Category: Classic Cars

Informative features about classic cars.

Aston Martin DB4GT – tuning a rare and beautiful icon.

Aston Martin DB4GT Superleggera in South Africa with Iain Tyrrell

Earlier in 2020, I returned to the Franschhoek Motor Museum near Cape Town, South Africa and was once again invited by Wayne Harley, the museum’s curator, to tune one of its treasured exhibits.

On this occasion, it was a 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Superleggera, one of the most iconic and valuable British post-war sports cars. It was also the fastest road legal production car of its time. This particular example is one of only 49 RHD coupes built. Continue reading “Aston Martin DB4GT – tuning a rare and beautiful icon.” →

Discovering an icon – the Italian Job Miura and its creator.

The Italian Job Miura

In 1975, as a 12- year old boy who was crazy about cars, two separate events occurred that stamped the name of Lamborghini indelibly on my consciousness. One was hearing for the first time one of their glorious V-12 engines (in this case in an Espada which I would later own, but that’s another story) drive past the family home, and secondly having my first viewing of the movie “The Italian Job”. The opening scene, with the orange Lamborghini Miura driving through the Alps, signified how far from normal life for most people (myself included) this car was. Continue reading “Discovering an icon – the Italian Job Miura and its creator.” →

“A Symphony of moving parts”.

Conductor's view of the auditorium

“The exhaust note rising to a crescendo”. “Taking on a deeper, more purposeful note in the upper rev ranges”. This is the staple vocabulary of the motoring journalist driving the latest supercar in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s and beyond, spellbound by the recent assault on his senses for the benefit of his readers. The amount of references made by writers to drives propelled by great engines (whether notably loud or quiet) is endless, as are the appreciations of those lucky enough to experience them first-hand. The same could be said of the comparisons for the music lovers amongst us between a fine engine and an orchestra. So how deep does this parallel go? Very, if the number of musicians who have chosen (funds permitting) to indulge their passion in classic cars is to be believed. Continue reading ““A Symphony of moving parts”.” →

Lamborghini – crossing the Rubicon

The Miura

Ferruccio Lamborghini, and what he started, have sometimes come in for criticism over the years, either through simple jealousy (how dare he threaten the establishment), or because his cars were seen as too self-indulgent. The cars his purpose- built factory at Sant’ Agata gave the world were not perfect, far from it, but I do believe what he and his brilliant young team (Paulo Stanzani, Gian Paolo Dallara and Bob Wallace) achieved can easily be underestimated. Continue reading “Lamborghini – crossing the Rubicon” →

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