Come auction day on July 12, two of the bluest of blue-chip cars will cross the block, in the form of the ex-Fangio W196 Mercedes and ex-Briggs Cunningham Maserati 300S.

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Whether you visit us from your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, the new Classic Driver’s flexible design should fit every screen – perfectly.

Icons say more than words

Believe it or not, this is what happened to a couple from Long Island, NY, in 1989. After Bond’s (in this case Roger Moore) Submarine car had been used for underwater filming in the Bahamas, it was shipped to Long Island and a 10-year storage rental paid upfront. When that expired, and no one stepped forward to renew it, the contents of the unit were put up for ‘blind’ auction.

In the coming months, you will find not just top-quality classic automobiles, motorcycles and boats in the Classic Driver Market, but also watches, real estate, art, design, aircraft, fashion, luggage, wine… and a host of other collectibles from international vendors. While major auction houses will continue to play a key role, dealers and even private individuals are invited to enrich the new Classic Driver Market with fine products of all kinds.

The old car market is steeped in jargon, and I don't mean of the technical kind. I mean the sort of pompous mumbo jumbo that is so often used to make a car sound a bit more upmarket, or to make a generally undesirable model seem rare.

Alfa Romeo SZ: Il Mostro

And while the fastest part of the 3-speed automatic transmission might be the sound of its name (‘Turbo-Hydramatic’), today, the big GTs offer the traditional, Captain of Industry Ferrari experience for the price of a regional manager’s executive saloon.

The car started life as the 1972 365 GT/4 2+2, a manual, 4,390cc replacement for the smaller 365 GTC/4. The classic Pininfarina styling echoed that of the Fiat 130 Coupé, yet the Maranello version was more aggressive and sinuous – as is entirely appropriate.

Although television screens in the 80s were frequently filled with more exotic cars (and hair-dos, come to think of it), the 911 proved extremely popular with the young up-and-comers. If you had a 911, you’d made it. The 3.2 Carrera’s new 231bhp engine meant that, at the time, it was claimed to be the fastest convertible in the world.

It wasn’t just the ability to design a pretty car which ensured the survival of Pininfarina when the automotive world underwent one of its most pivotal transitions, with the ‘golden era’ of coachbuilding in the 50s and 60s making way for the adoption of the monocoque chassis in subsequent decades. As well as embracing car production in its own right, the Cambiano-based consultancy also instigated pioneering research into new materials and construction processes.

First things first: technically, the Sergio is not a car as such – yet. Despite sitting on what’s essentially a mock-up of a Ferrari 458 chassis, the Sergio is currently a striking piece of rolling artwork, constructed largely from resin over a computer-milled buck. You might have glimpsed the Ferrari V8 engine through the rear deck, but that’s merely a cover: the Sergio does not actually run. The steering works, however, as it's needed for moving the concept around during events.