Innholdsfortegnelse for 21/10/2020 i Classic Car Buyer

It seems not so long ago that I had just finished clearing out the boxes full of BMW bits but here I am once again surrounded by boxes of parts, this time all marked ‘Ricambi Alfa Romeo’ and contemplating just how clever or otherwise I was to stockpile all the parts I thought long-term Alfa ownership would require. I know the cars have a reputation for electrical fragility but both my Spider and 75 used German injection systems courtesy of Bosch, so quite why I felt the need to acquire no less than four idle control valves and three Motronic air flow meters I really don’t know. Of course it’s odds-on that had I not acquired at least one spare of the crucial components then the injection system would have…

Don Hayter, the lauded automotive designer instrumental in the creation of the ever-popular MGB, sadly passed away in the early hours of October 9, at the age of 94. Born in 1926 and educated at Abingdon School, Don worked on a number of aircraft including the Avro Lancaster during the wartime years before moving into the car industry afterwards, creating body panels for a wide range of cars including the Jaguar XK120 and MG ZA Magnette. He joined Aston Martin in 1954 to work on the design for the DB2/4 and the Lagonda, but with the firm set to move from Feltham to Newport Pagnell, he returned to Abingdon to become MG’s Chief Body Draughtsman in 1956. After spending some time developing the MGA Twin Cam, he worked on two…

Vehicles of historic interest in Northern Ireland are now exempt from annual MOT testing, following changes to legislation announced by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon on October 12. The change brings Northern Ireland in line with Great Britain, applying to private vehicles constructed or first registered more than 40 years ago. In Northern Ireland vehicles first registered before 1960 are already exempt from periodic testing. The exemption applies to vehicles which have not been substantially altered, or are no longer in production – though we’re struggling to think of many models that have been in production for more than 40 years anyway. In Northern Ireland vehicles first registered before 1960 are already exempt from periodic testing. In addition, the exemption will also include other, non-car vehicle types such as motorcycles and…

Kent auctioneer Hobbs Parker will return to historic vehicle action with its Autumn Classic Car Sale on October 30. This is its first post-lockdown classic auction, and will work to an online timed format, commencing at 12 noon on Thursday October 29 with the first lots ending at 12 noon on Friday October 30. Viewing will take place Monday to Friday on the week of the sale, and commission bidding is also offered for those without internet access. There were 92 lots as we went to press, comprising vehicles, parts and memorabilia, with period illuminated signs and a large totem stand from a Rover dealership sure to appeal to marque fanatics. It’s the cars we’re particularly interested in though, and there’s a brilliantly diverse selection to choose from, ranging from…

Triumph Spitfire 1500 Another late bloomer, the final Spitfires are also increasingly popular amongst a new generation of enthusiasts. Lighter and older, they’re about the same price as the TR7. MGB Probably a more comfortable ride, but less of a sports car. Still, could be as strong an investment if you’re looking at rubber-bumper models. MX-5 Funnily enough, the modern classic can now be as expensive as the forgotten classic. If you want fewer squeaks and rattles, the MX-5 could be for you, but at the expense of some character.…

As well as keeping its prestigious collection of over 280 vehicles in tip-top order, the workshop at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, is opening its doors to historic vehicles owned by private customers. For nearly half a century, the workshop engineers have looked after the Museum’s Land Speed Record breakers, legendary racing cars, unique luxury limousines, film star cars and more. Now the workshop engineers are offering the same quality of service to private owners, ranging from veteran cars all the way up to pre-1970s classics. National Motor Museum Manager and Chief Engineer Doug Hill said: “We are proud to be offering our skills to owners of older motor vehicles, helping them to keep their much-loved vehicles in fine working order. Between us, we have built up a collective experience…

A quintet of significant 1980s competition cars from a private collection will be offered in Silverstone Auctions’ next sale, the NEC Classic Live Online Auction on November 13-14. The election includes C99 KOG, a 1986 ex-Works MG Metro 6R4 driven by Malcolm Wilson, which has the distinction of having achieved the second-best WRC result of any 6R4 (fourth at San Remo in 1986). It’s joined by A14 LOO, the first of five DAM4100 evolution versions of the 6R4 built by rally car engineer/driver David Appleby. The collection also features three significant Renaults. The newest is the 1987 Renault 5 Turbo ‘Superproduction’ driven by Érik Coma to clinch the 1987 Championnat de France de Supertourisme. Also offered is a multiple rally-winning ex-Works 1984 Renault 5 Maxi Turbo–the only genuine one of…

AUDI 100 B3 (1982-1991) Introduced in 1982, the B3 generation of Audi 100 was a clever blend of engineering, technology, and sharp marketing; the dawn of a new era for Audi. It sold well and set Audi on a track that has earned it success to this day. Naturally, the later A6 models of the 1990s put the then rather dated 1980s design down; and with the facelifted C4 becoming an affordable used car once the all new C5 A6 came out in 1997, values for the 100/200 range began to fall substantially. Without the brand recognition of BMW or Mercedes quite then, the Audi was the cheaper alternative, tending below £5000 for a tidy example at the turn of the millennium. Into the late 2000s and 2010s, the Audi…

The ultimate survivor has to be the VW Beetle, which debuted in 1938. Production in Germany may have ended in 1978, but although right-hand drive cars were no longer made and the car wasn’t sold in the UK, it was still seen in German VW showrooms, the cars made in VW’s Mexican factory. When exports to Europe ended in 1985, the car kept going in VW’s South American factories for another 18 years. By that point it had outlived no less than four generations of its own replacement, the Golf, and was by any standards obsolete in every way. It was for years the staple taxi in larger Mexican cities, but this was to prove its death knell when new regulations required a four-door car with modern emissions. Morgan fans…

Brooklands Museum has been awarded a £950,000 lifeline as part of the Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund (CRF), the Culture Secretary announced on October 13. The Museum, located in Weybridge, Surrey, is one of 1385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support. It’s being given a share of the £257m awarded as part of the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England, with further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector due to be announced over the coming weeks. Based on the site of the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit and the most prolific aircraft manufacturing site in Europe, Brooklands Museum showcases an incredible collection of cars, planes and historic buildings, with an 800-strong workforce…

Having proved the success of its new behind-closed-doors format during its most recent summer sale, when all but one of the 99 entries were sold, South Western Vehicle Auctions returns with another strong selection of classics on October 30. Once again, online and telephone bids are the order of the day, but the cars are kept on site with pre-booked viewing available from Monday-Thursday beforehand. The catalogue featured 98 entries as we went to press and is typically varied. You’ll find everything from no-reserve projects through to high-end desirable classics such as a three-door Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, a Lancia Delta Integrale and an Austin Healey 100/6. There are plenty of alluring vehicles in-between though, including a stunning example of the once-common Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier, plus a rare MG Maestro…

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA (1962-1978) The practical saloon relation to the sports coupes that made all the headlines, the Giulia nonetheless carried over that sporting spirit and in fact proved such that people began to race them too – thus the high-performance Super. Even so, it was the Sprint, Spider and Sprint GT models that dominated classic enthusiasts’ attentions, and from the 1980s through to today, they’ve been substantially more expensive. The standard Giulia saloon has at least become valued into the £15,000-£25,000 range today, which is four times what they were worth back in the 1990s – a similar growth rate for the Sprints, which are now approaching six figures. The earlier Giulias are carving out a small premium for themselves lately for some minor design touches, but it’s generally…

This time of year would once have seen the automotive world gearing up for a British motor show, although that’s now long gone, as indeed are all major shows right now. Back in 1961 though, Earls Court was humming, with Ford Motor Company and the Rootes Group facing each other across the aisle. The new Consul Classic on the Ford pitch complements the similarly transatlantic styling of the Alpine centre-stage at Sunbeam, while further Ford presence is glimpsed beyond the Rootes area with a banner for the Mercury and Lincoln marques. Other US brands represented include Studebaker and Cadillac, while just at the corner of the shot we see that cheeky Jensen has stuck its own signage to the wall of the Ford stand.…

Like its predecessor the P5, the Rover P6 seems to be one of those cars which is forever associated with the Rover V8 engine, yet the vast majority sold were in fact powered by the rather more prosaic – and arguably more modern – 2-litre OHC Rover four-cylinder designed especially for the car. At launch in 1963, the single-carb version boasted 91bhp, but in 1966 the twin-carbed 2000TC was added to the range, which boasted 113bhp and in manual form wasn’t too far behind the automatic V8 in a straight line. Four years later the car was facelifted to become the Mk2 and it’s an example of this we have here. Resplendent in Tobacco Leaf (yes, that’s brown) with black leather interior it’s another of those incredible survivor cars, showing…