Cars

Of course, ‘Daytona’ is merely a nickname – but it seems unlikely that Mr Rea would have sung about the car, had it always been known by its correct factory title. Just imagine him struggling to fit ‘365 GTB/4’ into the chorus (365 for the capacity of each cylinder, B for berlinetta and 4 for the number of camshafts).

Fortunately, in honour of Ferrari’s fabulous one-two-three finish in the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours (in Ferrari P series prototypes), the car became universally known by the nickname ‘Daytona’. But does the car deserve its legendary status?

"J.M. reportedly loved bullfights, getting himself chauffeured to the arena every Sunday"

The Horizon Blue Mercedes 190c shown here, better known as the ‘Fintail’, was exported from Germany in 1965 to its last owner, who resided in sunny Spain. His initials, J.M., adorn the driver’s door and he reportedly loved bullfights, getting himself chauffeured to the arena every Sunday. For the rest of its days, though, the ‘Fintail’ lingered in a small garage, untouched and unloved, despite being in miraculously good condition. 

This video captures Walker talking lyrical about his lifelong ‘turbo fever’ – in other words, his love for the turbocharged Porsche. To quote one viewer, “Come for the cars, stay for the beard…”

Video: XCar

This glorious Ferrari 275 GTB, predecessor of the legendary Daytona, was thoroughly restored (down to the smallest screw) at the Martini Garage in Heilbronn. It is now for sale at the German dealership Axel Schuette.

As well as the magnificent Vignale-penned Ferraris and Maseratis (among countless others), the Turin-based design house was often enlisted by Fiat for limited editions, prototypes and motor-show concepts. Alfredo Vignale personally drew the Samantha, as he wanted a luxury coupé for regular long trips. The pretty brown/tan colour combination on this car is the tip of an already attractive iceberg. 

With the emergence of the new Mercedes S-Class, Audi has retaliated with this, the new A8. By no means is this a new car, though; merely a product refresh incorporating cutting-edge technology, a raft of engine upgrades and new cosmetic features to drag the outdated saloon firmly back into the ring.

There were times in the past when the process of building a single model could almost completely consume a company’s resources – one only needs to look to the M1 for proof of this, its development troubling both BMW and the company originally contracted to build it, Lamborghini.

Like the Golf GTI and 930 Turbo, the M635CSi represented the epitome of design and performance in the 1980s. Visually, its shark-nosed bonnet and rubber boot spoiler managed to exert an aggression modern cars would envy; yet it rode on 15-inch alloys and used the revered M badge sparingly both inside and out. It was assertive yet modest, even though it had no reason to be: beneath that never-ending bonnet sat a tweaked version of the M1 supercar’s straight-six – with significantly more power than the M535i which played intermediary.

“If you’re passionate, you’re there and you’re in the driving overalls yourself, it makes you understand what it’s all about...”

Well, maybe it wasn't your actual heaven, but it certainly felt like it from behind the wheel of Aston Martin's latest work of art, the V12 Vantage S.

"This might just be the finest production car Aston has ever built..."

This deliciously taut and pugnacious-looking 565 horsepower animal would bring out the devil in even the most saintly driver if faced with those endless miles of come-hither asphalt around Palm Springs, where Aston chose to launch its latest hard-core sportster.