Cars

The 1935 Ulster in question is best known as LM19, one of a series of cars that was continually developed from 1928 onwards, with Le Mans glory in mind. According to Aston Martin’s then-chief designer and co-owner, Augustus ‘Bert’ Bertelli, the final clutch of cars – of which LM19 is one – were among “the best cars I ever built”. Today, LM19 is widely accepted to be one of the very best pre-War sports cars.

There was a time when ‘the Continent’ really meant something to us Brits. It conjured images of the exotic, with ‘continental quilts’ instead of our weighty old blankets; ‘continental breakfasts’ instead of eggs and bacon – and ‘continental habits’, of which we sometimes didn’t approve. But now, in the age of the ‘Tunnel sous la Manche’ and budget airlines that will get you to Cannes for less than the price of half a tank of petrol, much of the glamour has been lost from the idea of ‘going abroad’.

James Cottingham’s day job involves acquiring and selling on high-value cars for his family business, DK Engineering – but on several weekends a year, he swaps his office Chesterfield for a bucket seat on an historic racing grid. This year, his season-opener was the 73rd Goodwood Members' Meeting, at which he piloted a 1965-spec Shelby American Daytona Cobra Coupé. He gives us an insight into the diary of a Goodwood driver.

Hitching a ride

Self one-upmanship, in the finest style

1980s revival at Goodwood