Innholdsfortegnelse for 27/01/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

It’s more than once that Mrs W has been heard to wonder out loud quite why we need to have so many spare car batteries stacked up in a little totem in the corner of the garage but this week there’s been a very practical advantage to the reluctance (shared I suspect by many readers) to throw away what seems like a perfectly serviceable battery. After all, just because it won’t reliably turn over a Land Rover V8 on a frosty morning doesn’t mean it can’t still be used for all those things not-quite-expired batteries are useful for. You know… camping, weighing down gazebos… that sort of thing. Like most families with school age children, 2021 for us has been characterised by the move to online lessons and so far…

The British Motor Museum is gearing for a full programme of shows in 2021, including a return for some of the events that had to be cancelled last year due to the pandemic. The Gaydon Land Rover Show returns on May 8-9, bringing vehicles, owners and historians together for a weekend dedicated to this iconic marque. This is followed on June 6 by the popular National Metro and Mini Show, ahead of over 450 pre-2001 trucks, vans and pick-ups gathering for the Classic and Vintage Commercial Show on June 12-13. Hundreds of beloved British vehicles will be present at the Warwickshire venue for the BMC and Leyland Show when it returns on July 11, with the following weekend given over to all things Blue Oval as the Old Ford Rally…

Whether buying or selling at auction, the process needs to work for all parties involved. One of the key aspects is managing a vendor’s expectations. Every day, we receive calls or emails from vendors claiming to have “the best in the country” or a vehicle that is “absolutely mint.” However, few old (or modern classic) cars are ever truly “mint” and to the trained eye are often below par, sometimes with overspray, hard edges and/or micro-blistering in evidence. Of course, this isn’t always the case; some cars genuinely are excellent, with their estimates reflecting this. Originality sells well, modified less so. A car in good, sound original order with a good history will always find its feet and a well restored car can do equally well, but over-restored cars, or…

JENSEN C-V8 (1962-’66) At its Earls Court debut in October 1962 the C-V8’s slanty headlamps annoyed as many as it pleased, with one journalist rudely proclaiming it to be “the best car in the world cleverly disguised as the ugliest.” Just 494 were made, punctuated by a Mk2 arriving in 1963, and a Mk3 in 1965. Costing £3392 new in ’63, the C-V8 was always in the shadow of the less expensive Jaguar E-Type (£2196). Mind you, costing £4085, it seemed better value than the Aston DB5 which was released at the same time. But residuals, or what a car enthusiast was willing to pay for one, was always restrained by its appearance. So while its two biggest rivals realised year-on-year price increases throughout the decades that followed, the Jensen…

In Europe, the CVH maxed out at 1.8 litres in the Sierra and was at its most powerful in the 132bhp RS Turbo models, but over in the USA the engine took an entirely different development path. Initially the European and US engines were largely similar in their basic layout, but in 1986 the US market received a 1.9-litre version which employed a thicker and taller block to accommodate its larger 82mm bore and the same 88mm stroke used for the later Sierra 1.8. It also employed the roller lifters used in the Sierra engine to improve refinement. In true Federal style, it was no performance weapon despite the extra capacity, turning in just 108bhp even with multi-point injection. From 1997, the engine was enlarged further to a full 2 litres…

While photographing a 1950 Bentley MkVI recently I found myself behind the wheel of this 1986 Pontiac Trans Am, an experience which charts two extremes of the old car world. Despite packing a full five litres, it musters just 189bhp and a brief spin round the yard proved illuminating. In truth it’s probably not much quicker than the old Bentley but there’s something about these outrageous ’80s US cars which means you can’t help but grin. Oh and it sounded superb, too. Find it in the February timed sale at Brightwells.…

A storm of post-Brexit red tape, increased costs and Covid-19-related restrictions is leading to significant delays when sourcing classic car parts from overseas, with some retailers suspending UK deliveries and others unable to get items sent. The United Kingdom and the European Union reached a post-Brexit trade agreement at the 11th hour, meaning tariffs won’t be charged on imports depending on the origin of the goods. However, it’s not business as usual, as firms and carriers now face more administration and revised VAT rules. For goods sold into the UK valued above £135, the importer is still responsible for paying the UK VAT, usually charged to the recipient prior to delivery. But since January 1, business to consumer sales under £135 have changed. VAT is now collected at the point…

The first production version of AC Cars’ relaunched Cobra 378 Superblower has now been completed, complementing a trio of reborn models that also includes the recently announced Series 1all-electric and 140 Charter Edition. Powered by a 6.2-litre 580hp supercharged V8 engine with a six-speed gearbox and featuring an all-original four-inch round tube ladder frame chassis, the Superblower is a continuation of the model conceived and launched by AC’s current owners back in 1998. Only a relatively small number of cars could be built and sold at that time, but 22 years later, the model is available again. The model will be sold by AC’s UK dealer, Boss Motor Company of Buckinghamshire, and is priced at £129,500 (OTR). Visit www.accars.eu for more information.…

Mathewsons hosts its first auction of the year next weekend, sticking to the original date of February 5-6 despite the country being in lockdown and other auction houses delaying their sales as a result. It looks set to be just as intriguing as ever though, with more than 200 lots already entered. The first 100 will be hammered away from 6pm on Friday, with the remainder of the lots from 9am on Saturday. Due to the current guidelines, viewings won’t be taking place in the normal way, but there will be extensive photos of the entries put online, along with an audio description video. Walkaround phone calls are also possible. As per recent sales, the auction itself will take place remotely, with bids only taken over the phone or online.…

It’s perhaps a measure of how massively BL missed the mark with both the MGB and the TR7 that today there are many more examples running around with the Rover V8 under the bonnet than ever left the factory. Unlike the TR8, the MGB V8 was at least offered to UK buyers, but only in GT form which means that those wanting the power of the ex-Buick motor in the open car will have to build it themself. Which these days is no great hurdle, thanks to the availability brand new of pretty much every part you’ll need to do the job neatly. This 1971 MGB roadster is an example of just that process, having been rebuilt into a brand new Heritage body shell in 1993. It was perhaps the…

As teased in last week’s issue, Renault is set to reintroduce one of its classic nameplates by reinventing the cult R5 as an electric supermini – and it’s already caused a massive stir. The reborn 5 is set to be one of 14 new models – including seven fully electric vehicles – that the French brand will launch by 2025 as part of its new ‘Renaulution’ plan to transform its ailing fortunes. The strategy was announced by new boss Luca De Meo, who was key in reviving the 500 during his time at Fiat and looks set to repeat the trick with the 5. Created by a design team led by Gilles Vidal, the 5 prototype takes many styling and design cues from the original model produced from 1972-1996, albeit…

The main attraction at Mecum’s big Kissimmee sale on January 7-16 was undoubtedly the 1965 AC Cobra owned by Carroll Shelby from the day it was assembled in March 1966 until his passing in May 2012, which sold for $5.94m, or about £4.36m. However, we were also rather taken by a somewhat humbler lot in the shape of a white MG Midget 1500. Garage stored for over 30 years, the 1979 example had covered just 1980 miles from new and was in immaculate condition. It sold for $33,000, or around £24,250 – a display of America’s strong affection for the MG brand. However, the sale price was still some way behind the £28,750 achieved by another 1979 Midget 1500 sold by Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2017,…

British drivers caught in their classic by speed cameras in European Union countries are unlikely to face penalties following the UK’s departure from the EU, with information sharing agreements ending. Introduced in 2015, the Cross Border Enforcement directive meant authorities in EU countries could pursue drivers for motoring offences, as long as their car was registered in a European Union country. More than 444,000 British motorists were fined for offences detected by cameras in France last year, more than Belgians with 295,899, Spanish drivers with 262,012 and Germans with 249,291. In 2019, we covered how classic car drivers returning from touring holidays had been hit with unexpected fines following a speed limit drop from 90kph to 80kph on countryside roads in France. Penalties in France can reach as much as…

 Contributor ALFASUD TI (1971-1984) The Ti version of the famous Alfasud was always well received but its superb chassis still left people wanting more power. Starting with 68bhp, by 1977 power had been upped to 75bhp, and eventually the Green Cloverleaf from 1983 reached a heady 102bhp. Then all too soon the Sud’s many shortcomings sadly caught up with it. While some were prepared to overlook the shoddy build, its propensity to rust due to the use of recycled Russian steel was just too much to bear for most. Even the addition of a rear hatch in the early 1980s didn’t prevent the detractors hating what was fundamentally an exceptionally good car. In 1981 the three-door Ti carried a pricetag of £5380, with the Green Cloverleaf coming in at £5600.…

It’s 1997, and the first of the commercially available electric cars gesturing a modern era are spreading out of smog-choked Los Angeles. Pictured here is the famous General Motors EV1, stopped at a gas station near Lancaster, just north of LA. Using lead-acid batteries (later NiMH in Gen 2 cars), the EV1 was capable of travelling nearly 100 miles on a charge, which means that this might well have been a genuine stop for energy. Doesn’t look like they would have had much luck. Nearly 25 years on, with the memory of the ill-fated EV1 a little more absorbed into electric vehicle history, we wonder if we’ll see the shape again. Perhaps as a retro design, could you imagine?…