CAFÉ RACER 76

Monica Vitti: As if she were designed by Pininfarina

The doe eyes. The sensual mouth. Those cheekbones… you could almost imagine this Italian beauty came from the pen of one of Pininfarina’s most talented designers, but Monica Vitti was a screen diva of the 1960s and very much her own creation.

Text: J. Philip Rathgen (Classic Driver)
Photos: Vitti Archive

Crime doesn't pay: The fastest police cars in history

Here at Classic Driver, we’re all for law and order – but when the police are equipped with these potent machines, it does seem a little unfair on Burglar Bill.

France: Renault Alpine A110

Even if the films of Louis de Funès suggest otherwise, the French Gendarmerie of the 1960s pursued not only nude swimmers on the beaches of Côte d'Azur, but also speeding motorists. In 1966, the ‘Brigade’ acquired their first Alpine A110, allowing them to keep pace with even the fastest Italian sports cars through the switchbacks.

England: Triumph TR4

The English Police Force was also appropriately equipped to deal with those breaching the speed limits – but we suspect its selection of squad cars went beyond the altruistic. In 1962, Southend-on-Sea’s law enforcement officers were equipped with several Triumph TR4 convertibles, a car more than capable of reeling in bank robbers in their Jaguar saloons. The Triumph proved popular and remained in service for some time – and the open configuration allowed even the tallest constables to retain their helmets in anticipation of a foot chase.

Germany: Porsche 911 Carrera

German law enforcement recognised the merits of its domestic car industry as early as the 1950s, and soon put a fleet of 356s into Highway Patrol service. Subsequently, the protective powers adopted the 911 as a pursuit vehicle: the mid-90s saw Southern Germany’s officers equipped with near-170mph capabilities, courtesy of this liveried 282bhp 993.

Netherlands: Spyker C8 Spyder

With a top speed of 186mph, the 400bhp Spyker used by the Dutch Police Department would have had few worthy adversaries. Unfortunately, it only remained in police livery for a single outing, its purpose being as a promotional tool rather than a pursuing one – Dutch Ferrari owners can now return to a relaxed state.

Italy: Lamborghini Gallardo

Because Lamborghini doesn’t have its own test track, since the 1960s it has tested its new cars on the highways surrounding its Sant'Agata headquarters. Therefore, a good rapport with the local police makes sense – and 2005 saw the Italian marque famously present a pair of Gallardos to the force. Officially, they’re used for duties such as urgent organ transport, but we’re sure the officers have conducted their own ‘testing’ at some point.

Dubai: Aston Martin One-77, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF...

Other countries, other customs. With so many high-end supercars on the roads of Dubai, the police force needed to upgrade just to keep up. Its fleet – already containing a Mercedes SLS, a Ferrari FF and a Lamborghini Aventador – was recently strengthened with a Bugatti Veyron and Aston Martin One-77, if these pictures are to be believed.

Text: Jan Baedeker (Classic Driver)

Marc Marquez meets Freddie Spencer

In a special Alpinestars event that was held at the Maxxess Megastore in Bordeaux, France last weekend, MotoGP rookie and the latest racing superstar Marc Marquez got to meet racing legend and three-time World Champion Freddie Spencer.

The encounter was to put Marquez and Spencer’s together after Marquez broke Spencer’s long standing record as as the youngest 500cc/MotoGP rider to win a race.

Marquez broke Spencer’s 31 year-old record during the inaugural GP at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas which was his second ever race in MotoGP and he did it at the age 20 years, 2 months, and 5 days old, while Fast Freddy was 20 years and 196 day old, when he won the 500cc Belgium Grand Prix in 1992 (he beat the record that was previously held by Mike Hailwood).

Spencer tweeted after the Austin race: “Great job to Marquez on being the youngest rider ever to win a #motogp race!! I feel very happy for Marc! Truly an incredible moment!! Best!”

During the Alpinestar event Spencer said, “It’s great. Hopefully, Marc may hold the record as long as I did; 31 years. For Marc to come along now and to perform like he has is great. Great to see, great for the sport!”

There is however one of Spencer’s record that Marquez will never be beat, like winning two different championships in the same year, as did the American rider in 1985 when he took both the 250cc and 500cc titles.

“I saw many videos and from what people explained to me, Freddie was always more or less like me, always pushing, never was enough,” said Marquez. “When you see he competed in two World Championships on a Sunday … now this I cannot imagine.”