Yes, Ferrari had introduced the 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer a couple of years earlier but, when it came out, Lamborghini’s take on 1970s mid-engined supercars was almost out of this world. Having a NACA duct, boxey periscopo intakes and origami-inspired bodywork, the LP400 pre-dated Star Wars stormtrooper design cues by three years.
The late Seventies were not a time which Lamborghini looks back on with any great affection; the 1973 oil crisis and resulting recession had drained the manufacturer’s finances, while Ferruccio Lamborghini had relinquished his controlling stake in the company to see out his final years on a lakeside estate in Perugia.
As ever, though, the emphasis of the event is about beautiful cars driven on a carefully selected route through stunning French countryside.
This year’s Tour Auto Optic 2ooo, after scrutineering at the Grand Palais in Paris on Monday 16 April, set off early the following day with the next overnight stop being Beaune. Wednesday was Etape 2 (Beaune to Aix-Les-Bains), while Thursday’s travelling finished in Clermont-Ferrand and Friday’s in Nîmes.
Daimler and Vanden Plas might no longer be relevant designations for top-of-the-line Jaguars but, given today’s prosperous markets overseas (the new car’s chosen launch platform of China being a perfect example), halo XJs are as pertinent as ever.
As another step down the road to building the controversial 4x4 that made its international debut at this year’s Geneva Show, the Crewe company says, “A range of advanced powertrains under consideration include a 500bhp 4.0-litre V8 Twin Turbo and a V6 plug-in hybrid, in addition to the flagship 6.0-litre W12 engine.”
Interestingly, no mention is made of a ‘super-diesel’ despite parent group VAG’s excellence in that area (the latest 3.0 BiTDI and the older V10 diesel spring to mind).
Should it reach production, it’ll sit alongside the Gallardo’s replacement (expected to be previewed before the year’s end) and the Aventador as the third model in the manufacturer’s range. Given the business case for premium sporty SUVs highlighted by the success of the Porsche Cayenne, it would seem the Urus’ road to production will see few commercial barriers.
“To finish first, first you must finish.” True enough. But before that, you’ve got to take your racing car, team crew and all its assorted paraphernalia sometimes 100s of miles from home to a circuit often lacking in many of life’s necessities (one British team in the 1950s would always travel with a keg of Watney’s beer…).
So, enter that noble automotive beast of burden, the racing transporter.
Designed by Giugiaro and built by Ghia, the Iso Rivolta Fidia (initially named the ‘S4’) should have met with instant success… but the truth was rather different.
First produced in 1962, the rear-engined A110 was a rallying thoroughbred, even though it only began to make a name for itself towards the end of the decade. The late Sixties saw the competition accolades start to mount up, but it was the early Seventies which saw the little car cement its place in the rallying hall of fame. It won the 1971 International Championship for Manufacturers and the inaugural 1973 World Rally Championship, locking out the podiums at the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally both years.