The brand-new issue of Classic & Sports Car hits the shelves in the UK today (4 August), and it’s packed to the rafters with incredible classics, from four-door family supercars to Prince Bira’s Maserati 8CM. The outrageous Mazda Cosmo gets the full studio treatment, while AC’s Greyhound is pitted against Aceca. Fifty years of the BMW ’02 is celebrated in style, a Jaguar E-type is rebuilt from the ground up and Ford’s Sierra Cosworth is the subject of an in-depth buyer’s guide.
This month’s headline act is a three-car test of the most practical, stylish and performance oriented four-door supercars currently on the market. The Ferrari 365GT4, Lamborghini Espada and Maserati Indy offer a grown-up alternative to more exotic mid-engined machinery and, with around £70,000 enough to get you on the ladder, each remains within the reach of the well-heeled or determined enthusiast. Martin Buckley gets behind the wheel of three Italian supercars which broke the mould.
Another game-changer arrived on the scene in 1967, this time from the land of the rising sun. The Mazda 110S Cosmo was like nothing else the firm had built before, combining cutting-edge styling with a revolutionary Wankel rotary power plant. James Page examines the car’s incredible design under the studio lights, discovering the minute details that are so easily missed.
It’s difficult to believe that the still youthful ’02 family of BMW saloons is now 50 years old. To mark the occasion, C&SC travelled to the model’s homeland to take part in a massive celebration. Simon Charlesworth dove straight in with a fantastic triple test incorporating 1600, 1802 and 2002 examples, while David Evans steered his own 2002 on an epic adventure through Bavaria with hundreds of fellow owners. If you’re a fan of roundel-badged classics, you won’t want to miss this incredible article.
Those in need of some inspiration need look no further than Steve Bunn, who has just completed an incredible ground-up restoration of his Jaguar E-type 4.2. The massive undertaking was his first project and has taken six years to finish. From stripped shell to stunning show car, Bunn recounts the highs and lows of his incredible journey to Paul Hardiman. Time to dust off your own project?
Whitney Straight’s Maserati 8CM is one of the most handsome single-seater racers of its generation, but it wasn’t always so. The American was initially unimpressed with the car, and set about a series of changes that resulted in a car both beautiful in appearance, and fearsome on the track. Mick Walsh dons his driving goggles and traces the tyre tracks of Straight, Bira and Seaman, as he discovers the scintillating performance of chassis 3011.
The beautifully proportioned AC Aceca justifiably attracts the attention of enthusiasts and collectors, but the firm’s forgotten child is also worthy of closer examination. James Page pits Greyhound against Aceca to see if the arguably more ungainly 2+2 has enough to recommend it ahead of period rivals from Aston, Jensen and Alvis.
