Cars

Ruby anniversary. With the BMW M1 E26 celebrating its 40th birthday this year, Bob Harper looks back at the man who was the driving force behind the project, and assesses how the car stacks up today Photography: Max Earey.

Chris Graham spotlights the BMW E21 3 Series; a model that spawned tremendous success for BMW and a new class of car for the popular motoring world. Buy yourself a slice of history using our full guide E21 3-Series.

Alfa 4C: the truth… Alfa Romeo 4C buyers’ guide. The truth about Alfa’s mid-engined sports car. Buyers’ Guide everything you need to know about buying, driving & owning. Underrated masterpiece? Flawed genius? Here’s the truth about Alfa Romeo’s controversial mid-engined sports car – and everything you need to look out for when buying a 4C. Story by Richard Dredge. Photography by Michael Ward.

Fanciers’ Guide Ever fancied a Porsche 928? Why not – it’s one of the finest GTs ever and at prices you wouldn’t believe… Forward Thinking. You can buy a 928 for pennies if not run one. But budget and buy right and you’ll own a brilliant GT that won’t break the bank either.

Maranello Magnifico Ferrari’s fab front runner Buying Guide Ferrari 550 and 575 It’s 50 years since Morgan launched its retro super car and it’s a golden time to own a Plus 8 before prices really soar. Sublime sports car ability twinned with GT cruising qualities, Ferrari’s return to a traditional design with the 456 marks later 550/575 as the modern Daytona for a lot less. Surprisingly good value for what it is but many haven’t been looked after so buy with the utmost care.

Mike Pitman says he likes to build his cars fast, and he likes to build ‘em custom, too. His VW Jetta here is the latest in a long line of out-the-box builds that has earned the title of a Pitman car. Words: David Kennedy. Photos: Viktor Benyi.

Engine V8 LS Mk1 Golf V8 Six-litre V8 power, space frame and tubbed rear- end! The Mk1 GTI originally came with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder and people absolutely raved about it. Imagine what they’d think to Connor Hofford’s six-litre V8 example then… Words: Tony Saggu. Photos: Viktor Benyi.

Passat goes V8 and AWD. We like a street sleeper as much as the next man and Tobias Herrmann’s all-wheel- drive, V8-powered Passat may just be our favourite Q-car to date. Words: Elliott Roberts. Photos: Lukasz Markowski.

Buying guide Ferrari F430 2004-2010. With some sensible checks and research, Modena’s V8 ‘baby Enzo’ could be yours from £80k Words by Peter Tomalin.

Fully-custom, wide-arch BMW 2002. If you crave pure driving pleasure, this wild, race-spec M10-powered, wide-arch 2002 delivers visceral automotive thrills like nothing else. Words: Elizabeth de Latour. Photos: Tony & Carmen Matthews.

It might look like a simple air-ride E28, but there’s a lot more to this beautiful, 2.8-swapped example than meets the eye… Words: Elizabeth de Latour. Photos: Krisztian Bolgar.

V-power 500 whp, 5.8 V10-swapped E30 M3 will rock your world. With car, engine and gearbox bought sight unseen, this E30 M3 V10 project was not an easy build, but the 5.8-litre, 500whp end result makes it all so worthwhile. Words and photos: Chris Nicholls.