Exceptional Cars – serie

The Alfa Romeo T33/TT/3 was produced by Alfa’s Autodelta racing department, under the guidance of Carlo Chiti, to compete in the 1972 World Championship for Makes. Hopes were high, as the previously dominant Group 5 racers (including the Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s) had been outlawed in favour of 3-litre Group 6 cars, such as the Alfa. However, the Alfas struggled to take the fight to the well-developed and reliable Ferrari 312PBs, though scored regular podium positions. The highlight was a second place in the epic Targa Florio Sicilian road race, where Helmut Marko put in a stirring drive to come within seconds of victory. Marko was driving chassis 115.72.002, the most successful of the T33/TT/3 chassis Alfa Romeo T33/TT/3 tells the full story of the T33/TT/3, with an emphasis on the fascinating history of chassis 115.72.002, which competed in seven world championship rounds in 1972. The car would later have a unique second career on the race circuits and hill climbs of Greece, before racing in Japan and South Africa prior to an eventual return to Europe, where it is still a frequent competitor in historic events. The unique history and success of 115.72.002 makes it a worthy addition to Porter Press’s acclaimed Exceptional Cars series.

The First Three Shelby Cobras, the third book in the acclaimed Exceptional Cars series, tells the story of three remarkable cars, the first AC Cobras created by the legendary Carroll Shelby in 1962 and now favorites of sports-car enthusiasts throughout the world. The prototype CSX2000 has been described as the “most important American car”, although it was built on a British AC Ace chassis with an American Ford V8 engine. It was retained by the Shelby family until 2016, when it sold at auction for a record $13.75 million. CSX2001 was the first production Cobra, and was delivered to American racing driver Ed Hugus. It was later sold to Frenchman Jean-Marie Vincent, who raced in the Tour de France and in numerous European hillclimbs.  CSX2002 was the first Cobra to race and nearly won its inaugural outing at Riverside, driven by Bill Krause, until sidelined by a broken rear hub. It did take the first ever Cobra win, with Dave MacDonald at Tucson in March 1963. Its success led to a series of competition wins that made Shelby's Cobras famous and admired across the globe. All three cars are now the pride of car collections in the United States of America. CSX2000 and CSX2002 are part of the Larry Miller Collection, and CSX2001 belongs to California-based motorsport aficionado Bruce Meyer.

This book tells the story of one of the six alloy-bodied XK 120s that were prepared by Jaguar in 1950 for racing and rallying. This one, known as JWK 651 because of the registration number, was owned by Leslie Johnson and raced by him in some of the most prestigious events of the time, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Mille Miglia (twice) and the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod. Beyond that, Johnson and up-and-coming racing driver Stirling Moss visited the speed bowl at Montlhery for a record-breaking attempt, and Johnson also took part in the RAC Rally. In 1950, the car lay in second place in the Le Mans 24 Hours after 15 hours and was gaining on the leaders when the clutch failed. Besides this diverse and distinguished period competition career, the book tells the story of the later life of this most significant XK 120. The book includes a wealth of period photographs as well as a portfolio of magnificent studio images

This book tells the story of Ford GT40 Mark II, chassis no. P/1016, one of the trio of cars that crossed the finishing line together at Le Mans in 1966 to score Ford’s first victory in the 24 Hour race. The Mark II was a development of the original Ford GT with a monstrous 7 litre V8 engine. 1016 made its racing debut at Daytona in January 1966 and was entered at Le Mans by Holman & Moody with a distinctive gold and pink color scheme. Driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson, it finished in third place behind the similar cars of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon and Ken Miles and Denny Hulme.

The latest in the Exceptional Cars series tells the story of one of the two cars bought by The Automovil Club Argentino (ACA). Painted in the bright blue and yellow Argentine racing colours, 1600 was to play an important role in the Argentine team's international expeditions to Europe. Fangio won two races in the car, the most important being at Pau in 1950, where he repeated his win in the ACA sister car a year earlier. As well as a detailed chronicle of the car’s highs and lows, the text includes profiles of the drivers who raced in 1600 and a personal account of driving and running the car by a former owner who describes the daunting task of re-creating a Maserati 4CLT engine from scratch.