Super Saloon Summit
We wonder: did BMW’s mechanics realise what they had done when they unveiled the E39 M5? It was a car so utterly brilliant that not even its V10-powered replacement could eclipse its breadth of ability and sheer driving enjoyment. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that the E39 represents the pinnacle of the super saloon, offering a fabulous V8 engine, wonderful handling, a sweet manual gearshift, and enough space for four in a footprint that almost fits inside that of the current M3.
This Le Mans Blue 2002 BMW M5 may have a fair few miles behind it, but anyone who has considered one of these V8 bahnstormers before will know high mileage is fairly common and not a cause for concern. Even better, this example has recently had a full engine-out service to the tune of 15,000 dollars, while the interior looks impressively tidy too. If you want a daily that you can’t wait to drive, then look no further.
Never-Rallied Rarity
There is just so much to love about this 2001 Mitsubishi Evolution VI Tommi Makinen Edition. Putting the fact that this car presents in time warp condition aside, the EVO VI TME has a shopping list of choice upgrades that make this one of the tastiest special editions of this century. Enkei wheels, a biplane rear wing, a titanium turbo, and an asymmetrical front bumper all point to this car’s singular purpose: annihilating a rally stage.
However, unbelievably, this example’s previous carers managed to resist the urge to blast it down their local gravel track, and today it shows just 10,700 miles on the odometer. While this example probably deserves to be placed in a temperature and humidity controlled bubble — which is incidentally how it has spent most of its life thus far — those fresh Michelin Pilot Sport 4s would probably push us to do something unwise if we were handed the keys.
Silver Stallion
Ladies and gentlemen, we think we just found our ideal Testarossa. Finished in Argento over Crema — a combination so beguiling we may need an NSFW tag — this 1987 Ferrari Testarossa is perhaps our favourite variant of Ferrari’s flat-12 (or 180 degree V12 for our more pedantic readers) being a rare ‘Monodado’ model. And if your Testarossa knowledge is a tad rusty, that means this is the second variant of the Testarossa, which dropped the Monospeccio’s unconventional single mirror in favour of two, while still retaining the beautiful centre-lock magnesium wheels.
Recently benefitting from over 25,000 euros worth of TLC, this Testarossa has covered 39,333 miles since it left Maranello and serves as driving proof that when it comes to speccing your prancing horse, Rosso Corsa should only be used in case of emergency.
The Colour of Money
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin; these are all US Presidents who have been immortalised on the nation’s various dollar bills, but only one was honoured with a Land Rover colour in their name: Abraham Lincoln. We present to you this fabulous 1971 Range Rover Suffix A finished in Lincoln Green with a Palomino Tan leather interior, a combination that had our resident Green Over Tan cult leader Elliot Newton practically frothing at the mouth.
With just 66,500 miles and 4 previous owners, this Range Rover has clearly been cherished in the half century it has spent roving various ranges, never leaving Stockton-on-Tees where it was delivered until only recently. Benefitting from a full restoration at the hands of renowned Land Rover specialist Simon Huntington Limited, this Range Rover is our idea of the ultimate holiday chariot.
Move over, Rudolf
It’s still a bit early to expect any scarlet-nosed reindeer, but anyone who takes delivery of this jaw-dropping 917 recreation will surely feel like Christmas has come early. This story of this car goes back to chassis 917-005, in which the British private driver John Woolfe tragically had a fatal accident on the first lap of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1969. Many years later and at the request of his family, the car was faithfully rebuilt under the supervision of former Porsche test and works racing driver Willi Kauhsen from Aachen. In 2018, it appeared at Le Mans Classic, but its Belgian driver crashed it again. As a result, the Canadian owner - perhaps out of superstition – was not keen to rebuild the car a second time in the original Woolfe livery (white with blue/yellow stripes and starting number 10).
Instead, he used the car's configuration from it's short outing at the 1000 kms of Spa as a template, which took place before Le Mans on May 11th, 1969. At the Belgian track, the 917 was still in a short-tail-configuration, with starting number 30 (rather than 10 at Le Mans) and a white body with a v-shaped red nose. The fact that the name of Porsche star driver Jo Siffert is emblazoned on a door of this replica on offer with Bruce Canepa also has a Spa connection: the Swiss driver set a time in practice that would have been good enough for pole position but, like many of his works driver colleagues, preferred the more reliable 908 LH for the race. The 917 instead rolled up to the start line with Gerhard Mitter at the wheel, but retired after only one lap with a broken valve spring.
For the recreation of this iconic car Willi Kauhsen, even at the age of 84 as active as ever, used parts directly purchased from Porsche and other 917 sources. Just looking at this long-tail beauty is a joy, but we imagine listening to that 4.5 litre flat-12 burst into life would be a truly special experience.
