1984 Mercedes-Benz 280 CE

Almost as good as new, this well-looked after coupe is a pleasure to gaze at and drive This must be the nearest thing to a new C123 you could find outside the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. It’s got low mileage for a 26-year-old Merc and its only flaws are a tiny rust bubble on a front wing and two tiny splits on the piping on the centre armrest. Part of its fine condition must be down to it being a practically... [Read more]

1992 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo 1

You’ll find this example of the ultimate Eighties rally legend hard to resist Even if you knew nothing about this squat red hatchback, the power bulge on the bonnet and flared wheelarches would tell you that the word homologation features in its background. By the time this Evoluzione version of the Integrale was launched in 1991, Lancia’s Group A cars had already won the World Rally Championship Ave times... [Read more]

1962 Alvis TD21 Series II

It might not be a concours winner, but this very tidy Alvis is still a fine gentleman’s carriage This Alvis was restored some time ago and has obviously been well looked after since. Pleasingly, it has the desirable five-speed ZF manual gearbox rather than the earlier four-speed ‘box or the three-speed automatic option. The aluminium body is as straight as a TD comes – it has decent door fits, is free... [Read more]

1962 Maserati Sebring

Maserati’s hand-built Sixties grand tourers exude an understated quality, typified by this example This Sebring has had only three owners from new, the first for 31 years, and today remains in very tidy, gently patinated condition. The well preserved interior is original, but the body and engine underwent a complete rebuild in the early Nineties, the body being repainted twice by different workshops within two years. The... [Read more]

1968 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage

With a five-speed manual gearbox, this well-documented DB6 is a nice drive This DB6 is an original right- hand drive car, which has been enhanced by a swap to a five-speed ZF gearbox in place of the Borg-Warner three-speed automatic with which it left the factory. The ZF ‘box was specified on many DB6s when they were new. The copy of the original build sheet in the car’s history file shows it was supplied... [Read more]

Alvis Speed 20/25 (1932-39) – Buying guide

More sporting than Bentley, Alvis Speed models are also arguably the best-looking British cars of the Thirties ALVIS’S IMAGE changed forever with the introduction of the Speed 20 in January 1932. The model transformed the company from a small concern with shaky finances to a fashionable, successful upper-crust marque with a full order book. By putting an expanded version of its six- cylinder engine into a new chassis,... [Read more]

Daf 555 – Dutch courage

To boost its dreary image DAF built a madcap works prototype to shake up Group 6 rallying. We drive a rare survivor of the DAF 555 DAF – van Doorne’s Automobile Factory – was founded by brothers Wim and Hubert ‘Hub’ van Doorne, who had built trailers before World War Two. With the return of peace demand for cheap personal transport was high, so Hub decided to make a simple but smart car.... [Read more]

Renault Dauphine (1956-68) – Ghosts of the past

This charming, rear-engined French saloon brought whole new levels of chic compact motoring to Britain’s roads in the Fifties. Vive la France! For Britons of a certain age, driving off in a Renault Dauphine is to be instantly confronted by countless memories: that unforgettable aroma of lightly boiled rubber, watching the needle on the faintly illuminated speedometer slowly progress towards the 60mph mark, forcing... [Read more]

Maserati Tipo 60/61 Birdcage – Motor sport icon

Equally brilliant to drive or ogle, this sublime racer was born of its maker’s near-bankruptcy Beautifully made, with an exceptional performance for the period and stunning aesthetics, the Tipo 60/61 – universally known as the Birdcage – is not just a Maserati great, it’s one of the all-time motoring greats. This sports racer managed beautifully to combine the two essential elements of racing car... [Read more]

AC 2-Litre Saloon – The last bargain AC ?

Does buying an aluminium-bodied, six-cylinder, triple-carburettor British thoroughbred for less than £10,000 sound good? After a closer look at the AC 2-Litre, it certainly should Once upon a time AC Ace values were closer to those of Austin-Healeys than Aston Martins or Ferraris. But these days, perhaps belatedly, prices have started shifting into more exotic six-figure company. AC’s previous sports model, the... [Read more]

Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint Zagato – Unburstable bubble

Coachbuilder Zagato clothed just a handful of Alfa 1900 Super Sprints in this lithe bodywork complete with its signature double-bubble roof. We exploire the exciting story of the gentleman’s racer Alfa Romeo’s 1900 saloon of the Fifties was powered by one of the great engines of the era: a 1975cc twin-cam readily tuneable to well beyond l00bhp. Independent front suspension and a coil-sprung rear made for a... [Read more]

Delorean DMC-12 vs Lotus Esprit S3 – Separated at birth

Both Lotus and Giorgetto Giugiaro had a hand in the radical 1981 DeLorean, but how does the DMC12 stack up against their other collaboration of the same year, the Esprit S3? LOOK AT THEM. See how alike they are? Same wedgy profile, chisel nose and sharp edges, perfect examples of stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro’s origami period. The Lotus Esprit’s boomerang-shaped instrument pod might float more separately above... [Read more]

Ferrari Dino 246 GT – Coming of age

In period, the Dino was met with suspicion and derision. But Enzo Ferrari’s baby has stood the test of time The sullen months of winter have yet to ease up. It’s as though the sun has never shone, the crunch of compacted snow under foot bringing with it a mixture of dread and expectation. The sky is only a few shades lighter than charcoal, the road ahead cratered with potholes and daubed with ice. Cambridgeshire... [Read more]

Sunbeam Tiger Mk1, Mk2 – Grab a tiger by its tail

Most sports car buyers like hairy cars to look tough too, which is why the V8 Sunbeam Tiger is still undervalued – for now Misunderstood, undervalued, too subtle for its own good, yet enormous fun to drive. That’s the Sunbeam Tiger in a nutshell. But the car that made the Tiger’s creation possible is also its biggest downfall – because it looks just like the Alpine on which it was based. That... [Read more]