Retro

Retro cars road test

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1963 Aston Martin DB4 Series 1

Aston Martin fan Mark Palmer was tempted to fill his List with ten of Newport Pagnell’s finest – but honed his desire down to the Aston-Martin DB4. Can it deliver on his expectations?

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1966 Dodge Coronet 500

Clothing Vince Donald’s 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 now sports upgraded suspension and a big-block race Hemi, yet on the outside it still looks just like it did the day he bought it…

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1950 VW Sportkabriolett Dannenhauer & Stauss

Built on Porsche 356 running gear, this Sportkabriolett is the car Dannenhauer & Stauss had always dreamed of creating.

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1961 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Series II

Cruising the Cotswolds in a group of glorious 250GTEs brings to the fore the appeal of Ferrari’s first series-production 2+2

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1962 Ferrari 250 GTO

As Ferrari plots a transformative five years, we examine the car that more than any other has shaped the last 60.

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Ex-Miles Davis 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider

The Ferrari NART Spyder is one of the rarest of rare Ferraris — a valued collectible today yet an orphan car back in the day.

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1977 Ford Granada 3.0-litre GL Automatic Estate Mk1

Ford Heritage: With his previous Mk1 Granada purchase proving to be a no-go, Trevor Hardy wasn’t taking any chances with this rare Estate, and luckily it’s proved to be even better than he hoped.

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1965 Ford Lotus-Cortina

Alan Mann Racing was responsible for some of the most successful racing Lotus-Cortinas. Richard Meaden reunites this winning pair for the first time since 1966.

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1935 Lancia Augusta March Special

The Duke of Richmond’s grandfather styled the bodywork of this Lancia Augusta, the type of which won the inaugural Goodwood Hillclimb in 1936. John Simister introduces the two.

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1955 Aston Martin DB3S Coupe

This extremely rare and special Aston Martin belonged to Aston boss David Brown. And as Stephen Archer finds, you can remove a car from its past, but you can’t remove the past from a car.

Editor's comment
‘I've been immersed in the Aston world from birth, and the DB3S really taught me about beauty and design. No other sports car of its period comes close to its delicate beauty, which is matched by its driving prowess. To share the story of David Brown's personal DB3S is especially rewarding
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Five-speed manual prototype 1971 Jaguar E-Type V12 Roadster Series 3

Jaguar’s foray into five-speed gearbox manufacture revealed through a rare prototype escapee.

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1956 Jaguar Mk1 2.4

We enter a time warp and drive a 1956 low mileage 2.4 saloon

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1967 Porsche 911R

Belgian 911 enthusiast Frank Hendrickx has many über-rare sporting icons in his collection. He was kind enough to grant Total 911 full access to the first R at Abbeville circuit, France.

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1983 BMW 316 E21

The E21 sat in the shadow of the E30 for quite some time, now this classic BMW is getting the attention it deserves – like this lovingly restored 316.

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1964 Ford Lotus Cortina vs. 1962 Lotus Elan

The late racing maestro Jim Clark is still revered and adored by many – not least IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti. Here are his experiences of two very special ex-Clark Lotuses.

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