Single Digit Devises | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

Stumbling across a one-off car is always interesting, and over the years my travels have meant I’ve been fortunate enough to stumble upon a handful of one-offs that were originally planned for production.

These include the unique Aston Martin Victor of 2020, the only Bentley version of the Rolls-Royce Camargue, made to special order with a traditional Bentley grille and special Fiat Dino Spider tail lamps, and the AC Mamba — a fastback coupé version of the 21^st century AC Cobra that was premiered at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard but never made production.

Many of the most sought and valuable cars in the world today were originally produced in low numbers, usually running into double figures at least, and increasingly now produced by the hundred. Consider a few of the most desirable collectors classics today and the chances are that only a handful will have been originally made.

Just 39 examples of the coveted Ferrari 250 GTO were made, for example, with only 19 of the original — and difficult to sell — Zagato-bodied Aston Martin DB4 GTZ built. The 31 road-going Mark III versions of the Ford GT40 were equally difficult to sell in period, as were the 64 road-legal McLaren F1s of the 106 cars built in total.

By achieving double-digit production numbers though, each of these machines are relatively prolific when compared to cars built in the single figures, as per the small following selection of rarities.

9:  Marcos Xylon ‘Ugly Duckling' (1959-61)

Despite Jackie Stewart cutting his motorsport competition teeth in a Marcos Xylon, the combination of the GT’s unusual aerodynamic styling and the then-unknown Marcos brand name scuppered the first Marcos’ chances against more established British sportscar rivals such as Lotus and Elva.

That nine customers coughed up for the inaugural Marcos model was quite an achievement, particularly with its odd styling. The production of other cars not to exceed nine examples includes the 1953 Frazer Nash LM Coupé, the 2007 Bowler Nemesis 07 and 1962 Turner GT.

8: Costin Amigo (1970-72)

Frank Costin (the Cos in Marcos) was a gifted automotive aerodynamicist that, prior to venturing into his own specialist sportscar business, fined tuned the airflow for a number of other road and racing sportscars for the likes of Marcos, Lister and Maserati. His short-lived Amigo employed contemporary Vauxhall Victor mechanicals mated to a wooden chassis enclosed by slippery coupé coachwork.

Hand-built in Bedfordshire, the Amigo was too extreme and expensive for most and the business soon failed after only eight examples had been built. Other cars with only eight models include the 1946-51 Gatsonides Gatso Coupé made by inventor of the Gatso speed camera, plus the 1952-54 Allard Palm Beach 21C, 21^st  Century Invicta S1 carbon fibre coupé, and the Reliant Kitten-based Stevens Cipher roadster.

7: Squire 1.5-Litre (1935-36)

Only seven examples of the sublime pre-war Squire 1.5-Litre were made on the outskirts of Henley-on-Thames. One man’s dream to create the perfect late 1930s sportscar, the svelte Squire enjoyed fine handling and fantastic brakes for its time, but the supercharged 1.5-litre Anzani R1 engine suffered teething troubles, which combined with the Squire’s high price, curtailed the car’s potential and the dream was all over with two years.

Seven examples of the 1954 Lotus Eight, the 1951-56 Bugatti 101, 1949-59 Cisitalia Abarth 204A and mad Danish Volvo-based Sommer Joker utility car were also made.

6: Bugatti Type 41 Royale (1927-33)

The world’s greatest car ever made (or the ultimate white elephant, depending on your viewpoint), only half-a-dozen examples of the imposing Bugatti Type 41 were ever built. More commonly known as the Royale, it was powered by an immense 24-valve, 304PS (224kW) straight-six engine later used to power Bugatti trains and was aimed uniquely at elite clientele.

Yet despite its magnificence, Bugatti only found a handful of takers, with six ultimately built over a six-year period and no two examples alike. All six Royales still survive, with two being housed in the Mulhouse National French Motor Museum. Other cars with just six examples built include the 1939 Aston Martin 2-Litre C-Type, the 1956 Saab 94 Sonett roadster, the 2002 Koenigsegg CC8S supercar and 1954 Abarth 500 GT Zagato.

5: Edwards America Sport Coupé (1954)

Inspired by seeing a Cisitalia 202 during a trip to Switzerland for the 1948 Winter Olympics, American Sterling Edwards excitedly returned to the US with plans to produce his own American GT. The result was the expensive Oldsmobile V8-powered Edwards America Sport Coupé. Just five examples were made, with two of them using a Lincoln engine, plus one Cadillac V8, in place of the Oldsmobile unit to power the attractive fibreglass GT coupé.

Five examples of the early 1970s mid-engined AMC AMX/3 were also made (in Italy), with the same small quantity of the ambitious rear-engined V8 Isotta Fraschini 8C Monterosa of 1947-49 and the unusual Norwegian Troll 2+2 Coupé.

4: Ferrari 250 Monza (1954 — and others)

Four seems to have been a magic number for Ferrari, with only a quartet of Maranello’s 250 Monzas made in 1954, plus four examples of the later 250 GT Pininfarina Coupé Speciales, four 1953 340 Mexicos by Vignale and four 330 P4s. Ferrari’s Italian compatriots at Alfa Romeo also built just four of the purposeful 2000 Sportiva of 1956, with the smaller ASA making only four 613 Rollbar sports models in 1963.  

3: Lea Francis Lynx (1960)

The Lea Francis Lynx was a failed attempt to revive the fortunes of the faltering Coventry premium car maker. Unveiled to a shocked audience at the 1960 Earls Court London Motor Show, the Lynx was a dumpy, rotund open-top sportscar using a six-cylinder Ford Zephyr engine in place of the trusted in-house Lea Francis motor. Painted in a brave mauve colour with gold-plated trim and fittings, these were enough to out off any self-respecting prospective buyer.

The Lynx’s ungainly styling and gaudy finish sadly sealed the fate of Lea Francis as a car maker, with just three examples ultimately being built. Other cars with just a trio of examples made include the wild 1970 Adams Probe 16 (as used in A Clockwork Orange), plus the 1950 Triumph TRX and TVR’s Speed 12 and Typhon of 2000-06.

2: Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘Uhlenhaut’ Coupé (1955)

Originally built for racing, but never used, the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Coupé (named after the Mercedes chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut) was the more sporting sibling for the famous gullwing Mercedes-Benz 300 SL models. Only two examples of the ‘Uhlenhaut’ SLR were made in the mid-1950s, with one sold in 2022 in a secret auction for a record €135million (£113million), making it the world’s most valuable car to date.

SLR differences over the ‘standard’ 300 SL are a more potent engine, plus improved aerodynamics with a more rounded slopping nose. The second SLR is retained by Mercedes-Benz in its own historic collection. Other rare and exceptional automotive twins include the Bristol Blenheim-based Speedster, the 1960-62 BSA Ladybird three-wheeler microcar, and the famous six-wheeled Panther Six.

1: Fitch Phoenix (1967)

With a production run of up to 50 units originally planned of the Chevrolet Corvair-powered Phoenix targa-roofed sportscar in the mid-1960s, ultimately only a single example of the ‘promise unfulfilled’ Fitch Phoenix was produced for the American ex-racing driver John Fitch.

Attractively styled by the former Bertone designer Franco Scaglione and hand-built in Turin by the experienced Frank Reisner of Intermeccanica, the 1967 Phoenix had all the right ingredients to create a strong demand sportscar, but despite a warm media reception to the rear-engined automobile in the US, the ‘delightfully different’ and ‘wickedly beautiful’  model failed to attract any sales orders when displayed at number of American Auto Shows and remained a ‘what might have been’ one-off.

Triumph Stag and Fitch Phoenix images courtesy of Bonhams|Cars.

Ferrari 250 Monza image courtesy of Getty Images.