360 CSimply Perfect
Ageing like the finest of wines, it’s hard to believe the Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale has reached its 21st birthday in 2024. Made famous for its incredibly precise handling, race-inspired exterior elements and one of the greatest soundtracks to ever be concocted by a naturally aspirated V8, the love for these potent 360s has shown no sign of slowing as the years roll by, especially with a mere 1,288 examples produced.
Of the select few that are currently for sale, this is the one we’d be buying. Finished in the beautiful Blu NART over Cuoio, it is believed to be one of seven finished in the exterior shade, one of just three with a Cuoio interior, and the only with blue harnesses! Having just been freshly serviced, this collector’s item is ready to be enjoyed to the fullest once more by a new owner. A note to whoever does become the lucky new owner – be sure to send us a video of its glorious exhaust note!
Polak’s Potent Porsche
If you were into racing during the early 1970s, and more specifically the SCCA, there was most likely one car that was high up on the list of machines to own. The Porsche 906 was a deeply successful car, dominating races right across America, but for Vasek Polak, even the best had room for improvement.
Despite its successes, they found that the 906 was still too heavy, so one day in the spring of 1970, while Polak was traveling in Germany, a momentary bold but brilliant idea was formed: remove the roof and modify the chassis to construct a new lightweight tail inspired by the 908/03. Smaller doors were fitted, and any item not deemed to be essential was eliminated. This transformation turned the 906 from a coupé into a spyder, shaving off a considerable amount of weight and allowing it to become an even more fearsome competition car. This very example has claimed in-period victories at Road Atlanta, as well as multiple championship wins across the US!
Queen Over Tan
We always knew the late Her Majesty The Queen knew how to travel in style, often spotted in a one-off Bentley or Rolls-Royce, but her love for Land Rover was perhaps the strongest of them all. Not one to be outdone by other off-road enthusiasts, this custom creation built from a 1978 Land Rover Series III and known as the 'Royal Review State' vehicle is fully loaded with just about everything a Royal could need.
When the polite waving gets a little too taxing, the Landy comes equipped with a Tattinger ice bucket for champagne, as well as plush tan leather throughout for true comfort. With unique badges and equipment aplenty, it’s clear this Landy is certainly kitted out for royalty, and even has a ‘traffic light' system which is fitted in the rear passenger area. It works by allowing the monarch of choice to signal to the driver what to do, whether to stop, start or even just slow down. It got us thinking, what other signal we would add to this system. A ‘go off-road’ option, perhaps?
O Romeo, Romeo!
While we all know and adore Alfa Romeo's creations from their 1960s golden era, the brand made some truly unique machines in the 1980s too, and this great looking 75 1.8 Turbo proves that. Boasting plenty of appeal, including retro Borbet wheels, patterned Recaro sports seats, and even a Zagato steering wheel, this 75 is ready to hit the streets once more and turn plenty of heads in the process.
A model that was somewhat overlooked in period, the 75 has aged incredibly gracefully and further cements our notion that ‘boxy is beautiful’, following the likes of the Volkswagen, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz of the same era.
Electric Revolution
On the face of it, this may look like your typical, well-kept example of an early Alec Issigonis masterpiece, but pop open the rear latch where your groceries are usually rolling around, and you’ll discover something truly extraordinary. It was transformed into an electric car in-period, and homologated by engineer Maurice Bonafous, the inventor of the Citroën 2 CV Sahara!
This Mini, modified from a genuine 1968 Austin Mini Cooper S Mk1 under the supervision of Varta and with the agreement of British Leyland France, was duly approved by the French Mines Services in July 1981, and therefore benefits from an isolated homologation, and a French registration title in accordance with its new energy mode. Perhaps the most impressive part, is the car can reach its 80 kph top speed with ease, with its batteries good enough for an hour’s worth of driving. In fact, the car saw daily use between 1980 and 1987! While we’re currently living in what many call the ‘electric revolution’, once again we see clever individuals had already beat the masses to it!