RUNNERS UP
The only surviving Isotta Fraschini 8C Monterosas (one a Touringbodied sedan, the other a Boneschibodied convertible) were liberated from long-term storage by Corrado Lopresto and returned to the road with the help of recently unearthed archive material and a team happy to sweat the small stuff: the cars had been subjected to some shoddy work in the 1980s, and every last part was scrutinised for originality, then replaced or re-restored as appropriate. A superhuman effort saw the Isottas completed just in time to be shown at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Few cars have inspired greater delight in concours-goers this year than this shapely Frua-bodied Fiat 1100 Spider. By the time the current owner acquired the car it was less than perfect. It was driven as bought on the 2016 Mille Miglia but was then entrusted to Carrozzeria Gatti in Bergamo to be returned to original specification, the work overseen by historian Donald Osborne, who contributed valuable research in the name of absolute correctness. The finished car was shown at Villa d’Este, 70 years a er its first appearance there, and subsequently at the Concours of Elegance.
When William Medcalf was led to a house in West London, he discovered the only known surviving Bentley 4½ Litre Victor Broom Drophead . In boxes. And bags, and drawers, and jam jars. The bodywork was stashed on top of a lock-up near the house. The bits were gathered up and the car reassembled in 2015, but only now has it been sympathetically restored. Great care was taken to ensure that the original finish of the well-preserved components was retained, and the car stands as an important reference as well as an impressive machine ready for enthusiastic use once again.
Kevin Morfett’s obsession with this car goes back more than 30 years. The Porsche 911 S/T raced by Gérard Larrousse on the 1970 Tour de France had fallen off the radar, every trail turning cold. Ten years ago Morfett, who runs Porsche specialist Historika, finally found it – but proving the car’s identity was not straightforward. Eventually the crucial files were discovered in Porsche’s own archive, and Morfett spent several more years gathering original period parts for a restoration that was completed late last year – and given the thumbs-up by Larrousse himself.