Innholdsfortegnelse for 8/7/2020 i Classic Car Buyer

One characteristic of modern life for most of us is that certainly in the workplace, very little tends to be written by hand. Bar the odd Post-It note stuck to a colleague’s monitor informing them which pub we’ve gone to for lunch, most information is entered via keyboard or touch pad. As a rather obvious consequence, it seems that pens are lasting much longer which could well explain why the Ford pen I picked up at a Motor Show in the mid ’90s has only just run out. Ironically, while I was handwriting notes on the Escort saloon racers for the feature in this week’s CCB. The expiry of my Ford pen coincides with the news this week that the organisers of the Geneva Motor Show have given up the…

An Aston Martin V8 Volante once owned by former England footballer David Beckham is currently being advertised on Auto Trader for a cool £445,000 via Aston Martin Works. Previously registered under Beckham’s personal plate ‘DB1001’, the 1988 V8 Volante was often spotted by paparazzi in the UK. The Beckhams held on to the Volante for 15 years before selling it in 2018. David even shipped it over to the Spanish capital during his time playing with Real Madrid. The car is said to be in pristine condition and was showcased at the London Classic Car Show in February before lockdown. Apparently, Auto Trader has been “inundated” with enquiries about the car since the listing went up.…

The British Motor Museum reopened its doors to visitors for the first time since March last Saturday (July 4), having received its ‘Good to Go’ industry standard mark from Visit England. Initially, the museum will only welcome visitors from Friday to Monday as part of a phased reopening plan. Numbers will be limited so anyone planning to visit, including annual pass holders, will need to book in advance via the website and chose a timed arrival slot. Annual passes and gift tickets have automatically been extended by four months from their expiry date. Risk assessments have been carried out and all the necessary measures put in place, including safety screens and contactless payment at all pay points, hand sanitiser stations, social distancing reminders and markers, one-way entrance/exit and enhanced cleaning…

East Sussex specialist Eagle has been remanufacturing E-Types to exacting modern-day standards since 1991, and now it’s used that experience to create what it describes as the most comprehensively upgraded version ever built. The Eagle Lightweight GT pays tribute to Jaguar’s legendary E-Type Lightweight racer but refines the concept to make it suitable for the road, with a whopping 8000 hours of work in each car. Back in the 1960s, Jaguar managed to build 12 of a planned 18 aluminium Lightweight E-Types, before its Special Operations division finally got around to the last six a few years ago. But while these were pure racers, Eagle’s version is intended to retain a special competition feel but also be comfortable, refined and reliable enough to “make it an exhilarating daily driver or…

Having been forced to cancel its April auction due to Covid-19, SWVA returned to classic car action with a Summer Special sale on June 26. The Poole company had brought forward its July sale, adding April’s entries to the catalogue to create a bumper sale of 99 vehicles. It proved to be hugely successful too – incredibly, all but one entry found new homes, meaning a sale rate of a whopping 99 per cent. What’s more, spotting the lots that didn’t beat their pre-sale estimates was harder than the ones that did. In recent weeks we’ve seen less-established and oddball vehicles really catching the imagination of bidders, but this sale saw traditional classics on excellent form, particularly the British brands and especially those of the open-topped variety. The two Sunbeam…

JAGUAR XJ-S V12 (1975-1996) The 1975-on XJ-S was available solely with Jaguar’s famous 5.3-litre V12 at launch, although six-cylinder versions finally arrived eight years later. For many XJ-S aficionados, the V12 is still the ultimate choice – and as a sporting grand tourer, it’s surely one of today’s top British-built classics. The V12 was updated to HE spec for ’83, which meant an output of 295bhp and greater economy thanks to its modified cylinder heads and new fuel injection system. The XJS Cabriolet arrived during the same year, usurped by the long-awaited fully-open XJS Convertible in 1988. The V12 then received a major upgrade in ’92 thanks to an increase in stroke to create a displacement of 5993cc – and an output of 318bhp. With production running through to 1996,…

This week sees us travel back 42 years to June 1978 and Guisborough Road in Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough where pride of place goes to a four-month old Marina Coupe, resplendent in Russet Brown on the S-plate and wearing a Witter towbar too. Impressively, all the other cars in shot are British-made too, with the exception of the Renault 5: we see an Allegro, Mini Clubman estate, Hillman Hunter and Mk1 Escort all dwarfed by the bulk of the Princess at the end of the row. The Allegro was destined to remain on the road until 1984, the Marina slightly outlasting it until 1987 and the Mini’s registration umber now seemingly on a Ford. The parade of shops remains though: there’s still a pharmacy although now it wears Boots signage, the wool…

The enforced home leave of the Covid crisis has allowed most of us to catch up on long-delayed tidying up of garages and sheds but it’s always a task prone to lead you down lengthy diversions… as it was when I found myself sidetracked by the remote control cars which have been inactive on a shelf for many years now. “I’m on my lunch hour,” was my sheepish response to my neighbour’s quizzical look when she found us sawing up scrap wood to make a jump for the legendary Lunchbox.…

Ineos Automotive has moved its Land Rover Defender-inspired 4x4 a step closer to production by revealing the exterior design. Named after Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s favourite London pub, the Grenadier is intended as a utilitarian off-roader and is set to go into production in late 2021. The Ineos Group is big in the petrochemical industry, but Defender devotee Ratcliffe set up an automotive division to build his own 4x4 after Jaguar Land Rover declined to sell him the designs or tooling for the original when production ceased in 2016. The Grenadier will be built on an all-new platform, but the old Landy styling cues are obvious – especially in the bonnet and waistline ‘shoulder’ treatment. Think Mercedes G-Wagen meets Defender, and you’re about there. Two new factories are being…

Restrictions may be easing across the UK, but the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) advises that member clubs should continue to refrain from road runs or any other group meetings until further notice. As we went to press, new government advice was due to come into effect from July 4 enabling sections of the hospitality industry in England to re-open, albeit with procedures in place to enforce social distancing. Tougher restrictions still exist in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so enthusiasts in those areas should check on the guidance for their particular region. Guidelines still urge us to avoid meetings of more than six people from different households in an outdoor space, and two households indoors. Public gatherings of more than 30 people are prohibited in law and…

While most UK auction houses have opted to hold their classic sales behind closed doors for the time being, Historics is set to take its own unique approach for its 10th Anniversary Grand Summer Sale on July 18. It will be held at Windsorview Lakes near Datchet in Berkshire, which is Historics’ own privately-owned location set amidst 100 acres of enclosed rural grassland just 1.5 miles from the M4. The ability to manage the site in its entirety and create a purpose-designed auction hall means that social distancing requirements and government guidelines can be adhered to, allowing people to attend the sale in person as well as bid via telephone and online. Historics has also set up supervised guest parking on site and organised extended viewing days. These run from…

MORRIS MINOR 1000 (1098cc) (1962-1971) Although the ubiquitous Morris was upgraded to Minor 1000 spec in 1956, it really came of age six years later when the 948cc A-series engine was replaced by the 1098cc version – pushing power from 37bhp to a more useable 48bhp. The Minor might have been a product of the late 1940s, but in 1098cc guise it was ready to take on the Sixties. The last soft-top Minor rolled off the production line in 1969, with the saloon following suit in in November 1970 and the timber-framed Traveller in ’71. Your model choice now will usually depend as much on your available budget as your personal taste, with the Tourer and Traveller being at a premium price-wise. There was a time when prices of the…

Launched originally as a back-to-basics sports car to lure younger buyers off their motorbikes, the Sprite was the second collaboration between BMC and Donald Healey and would prove to be an even bigger success for the company than the Big Healey. The car would go on to become the MG Midget which would even outlast its own Austin-Healey badged ancestor as well as inspiring Triumph to produce its own riposte in the shape of the Spitfire. The recipe which created the Sprite was a simple one: take what was essentially Austin A35 running gear, pair it with a Morris Minor steering rack, a clever part-monocoque body and lure buyers on to the first rung of a corporate sports car ladder which would ultimately stretch all the way up to the…

There’s good news for classic Jaguar fans, as production of the 3.8-litre XK engine has resumed for the first time in more than half a century. Recreated to authentic original specifications by Jaguar Classic’s team of engineers, the brand new cast iron blocks will be a direct replacement for the 3.8-litre six-cylinder items originally fitted to the XK150, XK150 S, MkIX, Mk2, MkX, E-Type Series 1 and S-Type. At £14,340 including VAT but excluding shipping, they aren’t exactly cheap, but do come with a minimum 12-month Jaguar parts and accessories warranty, plus a certificate of authenticity. Subject to providing documentation confirming proof of vehicle ownership, customers can retain the serial number from their original block, which will be stamped on the new casting with an additional asterisk. Otherwise, it is…

The current rolling six-month MoT extension brought in during the lockdown will cease at the end of this month, with the Government confirming that it will reintroduce mandatory MoT testing from August 1 in line with gradually easing lockdown restrictions and rising traffic levels. All cars, vans and motorcycles that required an MoT test after March 30 were given an automatic six-month extension of their expiry date, in part to free up garages for repair work to essential workers’ vehicles. This meant cars with an extension could be driven on the road as long the car was kept in ‘roadworthy’ condition. The scheme was set to run until March 2021, but will now only apply to MoT certificates set to expire before the beginning of August. Figures from the Department…

The future of the Geneva Motor Show hangs in the balance after the organiser decided to scrap the 2021 event amid plans to sell the show’s assets off. It follows heavy financial losses due to the cancellation of this year’s show, which became one of the first major events to fall victim to the Covid-19 pandemic just days before it was due to open. First held in 1905, the show is steeped in history and has hosted countless model debuts, including the Jaguar E-Type in 1961 when Norman Dewis famously drove a second car to the show overnight, and the MGF in 1995. It regularly attracts more than half a million visitors, but last week the Committee and Council of the Foundation of the Salon International de l’Automobile, which organises…

Now back into the swing of its regular monthly auctions, albeit behind closed doors, Mathewsons is poised to host its next classic sale on July 18. With no visitors on site, online bidding will once again be offered alongside the regular telephone and commission methods, with no-contact viewing opportunities available by appointment before the auction. As usual a busy sale is expected, with over 200 vehicles ranging from pre-war rarities to modern classics set to be offered. Affordable British classics are particularly well represented, especially when it comes to the 1960s saloon variety. These include a Mk2 Triumph 2000 and a Daimler Sovereign, both from 1969, a 1966 Jaguar Mk2 and a 1965 Humber Hawk, with an older but very svelte 1952 Sunbeam Talbot GL expected to sell for £5500-£6000.…

As most of you are probably aware from recent Back Box columns, I’ve been having a bit of a sort-out recently, and in doing so have come across a few treasures which I’d all-but forgotten. This time however I want to focus on a series of books which far from forgotten, are on the easily-accessed shelf next to my desk and used regularly. Some years ago I acquired a quantity of Glass’s Car Check Books and Commercial Vehicle Check Books. They weren’t dear – I think I paid about £10 for all 15 of them – but as research tools they’ve been absolutely invaluable ever since. The Check Books were produced for use by the motor trade – in fact, like all Glass’s products, they’re packed with warnings about the…