Cars

Kent farmer Frank Quay bought the Series One pick-up for £320 in 1973 from a friend who had secured it at a farm contents sale held by Churchill's son-in-law, Christopher Soames.

For a while, Quay used the dark green pick-up for light farm duties and towing his daughter's horse trailer until the last road fund licence disc expired in 1977, at which point he stored it in a lean-to 'for his retirement'.

But its gestation was inspired by a car from Woking, not Stuttgart. The McLaren F1 GTR dominated the 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours race, finishing first overall and 1-2-3 in class – and the fact it was propelled by a BMW V12 didn’t sit well with Porsche. Just six weeks after the F1 had cleaned up in France, Porsche announced that it would be restarting its factory-based GT programme and producing a new car to oppose the McLaren.

The Mangusta was the second car to be produced by De Tomaso after the initial Vallelunga, with both models sharing the same chassis. It was also the predecessor of the legendary Pantera, and enthusiasts will note some strong similarities between the two cars.

It was penned by Giugiaro while he was employed by Ghia (owned by De Tomaso at the time), and included some striking features in addition to its purposeful stance. Particularly notable were the gullwing engine covers, which rose to reveal the brawny Ford V8.

Carroll Shelby called John Edgar’s Scaglietti-bodied 410 Sport Spider, chassis number 0598CM, “The best Ferrari I ever drove”. That was back in '56 when Ol’ Shel was winning races right and left for my father with this 4.9-litre Lampredi V12. Decades later, for present owner Roger Willbanks, Shelby autographed the car’s fuel tank with a black Sharpie that Willbanks had happily handed him.

Part 1 gives us a teasing glimpse of some of Porsche's 'could-have-been' cars; a vision of a possible parallel universe for the brand. Stay with Classic Driver for Part 2, coming soon...


Video: Porsche





 

Having spent the 1960s recovering from financial troubles, the 1970s saw BMW keen to start a new chapter. The 1972 Paris Motor Show seemed the perfect stage for the Munich marque to show the world that it was thoroughly revitalised, and head designer Paul Bracq set to work.

On Saturday 4 August 2012, MD Andy Heywood and his team welcomed visitors to their premises, situated in a small village not far from London and just a taxi ride from Luton airport.

Regular customers and Maserati Club UK members were treated to some rare and interesting cars, all set in immaculate workshops. The company has specialised in the Maserati marque since 1977, when Bill McGrath first opened his eponymous business.

The Abarth 595 Turismo (top) comes with a 160bhp, 1.4-litre turbo four-cylinder – that’s an extra 30bhp over the existing car in non-esseesse specification. The Turismo comes with a host of standard features such as leather upholstery, 17in 10-spoke alloys and xenon headlamps.

The Competizione version (below) takes the stakes a little higher, with extra features over the Turismo that include cross-drilled front and rear disc brakes, Sabelt seats in fabric upholstery and a ‘Monza’ exhaust.