Innholdsfortegnelse for 02/06/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

The Morgan Motor Company has opened an interactive museum experience, The Archive Room, housed within the redeveloped Morgan Experience Centre in Malvern, Worcestershire. The Archive Room contains artefacts, documents, photographs and footage that chart the brand’s 112-year history. The centrepiece is a full-length cabinet housing individual items of historical significance, each with its own audio-visual story, and there are also five large-scale projectors situated around the room displaying rotating content. The remaining walls are adorned with artwork, Morgan parts and trophies, while in the centre, seven display cars represent all eras and models. What’s more, a ‘Design Your Morgan’ feature allow budding designers to express their imaginations on paper. The Archive Room builds upon the Morgan Experience, which offers factory tours, sports car hire and experience drives. The centre itself…

Cars on Britain’s roads are getting older, according to Motorparc data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), with vehicles from 2008 and earlier making up the largest percentage. For the second year running, there were more than 35m cars registered on UK roads (35,082,800), although that figure represents a modest 0.2 per cent dip as the pandemic stifled new vehicle uptake. The average age of a car in the UK has risen to 8.4 years, which is the oldest since records began 20 years ago and is considerably up from 6.3 years in 2003. The average car in the UK was built in 2011. Perhaps most remarkable is that almost 10 million of the UK’s cars are more than 12 years old, accounting for 27.9 per…

VAUXHALL CRESTA (1957-1962) In a decade when virtually all car makers were drawing styling influences from America, Vauxhall was the most unabashed. Of course, this was because of Vauxhall being a subsidiary of General Motors, and while the PA was styled by a British team in Luton under David Jones, it was signed off by Detroit executives and it was GM Design in America which turned the styling proposal into a production reality, and final testing of the prototypes still took place Stateside. Of course, the influence flowed the other way too – David Jones had access to the entire GM styling catalogue and the churn of creative ideas throughout the company. The basic appearance of the PA Vauxhalls stemmed from a 1954 Cadillac concept car, although that had used…

As the world desperately tries to forget the horror of the annual Eurovision Song Contest, we wind back almost exactly 50 years to a rather better class of music and see the Rolling Stones on the opening night of their 1971 tour, which kicked off in Newcastle. Stepping out of the Five Bridges hotel in Gateshead – the region’s plushest hotel at the time – the contrast between the flamboyant Mick Jagger and the humdrum cars in shot is hilarious. After all, by this stage the band was enjoying the trappings of success with Mick owning an Aston Martin DB6 and Keith Richards indulging in his famous Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Closest to Mick, we see a Mk2 Cortina (sadly last taxed in 1985), its upright wipers showing how its…

Paul Wager, Group Editor Triumph Spitfire Since the Spitfire was in fact based on the Herald, it’s no surprise that the two cars offer a very similar ownership prospect. Both are similarly affordable, too and the Spitfire sits somewhere between the diminutive MG Midget and the larger MGB while being more affordable than both. If you don’t need more than two seats then it’s a glamorous alternative to the Herald. Dave Youngs, Lancaster Insurance Triumph GT6 If the Spitfire is the glamorous Herald then the GT6 offers the same take on the Vitesse, with its six-cylinder engine and its ‘shrunken E-Type’ appearance. Although it was never offered in convertible form, the GT6 offers useful extra practicality with its hatchback-style rear and if your dog likes to enjoy your classic then…

It takes a lot to make the mighty Bentley Turbo R feel ordinary but earlier this week we found a car which did just that. Group Editor Wager was tasked with comparing Crewe’s finest with the pinnacle of 1990s BMW technology in the shape of the V12-engined 750i. It’s hard to believe that for just a few years both of these cars would have been in the showrooms at the same time and although their characters are very different, it’s a closer comparison than you might expect. Keep an eye on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ClassicsWorldUK for the film. Meanwhile, thanks to Martin Schiele for the loan of his rare 750i Sport.…

A new trade association has been set up to protect Britain’s classic vehicle industry and secure its long-term future from uncertainty caused by red tape and environmental legislation. The Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance (HCVA) is a not-for-profit organisation that intends to campaign on behalf of individuals and companies in the classic vehicle sector, as well as instilling accountability, common standards and a code of conduct to the members who sign up. The group says that complex new rules around exporting and importing cars and parts to and from the EU, along with widespread misconceptions surrounding of the environmental impact of vintage motoring, is damaging owners’ confidence and enthusiasm. It believes that this is putting 113,000 jobs in peril and is calling on British politicians and regulators to use their…

More details have now been released about the Manta GSe ElektroMOD we previewed back in April. The restomod special has been created to showcase Opel’s new electric direction and mark 50 years of the Manta. The old petrol four-pot has been replaced by a 145bhp electric motor giving a range of 124 miles, but the original four-speed gearbox has been retained and can be used either manually or put into fourth and driven automatically. The car also features regenerative braking and funky 17-inch wheels. The old grille and headlights have been replaced by a full-width digital unit which can issue messages and incorporates the headlights, while the round rear lamps are LED units. Inside, you get the latest technology, with a digital dash and Marshall sound system plus sporty seats.…

Influential and sometimes controversial motorsport boss Max Mosley passed away last week at the age of 81 following a battle with cancer. Mosley is best known in the automotive world for leading motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, for 16 years. In his role as president, he initiated widespread reforms of safety procedures in F1 following the death of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola in 1994. Born in 1940, Mosley had a brief career as a racing driver in the late 1960s, before co-founding racing car constructor March in 1970. The company won its first three F1 races, but by the end of 1977 Mosley had left to work full-time in motorsport politics. After power struggles and a four-year stint with the Conservative Party, he returned to motorsport and…

With much focus on low emissions zones following FIVA’s call for consistency (see p5) and the start of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) this week, we’ve been looking at cars that can avoid the daily charge in England’s restricted zones. Currently, low emission zones that affect private cars are only in operation in Birmingham and London, though the latter’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is due for an 18-fold increase in size from October, and cities such as Oxford also plan to introduce zones. Vehicles registered in the historic tax class are automatically exempt providing they’ve not been substantially altered in the last 30 years, but otherwise you’ll need a Euro 4 petrol (roughly post 2005) or a Euro 6 diesel (roughly post-2015) as a minimum to avoid the daily…

The popular Stratford Autojumble is back on the event calendar for 2021 and will take place at Stratford Racecourse on two occasions: June 13 and September 5. Sponsored by RH Insurance and run by a friendly and experienced team of event staff from Mortons Media Group Ltd, the autojumble takes pride of place in the centre field at the Warwickshire venue and offers a vast array of parts, restoration services and related products for a variety of vehicles. If you’re after a certain part, piece or tool for a motoring project, then you’re likely to find it here. Classic car owners are being encouraged to bring along their pride and joy to receive £1 off the regular £5 entry fee, with their cars forming part of the spectacular display inside…

As travel starts to open up again, FIVA, the worldwide organisation dedicated to the protection, preservation and promotion of historic vehicles, is urging European policymakers to respect historic vehicles with a consistent approach to low and zero emission zones. And though it’s a call that chiefly applies overseas, it will resonate both with holiday-making Brits and closer to home. The European Commission published a Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy at the end of last year, and more recently a ‘Roadmap’ for a new Europe-wide urban mobility framework, which anticipates at least 100 climate-neutral cities in Europe by 2030. However, as FIVA points out, vehicle access and pricing for low and zero-emission zones can vary even between towns and cities in some countries. The organisation says this “patchwork” is causing increased…

The pandemic has seen online searches for sporty ‘dream’ classics proliferate ahead of everyman models, according to new data from classified website Car & Classic. After a year of lockdowns and restrictions, the Porsche 911 has risen from fifth place to knock the Ford Capri off top spot as the most searched-for vehicle, with the Jaguar E-Type up to second and the Ford Mustang and Nissan Skyline both well up the list as buyers seek out the dream car they always wanted. When comparing Q1 2020 and Q1 2021, everyman popular classics such as the MGB GT, Volkswagen Beetle and Ford Cortina have all fallen down the rankings, with the Cortina dropping from second to ninth. However, there are still three Fords in the top 10. Meanwhile, the widely acknowledged…

Like many of the classic auction houses, Morris Leslie elected to retain the online format for its May 22 sale during which some 106 lots were efficiently despatched complete with a live YouTube video stream. The catalogue included everything from a 1935 Wolseley Nine to a 2017 Bentley GTC, with plenty of ’70s and ’80s fare in between. Perhaps the star performer was the 1993 Jaguar XJS coupe, a lovely late-model example estimated at £4000-£6000 which was hammered away for £12,250 showing the sustained demand for these later cars. Meanwhile, a 1989 Porsche 911 with a lower estimate of £25,000 didn’t stop until the hammer dropped at £35,800. Older classics doing well included a 1961 Hillman Minx, estimated at £3000-£3500 which made £5300 under the hammer, while a 1967 Austin-Healey…

Lancia Fulvia The front-wheel drive Fulvia was much more expensive but boasted a V4 engine and four-wheel disc brakes and was available in coupe and fastback forms as well. Triumph 1300 The only direct rival to the MG was Triumph’s 1300, especially in later more powerful TC form. Not quite as sharp to drive, the little Triumph was faster, much more refined and still very capable. MG Midget The same engine, turned around and driving the rear wheels. If you don’t need four seats and a solid roof, the chrome-bumper Midget still delivers the most fun.…