We all have cars that we love because of a personal association and for me the Jaguar X-Type is just that. Yes, I know it has its haters, and the “nice Mondeo, mate” jokes can be a tad tiresome, but for me it’s car with a connection.
Despite ruling Le Mans throughout the Fifties with five overall victories plus three second, two third and four fourth places, Jaguar’s dominance of the famous 24 Hours race came to an end in the early Sixties with a disappointing ninth place. When motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, introduced a new GT class for endurance racing from 1962 onwards, many privateers chose the new E-Type. The homologated version initially showed great promise with two examples finishing a strong fourth and fifth at 24 Heures du Mans in 1962 with the outfits of Briggs Cunningham and Peter Sargent.
To aid development of the Tadek Marek-designed V8, Aston Martin produced a one-off DB5/DB6 hybrid in early 1966 that was powered by the new unit. Despite being a well-used prototype, the car survived and we’ve driven it.
With a price of 30,000 Deutsche Mark, the BMW 503 was extremely expensive even for affluent customers at the time. Unlike the 507, the 503 was offered as both a convertible and a coupe. Under the long hood, it had a V8 engine producing 140 horsepower, which was later upgraded to the 150 horsepower engine from the 507. The 503 remains a rarity to this day but has always lived in the shadow of the legendary 507. And both V8 models nearly bankrupted BMW.
A background in competitive motorsport through the Seventies and Eighties means that Stuart Simons is a man with a need for speed; a need he has satisfied by building his dream MG Midget. Don’t be fooled by its diminutive appearance because Stuart’s MG packs an incredibly powerful punch.
This is not an Eighties car, I can hear the naysayers proclaim – and yes, the elegant E24 first edged its (shark)nose into public consciousness halfway through the Seventies. However, it’s here because it was the halo car for BMW’s Eighties ascent into the upper echelons of desirability. We have to strip back years of 2 Series Active Tourers and ratty 320Ds to uncover the BMW of old. The badge was a status symbol – king of the keyfobs at yuppie dinner parties. All the prestige of a Jaguar or high-spec Rover without the whiff of old-school England, and much sportier than a Mercedes-Benz. The BMW was engineered of the right stuff – its sharp, crisp lines a foil to British notions of luxury and prestige still predicated on more chrome, wood and leather than an MP’s secret cellar. BMWs were properly expensive too – sift through the price list of the era and the difference between a E24 635CSi Highline like the one seen here and the top-of-the-tree M635CSi E24 could swallow a semi-detached home in the Midlands. So E30 3 Series aside, Eighties BMWs were always a fairly rare sight; nowadays every third car seems to wear an ever-more gopping kidney grille.
The Eighties has never been more popular – take a look Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill, which topped charts in eight countries 37 years after its release. Netflix’s Stranger Things TV series has thrust the Eighties aesthetic straight into the mainstream, with a younger audience warming to the fashions, music – and, of course, the cars.
Left, right, and center: Be it cuisine or prickly politics, landing smack in the middle of the spectrum is a wise place to call home. It’s the safe bet, the smart choice, if not a bit beige. The naked middleweight segment is anything but vanilla these days, as nearly every manufacturer has a downright exciting option sprinkling the showroom floor. And Britain’s bringing its best to the table with the 2024 Triumph Street Triple 765 that boasts quite a few updates.
Reinventing classic American vehicles for the modern world is big business in the bespoke American automotive market today. We get up close and personal with a stunning example of one such crafty creation: the Vigilante 1966 Jeep Gladiator…
The mystique of the barn find is strong. As this fully restored 911 E 2.4 Targa ably demonstrates, it’s also a rich source of Rindt Vehicle Design restoration projects, the kind many other specialists dare not get involved with...
Serial Porsche owner, Jon Stevenson, throws us the keys to his 1958 Porsche 356 A Coupe. And for one Classic Porsche journalist, it’s quite an education...
