Innholdsfortegnelse for 25/11/2020 i Classic Car Buyer

The internet went into overdrive when BMW went on the defensive in response to criticism over the rather tubby waistline and enormous fake kidney grilles on its new BMW iX electric SUV. Taking to Twitter, the company posted a link to a video with the controversial headline “OK Boomer,” along with the rather passive-aggressive slogan: “What’s your reason not to change?” The phrase “OK Boomer” went viral last year as a disparaging reference to the post-war ‘Baby Boomer’ generation. Given that such a phrase has been commonly used to respond to the perceived stereotype of older people being entitled and having condescending attitudes towards younger generations, BMW was presumably implying that those who didn’t like the bold new look were old and narrow-minded. As you might expect, this was seen…

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) used the recent virtual NEC Classic Motor Show as an opportunity to announce some of the standout results from its 2020 National Historic Vehicle Survey – and they make for very encouraging reading. Not only is the number of historic vehicles on the rise, but there’s also a big increase in the sector’s worth to the UK economy. The Federation has been compiling its reports every five years since 2006, but with the impact the pandemic is likely to have had on the sector’s habits in 2020 taken into consideration, the latest Historic Vehicle Survey was brought forward by a year and based on 2019 instead. In this context a historic vehicle is defined as being 30 years or over and spans…

Although its sales are usually great social occasions, Mathewsons has transitioned to behind-closed-doors sales with flying colours. The huge momentum it’s built up carried on for its most recent sale on November 13-14, as once again it put the first 100 lots under the hammer on the Friday night, followed by over 300 further lots on the Saturday. Clearly the lack of pre-auction viewing due to Covid-19 restrictions didn’t affect things too much, with plenty of frantic bidding over the two days. Given Mathewsons has now firmly established itself as something of a national treasure, it comes as no surprise to see traditional British classics amongst the top performers – and this sale was no exception. A couple of MGB roadsters both sold well above the upper estimates – one…

VOLVO 66GL (1975-80) Of all the compact Volvos produced over the years, the 66 is the quirkiest. Launched in 1975, this rebadged version of the DAF 66 came about via Volvo’s takeover of the ailing Dutch marque a year earlier. The Volvo 66 remained in production until 1980 and was offered in two-door saloon and three-door estate guises, combining 1.3-litre Renault power with DAF’s Variomatic belt-driven automatic transmission. Just over 100,000 were sold in total, relatively few of them in the UK. That makes the 66 one of the rarest Volvos of the ’70s, although such rarity doesn’t always translate into hefty asking prices. If you’re a DAF fan, you’ll probably aim for a car bearing the Dutch maker’s badge – and if you’re a Volvo enthusiast, you might struggle…

Right now the idea of asking drivers to stop to have their cars disinfected doesn’t seem quite so odd but as you can see, we’ve been here before. The Foot-and-Mouth epidemic of 1960 was the reason and here we see competitors in that year’s RAC Rally passing the control point at the entrance to Mallory Park. The arrangement is delightfully makeshift, with cars essentially splashing through a puddle of disinfectant. All the cars in this shot are Fords, but the entry list of the event appears to have been lost in time so if you know who was driving Anglia 105E number 65, then let us know. As the 1950s drew to an end, the rally’s focus as primarily a navigation event on public roads had seen its popularity slowly…

It all ended in a disappointing scandal and Colin Chapman’s untimely death, but there was some Lotus involvement with the DeLorean DMC-12 that didn’t involve cocaine shipments and hotel rooms full of FBI officials. Faced with both budgetary and time constraints, Lotus – which had been called upon to perform the production engineering – resorted to its own tried-and-trusted concept of an Esprit-style backbone chassis carrying a composite body following DeLorean’s style. Those signature stainless panels were merely cladding on the outside.…

On a recent visit to our colleagues at Car Mechanics, we were surprised to spot a VW Polo Harlequin. Built as a joke by Volkswagen staff, just 20 original Harlequins exist, but the public reaction was strong enough to prompt Wolfsburg to produce 1000 production models, a number that later rose to 3400. They were produced in a surprising manner, with the factory building regular Polos, before the panels were removed and swapped for different coloured ones. HowManyLeft.co.uk suggests just 27 are left on British roads and the owner of this one apparently has another one being restored……

MINI has previewed its unusual Urbanaut concept as a blueprint for the brand’s future, continuing the recent trend for BMW Group’s rather off-the-wall design work. The tall, one-box MPV concept, which features an electric drivetrain and autonomous driving modes, comes as the result of an in-house project to develop solutions for urban mobility in 2030. According to Oliver Heilmer, head of design at the brand, the concept is apparently an exercise in optimising the possibilities of a small space, in the same vein as the original 1959 Mini. Also paying homage to the past is a large windscreen designed to open when the Urbanaut is stationary, which recalls the Isetta bubble car’s single front door. So far, the Urbanaut only exists as digital renderings. A production version is being considered,…

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed last week that the sale of all new wholly petrol and diesel-engined cars will now be ended in 2030 as part of a £2.8bn investment in electric vehicles. Originally, the ban was to be enforced from 2040, but this was moved to 2035 in February of this year. Now though, it’s set to be less than a decade away as part of the Government’s plan to jump-start the electric car market and ultimately allow the UK to meet the target of net zero emissions by 2050. The move is part of a wider package of green initiatives, but the less stringent date of 2035 looks set to be retained for an end to the sale of hybrid cars and vans that “can drive a significant…

Today (November 25) sees another brand-new video released on our Classics World YouTube channel. This week, Editorial Assistant Joe gets behind the wheel of a 1967 Morris Minor 1000. With a growing youth classic scene, Joe investigates whether the lovable Moggy could make the perfect starter classic. The video also includes an interview with Simon Goldsworthy – editor of our sister title, Classics Monthly – to discuss the club scene, ease of maintenance and find out how easy and affordable it is to get parts for a Minor. After missing the chance to own one as his first car when finances didn’t allow, Joe was keen to have a drive of the classic he’d admired from afar. See what he thought by visiting www.YouTube.com/ClassicsWorldUK and don’t forget to subscribe for…

East Anglian Motor Auctions is set to host its final Classic & Retro Auction of 2020 on December 5, having delayed the sale from its previous November 14 date. As you might expect it’s being held behind closed doors, with details on how to bid – plus imagery and videos of the lots – available on the EAMA website. The sale’s headliner has got to be a 1981 BMW E12 M535i, but there’s a wide variety of entries. Older classics include a 1971 Triumph TR6 estimated at £13,000-£15,000, a 1962 Morris Marina, a 1973 Morris Marina Coupe and a pair of BL Mini Clubmans, but you’ll also find plentiful 1990s metal, as evidenced by a no-reserve Vauxhall Vectra SRi 140 and a 1996 Toyota Starlet showing just 2731 miles. Continuing…

With over 200 cars planned to go under the hammer at the event, this is a good chance to get that Christmas classic. There’s plenty to choose from, particularly if you’re a fan of Jaguars, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes, or American classics. There are also some exceptionally rare cars here too. Rolls-Royce and Bentley models make a strong showing, from a pair of 20/25s estimated around £20,000 through a handful of Shadows and a T1, right through to the more modern stuff like an exceptional 2001 Silver Seraph with just 13,300 miles estimated to fetch £40,000-£50,000. Three 1990s Bentley Continentals include a T expected to top the trio at an estimated £95,000-£120,000 – more even than the contemporary Azure on offer. There are plenty of Jaguar saloon cars to choose from too,…

AUSTIN WESTMINSTER Priced to compete with the Vanguard when they were new, but boasting six-cylinder power against the Standard’s four-pot motor, the Austin is the more affordable car today. VAUXHALL CRESTA The PA-Series Cresta overlapped the Phase 1 Vanguard in production and was just as Transatlantic in its appearance. They were nothing like as durable as the Standard though, which explains their rarity today. FORD ZEPHYR Another competitor to offer six-cylinder power, the Ford was slightly cheaper than the Standard in the day but is level pegging on price today.…

Virtual car events have come into their own in 2020, and at the forefront has been a series of online get-togethers organised via the REVS-Limiter Facebook group. Created by Bicester Heritage Chaplain, Adam Gompertz, the REVS community now has almost 6000 followers and even won the new Lockdown Initiative Award at this year’s Historic Motoring Awards. So, following the success of REVS-Limiter in May, REVS Restored in June and September’s REVS Refuelled and Ready, a fourth event – REVS Garagistas – had been devised to keep us entertained in lockdown. Although Enzo Ferrari wasn’t being particularly complimentary when he used the term ‘Garagistas’ to describe the fledgling British Formula One constructors, it’s all positive here. The team is asking for videos no longer than six minutes, in which people share…

Although the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show couldn’t take place at Birmingham’s NEC this month as planned, the classic car community didn’t sit idle when it came to filling the void. Instead, motoring personalities, clubs, specialists and enthusiasts all contributed to a superb, free-to-attend online event on November 14 – one that attracted over 200,000 viewers and created more than its fair share of headlines. The day of content started at 9am with a live broadcast on the show’s Facebook page by Mike Brewer, which reached 69,700 people. Then there were pre-recorded packages from the likes of Meguiar’s, our very own Classics World team, HERO ERA, restoration specialist Gilbert Michaelson, the FBHVC and Silverstone Auctions, together with short videos from 30 of the car clubs. In addition, motoring celebs Ant…

The finalists for the prestigious Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards have now been revealed for 2020. There are eight categories in all, recognising outstanding achievements in British historic motoring and motorsport. This year’s finalists include many of the organisations and initiatives that helped keep a passion for classic cars alive during a tough year. For instance, the British Motor Museum and the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, which both managed to host events against the odds, join Vauxhall Heritage as one of three finalists in the Collection category. There was also an impressive line-up of online activities within the entries, with Classics for Carers and REVS-Limiter shortlisted for the Motoring Spectacle category alongside the London Concours. REVS creator Adam Gompertz has also been nominated in the Personality category, as has…

Charterhouse was back in action on November 11 with its latest classic and vintage motorcycle and car sale, with 51 varied lots put under the hammer by the Dorset auctioneer. Bikes were the main order of the day on this occasion, but a healthy number of the four-wheeled entries found new homes too. A 1996 BMW 840Ci Auto that had spent many years sunning it up in Portugal looked good value at a hammer price of £9500, especially as it looked very clean underneath. Elsewhere an outlay of £4000 was enough to bag a 1969 MGB roadster in the fetching shade of Primrose Yellow, with the same figure achieved by a 1985 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit. A 1991 Mercedes Benz 300SL, meanwhile, looked similarly appealing at a hammer price of £4500.…

AUSTIN A40 (1958-67) Where previous incarnations of the A40 employed typically curvaceous looks of the period, a new era began with the Pininfarina-designed model of 1958 – bringing sharp, angular styling and (in Countryman guise) a horizontally-split tailgate for hatchback-like versatility. The A40 ‘Farina’ has traditionally offered good value for money on the classic car market, although the days when MoT’d examples could be picked up for a few hundred pounds are long gone. At the turn of the millennium, A40s in excellent condition were changing hands for no more than a couple of thousand pounds, and often a lot less. These days though, you can expect to have to pay upwards of £4000-£5000 for an immaculate looking example, with the very best survivors sometimes achieving £6000-£7000. Compare those values…

The MGB GT V8 was one of the best products to emerge from British Leyland in the 1970s. Not only did it offer a comfortable and practical two seater GT body, but with 137bhp on tap it had more than enough poke. Despite the fact that Ken Costello’s conversion (shamelessly copied by BL) was offered on the GT and Roadster bodies, Leyland never produced a V8 Roadster. At least, not until the ’90s. The RV8 was intended to spearhead MG’s revival ahead of the launch of the new F, as well as to promote the availability of Heritage shells. This revived B had a 3.9-litre Rover V8 and an interior plush enough for Jaguar. But by this time, scores of enthusiasts had made their own V8 Roadsters, and continue to…

Between 1982 and 1986, Toyota and Lotus not only worked together but the Japanese firm even held a majority stake, which it eventually sold to General Motors. But even in a brief four years, some great cars came of the co-operation. First was a revised Toyota Supra with Lotus spring and damper rates that drove considerably better than before, then a revised Lotus Eclat with some Toyota components not least a gearbox making it operate considerably more reliably than before – the Excel. There’s even some history in the shadows that suggests Lotus suspension engineer Roger Becker had a bit of a hand in developing the original MR-2.…