Innholdsfortegnelse for 24/6/2020 i Classic Car Buyer

It doesn’t have the glamorous motorsport heritage of places like Silverstone or Donington but Bruntingthorpe, the ex-USAF bomber base in Leicestershire, has a fond place in the memory of many a car journalist as well as anyone who has attended some of the public events at the site. After passing into private hands in 1983, the site was used as a car industry proving grounds and was a favourite location for magazines and TV shows alike. Group Editor Wager fondly recalls that a day out of the office there was always one to savour. “You never knew what to expect,” he says. “Some days you’d be sharing the track with tanker trucks doing rollover tests, Bentley drifting an Arnage while suspension testing and Triumph motorbikes doing endurance testing. “In the…

As we went to press, the spectre of a government-backed scrappage scheme was still looming on the horizon, but press reports show distinct divisions on the subject. While the car industry in general has called for an incentive scheme (similar to those in France and Germany) to provide a financial boost to the beleaguered new car sales world, initial press reports suggested that this would be limited to pure electric cars. With the limited number of affordable models and the UK’s charging infrastructure still hampering the widespread uptake of EVs, this divided opinion across the industry. The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association and the Finance and Leasing Association were in favour of the boost to the EV market promised by such an incentive, but the Society of Motor Manufacturers…

The Concours of Elegance has been officially scheduled to take place on September 4-6 this year. Amidst concerns that many events wouldn’t be able to go ahead, organisers of Thorough Events have coordinated with events staff at Historic Royal Palaces to mitigate the risks to a reasonable degree. The gardens at the Hampton Court Palace were only just opened on June 15, allowing the public to visit its 60-acre Fountain Gardens where the classic car event is due to take place in September. Only a limited number of tickets will be available, keeping numbers down and therefore reducing the number of people present, but it is still hoped that it will be an exciting event for all who can attend. Backup measures are in place that promises ticket purchases refunded…

There’s no better illustration of the varied appeal of the old car hobby than the catalogue for Mathewsons’ most recent auction, held as is the new normal behind closed doors with online and phone bidding. Among the highlights were a 1953 Morris Minor hammered down for just £3548 while the appeal of classic Fords is summed up by the £12,578 achieved by a Mk3 Cortina 2000E, the £21,231 Sapphire Cosworth and the £6988 hammer price of a 1992 XR2i. Elsewhere, curiosities ranged from a £2688 Bedford CF tipper to one of the few remaining Alfa 145s, a Renault Clio 16V sold for an appealing £3548 and a 1990 Rover Metro… now a two grand rarity and counting. No, really. We’ve picked out some favourites here but for the full 308-lot…

There was some keen activity for the sealed bids auction by Bonhams MPH, seeing various cars go under the hammer. Projects seemed to be particularly popular, with cars like a 1967 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 wanting a good deal of care and attention going for £21,375, a 1922 Morris Cowley Bullnose requiring some retrimming of the interior and light mechanical recommissioning selling for £8437, and a 1956 Rover P4 sold for just £562 sure to keep its new owner busy. We also saw the 1993 Volkswagen Polo previously reported on for its charitable efforts to support young classic car mechanics sell at the event, for a healthy £3150. For more information including upcoming auctions, the next being on July 25, visit the Bonhams MPH website www.bonhams.com.…

Both these cars offer something their direct predecessors and successors can’t. Over the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn and the Jaguar Mark V, there’s big progress and not just in the way they look. The Jaguar finally had an engine to deliver that essential ingredient for a sports luxury saloon, replacing the old Standard unit with the famous XK six. The Silver Cloud, meanwhile, ushered in much needed improvements in packaging and modern equipment. What came next, the Jaguar MkX and Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, took these directions of progress to another level again but arguably lost some of that old-world charm of the two here. The last of the line models had fully enjoyed the developments of a decade of progress: more power, more refinement, greater ease of use and comfort. Rolls-Royce…

MORRIS OXFORD 1960, HEIGH RATIO DIFF FOR OXFORD - FARINA, FROM A RILY 1.5 OR SIMILAR. Please call 07791883345, South West. 101935 VILLIERS V/X 2 1930, COMPLETE CARBURETTOR. Please call 01865890987, South East. 101951 VANDEN PLAS 1965, REAR OVER RIDERS FOR PRINCESS 1100. Must be in good condition. Please call 07902506914, South West. DODGE D308 PARTS WANTED. Any LAD Dodge parts panels etc. Please call 01952812474, West Midlands. 101652 LEYLAND CRUISER ARTIC UNIT WANTED. 1987 clutch slave cylinder part number ACU 1417 or clutch slave cylinder kit part number abu 2989 Leyland cruiser. Please call 0156686824, South West. 101692 MG SEATS WANTED. Pair of red seats for 1961 MG Midget Mk 1 (GAN 1) or Frogeye or early Mk ll Sprite (HAN 6). Must be sound, in useable condition, and…

In recent years it’s become fashionable for car makers to admit to the existence of their private collections of prototypes, concepts and all the other fascinating might-have-beens in their vaults. The Collections Centre at the British Motor Museum has long been one of our favourite destinations and similar collections at BMW, Porsche and Ford have also been publicised in print. Latest to the party is Alfa Romeo, which reopened its museum this week to mark the brand’s 110th anniversary on June 24. For the first time, visitors will be able to visit two entire floors of displays which were previously unavailable for public viewing and which include an impressive 150 vehicles, boats and aircraft engines. Among them are Pininfarina’s Alfetta Spider and Eagle concepts from the ’70s, the Romeo tractor,…

The Mini Cooper Register’s National Mini Day at Beaulieu, set to be held on August 16, has been cancelled in light of continuing measures to combat Covid-19. The club’s flagship event, already postponed from its original June date, was expected to attract 3000 people to the grounds of the National Motor Museum. Plans will now be made to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Mini Cooper in 2021. Club Chairman Robert Young said: “With social distancing at two metres still in place, clearly to run the event would be impractical. “Even if social distancing was reduced to one metre, we do not see how the event could run. “We do appreciate that our National Mini Day is still just over two months away, but felt it correct to abandon now…

Amassive online sale held earlier this month has proved to be RM Sotheby’s largest ever online auction, grossing nearly €19.2m (£17.25m). Cars ranged from pre-war show pieces like the 1939 Bugatti Type 57 Gangloff cabriolet (which sold for £692,000) right up to usable modern classics like the 1991 Lancia Thema 8.32 (which sold for £15,800). There was plenty in between, with lots of British classics showing up in the much talked about Petitjean collection, including the full 1970s MG range, a 1973 Jensen Healey, 1959 Austin-Healey, 1969 Triumph TR6, a 1980 Morgan 4/4 and much more. Slightly left of field was a 1964 Glas S 1004 appealing to enthusiasts of West German obscurity, selling for £10,870, and a 1970 Intermeccanica Italia Spyder which sold a bit of Torino glamour for…

FORD ESCORT XR3i Mk4 (1986-1992) The hot XR3 proved popular enough to warrant the Mk4 Escort receiving the same treatment. As before, a bodykit, bespoke wheels, Recaro seats and a tuned CVH were fitted, but the Mk4 sported modern styling and a revised interior. The new car broadened the XR3i’s appeal and sold well, costing just £7800, some £700 less than a Golf GTI. Ten years later, the XR3i looked dated next to newer offerings and hot hatchback insurance premiums exploding left the XR3i undesirable: an eight-year-old example would be worth just £2500. Throughout the 2000s, the Mk4 lacked the retro styling of the Mk3 and with newer fast Fords more attractive to enthusiasts, values fell further. For some years, XR3is were sub-£1500 cars, many falling victim to rust and…

(1967-1978) It’s the decision to manufacture the Imp in Scotland which is generally accepted as being the point at which Rootes began to crumble. Quality was woeful and the car was expensive to make, with slow sales making it impossible for Rootes to break even on the heavy investment in the new facility. Chrysler had thrown Rootes a lifeline in 1964 when it had bought a 30 per cent stake, this growing to almost 70 per cent by 1967 and ultimately placing Rootes Group under Chrysler control alongside Simca of France under the Chrysler Europe umbrella. Attempts were made to integrate the model ranges too, but the front-drive hatchback Simcas and the rear-drive Hillman saloons couldn’t have been more different. The last Rootes-developed car to be launched would be the…

In a week which finally sees the UK’s ‘nonessential’ shops reopening, it seems appropriate to visit the West Midlands’ most infamous shopping centre, the £8m Bull Ring soon after its opening in June 1965. Looking across to the church of St Martin in the Bull Ring (the original Birmingham parish church), the photographer has a view of the traffic heading to the glamour of the new shops. The caption dates the photograph as being from Wednesday, June 10 and you certainly won’t find weekday traffic this light today in Birmingham city centre even in the midst of the lockdown. Heading the queue and promoting Typhoo Tea are a pair of Guy Arab buses representing Jaguar (William Lyons had bought the company out of receivership in 1961), followed by a Morris…

The Virage was an important turning point for Aston Martin, even if it simply appears to be a heavily facelifted Vantage. In fact, so much of it was new that really the only thing left unchanged was the gearbox. It is a much more usable, comfortable, refined and reliable form of car than that old model could ever hope to be. As well as satisfying the fans of the old school, it will also bring a smile to those who might be disappointed with the DB7’s velvet glove performance. This example is a rare example of a so-called Wide Body specified without the racier 6.3-litre engine, as well as being finished in a deep Cheviot red. It also has the well-suited automatic gearbox. The result is a perfectly balanced car…

In what the organisers claim will be the UK’s first major automotive event since February, the London Concours has received final approval from the venue, The Honourable Artillery Company, to go ahead on August 19-20. The event was previously scheduled for June before the coronavirus crisis forced its postponement but a new operational plan including revised hospitality and audience capacity has ensured the safety of staff and visitors. The available space at the site has been increased to 20,000sq.m with separate morning and afternoon tickets keeping visitor numbers within the on-site limit, while the need to use public transport has been reduced by a special parking rate negotiated nearby. The event itself promises to be a good day out and a return to our (new) normal in fine style. The…

Without events to attend and some garages closed, lockdown has changed the way many of us engage with our classic vehicles. But that hasn’t stopped enthusiasts from getting their classic fix, with several specialists reporting a surge in demand for parts to facilitate DIY restorations. Mini Sport is one such specialist to have kept operating during the pandemic, sending out parts while working behind closed doors. Its inventory covers every aspect of the classic Mini you could imagine, but as Managing Director Chris Harper reports, its restoration parts have stood out as the best performers. “There’s been a big upsurge in body panels,” he explained. “For anyone that’s had a project in the garage, this period has given them an excuse to do something with it – not just UK…

The FIA World Rally Championship will not run as scheduled on October 29 to November 1, Wales Rally GB announced earlier this month. The Welsh government was consulted and the decision made in order to best protect the public, with particular concern for small localities having to accommodate what is often up to 100,000 visitors to the event. Top tier rallying events like this have been cancelled in the past, notably for World War 2 in 1940, the Suez Crisis in 1957, and the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak in 1967. For now, the penultimate round of the WRC schedule and concluding rounds of FIA Junior World Rally Championship and British Rally Championship will not take place. Organisers are now looking forward to 2021. NEWS IN BRIEF 125 YEARS OF…

We are … determined to commemorate the 1896 Emancipation Run in one way or another” said Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, in a recent comment on the prospects of the London to Brighton Run being held as normal in November – as it has done each year without interruption since 1927. Of course it is hoped that the run will be able to take place but all possible alternatives are being considered during the ever-changing situation with public health. The RAC is delaying an announcement until July this year so that it can keep its options open, while it also assesses London Motor Week. Also speaking on the topic, RM Sotheby’s Executive Vice President and Head of Europe, Maarten ten Holder, said that “this is a very…

Inspired by the “skill and care of the University College of London Hospital” during a crucial visit, the proprietor of this rally-prepped 1970 Volvo 144 has decided to give all the money it receives at auction towards the UCLH’s cutting-edge haematology research. It will be offered without reserve at the next Historics auction on July 18. The car itself was professionally overhauled in 2010 and has been uprated since, including the fitment of a limited slip differential and twin fuel pumps. It has collected quite a history in the past ten years and its owner hopes for it to continue taking part in the classic car rally events it’s been painstakingly built for. Now, it can also achieve something great for healthcare too. Viewing of the car before the July…

AUSTIN/ROVER MONTEGO (1984-1995) Indirect successor to the Morris Ital, Austin’s Montego claimed to be driver-orientated and sharp, sporting more modern lines and the new S-Series engine. The 1.6HL at £7330 was priced competitively with its Cavalier and Sierra rivals, but poor reviews and infamous BL quality harmed values: Montegos lost a third of their value in a year and Motor slated their long-termer’s appalling reliability. Buyers plumped for rivals and despite improvements, the Montego became something of a joke. A nine-year-old Montego would struggle for £1000 by the year 2000 and most were rep-abused examples. Rust was taking hold by the late 1990s and time wasn’t kind. Numbers plummeted throughout the 21st century, but their poor reputation saw values fell further to sub-£500. Banger racers and rust mean that today,…

It seems like pretty much forever that we’ve been following the gradually declining presence of the MG brand – the sole active survivor of the BMC stable of marques – since the collapse of MG Rover in 2005. Somewhat overshadowed by the global coronavirus pandemic though is a significant anniversary which has slipped by almost unnoticed. It was in January 2000 that the German paper Suddeutsche Zeitung carried the first rumours that BMW was looking to offload what had been nicknamed ‘The English Patient’ after the 1996 film of the same name. It was said that turning the company around could take up to 10 years and by March 2000, the BMW board and the controlling Quandt family were for the first time discussing openly how to extricate themselves from…