Innholdsfortegnelse for 9/12/2020 i Classic Car Buyer

On top of Covid-19 uncertainty, the UK’s historic vehicle industry now faces the end of the Brexit transition period. Although the UK left the European Union at the end of January 2020, everything basically stayed the same. However, with the transition period due to end on December 31, a huge government campaign is urging businesses to get ready. For us at CCB, it seemed like an opportune moment to see what’s involved for the historic vehicle industry and what it might mean for consumers. International trade is important to the movement. The 2020 National Historic Vehicle Survey commissioned by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) estimated a remarkable £7.2bn per year was spent on anything and everything to do with historic vehicles in 2019, with £0.95bn of that…

Today (November 9) sees another brand-new video released on our Classics World YouTube channel. This week, Kelsey COO Phil Weeden drives a 2004 Jaguar XKR Convertible, a late example of the ‘X100’ generation XK. Phil has had extensive experience with Jaguars of all sorts and the X100 is no exception, having driven an XKR to the south of France when new and countless standard and modified examples since. In the video, Phil talks through the XK8’s complicated birth during Ford’s takeover of Jaguar, why the X100 was the perfect successor to the long-lived XJS and aims to debunk some myths on Jaguar reliability and quality. The X100 is a modern classic bargain and you can find out all about it by visiting www.YouTube.com/ClassicsWorldUK. Don’t forget to subscribe for a new…

The classic cars most financially viable to restore have been outlined in a new Hagerty UK report. Using its Price Guide, which covers over 200 models, the insurer investigated the difference between ‘fair’ (Condition 4) and ‘concours’ (Condition 1) values for each. With £13.12m difference, the Ferrari 250 GTO came out top, followed by the AC Cobra Daytona Coupe (£8.364m) and the McLaren F1 (£5.74m). By contrast, the newly added Ford Focus 1.6i Zetec showed a difference of just £1400, followed by the four-door Austin Allegro 1750 (£2150) and the Vauxhall Magnum 1800 (£2200). In terms of a percentage difference between ‘fair’ and ‘concours’, the Series 1 Land Rover Discovery was biggest, with a variance of £13,400 equating to 91 per cent of its ‘concours’ value. Close behind was the…

Bonhams MPH will hold its December auction at Bicester Heritage this Friday (December 11). This will be a behind-closed-doors sale, with bidding taking place online, via the telephone or by absentee bids. It’s set to be a packed and varied sale featuring everything from pedal cars to six-figure exotica, but the line-up of British classics is particularly intriguing. The entry list includes several Morris Minors, and an abundance of Minis, but also an Austin 1800 ‘Landcrab’, a tidy 1975 Morris Marina and a 30k-mile 1987 Metro. You’ll find a host of pre-WW1 and WW2 entries too – the oldest a 1907 Darracq 10/12hp two-seater – plus a 1948 Series 1 Land Rover and several big prestige saloons. German classics include a smart BMW 3.0 CSi and several Mercedes, while Italy…

VW K70 (1970-75) The boxy K70 was a gamechanger for VW. Breaking from the firm’s traditional rear-engined, air-cooled past it pioneered a format that would go on to form the basis for all subsequent VWs. Yet, despite its historic significance, it’s never been loved and the thriving air-cooled scene barely acknowledge its existence. That’s probably because, and let’s be honest, it isn’t exactly a looker – although its crisp squared-off styling has somewhat come back into fashion lately. The fact it overlapped with the firm’s 411 didn’t help, nor did their tendency to rust. Just about everywhere, and very quickly… In total just 211,127 were made, with a meagre 800 in right-hand drive for the UK market. Of these, according to howmanyleft.co.uk, just 13 are currently licensed. Despite their rarity,…

Given that the original Land Rover Discovery was developed on the tightest budget, utilising virtually all the Range Rover’s chassis, running gear and drivetrain and most of its body structure. This included the door frames but not the door skins. New door handles were out of the question though, given that the budget was so tight that the Discovery’s headlamps were lifted from the Freight Rover van and its rear light units from the commercial version of the Austin Maestro. As launched in 1989 the Discovery was only available as a three-door model (partly to distinguish it in the market from the Range Rover) but it none the less used the front doors from the four-door Range Rover with new skins. These incorporated Marina door handles, albeit with the chrome-effect bezels…

Here we have a snapshot of a motor dealer in Ealing, 1979. Reflecting its times are not only the British Leyland signs in the window but the cars behind. The odd one out is the late Hillman Hunter on the left of course, marked as a used car and so too must be the Triumph 2000 Car of the Week next to it. Proudly in front is a Mini 1100 Special LE and a bright white Rover SD1 beside it. In back there’s what appears to be an MG Midget and Morris Marina estate. Dating back to the 1920s, the Gordon Lovett business ceased trading only a couple of years later. Which car would you have driven out of the doors?…

Of course I’d pick out an early MGF VVC. Since I own one, I can hardly be unbiased, but I’m not the only one. These are quickly becoming very popular classic roadsters and the trend has not gone unnoticed. For too long they’ve snuck under the MX-5 blipping radar, but lately the MGF’s big features are starting to hit the notes of enthusiasts’ wants and values are rising. It’s a great looking car for one thing, enjoying a classic look without being too derivative and the racy side vents don’t hurt either. Most of us have by now got over the head gasket hysteria, and it’s only the cars as tired as the jokes that’ll give cause for concern. What’s more, with every aspect of the MGF covered by well-stocked…

Since the earliest days of the pandemic, we’ve been encouraging people to get out and use their classics as much as possible and although that was easy during the hot summer weather, the onset of frosty mornings does mean that bit more commitment to the cause is required. Which is why I was gratified while queuing for our local tip (sorry, recycling centre) this week to find myself behind this lovely Morris pickup which looked like the perfect tool for the job. It was also fascinating to note how, in contrast to the state of my own car, the Moggy’s slender tyres managed to avoid plastering the bodywork with filth from the muddy access road.…

The Rootes Archive Centre Trust has gained international recognition by winning a prestigious 2020 FIVA Culture Award. FIVA, or the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens to use its full title, launched the annual awards in 2018 to promote and reward deserving projects, events and personalities. After a month of careful consideration, FIVA Culture Commission chose The Rootes Archive Centre Trust as its winner in the Research Category. The trust was formed in 2004 and has gone from strength to strength since it successfully fundraised to buy its own building in rural Oxfordshire, which it opened in April 2018 with three generations of the Rootes family in attendance. FIVA acknowledged the massive challenge in storing and cataloguing material relating to the heritage of the Rootes Group and its successor companies, which…

MINISSIMA Futurist Aston Martin Lagonda designer William Towns produced his striking Townscar featuring an A-Series and 10-inch wheels, in 1972. Entry to the cabin was via a single rear door, with an overall length of just 90 inches. The car was bought by BLMC, along with the design rights, and put on display at the 1973 motor show under the name Minissima. However, in a familiar-sounding tale, BL could not afford to develop it, and it later re-emerged as a prototype car for the disabled, adapted by engineering firm GKN Sankey with toned-down styling. Bicycle manufacturer Elswick bought the rights and launched the car as the Elswick Envoy in 1981, but was expensive and didn’t sell in great numbers, so was canned by 1987.…

This month’s auction at Mathewsons in North Yorkshire faces some challenges, with the county going into Tier 3 just a week ahead of the sale on December 11-12. However, with proceedings remaining behind closed doors and more than 340 lots going through, it’s still poised to be a very busy affair. Again, the sale will be held over two days, with the first 100 lots going under the hammer on the Friday evening and the remining entries auctioned on the Saturday. And as ever, there’s a huge variety of classic cars from home and abroad included, from restored beauties to winter projects. You’ll find some larger memorabilia items too, from tin signs to lightboxes. It’s a particularly interesting sale for Blue Oval fans, with a Fern Green 1600 Capri from…

In addition to its busy catalogue of classics (see CCB November 25 issue), Historics is to offer 120 lots of automobilia at its public-facing sale at Ascot Racecourse this Friday and Saturday (December 11-12). Pole position undisputedly goes to the 32-lot private collection of items from the Team Bentley 2001-2003 endurance racing campaign, which culminated with a Le Mans win in 2003. All the lots are offered with no reserve, including a full-size GRP replica of the 2003 Le Mans-winning Team Bentley Speed 8. The non-working but race-wheeled replica – externally a clone of the race entry - is in pristine condition and is finished in the evocative BRG livery of the No.7 Le Mans winning car. There’s also a carbon-fibre bodyshell, believed to be that of the Team Bentley…

Another low-volume builder of glass fibre-bodied sports cars which also made use of the Marina Flap was Reliant, although the Scimitar had been in production since 1964, long before our favourite door handle was thought up. Until 1975 Scimitars used Ford Cortina handles but for the SE6 model, which brought with it a revised chassis and a more upmarket image as well as some cosmetic tweaks, the Marina door handles were used – this time with the chrome flap but using a plain plastic bezel. The following SE6 GTE models and the SE8 GTC continued to use these handles, as did the 78 Middlebridge Scimitars built after Reliant production ended in 1986 up to 1990.…

Mini The Mini had the high-tech layout, yet the Anglia had the visual glamour. The Anglia is the rarer car today though and values for survivors like this one are up there with the Mk1 Mini. Hillman Imp Rootes’ offering in the small car market came four years later and lacked the dramatic transatlantic styling of the Ford but was intriguing technically. Much rarer now than either. Triumph Herald Just like Ford, Triumph went for simple mechanicals and stylish body, although market forces dictated the use of a separate chassis. More affordable than Mini or 105E today.…

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show, with Discovery, has been rescheduled from its original March date to June 11-13, 2021. The show will remain at Birmingham’s NEC, with organisers saying the new timeline will give them “the best opportunity to bring the community together to celebrate the world of classic cars and their restoration journey.” The organisers are still planning on incorporating all the Covid-secure measures already planned for the event, but they are all being implemented in a way that can be scaled back assuming a vaccination programme is well underway. For tickets that were transferred from March 2020 to March 2021, these will now be valid for the June dates – ticketholders will be contacted directly in the New Year.…

Vauxhall’s 60-car Heritage Collection is to move north as the manufacturer’s Griffin House headquarters in Luton edges closer to sale. There are plans develop to create a new public-facing permanent Heritage Centre in future, but in the meantime the collection will be temporarily rehomed at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire. A converted 8000-square-metre building has been set aside at the plant for the collection, which represents every decade of Vauxhall’s 117-year history. Once relocation has taken place, the vehicles will be maintained on site by local specialist Manor Park Classics. However, around a third of the collection will still have visibility outside of Ellesmere Port. Currently, 13 Vauxhalls are on display at Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton as part of the ‘Vauxhall – Made in Luton’ exhibition, which runs…

In an exclusive interview for the January 2021 issue of Volksworld Camper & Bus magazine, Ewan McGregor talks about his Volkswagen history, from childhood memories in a Bug to his latest 1967 T2 Westfalia. There are tales told of his very first car, a 1978 Beetle with some regrettable modifications right up to more recent road trip stories with his family. He may be a Golden Globe winning actor and an OBE recipient for his contributions to drama and charity, but Ewan remains fully grounded when it comes to his love for classic Volkswagens. In this excerpt from the interview, he talks through his fleet: “I use the Beetles to run around in, going to shops, picking up groceries. The Camper is for special occasions. You take it to go…

Classic Car Auctions (CCA) is back with another Covid-secure Live Online Auction this Saturday (December 12). As per usual during these restricted times, bidding is available online, on the phone or via commission. The entry list certainly has plenty of highlights, not least the Mike Bell Collection. The 11-piece collection is made up of both road and race cars as well as a transporter and motorbike, all of which were personally owned by the late Mike Bell - a well-respected preparer and driver of historic cars who sadly past away earlier this year. It features a trio of Mk1 RS Ford Escorts, including an RS 1600 known as ‘Lairy Canary’, plus a 1965 Gilbern 1800 GT, a 1959 Morgan Plus 4, a Peugeot 205 Rallye and a Porsche 968 Sport.…

E30 M3 (1986-1991) From its muscular bulging arches and heavily raked rear screen to its revvy 16v 2302cc S14 engine, five-stud wheels and plastic bootlid, the M3 was different to the stock E30 in virtually every respect. And that’s precisely why it was special, and why BMW dealers here felt justified in asking £23,550 for one, despite the fact the steering wheel was on the wrong side. A paltry 17,970 of BMW’s in-house motorsport division’s first ever ‘M’ were produced, of which just 788 were convertibles. Initially, being so niche, few people knew much about it outside of enthusiast circles. Indeed, according to a dog-eared price guide in the office, by the summer of 2000 an M3 in above average condition had plummeted to £6355, while the rock bottom was…

The Austin Allegro is often considered something of a sister to the Marina, being the equivalent small family car for BL’s other mass-market marque. Of course the Allegro was intended to be a contrast, as where the Marina was conventional and cautious the Allegro was advanced and daring. Nonetheless despite its front-wheel drive and Hydragas suspension it reused the Marina’s flap-tastic door handles (and the Morris’ expensive in-dashboard heater unit). The handles’ angular shape sat well with the ‘squircular’ theme running through the Allegro’s detailing from its headlamps and grille to its famous Quartic steering wheel. While the steering wheel was binned in the car’s second year of production, the handles remained right to the end of Allegro production in 1982.…

Receiving nearly as rapturous a reception from the press as the original, the new front-wheel-drive Elan nevertheless ended up as a bit of a market disappointment. Then, just as it was approaching its demise, a sudden flurry of enthusiasm filled order books, and it was even brought back for a year as the Series 2. A cult following is growing into wider appreciation lately, and prices are rising. Now you’ll need more than £5000 to get a good one. What is a good one? We spoke to Mike Taylor at Lotus specialists Lotus Bits for some advice. Look for rust on the chassis, particularly around the suspension and along the sills. The fibreglass body is as expensive to fix or replace as you’d expect, and windscreens are just one specialist…