V for Vignale
The 1950s was a golden era for beautiful one-off coach built machines, and Vignale were responsible for creating some of the most gorgeous examples, such as this 1952 Lancia Aurelia B52 Coupe Speciale. Designed by Rodolfo Bonetto, nephew of works Lancia driver Felice Bonetto, this unique coupe packs a 2.0-litre V6 fitted with a dual-choke downdraft carburettor mated to a four-speed column-shifted manual. Despite its age, this Lancia packs some fascinating features, such as a transaxle gearbox, inboard rear brakes, and a central nacelle housing a driving light.
In 2017, this stunning car underwent a 6 year, 200,000 euro bare-metal restoration at Rizza Classic in Rome, when it was resprayed to its current fabulous two-tone colour combination of light green with a dark green roof. Inside, cream leather blends beautifully with the body-colour dash and light green carpets, making this an excellent place to cover some miles. If this one-off Lancia has caught your eye, don’t miss out on Gooding’s Pebble Beach sale on August 16th.
110% Potency
Unveiled in 2019 as a tribute to the EB110 and to celebrate Bugatti’s 110th Anniversary, the Centodieci combined the Chiron Sport’s underpinnings with jaw-dropping retro-inspired design touches to great effect. Far more aggressive than a standard Chiron to our eye, the Centodieci ditches the signature Bugatti line for a EB110 Super Sport-style panel with five port holes, one of nods to the EB110 throughout the exterior.
As you’d expect of a car equipped with a 1,577 horsepower 8-litre quad-turbocharged W16, the performance figures are bonkers. 0-124mph takes just 6.1 seconds, while top speed is limited to 235 mph. Only 10 Centodiecis were ever built, making this one of Molsheim’s rarest monsters, and we wouldn’t change a thing about this single-owner example’s combination of EB110 Argent bodywork with a Black & Italian Red leather cockpit. Our favourite detail? This is the only Centodieci to feature the EB110 logo on its flanks. Collectors, form an orderly queue, please!
Factory-Fresh Five
Now that the Renault 5 has been revived as an electric supermini, there’s never been a better time to add one of the original examples to your collection, and you’re unlikely to find one as pristine as this 1989 Renault 5 GT Turbo Phase 2. While the mileage of 81,000 km would already be considered low for its age, it’s this car’s near-factory fresh condition that really impresses.
Powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder making 120 horsepower, this little pocket rocket might be underpowered by today’s ludicrous standards, but with just 830 kilograms to shift we’re sure it will be more than enough grunt for some backroad antics. If you fancy spending your summer weekends hooning around in one of the all-time hot hatch greats, look no further!
The Devil Wears Carbon
The 1990s was an era of great change and experimentation for Lamborghini, with the Sant’Agata-based firm entering new ownership in 1998, just a year after the raging bulls began sharpening their horns on track with this 1997 Lamborghini Diablo GT2. Used as a testbed for later models such as the Diablo GT and GT1, the GT2’s body was crafted from reinforced carbon fiber over a full racing chassis and packed a modified 6.0-liter engine producing over 640 horsepower.
This example served as the showcar for the public unveiling of the GT2 at the 1998 Bologna Motor Show, where it was displayed with a 350,000 dollar price tag, despite never being intended for public sale. It is believed that only two Diablo GT2s were built, with this example residing in the Lamborghini Museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese until 2015. As one of the rarest and most radically-modified Lamborghinis from the marque’s pre-Audi years, the opportunity to add this Diablo GT2 to your collection is not one you’ll want to miss.
Sabel Speedster
John Sabel was our kind of guy. Rather than buying a boring ready-made sports car like a normal human being, John took a stock VW floor pan and built a stunning hand-laminated fibreglass body around it to produce this gorgeous prototype. Borrowing its suspension, gearbox, engine, and brakes from a Porsche 356 B and riding on 550 Spyder wheels, this 1961 Porsche-Sable Mk1 was successfully campaigned across America in numerous SCCA meets, where it proved itself a fearsome competitor on short tracks that made use of its excellent braking ability.
In 2012, this rare prototype underwent an extensive restoration, returning it to its original configuration under the supervision of John Sable himself. So, if you you want to get involved in historic racing this year in something other than the usual suspects, this homegrown Porsche-powered racer might be the car you!
