Countach 5000 QV '88.5'

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While the original 1974 Countach is a timeless exercise in miminalist elegance, there's so much to love about the later models: the bulbous, swollen arches, the dashboard apparently designed by Etch-a-Sketch, the obscene girth of the rear tyres... and this Countach, the 88.5, is arguably the most lovable of them all.
The 5000 QV saw the engine bored and stroked to 5.2-litres, with four valves per cylinder (i.e. 'quattrovalvole', hence 'QV'), and the carbs were shifted from the sides to the top of the engine, creating that massive power bulge on the engine lid. In this guise, the wedgey Lamborghini produced 450bhp, and was able to hit 60mph in 4.1 seconds.
The 88.5 Countach was the 1988 model-year car that included all of the QV upgrades, but preceded the '89 model with its digital climate control and power windows. This particular one was the original car tested at launch by Performance Car magazine, and is one of only 14 RHD cars built to this spec. Until recently, it was on the forecourt of DK Engineering - sorry, though, lottery winners... they've sold it now. Still, click here and have a gawp.

'92 Civic V6 '4 Flaco'

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The extraordinary looks of this '92 Honda immediately give away the fact that some fairly outrageous modifications have taken place. I mean, the engine's sticking through the bonnet, for a start. And said engine is incongruously huge.
In fact, what's powering this Civic is a 3.2-litre V6 from an Acura TL (which, genetically-speaking, is basically a Honda Accord), mated to an Accord six-speed 'box. And it all had to be this extreme, because the Civic has a story to tell...
The owner, Miguel, was given the car by the parents of his friend Flaco. Flaco had died in a car accident some time previously, and his folks asked Miguel to build the car in a way that would make Flaco proud. So, of course, he had to pull out all the stops.
You can read the full story at Canibeat.

'68 Alfa GT Junior

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Built by the fastidious experts of Alfaholics, this GT Junior was sourced from Sicily as a solid but mechanically tired car. They rebuilt the suspension, brakes, gearbox and axle, then set about breathing new life into the engine bay with one of their infamous TS engines - big valves, 3D mapped ignition, and 216bhp.
The exterior is flawless, resplendent in its odd mustard shade (isn't it refreshing to see a GT Junior that's not red?), while the interior has been trimmed in leather and alcantara, with new Alfa Romeo branded carpets and a Nardi wheel. Under the skin reside 4-pot brakes, racy Konis, an 8-point 'cage and an LSD. Looks like bags of fun.
See Alfaholics for more.

'57 Bel Air

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The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is the archetypal nineteen-fifties American luxo-barge. It ticks all of the boxes of the era - acres of chrome, huge fins, a whacking-great V8 - and adds myriad details and embellishments to make it gloriously absurd: the bullet chrome embedded in the bonnet is a case in point.
The options list featured such thrilling possibilities as a Super Turbo Fire V8, Turboglide transmission, padded dashboard, and seatbelts (which were only ordered by 7.4% of buyers...). They're worth an absolute fortune now, too - I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, if somebody said to me 'American car', it was the '57 Bel Air that I thought of. It is, without a hint of hyperbole, a legend.
This '57 was shot by WMD - click here for more.

Mercedes-Benz World

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Mercedes-Benz World sits within the historic surroundings of the old Brooklands site in Surrey. It's a free attraction that features all manner of classic Mercedes road cars to admire, as well as various heroic race cars of yore. There's a Formula One area which features a whole host of M-B-powered F1 cars (including an artfully exploded example hanging from the ceiling from dozens of silver threads), while contemporary AMG models are very well represented; the AMG-specific exhibition hall was closed for refurbishment on our visit, but the 'Silver Arrows' display more than made up for it, with the likes of the CLS63, C63 and SLK55 smoking their tyres for the audience outside.
It's a family-friendly place, with a large café and swanky see-through lifts to take you between floors, and there are cheery greeters on the door to tell you where everything is and what time the displays will be happening. There are various things they do that we didn't take advantage of due to having a tiny baby with us - passenger rides, driving experiences etc - but it's good to know they're there, as I'll undoubtedly be popping back in the future. (Did I mention that entry was free...?!) On the whole then, thoroughly recommended. Click here for more details.

'67 NSU Prinz 4

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Well, here's an interesting thing: applying 'the treatment' to an NSU Prinz makes it look like a baby Chevrolet Corvair...
This 1967 Prinz 4 is a work in progress, and as you can see it's taking a few cues from the air-cooled VW scene, not least in those polished Fuchs alloys. Fitted as standard with a 30bhp 598cc twin, this one's unit has been turbocharged to triple that power figure - more than enough for giggles in a car that weighs just 570kg. (And look how at-home that boost gauge is!) It's sitting 100mm closer to the deck, it has a great bit of rake, and it's a fashionable shade of creamy beige. Very cool.
Remember those pictures of the Hindenburg Dirt Races? These Prinz shots are from the same photographer, Kai Petermann. Click here for more.