Capital classics

Occasionally The Special breaks free of Carmarthenshire and heads to the capital with its Liberty carpet bag for a night at the Royal Automobile Club. A recent trip took in some motor-related sights, and not just cars but a couple of buildings too.

Our walk from Hanover Square to Pall Mall passed through Jermyn Street, where a 1999 Saab 9-3 made a pleasing change from the modern exotica that’s all too frequent around this part of London.

But exotica of a proper kind was on display in the RAC’s rotunda, in this case a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4.

Back out into Pall Mall we headed up to Lexington Street, where the origins of Lex Motor Group began. Before arriving there we passed the Windmill Theatre, which at one stage enjoyed connections with Sunbeam-Talbots.

It’s a short walk from the Windmill Theatre to where Lexington Street meets Brewer Street and the still-imposing Lex Garage, which today is an NCP car park, clings on defiantly, despite attempts in the early 2000s to demolish it. Built in 1929 it was one of the first car parks in Britain to feature a ramped design, and was designed to serve theatreland.

A later evening stroll revealed a 1974 Citroen DS and a 1990 Saab 900 Turbo: ok, just two classics floating around St James, but certainly better than none.