Cars

Stretch as stretch can – length matters

With the boiler room boys of the 1980s splashing their cash in the most dramatic manner possible, it’s little wonder that the Lamborghini Countach was a favourite. Even by the time the 25th Anniversary edition arrived in 1988, the basic design was still arresting – though the flared arches, enlarged rear ‘air boxes’ and much-specified optional spoiler added a touch of visual strength to reinforce the owner’s financial muscle.

Mercedes’ latest 12-cylinder flagship aims to please not only the well-heeled who find the marque’s AMG models too brash, but also, as the LWB-only configuration suggests, a core base of American and Chinese customers.

While the 530HP twin-turbo V12 will no doubt provide effortless acceleration, occupants will be cossetted by the silky-smooth Magic Body Control suspension with road surface scan – as well as the knowledge that it’ll brake automatically at speeds of up to 25mph, just in case the chauffeur is having an off day.

Revealed today in Detroit (unfortunate to launch a drop-top in the tail-wind of a polar vortex, but hey…), we think the retro Targa styling looks stunning atop a modern 911. 

And doesn’t it look terrific? There was much ooh-ing and aah-ing in the Classic Driver office when the first picture was released, thanks to the characteristic wide bar that replaces the 911’s existing B-pillars. This bar is an unambiguous testament to the first 911 Targa of 1965 – when the stainless-steel-clad rollover bar was a necessary, functional feature adopted to address strict American safety regulations. Today, it has become a striking design element to complement the lines of a modern 911.

Gooding & Company: 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail (Lot 137)

Porsche 911 Targas in the Market

A total of nine 300 SLs will be auctioned this week by four major auction houses – Bonhams, RM, Barrett-Jackson and Gooding & Company – with their combined lotlists comprising five ‘Gullwing’ coupés and four roadsters. This provides a barometer by which to look at the car’s potential market performance over the coming year.

Two years have passed since Porsche unveiled a new convertible at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show, aimed squarely at the American market and hence with the emphasis on safety, as required by U.S. regulations. Production began in December 1966 - with overseas clients being given the opportunity to collect the car in person from Zuffenhausen and ship it back to their homes in America. What a thrill it must have been to roar through the streets of Manhattan, dodging the Yellow Cabs, in a brand-new Targa-topped Porsche.