1971 Porsche 914-4

Trevor Frank, 1971 Porsche 914-4, Porsche Rennsport Reunion, Laguna Seca 2015.

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VW Karmann, Germany.   The 914-4 had a Volkswagen 4 cylinder engine and in Europe was

marketed as a VW Porsche.  Thus in Europe was never really regarded as a proper Porsche.  There appears less prejudice against it in the USA as it was marketed as a Porsche.   However, it was still a targa top mid-engined sports car and over 100,000 were sold so it wasn't that unpopular.  A collaboration between Volkswagen and Porsche, it can be looked upon as a replacement for the VW Karmann Ghia or an entry level Porsche.  In fact it was both. Their were three different VW engines used over the years, a 1.7, a 1.8 and 2.0 litre.  The fastest of these was capable of 190kph and 0-60mph in under 11 seconds.  The VW 4 cylinders were raced and one driven by Wayne Baker won the 1981 Sears Point IMSA GTU race - this actual car is shown inset right, also at Laguna Seca in 2015.  It is a 1972 car that was heavily modified in 1980 for IMSA racing.  In the Porsche Rennsport Reuion it was driven by Ronald Mistak.

  

Porsche 936 / 81

The 1981 Le Mans 24 Hours winner, a Porsche 936 at Laguna Seca for the Porsche Rennsport Reunion V in 2015.

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Porsche, Stuttgart, Germany.  The works Porsche 936 won le Mans three times, 1976, 1977 and 1981, the car effectively replacing the famous Porsche 917.  The 1981 victory was with Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell driving and they won by a large margin from the Rondeaus.  The 1981 winner had a new engine, a turbo charged 2.6 litre flat 6 which was derived from an Indianapolis project, whereas the previous 936 had run 2.1 litre turbos. Top speed was of the order of 220mph!  The car also featured slightly revised aerodynamics.

1960 Porsche 356B Carrera Abarth GTL

1960 Porsche 356B Carrera Abarth GTL, Laguna Seca 2015, Porsche Rennsport Reunion 5.

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Porsche, Stuttgart, Germany.  In 1959 Porsche sought help from Abarth to keep its ageing 356 GT cars competitive in GT racing.  Abarth commissioned Bertone to design a very light aluminium body that was also small and aerodynamic. Abarth outsourced the 20 production bodies to be made by Motto.  It retained the original steel chassis and the flat 4 1.6 litre engine which in this version produced 165bhp.  The car had a top speed of 144mph and a 0-60mph time of around 9 seconds.  20 of these special 356B Abarth GTLs were built.  The one above is very original and won the Swedish GT Championship in 1961 and 1962 driven by Carl-Gunnar Hammarlund.  The prototype finished 6th overall and won its class in the 1960 Targa Florio.  At Le Mans the Carrera Abarth again won its class and finish tenth overall.  A beautiful and successful car that continued to win the 1,600cc GT class at many events in 1961 and 1962.

2003 FABCAR-Porsche FDSC/03 Daytona Prototype Grand Am

Ron Thomas, 2003 FABCAR-PorschebFDSC/03, Porsche Rennsport Renion V, Laguna Seca 2015. 

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FABCAR Engineering, Carmel, Indiana, USA.  FABCAR was started by Dave Klym in 1977.  For history of FABCAR click here.   In 2001 they were approached by Jim and Bill France Jnr's Grand American Road Racing Association to produce prototypes for their series of races that included the Daytona 24 hours.  This series was in effect NASCAR's alternative to IMSA's ALMS series.  The Grand Am cars were lower tech than those running in the rival series and were not eligible for events such as Le Mans.  Eight of these cars were built. In 2003 they were raced by Brumos Racing and won the Rolex Sports Car Daytona Prototype Manufacturers championship for FABCAR.  They won a number of races including those at Fontana, Watkins Glen and Mont Tremblant.  The car finished fifth in that years Daytona 24 hours.  Drivers included David Donohue, Hurley Haywood, JC France and Scott Goodyear.   The car had a 3.6 litre 6 cylinder Porsche engine derived from the 911 GT3 road car and produced 475bhp.

1949 Porsche 356 SL Gmünd Coupé

1949 Porsche 356 SL, Porsche Rennsport Reunion V, Laguna Seca 2015

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Porsche, Gmünd, Austria.  After the war Porsche moved to Gmünd in Austria to design his own cars. They were rear engined roadsters and coupés built around Volkswagen components.  With an aluminium body and an air-cooled boxer 4 cylinder engine these cars started the Porsche tradition. The aluminium bodies later became steel and Porsche moved back to Germany but Porsche kept some aluminium bodies as super light works competition cars.  In 1951 they entered the Le Mans 24 hours and the car pictured won the 1,100cc class beating the French DB Panhard and also the 1,500cc class winning Jowett Jupiter.   This was Porsche's first entry into the Le Mans 24 hours, a race they would eventually win for the first time in 1970. In 1952 one of these cars won the Liege-Rome-Liege rally.

1970 Porsche 914/6

Ranson Webster, 1970 Porsche 914/6, Porsche Rennsport Reunion V, Laguna Seca 2015.

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Porsche, Stuttgart, Germany.  The Porsche 914/6 was a 2 litre 6 cylinder version of the Porsche 914 and was produced from 1970 to 1972.  The 914 was a collaborative effort between Porsche and Volkswagen which in 4 cylinder form had a VW engine.  The 6 cylinder version featured a Porsche flat 6 engine and in road going form could top 120mph and do 0-60mph in just over 8 seconds.  It was mid-engined and rear wheel drive. A car that suffered from being tainted with the Volkswagen brand but perhaps becoming appreciated now.  In 1970 one finished sixth overall at Le Mans and won its class.  Peter Gregg, Elliott Forbes-Robinson and others won in them in US SCCA races.

De Tomaso Pantera Grp IV Tipo 874A

Norbert and Claire Fradin, DeTomaso Pantera GrpIV, Tour Auto 2014, Chablis.

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De Tomaso, Modena, Italy.   The Pantera, which is Italian for Panther, was an Italian mid-engined sports car powered by an American Ford V8 engine and was produced between 1971 and 1992.  Over 7,000 were produced. In the early seventies fourteen lightweight cars with 5.8 litre engines were built to contest Group 4 races.  With the uprated 500bhp engines they were good for 180mph compared to 160 mph for the standard version.  They were drivers by drivers such as Clay Regazzoni, Mario Casoni, Herby Muller, Mike Parkes and Jean Vinatier in endurance and sprint races all over the World.  Muller, Parkes and Regazzoni all won European GT Championship rounds in them.  Vinatier came sixth in the Tour de France Automobile in 1973.

BMW 3.0 CSL

Jean-Claude Basso, BMW 3.0CSL, Tour Auto 2014

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BMW, Munich, Germany.  In 1972 BMW homologated the 3.0CSL for Group 2 racing.  In 1973 Toine Hezemans won the European Touring Car Championship in one and also took a class win in the Le Mans 24 hours co-driven with Dieter Quester.  Chris Amon, Jacky Ickx, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Niki Lauda, Brian Redman and Ronnie Petersen also drove them.  From 1975 to 1979 the BMW 3.0CSL repeated its European Touring Car Championship win.

Fiat Barchetta Tipo 183

Fiat Barchettas, Barchetta Club France, Terre et Mer 2016, St Seurin d'Uzet.

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Fiat, Turin, Italy.  The Fiat Barchetta, as the name in Italian (meaning little boat) suggests, is a little 2 seater roadster.  It was produced from 1995 to 2002 and 2004 to 2005.  It had a 4 cylinder 1.8 16 valve engine.  The performance of 120mph and a 0-60mph time of 9 seconds put it firmly in the fun car rather than performance car class.  The chassis was based on the Fiat Punta which meant it had a front engine and front wheel drive.  Front spoilers and rear bumpers differ over time and in 2000 a third rear headlight was added to the middle of the boot lid.  Over 50,000 Barchettas were made and all were LHD.  In one Top Gear episode the Three Wise Men being James, Jeremy and Richard each drove a different used open top sports car (A Mazda MX5, a BMX Z3 and a Fiat Barchetta) to Bethlehem. Their conclusion was that the Fiat was best.  A have read a number of road tests that also agreed that it was a nice car to drive.

1961 BMW 700S

1961 BMW 700S, Tour Auto 2014

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BMW, Munich, Germany.  The 700 was produced from 1959 to 1965 and had a rear engine of 700cc. Hans Stuck won the 1960 German Hillclimb Championship for Touring Cars  in a BMW 700.  Jacky Ickx also drove one after transferring from Motorcycles.  They competed in the Tour de France Automobile in 1961 and 1962.

1955 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing

1955 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, Tour Auto 2014

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Mercedes-Benz, Stuttgart, Germany.   The racing car (W194) was introduced in 1952 and the production version (W198) from 1954 to 1963.    It was famous for its gullwing doors that opened upwards and had a 3 litre straight six engine.  The W194 won the Le Mans 24 hours and the Carrera Panamericana in 1952, and came second in the Mille Miglia.  The W198 won the European Rally Championship in 1955.  Top speed of the road version was around 150mph depending on axle ratios.

1951 Ferrari 212 Export Touring Berlinetta

Martin Halusa, 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Touring Berlinetta, Tour Auto 2015, start of the first special stage.

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Ferreri, Maranello, Italy.  This car was introduced in 1951 and followed on from Ferrari's first production car, the 166MM and its evolution into the 195S.  It had a V12 2.6 litre engine and the body of this example was by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan whilst others were by Vignale of Turin.   The Chassis is generally referred to as the 212 Export, as Ferrari was eyeing the American export market.  The sporty coupé body style is known as a Berlinetta.  Although production cars, most of these were destined for racing by privateers.   The car with its 150bhp engine was good for 120mph and a0-60mph time of under 10 seconds.  One was entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia but didn't finish.   A Vignale bodied car won the 1951 Tour de France Automobile.   Another, bodied by Touring came sixth and won its class in the 1951 Tourist Trophy driven by Bobby Baird.

1950 Simca-Gordini T15S Compresseur

1950 Le Mans Simca-Gordini T15S, Autodrome Linas-Montlhery 2015.

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Gordini, Paris, France.  This car was apparently raced in the 1950 Le Mans 24 hours by the two great Argetine drivers Jean-Manuel Fangio and Froilan Gonzalez.  Unfortunately it retired after 13 hours and 95 laps with ignition problems.  The other works Gordinis also retired.  It had a supercharged 1.5 litre 4 cylinder engine.  During the 1950 Le Mans it was bodied as a coupé and had the number 33 but like many racing cars was modified over the years.

1936 Riley Sprite

1936 Riley Sprite, Autodrome Linas-Montlhery 2015

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Riley, Coventry, England.   The Sprite was a 1.5 litre four cylinder sports car and some racing versions were built for F.R. Gerard and others.  Mike Hawthorn drove his fathers Sprite in the early fifties before becoming famous.

Opel Manta 400

An Opel Manta 400 warms up the crowd for the first stage of the Tour Auto 2016.

I assume the car above is a replica of one of the Rothmans Opel Rally Team Opel Manta 400s of the eighties.  In 1983 Henri Toivonen and Fred Gallagher won the Manx Rally in one, a European Championship round.  In the World Rally Championship they finished fourth in the San Remo Rally. Other drivers included Guy Frequelin, Ari Vatanen and Russell Brookes.   Jimmy McRae finished third in the 1983 RAC Rally whilst Rauno Aaltonen finished second in the 1984 Safari Rally.  Thus, rather overshadowed by some of its more famous Opel brothers of the time.  It was front engine and rear wheel drive.  The works versions had Cosworth tuned 2.4 litre engines.  0-60mph was under 5 seconds.

1955 Jaguar XK140 Fixed Head Coupé

 Eric Vandevelde and Bernard Dubois, 1955 Jaguar XK140 Fixed Head Coupe, Tour Auto 2016

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Jaguar, Coventry, England.  The Jaguar XK140 was produced between 1954 and 1957 and was the model in between the XK120 and the XK150. Externally the XK140 was quite similar to the XK120. The Fixed Head Coupé was one of three body styles the others being the roadster and the drop head coupé. The two coupés had two small seats in the rear. All models were capable of over 120 mph and a 0-60 mph time of around 9 seconds.  There was a basic model and a slightly higher performance SE (Special Equipment) model that could achieve nearly 130 mph.  All models were powered by 3.4 litre XK straight six engine that achieve Le Mans wins in the C Type.  The XK140 FHC took second place in the 1956 RAC Rally driven by Ian Appleyard.

For information and a picture of the Jaguar XK140 Roadster, click here.

1956 Austin Healey 100/4

Sébastien Berchon and Georges Plumet, 1956 Austin Healey 100/4, Tour Auto 2016.

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Austin Healey, ,England.  This Austin Healey was built at Jensen's West Bromwich works and then finished at Austin's Longbidge plant.  The 2 seater roadster design was by Donald Healey who had originally planned to build it himself.  The 100 was named because it could achieve 100mph and the /4 indicated it had 4 cylinders as opposed to the six cylinders of the /6.   Originally built for the 1952 Motor Show, the 100/4 was produced commercially between 1953 and 1956.  The 100/4 had a 4 cylinder 2.7 litre engine.  The car used many mechanical parts from the Austin A90.  There were a couple of versions of the 100/4, the BN1, the BN2 and the ill fated 100S that was involved in the 1955 Le Mans disaster.

1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale 101.20 (Second Series)

Patrice and Maxime Cornille, Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS, Tour Auto 2016

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Alfa Romeo, Milan, Italy.  The Giulietta SS was a top of the range 2 door, front engine, rear wheel drive, sports coupé first seen at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show and produced from then to 1964. It followed on from the prototype Sprint Speciale, the low nose version and the Zagato SZ.  It thus was a Second Series Sport Speciale and in fact the production version.  It had the 1.3 litre 101 series engine which powered it to over 120 mph. In 1963 the 1.6 litre Giulia was introduced and it eventually replaced the Giulietta.  Although it was the production version rather than the racing version, the Giulietta SS was seen in events such as the Targa Florio and the Tour de France Automobile.

1954 Jaguar XK140 Roadster

Fredrik Rudebeck and Hervé Ganidel, Jaguar XK140 Roadster, Tour Auto 2016.

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Jaguar, Coventry, England.  A successor to the XK120, the XK140 was produced from 1954 to 1957. It had, of course, the famous 3.4 litre straight six Jaguar XK engine and was capable of over 120mph and a 0-60mph time of around 9 seconds.  They were raced successfully on the circuits in America.  A Jaguar XK140 finished 16th in the 1956 Tour de France Automobile.  Most of the rally successes of the XK140 were achieved with Fixed Head Coupé. However, an XK140 Roadster did win its class in the 1956 Mille Miglia.

1959 Sunbeam Rapier Series III

Yo Ming Nelson Tang and Nigel Kat and 1959 Sunbeam Rapier, 2016 Tour Auto

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Sunbeam, Ryton on Dunsmore, England.  Sunbeam produced the original Rapier from 1955 to 1967.  it was a two door Coupé although convertibles were also produced.  it went through a series of revisions in its life from Series I to V.  It preceded the Rootes Group other creations, the Hillman Minx and Singer Gazelle.  The fifties cars had a 1.5 litre straight four engine. For later versions the capacity was increased to 1.6 litres.  The early series cars were capable of 90mph and a 0-60mph time of around 20 seconds.  Later versions could get from 0-60mph in just over 14 seconds.  In 1958 a Sunbeam rapier won the RAC Rally in very severe weather conditions crewed by Peter Harper and Bill Deane.  Harper also came fifth in that years Monte Carlo Rally driving a Rapier.  In 1962 A Sunbeam Rapier driven by Keith Ballisat and Ian Lewis came sixth in the Touring Car category and Rosemary Smith and Rosemary Seers won the Coupe des Dames in the same event.  Rapiers also competed and finished the last two Mille Miglia of 1956 and 1957.  I believe the car pictured is an ex-work Series III Rapier that competed in the 1960 Monte Carlo Rally driven by Peter Jopp and Les Leston.  In private hands it finished 2nd in the Welsh rally and then won some Motoring News events.

1953 Sunbeam Alpine

Jonathan and Christine Miles, 1953 Sunbeam Alpine, Tour Auto 2016

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Sunbeam, Rootes Group, Ryton on Dunsmore, England. Over 1,500 Sunbeam Alpine were built between 1953 and 1955. A 2 seat roadster, it was a development of the Sunbeam-Talbot 90 saloon car, initially conceived by a Bournemouth Sunbeam-Talbot dealer.  The engine was a 2.3 litre straight four engine from the saloon and the steel body was handmade by Thrupp and Maberley coachbuilders.   Sales were focussed on North America. Top speed of the production car was around 90mph and 0-60mph close to 19 seconds.  In a tuned works car Stirling Moss achieved nearly 120mph.  There was a MkI and later a MkIII but no MkII curiously. The six works cars entered just two events, the 1953 and 1954 Alpine Rallies.  In the 1953 event four of the Sunbeam-Alpines were awarded Coupes des Alpes for unpenalised runs.  Stirling Moss won  Coupe des Alpes in the works car in both years.

1973 Jidé 1600

Jidé 1600,  Tour Auto 2015

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Jidé, Châtillon sur Thouet, France.  Founded by Jacques Durand, who also later founder Scora, this marque existed from 1969 to 1973. They made one Coupé, that was originally powered by a Gordini R8 engine.  They had polyester bodies and were sold as either kit cars or fully constructed. Intended as a smaller alternative to the A110, about 130 were produced.   Its most famous driver was Jean Ragnotti who drove one in the Criterium de Cévennes Rally in which he finished seventh..  In 1969 an early Jidé competed in the Tour de France Automobile but did not finish.  in 1973 a Jidé finished second in the Spanish Costa del Sol Rally. Wins came in a number of French National Rallies including the 1972 Rallye du Poitou and the 1973 Ronde Limousin when driven by Henri Rimaudière.  Nowadays, these cars are quite rare but are still regularly spotted in historic rally events.

1968 Saab 96 V4

Jean-Claude Rouffet, Saab 96 V4, Montée Historique de Beaune-Saint Romain

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Saab, Trollhätten, Sweden.  The Saab 96 was a four seater two door saloon car produced for nearly twenty years between 1960 and 1980.  Initially it had a three cylinder two stroke 850cc Saab engine but in 1967 the 1,500cc Ford Taunus V4 option was offered as well. The V4 was later enlarged to 1,700cc.   The 2 stroke was discontinued in 1968. The body was functional and aerodynamic.  From 1965 the cars featured a longer nose as seen above.  The Saab 96 was a very successful rally car, due to its front wheel drive and reliability, particularly in the hands of Erik Carlsson who won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1962 and 1963 and the RAC Rally in 1960, 61 and 62.   He also won the San Remo, Acropolis and Czech rallies in a Saab 96.  The V4 achieved success by winning the Swedish Rally in 1973 driven Stig Blomqvist and in 1976 driven by Per Eklund.

MGB Roadster

Modified MGB Roadster, Montée Historique Beaune St Romain, 2016

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MG, Abingdon, England.  The MGB was a long lived sports car produced from 1962 to 1980.  The 2 seater convertible roadster was the first of the MGB models and was followed by the hatchback coupé the MGB GT.  The MGB was more powerful than the MG Midget and had the 1,800cc straight 4 BMC B series engine.   The MGC which followed had a 3 litre engine and can be distinguished by the bonnet bulge.  MGBs were successful in motor sport events both on the circuits of the world and in rallies.  The MGB Roadsters normally ran with hardtops in these events.  Hopkirk and Hedges finished 11th overall and second in their class in the 1965 Le Mans 24 hours.  Makinen and Rhodes fished 9th overall and won their class in the 1966 Targa Florio.

Simca Aronde 1300 (90A)

Simca Aronde at the 2016 American Legend in Lormaye.

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Simca, France.  Aronde means swallow in French hence the pretty emblem on this car.  This car pictured has a P60 badge on the side (see right) but looks more like the second generation Simca 1300 90A. The second generation Aronde was introduced in 1955 and was produced until 1958 and had a 1300cc engine.   The following P60 had a more modern looking body and full width conventional front grille.  The 1300 P90A had a top speed of over 80 mph but took over 20 seconds to reach 60mph.  In 1957 Simca made a wonderful; publicity stunt by taking a production model Aronde to Montlhery Autodrome and driving it for 38 days and 37 nights to cover 100,000 kilometres at an average speed of 113kph.  The Arondes also took part in and won some rallies.

1972 Chevrolet Corvette C3

A 1972 Chevrolet Corvette driven by Anthony Beltoise during the 2016 Tour Auto.

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Chevrolet, St Louis , USA.  The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the most iconic of American cars and has been produced by General Motors from the fifties.  The C3 was the third generation of Corvette and was manufactured from 1968 to 1982.  Engine (a V8) and chassis were largely a carry over from the second generation but it benefitted from a new body and interior.   The body design was quite similar to the 1965 Mako Shark II concept car.  They were available as coupes as in the photo or as the less popular convertible model.  The car in the picture is painted in the stars and stripes similar to the John Greenwood 1971 Sebring car that finished seventh and won its class in the 12 hour race. However, the Tour Auto heritage is of the Greder Corvettes rather than the Greenwood Corvettes.  In the Tour de France Automobile of 1969 Henri Greder came second driving a Chevrolet Corvette and Marie-Claude Beaumont came fifth in a Greder Corvette in 1972.  The C3 in the early seventies was a successful car in racing and rallying and a classic shape that most of us admire.

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso

Eric Hamoniau, Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, Tour Auto 2016

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Ferrari, Maranello, Italy.  Lusso means luxury in Italian and thus the 250 GT Lusso is a larger and more luxurious version of the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta.   It was not intended for racing but still some examples competed in the Tour de France (one finished 24th in 1964) and theTarga Florio (another finished 13th in 1964) in private hands.  It had a 0-60mph time of around 8 seconds and a top speed of around 150 mph.   Designed by Pininfarina, it had two seats, a steel Scaglietti body with some aluminium panels, and was powered by the 3 litre V12 engine similar to other 250s. Production was limited to 1963 and 1964.  A really beautiful car of which about 350 were made.

1965 Ferrari 275 GTB

Diego Ribadeneira, Ferrari 275GTB, Tour Auto 2016

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Ferrari, Maranello, Italy.  The 275 GTB was a 2 seater front engined GT car produced by Ferrari from 1964 to 1968.  It had a 3.3 litre V12 engine and was the first Ferrari road car with fully independent suspension all round.   The one in the picture is a long nosed version as the earlier ones had too much front end aerodynamic lift.  Pininfarina designed the body and it was built by Scaglietti.  Some were steel bodied and some were aluminium bodied.  This was perhaps the last in the line of the classic fifties and sixties V12 front engined wire wheeled Ferraris as the Daytona was something else again.  It was a great road car but of course many were raced as well.  Top speed was around 160mph and it had a 0-60mph time of around 6 seconds.  An Ecurie Franchorchamps competition version came third overall in the 1965 Le Mans 24 hours and won its class driven by Mairesse and Beurlys.

1950 Simca Gordini 1200

Simca Gordini, Montée Historique d'Epieds 2016

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Simca-Gordini, France. I think this has a motor and other components from a Simca 8 and it has Gordini on the grill  but it is unlike any other Simca-Gordini I have ever seen so I assume it is either a special or has been much modified (I am happy to be corrected).  It has turned up at a lot of events but I don't know its history.  Amédée Gordini, nicknamed Le Sorcier,  was a famous tuner and builder of racing cars who providing sporting interest to the Simca and Renault marques. Shortly after the war he built cars based on Simca-Fiat parts and in 1950 he made F1 and F2 single seaters and Le Mans sports cars based on Simcas but the relationshiop was to finish at the end of the 1951 season.

1993 Vector Avtech WX-3 Coupe

Vector Avtech WX-3 Coupe, Petersen Auto Museum Breakfast Club Cruise-In, January 2016

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Vector Motors, Wilmington, California, USA.  The WX-3 first appeared at the Geneva Motor Show in 1993.  Both a Coupe and a Roadster version were produced, but only one of each type was made. The Coupe had a twin turbo charged aluminium block 6 litre V8 engine. Vector Motors was formed by Gerald Wiegert.  The W in the WX stands for his name whilst the X signifies a prototype.   A big thing was made with Vector that the cars are "Made in the USA" but this didn't make the company a success.

2015 Jaguar F Type Project 7

Jaguar F Type Project 7, Petersen Museum Breakfast Club Cruise in, January 2016.

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Jaguar, Coventry, England.  The Project 7 is a 2015 special limited edition (250 only) version of the F Type.  It is an aluminium bodied convertible, has a D-Type headrest and special aerodynamics.  Top speed is over 180mph an it has a 0-60mph time of just under 4 seconds.  Power is provided by a supercharged 5 litre Jaguar V8. Faster on the straight and corners than the standard F Type it is the first vehicle to benefit from the attention of Jaguar/Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations. Made its debut at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed.   Rather desirable!