Focusing on his memorable spell racing for Ferrari – which included two Drivers' Championship wins – the customisation department has taken inspiration from Lauda's 312T F1 car.
Naturally, then, this Tailor Made 458 is red, but it also has a white roof and accents, as well as longitudinal roof-stripes in the colours of the Italian flag; and some very 70s gold wheels that really stand out.
Visually, the ‘gentle giant’ remained almost unchanged since production began in 1967 and it wasn’t until 1997 that the whisper-quiet, chrome-festooned Century was replaced by a revised second series. There’s certainly an air of Mercedes 600 about the five-metre-long saloon.
“All the cars pictured here are from Naito-san's personal collection. His main business is in restoring and race-prepping classic cars and while the showroom isn’t exactly hidden away – it's on a main street with glass frontage – there is no sign or contact details, and it’s obviously only opened up by appointment. Since Naito-san has never (until now) advertised his business, it’s extremely rare for the media to have access, so I felt honoured.
The Bonhams Sale of Important Collectors' Motor Cars and Automobilia on Sunday 1st December will feature a private single-owner collection of eight Ecurie Ecosse vehicles. Also, motor racing superstar Michael Schumacher's Benetton-Cosworth Ford B194 is to go under the hammer.
According to Porsche, the Macan is “the first compact SUV that is also a sportscar.” A little ambitious maybe, there’s no doubt about its positioning within the range: it’ll play little brother to the Cayenne, and most likely enjoy the same degree of sales success. Perhaps that success would be increased had Porsche adopted the much-rumoured and spicily relevant ‘Cajun’ (Cayenne Junior?), rather than the chosen, has-no-ring-to-it-at-all name –apparently relating to some sort of Indonesian Tiger.
An Important Auction of Fine Historic Automobiles, Rare Collectors Models, Associated Collectibles and Fine Film and Poster Art
Largely unchanged from the be-roofed C-X16 concept of 2011, the Coupé will follow its convertible sibling to market in 2014 with a choice of V6, V6 ‘S’ or V8 ‘R’ flavours. The latter, 542bhp variant will remain exclusive to the Coupé, a marketing decision no doubt guided by the increased torsional rigidity it holds over the convertible. In fact, the F-type Coupé is the stiffest road car the company has ever made.
The name of the result is, slightly clunkily, ‘The New Original’, and among the multitudinous improvements and enhancements is the debut of three new three-cylinder engines, each with ‘TwinPower Turbo Technology’ – which is kind of self-explanatory.
As for the other changes, just assume that everything has been improved (better power delivery and driving dynamics, more efficiency and interactive technology, less noise and so on). Built in Oxford, and with the UK market launch planned for next spring, the new (well, new original) MINI will be priced from £15,300 OTR.
Less is more – even Bentley acknowledges this ancient proverb. However, the latest model from Crewe hasn’t scrimped on either the torque, or the veneer. The second-generation four-door Flying Spur drops the ‘Continental’ suffix but gains small cosmetic and performance updates. The subtle new side-gills convey sportiness, while the steeply sloping rear gives the saloon a majestic, though sometimes rather unearthly, appearance. Either way, the new Bentley scores with its sharpened character.
