Join the party
It’s not too late to celebrate Bentley’s 100th birthday and what better car with which to do so than this stunning short-chassis 3 Litre from 1922? Among the oldest surviving W.O. Bentleys in existence, chassis #103 retains its original engine and wears handsome and authentic Vanden Plas open touring coachwork. It was the recent recipient of a well-researched restoration, the result of which is outstanding and not overdone as can often be the case. How cool are the period-correct saddle-mount jerry can and Wilmot-Breeden calorimeter?
As history files go…
“As comprehensive as a chronicle” – that’s how the seller of this 1989 Lancia Delta Integrale describes its history file. And if you’re familiar with how tricky it can be to piece together the lives of many of these storied Lancia rally cars from the period, you’ll appreciate why such a point was made in the advert. An ex-Works car that was campaigned by Markku Alén and Didier Auriol in 1989, the Lancia was subsequently bought by the Swedish driver Per Eklund, who competed in a further six WRC rounds and held onto the car until 2013. It’s now back in its 1990 Lombard RAC Rally specification and oozing with character.
GT Competizione
In order to homologate the racing version of the 348 TB for use in the flourishing FIA GT Championship, Ferrari was required to build a run of 50 cars. Christened the GT Competizione, the car was an entirely different animal to the standard 348. While its V8 was a whisker more powerful, it was the substantial 210kg weight saving that really transformed the Competizione GT, achieved through the extensive use of Kevlar. This particular example is number 41 of the 50 built and one of just nine delivered with right-hand drive. It also appears to be immaculate, both inside and out. The 2020 Challenge & GT Days are calling for this Ferrari’s lucky new owner.
Raise no questions
Mercedes AMG’s stealthy supercars from the 1980s and ’90s have never been more attractive to collectors. Take this W124-generation estate, for example, which started life as a humble 320 TE before being converted to E36 AMG specification in Japan. It raises fewer questions than almost any family-friendly Mercedes estate but lurking beneath the bonnet there’s a brawny 6.0-litre V8 that will propel the car from 0–60mph in five seconds flat and onto a top speed of 178mph. Plus, how ‘of the era’ is that interior? In the 1990s, you could never have enough buttons.
Frivolous footnote?
One of the more obscure footnotes in Aston Martin’s history, the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet was conceived primarily to reduce the average emissions of the manufacturer’s range. Perhaps inevitably, not very many of the chic hatchbacks were sold. Aston hasn’t revealed the final numbers but it’s likely to be well below 1,000, which makes it very rare indeed. This Launch Edition Black example is even rarer still, benefitting from an all-black colour scheme inside and out. Like it or lump it, you’re far more likely to see a DB11 or a Vanquish on the road than another Cygnet. And for some devotees of the brand, that will count for a lot.
Photos: Bell Classics, Rare Birds GmbH, Hyman Ltd., RM Sotheby’s, L’Art De L’Automobile
