Innholdsfortegnelse for 03/03/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

Owners of older and classic vehicles look set to be hit in the pocket following confirmation from the government that potentially harmful E10 petrol will finally be introduced to UK filling stations in September 2021, ending two lengthy consecutive consultations regarding its roll-out. At present, ethanol made from wheat or sugar beet is blended into petrol to a maximum of five per cent in the UK, but E10 doubles this to 10 per cent. While E5 can generally be used without issue, increasing the ethanol content has consequences for older cars. Ethanol is hygroscopic, so in other words it easily absorbs water, potentially leading to corrosion in fuel tanks, fuel lines and carburettors. It’s also a solvent that can disintegrate fibreglass, plastic and rubber, so O-rings or diaphragms in carburettors…

Hopes for the future of the internal combustion engine have been raised after Porsche’s vice president of product lines, Dr Frank-Steffan Walliser, revealed that the company was on track to begin trials of its own synthetic fuel next year. Porsche announced plans to produce synthetic ‘e-fuels’ last year, teaming up with Siemens Energy amongst others for the project. The pilot project, called Haru Oni, was set to take advantage of the excellent wind conditions in southern Chile to produce climate-neutral fuel with the aid of green wind power. Although Porsche is committed to electrification, using synthetic fuels could be used to bring the emissions of its existing fleet down. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has previously said that e-fuels could extend the life of the combustion-engine 911 to the end of…

VAUXHALL CHEVETTE (1975-1984) To refer to the Chevette as a supermini is stretching the truth thanks to its rear-wheel drive layout, plus the fact it was also available as a two- and four-door saloon and three-door estate. In regular three-door hatchback guise, however, the Chevette was the same kind of size and price as rivals like the Fiat 127, Renault 5 and (from 1977) Ford Fiesta, appealing to those buyers not convinced by the merits of frontwheel drive. It was successful too, with over 415,000 examples finding buyers. We’ll ignore the rally-inspired HS here and concentrate instead on the regular versions, each of which came with Vauxhall’s 1256cc ex-Viva engine and a variety of trim levels. Estates are rare now, and the hatch is the most commonplace – which is…

Bruce Meyers, the man at the heart of the 1960s beach buggy craze with his Meyers Manx, has sadly passed away at the age of 94 from the blood disease myelodysplasia. Drawing on his experience in fibreglass sailing boat construction, Meyers built his first beach buggy, ‘Old Red’, in his California garage before unveiling it in 1964. Old Red and his subsequent kits used a fibreglass monocoque, but this method proved expensive, so the revised Meyers Manx Mk1 featured a cut-and-shut Beetle chassis coupled with a Beetle engine. That would prove to be the blueprint for success, with around 6000 made and the floodgates opening for other firms to sell copies. An original Meyers Manx used in the Steve McQueen film, The Thomas Crown Affair, sold for nearly $500,000 at…

Lancaster Insurance has announced a raft of monthly competitions in a bid to bring some much-needed cheer to classic car enthusiasts this year. A new prize will be revealed each month on Lancaster’s website and social media channels. Prizes include a Meguair’s Ultimate MT320 Polishing Kit and a Kärcher 4 Premium Full Control Pressure Washer. Towards the summer, Lancaster will also be giving away a VIP taxi ride in a Lancaster Bomber aircraft at Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. Andrew Evanson, Senior Operations Manager at Lancaster Insurance, said: “With us spending more time at home currently, we wanted to help raise people’s spirits with these monthly competitions. The majority of the prizes on offer will help enthusiasts get their pride and joy ready for when we can once again enjoy the…

With restrictions set to jeopardise international travel and Covid-19 cases still on the increase on the French Riviera, Historics Auctioneers has made the decision to cancel its live collector car auction scheduled to take place in Monaco on April 23. “We are most disappointed to have to make this decision,” said Historics’ founder and Managing Director, Mark Perkins. “There is too much uncertainty whether a major public event such as ours will be permitted in Monaco on the day in question and whether, indeed, it would be appropriate under the circumstances.” Timed to coincide with the Monaco Historic F1 Grand Prix weekend, the Historics auction was to feature 120 varied classics including significant collector car consignments. “We are disappointed too for those consigning to the sale and for our myriad…

TRABANT P601 (1964-1990) With over 2.8 million produced during its long career, the Trabant 601 was a major success story. This composite-bodied, twostroke, front-wheel drive saloon was the People’s Car of East Germany; and when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, it became a symbol of unity, as thousands of Trabants made their noisy, smoky way into the former West Germany for the first time ever. All Trabant 601s came with 594cc two-stroke ‘power’ (although a short-lived Trabant 1.1 with a VW Polo engine was launched in 1990), which means they’re not exactly quick – but they are fun to drive if quirkiness is your thing. And you don’t need particularly deep pockets in order to join in the fun, with prices of roadworthy Trabants starting at around the £1500…

Older vehicles face a renewed scrappage threat in Coventry, with a new two-year trial scheme that will see drivers paid up to £3000 to ditch their old petrol or diesel car set to begin in late spring. West Midlands mayor Andy Street revealed that “a number of candidates” were in place for the scheme, which was originally announced early last year. In a first, drivers will receive public money to surrender their vehicle in favour of credits that can be spent on public transport, bicycles, electric scooters, car clubs and taxis. It caters for vehicles that don’t meet Euro 6 standard for diesel or Euro 4 for petrol, so roughly pre-2016 and pre-2006 respectively. The scheme is not the only one in the UK, with Hampshire County Council amongst those…

Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, the Department for Transport has confirmed that it’s taking the necessary steps to exempt the UK – and consequently UK motorsport – from the EU’s controversial Vnuk law. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that dropping the law would save an average £50 on annual insurance premiums for British drivers and stop the insurance industry being liable for an estimated £2bn. The EU’s interpretation of a 2014 court case, brought by Slovenian Damijan Vnuk after he was knocked off his ladder by a reversing tractor in 2007, resulted in changes to its Motor Insurance Directive (MID). The Vnuk law requires a wider range of vehicles than those such as cars and motorbikes to be insured, including ones previously not requiring insurance such as…

A five-month study is to investigate if EV battery packs can be recycled for classics and older vehicles. The Classic Car Electrification (CICERO) study will focus on deconstructing old batteries to a modular level before reassembling their materials for use in retrofit EV conversions. The consultancy group behind the study, HSSMI, has partnered with Aspire Engineering, PatrimonyEV and Loughborough University for the project, with funding coming from Innovate UK, a nondepartmental public body funded by the government. HSSMI says the research is needed to combat the 250,000 tonnes of “unprocessed waste from EV batteries” that it expects by 2027. The company believes that up to 98 per cent of an EV’s battery pack could be recycled, and intends to develop a digital model that would allow conversion specialists to accurately…

Brightwells’ first classic car auction of 2021, ending on February 18, saw plenty of buyers ready to start spending ahead of the government’s announcement on restrictions with some positivity about better weather and mixing with family again potentially inspiring bidders to get out on British roads in a new classic. It was the classic sports cars of the ’60s and ’70s that drew the most attention, with estimates appearing slightly more optimistic on cars only 20 years old - even with plenty of opportunities to buy a convertible ready for spring driving. However, some equally sporty but in some cases unusual ’80s models were seeing prices fly above estimates. The auction was opened with two MGBs, both projects but with tempting estimates that got the bidding off to a good…

As the Ford Mondeo looks set to morph into yet another SUV in the near future, people could be forgiven for being indifferent to it all. But when Ford scaled up its equivalent Cortina back in 1970, it was a very big deal indeed. The outgoing Mk2 model was still proving to be incredibly popular, so its maker could be forgiven for simply tinkering with the formula and reaping the rewards. But for the Mk3, it took a massive gamble instead. Things looked similar on paper, with two and four door saloons, plus an estate. However, such was the change in direction that many in the product planning department felt it needed a new name. Rather than anchor its top models to the 1.5-litre class as per the Mk1 and…