The brand-new issue of C&SC goes on sale in the UK today (2 July), and it’s bursting at the seams with features, news and road tests. This month’s cover star is the indomitable AC Cobra 289, a stunning British market example finished in Princess Blue. It’s joined by a barn-find Derby Bentley that’s spent the past 60 years in storage, a trio of family-friendly convertibles, plus a brace of this year’s summer bargain – the Mazda MX-5. Two competition Lotuses return to Hethel and there’s a charming Fiat Jolly.
The AC Cobra is undeniably the star of August’s issue, and it isn’t difficult to see why. Unlike later cars, the delicate lines and slab sides of the AC Ace are retained in this 289 – an example that has been displayed everywhere from Salon Privé to the Goodwood Revival. But it’s a car that relies more on its engine, rather than its looks to impress. James Page takes the 271bhp roadster for a thundering drive around Hertfordshire and soon discovers that, even though it’s more lead pipe than sabre, the marriage of British coachwork to an American power plant creates a certain magic that is all its own.
A fascinating Derby Bentley that has spent the best part of 60 years languishing in the workshop of a North London Renault dealership is exhumed and photographed in the C&SC studio, while Martin Buckley delves into a past containing Nazi sympathisers, Ian Fleming and the Munich Olympics.
With the hottest fortnight of the year stretching ahead of us, there’s no better time to get reacquainted with three fantastic family-friendly soft-tops: the Volkswagen Beetle 1300, Renault Caravelle, and Triumph Herald 13/60. Each offers wind-in-your-hair motoring for the whole family, but with differing approaches – and degrees of success. Find out whether it’s the lithe Caravelle, solid Beetle or rorty Herald that gets our vote of confidence.
A pair of 1950s Lotus racers picks up the pace, as Julian Balme heads for the firm’s Hethel headquarters to put the duo through their paces. As well as getting first hand experience of how the MkVIII and MkIX perform on track, we interview the very men who were involved in the construction of the cars more than 60 years ago, including Dave Kelsey.
Now summer is in full swing, many of us will be considering picking up a soft-top to enjoy for the next few months – and what better than the bargain MX-5? We drive two 1.6- and 1.8-litre NA-series examples to find out what makes Mazda’s benchmark roadster as popular now as when it first broke cover in the late 1980s. With decent MX-5s starting at around £1500, the once derided ragtop is almost too tempting to ignore.
Many of us will have fallen-out over a car, but it takes a much rarer talent to – quite literally – fall out of a car, a gift Richard Heseltine discovered while driving the darling of 1960s beach runabouts, the Fiat Jolly. The diminutive Italian classic seems to attract attention wherever it goes, thanks to its charming coachwork and intriguing wicker seats, but there’s much more to the car than adorable looks.
