If you had to choose one car to sum up Italy, what would it be? The answer to this question is why the smallest Fiat of all time is rubbing shoulders with Ferraris and Lamborghinis in our Top 12 shootout.
Even among Italian car aficionados, we expect a few eyebrows to be raised over our choice of the humble Fiat 128 as one of the 12 greatest cars ever made in Italy. But permit us, if you will, to set out our stall. Launched in March 1969, we contend that the 128 was one the single most important popular cars of modern times. It was truly ground-breaking, marking the point when front-wheel drive family cars finally reached the point of maturity.
The 1973 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 1.6 Tipo 105 is here as a representative of our family car class, but it could so easily have joined as a sports car, even in four-door Berlina guise. Much of the magical driving experience you can enjoy in the sportier members of the Alfa 105 family – the Giulia GT coupe and Duetto/Spider – applies in equal measure to the saloon.
The heart-warming story of a freshly restored 1963 Abarth 1000 Bialbero GT ‘Duck-Tail’, which still holds the world land speed record in the 1.0-litre class
So many pre-war Italian cars might have made it on to our Top 12 list: the Lancia Lambda for its pioneering unitary construction; the Fiat Topolino for how it democratised transport; or the Lancia Aprilia for its advanced engineering. Instead, it’s one of the greatest sports cars of all time that has exerted an irresistible pull on us: the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750. Those ‘6C’ alpha-numerals simply signify six cylinders, but in Alfa lore that represents something very special. While there had been Alfa straight-six engines before (the G1 of 1921 and the Merosi-designed RL of 1923), it was engineer Vittorio Jano, who joined Alfa Romeo in September 1923, who catapulted the format to the height of success with his 1.5-litre ‘six’. The new powerplant entered production as the 6C 1500 in 1927.
Any list of the greatest cars ever has to include a Ferrari 250 GT. Trouble is, almost all are stratospherically expensive, up to and including the world’s most valuable car, the 250 GTO. Within our £1.5 million price cap, there’s a choice of just two 250 GTs: the GTE 2+2 or the GT Lusso. Considering it’s possibly the most beautiful Ferrari ever made, the GT Lusso seems unfairly undervalued. In fact, we’d go as far as to say it’s our favourite road-going Ferrari GT of all time.
From the ashes of war arose a unique Alfa Romeo V12 engine. Its survival in an equally mysterious body is a saga unknown until now, as Karl Ludvigsen reveals Photography Spalluto Press.
One of only ten 356 Pre-A Speedsters supplied new to France in 1955, this comprehensively restored Porsche is set to amaze classic car enthusiasts at many historic motoring events in mainland Europe following resurrection in the southwest of England…
Subjected to comprehensive restoration using a wealth of rare unused Porsche parts, this early 911 S 2.4 benefits from exceptional attention to detail and additional poke provided by a flat-six built to Carrera RS 2.7 specification
Budget models rarely survive in significant numbers, not least because few owners were willing or able to invest money in maintenance and repair. Ian Macaulay's Yugo 513 has beaten the odds though, and is believed to be one of only two survivors in the UK.
The Austin A90 Atlantic prototype no.5 was shipped to Australia in 1949 to fill a gaping hole at the Melbourne International Motor Show. Seven decades on, it is still there and looks better than ever.
Ford heritage: Keith Halstead’s 1965 Lotus Cortina was the first of only eight Mk1s ever put into service with West Sussex Police — six decades later it’s better than ever.
