Cars

The annual historic meeting at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is something of a treat to those of us coming from Europe. While cars such as 356 Carrera Abarths might have been made in Germany, they are not often seen on our side of the pond.

And, of course, the races for later GTs (Shelby Mustangs, Corvettes, etc.) plus the IMSA cars and the unique-to-the-US Trans Am American V8s are sights pretty well unseen at ‘our’ events: the Le Mans Classic, Goodwood Revival and so on.

McLaren is a name synonymous with racing glory and, given the calibre of competition that the company has been involved in for the last 50 years or so, it’s little wonder that there’s a winning aura which seems to swirl around the bright expanses of the Technology Centre. Staff coming to work each day are greeted not only by a sprawling wall of trophies, but also a collection of the most pivotal motor cars from McLaren’s history: a Senna MP4/4 here, a Le Mans-winning F1 GTR there, and perhaps most poignantly to us, Denny Hulme’s 1970 Can-Am M8D.

The flashbulb reflections on the X-1’s piano black paintwork might only just have dimmed after it spent its inaugural appearance as one of the star exhibits at Pebble – but the design process began almost three years ago. One of the anonymous owner’s stipulations was that a competition between a group of external designers and McLaren’s own should take place to decide a winning design. In the end, it was a Royal College of Art student who won the competition; simultaneously landing himself a job with the esteemed manufacturer.

Markets that will be offered the new AWD models, which are powered by Jaguar’s latest 3.0-litre V6 supercharged 340PS petrol engine, include continental Europe, North America, Russia and China but, because all-wheel-drive accounts for less than five per cent of the UK’s luxury saloon market, we won’t be getting them here. Jaguar believes that more than three-quarters of the AWD models produced at the Castle Bromwich factory in the UK from October will – at least in the early stages – be sold in the US, where demand for AWD is currently the highest in the world.

The reason for the party was to celebrate the North American premiere of the new Jaguar XJL Ultimate. But, despite numerous bunnies hopping around the luxury flagship, it was an ancient relative that snatched the limelight. Mad Men protagonist Don Draper summarised the starring 1963 E-type perfectly in an earlier episode of the retrospective series: “A man getting out of a Jaguar needs a cold shower…”

It might only be billed as a concept for now, but it’s likely that a good reception from the small pool of customers shown the prototype would ensure a production run. This would put the two-door, four-seat convertible in direct competition with the Phantom Drophead, also ensuring the continuation of a bloodline which includes the Corniche and, before that, the Park Ward S1 Drophead Coupé. The latter has apparently been used to influence the design process, as have ‘luxurious, high-performance power boats’, according to Bentley.

With its powerful 6.8-litre engine, the Model S Mercedes-Benz represented the very finest high-tech German engineering of the Twenties. This car was shown at the New York Auto Show in 1928. Bought new by Frederick Henry Bedford, it was placed into storage after his death and lay undisturbed for over 30 years. It was subsequently restored by the family. It is just one of seven such cars built by the stylish French coachbuilder, all different in small detailing.
 

Photos: Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance