THIS MONTH

July 2012 • Volume 31 No 4 • On sale 7 June

Lotus Elan at 50

102 Colin Chapman’s masterpiece, half a century on

158 Ford’s RS500 homologation hero on track

114 How a once-awkward Squire roadster blossomed into a pre-war glamourpuss

120 Abingdon revolution: gorgeous MGA driven on the old factory test routes

NEWS Editorial

The gallery

News & events

Your events

Sport

Lost & found

8

10

12

21

28

32

COMMENT Mick Walsh From the cockpit 41 Alain de Cadenet Inside line 43 James Elliott Misfire 45 Simon Taylor Full throttle 47 Martin Buckley Backfire 49 Letters 51 REVIEWS Motoring art 54 Books 57 Models 61 Automobilia 63 Classic shrines 65 Next month 69

FEATURES Elan family tree

102

From S1 to Sprint, plus racing 26R and the practical four-seater +2s Lotus, repositioned 110 Elans that Chapman didn’t approve Squire Corsica 114 British-bodied supercharged beauty MGA on tour 120 Charmed by the first modern MG Top Ten flying Finns 128 Rallying genius from the frozen north Scirocco vs Alfasud 132 Giugiaro’s coupé twins for VWand Alfa Bugatti Type 57C 140 An Aerodynamic Coach built for Ettore TVR Taimar Turbo 146 Boss Wheeler’s first Lancashire bomber Mercedes vs Bristol 152 Subtle delights of the 220S and 406 Ford Sierra Cosworth 158 RS500 road car meets full-bore racer Autobianchi A112s 164 The Italian riposte to the upstart Mini

How to buy a brilliant Mercedes SL without getting your fingers burnt 198

181 Classic looks with Neue mechanicals... pure Klasse in Your classics

183 New tech: Mini gets a head in Garage gear

LIVING WITH CLASSICS Subscribe! 08448 488835 170 Our classics 172 Your classics BMW 1600 181 Garage gear 183 Specialist 185

BUYING AND SELLING Auctions 188 Market place 196 Buyer’s guide Merc R107 198 Case histories start on 211 30 years of C&SC 282

July 2012 Classic & Sports Car 7