Mid-engined American muscle
Eight generations and nearly 70 years: that’s how long it took the engine in Chevrolet’s halo car to migrate from the front to behind the driver’s seat. However, by all accounts it was worth the wait, with many (admittedly American) journalists praising the C8 generation Corvette as though it was the second coming. Mid-engined or not, here in Blighty, a Corvette remains as rare a sight as ever, which is why we simply had to include this brand-new 2022 Arctic White C8 Corvette, equipped with the Z51 Pack. That gives this ‘Vette larger brakes, stiffer suspension, and better cooling, to help it stand up against its European rivals. So, is this mid-engined muscle car the ride for you, or do you prefer your supercars with a little more continental flair?
Silent Series 3
Before even reading these words, you’ll likely have decided whether you love or hate this EV-converted 1974 Land Rover Series 3. To die-hard Land Rover purists, this Marine Blue Landy is probably equivalent to the antichrist in automotive form, however, to the rest of us, it’s arguably one of the least offensive candidates for such an overhaul. After all, the Series 3 is hardly an air-cooled 911 in terms of the level of enjoyment and reliability you’ll extract from the powertrain, and EV’s are remarkably well suited to off-roading. So, this Series 3 EV starts to make sense — it even retains the original gearbox to retain as much of the original driving experience as possible, minus all the breakdowns. Therefore, if you want that classic Land Rover look without the classic Land Rover reliability, this could be the 4X4 for you.
If bricks could fly
For a car with the aerodynamic properties of a shed, this 1982 Volvo 240 Turbo Group A 'Johnny Cecotto' Replica certainly looks the business in its 'Kamachi Yasaki-City' livery and BBS-wheels. This car, GRC Sport 004, was the 4th of the 505 homologation specials built and sent to America to allow Volvo to compete in Group A. Bought in the USA by the current owner as a restoration project, the car was returned to full Group A specification, which means a kerb weight of just 1,056kg and around 350 turbocharged horses from its 2.1 litre engine. You can see why they called it the ‘Flying Brick’ back in the day. If you’re looking for an effortlessly cool race car, then this could be the brick for you.
The ‘Heigo’ Car
Like many legendary race cars from history, this 1978 Porsche 911 SC Group IV, known as the ‘Heigo’ Car, was built by a group of Porsche Motorsport’s own engineers in their spare time. The mastermind behind it all was a man called Dieter Röscheisen, who took all his annual leave to fulfil his dream of buying his own full-fat Porsche 911 rally car and competing with it. With a livery penned by British Porsche designer Ginger Arnold Ostle, Röscheisen entered 11 races with his 911, racking up an impressive six podium finishes, three of which were wins! Accompanied by a fascinating history, this historic Porsche has since been meticulously restored to its original specification with the correct ‘Heigo’ livery perfectly reapplied. All it needs now is its next driver.
V12 sunshine machine
While Ferrari never produced their own Testarossa Spider, this is as close as you’ll get. In 1988, coach builder Lorenz & Rankl created an ultra-limited run of just five Testarossa Spiders. This was a case of taking a hacksaw to a bunch of second-hand Testarossas either, instead they transported unfinished bodies from the production line in Maranello to Bavaria to be carefully re-engineered. This included chassis strengthening and the fitment of a semi-electronic folding roof, after which the cars were sent back to Ferrari to be completed. This stunning Giallo Ferrari Testarossa Spider is one of those five cars, presented in pristine condition with just under 14,000 miles on the clock. If these three images aren’t enough, then you can read more about this ultra-desirable prancing horse here.
