RETROMOBILE: McLAREN SENNA GTR & F1.

Posted on February 5, 2020February 5, 2020 by MartynL

McLaren ultra-performance road and track cars showcase the 25th anniversary of its 1995 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Four stunning McLaren F1 cars and a rare McLaren M6GT at Retromobile in Paris will join the new McLaren Senna GTR on February 5-9 on the Richard Mille stand. Famed watchmaker and McLaren Automotive partner, Richard Mille, will present the past and future McLaren road & race classics at the show: RETROMOBILE: McLAREN SENNA GTR & F1. The Senna GTR is the latest and m...

FORD GT40: SPIRIT OF LE MANS

Posted on January 9, 2020January 9, 2020 by MartynL

For a tiny fraction of the cost of a Superformance GT40, Le Mans Coupes makes it possible to bring a race-stained, Gulf-liveried GT40 into your garage or home! As will be fresh in the mind of anybody who’s enjoyed the recent Ford v Ferrari film, Ford GT40s were built to race, and never look more alive than when stained in the grime of battle. Therefore, what better adornment for an enthusiast’s lounge or garage can there be than a FORD GT40: SPIRIT OF LE MANS nose panel apparently streaked with ...

SOLE SURVIVOR: JAGUAR XJ13

Posted on December 22, 2019December 22, 2019 by MartynL

Obsolete since created, Jaguar’s XJ13 Supercar is now the most valuable Jaguar in the world. And, it’s not for sale! After a massive domination in the 1950s with 5 victories, Jaguar decided to return to Le Mans and compete against Ferrari and the rising Fords with a new car called XJ13. Malcolm Sayer, the aerodynamicist responsible for airflow work on the successful C-Type, D-Type racecars and the road E-Type, designed its body. Sayer used his Bristol Aeroplane Company background to build the SO...

NASH-HEALEY: FIRST AMERICAN SPORTS CAR

Posted on November 25, 2019November 25, 2019 by MartynL

The early 1950s Nash-Healey was the first post-war production two-seat sporty car from a major American automaker. Before there was a Corvette, there was the two-place Nash-Healey produced and marketed for the American market between 1951 and 1954 by Nash-Kelvinator Corporation It utilized the then-new Nash Ambassador powertrain and a European chassis and body, and served as a halo vehicle to promote sales of traditional Nash models. The NASH-HEALEY: FIRST AMERICAN SPORTS CAR was the byproduct o...

BOOK REVIEW: FORD VERSUS FERRARI

Posted on November 18, 2019November 18, 2019 by MartynL

The latest book to deal with the battle for supremacy between David and Goliath at Le Mans breaks cover as FORD v FERRARI opens in theaters both here and in Europe. They say timing is everything. And, quite often it is. With Ford challenging and unseating the undisputed King (Ferrari) of endurance sports car racing trending, and the blockbuster film opening, the timing for John Starkey’s latest book – BOOK REVIEW: FORD VERSUS FERRARI, The battle for supremacy at Le Mans 1966 – couldn’t have been...

PORSCHE: EXCELLENCE WAS EXPECTED!

Posted on September 12, 2019September 12, 2019 by MartynL

Author-historian-engineer Karl Ludvigsen’s seminal tome on the history of Porsche and its road and track cars is now available in a unique four-volume mobile library. First seen in 1977 as a shoebox-shaped 888 pages, it was judged “amazing”. Relaunched in three volumes in 2003, it was found “astounding”. Now in four volumes released by Bentley Publications with 132 chapters and 2,834 pages, the new Porsche: Excellence Was Expected awaits the verdict of its global audience. The result of a dozen...

MULLINER: BESPOKE BLOWER BENTLEY!

Posted on September 8, 2019September 8, 2019 by MartynL

Sir Tim Birkin’s legendary 4½-litre pre-war racecar has been given a new lease on life thanks to new Mulliner Continuation Series. 12 new Tributes to be built - each identical to the original – one for every race the original Team Blowers entered. One of the most thrilling and iconic cars from Bentley’s history – Sir Tim Birkin’s ‘29 supercharged 4½-litre “Blower” – is to be reborn in a new series of 12 matching cars. Each will be individually handcrafted by a specialist team from Bentley’s besp...

ECURIE ECOSSE LM69: JAG XJ13 REDUX!

Posted on July 22, 2019 by MartynL

Handcrafted modern racing thoroughbred is also road legal, but only 25 will be built. What if…? It’s a question that has dominated the history of the XJ13, a prototype built by Jaguar in 1966 in a quest to continue the marque’s legendary run of success in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Powered by a new quad-cam, 5-litre V12, the XJ13 was Jaguar’s first mid-engined car – and without doubt one of the most beautiful automotive designs of all time. Sadly, it remained unraced. A combination of internal po...

BOOK REVIEW: THE CORVETTE HUNTER!

Posted on August 12, 2018August 12, 2018 by MartynL

When it comes to finding rare, truly significant Corvettes, especially high-profile vintage racecars and bringing them back to life, Kevin Mackay is your go-to guy. He thinks nothing of spending years locating, documenting and then buying the rarest of the rare. He is the Corvette Hunter. “If you could look inside the head of Corvette Repair owner Kevin Mackay, you’d see one of the most organized, methodical automotive barn-finding minds in the world,” said Tom Cotter, author of Corvette In The...

DAYTONA COBRA COUPE: SUDDENLY IT’S 1965!

Posted on June 26, 2018 by MartynL

The first of six laser-perfect recreations of designer Peter Brock’s Le Mans winning Daytona Cobra Coupe – CSX2299 – broke cover on June 15 at the Nurburgring in Germany. It carries VIN # PBX 2299-01. Suddenly it’s 1965. Time limitations permitted construction of just six of the famed Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupes, built to challenge Ferrari, Jaguar, Aston-Martin and Ford’s GT40s for the World’s FIA GT Championship in 1964 and 1965. Collectively, the six uniquely designed racers, driven by some o...