Innholdsfortegnelse for 14/10/2020 i Classic Car Buyer

Apparently, last month was Europe’s hottest September ever, with unusually high temperatures in the UK and sunny skies aplenty. That is, until I decided to take a week’s holiday, which coincided with winter seemingly arriving overnight and floods everywhere. So rather than donning my shades and taking to the road, it was more a case of trying not to aquaplane or hit anything in torrential conditions as I hopped on the staycation bandwagon and drove up and down the country. Driving in heavy rain isn’t fun at the best of times, even in a modern car. But it’s made even harder when other cars on the road are practically invisible. I lost count of the number of cars that didn’t have their taillights switched on, even in the dark. They…

The DVLA has hit the headlines during the pandemic due to delays associated with paper applications, but now the time it takes motorists to receive a duplicate log book (V5C) has been slashed from six weeks to just five days as a result of a new online service. The ‘Get a vehicle log book (V5C)’ service has been designed for motorists who have lost or damaged their log book. It’s the second online service to be launched by the DVLA in the last four months, following the option to update addresses on V5Cs, which has been used more than 300,000 times since it started in June. Every year, the DVLA issues around 500,000 duplicate V5Cs. Julie Lennard, DVLA Chief Executive, said: “We know how important a log book is to…

Traditionally, classic car owners are used to compliments, with a passing comment at the filling station or positive feedback at a show only adding to the pleasure of ownership. Sadly, not everyone sees a historic vehicle in such a positive light, with owners facing a possible backlash from those who feel that they are damaging the environment. Fossil fuelled cars undoubtedly face more hurdles than ever. The impending ban on sales of new IC-engined cars could be as little as a decade away, and restrictive emission zones, though in some cases delayed by Covid-19, are still on the cards in many major cities. Climate change groups such as Extinction Rebellion have also become prevalent, demonstrating at motor shows in Europe and vandalising UK dealer premises. It seems that classic owners…

Mathewsons’ regular classic sales continue to enjoy incredible momentum, so much so that its most recent sale at the beginning of October was the biggest in its history and had to be split over two days. The first 100 lots went under the hammer on the Friday night, with over 300 further lots following on the Saturday – an incredible total given that the sales are still being held behind closed doors. As we’ve come to expect of Mathewsons, the lots were incredibly varied, ranging from classics over a century old such as a 1915 Ford Model T right through to the likes of a 2004 Maserati Quattroporte and a 2006 Volvo V70 R. While the headliners included a £69,000 Jaguar E-Type roadster and a £46,500 Ferrari 308 GTS, there…

TRIUMPH TR5 (1967-1968) If you aren’t totally familiar with the range, the TR4 was a reskinned TR3A, the TR4A inherited independent suspension and the TR5 got bigger brakes and a fuel-injected six-cylinder engine. Sadly though, only a handful of this one-year-only wonder were made in right-hand-drive – a piffling 1161 were for the home market, with a further 1786 destined for export. Its pricetag: £1212. US and Canadian buyers were spoiled. They got the 104bhp TR250 instead with twin Strombergs, and a far more generous 8484 flooded their shores. Despite being the fastest and best-looking TR of all time, the explosion in TR5 values is a relatively recent phenomenon, the tricky to sort Lucas PI and rust serving to subdue prices in the ’80s and ’90s. In 2020 the book…

We’re in the coastal town of Aberystwyth in central Wales this week, looking up the hill from the North Parade towards the castle that’s just about in sight. The street is lined with British cars, with an Austin-Healey Sprite navigating across it while a Triumph Herald bravely tries to squeeze into a spot on the right and a Quarter Ton Morris swings around a traffic marker in the background. The layout has changed since this 1961 photograph to include a centre reservation and the road up the hill is now one-way only.…

A relatively unknown epoch of Daimler’s UK history in the UK is being revisited by a new exhibition at the British Motor Museum. Curated by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT), it celebrates the 60th anniversary of when Jaguar acquired the Daimler Company from BSA in 1960. The ‘When Jaguar Bought Daimler’ exhibition will run to the end of January 2021. It starts by detailing Sir William Lyons’ requirement for additional factory space, which fortuitously coincided with BSA’s desire to divest themselves of the loss-making Daimler Company. It also recalls how the deal was struck without the knowledge of Jaguar’s own board of directors, including Jaguar Engineering Director William Heynes, who heard the announcement on BBC radio while shaving! The exhibition spans well over a century, covering the Daimler Company’s…

Classic vehicle owners and clubs have long been associated with raising vital funds for charity, but they’re set to do it nationwide next spring, with the announcement that the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Club’s 2021 Drive it Day will be run in support of the NSPCC’s vital Childline service. The FBHVC introduced Drive it Day in 2005 with the aim of getting the nation’s transport heritage seen by the public. Each year its date is set to coincide with the anniversary of the 1000 Mile Trial back in 1900 – an event which served to prove that motor vehicles were viable personal transport rather than just a fad. Over the past 15 years, Drive it Day has not only increased public awareness of the historic vehicle movement, it’s brought…

DVCA is back in action later this month as it puts to auction some great classic cars ranging from 1921 to 2009. While prospective bidders are invited to visit by appointment for inspections of the cars, the auction itself will be taking place behind closed doors with bids by telephone or online only. Commission bids will also be accepted in the normal way. Pre-war offerings include a rare 1931 Morris flatnose Cowley in Folding Head Saloon configuration, a car requiring a bit of recommissioning having been dry-stored with a clutch problem since 1990. Laid up in the same year elsewhere was a 1938 Austin Big Seven, offered in rather less certain condition so while the Morris is expected to take £2000-£3000, the Austin is estimated tentatively between £250 and £500.…

Designing a replacement for any long-running Rolls-Royce is perhaps an unenviable task, given that the newcomer has to be one of the finest luxury cars in the world – one capable of appealing to traditionalists and new customers alike. Creating a Rolls-Royce saloon for the 21st century, however, was a particular challenge back in the ’90s, partly because it had to be so much more than ‘just’ a Rolls-Royce. The previous decade had seen the revival of the Bentley marque after many years of stagnation, with the launch of the Silver Spirit-derived Mulsanne leading to the hugely admired Turbo R – the model that finally reinstated Bentley as a maker of high-performance luxury offerings. And so when Rolls-Royce began developing a successor to the ‘SZ’ range of cars (as the…

Adding electric drive to classic cars is a subject we’ve covered many times in CCB but with the unveiling of RBW’s electric MGB on October 7, the game has been moved forward decisively. Rather than a conversion of an existing car, the RBW product is built using all new componentry and has been engineered by global automotive OEM supplier Continental, even gaining certification to be sold as a brand new vehicle. Many readers will have seen the RBW car displayed some time ago but the lengthy process of engineering a car to OEM standard – and a certain virus which has been doing the rounds – explains the delay. As we discovered when sampling the car though, it’s most definitely worth it. Alongside the beautifully trimmed brand new Heritage bodyshell,…

JENSEN-HEALEY (1972-1976) Unveiled in March 1972, the innovative all-alloy Lotus 907 engine was made specifically for the Jensen-Healey. And in truth, its revvy nature suited the car perfectly. The open topped two-seater was greeted with applause initially but it wasn’t long before the muttering started, its fragile Lotus engine, dodgy ‘orange peel’ paint and mediocre hood fit receiving universal criticism. The engine issues centred around oil surge which caused oil to be picked up by the breather which resulted in alarming clouds of white smoke. Additionally, the cambelt’s propensity to snap prematurely didn’t help matters. Of course, by the time Jensen ironed out the engine issues on the Mk2 (from 1973), identifiable by its more rounded headlamp cowls, chrome and plastic side strips and better interior with wood veneer inlays,…

Although the highly successful Jaguar Mk2 officially ceased production in 1967, it enjoyed a bit of an encore via a couple of short-lived versions, rebranded as the 240 and 340 – the latter being a marginally downgraded version of the old 3.4-litre Mk2. It was, of course, a stop-gap model thanks to the imminent arrival of Jaguar’s next-generation saloon, but at least the 340 managed to successfully bridge the Mk2-to-XJ6 void. Jaguar’s new era began in September 1968 with the unveiling of the XJ6, a model so impressive and capable that it would survive right through to the late 1980s in Series III form. It is in its original Series I guise, however, that the XJ6 is arguably at its best as a classic choice. This was the XJ exactly…

Developed just before the GM takeover of the British firm Vauxhall, the 20/60 marked a sweet spot between the small four-cylinder 14-40 and the expensive but ailing 25-70. It can be rightly considered as a sort of pinnacle of an independent Vauxhall. These were luxurious, high-performance cars featuring such refinements as a super-smooth nine-bearing, six-cylinder engine with automatic spark timing, a four-speed gearbox, and strong four-wheel brakes. It lived up to the sporting successes and robust engineering principles that had gained Vauxhall its impressive reputation. Although available with a variety of bodies, we can’t help but find this rather special Melton Open Tourer as perhaps the most charming of all. A leather and wood lined interior seats two either open to the elements or protected by a compact fabric roof…