Innholdsfortegnelse for 20/01/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

That BMW has come out, if somewhat clumsily (see page 8), and called its E65 7-Series a classic is yet another reminder of the passage of time. It’s 20 years old now, and so are many other cars reaching landmark anniversaries this year, just as they did last year, and the last. Are these cars too new? Perhaps right now they might seem it, particularly since the art of surrender seems to be the preferred school of thought for designers these days. What’s the difference between a Continental GT of 2003 and the latest one? Not enough to make a classic, at least. But there is big change already under foot. Electric power and even the rethinking of transport infrastructure is on the horizon. Car design will change, probably quite…

Renault could reinvent classic models like the 4 as electric cars to turn its fortunes around, according to reports. New boss Luca de Meo, who was given the top job at the troubled French giant last year, has been working on a new business plan to boost sales and reposition the firm. Renault has already announced 2 billion euros in cost savings and job cuts in its bid to improve margins and boost the group’s performance in an auto market hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Reuters, citing two sources, states that de Meo’s turnaround plan will lean on Renault’s French heritage by reviving at least two classic nameplates. They are set to include an electric reinvention of the legendary 4, launched 50 years ago this year. An electric version…

Set to take place this summer from July 30-August 1, the 2021 Silverstone Classic event is poised to make up for lost time by serving up a double dose of automotive anniversaries. Not only will the Classic’s own postponed 30th anniversary be honoured alongside the marque and models that missed their opportunity in 2020, but so will the major milestones reached in 2021 – creating a bumper celebration at the Northamptonshire venue. On top, there will be an incredible line-up of retro racing including dazzling F1, GT, sports and touring car showdowns. Amongst the birthday celebrations carried forward will be an unprecedented gathering of Triumph Stags to mark the model’s delayed 50th, plus Alfa Romeo’s 110th anniversary and the 70th birthday of the Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter. There will also…

The Rétromobile show in Paris may have been postponed until the summer, but Atrcurial’s La Parisienne 2021 auction will still take place in the French capital on February 5. In amongst the lots you’ll find a great selection of exotica and competition cars, including the 1972 Matra MS670 raced to victory at Le Mans that year, which could sell for as much as €7.5m. There are also seven Group B rally icons, comprising a Ford RS200, a Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 2, a Lancia Delta S4, a Lancia 037, an Audi Sport Quattro S1, an MG Metro 6RA, and a Renault 5 Maxi Turbo. The Ford is potentially the cheapest, but you’ll still need an estimated €250,000-€400,000 for it, while the Audi could reach €1.3m. A roadgoing 206 T16, meanwhile,…

SUZUKI VITARA (1988-2000) Although it launched in the UK towards the end of the 1980s, it was in the following decade that the Vitara range expanded, enabling it to become one of the most popular compact 4x4s of the ’90s. The original 1.6-litre three-door hardtop was joined by a trendy convertible, while the addition of a long-wheelbase five-door model brought extra family appeal. The 2.0-litre V6 version of the LWB meant extra smoothness and performance, while the launch of diesel versions added an economy option. The original Vitara finally disappeared from UK showrooms in 2000, two years after the arrival of the new Grand Vitara. Despite its popularity throughout the ’90s, the Vitara is no longer a common sight on British roads, partly thanks to its rust-prone bodywork but mostly…

Another lockdown means our classic fix has to go virtual, but the award-winning REVS social media series is back to do just that with another Facebook get-together this Saturday (January 23). Called REVS Origins, the event encourages people to tell stories of where it all began, whether that be the start of their own automotive passion, the love for a particular vehicle, the history of a brand or the life of someone who has changed the motoring landscape. Launched last May by Bicester Heritage Chaplain, Adam Gompertz, the REVS Limiter Facebook group has fostered an inclusive online community of over 6200 members and has provided something of a mental health lift in these challenging times. REVS Origins will be the fifth event so far and invites simple video contributions that…

The rooftop test track atop the former Lingotto Fiat factory in Turin – famously used for the chase scenes in The Italian Job film – is to be repurposed as a garden. The famous Via Nizza building has been transformed into a shopping centre and hotel since it was closed as a car factory in 1982, but the iconic track has remained as a petrol head destination – until now. ‘Sky Drive’ will open on July 4. Developed in conjunction with Fiat by a team of specialists led by the architect Benedetto Camerana, the project covers 27,000 m2 of pedestrian walkways, driveways and gardens. It draws its inspiration from New York’s High Line Park, the green redevelopment of the elevated railway line in the Big Apple. It’s poised to become…

Leaving home to buy a car privately appears to be off limits during lockdown, with police having recently pulled over the purchaser of a VW Golf and reported them for breaking rules on essential travel. Central Motorway Police Group, which covers Staffordshire and the West Midlands, tweeted the driver had picked up a ‘good looking Golf’, but officers deemed that the 100-mile round trip wasn’t ‘a good or lawful’ reason to be out. According to a report by Car Dealer magazine, a spokesperson for the Central Motorway Police Group said that while it wasn’t necessarily a breach of Covid-19 rules to buy a replacement vehicle if required for essential travel, a car swap was not deemed appropriate where only essential travel is permitted. The incident shines a light on what…

Anglia Car Auctions’ first classic car sale of 2021, originally scheduled for January 30-31, has been postponed by two weeks until February 13-14. The catalogue was already well populated as we went to press, featuring such gems as a 1986 Mini Mayfair that’s covered a warranted 7909 miles from new and a beautiful 1981 Lancia Montecarlo Spider Series 2. Perhaps most notable however, is the quota of Blue Ovals, with a Mk1 Ford Capri 3000 GT rebuilt as replica of the Broadspeed racing Capri RS31000 from the 1974 and 1975 seasons the most eye-catching. It’s joined by 1980s turbo twins in the shape of a 1986 three-door Sierra RS Cosworth estimated at £48,000-£55,000 and a Series 1 Escort RS Turbo, which is predicted to sell for £12,000-£15,000. You’ll also find…

RELIANT REBEL (1964-74) Reliant was Britain’s most successful manufacturer of three-wheelers, yet also produced some interesting four-wheeled economy cars – including the Rebel, which always struggled to compete against the lower-priced Mini. Just 2600 were built during its ten-year run, each featuring a steel chassis and glassfibre bodyshell in two-door saloon or three-door estate or van guise. Under the bonnet sat Reliant’s all-alloy OHV engine, with the original 598cc (24bhp) version being replaced by a 700cc (31bhp) in 1967. There was a time when the Rebel was generally unloved and could be picked up very cheaply. These days though, it’s more sought after and has seen an uplift in values as a result. Even a project car that needs some chassis repairs and tidying of the bodywork is likely to…

Now here’s something topical which neatly avoids both the B and C-words we’re all so sick of in the news: the Morris Marina, which this year celebrates its 40th birthday – or at least, the precious few remaining survivors do. Often the butt of ill-informed criticism, the Marina was a perfect example of BL judging the market perfectly and then falling down at the detail level. The clever bit was accepting that the growing fleet market didn’t care for the complexity of front-wheel drive and so BL’s Cortina challenger was mechanically resolutely conventional. Essentially using the Morris Minor floorpan and running gear, it gained a neat modern shape courtesy of former Cortina stylist Roy Haynes. Where it fell down was in adopting the Minor’s running gear perhaps too wholeheartedly, lever…

New stories have circulated suggesting that motorists taking unnecessary journeys during lockdown could be invalidating their car insurance, but according to Heritage Insurance that’s not the case. The government has issued guidance on travel making it clear people should only be leaving home for certain purposes. But having looked in more detail at the rules and spoken to insurance partners, Heritage have concluded that insurance won’t be invalidated if a journey doesn’t meet the criteria for essential travel. “If you are driving within the terms of your policy and need to make a legitimate claim for damage, theft or injury, there is no reason for the nature of your journey to prevent that claim from being processed as it normally would be,” read the firm’s blog post. But just because…

New rules in the Brexit agreement will see classic cars imported from the European Union to the UK remaining duty free but they will now face an additional five per cent duty charge. Previously, cars that crossed the Channel did so with no duty or VAT added while the UK was still part of the EU. Boris Johnson announced the long-awaited Brexit deal on December 24, saying that he had given colleagues something for Christmas that they would be able to read in that post lunch lull. With the transition period ending at 11pm just seven days later, there has been lots of pressure from car manufacturers and importers to avoid a 10 per cent duty charge on brand new cars. Depending on complex rules of origin regarding the parts…

Aston Martin factory driver, Darren Turner, is to set to attempt a 200mph run in the Aston Martin Bulldog concept car 40 years after it was first tried. The Bulldog, styled by William Towns, is a one-off concept created in 1980 to showcase Aston engineering prowess. The firm hoped it would achieve 200mph, making it the fastest production car of its time. The car was just 9mph short when tested at MIRA, but Victor Gauntlett shelved the project due to financial reasons when he became chairman of AML in 1981. Last year the famous car was given to Classic Motor Cars in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, to carry out an 18-month nut and bolt restoration. Overseeing the restoration on behalf of the owner is Richard Gauntlett, Victor’s son. “The car is well…

BMW’s recent trend for causing a social media stir with strange and controversial marketing strategies continues. Hot on the heels of its ‘OK Boomer’ post in November and the curious dubbing of what sounds very much like a V10 soundtrack over a video of its six-cylinder M2 Competition model, BMW now appears to be mocking its heritage. The Bavarian firm is using the 20th anniversary of its iDrive system to celebrate the latest version of the infotainment system, which it plans to unveil at the all-digital 2021 Consumer Electronics Show. In a bizarre teaser video produced for the occasion, a 760iL from 2002 and the latest iX crossover become animated and begin arguing, quite transparently depicting ranting boomer and smug millennial stereotypes. The E65 claims marketing bullsh*t, and the iX…

Current Jaguar Land Rover chief creative officer, Gerry McGovern, has caused controversy with his comments in an interview before Christmas. Speaking to Automotive News Europe, the MGF and Freelander designer said he was looking forward to helping make Jaguar “wonderful again” by freeing it from the “constraints it had in the past.” McGovern’s role as JLR design boss comes a little over a year after the retirement of Ian Callum CBE, who dispensed with the marque’s traditional retro styling in the mid-2000s in favour of a more contemporary design language epitomised by the XF saloon, and is often credited with revolutionising the brand. McGovern’s comments didn’t go down well on social media, with many believing they were a dig at the Callum regime. Indeed, Callum took to Twitter in response…

The festive period and subsequent lockdown mean it’s a quieter time for auctions at present, but that hasn’t stopped a 1971 Alfa Romeo GT Junior achieving a new world record price for the model at auction. The stylish Italian coupe made a whopping £50,000 after attracted 261 bids during a seven-day online sale run by Car & Classic. Bidders were drawn in by the car’s as-new condition. It already had a head start, having started life in the favourable Australian climate, but in 2012 it was taken to the next level with a ground-up, nut-and-bolt restoration to near concours levels. Extensive paperwork and history files further added to the appeal. Ironically, the GT Junior was conceived as a cheaper route into Alfa Romeo ownership, but this example had been treated…

Once touted as the way to enjoy the MGB experience without the welding, the RV8 has itself entered middle age but seems to have avoided ever dropping into bargain basement territory. Indeed, rising values mean that even the few down-at-heel examples have been revived and the majority are cherished toys. Naturally, the Woodcote Green example at Spinning Wheel is one of these. Like so many it’s a former Japanese market car, repatriated in 2004 and showing 35,000 miles. The paintwork and Stone leather interior are described as being superb, with the usual RV8 bodywork rust spots notably absent thanks to a life in a dry garage. The original alloys have been refinished and the V8 has been treated to some light upgrades including an Optimax performance ECU, while there’s also…