crankandpiston’s been on the prowl again at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Now while our own Phil McGovern has had plenty of opportunities to soak up the unique ambience at this historic event, that certainly doesn’t mean he’s been lazy with the shutter finger…

…recklessly risking a scuffed elbow in pursuit of ‘the epic shot’. And as these pictures attest, he’s stumbled across more than enough automotive masterpieces to make that a reality this weekend.

Take this road legal single-seater for example from British independent BAC (Briggs Automotive Company) Ltd. This single-seater newboy – the Mono – houses a 280bhp 2.3l four-cylinder Cosworth engine, and thanks to copious amounts of carbon fibre weighs just 540kg. That equates, by the way, to 520bhp per tonne, a 274kph top speed, and 0-100kph in a staggering 2.8s.

Then there’s this lonesome Fiat Abarth 695 SS. A late-1960s model, the original 695 was not the fastest of machines – horsepower was rooted in the double digits, and top speed remained around the 140kph mark – but made up for that with style. Indeed, just recently it was announced this pedigree would be celebrated with the new Abarth 695 Maserati edition. Word of warning though, prices for the new limited edition model are, ahem, lofty.