Innholdsfortegnelse for 13/01/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

Just as soon as we get used to writing 2021 instead of 2020, there’s a real sense of déjà vu as we enter another lockdown. The vaccine roll-out gives us more hope than it did last March, but it’ll be a while before we can meet again with our classic cars. Thankfully, classic cars don’t always have to be driven to be enjoyed. Just like last year, sanctuary can be found in the garage or workshop, working on that restoration project or just getting round to the little jobs you’ve been putting off for ages. And as a bonus, the specialists that help facilitate our hobby are much better versed with working behind closed doors this time round. Last year, we also saw a boom in classic trade as people…

With England now in lockdown for the foreseeable future, South Western Vehicle Auctions has decided to postpone its Winter Classic Sale, originally scheduled for January 29. The sale is now set to be combined with the one previously planned for April to form the Easter Classic Auction. This will be held on March 26 at 10am, with viewing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday prior to the sale by appointment. The winter catalogue already contained a large array of intriguing lots, including a 1974 Ferrari 308 GT4, and will be further boosted for the combined sale. For details, visit www.swva.co.uk.…

Online transactions have been vital in ensuring the classic car world can continue to trade vehicles and parts during the pandemic, demystifying the process for those previously less familiar with the internet and making purchases by proxy far more commonplace. Sadly though, cybercriminals have been quick to exploit the situation, with Facebook Marketplace now increasingly used as one of the platforms to rip people off. Online scams are far from a new problem, but with more and more people spending more time online, plus an increase in desperation to stave off the boredom of being at home, cybercrimes have risen exponentially. What’s more, with the rise of legitimate and highly publicised online traders such as Cazoo and Cinch, a lack of face-to-face contact when buying a car has become increasingly…

One of Britain’s longest established car clubs has now reached a major milestone. The Singer Owners’ Club is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2021, having started when young journalist Keith McDowall placed an advert in the motoring press proposing its formation. On March 4, 1951, 45 people attended the inaugural meeting in Hertford with their Le Mans, Roadsters and SM 1500 saloons. Today, the club can boast around 860 members in 23 countries, and still benefits from the support of its founder member. Any model made during Singer’s 65-year production is welcome, as well as the firm’s bicycles, commercials, tractors and even boats, but the line is drawn at sewing machines… The club also produces its own full-colour magazine six times per year and has a technical and sales literature…

In many ways Brightwells’ December sale was perfectly timed: the world had returned to some semblance of (new) normality after several months of trading online, but pre-Christmas madness and further restrictions were yet to set in. That perhaps explains the healthy 85% sale rate which saw 80 of the 94 lots find new keepers and a total of £573,000. Topping the results were a pair of blue chip entries in the shape of a 1984 Porsche 911 modified into a Carrera RSR replica making £45,000 on the hammer and a Mercedes ‘Pagoda’ SL making £42,000 despite being a left-hooker recent US import. A rare 1953 Lagonda 2.6 saloon represented an appealing project at a £21,400 hammer price, as did a part-restored 1938 Talbot-Lago T23 rolling chassis at £18,370. Staying with…

CITROËN XM (1989-2000) Citroën has a tradition of producing cutting edge cars and the sophisticated XM was no exception. With its chiselled, doorstop design, clever details inside and hydropneumatic suspension it had all the trademark quirkiness to make it interesting. The commodious estate from 1991 was perhaps even more remarkable. Sadly, though, cars that buck convention are rarely successful and despite its comfortable ride, generous kit and range of fuel-sipping TD engines sales were abysmal. A false start with some reliability issues brought on a facelift in 1994 but didn’t improve sales much. In fact it got so bad that entry 2.0-litre petrol saloons that cost the first owners £15,975 in the early ’90s were up at just a few hundred pounds a decade later. Frugal 2.1 diesels in Exclusive…

Historically, Porsche had undertaken a great deal of development work on behalf of VW, and in the early 1970s it embarked on the collaborative EA425 project (conceived as a replacement for the slow-selling Volkswagen-Porsche 914). In 1972, Porsche submitted five design proposals. From these, a 2+2, front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout was chosen. One which incorporated a finely tuned amalgam of VW/Audi and Porsche parts. The Beetle 1302 donated its MacPherson front struts, the newly introduced Golf the lower front arms, whilst Porsche’s proven torsion bar set-up was employed at the rear. Brakes, servo-assisted, were VW. Discs front, drums rear. The rear-mounted transaxle was a heavily modified Audi four-speed. Concerns about ever-stringent emissions regulations, particularly in the all-important North American market, led Porsche to a Daimler Benz-derived 2-litre, four-cylinder, 1984cc, SOHC,…

While rummaging through some old spares before lockdown, we spotted this rather colourful booklet for BMC exchange engines, which were described as ‘good as new’ and carried the decadent luxury of a 12-month warranty. Curiously, it carries the BMC name but no mention of Austin – only the brands previously owned by Morris Motors. Does this date it as the early to mid-1950s, or was it indicative of a post-merger divide? Who knows, but fingers crossed some of those engines are still running.…

Online scams have not just been restricted to car and parts adverts. Just before Christmas, the DVLA revealed that reports to their contact centre of fraudulent emails, texts and phone calls for the three months up to September had increased by a whopping 603 per cent compared to the same period in 2019. The scams ask drivers to verify their driving licence details, offer vehicle tax refunds, highlight a failed vehicle tax payment and ask for bank details. Public reports of email scams saw the biggest rise from July to September 2020 compared with same three months last year, jumping from 603 to 3807 – an increase of 531 per cent. Here at CCB, staff have personally received such fake emails regarding failed payments. Like a similar scam council tax…

A whole host of cars celebrated their 40th birthday in 2020, but there wasn’t a great deal of chance to celebrate many of these milestones. But as we enter 2021, a whole range of cars from superminis to supercars have been handed a belated birthday present as they stand to benefit from the British government’s rolling 40-year tax exemption. Providing they haven’t been substantially altered, cars built or registered before 1 January 1981 quality for road tax exemption from April, potentially saving owners £270, or £165 if your car’s engine is smaller than 1549cc. To qualify, you’ll need to apply at a Post Office that deals with vehicle tax, bringing along your V5C, V111 reminder if you have one and your MoT (plus insurance cover note in Northern Ireland). Currently,…

We might not have had snow at Christmas, but there was certainly a flurry of bids across the classic car auction landscape on the run up. There was a great showing of modern classics at Classic Car Auctions on December 12th, some great icons at H&H on the 16th, and top marques at Bonhams also on the 16th. If you wanted the best of modern classic performance, then CCA was the place to be, and bidders walked away with all sorts ranging from Ford Cosworths for as much as £100,000 to a 1991 GMC Syclone pickup truck for £19,425. This was also a particularly large auction, with 120 lots and an impressive 90 per cent of them found buyers. Part of the action was some tens of thousands of pounds…

An outstanding Rover P5B 3.5 Coupe is believed to have set a new world auction price record for the model when it sold for a remarkable £45,510 at CCA’s recent December sale. It certainly had some provenance. As well as covering just 21,070 miles from new, the 1970 Admiralty Blue and Silver Birch example was supplied new to a big heavy industrial firm Head Wrightson and was the personal car of its chairman, Sir John Wrightson, the Third Baronet of Neasham Hall. It then had a further two owners before being kept by its most recent and very fastidious keeper for 18 years, who recently fully recommissioned it. Its selling price trumps the £32,190 achieved by CCA for a 1972 P5B Coupe in 2019, and helped the auctioneer close 2020…

The co-founder of The Italian Job driving adventure, Freddie St George, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list for his services to charity. Together with his mother Giulia, who has also been awarded an MBE, Freddie has been organising the annual pilgrimage to Italy and other associated events for 30 years, catering for Minis or any classic car featured in the 1969 Michael Caine film. Since the first run in 1990, the pair have helped raise almost £3m for children’s charities and currently support Buttle UK. “I was genuinely shocked to learn I was to receive an MBE in the 2021 Queen’s New Year Honours for doing something I have loved and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of for over 30 years,” said Freddie. “The Italian…

FORD PROBE 2.5 (1988-1997) The Probe has had a thriving owners club (UKPOC) since 2005 and while prices have remained static for ages, interest surrounding the model is beginning to slowly gather pace. And it’s the 24v 2.5-litre V6 with its 8.5 second 0-60mph time that’s getting the most attention; the 2.0-litre is okay but just doesn’t have the driving characteristics, kudos, or investment potential of its beefier sibling. It’s true to say the Probe’s always been a tad too American for British tastes. Even the name sounded American. That meant that most performance coupé buyers here made up their mind about the car before they had even driven it, which is a shame because they’re quick, comfortable and excellent long-distance cruisers. This stuffiness led to savage early depreciation. A…

As the modern automotive industry continues its rush to EVs, here we see one of the first practical solutions in the shape of the Ford Comuta concept, produced in 1967 and pictured here testing in South Kensingtion in 1971. Just half the length of a contemporary Cortina, the Comuta mounted four lead acid 12-volt batteries under the floor and the electric motor on the rear axle which allowed it to seat four adults… with zero rear impact protection. Designed primarily for city use, the Comuta offered a range of 37 miles and a top speed of – curiously enough – 37mph. Ford reportedly sank £10m into the project – a big sum back in the Sixties – but shortly afterwards shelved the idea awaiting a breakthrough in battery technology. The…

Saab 96 The other Swedish option of course. The grille might be updated but the Saab feels much older than the Volvo even if it is nimbler on the road. Toyota Crown If you’re not yet far enough into the left field, try Toyota’s perennial cruiser. That is, if you can find one in the UK. Values for this one are on the rise. Mercedes W114 Step upmarket with a Mercedes from the same era, so long as you have the money to pay for it. This six-cylinder W115 is up for sale at Kim Cairns in fact.…

Contact: Just Right Autos, Witney, OX28 3JH Tel: 01487 842085 www.justrightautos.co.uk One of many MG TFs for sale at Just Right Autos is this one of few: the appropriately named TF LE500, made to celebrate the reintroduction of the TF after MG’s acquisition by Nanjing Automobile Group in 2007. The specification is best described as fully loaded, including leather seats, parking sensors and a stereo with MP3-compatibilty. It also featured a unique front end treatment, with its twin-opening grille and unique lower spoiler and intake. There have been many special editions of the MGF and TF over the years, but this one does have a special appeal to the enthusiasts. This example really is in lovely condition, not only retaining its useful hardtop but also appearing free of any obvious…