The 1990s recession was sparked by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the summer of 1990, and with it came international financial uncertainty. Sir Charles Ronald George Nall-Cain, Third Baron Brocket, AKA Lord Brocket of Brocket Hall found himself in pecuniary difficulties to the tune of £4.5 million. Lord B had a collection of 42 rare […]
Isa spilt the beans. Read More »
The iconic 1963 Aston Martin DB5, which agent 007 famously piloted in Goldfinger and Thunderball, was stolen from a secure hangar at Boca Raton airport in Florida in 1997. The theft sent shockwaves through the Bond and automotive communities. The stolen car was valued at millions due to its connection to the films and historical significance.
Q. James has lost his car. Read More »
Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina was an Italian automobile designer and the Carrozzeria Pininfarina coachbuilding company founder in 1930 and considered a visionary and perfectionist. On 14 December 2015, the Indian multinational giant Mahindra Group acquired 76.06% of Pininfarina S.p.A. The Pininfarina Battista is an electric performance car manufactured by Automobili Pininfarina GmbH in Munich, Germany. The
The Visionary and the Reckless Read More »
✺ Watch out, Ferrari and Audi: Red Bull’s F1 2026 engine is ‘miles ahead. ✺ Lewis Hamilton’s brother drops a hint that a new Mercedes F1 deal has been signed. ✺ Mick Schumacher is the ‘obvious contender’ to replace struggling Williams F1 rookie Logan Sargeant. ✺ Charles Leclerc currently holds the longest driver contract in
Sir Henry Ralph Stanley Birkin, 3rd Baronet, one of the Bentley Boys, known as Tim Birkin, was born in a wealthy Nottingham Lace-making family in 1896 and died in 1933. He joined the Royal Flying Corps during WW1 as a pilot, serving in Palestine, where he contracted malaria, a disease he would suffer from for
In the early 80s, two engineers, Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy, left Heuliez, a French coachbuilder that worked as a production and design unit for various specialist niche market automakers. They created Venturi. Venturi was a Monaco-based automotive manufacturer founded as MVS (Manufacture de Voitures de Sport). Sadly Venturi declared bankruptcy in 2000. Their initial timing
Behind closed doors, Aston Martin’s Q Customisation Department created a one-off supercar for an Aston Martin collector—the Victor. The Victor creation was strongly influenced by the V8 Vantage 1977 and the Aston DBS V8 RHAM Le Mans car, known as The Muncher. As to the modern influences, the naturally aspirated 7.3-litre V12 engine culled from
On 31 July 1977, two unusual events occurred. Firstly, Niki Lauda won the Grand Prix and Hans Heyer was disqualified. The 1977 German Grand Prix in Hockenheim was a spectacular race, with Niki driving his Ferrari 312T2B; he was second on the starting grid behind the South African Jody Scheckter driving a Wolf-Ford. Niki soon
Formula 1 and the FIA are currently assessing submissions from new teams to join the sport; Mercedes chief Toto Wolff says the ten current teams should be able to dictate whether new entrants are accepted. Up to half-a-dozen submissions have been made to the FIA proposing a new team for the F1 grid, with president
Mr S and the Fiscal Pie Read More »
Dutch GPDate: Sunday, August 27Track: Circuit Zandvoort ❖ F1 Snippets ✺ Wolff hails ‘Great’ driver waiting to replace Hamilton at Mercedes ✺ Eight F1 drivers would win with Max’s car, said Juan Pablo Montoya ✺ F1 plan to restrict DRS would hit Red Bull hardest amid top-speed superiority ✺ Pierre Gasly has admitted that ‘no