EVEN ON DAYS LIKE THESE

The Alfa Romeo Spider and Fiat Barchetta were masterpieces of design that proved irresistible to the roadster-loving British buying public

A FINAL FLOURISH

Holding on as the last bastion of French automotive aristocracy, Talbot-Lago's T26 Grand Sport Lago was a proud dream of post-war glory

"It was 904 hours hell”

Few today realise how tough the Spa-Sofia-Liège rally was, yet Erik Carlsson and Gunnar Palm twice made the podium in a Saab 96 Sport

LITTLE RED ROADSTER

With an incredible history in some of the world's greatest road races, this tiny Osca MT4 is ready to take on its next competitive challenge

JOHN JARRETT

It's a two-wheeled takeover for this VW enthusiast, as he goes back to his roots

FORGOTTEN GIANT

Marking the beginning of the end for the once-great Belsize Motors of Manchester, the ill-fated '15' is now an obscure piece of automotive history

A QUEST FOR PERFECTION

The 30-year saga of one man's obsessive mission to return an early Jaguar E-type to factory-fresh condition

MAXIMUM ATTACK

The M3 brought Motorsport pedigree to the masses, but for some that wasn't enough; these limited editions were BMWs turned up to 11

GOING AROUND AGAIN

First thrashed on a lap of the Mediterranean, then taken apart in the name of science, this Mk1 Mini's recent restoration marks its third lease of life

THE FAMILY WORKS

Carrying his father's racing spirit, Ray Mallock's life in motorsport as a driver, engineer, and constructor has stretched from Clubmans to Le Mans

STAGE FRIGHTS

Rallying has had its fair share of flops and, as this selection goes to show, sometimes even the greats have an off day

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

From an age of optimistic consumption, the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupé and Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Coupe were the pinnacle of open-top luxury

PROLES' ROYCES

Emerging from the confused depths of BMC’s product-planning studios, the Wolseley Six and Austin 3 Litre offered more charm than success

WOLFSBURG'S MIRACLE BUG

Faced with the dismantling of its vast plants and apartments, this German industrial city was transformed by two men and one very special car

JASON LEN

A tireless restorer of British sports cars who also has a passion for motorcycles

ON A SOFTER NOTE

The 2200 Spider represented the ambitions of Abarth and patron Fiat to strike at the higher order of Italian motoring, but it was destined to remain a rarity

You've never had it so good

The optimistic class of ’62 kicked off a golden era for British sporting greats with the Triumph Spitfire, MGB and Lotus Elan

THE GREAT IMPRESSION

This Chrysler Imperial’s fine engineering and Bohman & Schwartz Deco style proved to be the perfect extravagance for Hollywood’s first black superstar

MY FARE LANDAULET

This fastidiously restored 1926 Citroën could be the last-surviving link to the working streets of Paris

EXTRA TIME

Our three sports car greats sped past their original lifespans, becoming classics in their own lifetimes and eventually inspiring a new generation

FITTED OUT FOR A KING

Ordered new by a Belgian monarch, this sole surviving Vignale-bodied Aston Martin DB2/4 is back on form after decades in the doldrums

CREWE CUT

If you were going to build a single-seater, you probably wouldn’t start with a Rolls- Royce Silver Shadow. But this unlikely old warhorse recently won its first race

A CENTURY OF SPEED

What better way to celebrate our birthday than with our most valuable photoshoot ever, gathering together 100 years of Britain's fastest cars?

1980s FERRARI F40 - 201mph

And so we arrive at a notable a benchmark on this journey: the Ferrari F40 was the first production car to exceed the magic 'double-ton'.

1920S VAUXHALL 30-98 OE-TYPE - 100.7mph

A century ago, the very idea of a production car achieving 100mph would have been eulogised by schoolkids and automobile makers alike.

1970s FERRARI 365 GT4 BB - 188mph

Our first Ferrari entry here was not only the fastest car of the 1970s (based on the factory's own claim of 188mph), but a significant one because it marked the start of a mid-engined era for Maranello's 12-cylinder, two-seater cars that was to endure for nearly a quarter of a century.

1930s BENTLEY 8 LITRE - 107.3mph

Establishing the top speeds of pre-war cars is a fraught business that not only requires a solid and incontestable baseline for each nominee, but also an awareness that very few cars from high-end marques would look or perform in the same way after they left their respective factories.

1950s MERCEDES-BENZ 300SL - 163mph

They say that racing improves the breed, but in the case of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing'Coupé, it actually inspired its creation.

EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL

Developed on opposite sides of the English Channel, the Alpine A310 and Lotus Europa offered supercar technology in miniature

FUTURE CLASSICS

As CGSC turns 40, motoring enthusiasts have been asked to vote for the modern cars they believe will be the classics of 40 years' time