Sam Dawson

Sam Dawson · Articles

Show filter
1971 Aston Martin DBS Banham Convertible

This DBS Convertible is one of the rarest Aston Martins in existence, yet it remains off collectors’ radars. We drive it, and meet the coachbuilder who created it, Paul Banham.

587
1992 Maserati Spyder III

We put designer Adrian Morris in the object of his curiosities, a Maserati Biturbo – but will it leave him feeling boosted or busted?

333
1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona vs. 1969 Ford Capri 1600GT

Worlds Apart We stage an extraterrestrial encounter between Ford Capri and Ferrari Daytona to discover their shared Sixties GT soul. In 1969, Ferrari’s 365GTB/4 Daytona epitomised the Sixties GT dream, while the Ford Capri brought it to the masses. What might their drivers have made of each other on the rare occasion their worlds collided?

Editor's comment
Much of the time it makes perfect sense to compare direct rivals alongside each other, but sometimes it takes opposing perspectives to fully understand cars
You’ve got Rolls-Royce ideas on a pushbike income,’ a phrase I haven’t been hit with for a long time. I think the last occasion when it stung my ears was when I dared to entertain notions of one day buying a Seventies Aston V8, at a time when dubious but almost shiny examples seemed plentiful at around £10k. By then I’d graduated from Raleigh Record to Ford Capri 3.0GXL – also dubious and almost shiny – and the Aston seemed only a couple of steps on, allowing for some nifty man maths. Replace those cars with new examples and the journey from one to the other would have seemed an impossible quest at the time, like that between our Capri 1600GT and 365GTB/4 cover stars, cars that shared tarmac in offering the romance of grand touring but were really worlds apart. Viewing each from the perspective of the other was a challenge we gave to Sam Dawson this month, and his story throws fresh light on two highly charismatic GTs from the fast-moving transition of Sixties into Seventies. I can’t imagine Stephen Hawking maths could have made the numbers work to put the Ferrari in my garage, then or now, even one in dubious and not quite shiny condition. It will remain one of those cars I’m content to enjoy on paper and by occasional sight and sound at events, along with a carefully banked memory of borrowing one for the weekend to visit friends in south Wales via a route wilfully avoiding the tedium of motorways and congested towns. On the sort of twiddly little roads that I instinctively and misguidedly first headed for, it felt cumbersome; opened up on sweeping A-roads it came ever more alive with each 10mph increment on the speedo. The sight of that chiselled snout spearing with improbable pace towards the rearview mirrors of the countless cars I passed must have been hard for their startled drivers to comprehend. More than 50 years ago it must have seemed like a visitation from another world. Enjoy the article.
456
1990 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary

The Lamborghini Countach has lost none of its power to amaze. Today, 50 years on from its release, a drive in the last of the line draws all the threads of this landmark supercar together.

289
1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Cabriolet by Vignale

This Vignale-bodied 212 Inter was owned by one of the first privateers to campaign Ferraris in motor sport. It’s in the UK after a 50-year absence – a chance for us to drive back to the early days of the marque.

338
Right-hand drive 3.2 swapped American-spec Volkswagen Golf Mk2 V6

Some people search high and low for their next project cars, while others, like Daniel Herrera, manage to find them far closer to home.

471
DAZA-swapped Dutch 950bhp Volkswagen Golf R Mk7.5 with the ultimate spec!

What if the engineers behind the Mk7 Golf R had really been allowed to let their hair down? Güray Yildiz might’ve just found the answer with his surprisingly refined, 950bhp ‘Golf RS-R’…

540
1985 Subaru XT

When Fuji Heavy Industries showcased all its automotive technology in the Subaru XT, it unknowingly created the Japanese ‘evo’ car as we know it. We drive the UK’s only remaining roadworthy manual example.

355
40 Years Ago Today Did Toyota scupper Panther’s plans for a British sports car revolution?

Amid the hot hatch revolution, Panther planned a groundbreaking sports car. Little did it or its low-volume British rivals know, Toyota had the same idea.

370
Porsche 911 Carrera RS 964 vs. TVR Griffith 500

Can the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 964 and TVR Griffith 500 truly be compared? They may seem poles apart, but this pair has more in common than you might think. Can the underdog from Blackpool hold the Stuttgart icon to account?

391
60th Anniversary 1964 Pontiac GTO

Evans takes a look back at the legendary Pontiac GTO, which is celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2024…

410
On the hunt for criminals in Bodie & Doyle’s 1980 Ford Capri 3.0S

These Ford Capri 3.0Ss were the cars driven by Bodie and Doyle in a bunch of 1980-filmed episodes of cult TV show The Professionals. We drive both – cardboard boxes beware.

345
2023 Ferrari SP3 Daytona

The SP3 Daytona blends Ferrari’s past, present and future in one delectable, V12-powered whole. Does it make history, or merely look longingly to the past?

413
1986 Ralliart Group A Mitsubishi Starion

This was one of the first Ralliart cars built. We drive it, and meet two other examples that prove the Mitsubishi Starion is an unsung motor sport hero.

465
1996 Subaru Impreza WRX STi

30 years ago, the world got its first glimpse of a new force in world rallying. Today, we hail one of the greatest classics of the Nineties with a flat-out drive in an early Subaru Impreza WRX STi through Welsh rally country.

433
Drives TODAY use cookie