26 classic golden-era GTs

Classic road trips are calling

As the days become longer and European road trips look ever-more appealing, we’ve brought together 25 of the finest grand tourers from the greatest age.

Between 1960 and 1980 there were a plethora of two-seat, front-engined supercoupés that made a Continental blast as exotic as their styling. They were the playthings of the very rich, at a time when foreign travel was very much the exception.

Nowadays cheap flights make such long journeys redundant, but sitting in an airport is a lot less fun than soaring through the Alps, roaring along the French autoroute or cruising the Mediterranean coast.

We’ve pulled together 25 greats of the genre that are for sale in Europe at the time of writing. Which one will you choose for your dream European getaway?

All images are representative; prices have been converted into British Pounds where appropriate

1. Jaguar XJC12


While the E-type was the definitive GT Jaguar for many years, more recently the understated and classy appeal of the XJC has come to the fore.

Blending the beautifully rendered styling of the contemporary XJ with two doors provides a car that’s sporting but elegant, and far less obvious than an E-type. It was also available with Jaguar’s silky smooth V12 engine, and if you can live with the fuel bills, should make any autoroute a cinch.

We found a restored 1976 example in Squadron Blue on 32,000 miles in the Cotswolds, UK, but its price was on application.

2. Ferrari 400

The Ferrari 400 took over where the 365GT4 2+2 left off, the Colombo V12 enlarged to 4.8 litres, liberating 335bhp.

Leonardo Fioravanti’s styling hasn’t always been appreciated, but in recent years the car’s sharp-edged lines have really gained favour, with values growing.

This was the first Ferrari available with a three-speed automatic gearbox sourced from General Motors, and of the 502 built, just 147 had three pedals and five ratios to play with.

Eschewing extrovert styling in favour of something rather more elegant, we can just imagine easing up to a seafront hotel in Biarritz in this.

We found a silver 1977 example in France on 62,000km. A rare manual-equipped car, it was up for grabs for £76,000.

3. Jensen Interceptor

The Jensen Interceptor proved that international co-operation could work; the British would provide the luxury appointments inside, the Americans the firepower and the Italians the styling.

Underneath that long, Carrozzeria Touring-penned body lies a Chrysler V8, of which there were several options over the car’s original eight-year life. The interior is pure luxury GT elegance.

Our favourite bit – well, apart from the stump-pulling performance – has to be the rear glass clamshell. Mildly impractical for hiding your wine purchases from passers-by, but what a glorious way to view Europe disappearing behind you.

We found a 1969 example in black over red on 51,200 miles in Yorkshire, UK; you’ll need £135,000 to make it yours.

4. Aston Martin DBS 

The angular DBS was a sharp change of styling direction away from the curves of the DB4, DB5 and DB6, but it laid the template for Aston Martins to come.

It was a handsome but brutish car, one that spoke of might and power rather than light delight. It was due to have a new V8 engine, but that wouldn’t appear until two years into production.

The six-cylinder DBS used the same straight-six from the DB6, but with 280bhp in normal tune and 325bhp for the Vantage models. 

We found a 1969 example in Dubonnet Rosso in Surrey, UK. A right-hand drive car with a five-speed manual, it’s up for grabs for £184,995.

5. Mercedes-Benz 450SLC

The 107-series is one of the most desirable variants of the Mercedes-Benz SL model line – especially the coupé or SLC variant.

Six-cylinder and V8 engines were offered, and while the car had some competition success it didn’t live quite as long as its drop-top brethren. Despite up to 237bhp in its most potent form, this is definitely more towards the comfort end of the GT spectrum, and a steady cruise to the very top of the Northern Hemisphere would be well within its remit.

We found a 1979 example in Hampshire, UK. Finished in Astral Silver, it’s covered 72,000 miles and is for sale with a £40,000 price-tag.

6. Citroën SM

One of the most desirable shapes ever crafted? Robert Opron’s vision of the future offers a tantalising glimpse of a world we didn’t quite get.

While it would be easy to focus on the luscious styling, what’s perhaps more staggering were its dynamic qualities, offering a level of ride comfort and handling acuity that belied its front-wheel-drive layout.

The super-sharp steering wasn’t loved by all, but its variable assist power steering would go on to influence all cars. To be honest, this car would be the perfect stylish transport whether you’re in Peterborough or Positano, though we’d suggest the latter.

We found a metallic gold example in Hampshire, UK, dating from 1973. It’s covered less than 6000 miles and has had a 3000-hour restoration, and could be yours for £49,995.

7. Fiat 130 Coupé

Fiat was very busy at the beginning of the 1970s, with a slew of new models. None of them were quite as desirable as this, though, which elevated Fiat to levels hitherto known as Lancia and Maserati’s domain.

Styled by Paolo Martin for Pininfarina, its award-winning design clothed an Aurelio Lampredi-designed twin-cam V6, but where it really excelled was in its handling. Its cornering abilities made it popular with contemporary journalists, and even a certain Mr E Ferrari was impressed – he owned one. 

We found a burgundy example with a rare manual gearbox for sale in London. A 1972 example, it had covered 88,000km and price was on application.

8. BMW E9 coupé

Wilhelm Hofmeister’s E9 exhibits the design clues that would dominate BMW’s styling language for the next 30 years, and what an elegant design it is, too.

Though visually similar to the earlier CS coupé, the chassis was revised for the 3.0-litre models, in addition to the braking system.

Though the wild wings of the homologation-special CSL version grab the attention, the CS/CSi are scintillating driving experiences in their own right, with between 180bhp (carbs) and 200bhp (fuel injected) on tap and either a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. The result was a quick car for its day, with 60mph coming up in around 8 secs.

We found a light-metallic blue example on 27,000 miles in Oxfordshire, UK, for £69,995.

9. Maserati Ghibli

In a career of high moments, this has to be among Giorgetto Giugiaro’s finest. Designed to carry the baton on from the Sebring, power came from a V8 in either 4.7 or 4.9 litres, and was good enough for 170mph at the top end.

Innes Ireland once wrote about the interior ambience at around 150mph on an autoroute, which means the Ghibli is one of the definitive GTs of the late ’60s and ’70s, alongside its great Maranello rival, the 365GTB/4 Daytona. The Ghibli is about half the price, however…

We found a blue example in Buckinghamshire, UK, dating from 1970, which is for sale for just shy of £200,000.

10. Porsche 928

The Porsche 928 was a truly revolutionary design for its maker when it first appeared in 1977 – for starters, there was a water-cooled engine mounted in the nose.

It also had a transaxle layout to aid 50/50 weight distribution, and a choice of automatic and dogleg manual gearbox.

However, the cars looks, courtesy of Wolfgang Möbius and Anatole Lapine, really catch the eye. It’s so far the only sports car to ever win the European Car of the Year title, and it still looks fresh even today. Then there are the famous Pasha-pattern seats, that are so wonderfully ’70s…

We found a 1980 S1 4.5-litre model in Guards Red in Lancashire, UK. Fitted with Pasha seats and on 107,000 miles, it’s yours for £34,950.

11. Gordon-Keeble GK1

The Gordon-Keeble GK1 was a car beset with issues from the start, with parts-supply and cashflow problems, and just 100 were ever built.

That’s a big shame, because the car had lots going for it – a Chevrolet Corvette-sourced 327 V8 with 300bhp being a big plus, and a Giorgetto Giugiaro-penned body made from glassfibre.

Of the 100 built it’s believed 90 still exist, and we can well imagine gently cruising through the hills of Sintra before descending into Cascais in one…

We found a 1964 example in pale blue in London. It had covered 55,000 miles and was up for grabs for £117,500.

12. Iso Grifo

As far as melting pots go, the engineering nous of Ferrari 250GTO designer Giotto Bizzarrini, the styling flair of Bertone’s Giorgetto Giugiaro and the motive thrust of a 5.4-litre Chevrolet smallblock V8 is a delicious one.

Though the project would split, with Bizzarrini pursuing a racing direction, the cars are some of the most desirable GT machines of the era. It’s a car that looks like it’s up to no good, with the bite to match the bark as one storms up behind dawdlers through the tunnels around Lake Maggiore.

In 1968 a 7.0-litre was launched, with a 435bhp rating and a 186mph top speed. Later Grifos would receive Ford power.

We found a 1967 example for sale in Sweden. Finished in burgundy, it had covered 101,360km and was for sale for £350,000.

13. Mercedes-Benz 123-series coupé

The Mercedes-Benz 123-series was a genuine gamechanger for its maker, bringing the three-pointed star to more people’s driveways than any model before. It was famed for its solidity and safety.

Though the saloon and estate versions offered a mixture of glam and everyday useability, the coupé elevated that special nature to another level. With a choice of four- or six-cylinder petrol engines in the UK, the C123 was never sporty, but it’s a great leveller – rock up at any event, whether a pub car boot or a society wedding and the car will get a nod of approval. 

We found a 230C from 1978 in Portugal on 179,000km. Finished in Astral Silver, it was available for £10,500.

14. Facel Vega HK500

If you really want to evoke the highest echelons of ’60s society, you really need a Facel Vega. The likes of Christian Dior, Ringo Starr, Dean Martin, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Tony Curtis all owned one.

It blended fine French craftsmanship with a Chrysler V8 offering between 335bhp and 360bhp in 5.8-litre or 6.3-litre form, respectively.

Wherever you look on the car, there’s a jewel-like quality to the fixtures and fittings, truly elevating motoring to something beyond mere travel. We can just imagine pulling up outside Monaco’s casino in one of these.

We found a silver example dating from 1961 in Belgium. Having covered 47km since restoration, the asking price was £161,985.

15. Maserati Sebring

Maserati took the base elements of the 3500 and aimed at the American GT market with this elegant Giovanni Michelotti-penned 2+2.

Powered by a 3.7- or 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine, it had either 232bhp or 252bhp and could sprint to 60mph in around 8.5 secs. Later cars had 261bhp on tap.

Though it’s known for being the first Italian car available with an automatic gearbox, we’d stick with three pedals and head for the Alps. How about you?

We found a Series II example dating from 1966 in Hertfordshire, UK. Finished in Argento Auteuil (silver), it’s listed at £195,000.

16. Aston Martin DB6

The Aston Martin DB5 might be the one that every wannabe spy aspires to, but the DB6 brought with it many improvements that would make long-distance touring just that little bit better.

The racing-inspired Kamm tail aids aerodynamics so those high-speed blasts across the autoroute might just be a little bit less fuel heavy (we wouldn’t stake a claim on that, mind). More importantly, its longer wheelbase made it not only more stable at high speed but also allowed for more storage space at only a small 7.7kg cost to overall weight. Just the thing for bringing back some wine from Bordeaux…

We found a Dubonnet Rosso example dating from 1966 on 81,000 miles on the clock in Surrey, UK, for £284,995.

17. Alfa Romeo Montreal

This Marcello Gandini-penned masterpiece is a bit of an anomaly in the Alfa Romeo world. If you discount the 8C Competizione’s Maserati-sourced engine, this is the only production roadgoing V8 engine from the marque post-war.

And what a V8 it is, a 2.6-litre version of the engine found in the 33 Stradale and Tipo 33 sports prototype racing car, blended with the Giulia GTV’s chassis and running gear. It’s not quite as sporty as that recipe might suggest, but its 197bhp engine makes the most heartwarming sound.

We found a 1973 example in Switzerland in a particularly eye-catching shade of orange. It’s done 13,000km and is for sale for £75,000.

18. Jaguar XJ-S

The follow up to the Jaguar E-type was always going to struggle to be appreciated as much as the darling of the British motoring industry, but the XJ-S (or XJS from 1991) has now matured into being a super-desirable classic in its own right, with a following all of its own.

With six- and 12-cylinder engines to choose from, there’s a model for all tastes; what better way than to cruise to Amsterdam in the wood and leather cockpit of a Jaguar XJ-S?

We found a rare manual V12 car that was originally sold to Norway but is now in Northamptonshire. Dating from 1978, it’s covered 86,000 miles and finished in black; it’s yours for £28,000.

19. Lamborghini Jarama

Named after the fighting bulls of the Jarama river area in Spain, this suitably brutish Marcello Gandini-styled GT certainly has punch.

The V12 engine is shared with the Espada and Islero, and initially produced 350bhp, but revisions to the exhaust system, cylinder heads and carburettors saw power grow to 365bhp. You could choose from a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic, while power steering came as standard.

Ferruccio Lamborghini proclaimed the car to be his favourite out of all the cars produced. Yes, even higher the Miura and the Espada. Sounds like a good excuse to drive to Modena to see his personal car in the Lamborghini museum…

We found a metallic blue example in The Netherlands on 38,700 miles dating from 1973, for £161,000.

20. De Tomaso Longchamp

Named after the city of Longchamps, Buenos Aires, near to Alejandro de Tomaso’s birthplace, this 2+2 blended Tom Tjaarda looks with a 351cu in Ford Cleveland V8.

Derived from the four-door Deauville, it shares its platform with the Maserati Kyalami and Quattroporte III (De Tomaso owned Maserati at the time). The design, penned by Tjaarda while he was at Ghia, was a development of his work on the Lancia Marica prototype.

The result was a car that could blast to 149mph; gearchanges came from either a three-speed Ford automatic or a five-speed ZF manual.

We found a 1975 example in red in Switzerland on 35,000 miles for £74,000.

21. BMW 6 Series E24

The E24 6 Series carried on where BMW’s E9 left off, upping the luxury GT stakes.

Paul Bracq further developed the styling language of the E9, bringing a more futuristic edge to this sharp 2+2. Early cars were based on the E12 5 Series platform, with a range of six-cylinder M30 engines that offered between around 180 and 215bhp.

Early cars were built by Karmann before production moved in-house to BMW’s Dingolfing plant; early cars are rare due to poor rust prevention. 

We found a first-series 635CSi dating from 1979 in Germany. Finished in silver, with a five-speed dogleg manual gearbox, it had covered 64,000km; it was for sale for £35,000.

22. Iso Lele

The Iso Lele was another Marcello Gandini creation, and though you can see hints of Jarama and Montreal in this car, it forges a stylistic path of its own.

The car was named after the son of the company’s founder’s wife, Rachelle, nicknamed Lele. Intended only as a Christmas present for her, it eventually entered production as an IR300 replacement.

The chassis used the same Giotto Bizzarrini design that underpinned the IR300. There was a choice of two engines, a 5.4-litre Chevrolet 327 V8 or a 5.7-litre Ford 351 V8. A later Sport model offered more power (360bhp), based on special editions built for the Iso-Marlboro Formula One team drivers. 

We found a 1974 blue example in The Netherlands on 45,000 miles with a Ford V8 and an automatic gearbox. It’s yours for £61,000.

23. Lamborghini Espada

Inspired by the Bertone Pirana and Lamborghini Marzal concept cars, the Espada was designed by Marcello Gandini while at Bertone.

Power came from a 3.9-litre V12 derived from that used in the 400GT that the Espada replaced. More than 1200 cars were made over a 10-year period, which saw power output grow from 325 to 350bhp, and you could choose from a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic.

The name comes from the Spanish word for sword, and we can quite imagine cutting through the south of France with that Lamborghini V12 in full song. 

We found a green one in The Netherlands on 28,000 miles with a manual gearbox dating from 1973 for £150,000.

24. Maserati Indy

The first car produced by Maserati under Citroën ownership, the Indy was intended to replace the Sebring and the first-gen Quattroporte.

Its suspension layout was shared with Ghibli, and though the Indy’s three engine choices were all from Maserati’s all-aluminium quad-cam Tipo 107 V8 family, they had a wet sump while the Ghibli’s were dry.

Engine sizes were 4.2, 4.7 and 4.9, and you could choose from a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic.

Though visually similar to Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Ghibli, the penmanship was down to Vignale’s Virginio Vairo, and can be seen to good effect in the recent House of Gucci film. 

We found a metallic grey example dating from 1972 in Portugal on 36,000 miles for £81,000.

25. Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona

A Prancing Horse on the nose, nestling above 12 cylinders of mechanical artistry and Pininfarina’s aesthetic glory.

The 365GTB/4 embellished a template for big two-seater Ferrari GTs that persists to this day. Though often criticised for its somewhat heavy steering, a power-steering modification is said to transform the car into a usable GT.

Which brings us to the car we found for sale in London. Finished in Rosso Chiaro with a black interior, it’s done 82,600 miles and has the all-important power-steering upgrade. It could be yours for £495,000. No, they’re not cheap.

26. Jaguar E-type S3

The original Jaguar E-type was more towards the sporting side of a GT, but with the V12, later versions of the car better embraced that luxury gran turismo role.

Staring out over that long bonnet, all 5.3 litres thrumming away, it’s hard not to be swept away by the whole experience.

It might not be viewed with the same affection as the six-cylinder cars, but the V12 E-type’s stock has risen as it’s become appreciated as the accomplished cruiser it always was.

We found a red 2+2 dating from 1971 in Hampshire for £34,750.