Innholdsfortegnelse for 24/03/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

Writing this week’s lead feature on the ups and downs of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, I was repeatedly reminded that it’s often external forces that dictate the direction manufacturers have to take. Adapting is surviving, we know, but time has also shown that many great cars have come about by change rather than sticking to a rigid interpretation of idealistic corporate philosophy. The story between the two marques is a fascinating one, or at least you can be the judge of that by turning over to page 16. In the meantime, I want to talk about another famous British marque: Lotus. Lotus hasn’t exactly been without its financial troubles, and has had many owners in fact, but through all of these, it has still managed to protect its unique identity with…

Classic owners have fought back against a recent rule change by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in the latest MoT manual. The change suggests fitting existing halogen headlamp with LED bulbs will result in an MoT failure, but pressure from enthusiasts has led to an exemption for classics over 35 years old. Many owners fit LEDs for their brighter light in the interests of safety, but it initially appeared that all modern classics or voluntarily-tested historic vehicles with LED headlamp bulbs would be affected – a situation deemed “illogical and unsafe” by Gil Keane of Better Car Lighting in Warwickshire, who bemoaned Whitehall for overruling qualified MoT testers in making its decision. Gil also pointed out that the new ruling specifically refers to halogen headlamps but new cars…

To celebrate the diamond anniversary of the iconic E-Type, Jaguar Classic has completed the first of six matched fixed-head coupe and roadster pairings, known as the E-Type 60 Collection. The restored and sympathetically uprated 3.8-litre cars are inspired by the two examples from the E-type’s Geneva debut in March 1961. The fixed-head coupes get unique Flat Out Grey paintwork, mirroring the Opalescent Gunmetal Grey of 9600 HP, the car driven ‘flat out’ to the launch by PR man Bob Berry with just 20 minutes to spare. Meanwhile, the roadsters get a bespoke Drop Everything Green hue, which is similarly inspired by 77 RW, the British Racing Green car piloted by test driver Norman Dewis when he was told to ‘drop everything’ to get to Switzerland the next day. Bespoke elements…

With the sad passing of Murray Walker on March 13, the motoring world said goodbye to one of its greatest icons. Synonymous with Formula One but also a fan of motorsport in whatever form it took, Walker’s career behind the mic started in 1948 and continued into the new millennium. He didn’t become a regular F1 commentator until he was 54, but in between, he had carved out a significant career in advertising and become the voice of just about every other branch of motorsport from trials and TTs to scrambling and rallycross. His seat-of-the-pants style and enthusiasm universally endeared him to everyone in the sport in a way that no other media personality could match, or is ever likely to. Over the past 10 days, tributes have poured in…

AUSTIN A40/A50/A55 CAMBRIDGE (1954-1958) It was goodbye to the dumpy-looking Somerset and hello to the Cambridge with unitary construction and what was then a modern integral wing body. Who cares if the Duke of Edinburgh said it still looked dated because today the family-sized Austin oozes charm and simplicity, making it ideal for first-timers. The 1956 A50 had the new B-Series 1489cc, while the A55 (from ‘57) boasted a longer boot, more glass, and a more conventional floor gearshift. Roughly 300,000 Cambridges were made (vans and pick ups lasted until 1971), but most succumbed to rust and were scrapped during the 1970s. But here’s the thing; according to howmanyleft.co.uk, rather than experiencing further demise, in the last decade the number licensed has actually crept up from just over 200 in…

The Bentley R-Type Continental of 1952 was fully of Bentley spirit. With a freer-breathing, higher compression 4.6-litre development of the straight-six engine and taller gearing, this elegant fastback could hit 120mph, earning the title of fastest four-seater in the world. The real achievement was in fact with the bodywork. Built by H.J. Mulliner, rather than the in-house Park Ward, this was an up-to-the-minute aluminium body over a frame of welded steel and alloy tubes, proving lighter than traditional construction, and ultimately reducing weight by almost 100kg. What’s more, its sleek shape was even tested in a wind tunnel at Rolls-Royce’s facility at Hucknall Aerodrome, producing the distinctive features like its rear fins and rear wheel spats. With other features like an anti-roll bar on the rear axle and aluminium framed…

It’s the end of an era this week as aerospace giant Bombardier announces that manufacture of the iconic Learjet is to cease. Apparently sales of what was the original personal jet plane have fallen in the face of more space-efficient and greener modern designs, which makes this ’70s US Jaguar advert comparing the XJ-S and the Learjet 24B even more appropriate. Just as the Learjet has fallen from favour in the face of more spacious and economical alternatives, so have cars like the XJ-S as the SUV boom has swept all before it. One commenter has already noted that the V12 XJ-S in this photo probably offers similar economy to the jet, but both were impressively long-lived designs: the XJ-S would remain in production for 21 years surviving Jaguar’s change…

While things are looking good for shows to take place this summer, some of the big indoor shows on the Continent have understandably been postponed. Rétromobile was originally due to take place in Paris in February, before being rescheduled for June 2-6. However, the show will now not take place until February 2-6, 2022. “People were very much looking forward to the 46th edition,” stated show director, Jean-Sébastien Guichaoua. “However, the current health context does not allow us to hold this summer edition in June as we had planned. Enthusiasts and lovers of vintage cars will finally meet again on the traditional dates, in February 2022.” Over in Germany, it’s a similar story for Techno Classica in Essen, which will now resume next March after April’s event was cancelled. However,…

Those inspired by the antics of Top Gear hosts Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris driving their dads’ cars in last week’s episode will be able to do similar at the new Great British Car Journey visitor attraction in Derbyshire, which has now been confirmed as opening in May. The unique ‘Drive Dad’s Car experience’ features more than 30 British designed and made cars produced between 1930 and 1990, which can be driven around a private on-site route. The fleet includes a Cortina and Mk1 Fiesta like Freddie and Paddy drove on Top Gear, albeit in later Mk5 and XR2 guises. The driving experience and visitor attraction is the brainchild of founder Richard Usher, former owner of Auto Windscreens and Blyton Park Circuit. “When we began planning Great British…

The first classic auction of the year for Morris Leslie presented plenty of bargains for the online bidders, although there were also quite a few cars that took strong money. The modern classics were the ones to watch, while the traditional lots were a bit more predictable. If you wanted a classic Jaguar, this was the auction to tune your computer into on Saturday, with a strong range from its golden years on offer. While not quite enough interest was generated for the Mk1 3.4 to sell, a 1959 MkIX glided away with £12,500, and a 1962 E-Type 3.8 FHC took a strong £60,500, even if a little under its £65,000 lower estimate. The bargain was the not-to-all-tastes 1971 Daimler Sovereign, finished in brown and equipped with the 2.8-litre engine…

AUDI S2 (1991-1995) The S2 was a sleeper, just subtle badging and a slightly bigger front bumper (for the intercooler) the only visual giveaways that something special was going on underneath. Namely quattro all-wheel drive and a hairy inline five-pot 220bhp 20v turbo 2.2-litre capable of 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds. An all-new engine unique to the S2 came in 1992 with distributorless ignition, a better six-speed box, 10bhp power hike and bags more torque making it even more of a hoot to drive. When considering an 80 from this era it’s generally the 2.6 and 2.8 V6 four-wheel drive variants that attract the most interest. From a high of around 300 in 1996, today just 41 S2s are licensed to be on the road with a further 87 SORN’d according…

Perhaps the best visual symbol of Bentley’s return to prominence was the Continental R, the first time a Bentley didn't share its bodywork with a Rolls-Royce since the days of the 1952 Continental. Prominence was indeed the word, because when this exclusive two-door was introduced in 1992, its £175,000 list price put it at the very top of the Crewe range. Naturally, this was the place for the latest performance developments to be introduced, from a new four-speed automatic gearbox to ever more powerful engines up to a peak of 420bhp and 650lb.ft of torque with 1998’s Continental T. There was also a new interior, elements of which would eventually make it to the four-door models, notably the centre-console mounted gear selector. Considering its exorbitant price, it’s remarkable that a…

Contact: Villers Classics Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 2HU Tel: 07960 870446 www.villiersclassics.com You don’t need to be a diehard Mini fan to know that values of earlier cars have been climbing for some time now, to the point where even the once-affordable ’70s and early ’80s cars have been dragged upwards behind them. This naturally means that all too many have been turned into ‘Cooper’ wannabe recreations with varying degrees of success, while many others have succumbed to the Mini modifying bug, gaining everything from Metro engines to wild Honda VTEC transplants. Which makes something like this example at Villiers Classics all the more gratifying, since it’s entirely original, from the Russet Brown paint to the striped cloth interior and complete with the original sales receipt from Kennings of Derby where…

CB was saddened to learn that Sabine Schmitz, ‘Queen of the Nürburgring’ and an inspiration for her many fans, passed away at the age of 51 last Tuesday after a long illness. Born into the local hotel and restaurant-owning Schmitz family in Nürburg village within the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, Sabine enjoyed a successful racing career, becoming the overall winner at the Nürburgring 24-hour race in 1996 and 1997 in a BMW M3 before racing in the WTCC in 2015 and 2016. But it was the thrilling passenger rides she gave when driving one of the BMW M5 ‘Ring Taxis’ around the 13-mile track that really thrust her into the public limelight, as well as her driving antics as co-presenter on German TV show D Motor. Brits will probably best remember…

Plans for restrictive emission zones that would see drivers of many older vehicles face outright bans or hefty tolls in British cities are re-emerging after the pandemic saw various councils postpone or backtrack on their proposals. Birmingham’s delayed Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is now due to commence on June 1, while Oxford is on the verge of becoming one of the first UK cities to gain a zero-emission zone (ZEZ) following the completion of a final round of public consultations. Previously, it was only in central London that drivers had to fork out extra fees based on their vehicle’s emissions. In addition to the Congestion Charge introduced in 2003, a toxicity charge, known as T-charge, was implemented in 2017, prior to being superseded by the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ)…

The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT) has unveiled a new E-Type exhibition at the British Motor Museum to commemorate the model’s 60th Anniversary. The exhibition includes videos, adverts, models and period artefacts, plus a very special selection of cars to show off the evolution of the E-Type. Most have been sourced from its own collection, but there’s also the 1953 C-Type bought to race in the 1953 Mille Miglia, a 1956 D-Type that finished sixth at Le Mans, the 1960 E2A prototype and 77 RW, the roadster driven overnight to Switzerland by Norman Dewis for the launch. It also includes a 1963 FHC car and a 1966 4.2-litre Series 1 roadster, with a couple of very successful V12 race cars from the 1970s bringing the timeline to an end. The…

There aren’t too many car auctions where you’ll find a steam-powered vehicle from 1901 on the same entry list as a 2004 Mitsubishi Evo 8, but Brightwells’ next classic sale is one of them. Beginning this Saturday (March 27), it’s the firm’s eighth timed online sale of its kind and ends on April 1. There’s nothing April Fools’ Day about the consignments though, which are brilliantly eclectic. As well as the 1901 Locomobile Style 2 Steam Runabout estimated at £25,000-£30,000, you’ll find a 1914 Daimler 20hp TW20 Landaulette, a few pre-WW2 entries and even a couple from the duration of the war itself – namely a 1943 Austin K2/Y Royal Navy Ambulance and a 1942 Ford GPW ‘Phoenix Jeep’ rebuilt during the first series of Car SOS. The line-up of…

It’s true to say that neither of the two Fords featured here was a global trailblazer in terms of its spec. The all-new Anglia 105E of 1959, for example, may have been a huge technological advance over its sidevalve-engined 100E predecessor, but its mechanical design and layout was still fairly standard for the time. And when the Anglia finally bowed out eight years later, its Escort successor certainly marked a major improvement in terms of driving style and refinement, but nobody could claim it was revolutionary in design. To criticise either model for that, however, is to miss the point somewhat. Both cars were highly competitive, of course, but they were also deliberately straightforward in their mechanical set-up. Ford left such new-fangled ideas as front-wheel drive and unconventional suspension to…