Cars

Starting life with a five-cylinder turbodiesel engine, this 123-series coupe soon found itself on the receiving end of a five-litre M117 V8 conversion. The 123-series Mercedes-Benz arguably represents the pinnacle of Mercedes' over-engineering, and bridges the gap between classic and modern. That explains, at least in part, why so many enthusiasts covet good ones - especially the coupes. Here in North America, the vast majority of C123s came to us in diesel form - first as the naturally aspirated OM617 and subsequently the OM617 turbodiesel. We got a handful of M110 powered 280CEs, but those came in a lethargic, detuned US specification that made the diesels the more Appealing proposition. And that’s how this car started life, as an OM617 turbodiesel powered, US spec C123. Needless to say, it's come a long way since.

Work in progress - 1967 Austin A40 Farina. Family keeping. Father, mother and two daughters – the Hanley family are all pitching in to get this little Austin back on the road - words and photography by Eric Richardson. As the owner of any A40 Farina will tell you, once you get into a conversation about your car, there is about a 90 per cent chance you’ll hear one of two sentences. The first is usually: “I learned to drive in one of those”, a sentence delivered by those closer to their 60th birthday than they’d care to admit to. The second: “My dad had one of those”, is usually uttered by those enthusiasts who are somewhere in their forties.

Bugatti in detail. I have just read Mick Walsh’s article on the Bugatti EB110, and had not realised that the company had such a short life - only 1993-’95 in the UK!

I think it’s fair to say that I have a level of tolerance with the Scimitar – there are only a certain number of things that aren’t as I’d like them to be – before something else happens and tips the balance.

Not spinning in the rain. One of the good things about only racing Wooly Bully once or twice a year is that I haven’t been lured into trying to make the car, God forbid, competitive. If I was out there week in, week out, no doubt there would be plenty of self-imposed pressure to do this or that in an attempt to keep up with the rest of the pack.

Martin wonders if the tragic death of a Union Minister last month will finally cause people to buckle up? Some call it stupid. Others think it an idiosyncrasy. And yet others tell me "it's not needed." But every time I get in a vehicle (front or rear), I first reach for the seatbelt. It's almost instinctive. When I think about it (and my countrymen compel that to happen more often than I would like), it just seems like common sense. To me, it's the right thing to do - not morally, or by the law. Just something that may save my life one day.

If you find yourself living in the Manawatu, I strongly suggest you turn straight to the Federation of Motoring Club's page. If you have a couple of parts cars stashed away on your property, beware, as new Council by-laws will affect you, especially if you don’t get on with the neighbours!

Martini racing livery for Porsche 911 S series 991. Porsche unveiled the Martini Racing Edition of the 911 Carrera S to coincide with this year's 24-hours of Le-Mans race, marking the return of Porsche to endurance motorsport. The 911 Carrera S 991 pays tribute to the successes of the legendary Porsche Le Mans race cars such as the 917 and the 935 Moby Dick. 

The secret GT3 owner - want to know the very latest on the Porsche 991 GT3 engine replacements? Our anonymous owner reveals all.

Mansour Oijeh’s road-going Porsche 935 at auction. First ever Sonderwunsch Porsche sells at Bonhams’ Spa Classic sale. Bonhams, the UK-based auctioneer of fine automobiles, has sold a unique 930-based Porsche 935 at its recent Spa Classic sale. Among a host of similarly desirable classic exotica, the 930/935made the fourth highest price of the afternoon. However, with the hammer falling at a final price of €230.000 (£187.220) including buyer's premium the Sonderwunsch Porsche came in at significantly under the lower estimate of €300.000 (£244.000), which was surprising given its history.

Porsche 911 964 RS sells at auction for £219,315. A low-mileage Porsche 964 RS has sold at an auction for £219,315, markings new high point for these increasingly popular air-cooled 911s. The 3.6-litre example created a bidding frenzy at RM Auction's latest high-profile sale, held at the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique.

Two-hundred and twenty-five thousand pounds. That’s around the price you’d have had to pay if you were participating in the RM Auction at Monaco a few weeks ago and wanted to get your hands on a left-hand-drive, narrow-bodied 964 RS with only 11,390 kilometres on the clock.