Innholdsfortegnelse for 19/05/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

In this week’s news pages you can read how all signs point towards a major reshuffle of the established automotive pecking order, with iconic brands like Jaguar and Alfa Romeo facing a rocky if not bleak future. Closer to home, we had to stop and laugh recently when a discussion about replacing company lease cars saw us seriously discussing the Hyundai Kona EV. Remember, this is a group of people working on car magazines and just a very short time ago such discussion would basically have centred around the most powerful German car you could bag for the given budget. Nevertheless, it was a further reminder of the changing automotive landscape, further reinforced by the incredibly original 1988 Hyundai Stellar which was sold in an online H&H auction while I…

With the government roadmap out of lockdown remaining on target, the 2021 Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, is on track to take place at Birmingham’s NEC on November 12-14. Tickets are now on sale for the event, with special discount codes available to enthusiasts to help get the classic car industry moving again following lockdown. The show’s organisers are keen to ensure everyone gets the best possible experience whilst keeping safety the number one priority for all attendees. It’s being planned with a number of Covid safety measures still in place that can adapt with any changing guidelines. For example, visitors will be asked to choose a specific arrival time and entrance hall from which to enter the show. “Like everyone else, we’ve had to sit on the…

A new petition on the UK government website is once again calling for the rolling vehicle tax exemption age for classic cars to be reduced from 40 years to 30 years. Created by Stephen Hearse-Morgan, the petition asks that the exemption be reconsidered in order to help younger drivers more easily afford older vehicles. Classic vehicle tax exemption was originally introduced in 1994 to roll along at 25 years but was set at a fixed date – January 1, 1973 – in 1997. That lasted until 2014, when the current 40-year rolling tax exemption was brought in. Moving to 30 years would put vehicle tax in line with the threshold the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) and its global counterpart, FIVA, use to define a classic vehicle. However,…

H&H Classics is welcoming visitors back to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford for what’s set to be a busy sale on May 26. The Cambridgeshire venue will be open for viewing and bidding in person, supplemented as ever by online and telephone options. We’ve already picked out two headline lots from the sale on page 6, but there are plenty of other intriguing vehicles among the 125-plus entries. A vast and varied selection of pre-war machinery is joined by several archetypal open-top classics, including a barn-find 1961 Daimler SP250 Dart, a 1958 Triumph TR3A and a 1958 Austin-Healey 100/6, along with a 1953 Jaguar XK120, a 1960 MGA and a charming 1968 Sunbeam Alpine. Exotic brands like Jaguar, Mercedes, Porsche and Ferrari are also very well represented, with a…

Vehicle salvage and recycling company SYNETIQ is to put a private collection of British classics under the hammer to make space for an EV dismantling centre – the first of its kind in Europe. The ‘Winsford Collection’ is based at the SYNETIQ Winsford site, and comprises some 25 cars including fast Fords, Jaguars and a vast selection of classic Minis. Many of the cars require light restoration, while others just need recommissioning before returning to the road. Five ‘star lots’ include a British Racing Green 1953 Jaguar XK120, prepared to a fast-road and mild competition specification complete with a roll bar, aero screens, fire extinguisher and harnesses. It’s joined by a 1964 Austin Mini Cooper 1071 S with a claimed Downton-tuned engine, which also features a de-seamed body and an…

The next generation of enthusiasts are being primed for the future, thanks to a new driving experience that allows them to get behind the wheel of a British classic up to seven years before they can legally take to the streets. The UK’s largest pre-17 driving school, Young Driver, is launching a classic car driving experience for youngsters aged 10 and over, which was due to begin in autumn 2020 but had to be put on hold due to the pandemic. Instead, it will be officially launched at the British Motor Museum this Saturday (May 22) by TV presenter Quentin Willson. Events will then take place regularly throughout the year. The experiences last 15 minutes and those booking a lesson also get discounted entry into the museum. Young Driver typically…

Princess Margaret’s longest serving Rolls-Royce is to be auctioned by H&H Classics at its next sale on May 26. The Cardinal Red 1980 Silver Wraith II, which has carried passengers including the Queen, Princess Diana and Ronald Reagan, was owned by the Countess of Snowdon for 22 years and was tailored to her personal specification. Inside the car features a bespoke interior with custom trim, a false floor to the rear, enlarged C-post vanity mirrors, special small spotlights and no rear armrests. Exterior-wise, the side repeaters were repositioned in the chrome swage line, some of the badges deleted and the roof above the windscreen modified to accommodate a flag mast and illuminated shield. In 2002 David Linley, the Earl of Snowdon, inherited the car and it was subsequently sold to…

Morris Leslie’s second classic auction of the year will take place this Saturday (May 22), with another varied section of vehicles going under the hammer in Perth. The sale remains behind closed doors with online and telephone bidding only, but viewing is available by appointment. The sale is particularly notable for a sizeable quota of eye-catching pre-war cars, partially garnered via an advertising campaign in Scottish regional newspapers. These include a 1934 Jowett Seven estimated at £6000-£7000, a 1935 Wolseley Nine predicted to sell for £6000-£8000 and a 1936 Austin Ten Cambridge, which could change hands for £5000-£6000. Continuing the numbers theme, a 1938 Lanchester 11 carries a £6000-£7000 estimate, with an alluring 1937 Fiat 500 Topolino potentially more expensive at £10,000-£12,000. At the other end of the spectrum, both…

VOLVO 850 (1992-1997) You’ll often read that some cars are last of an era, and this phenomenon is common across many of the most prominent modern classics, including Volvos. But what came after the big, square, rear-driven Volvos was, contrary to some other examples we could mention, arguably one of the marque’s best cars: the 850. Front drive, with new multi-valve aluminium engines, and more of the sports saloon mould than anything before, it still has a strong following that is leading a charge for good ones on the modern classic market. Naturally, the T-5, T-5R and R models have been the most expensive, but they also depreciated more rapidly than other 850 models and rivals like BMW’s M3. The R models were nearly £10,000 more expensive than the standard…

When it comes to their futures, car manufacturers have never faced more challenges. As well as the UK government’s plan to halt the sale of conventional new diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2030, there’s the transition to electrification, a global pandemic, trade barriers, a semiconductor shortage, upstart rival companies and changing consumer habits all to contend with. Change is inevitable, but what does that mean for some of our most iconic traditional brands in terms of making – or breaking – them? The fate of Jaguar looks to be particularly worrying. In February it boldly announced that all its vehicles would be electric by 2025 as part of its ‘Reimagine’ plan, but also dropped plans to build an electric version of its XJ saloon. There’s a lot to…

Dorset Vintage and Classic Auctions’ second sale of the year takes place on Thursday (May 20), with a host of desirable lots set to go under the hammer. Some of the standout lots are being housed at the firm’s Stalbridge base while others remain with customers, but all have been inspected by DVCA staff prior to being offered. The entries range for pre-war cars to modern classics, bookended by a 1921 Jouffret Four Seater Tourer and a 2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. Other pre-war vehicles include a 1926 Vauxhall 14/40 Princeton Tourer, a trio of early 1930s Morris models, a 1935 Austin Light 12/4 Ascot, a 1935 Riley 9hp Merlin Saloon and a part restored 1936 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Saloon bodied by Cockshoot. Keeping up the luxury theme are a pair…

FORD CONSUL Mk2 (1956-1962) With its American style, the Consul Mk2 offers big classic motoring but with European type running costs. There’s lots of choice, from the saloon models priced between £3000 and £12,000, to the more desirable estate and convertibles. The estates have been particularly desirable for years, but values have in fact remained fairly still in the past five to ten years, while values for convertibles have risen. A big open-top classic is an understandably appealing prospect, something which contributed to the convertible’s much stronger values as far back as the 1980s when a Consul saloon was half the money, at around £1500. Since then the convertibles have tipped over £10,000 and can even be as much as £20,000 today. Meanwhile, estates seem to be lingering in the…

Another topical scene this week, since it was May 14, 1957 that petrol rationing caused by the Suez Crisis finally ended in Britain. Paymaster General Reginald Maudling made the announcement in the Commons that restrictions had been lifted because stocks were finally “at a satisfactory level”, marking the end of the crisis sparked by Egyptian president Nasser’s nationalisation of the canal. This had set in motion a chain of events which would severely restrict exports of fuel from Arab nations. It would mean an end to queues like this where, waiting for attended service at a BP station, we see a lowlight Morris Minor tourer next to a Vauxhall Wyvern. Behind the Morris, there’s a travel-stained Austin A40 Devon, its bonnet already popped open, no doubt for the attendant to…

As the Mk1 Mazda MX-5 has aged, the tattier and badly modified examples have dropped by the wayside and as values have started to inch up, owners of first-generation cars are even prepared to pay for expensive restorations. You might think this would have driven up values of the ‘NB’ Mk2 car, but that hasn’t happened yet, with the marque fans preferring the original car. Factor in the cost of bodywork to rectify major sill rust on both sides and a full restoration of a Mk1 can get very costly, which makes this example an appealing alternative route to getting yourself a mint Mk1. One of the very latest ‘NA’ cars, this one was registered in June 1996 and has since had just two owners who between them have covered…