Madness in Mintgrün
Of the seemingly countless variants of the Porsche 911 that exist, it is somewhat of an arduous task to stand out above the rest. We’ve seen fully electrified classic 911s, we’ve seen ultra-wide bodied stanced out 911 cruise the streets of Tokyo, but when Lanzante quietly rolled their interpretation of the perfect 911, just about everyone in the motoring world sit up in their seat a little.
One of only 11 Porsche 911 TAG Turbos built by the Petersfield-based outfit, with this example offered with less that 300 miles since its lengthy transformation. For those unaware, this is no ordinary restoration or restomod, and while the minty fresh Mintgrün paintwork lets you know this car has been pampered, hiding under its whaletail wing sits something entirely different to the flat-6 it came with from the factory. Inspired by the singular Formula One-powered Porsche 911 Turbo road car built in period by the Porsche R&D Department, Lanzante acquired a tiny amount of original, period raced F1 engines to be placed into these unassuming 911s, with this example boasting an engine raced by four-time Formula World Champion Alain Prost at the 1986 German Grand Prix and the 1987 Hungarian and Japanese Grands Prix.
As opportunities of a lifetime go, this might just be up there with the best, as not only is the car truly a work of art to ogle over, but every element of it has also been carefully considered at reworked by Lanzante’s talented team, creating what we believe is one of the greatest Porsche 911s ever!
The Perfect 10
Built as an Italian missile to fire directly at the class-leading Porsches during the 1970s, the Ferrari 512 M was a direct descendant of the 512 S, building on the original car’s successes but added more powerful rear disc brakes and new suspension setup, allowing its brave drivers to put the monstrous power from its V12 engine down with far more confidence.
This example, one of the most original surviving examples, was first configured as one of the 25 Ferrari 512 S cars for the 1970 season. Once completed, it was returned to the factory to be upgraded to the ‘M’, or ‘Modificata’ variations, where it would put in some very respectable performances during the 1971 season, including a return trip to Le Mans which it had competed in during the previous season. It was only when the rules were changed to ban 5-litre cars at the end of 1971 that this example, chassis 1018’s period racing career came to an end, but can now be enjoyed to its fullest once more on the historical event calendar and will be right at home during Le Mans Classic and the Masters Historic Racing series.
Thinking Outside the Box
Here at Classic Driver, we, like many classic car lovers fall a little bit in love with any car that’s shape is its talking point. While soft curves and elegant lines are pretty, box-shaped cars also deserve their time in the spotlight, and few are quite as charming and oh-so boxy as the Alfa Romeo Guilia. A brand renowned for their masterpieces in design, 1962 would see the Guilia reveal itself to the world, and quickly became a game-changer in the sports saloon market. Not only was it small and nimble and yet spacious inside, it’s performance output was deeply impressive, featuring a twin-cam, all-aluminium four-cylinder engine in 1.3L and 1.6L variants, delivering up to 110 horsepower.
Although spritely in period, this example takes the dinky saloon to new heights, removing the original 1,300cc engine which has been replaced with a 2,000cc Nord engine with 45mm Weber carburettors, forged pistons, an Alfaholics exhaust manifold and many, many more to list. The result, combined with a driver-focussed interior that retains its luxury and charm, makes for a wonderful classic that can easily keep up with even the latest hot hatches!
The Ultimate Homage
First launched in 2005, the Bugatti Veyron broke boundaries within the motoring world that even now, 20 years later, are still leaving the brightest of brains scratching their heads. Built purely as a passion project for Mr Piech, with rumoured production costs nearing six million Euros per vehicle, the motoring world hadn’t at the time, and mostly likely won’t ever see a production car like the Veyron ever again. It is the ultimate expression of good design, earth-moving performance and exclusivity beyond belief, and are quickly becoming the ultimate future classic.
This example takes exclusivity one step further, and is one of 48 Super Sport variations ever manufactured and painted in homage to the 1929 Bugatti Type 41 Royale Berline de Voyage, a car many state to be one of the most beautiful cars to have ever been made. This unique colour combination, combined with a odometer that displays just 342 miles since new in 2012, makes this example truly the ultimate example of future classic royalty!
Disco Time
While coachbuilding was at its height in the pre-war era, it has experienced a renaissance in the 21st century, and few have done it better than Carrozzeria Touring, who successfully pushed automotive design into the future while seeking to celebrate a rich history with the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante.
Directly inspired by the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante of 1952, Carrozzeria Touring set about bringing the same level of style to the new-generation example, using Alfa’s then freshly launched 8C Competizione as an obvious base for a new Disco Volante. Keeping up with their rich traditions, each car’s bodywork was made of hand-beaten aluminium panels. Inside, Touring reupholstered the interior, creating their own distinctive flair, awash in leather, aluminium, and carbon fibre. While many examples had remained in temperature regulated garages, this example made it into the hands of keen enthusiast from new, where the owner did not shy away from using his brand new, one-off coachbuilt Alfa Romeo as its manufacturers intended, and today it has been driven just under 11,600 kilometres from new!
