Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger two-door saloon for V8 applications. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS..
Officially introduced at the Paris Salon in October 1975, the 308 GTB’s styling was created by Pininfarina. The stunning two-seat coachwork was all new but incorporated all of the old magic by blending aspects of the Dino 206/246 with the later 365 GT4/BB. Reminiscent of the Boxer was the dihedral groove at bumper level splitting top and bottom, th..
The MP4-12C is McLaren's first production car since the legendary McLaren F1. Designed by Frank Stephenson, who also styled the Ferrari F430, the MP4-12C was launched in 2011 and was built using a great deal of technology from McLaren's Formula One program. The 3.8 litre, bi-turbo, V8 is breathtaking, delivering 592bhp at 7,000rpm and 600Nm of torq..
If you wanted the fastest accelerating production car in the world in 1985, your first port of call was Newport Pagnell. This was mainly due to the tuned version of the existing 5,340cc engine, breathing through a quartet of 48mm Weber carburettors resulting in an estimated maximum output of around 375bhp. This V8 Volante is a fully functioning, ex..
The Land Rover Defender was launched in 1948 and, incredibly, production only finished in January 2016 after a continuous run of 67 years. Outwardly, there is little to distinguish the post-1983 vehicles from the Series III Land Rover. A full-length bonnet, revised grille, plus the fitting of wheel arch extensions to cover wider-track axles are the..
Zagato's new SZ (Sprint Zagato), or ES30 (Experimental Sportscar 3.0 litre) was nicknamed 'Il Mostro' (The Monster). From its first sketch to its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1989 only took 19 months. Designed by Walter de Silva, who was later to design Alfa Romeo's very successful 156, the SZ was based upon the Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 lit..
A term in both French and Italian for a coastal road, the name 'Corniche' was registered by Rolls-Royce in the 1930's yet was only designated to a production model in 1971, after which time the Mulliner Park Ward customisations to coupé and convertible Silver Shadow limousine took this name. The coachwork was designed by John Polwhele Blatchley and..
The company was founded by Drew Bowler in 1985 after modifying a Land Rover Series I to drive competitively. Achieving considerable success, he started taking orders from others for similar vehicles. The company began with eight people designing and building aftermarket parts and rally road vehicles in the Bowler family farm in Derbyshire. Bowler o..
The Ferrari 550 Maranello is a two-seat grand tourer manufactured from 1996 and is powered by a front engined V12. It shared its platform and 5,474cc engine with the 456 but was positioned as the company's high-end model. Featuring a luxurious and spacious interior and, unusually for a Ferrari, the boot could accommodate a set of golf clubs. The 55..
The Porsche 993 was introduced in 1993 as a replacement for the 964 generation of the iconic 911 models and was built until 1998. Regarded by many as the best generation of 911's ever produced from Stuttgart, this car was the last to use the air-cooled flat six engine that had powered 911's for the previous thirty years. It was offered in a number ..