Fiat 124 and Alfa Romeo 105 Series go head-to-head for Italian sports car bragging rights in brand-new June issue, which is now on sale in the UK (5 May). The soft-tops are joined by a brace of four-cylinder Bentleys, the Sultan of Brunei’s ultra-rare Porsche 964 ‘flatnose’ and a trio of Ford Taunuses, plus we get to grips with Ferrari’s glorious Group 5 512M and drive into the California desert in a Baja 1000 legend. We also take a look at flagship 1960s six-cylinder saloons from Lancia and Mercedes-Benz.
Our cover stars are two ragtop roadsters born out of the swinging Sixties, Fiat’s 124 Spider and its Alfa Romeo 105 Series rival. In a world of 365 Californias and Lamborghini Miuras, both these terrific little sports cars offer incredible value for money allied to traffic stopping good looks – but which is the one to have? Malcolm Thorne charts their story from the beginning, chats with owners and gets behind the wheel to decide whether its the Fiat’s subtle good looks or the Alfa’s beguiling exhaust note that pulls on his heart strings.
Much more exclusive is a Porsche 964 whose first owner was the none other than the Sultan of Brunei. But not just any 964, a hand-built ‘flatnose’ built in the firm’s skunkworks. Cruising around London’s financial district, the unassuming Porsche blends in seamlessly – but this special car is far from ordinary. You may almost have needed a title to buy one of these incredible machines but as Richard Heseltine discovers, you don’t need one to enjoy driving it.
Next we turn the clock back to 1967, reliving the legendary 950-mile dash through the desert Baja 1000 in Bruce Meyers’ original Tow’d buggy prototype. Almost unchanged through the decades, it’s still adorned by the hand-painted names from the Stardust 7-11 race, plus the original water bottles still taped to the roll hoop. Mick Walsh experiences a blast through the wilds of California before sitting down with the buggy’s famous creator.
The four-cylinder engine on which Bentley built its reputation proved just as rugged. In 3 Litre and 4 1/2 Litre guise it brought the British firm as much success on the race track as it did in the showroom. James Page delves into the firm’s history to bring you the complete story behind WO Bentley’s remarkable designs and how they shaped its economic development.
If you prefer slightly more modern luxury transport, you don’t need to look much further than Lancia’s Flaminia or Mercedes-Benz’ 300SE. Both offer superb levels of comfort and refinement, but where the 300SE specialises in Autobahn-storming efficiency, the Lancia, though less developed, has an Italian flair that’s difficult to ignore. Martin Buckley gets behind the wheel of both examples to see which he’d rather have in his garage. Spoiler alert: he used to own one of the cars on test.
We take things up a notch with a white-knuckle drive around the Paul Ricard circuit in Ferrari’s 917 baiting 512M. The 12-cylinder racer never received the backing it deserved from Maranello, but that didn’t stop it from racking up a number of impressive results – many in the hands of privateers. Marc Sonnery tests the car’s limits while howling down the Mistral straight.
Perhaps not quite as exotic, but just as unlikely a spot on Britain’s roads are early examples of Ford’s German-built Taunus. Jon Pressnell visits renowned collector Frank Rousset, driving four stunning examples from his private collection, including the front-wheel-drive P4 that nearly made its way onto the American market.
