Hot & Cold
It’s a partnership steeped in motorsport heritage and design mastery. Aston Martin and Zagato are a duo responsible for some of the world’s most beautiful automobiles, and as it broke cover at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este back in 2011, it seemed the pair had struck gold again with the V12 Vantage Zagato.
Initially built to compete at Le Mans the following year, just 61 road-going examples were built, with this striking example holding chassis number one. Adding to the character, this example is finished in the tasteful combination of Alloro Green over a vibrant Sahara Tan and Arctic Blue hide interior, and has covered a mere 1,228km from new.
Mile Miglia Maestro
Completing the notoriously strenuous Mile Miglia 1000 is an achievement worth celebrating in any case. This 1929 Bugatti Type 40, however, is a true veteran of the rally, competing, and most importantly completing it without a single mechanical issue a staggering eight times, as well as bringing home victory at the Coppa delle Dame four times.
By the early 1930s, Ettore Bugatti had established an unrivalled reputation for building cars with outstanding performance both on the road, as well as on the racetrack. This early model from 1926 laid those foundations for success and featured a virtually identical engine to that used in the Type 37 Grand Prix car. This fine example is a true piece of usable and high-performance history, with racing and victory in its blood, even almost 100 years after it was built!
Understated Perfection
The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is perhaps one of the very few Ferraris that didn’t quite hit the mark upon its release back in the early 2000s. For a 2+2 Gran Tourer, its styling was unique, but it certainly didn’t drop the jaws of many seeking a replacement for their Mercedes-Benz CL600 or Bentley Continental.
Like so many designs of this era, though, as time goes by and cars become more and more complicated and fiddly, the 612 has matured into a sleek and stately cruiser, especially finished in a specification such as this one heading to Gooding & Company’s upcoming sale. Featuring the all-important 6-speed gated manual gearbox, we can think of few better cars for a blast down to Lake Como and back in!
Taking it to the Aeromax
There are some cars out there now touching almost 20 years old, that hold stories so compelling, so unbelievable, that you would expect them to be attached to a mid-century Lamborghini or Jaguar. For Morgan, and more specifically the stunning Aeromax, its story is one of a plucky young designer, and the vision and ambition of an avid car collector that would see this work of art on wheels come to life.
Wealthy Morgan enthusiast and backer of the brand’s race outfit, Prince Eric Sturdza was the catalyst for the Aeromax, after he commissioned a one-off coupé based on the Aero 8. Instead of palming the task off to an Italian design house or one of their more established designers, it was a young Matthew Humphries who stunned the ladies and gents at Malvern while on placement with Morgan, as he was still studying design at Coventry University.
The result is a truly breath-taking blend of classic and modern car design, boasting a graceful roofline and elongated bonnet, home to a monstrous 4.4-litre BMW M62 V8 engine. If you’re looking for a true head-turner with a story as unique as the design itself, the Aeromax is just the car.
Hoffman did it again
The cars that were put into production due to the influence of prolific New York-born car importer, businessman and all-round car-obsessed Max Hoffman is truly remarkable. Without him, we’d have no Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, no BMW 507, and Porsche’s 356 would never have even entered the design books. And in the case of this fine automobile before you, Jaguar also owe some success to Hoffman, too.
This is the only Jaguar XK120 with a Pininfarina body ever created, and was built specifically for Max Hoffman, who received his stunning big cat in May 1954. The car was a perfect blend of British engineering and gorgeous Italian design and remained with Hoffman for a number of years. Later, it was bounced around to many owners, before it was rediscovered in 2015 and underwent a complete restoration to concours standard. It bagged second place at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours, and will without doubt be a front runner in many future concours events.
