They called it ugly, they called it crazy, but this cross-eyed supercar saved a 100-year-old car company. The Morgan Aero 8 is one of the most unusual supercars ever built. With its famously cross-eyed headlights, hand-crafted wooden frame, and a BMW V8 under the bonnet, the Aero 8 divided opinions from the moment it launched. Some called it ugly, others called it a masterpiece, but everyone had something to say.

With GT3 racing in full bloom, we went to see William I'Anson to take a closer look at two cars that helped shape the early years of the category: the Morgan Aero Super Sport and the Aston Martin DBRS9. Enjoy the onboard lap of Portimao at the end!

This 1964 Race-Spec Classic Mini was built by 22-year-old Galen, a highly talented engineering student at the University of Bristol and a long-time Custodian user. We’ve been following his impressive build journey on Custodian and his Instagram page @galens.garage, and couldn’t resist coming down to see it in person.

Today, Jaguar is rebranding itself for an electric future, but rewind the clock three decades, and things looked very different. A one-make race series, Le Mans victories, speed records, Jaguar was riding a wave of success. Amid this optimism, Jaguar’s engineers sought to create something truly special, and it was in this environment that two of their most extreme supercars would emerge, the JaguarSport XJR-15 and the Jaguar XJ220.

In many ways, the 250 SWB represents the zenith of Ferrari’s 1950s philosophy: a car that one could race on Sunday and drive to work on Monday, or rather, race on a Sunday then drive to the Casino in Monte Carlo. It was the ultimate dual purpose GT.

Up to this point, Ferrari had spent decades perfecting front-engined V12s—because Enzo himself famously insisted that true Ferraris had twelve cylinders. But by the early '70s, the world was changing, and Ferrari had to change with it. Enter the 308: mid-engined, V8-powered, and unapologetically modern. Despite breaking with tradition, it became a smash hit and laid the groundwork for a new lineage—one that would evolve through icons like the 355, 360, F430, and 458.

Racing is in Alfa Romeo’s DNA, and their victories on track have been used to uphold Alfa’s status as a charming Italian sports car manufacturer ever since. This motorsport driven approach was more important than ever during the 1970’s, when an oil crisis, political unrest and high inflation weren’t exactly conducive to a sports car bull market, and it was in this environment that the Alfetta GTV would make its mark.

De Tomaso has a number of models to its name but nothing says “De Tomaso” quite like its most popular model, the Pantera. Debuting in Modena in March 1970, it was sold in the U.S. between 1971 and 1974 and was the joint effort of Ford and De Tomaso to replace the Shelby Cobra and rival the Chevrolet Corvette and Ferrari Dino.

In 1971 a Datsun 240z won the East African Safari Rally. The win was a testament to the 240z's build quality and engineering, and gave Datsun some serious street cred. It was also a win that inspired privateers to go racing in their Datsun's, and that's where this car comes in. It's a fully equipped, incredibly capable, historic rally car and it's a lot of fun to drive!

A side effect of motorsport regulations, the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth was the rebellious offspring of racing ambitions and road-going necessity. In Group A spec, the RS500 would go on to dominate the Touring Car circuit and become one of the most successful racing cars of all time.

In March 2024, the last Audi R8 rolled off the production line. It was Audi’s first attempt at a supercar and boy did they do a good job. But not only was the R8 a phenomenal car, it also helped to make Lamborghini viable for long enough to start building the SUVs that have guaranteed its future.

The 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, immortalised by Steve McQueen in the movie ‘Bullitt’, is a cultural icon. But its path to becoming Ford’s best selling post war car during the 1960’s was not all that straightforward. Especially when all the other big American manufacturers wanted a slice of the pony car pie.

To many, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL established the beach head as the world's first supercar, but its road to success was not without difficulty. In the aftermath of World War II, Germany was in recovery, and the W194 300SL racing car was built using components from the large, heavy S-Class. Yet, despite its humble origins, the W194 dominated nearly every race it entered. With encouragement from U.S. Mercedes-Benz importer Max Hoffmann, Stuttgart transformed the racing legend into a road-going masterpiece—one that would become universally celebrated as one of the greatest cars ever made.

Water cooled engines, fried egg headlights, an updated interior…it’s no secret that the 996 signified a departure from some of the long standing traditions of the 911, but it also laid the foundations for something rather special - the GT3.

The MG XPower SV-R - the car that would remind the world what MG was all about. This V8 brute was the offspring of the MG Rover group, which operated between 2000 and 2005. The group was formed after BMW sold its Rover subsidiary for a whopping £10 in May 2000, and it was bought by a group of businessmen known as the Phoenix Consortium, headed by ex-Rover Chief Exec John Towers.

It’s thought that this Talbot-Lago T23 was delivered new in 1938 to racing driver Louis Rosier, alongside a T150 SS Coupé by Figoni et Falaschi. French ace Rosier would go on to serve with the Resistance during the war, before establishing himself as one of the leading Grand Prix drivers of the late 1940s and early ’50s. Although he was an excellent Grand Prix driver, his most famous success came in sports cars, when he won the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours in a Talbot-Lago T26 GS. He drove the endurance classic almost single-handed, his son Jean-Louis completing only a couple of laps as his co-driver.

Italian styling, British engineering, and the 1960’s - combine all 3 ingredients and you get one of the world’s most iconic cars, the Aston Martin DB5. Sure, there are a few other ingredients to add to that mix, such as the entrepreneurial might of David Brown, the engineering exploits of Tadek Marek and of course the world’s least secret, secret agent - James Bond. Fortunately for us, our partner dealer Nicholas Mee & Co happened to have a Silver Birch DB5 in their showroom, so we went along to take a closer look.

The Alfa Romeo SZ or 'Il Mostro' (the monster), was a high performance sports car that became one of the most divisive Italian cars ever made. It was planned as an attempt to revive Alfa Romeo's sporting heritage and was developed to recall the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato from the late 1950s and early 1960s. Fortunately for us, one of our partner dealers - The Classic Motor Hub - have one in stock, and we went along to take a closer look.

In a small studio just south of Bath in the west of England, Tim Layzell immerses himself in the nostalgia of vintage racing, reviving its sounds, colours, speed, and danger with every brushstroke. In a relatively short time, Tim has risen to become one of the world's leading automotive artists, highly sought after by an expanding group of serious collectors for his distinctive, dynamic style and deep expertise in the subject. We caught up with him to discuss his signature style, and his own racing exploits.

From the humble beginnings of racing a Standard 10 and Triumph TR3 at Goodwood, to triumph at Le Mans in 1970 driving one of the fastest and most dangerous machines ever created, Richard is one of motorsports’ restrained yet ebullient stars. This week, we had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with him, and we talked all things Grand Prix racing, Le Mans, Jim Clark, the Targa Florio, and much more. We hope you enjoy.

The history of Venturi is an interesting one, and it all started in 1984 with Claude Poiraud & Gerard Godfroy. An engineer and a designer, both working at Heuliez. Their plan? Build the ultimate French GT car to rival the Astons, Porsches and Ferraris of the time.

Hootie Rashidifard launched the popular Instagram page @valveandpiston in 2016, growing it into a community of over 370,000 car enthusiasts. Known for curating some of the coolest automotive content on the internet, Hootie has forged strong connections with a global audience while also building an impressive personal car collection. His garage includes a heavily modified 1973 BMW 2002 Touring, a 1995 Porsche 911, and a 2006 Land Rover Discovery as his trusty recovery vehicle. Recently, he expanded his ventures by founding the 24 Hours of Montauk, a Long Island rally that brings together influential figures from different domains, all uniting over their love of cars. Past participants have included visionary artist Daniel Arsham, the Oilstainlab twins, and renowned US collector, Jas Dhillon.

This week on The Apex we sat down for a conversation with Martin Popilka, CEO of P1 Fuels. They are a company leading the development of 100% fossil free fuel, and are the official fuel supplier for the World Rally Championship. Their mission is to change the fuel, not the car, and their work extends beyond motorsport and into the world of classic and everyday vehicles. Sebastian Vettel is also a regular customer, and uses their fuel to run his classic F1 cars! It was an insightful, eye opening conversation that left us feeling optimistic about the future of the internal combustion engine.

William I'Anson specialises in the sale and acquisition of some of the most iconic and historic racing cars ever built. From Grand Prix Bugattis, Jaguar D Types to Group C Legends, the calibre of cars is truly extraordinary. He has also raced a bunch of them, and has lived and breathed the car community for his entire life. So if you love classic cars and you are into your historic racing, Will's insights are truly invaluable.

Michał Fidowicz is fast becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the world of automotive video-journalism. His Instagram page, @candyshowroom, has a dedicated following of over 60,000, with the majority of that growth happening in the last 6 months alone. The videos he produces with his best friend and cameraman, Matt Martin, are quirky, well written, and evoke a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of the "golden era" of Top Gear. Which is hardly a surprise when you realise English is his second language, and he was essentially taught how to speak it by the writings of Richard Porter, and the presenting style of Clarkson, Hammond and May.

In the 1990s, Dodge did something unthinkable. While most manufacturers were chasing fuel efficiency and real-world practicality, they decided to build an 8-litre, ten-cylinder leviathan with no traction control, no airbags, not even real windows. This was the Dodge Viper, and the 1996 RT/10 you’re looking at here captures it in its purest form.

Back in the late 1990s, Aston Martin was building a tiny handful of big, old-school GTs. The Jaguar-based DB7 was keeping the company afloat financially, but Aston needed something bold, entirely new, and entirely their own to prove that the winged badge had a future. Enter the Vanquish.

This is the Renault Alpine GTA Turbo Cabriolet by Pahnhenrich - a rare, roofless French exotic built not by the factory, but by a determined German Renault dealer who decided Alpine had missed a trick.

They called it ugly, they called it crazy, but this cross-eyed supercar saved a 100-year-old car company. The Morgan Aero 8 is one of the most unusual supercars ever built. With its famously cross-eyed headlights, hand-crafted wooden frame, and a BMW V8 under the bonnet, the Aero 8 divided opinions from the moment it launched. Some called it ugly, others called it a masterpiece, but everyone had something to say.

With GT3 racing in full bloom, we went to see William I'Anson to take a closer look at two cars that helped shape the early years of the category: the Morgan Aero Super Sport and the Aston Martin DBRS9. Enjoy the onboard lap of Portimao at the end!

This 1964 Race-Spec Classic Mini was built by 22-year-old Galen, a highly talented engineering student at the University of Bristol and a long-time Custodian user. We’ve been following his impressive build journey on Custodian and his Instagram page @galens.garage, and couldn’t resist coming down to see it in person.

Today, Jaguar is rebranding itself for an electric future, but rewind the clock three decades, and things looked very different. A one-make race series, Le Mans victories, speed records, Jaguar was riding a wave of success. Amid this optimism, Jaguar’s engineers sought to create something truly special, and it was in this environment that two of their most extreme supercars would emerge, the JaguarSport XJR-15 and the Jaguar XJ220.

In many ways, the 250 SWB represents the zenith of Ferrari’s 1950s philosophy: a car that one could race on Sunday and drive to work on Monday, or rather, race on a Sunday then drive to the Casino in Monte Carlo. It was the ultimate dual purpose GT.

Up to this point, Ferrari had spent decades perfecting front-engined V12s—because Enzo himself famously insisted that true Ferraris had twelve cylinders. But by the early '70s, the world was changing, and Ferrari had to change with it. Enter the 308: mid-engined, V8-powered, and unapologetically modern. Despite breaking with tradition, it became a smash hit and laid the groundwork for a new lineage—one that would evolve through icons like the 355, 360, F430, and 458.

Racing is in Alfa Romeo’s DNA, and their victories on track have been used to uphold Alfa’s status as a charming Italian sports car manufacturer ever since. This motorsport driven approach was more important than ever during the 1970’s, when an oil crisis, political unrest and high inflation weren’t exactly conducive to a sports car bull market, and it was in this environment that the Alfetta GTV would make its mark.

De Tomaso has a number of models to its name but nothing says “De Tomaso” quite like its most popular model, the Pantera. Debuting in Modena in March 1970, it was sold in the U.S. between 1971 and 1974 and was the joint effort of Ford and De Tomaso to replace the Shelby Cobra and rival the Chevrolet Corvette and Ferrari Dino.

In 1971 a Datsun 240z won the East African Safari Rally. The win was a testament to the 240z's build quality and engineering, and gave Datsun some serious street cred. It was also a win that inspired privateers to go racing in their Datsun's, and that's where this car comes in. It's a fully equipped, incredibly capable, historic rally car and it's a lot of fun to drive!

A side effect of motorsport regulations, the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth was the rebellious offspring of racing ambitions and road-going necessity. In Group A spec, the RS500 would go on to dominate the Touring Car circuit and become one of the most successful racing cars of all time.

In March 2024, the last Audi R8 rolled off the production line. It was Audi’s first attempt at a supercar and boy did they do a good job. But not only was the R8 a phenomenal car, it also helped to make Lamborghini viable for long enough to start building the SUVs that have guaranteed its future.

The 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, immortalised by Steve McQueen in the movie ‘Bullitt’, is a cultural icon. But its path to becoming Ford’s best selling post war car during the 1960’s was not all that straightforward. Especially when all the other big American manufacturers wanted a slice of the pony car pie.

To many, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL established the beach head as the world's first supercar, but its road to success was not without difficulty. In the aftermath of World War II, Germany was in recovery, and the W194 300SL racing car was built using components from the large, heavy S-Class. Yet, despite its humble origins, the W194 dominated nearly every race it entered. With encouragement from U.S. Mercedes-Benz importer Max Hoffmann, Stuttgart transformed the racing legend into a road-going masterpiece—one that would become universally celebrated as one of the greatest cars ever made.

Water cooled engines, fried egg headlights, an updated interior…it’s no secret that the 996 signified a departure from some of the long standing traditions of the 911, but it also laid the foundations for something rather special - the GT3.

The MG XPower SV-R - the car that would remind the world what MG was all about. This V8 brute was the offspring of the MG Rover group, which operated between 2000 and 2005. The group was formed after BMW sold its Rover subsidiary for a whopping £10 in May 2000, and it was bought by a group of businessmen known as the Phoenix Consortium, headed by ex-Rover Chief Exec John Towers.

It’s thought that this Talbot-Lago T23 was delivered new in 1938 to racing driver Louis Rosier, alongside a T150 SS Coupé by Figoni et Falaschi. French ace Rosier would go on to serve with the Resistance during the war, before establishing himself as one of the leading Grand Prix drivers of the late 1940s and early ’50s. Although he was an excellent Grand Prix driver, his most famous success came in sports cars, when he won the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours in a Talbot-Lago T26 GS. He drove the endurance classic almost single-handed, his son Jean-Louis completing only a couple of laps as his co-driver.

Italian styling, British engineering, and the 1960’s - combine all 3 ingredients and you get one of the world’s most iconic cars, the Aston Martin DB5. Sure, there are a few other ingredients to add to that mix, such as the entrepreneurial might of David Brown, the engineering exploits of Tadek Marek and of course the world’s least secret, secret agent - James Bond. Fortunately for us, our partner dealer Nicholas Mee & Co happened to have a Silver Birch DB5 in their showroom, so we went along to take a closer look.

The Alfa Romeo SZ or 'Il Mostro' (the monster), was a high performance sports car that became one of the most divisive Italian cars ever made. It was planned as an attempt to revive Alfa Romeo's sporting heritage and was developed to recall the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato from the late 1950s and early 1960s. Fortunately for us, one of our partner dealers - The Classic Motor Hub - have one in stock, and we went along to take a closer look.

In a small studio just south of Bath in the west of England, Tim Layzell immerses himself in the nostalgia of vintage racing, reviving its sounds, colours, speed, and danger with every brushstroke. In a relatively short time, Tim has risen to become one of the world's leading automotive artists, highly sought after by an expanding group of serious collectors for his distinctive, dynamic style and deep expertise in the subject. We caught up with him to discuss his signature style, and his own racing exploits.

From the humble beginnings of racing a Standard 10 and Triumph TR3 at Goodwood, to triumph at Le Mans in 1970 driving one of the fastest and most dangerous machines ever created, Richard is one of motorsports’ restrained yet ebullient stars. This week, we had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with him, and we talked all things Grand Prix racing, Le Mans, Jim Clark, the Targa Florio, and much more. We hope you enjoy.

The history of Venturi is an interesting one, and it all started in 1984 with Claude Poiraud & Gerard Godfroy. An engineer and a designer, both working at Heuliez. Their plan? Build the ultimate French GT car to rival the Astons, Porsches and Ferraris of the time.

Hootie Rashidifard launched the popular Instagram page @valveandpiston in 2016, growing it into a community of over 370,000 car enthusiasts. Known for curating some of the coolest automotive content on the internet, Hootie has forged strong connections with a global audience while also building an impressive personal car collection. His garage includes a heavily modified 1973 BMW 2002 Touring, a 1995 Porsche 911, and a 2006 Land Rover Discovery as his trusty recovery vehicle. Recently, he expanded his ventures by founding the 24 Hours of Montauk, a Long Island rally that brings together influential figures from different domains, all uniting over their love of cars. Past participants have included visionary artist Daniel Arsham, the Oilstainlab twins, and renowned US collector, Jas Dhillon.

This week on The Apex we sat down for a conversation with Martin Popilka, CEO of P1 Fuels. They are a company leading the development of 100% fossil free fuel, and are the official fuel supplier for the World Rally Championship. Their mission is to change the fuel, not the car, and their work extends beyond motorsport and into the world of classic and everyday vehicles. Sebastian Vettel is also a regular customer, and uses their fuel to run his classic F1 cars! It was an insightful, eye opening conversation that left us feeling optimistic about the future of the internal combustion engine.

William I'Anson specialises in the sale and acquisition of some of the most iconic and historic racing cars ever built. From Grand Prix Bugattis, Jaguar D Types to Group C Legends, the calibre of cars is truly extraordinary. He has also raced a bunch of them, and has lived and breathed the car community for his entire life. So if you love classic cars and you are into your historic racing, Will's insights are truly invaluable.

Michał Fidowicz is fast becoming one of the most recognisable faces in the world of automotive video-journalism. His Instagram page, @candyshowroom, has a dedicated following of over 60,000, with the majority of that growth happening in the last 6 months alone. The videos he produces with his best friend and cameraman, Matt Martin, are quirky, well written, and evoke a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of the "golden era" of Top Gear. Which is hardly a surprise when you realise English is his second language, and he was essentially taught how to speak it by the writings of Richard Porter, and the presenting style of Clarkson, Hammond and May.