'71 Fiat Dino Coupe

It's not often you see one of these, particularly in such beautiful condition. It may irritate the purists with its lack of bumpers and its Mondial wheels, but I've fallen a little in love with the way it looks. I can only imagine how glorious it sounds.

Available from Percival Motor Company, here's what they say about it:

Fiat Dino Coupe, red, black interior. Two owners since being imported from Italy in 1990. The last keeper acquired the car in 2006 and embarked on a thorough restoration costing over €30,000. Medway Jaguar's premium car specialist and The Ferrari Centre have carried out extensive works which is detailed in numerous invoices. The engine was rebuilt by Mike Elliott some years ago and, according to the file, he fitted Stratos camshafts during the build. it received a light overhaul a thousand miles ago as did the gearbox. The clutch was replaced in 2007. The electronic ignition unit was replaced and the wiring overhauled. The carburettors have been rebuilt and the engine has been correctly set up. A new alloy petrol tank, stainless steel exhaust and an alloy radiator have been fitted. The suspension, brakes and steering have all been restored. The bodywork received a complete bare metal respray. This beautiful car has been mildly uprated during the restoration. The bumpers have been removed, and the car slightly lowered. Black alloy wheels and a 308 performance brake kit from Superformance have been added along a complete re-trim in black leather with red piping. The headlining was re-trimmed in alcantara and red seat belts front and rear complete the picture. A Thatcham Category 1 alarm with central locking is fitted along with a C.D. player. The car also has an iPod connection. A very special car which drives beautifully. £24,995

The sleepers of Goodwood

Nestled within the bustling Cathedral Paddock of the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed, two innocuous-looking machines went largely ignored amongst the diverse and attention-grabbing cars that surrounded them.

The Alfa 164 Procar was situated alongside a couple of Alfa 155 touring cars, whose shovel-noses and colossal exhausts drew attention from the relatively standard-looking 164. But this 164 has a secret.
In the nineties, F1 mogul Bernie Ecclestone had an idea to start a new race series in which silhouette racers would house mid-mounted Formula One engines within standard-ish bodywork. The idea never really went anywhere - indeed, Alfa Romeo were the only manufacturer to actually build a car for the series - but this 164, a 215mph saloon with a heart of malice, represents a beautiful image of what could have been.







A few feet away we find a humble white Transit van. It's parked up against a fence, various Goodwood stickers plastered here and there. It's some sort of service vehicle, yes? But wait... they look like Jaguar wheels, don't they? They're pretty bloody wide too. And there are two sizeable exhausts poking out of the rear. A peek through the heavily-tinted rear window allows a slight glimpse of what could be a firewall with the very end of a pair of cylinder heads beneath it. Surely not?
The eyes do not deceive. This is a Transit in body alone - underneath, we find the chassis, engine and running gear of a Jaguar XJ220. And this is no amusing gimmick - in the hands of the incomparable Justin Law, this was one the fastest vehicles up the hill this weekend. Glorious.

Jeff Zwart @ Pikes Peak

This in-car footage of Zwart's Pikes Peak run is gobsmacking. Trust me, you'll spend twelve unblinking minutes with your mouth hanging open; the thrust of the 911 GT3 Cup and Jeff's superhuman control add up to a devastating 11m31s run.
(View in fullscreen for maximum awesomeness.)

Pikes Peak 2010 - Jeff Zwart In Car from Will Roegge on Vimeo.

Via Will Roegge

F&M Vulca S

Reventón a bit common for you? Don't fancy joining the proles in their Zonda Rs and Fisker Karmas? What you need is a truly unique supercar...

The F&M Vulca S is the sort of car that will really confuse people. Car buffs won't recognise it and will assume it's a kit car, but they'd be wrong. What it is, in fact, is a handbuilt machine lovingly licked together by tiger kittens at the premises of ultra-swanky coachbuilders Faralli & Mazzanti. It takes eleven months to build each one, during which time you're invited to stay at their private Tuscan villa. You'll be allowed - encouraged, even - to poke your nose into every facet of production ("that 5.8-litre V10 needs to go a couple of mils to the left, I reckon...") while you watch your bespoke 630bhp motorway yacht take shape.

F&M have strictly limited production to just ten models, so exclusivity is guaranteed. The price? Well, if you have to ask...

Just don't expect a quality dealer network. Or for the AA man to have any idea what you're talking about, should you ever need rescuing.

Parliament Square Pit Stop

What does Mark Webber get up to when he's not confusing the various arms of his team's empire and trying to enter his F1 car into the Red Bull Air Race? Oh, he just cruises around Westminster...

Formula Palmer Audi crash - Snetterton

Thought Mark Webber's Valencia crash was huge? Check out this unfortunate recent incident from Snetterton. Impressively, as the driver, Jordan Williams, climbs from the cockpit you can see the seat of his overalls are as pure as snow. I'm not sure mine would have been.



Incidentally, you can't really get a more motorsport-y name than Jordan Williams, can you?

Renault F1 - a day in the garage

It's not something you'd necessarily give a lot of thought, but the race day for any given Formula One team is far more than just two hours of race support. This time-lapse video from Renault shows just what busy little bees they are...