Love at second sight for Derek Bell and his very first sports car

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year, Derek Bell was reunited with the very first sports car he ever raced. And you’ll be surprised to hear that it wasn’t a Porsche…

First dance

Had Jacques Swaters of Ecurie Francorchamps not invited Derek Bell to drive his Ferrari 512S at Spa in 1970, who knows whether the young Brit would have forged the enduring and ultra-successful career in sports-car racing he subsequently enjoyed? Fortunately, the folks at Blackbird Automotive were on hand to capture the moment the pair was reunited at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, as documented in these two beautiful and evocative videos. Ensure the volume is turned well up for part two – the sound of that V12 is truly spine-tingling. As one commenter succinctly concludes, Derek’s ‘smile at the end says it all’. 

Hellendoorn Rally 2015

A mixed surface rally with a lot of rain, so a lot of mud.

A new Dawn for Rolls-Royce

With 80% new bodywork, the Rolls-Royce Dawn is (supposedly) more than just a drop-top Wraith…

Slated to arrive early next year, the Rolls-Royce Dawn will sit alongside the Wraith in the company’s model line-up. Despite the car’s lack of a roof, that ‘magic carpet’ ride allegedly remains intact, thanks to specially developed tyres and an all-new air suspension system. It’s also apparently the quietest convertible ever built, the fabric awning operating (in “complete silence”) up to speeds of 30mph. 

  

There is a certain something about it, or, as Rolls-Royce’s press release puts it, “In its tentative, inchoate, anticipatory state, dawn is the world coming to light from the ethereal dark of the night.” No, we’re not sure either. What we do know is that come next year, the Goodwood-based marque won’t be able to build them quick enough. 

Photos: Rolls-Royce

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