Cars

Designed as an entry-level model to sit below the brutish 5300 GT Strada, the Bizzarrini 1900 GT Europa was doomed from the start. Owing to financial troubles that would ultimately lead to the bankruptcy of the Livorno-based company, it is believed that just 12 examples of the baby Bizza left the production line, before unpaid workers revolted and damaged many of the un-built bodies at the factory. The car you’re looking at was built from one of the aforementioned dormant bodies that was fortunately unscathed. 

BMW 700

2000 Maserati 3200 GT

Precious Italian metal

There’s been a mutually agreed viewpoint when discussing the above with those in the know: ‘It had to happen’. Naturally, this ‘cooling off’ phase is plainest to see in the most visible sector of the market, the auction hall. “Generally speaking, demand hasn’t tailed off, but there has been a notable increase in supply,” says Dietrich Hatlapa, Founder of the Historic Automobile Group International. “There are more dealers, more auction houses, and more cars consigned to an increasing number of sales.”

Reportedly the first of several concept cars that will be revealed to celebrate BMW’s centenary, the Vision Next 100 is a culmination of the knowledge gained by BMW’s designers and engineers, in order to predict what our cars might be like decades into the future. Accounting for what BMW clearly sees as the inevitable switch to autonomous cars, the concept comprises two driving modes: ‘Ease’, in which the car drives itself, and ‘Boost’, in which the car is manually controlled.

What is your earliest automotive memory?

Oh, there are so many. I grew up around classic cars, and as a child they always fascinated me. I have a particularly fond memory of my father’s Maserati 3500 Vignale Spyder, which he owned for many years. He chose to sell it at auction, and I sat in the audience completely unaware that his car was about to be sold. When it drove up the ramp, I was so shocked that I started crying loudly. Fortunately for me it failed to sell, and therefore returned home, much to my delight.

There’s an interesting cross-section of the current collector-car market on offer at Motostalgia’s Amelia Island 2016 sale. Firstly, there are established classics such as the Ferrari 330 GT or Alpine A 110. Secondly, there are many popular modern classics, such as the first BMW M6 and the Porsche 993 Turbo.