The man with the Monstre

Marco has an interest in another car, and a very unusual one. He’s formed a friendship with Derek Drinkwater, a gifted engineer and car builder who’s known for creating mobile catering devices from memorable vehicles – the Fire Engine Bar was the first. Derek’s other great passion is historic motorsport, and after an adventure at the 2016 Le Mans Classic with a Cadillac coupé, he came up with an ambitious idea: why not replicate the 1950 Le Mans racer built for Briggs Cunningham on a Cadillac chassis, and nicknamed Le Monstre?

Amazingly, Derek accomplished this in time for the 2018 Le Mans Classic, making a huge impression on everyone who saw this bizarre slab of a car on track. Derek has looked after many of Marco’s cars and Marco has now invested into the project, partly to help Derek fund restoration of a classic NASCAR. What’s Le Monstre really like? “Tricky to drive!” says Marco. “It has a unique five-carburettor set-up and it’s a very faithful replica.” Interested? Le Monstre has confirmed entry for the 2021 Le Mans Classic, so if the world gets back to normal we can see it on track again during the first weekend in July.