Innehållsförteckning för Volume 15 från RETROMOTIVE

What if, having reached the summit of Mount Everest – after all that effort and personal sacrifice – Sir Edmond Hillary simply turned to Tenzig Norgay and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. It is a bit of a stretch to equate the scaling of Mt Everest to the purchase of your dream supercar; however, this was Spencer Mclean’s quandary. After working diligently toward his goal for years, he found himself sitting in his dream-specification Aston Martin–dark blue with cream leather – feeling underwhelmed. Fortunately, the Salesman had a plan B! I suspect he had seen this before; so, without skipping a beat, he said: “Have you driven a Ferrari, sir?” It is funny how people see themselves in cars. Up until that point, Spencer had not seen himself as a Ferrari…

Bristol Cars was a company like no other – and the Fighter was a car unlike any other Bristol. From 1945 to its demise in 2020, the boutique British manufacturer boasted an evolutionary range of hand-built, four-seater luxury cars with eccentric appeal. Construction was to aircraft standards and global sales were conducted form a single showroom in Kensington, London, where almost every model employed an evolution of the chassis that underpinned the firm’s original 400 model. The one exception? The 525bhp Bristol Fighter. The Fighter was a Bristol for a new millennium. Initially developed by ex-Group C racing car designer Max Boxstrom, the two-seater combined a low drag yet lift avoiding shape with 8.0-litre Dodge Viper V10 power to provide 200mph performance. Anti-lock brakes and stability control were absent: ensconced…

The white-and-orange prototype shoots over the crest beyond the Dunlop bridge, headlights ablaze while its long skinny slab-sided body, glued to the ground, winds its way through the Esses toward Tertre Rouge and onto the Mulsanne Straight. Ex-Formula-1 Pilot Chris Craft is at the wheel of car six: after qualifying fifteenth, was flying high in seventh after just three laps of La Sarthe. Now, after almost 40 laps, the British Driver is rapidly fighting back after fuel issues had forced him to pit. Grabbing a gear with the throttle pinned, Craft charges onto Mulsanne: setting the steering dead-ahead for a determined 200-plus miles per hour in hot pursuit of the Porsches battling ahead. The cabin vibrates violently as the scenery blurs – but the rush is sharply interrupted when the…

As far as ideas go, it is not often that crashing an Alfa Romeo into a river turns out to create something truly great. Yet that is exactly what happened in 1956: Two brothers submerged their Mille Miglia steed, sparking a chain of events which led to Zagato building some of the most-successful beautiful Alfas ever – at Bertone’s expense. The legendary Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ1 – simply TZ at its 1962 Turin show debut as a prototype – is a masterclass in advanced design and engineering. Dubbed “The Baby GTO” because its Italian genetics produced an achingly-beautiful coupe which was dominant on-track. Only 112 were made between 1962 and 1965, before the TZ2 arrived, whereby the original TZ became known as the TZ1. The TZ1 Stradale you see here…

Ergonomics, value, durability, reliability — the defining markers of a Toyota. Its not-so-little brother Lexus is hallmarked for its quality, comfort, and luxury. The Toyota Motor Corporation has catered to every niche of the automotive industry for decades: developing everything from the stalwart alternative-fuel commuter to the roving overlander. We have even seen them dominate the sports-car segment with Supras, Celicas, and SC 400s, oh my! But there was one angle the seasoned Manufacturer had yet to explore: the supercar. Sunday morning, nine o’clock. The Hakone Skyline shines in the distance, backlit by the morning’s rays. Breathtaking as the scenery may be, it is not accompanied by the tranquil sounds of the surrounding flora and fauna. It seems as though nature has gone silent. Until there, in the distance, a…

The Honda City was developed as a practical and economical three door hatchback primarily for the Japanese local market. If you have spent time around Tokyo and seen how the locals can park these tiny cars literally in parking spots the same size of the car, you would appreciate the proportions – in most other locations, probably not. However, this tiny car punches well above its weight with a James Bond like option being its central party piece. The Honda City first generation was offered with a foldaway scooter option that fitted perfectly in its practical and mundane looking boot. Park near your work / gym / restaurant etc, lift the hatch and behold a scooter the size of a suitcase is ready for you. Press a button and it…

It’s hard to imagine the automotive industry without BMW; but there was a time when the BMW brand wasn’t what we know today. What is now the standard for attainable class, luxury and performance was once a flailing automotive manufacturer that struggled to find its way in a post war era. There wasn’t one particular car credited with changing BMW’s fortunes. A generation of cars referred to as the Neue Klasse (“New Class”) throughout the 1960s would solidify BMW’s reputation into the future. In the late 50s, BMW was on the precipice of collapse with the majority of the board ready to either sell off the poor performing company to Daimler-Benz or declare bankruptcy. In 1959 shareholders came close to voting in favour of the Daimler-Benz buyout before a few…