"See if you can hit 3600 in third." If that gauntlet had been laid in the car park earlier, I wouldn't have flinched, but this Vauxhall 30-98's tachometer is only showing '28' and it already feels as if we should be triggering DEFCON 1. The exhaust noise is savage, only just drowning out that of the gears, and, gripping the gently flexing wheel rim for all I'm worth, our speed is building unabated. There's a bend fast approaching, and I just manage to clip '36' on the Jaeger dial - which must be 70mph before lifting. But it's a close thing and, of all 30-98s, this is not the one I'd want to bend.
As a prelude to driving the other four, visually contrasting 'Thirsties' with us today at Luton Hoo hotel, it takes some beating. We have gathered them because all are OE-type models, which started production barely a mile from here a century ago in 1923. There's another reason why we're at this particular venue, too: in the late 1940s the Vintage Sports-Car Club ran a series of speed trials on the Hoo's access roads (see panel), and, because the 30-98 was linked closely with the VSCC's founding, it seems only fitting that we should reunite model with location today.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2023-Ausgabe von Classic & Sports Car.
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RAY HILLIER
Double-chevron oddity proves a break from the norm for this Crewe specialist
SHORT BACK & GLIDES
Eccentric enthusiast Captain RG McLeod's series of Manx-tailed Bentley Specials reached its zenith with this unique S2 Continental.
People's choice
The diminutive but multi-million-selling Fiat 850 packed a remarkable diversity of form and function into its compact footprint
PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM
Glassfibre revolutionised niche car-body production, but just occasionally strayed into the mainstream.
A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR
The cleverly conceived four-seater Elite secured Lotus a place at the big players' table, but has it been unfairly maligned since then?
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From dreams of yachting glory to the Le Mans podium, via a stint at the top of the motorsport tree, Howden Ganley had quite the career
Still going strong
Herbert Engineering staked its reputation on the five-year warranty that came with its cars. A century on, this Two Litre hasn't made a claim
One for the kids
General Motors was aiming squarely at the youth market with the launch of the Pontiac GTO 60 years ago, and its runaway success popularised the muscle-car movement
A NEW BREED OF HERO
Launched at the turn of the millennium, the GT3 badge has already earned a place alongside RS, CS and turbo in Porsche lore.
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