All pros, no cons
The BMW M1 Procar has to be one of the most fantastic looking race cars ever built, and this example is no exception. Built in 1979, this BMW M1 Procar is one of four built by Italian Formula One team, Osella Squadra Corsa, and was entered into the 1979 Procar Championship by Team BMW Italia with Elio de Angelis and Eddie Cheever behind the wheel, where it would go on to win the inaugural round. A few years later, chassis ‘4301040’ would find glory again in the 1981 IMSA GTO Class, where it dominated race after race, eventually being crowned champion. Recently benefitting from a fully rebuilt engine courtesy of Tim Samways Sporting & Historic Car Engineers in the UK, this M1 Procar has seen extensive testing to optimise the chassis at both Anglesey and Donington Park. Usually, one should enter classic race car ownership with a healthy dose of trepidation, but as far as we can tell there’s only upside with this gorgeous M1 Procar. So, if you want your next race car to look as good as it drives, give Henderson Fellowes a call.
Simply stunning
This petite beauty is a 1952 Siata Daina Gran Sport Type B Barchetta, and if you’re looking to participate in the Mille Miglia Storica this year, you could hardly do better. Based on enhanced Fiat 1400 underpinnings and dressed in a stunningly simplistic aluminium body handcrafted by Stabilimenti Farina, this ultra rare classic proves less is more. Looking at these images, it’s easy to understand why these no-frills sports cars were extremely popular among the gentleman racers of the 50s. Currently available with Girardo & Co., this matching-numbers example comes with a spare period-correct 1900cc corsa engine to ensure it has the performance to back up its beguiling exterior. If you want to stand out from the pack, this rare jewel of a sportscar is waiting for you.
Road racer
The Aston Martin Vantage GT8 was a curious car at the time of its launch. Almost twice the price of a standard Vantage, the GT8 may have had the look and soundtrack to match its “racecar for the road” ethos, but it lacked the outright performance to measure up to its contemporaries. Luckily for this 2017 Vantage GT8, it’s no longer a new car, and therefore it can be appreciated in isolation from the competition. So, for just over 250,000 dollars you could be the proud owner of a basically brand-new GTE car with number plates. Whoever specced this example knew what they were doing too - the combination of black on black with red accents works marvellously well here, while the manual gearbox is just the cherry on top of a very enticing package. The older (and better looking) Vantage is already creeping into modern classic territory, so why not sample one of its best variants?
Take me to the Bahamas!
A single glance at this Bahama Yellow 1969 Porsche 911 E will have you feeling like you’re on a beach in the West Indies sipping a piña colada. At least, that’s the effect it had on us. With 139 bhp to play with and perhaps the most cheerful paint job of all time, it would be incredibly difficult not to smile from behind the wheel of this charming sports car. There won’t be any mechanical worries weighing you down either, because this Porsche has just enjoyed a full ground-up restoration, and with under 10,000 miles on the odometer, this 911’s 2.0-litre flat six has barely been broken in. If seasonal depression has been getting you down, why not let this 911 turn every day into a day at the beach.
Eight for the price of three
After a brief hiatus, we’re back with another micro-instalment of “What could you get for hot hatch money?”. This 2002 Mercedes S55 AMG LWB makes a very strong case for itself, because at just under 17,000 pounds you could own one of the finest cars Mercedes had to offer at the turn of the millennium. Powered by a bulletproof 5.4-litre, 354 hp hand-built AMG V8, this super saloon can rocket up to 60mph in under 5 seconds, pretty impressive for a carrying more leather than a cattle farm. Sure, it’s not exactly a spring chicken with 75,143 miles on the clock, but considering how much you’ll save relative to even a three-cylinder Fiesta ST, there will be plenty of budget left for the odd bit of maintenance. Only 20 of these juiced-up luxo-barges are believed to be left in the UK, so it might be a long wait until you see another like it.
