Innholdsfortegnelse for 13/5/2020 i Classic Car Buyer

DON’T DRIVE IT DAY 2020 Pioneers of the virtual classic car rally, the Cambridge-Oxford Owners Club, celebrated Drive It Day by having a forum-based event called ‘Don’t’ Drive It Day: Selfie-Isolation’. Members were requested to send in a ‘selfie’ image of themselves and their car, taken without the help of another person using the self-timer or a reflection. They then voted on their favourite entries. The response was impressive, with well over 200 members visiting the forum during the day. Organiser Eddie Foster said: “We were really pleased with variety and enthusiasm of the entries and I hope it helped cheer people up a little in these strange times.” In the end, the winner was Christopher Rose, who sat in front of a Mk4 MG Magnette looking suitably sad that…

In February, before the current shut down, Classic Motor Cars (CMC) started work on restoring one of the world’s rarest cars – the Aston Martin Bulldog. Styled by William Towns, the Bulldog is a one-off concept car created by Aston Martin in the late 1970s to showcase the capabilities of its new engineering facility. Its current owner has sent it to Shropshire specialist CMC for a full restoration, after which the plan is to run the car at over 200 mph and take it on a world tour. Back in period, Aston Martin believed that the car was capable of well in excess of 200 miles per hour thanks to its low drag coefficient and twin-turbo 5.3-litre V8 producing over 600bhp. However, the project was deemed too expensive when Victor…

There’s always a strong argument for not fixing something that isn’t broken, but back in 1980, anyone excitedly peering under the bonnet of the newly released Austin Metro might’ve been rather disappointed to see the familiar A-Series rocker cover staring back at them. Never mind that it had been heavily tweaked; British Leyland’s brand-new hope to beat the world was still fitted with an engine that made its debut in the A30 of 1951. But some things can transcend the desire for the newfangled technology, and the venerable A-Series has proven to be one of them. It has been fitted to various best-selling cars spanning multiple decades, in a seemingly infinite variety of capacities and states of tune along the way. Indeed, over 14 million units were built. The engine,…

One of the principles we try to uphold here at CCB is that blind copying and pasting is something that gets you a metaphorical clip round the ear, and if it’s from the dreaded Wikipedia then sanctions are even more dire. It’s generally easy to spot when somebody has taken the easy way out though: the Lancia Fulvia feature which referred to the rear differential and the guide to the (air-cooled) Citroën GS which advised readers to check the anti-freeze both spring to mind. Along the same lines, it’s a sure-fire sign that somebody hasn’t done their research when a buying guide advises people to check the panel gaps for signs of accident damage. Where modern cars are concerned, yes it’s a sensible piece of common-sense advice but when you’re…

DUEL (1971) Adapted from a short story by Richard Matheson published in Playboy, Duel was the first full-length feature film to be directed by an emerging Steven Spielberg. Dennis Weaver stars as Dennis Mann, an everyday business commuter in a red Plymouth Valiant, terrorised by an unseen driver in a menacing-looking 1955 Peterbilt 281 truck. It was originally a 74-minute TV spot filmed in just 13 days, but was lengthened with new scenes to become an international cult classic. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) The second film by a young pre-Star Wars George Lucas, American Graffiti couldn’t be further removed from his later sci-fi work. Although Lucas’s inspiration was the death of the ‘cruising’ culture, it’s not a film primarily about cars, more a coming of age saga. We never had cars…

Group Editor The MGB V8 is yet another of those ‘could have been’ anecdotes from the British Leyland era. Creating a ‘halo’ model for the MG range would have seemed an easy win once Rover and MG had become BL siblings in 1968 but instead MG persevered with the controversial MGC instead. The heavy straight-six C-Series engine required substantial alterations to the MGB bodyshell to make it work, including a completely redesigned torsion bar front suspension whereas independent specialists discovered that the V8 could be fitted into the standard car with very few modifications. The most prominent of these was Ken Costello, who made a name for himself selling MGB V8s which before long came to the attention of BL itself. The company requested the loan of a converted car…

Apioneering stay-at-home classic car event has proven to be a massive success. Classics for Carers, which encouraged owners to display their classic cars at their own homes, smashed through its £1500 target to raise almost £12,000 and counting for NHS Charities Together. With gift aid, the total is just a shade under £13,500. The event was the brainchild of Nick Chivers, a classic car owner and enthusiast with friends working in the NHS. With so many events cancelled or postponed, the idea was that fellow owners would buy the event’s rally plate or sticker and affix it to their classic car or bike, with the profits from each sale going to the charity. The big day came on May 3, with owners opening their garage doors, pulling covers off or…

South Western Vehicle Auctions in Poole is set to reopen this week after being closed since March. Its April classic auction had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 situation, but will now be combined with the sale previously scheduled for July, which has been brought forward to Friday June 26. SWVA’s regular car and commercial auctions will reopen as online sales only, restricted to main agent vendors and trade buyers only. However, bidding for June’s classic sale will be open to anyone. “It looks like it’s going to be an online sale, but any member of the public can go on to our website, follow the directions and register to bid,” said SWVA’s Chris Holmes. Bids can also be made by telephone or commission, and you will be able…

With restrictions on driving and no events to attend, solace for many a classic vehicle owner can be found in the garage. Here are some choice workshop products and project ideas to help you on your way, which can be handily sourced without leaving home. LED INDICATOR BULB SET From £45 This newly developed indicator bulb set from Classic Car LEDs includes four 12-volt 700 Lumen amber LEDs, which comfortably fit under the stock lens covers as a direct replacement for standard GLB382/BA15S bulbs. As well as not washing out amber lenses and giving a brighter result, the LEDs reduce power consumption to help save the load on older wiring. Also supplied is a ⅔ Pin 12V LED electronic flasher relay, which ensures the correct flash rate irrespective of load…

TECH SPEC JAGUAR MkX 4.2-LITRE ENGINE: 4235cc POWER: 265bhp 0-60mph: 9.9secs TOP SPEED: 114mph ECONOMY: 14mpg BUY ONE FOR: £10,000-£25,000 Many of those who would have bought a Rolls-Royce in the 1960s wouldn’t have even considered the Jaguar MkX. For the Crewe loyalists, comparisons would have been considered crass. But until 1965 comparisons would have revealed that the company long heralded as the one by engineers for engineers was being eclipsed in motor vehicle technology by the renegade William Lyons with his latest Jaguar. It was time for a latest Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1965, the new Silver Shadow featured the new engineering and design to keep it on top of its game, crucially its unitary construction. Strangely enough, the Rolls-Royce sold just as well as the Jaguar and over a…

The last car to be designed and developed by Rover as an independent car company, the P6 was a massive leap of faith for a firm which until that point had been known for producing a conservative product range aimed at conservative buyers. Beautifully engineered and nicely made they may have been, but Rovers weren’t known for their cutting-edge technology. Despite this though, Rover itself was a forward-looking enterprise and as the success of the innovative Land Rover and the acquisition of the Buick V8 had shown, it wasn’t afraid to explore new directions when required. By the late ’50s the P4 and P5 ranges were starting to look somewhat dated and work had begun on their replacements. A new breed of buyer was emerging for cars below the so-called…

Production Editor This Mk4 Zephyr seems to be particularly close to the owner of West End Classics’ heart, bringing back memories of when they owned a few back in the day. They, just as us, are rather pleased to have found one in such good, original condition after all those years. It’s only covered 40,000 miles and most of those seem to have been travelled quite a while ago. Before being put up for sale here, it’s had a fresh breath of life given to it, with new water and fuel hoses, fluids, tyres, and a new battery put in. What’s most impressive is just how original it presents itself. It’s wonderfully straight and solid all round, and inside the interior retains a crisp freshness complete with an untainted Ford…

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A friend of mine made an interesting comment just before the UK went into ‘lockdown’ mode a few weeks ago, when I explained I’d spent a considerable sum on maintenance and repairs to my Rover 75 daily user. In fact, totting up my recent total expenditure, it came to around the £650 mark, to which my mate responded: “Why? Surely the car’s only worth that much?” And, of course, he had a point. It probably is. I can’t help thinking, however, that this kind of attitude sees large numbers of perfectly usable modern classics scrapped each year, simply because their owners can’t see any logic in spending as much on repairs as their entire car is worth. But depending upon the car in question, surely this is a short-sighted view?…

ROAD-GOING RACERS The homologation road cars that gave us a taste of racing. BUYING AUDI QUATTRO How to make sure there’s still vorsprung in your technik. MERCEDES W123 vs BMW E28 It’s the Stuttgart establishment against the Bavarian rising star, but who will win? PLUS… An update on how classic auctions are pressing on, the market of 1980s execsand some exciting cars we found in the classifieds. DOWNLOAD THE DIGITAL ISSUE OF CLASSIC CAR BUYER FROM AS LITTLE AS 94p! Visit: www.pocketmags.com or download it via the App Store; search ‘Classic Car Buyer’. The printed version of Classic Car Buyer is available in ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons and WH Smiths, plus all good newsagents ORDER FROM YOUR NEWSAGENT NOW! Classic Car Buyer is available through any good newsagent. To ensure they…