Beige is Beautiful
While my affiliation undoubtably belongs to a more emerald shade of paintwork, recently I’ve found myself loving the resurgence of off-white painted cars. With seemingly almost every modern car being sold in varying shades of grey, old-school pastels deserve their time to shine, and this BMW 2800 CS is a perfect example of the early 1970s in bloom.
Designed by Karmann, better known for their work with Volkswagen, the 2800 CS is as handsome as it is practical and refined. Lovingly preserved by the same family for over 50 years, this Sahara-shaded example displays a fantastic investment opportunity, granting access to an enthusiastic collectors’ community all over the world.
Long Tail Sally
With only 500 examples produced worldwide, McLaren’s 675LT is perhaps the only supercar from the Woking-based factory you’ll ever need. Outrageously fast, as dynamic as a caffeinated wasp, and looks that evoke true ‘Hot Wheels’ car emotions.
Everywhere you look on this grey example you’ll bump into carbon fibre. An already extremely lightweight car, this example boasts the optional carbon fibre interior and exterior pack, with bright finish silver wheels working perfectly against the striking papaya brake calipers and seat belts. As modern-era supercars seem hell-bent on breaking the sound barrier, this somewhat subtle LT would be the one in our garage!
All aboard the Autotutto
Alfa Romeo might be better known for their drop-dead gorgeous Spiders and apex-sticking race machines, but while the brand was pumping out their coolest creations, Alfa had commercial dominance on their agenda, too. The first, known as the T10, was launched at the 1954 Turin Motor Show in panel-van and minibus variants. After its successful launch, models such as this, the F11 Autotutto Minibus followed, and featured a remarkable quirk sat almost next to the driver’s seat.
Rather than using an engine that was perhaps torquier for carrying weight, the F11 featured Alfa Romeo’s classic 1.3-litre twin-cam, the very same engine found in the Giulietta. While many will jump to the legendary T1 Volkswagen Camper as their go-to classic adventurer, we think this minibus has that magic charm that makes you want to just drive!
The American Dream
While the mid-1990s supercar wall poster scene would be dominated by Ferraris and Lamborghinis, the unsung hero of this era, especially in Europe, must be the Dodge Viper. Donning outrageous styling, a thumping V10 soundtrack and bizarrely, more home comforts than a same-era Ford Mondeo, the Viper was America’s muscular supercar slayer, and as time has gone by, we can’t help but fall in love with the way it looks.
This example, finished in the perfect poster car shades, was originally ordered for designer John Herlitz, who had penned some of America’s finest muscle cars, such as the Plymouth Barracuda and GTX. Covering just 4,200 miles from new, this fantastic example has to be one of the lowest mileage surviving examples on the market!
Outrageous Audi
Think of earth-shaking, turbo-whistling, high-revving, motorsport-derived Audis and its more than likely you’ll turn to the mighty Quattro to get your fix. We, however, have found perhaps the most menacing of all Audis, and one that holds a true piece of history for this multi-discipline winning brand. This unique Audi 200 Quattro from 1987 was in fact the prototype and test vehicle for the 1988 TransAm season. Putting this very car through its paces was none other than royalty of motorsport, Hans Stuck and Walter Röhrl, who would go onto race in the series using the Audi they had helped to develop.
Heralded as Audi's first factory race car for circuit competitions since the 1930s, this example is one of just five that were produced, and holds key significance in the Audi’s motorsport lifespan, who decided to leave Group B rallying in 1986, putting their efforts into the SCCA TransAm championship in the USA just a year later. Running a over 500 horsepower and staggering 2.8 bar of turbo boost, Audi’s now iconic five-cylinder engine was a true monster, despite only being just over 2,000cc, far less than what America were bringing to the championship. The result was a highly capable, highly competitive race rocket, and one that cemented Audi’s name in motorsport as being true innovators in their field!
