Cars

With no need for a reliable daily driver, and a passion for classic cars instilled in him by his father early on, a 19-year-old Wouter chose to defy the usual tendencies of his generation. Rather than buy a cheap used hatchback for insurance and other reasons of economy, he instead opted to spend his limited budget on a car almost twice his own age – a 1975 Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior – and embarked on a project with the sole intention of creating “a classic racing car for the road”.

From pistons to seats

Truly exceptional cars are now harder to find than peacock pearls in the Tahitian seas

The $16.4m sale of a Testa Rossa by Gooding & Co. in 2009 drew its fair share of headlines at the time – but now, UK-based dealer Tom Hartley has eclipsed that figure by selling an ex-Works car (chassis 0704) for a sum thought to be at least double that. Tom Hartley Jr. would not comment on the terms of the sale, but told Classic Driver: “It’s very rare that a car of this importance comes up for sale – and when it does, part of the reason for it not being sold at public auction is to keep the details of the sale confidential.

The story of Lord Hesketh and his self-financed Formula 1 team is never likely to be repeated (a story that we recently covered in depth), but valuable relics from that period of mid-70s madness still occasionally appear for sale. The latest in the tale is the factory car from 1974-75, which Hunt famously steered to victory at his home GP of Silverstone on 7 April 1974.

With its roots in racing, a great design, excellent handling and an illustrious television career, the Dino had all the ingredients to become a truly great Ferrari. Just one thing was missing – a V12 engine. The concept of a compact, mid-engined sports car was a milestone in Ferrari history, the Dino deservedly bearing the prestigious name of the patriarch’s tragically dead son. 

Special show themes: Land speed records, Alpines and Maharajas