We delve into the history of a very special R-Type Continental – and take it ‘home’ to the Birmingham-based works where it spent its early years as everyday transport.
Australia has produced more than its fair share of great motoring journalists, and one of the greatest is Doug Blain who – like several of his compatriots – came over to the Old Country in the 1960s to show us how it should be done.
Success may have eluded Fangio at Le Mans, but this supercharged 1950 Gordini Type 18S berlinette left a lasting impression on him and has a unique place in Gordini’s history.
Bill Smith, known to his friends as ‘Barnsley Bill’, likes unusual American cars and he’s certainly got one with this 1954 Kaiser Darrin… When faced with a rare car such as this one, I’m always intrigued to hear why the owner decided to buy it.
The collection of Milan-based Architect Corrado Lopresto ranks among the best in the world. The Key — an annual which ranks individuals based on the value and provenance of their collections — placed Lopresto at 22nd: more significant than Andreas Mohringer, but not quite so important as Ralph Lauren. Though, if you are like me and think a list is just another divisive tactic to get people arguing over something they might normally bond over, you can appreciate the life’s work of Corrado Lopresto for what it is: an immense and valuable tribute to Italian automotive design.
It was an act of rebellion. Nothing made in Australia could match the exotic, space-age-looking exterior of the Purvis Eureka shown at the 1974 Melbourne Motor Show. The Eureka name came from Founder Allan Purvis, a determined man who — the story goes — was told that it would never make it past Australian Design Rules. Like a red flag to a bull, Purvis took a chance on the fiber-glass sports car to show that a small local operation could overcome both the bureaucracy and critics of the kit-car industry with a truly desirable unique product.
I am going to address the elephant in the room up-front. Citroen can make some pretty unusual, a little weird, “out there”, call them what you want, designs, and the Citroen DS is a classic example of this and is a strangely-popular vehicle. The DS model is the one you see driving around occasionally; you first look at the car — perhaps, no doubt with mixed emotions — then, look to the Driver and always wonder what they must know which you do not.
What is an early E-type like to use on a regular basis and can the flaws of the day be seen as charms today? Jim Patten swaps his 4.2 roadster for a 3.8 with a roof for a road trip.
