I was lucky enough borrow this 1970s Aston Martin V8 Vantage for the night purely becuse my Suzuki Cappuccino would fit into their garage easier than the Aston, and it was getting late!

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is an awseome car with a top speed of 170mph and a 0-60 time of just 5.5 seconds.  At the time of its launch in 1977, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage was the fastest production car in the world, quicker than the Ferrari Daytona and Lamborghini Countach, and a triumph for British engineering.  The next British car to hold this title would be the Jaguar XJ220, and the one after that would be the McLaren F1.  The Vantage stands up against these formidable supercar names, and yet also has a large boot and plenty of room for four people.

I had the pleasure of borrowing this 1963 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia for a few days and it coincided with some good weather in early November so I was able to get some really nice photos.

 
1963 VW Karmann Ghia

 The Karmann Ghia might not be the fastest car in the world, but you can't argue with the sublime looks.  Inside, the white interior really sets off the red paintwork, and gives the car a light and airy feel. 

The controls are simple and easy to operate.  The white two spoke steering wheel is very lightweight, and the clutch and four speed gearbox are easy to manage. All in all the Karmann Ghia is a pleasant and relaxing car to drive.

This Lotus Elan has a trick up its sleeve... 

Lotus Elan Plus 2

This Lotus Elan Plus 2 has a Zetec conversion by Spyder Engineering.  It might sound like blasphemy to put a modern Ford Zetec engine into a classic car like a Lotus Elan, but trust me, it works well.

The original Lotus Elans are underpowered, and have a chassis that succumbs to rust, but Spyder Engineering put that right by crafting a new chassis and providing it with the new Zetec powerplant.

 
Lotus Elan Plus 2

The result is a Lotus Elan that feels tight and sharp, with plenty of power available from the performance tuned engine.

Jaguar XK150 3.8S

The Jaguar XK150 is a remarkable car by today's standards, but it must have been an incredible car over fifty years ago, in 1959.  Imagine a car with a top speed of more than 130 miles per hour in the days when there were less than 9 miles of motorway in Britain?

Jaguar XK150 3.8S on a frosty morning

Jaguar won Le Mans five times in the 1950s, and the secrets of their success spilled into Jaguar's road cars.  The XK150 was the last in a series of road going sportscars that started with the XK120 in 1948.  The car tested here is a 1959 Jaguar XK150 3.8S drop head coupe, one of the first XK150s off the production line.

The XK150 is quite a small car close up, and the pretty lines and long bonnet exude an air of innocent elegance.  The engine, however, exudes anything but innocence.  The car I drove had very little in the way of exhaust baffles, and sounded positively terrifying when opened up.  The XK150 has a 3.8 litre straight six engine that is powerful enough to rocket the car to 60mph in just 7.3 seconds.  Remember that this is a car from 1959.

Jaguar XK150 3.8S Performance

BMW Z1

Roll up in a BMW Z1 and jaws drop to the floor.

BMW Z1

The doors on the BMW Z1 slide down into the sills driven by electric motors.  They can be raised or lowered while driving, and the BMW Z1 can be driven with the doors down on European roads.

The BMW Z1's engine is the 2.5 litre 6 cylinder engine from the classic 1980's E30 BMW 325i, which is a perfect match for the little Z1.  The front mounted engine supplies power to the rear wheels, which are just behind the seats of the BMW Z1, giving it a very satisfying feel.  The handling of the BMW Z1 is as you would expect from BMW, they don't make bad handling cars.

Check out another BMW Z1 review.

Over the coming articles, we will be looking at some really special machines. Classic cars and sports cars from the 1950's to the present day. From iconic classic cars to rare and elusive models, we will be perusing through classic cars from Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo and Lotus, to name a few.

Spare Parts List