since the age of 11 and fulfilled that dream.

1493
1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Tipo 750 Series 1

You just can’t stop gawping at it. On looks alone, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint deserves its high placing in our ‘Greatest Ever’ shootout. Designed by Franco Scaglione of Bertone, the Sprint was an exercise in the elegance of simplicity, perfect proportion and delicate understatement. This 1950s icon’s shape has withstood every changing fashion with easy grace

1760
1982 Alfa Romeo Alfasud 1.5 Ti X Tipo 901

Some may question why the Alfasud rates such a lofty position as seventh in our top 12. After all, this is a car that could so easily have a tragic opera written about it, so troubled was its birth and its early life, as it returned to base mineral elements. The reason why the Alfasud is in seventh position – and why the tragedy of its reputation for rust is all the more acute – is because it’s an absolute cracker of a car.

2040
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