Innholdsfortegnelse for 7/10/2020 i Classic Car Buyer

Even in the world of old cars we’ve become so used to the convenience of everything being available instantly online that having to do things the old fashioned way sometimes jars. We’re not quite car traders here at Kelsey but we do buy and sell a fair number of project cars over the course of the average year and the DVLA’s online services generally work pretty well. Certainly it’s become second nature to perform the change of keeper online rather than using a paper form. This week though I was stumped when, after having completed the online request to remove a cherished plate from a car, the system unhelpfully advised that this particular number couldn’t be retained or transferred online and that a form V317 must be completed by hand…

Despite the challenges 2020 has thrown in front of the classic car industry and the world in general, it’s great to be able to report that the Association of Rootes Car Clubs has now achieved its key objective of preserving the Rootes archives. Originally created back in 1982, the Association formed a charitable trust, The Rootes Archive Centre Trust, in 2004 and since then has worked to preserve the history of the Rootes Group by providing a permanent home for the archives. Initially this was a rented building until in 2015 the decision was taken to acquire freehold premises, the £181,500 cost raised in loans provided by the Rootes community. By early 2021 these loans will have been fully repaid, with the Rootes Archive Centre Trust fully owning the building…

Brightwells has taken its own path with the move to socially distanced car selling, favouring the timed auction format rather than a live online sale. It’s a move which looks to have worked well, with the firm’s extensive site allowing plenty of opportunity for safe appointments-based viewing and the sales still attracting big catalogues of varied lots. The September sales was no exception, with lots ranging from a Riley RMB to a modern Mitsubishi Evo IX. Both MGB and Bentley buyers had plenty of choice, as did Land Rover and Jaguar buyers with some tempting projects and modern classics also thrown into the mix. We’ve picked out some favourites here but for the full results visit www.brighwells.com.…

So you go home and watch a black-and-white telly do you?” was the muttered riposte of a former colleague when someone at a car show would mention that they happened to prefer, say, the BMW 2002 over the E30 3-Series. Clearly a man not even beginning to understand the appeal of classic design, he always presented what seemed to me an intriguing conundrum when it comes to old cars. Which is the better choice? The ‘pure’ original design as launched to an expectant press as the latest must-have… or the facelifted model which so often appeared a couple of years later, with some of the design vision blurred but with all the technical improvements addressing the shortcomings which indifferent attention to R&D had let escape into the world? Back in…

Triumph 2000 estate If you want a ’60s estate car then the Triumph is bigger all round than the Cortina and offers two more cylinders. You’ll get a nice one for this money too. Vauxhall Victor estate Just as rare as the Cortina, the Victor offers a similar driving experience but Vauxhalls of this era were famously rot-prone so you’ll struggle to find one this solid. Escort estate The only way into a rear-drive Escort at this money would be the estate and the Mk1 and Mk2 were effectively the same car anyway.…

Regular readers of CCB will remember the mega-mileage Rover 200 which was taken in by a Mazda dealer as part of a scrappage scheme and which was saved from destruction after intervention from the Rover 200 & 400 Owners’ Club. The 1987 Rover 216 had covered a mammoth 402,000 miles and would have gained its former owner a £4000 saving off a new Mazda, but the scheme required the trade-in cars to be scrapped. Dealer Beechwood Mazda in Derby managed to get Mazda UK to bend the rules sufficiently to save this remarkably rare car and the car was taken on by the club. The decision has now been taken to auction the car off via a sealed-bid charity auction, with the profits going to Muscular Dystrophy UK. The winner…

Despite events dropping like flies in the face of the Covid crisis, the popular BL Autumn Rally was able to proceed under the auspices of the Covid-secure Milton Keynes Museum with much effort put into the organisation by Tom Morley. “It was great to have a brief return to normality,” he commented. “For many it was their first as well as last show of the year and it was wonderful to catch up with everyone during the day.” The total attendance was reckoned to be around 120 vehicles and as ever there were still BL/Rover curiosities coming out of the woodwork, like the Southern Electric Metro van and even a smattering of Triumph Acclaims. Keeping numbers down very much goes against the ethos of this event but at least it…

BITURBO First seen in 1981, it was only in 1987 that we officially got the Maserati BiTurbo here in the UK. By this time, it was available in coupe, Spyder and four-door saloon forms all with a 2.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6. Iffy build quality paired with a price easily double that of the BMW 3-Series it was apparently aimed at set off heavy criticism, and its cold, square lines weren’t appreciated by all either. The coupe and Zegato-designed Spyder were most popular here, though volume was never that high. Today, most of the 100 or so remaining are on SORN status. This might be changing, though, because values are on the rise for this once widely disliked Maserati. While you could have bought one of these £30,000 cars at just ten…

MG MONTEGO After the closure of Abingdon at the start of decade, MG was back for the 1980s – and so was badge engineering, which gave us the Triple M trio of Metro, Maestro and Montego. The forgotten one is probably the MG Montego, which was available in 2-litre fuel injected or turbocharged forms. But fewer than 20 naturally-aspirated cars are now thought to be registered, and no Turbos. When was the last time you saw one? MG ZR EXPRESS Other than Abingdon’s own High Speed Service Van of 1931, there was no MG-badged van until the ZR Express was launched in 2001. Based on the ZR hatch, it had a reinforced floor for the load area, no rear seats and bonded panels instead of rear side windows. Only 317…

This particular TR4 has an interesting past, as according to its green logbook it was originally supplied to Brunei, a small country on the north coast of Borneo in Southeast Asia. They drive on the left there, so the car was supplied correctly as a right-hand-drive model and when it returned to the UK in 1987 it fitted right in. Since then it has succumbed a little to the relatively colder climate of Devon, and today it is clear that the bodywork and sills will need proper attention but the chassis itself remains solid. TRGB spotted the restoration potential in this car, its being solid where it counts and generally complete. It’s missing an interior, but parts like seats are very easily sourced and not too expensive. It’s mechanically complete…

Just a couple of weeks ago we touched on how many famous automotive brands have been the subject of attempts to revive them in recent years but this latest looks to be rather more viable than most. The marque in question is Allard which is set to make a return backed by the original Allard family, continuing where Sydney Allard left off 60 years ago. The first of the new Allards will be a so-called continuation car based on the original Allard JR and created by Sydney’s son Alan who watched his father build the original cars back in the day, together with grandsons Lloyd and Gavin. Known as the JR continuation, the car is built from the original drawings and design bucks to be a faithful ‘tool room’ copy…

Complaints about the poor quality of modern replacement parts compared to original-fit components are increasingly common across all parts of the classic car world, although as with everything it’s generally a case of getting what you’ve paid for and there’s always a more expensive alternative offering the right quality. All that could be set to change though, as many parts specialists turn to suppliers nearer to home and in so doing, many have found a welcome surprise in the level of innovation offered by smaller engineering firms, many of which have embraced new technology to produce parts which are in fact of better quality than the original. We encountered a perfect example of this when visiting Rolls-Royce and Bentley supplier Introcar recently where we were shown one of the firm’s…

Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has announced a £100,000 investment via its Charitable Trust Foundation to assist Covid-stricken business within the automotive sector in retaining their apprentices. Aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, the Apprentice Support Programme is poised to come into effect as the government-backed furlough scheme tails off and intends to cover all or part of the salaries of apprentices whose positions are at risk due to the impact of the Covid pandemic. “The UK Automotive industry is built on decades of craftsmanship, engineering excellence and innovation delivered by a highly skilled workforce – and its long-term recovery and growth will depend on retaining and developing this skills base,” said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes. Applications can be made now via www.smmt.co.uk and…

There’s been a good amount of jubilation over the latest Historics auction, and quite rightly. Not only did bidders keenly attend the now rare open-to-public auction, held at Ascot Racecourse, but their enthusiasm continued into active bidding. Historics reports an 80 per cent sales rate on the 186 classics on offer, covering a broad range of vehicles from pre-war right up to future classics of the 2000s. The cars kicked off with a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E220 estate selling for an impressive £7280. Apart from the truly exceptional cars, some of which we’ve picked out below, it seemed that bidders’ appetite was strongest for the open-topped cars or the most iconic of modern classics. Jaguars, for example, were showered with bids when it came to convertible versions; three E-Types gathered up…

JEEP CHEROKEE (1993-2001) The Cherokee is becoming a 4x4 icon. At launch here in 1993 it represented a promise of luxury, off-road ability and a passport to the wilderness. Today, its pledge still holds true – except now you won’t need to dig nearly as deep as its £15,840 new asking price for the privilege. Indeed, depreciation for this angular full-fat off-roader was savage from the start, so they’ve always been cheap. The US-inspired 4x4 came with a 2.5-litre turbodiesel, and 2.5-litre and 4-litre petrol engine options with Sport, Limited and Limited SE trim levels. The Orvis, on sale from March 1999, was the high-spec model with standard everything. Because the six-cylinder 4.0 is only marginally more thirsty than the 2.5, and being so silky smooth, it was always the…

This is Trafalgar Square in October 1961. Above the sea of black cabs is Nelson’s column and the National Gallery behind it, both looking rather sooty from the fumes of central London. In the far left, a big Humber estate sneaks away from the taxis and buses, while a lone scooter rider weaves in from the other side, and further to the right a Ford Anglia 100E is about to join the fray, likely to coincide with a Lyons Swiss Rolls truck coming in from the Strand. Today, the traffic is less classically London, but at least the soot has been cleaned off our monuments.…