Cars

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.

The car’s twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 engine has been adapted, in partnership with hydrogen experts at Alset Global, to run on pure gaseous hydrogen, pure petrol, or an optimised blend of both.

While running on pure hydrogen, virtually the only exhaust deposit will be water. The Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S will be the first sports car to run a race-pace lap emitting zero CO2 emissions.

The baby pink, extended-wheelbase Ghost has been built in association with the FAB 1 Project: a charity campaign set up by TV/Radio personality Chris Evans aiming to raise £1m for Breast Cancer Care.

Unique features adopted by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke team include pink accented umbrellas, ‘FAB 1’ treadplates, and hand-embroidered headrests featuring the Breast Cancer Care pink ribbon logo. Being an extended–wheelbase car, the modern Lady Penelope will also enjoy ample legroom.

That 70s Show

Emotionless, sterile, a soulless machine with the driving dynamics of a PlayStation sports car? Some of the harshest allegations thrown at the McLaren MP4-12C after its launch two years ago must have been deeply painful for its makers. And arguably untrue. In a short time and with a relatively small budget, McLaren had created a challenging mid-engined sports car that could compete with the top dogs – and in the same breath created a whole new brand of supercar. It was a duel with Ferrari, Italy against England, emotion versus precision.

#5 Triumph TR6

While market reaction to the new ‘XJ-S’ (as it was named, at launch) in 1975 was one of surprise, as the much-beloved E-type’s lines had been replaced with more angular, truly ‘1970s’ styling, it soon developed into an understated GT coupé, a favourite of company directors worldwide.

Its big V12 wasn’t easy at the pumps but it did provide lazy, silky-smooth performance, perfect for long-distance driving in total comfort.

The car, debuting many firsts for the great Italian company, will be shown at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month.

The name comes from Maserati’s back catalogue and was last used in 1997. It is best associated with the big V8-engined coupés and spiders of the late-60s, early 70s when it was a rival for the Ferrari ‘Daytona’.

#5 Aston Martin Vantage: The British bruiser

In 1992, one year after the model’s introduction at the Geneva show, a new Bentley Continental R cost £168,294. That’s about 10 per cent more than Bentley’s current Continental GT, but a very sizeable investment 21 years ago.

Fewer than 300 per year were built after the new car’s introduction, with production eventually settling down to around six a week until manufacture of the R/S/T/SC model range ceased in 2003.