Cars

The early sixties saw Maserati switch its focus from producing racing steeds for the likes of Fangio, to making elegant road cars in partnership with coachbuilders such as Vignale and Frua. After a series of pretty coupés and spiders, Pietro Frua was commissioned to design the marque’s first four-door: the Quattroporte. It’s a bloodline that lives on today and, with its V8 engine churning out more than 250bhp, it could well be regarded as one of the first super-saloons.

This time, though, the race-inspired colours look a little more polished. The classic 'Martini' white, with red and blue stripes, show off the curves of the hybrid hypercar’s bodywork to better effect.

Both liveries were worn by Le Mans-winning Porsche 917s in the early Seventies. And the new car’s task seems equally demanding: it will be launched into a market soon to be populated by successors to both the Ferrari Enzo and the Mclaren F1, as well as the production version of Jaguar’s C-X75 concept.

With more than 1,000 racing cars and motorcycles expected to attend, the organisers are aiming to surpass the 30,000 visitors they attracted in 2011. Highlights will include the Caramulo Hillclimb and a Historic Hillclimb, while a regularity run – something of a Portuguese speciality – should bring a whole new dimension to the 2012 event.

With that calibre of competition, Bizzarrini ploughed maximum resources into the project, picturing a Le Mans win that would not only provide professional acclaim, but also serve as a personal triumph over Ferrari. The two parties had awkwardly parted company in 1961, following a disagreement between Enzo Ferrari and many of his most talented staff.

The Duke’s 1961 Alvis TD21 DHC SII was exhibited at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year as part of the Cartier Style et Luxe concours d’elegance. This later model, a 1964 TE21, is for sale at Classic Driver dealer Altena Classic Service in Holland.

Only 300 or so of the later series of ‘TE’ Alvises were built in coupé and drophead coupé forms (compared with around 1000 TDs in total) and the model itself was to last only until 1967, when the final TF21 was produced.

The more general facelift across the model range includes some modest styling tweaks, along with a ‘totally new’ 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. The 7-speed ’box, optional on the V8 and standard on the V10, promises closely spaced gears for more press-on driving in sports mode, but a longer ratio in the final drive position. It is operated via a selector lever or steering wheel paddles, while launch control can be selected at the press of a button.

With more than 1,000 entries contesting 24 races, and featuring saloon, GT, single-seaters and sports cars covering the full spectrum of motorsport history from the 30s to the 80s, there were also a further 7,000 classic road cars from more than 100 owners’ clubs on static display. Among the clubs were several celebrating special events: the 50th anniversary of the AC Cobra, for example, or the ‘Z-fest’ – a gathering of 230 BMW Z models. But the most spectacular gathering was reserved for Sunday, in the Ferrari Club area.

Even the most glorious cars have a finite lifespan; and while it famously fell short in terms of performance, many will agree that the sumptuous Italian curves of the Karmann Ghia are enough, on their own, to grant it the status of a legend – never mind the fact that almost half a million were sold.

But, as with any Ferrari, the link between racing and road cars is ever present. While the sublime coachwork of the older car embraces a highly tuned engine and competition-derived chassis, its younger descendant is similarly potent and likewise much, much faster than might be assumed.

As its name suggests, the main feature of Mansory’s latest creation is carbonfibre – and lots of it. Despite much of the standard Aventador’s bodywork already being built from woven carbon, the German tuning house has seen fit to replace the front wings, bonnet, bumpers, roof panel and engine cover with items of its own design. The Carbonado (the name referring to a naturally occurring black diamond) gains 40mm width at the front and 50mm at the rear during this process. Even the forged wheels – which measure an astounding 13 inches wide at the rear – have carbonfibre inlays.