Every year, during the summer season, the car-loving community is spoilt for choice with the absolute best events showcasing the absolute finest cars from the past, present and future. Events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which is part of the Monterey Car Week, and so on. Whether you’re into sports cars, race cars, concept cars or bespoke one-offs, there’s always something exciting to be discovered. During this week’s Monterey Car Week, which took place from August 8th to August 17th, it struck me that there was a whole range of unique new cars merging the old with the new. Sometimes in spirit or design only, but sometimes also physically, by using a vintage donor car to create something special. With that and mind, here are three cars that beautifully bridge the gap between past and present!

To some, it might be sacrilege to cut up a vintage Aston Martin, but to others, it’s just another project and cool as hell. I’m leaning towards the latter, as the work put on display by the Ring Brothers is of the absolute highest level. Think Singer or Gunther Werks, but not on Porsches. The company is based in the US and was founded by brothers Jim and Mike Ring. Brought up with a passion for cars from a very early age, Jim and Mike Ring have been building the most amazing cars for years, often winning top-tier award shows such as SEMA. Every project car is broken down to the smallest detail, and then carefully built back up again and turned into an incredible custom.
With the Aston Martin DBS “Octavia”, the Ring Brothers unveiled their most advanced build to date, and it sort of shows. Over 12,000 hours have been poured into this unique machine. It uses a 1971 Aston Martin DBS as a starting point, which has been extensively modified, yet has retained its striking character from bumper to bumper. Under the hood is a Wegner Motorsports supercharged 5.0-litre Coyote V8 pumping out a brutal 805 horsepower, which is sent to the rear wheels only through a Tremec six-speed manual gearbox.
The thoughtfully redesigned body has been drawn up in carbon fibre, the wheelbase has been lengthened, and it has an integrated structural cage to increase its rigidity. The original DBS’s muscular appearance has been enhanced with new bumpers front and rear, a bigger air intake on the hood, widened front and rear wheel arches and so on. Around the back, the signature ducktail spoiler has been kept, honouring William Townsend’s original design. Inside, a full custom interior is fitted with bespoke instruments, leather seats and more. It really is a work of art, and an absolute masterpiece if you ask me! The price? Other than it not being very relevant, seeing this is a commissioned one-off, it’s no doubt ‘significant’.
For more information, please visit RingBrothers.com.
Cemented in automotive history until the end of days, the McLaren F1 is regarded as the most important and legendary supercar ever created, not in the least for winning Le Mans in 1995. But what if it were designed and built today, along the same parameters as it was back in 1992? Would it look the same? Would it drive the same? And would it be as iconic? The one man to answer questions like that is Gordon Murray, the creator of the original. And to not only put things on paper, he’s actually built it!

The Gordon Murray Automotive S1 LM is a stunning homage and modern recreation of the original McLaren F1. And you’d be happy to learn no donor car has been sacrificed for this one! Instead, a client commissioned Gordon Murray to create an F1 as if it were designed and built in 2025. The S1 LM is based on the GMA T.50 yet looks eerily similar to the F1, but with a sharper, nipped-and-tucked exterior that also gets rid of the downforce-increasing rear fan system. It still has that unmistakable and purposeful F1 shape, with a triple air intake in the front, butterfly doors, central seating position, roof scoop, double round taillights, quad exhausts and a mighty F1 GTR-inspired rear wing.
All that is fine and dandy, of course, but what perhaps matters most is the fact that there’s again a naturally aspirated V12 in the back, linked to a six-speed manual transmission. It’s been bumped up to 6.2 litres of capacity, over the 6.1 litres of the original F1, and makes slightly more power; 690bhp instead of 625bhp. No stats on top speed or acceleration have been given, but knowing Gordon Murray’s devotion to analogue driving experiences, it will be plenty fast for sure!

The upside to the story is that it’s built in the first place, and that not one but five will be put on the road. The downside is that all are sold to the same client, so it’s unlikely you will ever come across one outside of an event like the Monterey Car Week, the Villa d’Este concours or Goodwood’s Festival of Speed.
For more information, please visit GordonMurrayAutomotive.com.
Three simple letters, LFG, sum up exactly what emotion the collaboration between Meyers Manx and Tuthill evokes: Let’s Freaking Go! Ok, it should say something else in the middle, and you get the idea, but let’s keep it clean here. Both Tuthill and Meyers Manx are responsible for some of the coolest cars in recent years. Tuthill has built some insane Porsche-based restomods, such as the GT One, a mad 911 GT1 homage, while Meyers Manx is forever known as the creator of the iconic Beach Buggy. Join those two things together, and you get the wickedly cool LFG Off-Roader!

What it comes down to is a merger of two worlds in the most creative way imaginable. The history and heritage of the Meyers Manx buggy is evident by its achievements, as it won the La Paz Rally, which led to the creation of the Baja 1000, was immortalised on the Big Screen by Steve McQueen in the movie ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’, and basically created an automotive subculture on its own. Pair that with Tuthill’s creative vision and engineering expertise, and the LFG is sure to be a riot of a car! Only 100 will be built, all fitted with a carbon fibre body, stubby wheels on the corners, advanced off-roading suspension, and apparently a range of engine options to choose from. This includes an engine derived from the one in the super lightweight Tuthill 911 (go watch the video on YouTube, it’s wild!)
The LFG is basically built to deliver the maximum amount of fun wherever you take it. It’s designed for experiences, and the first 20 cars built are eligible to enter the 2027 LFG 1000 rally, in commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of the original Meyer’s Manx “Old Red” Beach Buggy that sparked the whole dune buggy craze. There’s no word on performance, or pricing for that matter, but knowing Tuthill and Meyers Manx, it will be plenty fast, plenty fun and plenty pricey…

For more information, please visit Tuthill.uk or MeyersManx.com.
Editorial Note: The information used and images portrayed in this article are sourced from and used with permission of Ring Brothers, Tuthill, Meyers Manx and Gordon Murray Automotive unless stated otherwise.

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