Sultry Silhouette
Who remembers the Lamborghini Silhouette? It was the model that bridged the gap between the Urraco and the Jalpa, and despite its rakish good looks (Bertone really was the man in the 1970s, right?), just 54 of the V8-powered, targa-topped sports cars were produced. As of 2011, just 31 of those were believed to remain, making this one of the rarest Lamborghinis of them all. Fresh from a factory refresh, this red example from 1978 is currently for sale in Germany.
Trans-Am titan
Tom Walkinshaw wasn’t the only one to take the Jaguar XJ-S racing. In fact, several years before he blitzed the racetracks of Europe with the brutish V12 Grand Tourer, the legendary American racer Bob Tullius was dominating the Trans-Am championship with an XJ-S. Raced under his Group 44 team banner, the car with which he vanquished the opposition in the 1978 season was really a silhouette racer and, beneath the handsome body, bore little resemblance to the production XJ-S. For Jaguar it mattered little – its ploy to ‘race on Sunday, sell on Monday’ was a categoric success. Comprehensively restored by CKL Developments, the 1978 title-winning car is now being offered for sale with Canepa in California.
Gran Turismo Omologato
We’d typically plump for a darker shade on our front-engined V12 Ferrari, but when this Bianco Fuji 599 GTO from 2011 emerged for sale in the Classic Driver Market this week, we instantly set our preference aside. In fact, with its black racing stripe, tasteful leather and Alcantara cabin, and suite of carbon-fibre optional extras, it might be the finest example of the modern-day GTO we’ve yet clapped eyes on.
A Hillman Imp in a devil’s dress
The London-based company Davrian built this evil-looking sports car, which is based on the humble Hillman Imp. Although it’s wearing number plates, these featherlight mid-engined coupés were designed to upset larger and more powerful cars on the racetrack. Born in 1971, this particular example was sold to an Italian owner in 2009 and has since been comprehensively restored by two of the most respected automotive craftsmen in Italy’s ‘Motor Valley’. It’s uprated Imp engine might kick out a mere 118 horses, but when you consider that the entire car weighs just 550kg, any fears of an underwhelming driving experience are quickly dispelled.
PTS Light Green Metallic
We wonder how many people were brave enough to specify their Porsche 996 Turbos in PTS Light Green Metallic. The no doubt opinion-polarising hue happens to suit the wide-hipped, force-fed version of the 996 down to the ground, as this exceptional one-owner example demonstrates. With just 16,380 miles on the clock, the generously optioned car presents, as you’d expect, like it just left the factory.
Photos: Canepa, DK Engineering, DD Classics, Gulfblue, Early 911S
