According to an interview with Sir William in the 1970s, the design was created, start-to-finish, in less than three weeks The first post-war auto salon held in London, the Earls Court British Motor Show, opened its doors on October 27, 1948. No one was prepared for the shock caused by […]
English
1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato
I can tell you firsthand that there were a number of bidders ready and willing to drop two and a half million bucks on this car {vsig}2005-5_1837{/vsig} That ultimately became the single most important Gran Turismo in the entire history of Aston Martin was first seen at the 1960 London […]
1958 Bentley S1 Continental
Continentals were lightened versions of the standard steel-bodied cars, built for high-speed cruising {vsig}2005-4_1831{/vsig} The post-war heyday of Bentley was with the Continental models, from their introduction in 1952. The combination of sporting performance and a beautifully clothed chassis made for the ultimate in long distance luxury touring. The name […]
1958 Aston Martin DB Mk III Saloon
The Mk III is the most desirable of the Astons assembled at the Lagonda works, with increased power, better gearing, and improved brakes {vsig}2005-3_1824{/vsig} Two years after the introduction of the DB2/4 Mk II came the DB Mk III-the suffix “2/4” now dropped. The Mk III retained the one-piece grille […]
1973 Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 Coupe
While the SIII roadster, with its longer wheelbase and flared wheel wells, could be considered an attractive design by most admirers, the 2+2 coupe is another matter altogether {vsig}2005-2_1817{/vsig} Testing the new E-type Series III back in 1972, Road & Track reckoned the new V12 power unit, “a sheer […]
1962 Daimler SP250 Dart Roadster
No less an authority on grace than Sir William Lyons was rumored to have tossed his scones on his first sight of a Dart {vsig}2005-1_1803{/vsig} Daimler of England startled the automotive world in 1959 with the Dart roadster, a swoopy sports car powered by an advanced 2.6-liter, hemi-head V8. With […]
1955 Triumph TR2 Roadster
Some early TR2s were immediately re-sprayed by their owners, changing effeminate colors like Olive Yellow and Geranium to more traditional ones like British Racing Green The post-war Standard-Triumph company, like most manufacturers of the period, found strong demand for its products. Exports were critical to the survival of the English […]
1962 Jaguar XKE SI 3.8 Convertible
Raise the bonnet and you are treated to one of the most beautiful engine layouts in sports car motoring. As Sir William Lyons was rumored to have said, “It costs no more to make it pretty” {vsig}2004-11_1461{/vsig} The E-type is one of those rare gifts to the automotive world, the […]
1968 Riley Elf Mk III
The Elf was designed to appeal to older “Buick and Oldsmobile” customers, with a miniature vertical grille, leather interior and a strange projecting trunk that pretty much ruined the Mini’s perfectly cute lines A luxury Mini blessed with marginally greater trunk space and an improved interior, the Riley Elf (along […]
1953 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk I
This Aston seems to have been banged around more than Drea de Matteo’s character on “The Sopranos” {vsig}2004-9_1206{/vsig} This competition-modified DB2/4 Mk I was supplied new to Lawrence & Hilton Ltd. of Blackpool, and spent much of its life in the Sussex area. A list of the car’s competition successes […]