Sid James, Sir Laurence Olivier, and the Duke of Edinburgh all drove London taxis around the capital for the sake of anonymity. Nubar Gulbenkian, the Turkish-born Armenian oil magnate, is probably still the most famous Austin FX4 exponent, although keeping a low profile was not part of the remit for this eccentric Harrow- and Cambridge-educated Anglophile; and it appears unlikely that he ever took the wheel himself.
Born in 1896, Nubar Sarkis Gulbenkian inherited part of his fortune from his miserly father Calouste, whom Nubar famously sued for $10million when he once refused to pay for his son's $4.50 chicken lunch out of petty cash. When Calouste died in 1955, most of his legacy went into a Portugal-based foundation, but the younger Gulbenkian had inherited all of his father's business acumen and accumulated an independent fortune that easily funded his lavish lifestyle.
Like Lady Docker or journalist Gilbert Harding, this socialite, gourmet and committed womaniser appears utterly irrelevant to 21st-century sensibilities. Yet his exploits - and his many witticisms - captured the post-war public imagination, and he was famous enough in his day to be interviewed by John Freeman for the BBC's Face to Face in 1959.
The legacy of Nubar Gulbenkian's bespoke automobiles has kept his name on the radar over the years since his 1972 demise. Evidently having engineered a day off school, I can clearly recall seeing his coachbuilt Austin on the afternoon magazine programme Pebble Mill at One circa 1973, just before it was auctioned: it made an impressive £6500.
The taxi that Gulbenkian commissioned was bodied - by FLM Panelcraft of Battersea in the style of a horse-drawn brougham, complete with carriage lamps above the doors and faux wicker appliqué along the flanks. From the windscreen backwards, it was designed like a miniature limousine featuring some definite overtones of a Victorian hansom cab.
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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?
"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
