Next best thing

There are so many beautiful old cars that I would love to own, but the best of them are worth a fortune, so having models to handle and admire is closest I will come to acquiring such as a Bugatti Type 35C or Ferrari Dino.

Motoring writers tend to accumulate large collections of model cars, and I have been scouring mine for any surplus to requirement ones that can join the saleable items for our charity stand at next weekend's Beaulieu Autojumble. Here's one I won't part with, though. This beautiful little car is an Auto Union Typ C from around 1936. I'll probably never drive a real one, but this little miniature version, not quite four inches long, is one of my favourites.