Purchased to be turned into a classic tarmac rally car, this E21 323i was deemed too clean for that purpose and has instead been given a period-correct performance overhaul, and it’s now a snarling 2.9-litre M20-powered retro rocket.
Subaru won multiple rally titles with the Impreza, but the P1 was developed purely for British roads by Prodrive. Matthew Hayward finds out what makes it so special.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans that took place in 1980 was an odd race by Porsche’s standards. CEO Ernst Fuhrmann had decreed that not only would the 911 not be developed further, but neither would the 936 Sports prototype. Instead, Porsche would campaign at Le Mans with the 924, suitably modified and turbocharged. The transaxle 924 (the 944 was in the wings) and 928 were, in his view, the company’s future. The Porsche racing fraternity was dismayed, while other competitors were puzzled. These GT-class 924s – even with 350bhp – were hardly potential race winners, but Ernst, for whom this would be his last Le Mans with Porsche, was unperturbed.
Arguably one of the most exciting 911 road-to-race car conversions ever done, we take a close look at the Franco Scribante Racing 997 Turbo S-based race car.
The ultimate pre-war MG wasn’t a sports car but an ultra-rare, long lost drophead coupe designed to entice Bentley customers. Peter Tomalin drives a stunning recreation.
For some, one is never enough… even when you already own a stunning example of your favourite classic. When John Langford had the chance tos become the custodian of his second finned Magnette, he just couldn’t resist.
On the cover of CAR’s July 1973 issue the tabloid-style headline screamed ‘Whose Spanner In Whose Works?’ The story of the British car industry’s woes in the Seventies is wellknown in retrospect, with unrealistic trade union demands and corner-cutting management generally blamed. But this article brings in an international angle that’s rarely discussed. ‘British Leyland’s much vaunted money injection last spring may have come too late,’ wrote Clive Ranger. ‘In 1971 they invested only £48 million against £130 million for Fiat and £124 million for VW. No wonder foreign competitors in the British market have become a cause for concern.’
In 1983, Porsche 956s performed the unprecedented feat of winning every single round of the World Sports Car Championship. Forty years on, drivers and engineers recall the dawn of a Group C titan.
Sixty years ago, Mercedes-Benz launched the ultimate luxury saloon. Today, we drive one and meet the men who sold, serviced and restored the 600s of the Sixties’ glitterati.
Ex-RAF man John Purcell knows Britain’s quick jets inside-out – and his automotive tastes favour fast flag-fliers too. Will a 1976 TVR Taimar be his top gun?
