Cars

At the time, the 959 was commended for its road manners. By their very nature, homologation specials saw sacrifices made in every aspect in order to prioritise the competitiveness of their full-blown racing cousins. In many cases, the required road-legal counterparts were churned out with little or no consideration as to usability, ergonomics or quality of finish. But the 959 was an exception to that rule – which is even more extraordinary when you consider that much of its technology was gleaned from Porsche’s 956 and 962 Group C racers.

When the thunderous German V8 catches, all those post-summer blues instantly evaporate. Besides, the SL 60’s 381HP/580Nm is more than enough to outrun those sudden autumn showers. The enlarged 6-litre engine boasted some impressive performance figures – the 0-60mph sprint is dealt with in just 5.8sec while those brave enough to remove the car’s 155mph speed-limiter could manage around 185mph flat-out. Interestingly, insiders at the AMG skunkworks said that those figures were modest, and claimed the car was both quicker and more powerful than suggested at the time. 

"From the silver-plated kidney grille to the model insignia on the bootlid, every relevant detail shimmers in silver..."

For more than two decades, BMW’s Individual department has been applying personal touches to BMW models before they even leave the factory. Now, the department can add another tradition-steeped name to the collaboration list, having produced the 760Li Sterling in conjunction with Robbe & Berking.

Thankfully, some of the most exciting competition series have required cars to be ‘production-based’: take the Group 3 Grand Touring category (which necessitated 250 GTO production), the GT1 class at Le Mans, or the famous Group B rally category of the 1980s. The rules resulted in ‘homologation specials’ of all shapes, sizes and configurations, but all with one thing in common: the quest to achieve the best possible performance, while meeting the legal requirements of the road – often by the very narrowest of margins.

Augusto – son of Domenico Caraceni, who founded the eponymous fashion house – was a keen racing driver. When he needed a car in which to compete in the 1951 Stella Alpina, the sartorial sage selected this sports-racing Ferrari. As well as being clothed in svelte Touring coachwork (it was the coachbuilder’s first closed Ferrari), the 212 Export Touring Berlinetta was powered by a tuned version of the Colombo engine, and had Plexiglass windows and a sparse interior to save weight.

At first glance, it looks unmistakeably like a late-Sixties fastback Mustang...

At first glance, it looks unmistakeably like a late-Sixties fastback Mustang, but on closer inspection you’ll discover that not all is as it seems. What of those piercing xenon headlights and the slightly awkward front grille, not to mention the bold Bass (yes Bass, not Boss) script adorning the rear?

Apparently, Hef named his empire after the recently defunct Playboy Automobile Company – and his interest in American cars doesn’t end there, as the picture above attests. But he’s also a big Mercedes fan: he’s known to have owned a 300 SL Roadster, as well as a pair of 600 Pullmans. The latter, rather unsurprisingly, came complete with champagne coolers, central partitions, rear privacy curtains and reclining rear seats.

The Veneno Roadster – a drop-top version of the Aventador-based Veneno – is a permanently open hypercar. That is, there is no roof; not even an impossibly clumsy, temporary tent to erect. A roof would simply not fit in with the lightweight ethos of the car... And besides, who wants to pilot their 3.3m-euro (excluding VAT) ‘street-legal racing prototype’ in the rain? An extremely strong carbonfibre monocoque, coupled with robust rollover protection, ensures safety for the occupants inside should the pilot lose control, regardless of the weather.