Cars

“If I were going to buy a Land Rover, I’d want it to last 60 years – and that’s just what this car has done,” says Richard Burton, the son of this 86” Series 1’s original owner, F. B. Burton, whose sign-written name can still be found on the front wing. It was delivered in CKD (Completely Knocked Down) form to Grenville Motors’ Sydney assembly plant in 1955, and subsequently sold to Burton Senior. A farmer from Jindabyne in New South Wales, he soon put the car to good use on the family farm.

When the gold Ford GT40 MKII that finished third at Le Mans in 1966 trundled into the paddocks at Le Castellet early in the warm spring sunshine, we knew that the first European Shelby Only meeting was going to be special.

In Land Rover We Trust

With just 23 lots in the catalogue, Fischer’s latest sale, taking place on 28 May in Switzerland, concerns quality rather than quantity – and that’s a refreshing change from the norm. In fact, we’re not sure we’ve seen a catalogue that’s so ‘Classic Driver’ this year, which is impressive considering the higher-profile opposition. 

Mercedes-Benz revealed the production 300 SL ‘Gullwing’ alongside the similarly styled 190 SL at the 1954 International Motor Sports Show in New York. The glitzy occasion came just six months after the board had gratuitously succumbed to the American Mercedes agent Max Hoffman’s tireless pleas for a sports car to offer his well-heeled clientele. Derived from the successful purpose-built 300 SL racing cars, the ‘Gullwing’ proved immediately popular, despite its eye-watering 29,000 DM price tag.

Certain cars in certain colours just work – Ferraris in red, Bugattis in blue and Jaguars in green, for example. But that’s not to say bold and lesser-seen shades look any less striking, as this selection demonstrates... 

An impressive résumé

A simple recipe