Category Archives: Design

Behold: the Aston Martin V12 Speedster – a breezy call-back to the open-cockpit (you’ll be wearing a racing helmet) prototype race cars of the 50s and 60s.

Designed from scratch in a year by Aston Martin’s Q division and completely unchanged from the initial concept, the car is currently undergoing road-testing. The twin-turbo 700bhp racer wears a swooping carbon fibre shell on a bonded aluminium chassis with roadholding assisted by adaptive dampers and massive carbon brakes.

Only 88 will be made and they may all be sold already so you can put away that €841,000 in used twenties.

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Behold: the 1952 Ferrari Arno XI Hydroplane – developed to set the speed record in the 800kg class by Cantieri Timossi and the Ferrari Scuderia F1 team.

Fitted with a race-prepped Grand Prix engine adapted to burn methanol, the 502bhp speedboat driven by Achille Castoldi set a 150.49mph (242.2km’h) record that still stands today.

Currently undergoing a complete restoration by Ferrari Classiche, it’s available to buy (complete with full documentation, hundreds of period photographs, handwritten notes from Ferrari’s engineers, and a copy of the U.I.M. record certification that attests to Castoldi’s 1953 speed record.)

Price on application

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Behold: the 2021 BMW R1250 GS – newest descendent of the 1980 R 80 G/S, which effectively established the ‘adventure bike’ market and is still BMW Motorrad’s best selling model.

40 years on, the R1250 retains the same 136bhp power plant (and optional black and yellow livery) as its predecessor, with new features like adaptive cornering LED headlights, heated seat and pillion, ABS brakes and Dynamic Traction Control. A more rugged variant – the R 1250 GS Adventure – will come with full crash protection, auxiliary lighting, luggage racks and a taller windscreen.

Yours for around €15,500.

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