No laughing matter
Have you ever wondered what a sleeker, more aerodynamic version of the boxy Lancia Delta would look like? Well, this should give you the idea, and we won’t be offended if this is the first time you’ve laid your eyes on this unique creature.
Combining two of Italy’s finest names in automotive, Lancia left the designing to Zagato, where then-designer Marco Pedracini took a Delta HF Integrale Evo 1 and gave it a new fastback coupè look, featuring Zagato’s iconic double-bubble roof of course. Incredibly, just 24 examples of the Hyena exist, with this 1991 model being #002, and has been treated so some tasteful and refined modifications allowing it to produce an impressive 300bhp! If you’re looking for a true coach-built modern classic, it doesn’t get much better than this!
17ft of pure class
I’ve said it previously, and I’ll stand by my word – the Bentley Brooklands is the best modern-day era Bentley to glide out of the Crewe factory. It has the unrivalled presence you’d expect from a top-of-the-line Bentley, but also boasts real performance and an interior fit for royalty.
This perfectly spec’d 2008 example displays just how well these land-yachts have aged, with the soft metallic pale blue allowing the rich tan leather interior to really sing, with perhaps the clearest glass we’ve ever seen in a car – thankfully not a window tint in sight! Naturally, a car stretching over 17ft long and weighing over 2.6 tonnes needs a hefty motor to keep it in motion, and Bentley didn’t hold back with the Brooklands. It’s 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V8 produces 530 bhp, an impressive amount, sure, but its torque is the headline figure here - a world-turning 1,050 Nm at 3,250rpm!
Hans’ personal Batmobile
Arguably one of the greatest designs from BMW’s rich catalogue, the 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ is a true icon, both on and off the racetrack. This homologation special is one of the 57 and final Second Series CSL variants, and is an ex-BMW Motorsport test car, as well as being the then works driver Hans Stuck’s personal road car.
The CSL, much like modern day BMWs is the 3.0 in its purest form. Boasting a plethora of extras, the CSL was built from thinner-gauge steel and had an aluminium bonnet, bootlid and doors. With motor racing on the mind, the CSL became the perfect foundation for the fire-spitting, wide-bodied race cars they later became. With an incredible history behind it, this 1974 example is perhaps one of the most important Batmobiles ever to hit the market.
The Mini hiding a monster
Aiming to propel you into outer space and scare you senseless in no particular order, this 1990 Mini Cooper is truly a car not for the faint of heart. Crammed into this famously micro machine sits a 230bhp Honda K20 2.0 engine, mated to a 6-speed gearbox with some lightweight race seats for company. As track-only specials go, this Mini is likely to be the one that leaves you breathless!
Weighing just 700kg with that might power at your disposal requires some serious engineering, and thankfully this ZCars built machine doesn’t just boast ridiculous power. Wilwood brakes allow it to stop on a dame, and its suspension and chassis has been heavily modified to cope with the insanity!
Group-4 Greatness
Ferrari and dirt roads aren’t usually things you’d associate with each other, but during the madness that was rallying during the 1980s, manufacturers and privateers in certain categories had free reign to concoct the maddest vehicles possible, all in the quest for glory. Despite never being a Ferrari-led project, Italian race team Michelotto built around a dozen 308s to Group 4 regulations in the late 1970s.
This gloriously green example is an exact replica of one of the dozen rally cars, and has been given a complete overhaul to ensure its competitive on the dirt, including a roll cage, flared wheel arches, lifted suspension and so much more, it even has F355 throttle bodies which we’ve no doubt makes it sound even better than before! To complete the rally-ready look, this example features a Pioneer livery with the iconic Group 4 five spoke gold wheels.
