Cars

Bentley 4¼ Litre in Foreign Correspondent

According to marque historians, it’s possible that two cars were used, although Club records show LML/944 as being the one most closely associated with it. Hollywood connections apart, the fact is that a convertible DB2/4 (a later version of the car you see here), a ‘European import’, is just the sort of car to be driven by socialite Melanie Daniels (played by Tippi Hedren) in the quiet Californian seaside location depicted in the film.

This particular car – a production 1,495cc Ulster built in 1935, chassis D5/570/U – is one of the rarer versions, one of four with ‘2/4’ bodywork on the standard short chassis. They have relatively generous accommodation for two in the front, with a small area behind these seats for extra luggage and only occasional use by (small) passengers. Four-seaters they are not.

Of this quartet, one has been converted into a two-seater, one now has a two-litre engine and another is the famous ‘Club Ulster’ owned by the Aston Martin Owners Club.

The company was formed 100 years ago, just before the outbreak of WW1. So when we say ‘pre-War’, we do indeed refer to both conflicts. But the vast majority of cars built prior to 1939 were in the inter-war years, when a tangle of failed and then resuscitated companies existed under first the ‘Aston-Martin’ and then today’s well-known ‘Aston Martin’ name.

The venues will be across mainland Europe, 19 in total, in eight countries. The road show will comprise three cars: the oldest in existence, ‘A3’; the youngest, the all-new Vanquish: and everyone’s favourite, a Silver Birch 1960s DB5.

The events will be based around official dealers, commencing on 24 April in Cologne and finishing on 13 June in Paris. The cars form the centrepiece to exclusive customer events built around 100 years of Aston Martin.

#5 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2004 – 2009)

With the new 2013 model unveiled late last year, the Quattroporte (translated simply as ‘four door’) has now seen six iterations over 50 years. The fifth-generation model was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2004, and came with a Ferrari-derived 4.2-litre V8 developing 400bhp and propelling the car to a top speed of 170mph – not that its graceful saloon shape would suggest it.

The Aventador LP 720-4 50 Anniversario Edition will be limited to just 100 units, and will debut at the Shanghai Motor Show this weekend. 

As its name suggests, the Anniversario’s power has been increased to 720HP (710bhp) over the standard car’s 700HP. 

It has also been given a Veneno-inspired bodykit, and ‘50’ badges to adorn the ‘Giallo Maggio’ paintwork. 

Inside it’s a similar story, with yellow accents, piping and stitching contrasting with the black leather throughout.

The noise of a hundred thousand howling hellcats at siesta time? Old ladies in flowered aprons storm onto the road, even older men in dusty suits shake their heads and the entire local population of children runs waving and laughing after us, as the orange roadster with a louder-than-life roar flies through the small Spanish mountain town. It’s one of the first warm days of the year and the sun beats down on lush green meadows and hills through which the ribbon of asphalt winds in large curves.

Although Gallardos are still rolling off the production line in Sant’Agata today, early pre-owned cars offer the genuine Lamborghini experience at a fraction of the cost.

Following Lamborghini’s acquisition by the Volkswagen Group (via Audi) in 1998, and the debut of the all-new Murciélago, a new baby supercar was conceived. Christened the Gallardo – after a breed of fighting bull – it was built to offer true sports car performance but with all the everyday functionality of a German saloon.