Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

With all the exceptional machines we have seen in vintage races and concours on both sides of the Atlantic, these eight cars were quite difficult to pick, but we feel we have come up with a good mix.
Surprisingly the fortieth anniversary of Ford's first win at Le Mans received little attention, but today we want to set that straight with a close look at the three GT40 Mk IIs that filled the first three places in 1966. Another almost forgotten anniversary was Lancia's ninetieth, which we celebrated earlier this year with the amazing D24 sports racer. Stirling Moss was a superstar driver in the 1950s and 60s and he's still going strong today. We were fortunate to capture him this season driving the unique Ferguson P99 four wheel drive F1 racer. Moss excelled in many different machines and on many tracks, but at the Nurburgring he really stood out. In 1960 he completed a unique hat-trick of wins in the grueling 1000 km sports car race with the featured Tipo 61 Birdcage.
Next up are two mid-engined Italian sportscars from an era when this engine layout was still revolutionary. In an attempt to test the market for a mid-engined road car Ferrari had Pininfarina 'dress-up' one of the 250 LMs, resulting in the one-off 250 LM Stradale. When the Serenissima 308 Jet pulled up at Villa d'Este in April, we had absolutely no clue what it was (a rare occurrence), but with some digging and help we managed to get a relatively clear picture.
This list would not be complete without a 1930s French car, or two. We have seen many very fine examples, but none struck us more than the breathtaking and highly advanced Bucciali TAV 8-32. A little more familiar is the Bugatti Type 50T Coupe Profilee with its beautiful Jean Bugatti styled body.
Next week we'll conclude 2006 with a round-up of the finest new machines launched in the past twelve months.

Enjoy the links:

Bucciali TAV 8-32 Saoutchik 'Fleche d'Or' Berline
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=2925

Bugatti Type 50T Coupe Profilee
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...php&carnum=986

Ferguson P99 Climax
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=2911

Ferrari 250 LM Pininfarina Stradale Speciale
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=2736

Ford GT40 Mk II
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=1089

Lancia D24 Sport Pinin Farina Spyder
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=2921

Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...php&carnum=295

Serenissima 308 Jet Competizione
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=2917

Regards,
Wouter Melissen