The man with the mahogany suntan and pastel-hued Lycra cannot get enough of us the international language of hand signals speaks volumes. It helps that the word 'turbo' is universal, mind, as is the whooshing sound. And this is the third such tête-à-tête in the past five minutes. Sorry, it's time to leave for one more panning shot, time to enter a Vaseline-overthe-lens, soft-focus dreamscape. Driving along Estrada do Guincho, the road alongside the beach that appeared in the opening scene of James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, makes it hard not to romanticise.
Portugal's Estoril Coast is a thing of wonder, as is the carnival of exotica that accompanies it. None, though, have quite the gravitational pull of a 1974 BMW 2002 turbo. This is the trailblazer that got burned, a non-homologation special that nevertheless had competition ancestry. It also looks achingly hip, in a screwed-on spats, lairy stripes sort of way. Looks-wise, nothing about this car is in the realms of the subtle. However, approach the turbo expecting all hell to break loose with each exploratory prod of the accelerator, and prepare to be disabused. There's brimstone in here for sure, but it's kept in check.
What impresses people is generational, and the turbocharger is a case in point. There was a time, say, four to five decades ago, when forced induction was the new big thing. And by 'new', we of course mean 'old', because the technology had been around for aeons. It's just that in the 1970s, and particularly the '80s, a car bearing the legend 'turbo' somewhere in its nomenclature suddenly represented bragging rights. It equated to a certain kind of cachet that went way beyond mere performance; it represented cutting-edge cool. Heck, there was even an aftershave called Turbo.
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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?
"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"
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.
Brits with SIX appeal
The straight-six engine is synonymous with a decades-long legacy of great British sports cars. Six variations on the sextet theme convene for comparison
