The Classic Car Show - 16th April 2015 - Channel 5

Tonight's episode begins with QuentinWilsons article about the Ferrari Testarossa. This car summed up the decade that was the 1980's. The cars designer, Sergio Pinninfarina called the Testarossa an exercise in flamboyance and it was never welcomed by the credit card carrying Ferrari inner circle like a Daytona or a 365 and prices plummeted. Nobody wanted them as they were too vulgar. What people forget is that the Testarossa is one of Ferrari's most successful cars selling 7,000 units. In 1984 the list price was £63,000, the equivalent now is £200,000 and there was a year waiting list. This was the first Ferrari that could be sold to a worldwide market due to emissions and safety features. This explains the number of cars sold and Ferrari made it easy to drive. The Testarossa can reach 185mph with a 0-60 time of 5 seconds. Going back to the remark about being too vulgar, the Testarossa is a very subtle car.  The bonnet is low but has nothing vulgar and looks plain in comparison to a Bugatti Veyron and the side vents that people disliked actually channeled air to the two radiators in the back of the car.

The Testarossa summed up the 1980's and that was its greatest success.

The Testarossa is the original modern supercar, aluminium bodied, reliable and a minimum amount of electrics that can go wrong. Up to that point, Ferrari's, Maseratti's and Lamborghini's were unreliable hard riding cars that demanded a lot from the driver and passenger, but the Testarossa is a smooth driving car with a big cockpit. You can buy one of these for £75,000 but prices will go up.

Next up is Jodie Kidd meets David Gandy as he picks up his first classic car.

David is a male supermodel. He shot to fame after winning a TV modelling contest in 2001 and is the face of Dolce & Gabanna. He has had the car fully restored by Hilton & Moss. The car is a 1960 Mercedes 190SL. After 2,000 hours of restoration, the 190SL looks incredible. After a year of decsision making David takes the wheel and gets used to his new classic. Driving around the roads both the car, driver and passenger look great.

Next up is Chris Routledge with his barn finds article. Today Chris has had a tip off about s very rare car in a garage. The car is an Owen Sedanca. This car was built in the 1970's super coupe and it was based on the Jaguar. The Owen Sedanxa was launched at a star studded party in 1973 but it never went into production. There was only ever a pre production prototype. It was a very innovative car. The rearing the car has elements of the Lamborghini Espada while the front end looks like a Lotus Esprit. The wheels are Wolfrace Slot magnesium alloy wheels. These wheels alone cost a small fortune in the 70's so you can tell that a good amount of money was put into this car. The interior is all original and is in good condition. If restored, the car could be worth £100,000. 

Next up, Alex Riley goes to visit a car obsessed family. The Prinn family from Southampton have gathered a collection of 33 Austin's in all conditions. They began with one in 1997 and most spare room including the garden is taken up with Austins. They sell parts to people that are looking to buy them. There are spare parts everywhere in a big garage. Alex is taken to another garage where Matthew Prinns car is kept. Mr Beans Mini. Matthew owns one of the original Minis from the series as he loves classic cars. Matthew takes Alex for a drive and they talk about the family dynamic and Matthew's love of classic cars.

Next up is Bruno Senna driving a classic car around the Brooklands handling track. Today Bruno is driving a Ferrari 308 Michelotto Rally Spec. This car took on Audi, Opel and Porsche on the international rally scene and won in the Targa Florio, Tour De France and Mont Blanc rallies. This 308 has a 3 litre V8 engine that produced 320bhp with a lightweight Pinninfarina body that can go from 0-60 in 4 seconds and a top speed of 140mph. This car looks seriously quick and low. Flying around the corners the car could be on rails. At the halfway point, the 308 is half a second quicker than the E-Type. By the end, the lead has extended to 8 tenths of a second completing the lap in 47:404.

Next up is Jodie Kidd driving a Jaguar XJ220. Revealed at the London Motor Show in 1988, it stole all of the headlines.

People queued to put a £50,000 deposit on a car that promised a 220mph top speed. This came from a V12 engine that produced 500bhp with four wheel drive. 

But four years after that launch, Black Wednesday shattered the global market and Jaguar delivered the car that dos not live up to it's promise. By the time the car was finished due to design and financial constraints, the V12 engine became a V6, four wheel drive became rear wheel drive and the price tag went from £360,000 to £400,000. That's £750,000 in today's money. Customers were furious and demanded their deposits back from Jaguar making this car Jaguar's biggest commercial failure. This is a shame because it looks like a good drive. There's not much roll in the corners, there is not a lot of under steer or over steer and it is very powerful. There are s couple of problems, the car is very low to the road and it's very wide so not great on country lanes where bumpy narrow road are the norm. In 1993, Jaguar entered the race version of the XJ220 in the GT class at Le Mans. It won easily but was then disqualified due to a technicality and it's racing career was over. Due to a committed band of followers, several recreations of the race version still exist, and thanks to a father and son team Justin and Don Law, Jodie will be racing one of these at the Silverstone Classic in the 90's Legends GT race. The car Jodie is racing is similar to the road car bar the big rear wing. The engine is a 3.5 litre V6 twin turbo that produces an amazing 700bhp. 0-60 in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 235mph. In Jodie's race there are two Dodge Vipers, 5 McLaren F1's, Porsches and Marcos to name a few. Jodie then suits up and gets ready to race. She gets in with Justin Law but there is s problem. The car won't start. With the warm up lap underway, they swap into another XJ220 and make it just in time to the back of the field. With the race underway. Jodie is giving full concentration Justin has to remind Jodie she is presenting an article. As quick as the race began, it finished.

This was a good episode but for me, Jodue Kidd's article with David Gandy was the worst article. There was not a lot of information about the car e.g. How much he paid for the car or where he bought the car. To me this looked like an exercise in beauty, beautiful car (190SL), beautiful man (David Gandy), beautiful host (Jodie Kidd) driving around some beautiful roads. I like to have information and this just did not deliver for me. Good show otherwise.

Visit to Duncan Hamilton & Company.

In September 2013, I was lucky enough to visit Duncan Hamilton & Company. For those of you that don't know, Duncan Hamilton & Company have been buying and selling classic cars for over 65 years. Founded in 1948 by Duncan Hamilton, a man with a love for Classic cars and a racing driver who won Le Mans in 1953 in a C-Type Jaguar and the 1956 12 Hours Reims at the wheel of a D-Type Jaguar. He also raced in Formula 1. Duncan Hamilton retired in 1975 handing the company over to his son Adrian Hamilton. 

In recent years Duncan Hamilton & Company have been buying examples of classic cars that were sponsored by Gulf Oil for a private collector. In just 3 years, Adrian Hamilton purchased 32 cars dating from 1967 - 2012.

Today my host is Mr Nick Maton, the sales manager of Duncan Hamilton & Company. He greets me with a big handshake and from the off beginning he makes me feel very welcome. We begin by talking about the history of the company and the various cars that they have sold in the past. We then go on to chat about the Gulf cars. 

We then walk past the house with Adrian Hamilton's Ferrari parked outside, towards the offices and garages. 

Walking past the offices in a beautiful garden we walk past a car transporter and stunning E-Type Jaguar with it's roof down.

Mr Maton then opens the garage doors to present a pair of Aston Martins, still dirty from being at Le Mans and winning their class, a Gulf sponsored McLaren driven by Peter Revson and a great looking E-Type Jaguar. With my camera at the ready I begin to take some photos. 

Once the photos are taken, we move onto the next garage. In here there are a lot of pictures on the walls and various other items. Onto the cars and we have a Porsche 917 and a McLaren F1 both have raced at Le Mans in the Gulf livery. There is also a stunning Ferrari replica from the 1950's. Although this car is a replica, it was built using genuine Ferrari parts that made the original.

We chat about the cars while I take more photos.

I am then invited to sit in the McLaren F1. Given how rare an opportunity this is I jump at the chance. In the road car, you have one seat in the front situated in the middle of the car and two seats behind the driver. This was to give the driver a better view of the road. Getting in to this F1 is not that easy as the driving seat is in the middle of the car. Once in it's a snug fit with the steering wheel in front of you along with a digital dial that I assume would give different readouts at the touch of a button, and to the right, a myriad of switches and the gear stick. Just as I get in, my host is called away to take a phone call. So here I am alone in a Le Mans racing car. It's easy to imagine driving around Le Mans in this car at high speed. 

My host soon returns and it's time to get out. My exit is even less graceful than getting into the car, we do have a bit if a laugh and joke about it. 

I am lead back outside again and spy a Ford GT on a ramp, Mr Maton explains that they are trying to find an oil leak on the car.

 I take a couple of photos and it's then on to the final garage where I see a lot of car parts and work benches, the Howmet TX is parked here and Jacky Ickx Brabham is being stripped down for maintenance. I am introduced to the mechanic who tells me a little of what he is doing. Mr Maton and the mechanic have a quick chat while I take some photos and it's interesting listening.

It's time for me to make my goodbyes to the mechanic and to thank him for his time. 

As we leave the garage its time that I left. Mr Maton walks me back to my car and a final quick chat. With a final handshake the visit is finished.

I would like to thank the staff of Duncan Hamilton and Company especially Mr Maton for allowing me to visit. I am an enthusiast not someone with lots of money who has the ability to buy one of the cars they have for sale, but they welcomed me in and took great care of me.