Cars

A useful barometer of the buying mood

Pegaso wasn’t in the sports car arena for long. In the early 1950s, the Spanish truck manufacturer set about taking the fight to Ferrari et al with its Z-102 and, in 1953, even chose Le Mans as the battlefield. The La Sarthe showdown might have ultimately been a fruitless exercise, but the Spanish rose represented one of several thorns in Enzo’s side right up until 1958.

Top of the news agenda is the inevitable arrival of turbocharging in a modern, mid-engined V8 Ferrari. Like its California stablemate, a blown, 3.9-litre engine powers the 488 GTB, although Ferrari is adamant that the two engines are very different in feel and character. That’s unlikely to soften the blow from which purists are no doubt still reeling, however.

The Goddess’s birthday

Wearing the familiar Martini colours, the Integrale in question will be instantly recognisable to the initiated as one of the 400 ‘Martini 5’ editions produced –#124 to be specific. Based upon the Evolution model (which brought a wider track and arches, and more power), the Martini 5s were made to celebrate five consecutive WRC manufacturers’ titles, which became six shortly afterwards.

If at first you don’t succeed...

There’s a yellow, fully original Porsche 914/6 GT, a pale green Aston Martin DB5, a red Lamborghini Miura, a two-tone green Ferrari 250 GT Boano, a silver 275 GTB, a blood-orange Venturi 600 SLM, and a deep black Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC AMG (ex-Johnny Hallyday). You don’t know where to rest your eyes.