EDITORIAL
Bugatti Royale - check. Ferrari 250 GTO, ditto, plus examples of Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'Gullwing', Maserati 250F, Ferrari 250GT Spyder California, Riva motor boats, even a Junker JU52 tri-motor - these were all present and very-correct at yesterday's opening morning of the four-day Geneva Classics show.
We'll have a complete review next week, but as we've said before, this is a very exclusive event well worthy of a visit, even at the last minute as it's only a five-minute walk from the main Geneva airport and its train station.
Rolls-Royce has added one, and BMW has taken one away. I'm talking roofs and the new cars you can read about in this week's ClassicInside; the Coupé from the British manufacturer and a topless version of the baby BM two-door from Munich.
I can swing either way on the subject of open-air motoring. Why pay a lot more for something that in Northern Europe you're unlikely to get much benefit? And when it's tropical, er, in St Trop, do you want the rays beating down on an unprotected cranium?
Perhaps Ferrari got it right with the 575 Superamerica with its rotating hard-top in electrochromatic glass - a feature we've not seen for a while in production, but surely worthy of further development.
THIS WEEK IN CLASSIC DRIVER
"A Bit of Fizz"
New Rolls-Royce Coupé
An elegant new two-door, four-seater coupé, based on the experimental 101EX, will be launched by Rolls-Royce in 2008. The model will sit alongside the Phantom, Phantom Extended Wheelbase and Phantom Drophead Coupé to complete the family line-up.
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Book Review: 'Sports Car Racing In Camera 1960-69'
Rare and Unpublished Photos from the 60s
From the author who provided the captions to Michael Cooper's 'Sixties Motor Racing' comes a slimmer volume, featuring all-colour photography that will wow and astound anyone who considers this decade the zenith of two-seater motorsport. read
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BMW 1 Series Convertible
Includes range-topping 306hp twin-turbo straight-six
Now there's an alternative BMW cabrio; in addition to the highly successful 3 Series convertible, the Bavarian company has just launched a drop-top version of the smallest coupé in its range. read
more...
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2007 Pebble Beach Photo Gallery
Full Photo Gallery by Tim Scott
With the Monterey weekend and its attendant auctions, historic race meetings and driving events over and done with for another year, it's time to have a final look at the cars and the people who made it onto the famous 18th fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links. read more...
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Petersen Museum to Honour Carroll Shelby
Carroll Shelby. His name is as familiar as the sun in the sky, and none has lived the broad life of motorsport quite like him. He's known fame and feuds, accolades and scorn, heart transplant and years of phenomenal prowess – and there's no end in sight for this gifted, witty champ who's still at work every day. read
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Coys at Ascot Racecourse 20th October 2007
Coys will sell over 50 motor cars at its next UK sale, based at the Ascot racecourse near London. Among the thoroughbred entries is this 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO estimated at £210,000 - 240,000.
read more...
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CLASSIC
LIFE
Monaco Yacht Show 2007: The Highlights
Fate was kind to this year's Monaco Yacht Show. The weather remained perfect while shipyards presented their latest creations and brokers displayed some of the world's most beautiful yachts. Here, Classic Driver presents the highlights of the luxury boat fair...
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THE CLASSIC DRIVER PREMIUM CAR MARKET
MODERN
Aston Martin DB9 Manual Sport Pack
colour AM Titanium Silver
interior colour Chancellor Red
drive RHD
year 2006
mileage 2.897 km / 1.800 mi
price 101.950 GBP
country 
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A one owner local car with low miles, benefiting from 2007MY upgrades and high specification.
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Stratton Motor Company (Norfolk) Limited
Town/City:
Long Stratton, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1508 530491
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CLASSIC
Ferrari 275 GTB/4
colour Red
interior colour Biscuit
drive RHD
year 1966
price P.O.R. GBP
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Chassis 9117 offered here is the very first right hand drive GTB/4, one of only 27 examples to be produced, as documented in Ferrari 275GTB/GTS by Bruno Alfieri.
Delivered from Maranello to London by Mike Salmon, this was the Maranello Concessionaires car on the 1966 Earls Court Motor Show stand. Benefitting from a major restoration at Maranello, Egham in the late 80s, and a fresh engine rebuild by one of the UK's leading Ferrari engine specialists 5,000 miles ago.
This car comes with an extensive history file showing a very evident no expense spared maintenance history. Red, with biscuit interior, Borani wheels, a full set of tools, and original books. This pristine example of one of Maranello's most revered of sportscars, drives and sounds every bit as impressive as it looks.
Viewing is highly recommended for this rare and desirable 1960s 'supercar'.
view
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Martin Chisholm Collectors Cars Ltd
Town/City:
Cheltenham, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1242 821600
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SPORTING
Ford GT 40
colour Yellow
interior colour Racing
drive RHD
year 1968
chassis GT40 P/1079
estimate P.O.R.EUR
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GT40 P/1079 was delivered new from Ford Advanced Vehicles (FAV) as one of the few privately entered Group 4 racing cars to the Belgian Jean Blaton. The competition cars had a stronger race-spec engine, a smaller, but improved clutch and a 140 litre fuel tank. They also featured a lighter flywheel and 25% stiffer suspension all around.
This car belongs to the last series of GT40 which had slightly modified body parts and was lighter than any of the earlier cars.
Blaton received the yellow car on the 20th April 1968 - just in time to put the car on a transporter for the Monza 1.000 Km where Willy Mairesse and 'Beurlys' (the racing name of Jean Blaton) qualified the car 6th on the grid, but stopped after 89 laps in the race with wheel problems. The car also competed at that year's 1.000 km of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 hours of Le Mans where 'Beurlys'/Mairesse qualified 10th. Mairesse drove first, but lost the car in rain that fell shortly before the start, crashing at high speed on the Mulsanne as a door flew open.
After the accident the car remained untouched for a while before it went to Switzerland for restoration, and in the late 80s/early 90s sold to a French-based investment fund, then offered in 1994 at a French auction, subsequently staying in France. The current owner bought it in the late 90s and, as a big GT40 collector, carried out a new restoration.
The car has been fully stripped and some wrong parts replaced or corrected. The car was then showed to Ronnie Spain, author of the book 'GT40: An Individual History and Race Record', who immediately recognised the car and stated it in writing as the original, ex-Jean Blaton car.
Since then, the GT40 was successfully driven at Le Mans Classic 2002, 2004 and 2006. It is already entered for the 2008 event and is in race-ready condition.
Only very seldom do original competition GT40s appear on the market as most of the cars which are found in historic motorsport are modified road cars.
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Jan B. Luehn
Town/City:
Telgte, Germany
Brussells. Belgium
Telephone: +49 (0)172 530 3555 Germany
+32 (0)495 571 594 Belgium
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EVENTGUIDE 2007
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04.10. - 07.10. Geneva Classics, Geneva, Switzerland
05.10. - 07.10. The Spa Six Hours Weekend, Belgium
06.10. - 06.10. The Sportscar-Auction Geneva, Switzerland
09.10. - 10.10. H&H Classic Auctions - The Imperial War Museum, Duxford, UK
22.10. - 23.10. Barons Classic Collectors & Historic Cars Auction, UK
26.10. - 28.10. Concours d'Elegance Las Vegas, USA
27.10. - 27.10. Coys Auction at Auto Moto d'Epoca in Padova, Italy
31.10. - 31.10. RM Auctions - The Bernie Ecclestone Collection - London, UK
31.10. - 31.10. Brightwells Classic Car Auction, Leominster, UK
09.11. - 11.11. The Classic Motor Show, Birmingham, UK
see
further event details...
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SERVICE
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