Some mornings you may struggle to wake up, yearning for those precious few additional minutes nestled under the sheets before the new day starts. Once we're up, though, it’s off to find some liquid fuel to get those motors turning. It may take an hour or so to get fully up to speed, but now imagine this same scenario knowing that, instead of trudging downstairs to fill up a mug of bland and watered-down coffee, there’s a Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari 512 TR sat in the garage, patiently waiting to be parked up outside your favourite Parisian coffee spot. The dream, right?
For Eleven Cars, who are lucky enough to be based right in the heart of the French capital, this dream is very much a reality, and along with photographer Calvin Courjon, the team set out in the early hours, long before the streets surrounding the River Seine and shopping hotspots were flooded with locals and tourists alike.
Hailing from Sant'Agata, we have a glorious Lamborghini Countach, looking as though it has just left the garage of Mr Jordan Belfort, this raging bull brings a menacing presence to the elegance of the Parisian streets. Styled by Marcello Gandini at Bertone’s design studio, the Countach needed to be something special if it was to follow in the Miura’s footsteps. Thankfully, upon its release in 1971, critics and customers were desperate for a chance to tame the bull. While the Countach evolved constantly over the car’s impressive 16-year lifespan, it remained instantly recognisable, and thankfully for Lambo, just as desirable as the day the covers were removed back in 1971.
And from Maranello, complete with a matching rouge leather interior to the Countach, sits arguably one of Ferrari’s greatest post-1980s creations, the 512 TR. A continuation of the mighty Testarossa, the 512 TR boasted updated front and rear styling, softening the boxy nature of the original in favour of better aerodynamics. Under the vented rear hood sat Ferrari’s wonderful 4.9-litre flat-12, which was now mounted lower in a single-piece rear subframe, improving weight distribution and creating a lower centre of gravity. This, merged with new suspension geometry, gave the 512 TR far better handling over the original model, and it quickly became the go-to Ferrari for those looking for style, elegance, and performance.
As coffee-getters go, we couldn’t think of a better pairing than these two. Sure, they may be a little sweat-inducing when it comes to squeezing between two battled-scarred Renault Twingos, but purely for the moment where you successfully grab the outside seat of your favourite coffee spot with a cappuccino and pain au chocolat, only to gaze out at these two white motoring icons, it makes it all worth while!
Photos by Calvin Courjon
