Strolling through this greatest hits collection, past Cortina 1600Es and Fiesta XR2s, Sapphire Cosworths and Focus RSS, you're reminded just how deeply embedded in our collective psyche the Blue Oval has become.
Len Keen sees it every time he conducts a tour: 'More than any other manufacturer, people can associate with the cars here. You see it in their faces when they come in: what Fords mean to people.' And that's no happy accident. For successive generations, canny marketing underpinned by rigorous product development has engendered not only sales success but a deep and enduring affection.
Len's 'day job' is press officer for vehicle operations at Ford's Dunton HQ but he also has responsibility for the Heritage Collection, recently relocated from Dagenham to Daventry, and it's a role he clearly loves - hardly surprising with access to so many iconic vehicles.
Vehicles like the stunning silver GT40 Mk3, ironically one of the very few models that Ford had trouble shifting back in the day. The Mk3 was the road version of the Le Mans-winning racer, the rear body extended to create luggage space, the 4.7-litre V8 detuned to 306bhp, the damping softened and the gearshift moved from the sill to the centre.
The original plan had been to build 30, possibly more if things had gone well. In fact the car here is one of only seven Mk3s built. "This one was pulled off the line and used as a press car and promotional tool,' says Len. 'It was also our chairman's car at the time.' Well, if you have the pick of any car in the range...
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2024-Ausgabe von Evo UK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2024-Ausgabe von Evo UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
