It’s probably the least famous of the Lotus Bond cars, but the ‘Copper Fire’ Esprit Turbo not only survived filming without being blown up or driven into the sea; it also kept a smile on Roger Moore’s face between takes.
Every year, this rally season-opener attracts participants with promises of wild rides on snowy mountain roads and icy mountain passes but, when the rain comes, the conditions degenerate into a hydroplaning ballet. My mount is the BMW 2002ti rally car and it has far more relevant rallying experience than I do.
The Idea
I’ve always wanted to go to the ‘Nordkapp’, writes Frank Strothe. I’ve been before, in the summer, but there was no challenge in it. So for years I’ve pondered a winter expedition; driving in the snow is more fun, especially in a classic car that relies on your driving skill to keep it on the road, rather than a host of electronic safety measures. In Finnmark – Norway’s northernmost county – mothers use run-of-the-mill hatchbacks to take their children to school in -40deg temperatures.
Incidentally, looking back on another hectic year, with a host of state-of-the-art cars filed under ‘Driving Reports’, my vote for ‘Car of the Year’ would go to the Series I’s youngest relation, the all-new, fourth-generation Range Rover we drove in Morocco.
The combination of massive, low-profile tyres and the twin-supercharged engine’s 550bhp and 550lb ft of torque is not ideal when conditions get slippery...
On a dry road, though, one of Newport Pagnell’s very last hand-built cars is an intoxicating experience. Colossal power and torque mean that the big automobile is one of the best ultimate ‘horizon shorteners’ ever created.
Albula, Julier, Maloja: many routes lead to St. Moritz. The Flüela Pass to Davos, at 2383 metres, is as dramatic a journey as you could wish for, connecting Davos and Susch in the lower Engadin. Providing it’s not closed for avalanches, of course. It’s also used by many manufacturers to test new models as its remoteness and challenging conditions are perfect for the final sign-off of their prototypes, far away from the lenses of the proving-ground paparazzi.
The decision by Jaguar to support a team of classic racing Jaguars in European historic events this year was an inspired one. The British company is synonymous with success at the Le Mans 24 Hours, winning the race five times. Throughout the 1950s, as a method of promoting a relatively new brand to a worldwide market, the investment paid dividends.
The famous ‘Lightweight’ series of cars produced by Jaguar in the early 60s has passed into legend. Nowadays, entry to the ‘Lightweight E-type club’ has a hefty multi-million-dollar price tag, and they are rarely seen outside the Goodwood Revival or Pebble Beach.
Original Lightweights aside, with their all-aluminium bodywork, 5-speed gearboxes, alloy blocks and fuel-injection, the model was raced in various stages of tune all over the world throughout the 1960s.
The idea for an ‘appropriate’ transporter to carry Scotland’s finest from circuit to circuit was hatched in the late '50s, just after the team’s second victory at Le Mans. Using a Commer truck as a base, and with generous support from the Ecurie Ecosse association and countless trade sponsors, it was designed and built by Walter Alexander and Company of Falkirk, Scotland.
It made its first appearance at the Scottish circuit, Charterhall, on 29 May 1960.
Why the Jaguar, when Jonathan Kaiser and his colleagues can sell you any manner of motoring marvels? Well, this is a London special and we think that the silver Jaguar, a machine improved and modified for 21st Century touring and events, is the perfect car for a getaway from the city to a post-Christmas holiday cottage in the English countryside.