Innholdsfortegnelse for 09/06/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

I’m generally very much in favour of using technology to make life easier but sometimes you have to admit that for every bit of convenience you gain, you forfeit some degree of control. No, I don’t want to ditch my iPhone and go back to entering MS-DOS command line prompts into a green screen terminal but this week I came up against an issue which made me realise just how lazy modern technology can make you – or at least, modern automotive technology. Like many CCB readers, I grew up appreciating the importance of regularly checking oil levels and tyre pressures – perhaps not as frequently as the public information posters might tell you to, but at least often enough to know when there’s a problem. Ever since run flat…

A blue plaque to commemorate Britain’s greatest racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss OBE, is to be unveiled this Friday (June 11) at Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb in Worcestershire. When Sir Stirling passed away on Easter Sunday 2020 amidst the global pandemic, plans to celebrate his remarkable life were put on hold. Now though, it will be marked at one of his favourite motorsport venues, with a blue plaque created by Worcester Civic Society to commemorate the achievements of eminent people who have had an association with the city and county. Stirling enjoyed class wins and fastest times at the venue while starting out in motorsport in the late 1940s, and was also a regular in his later years. The celebration will include an appearance for Stirling’s old Jaguar XK120, the car…

Birmingham’s new clean air zone (CAZ) was launched last Tuesday but charges will not be enforced until Monday June 14 to give drivers “time to adjust,” according to councillor Waseem Zaffar. For four weeks after that, drivers will be offered the chance to pay just the applicable daily charge rather than a £120 fine if they fail to pay within six days. Unlike Bath’s CAZ, which restricts commercial vehicles only, Birmingham’s CAZ is a Class D zone that also applies to regular passenger cars, taxis and vans. Those that don’t meet Euro 6 standard for diesel or Euro 4 for petrol (roughly pre-2016 and pre-2006 respectively) face daily charges of £8 to enter the city centre, though vehicles in the historic tax category are exempt. Before the council announced its…

Motorsport legend John Sprinzel sadly passed away at the age of 90 last month following a brief illness. Born in Berlin in October 1930, he enjoyed a long and varied career that included stints as a rally driver, racing driver, event organiser, engineer, businessman, author, commentator and even a windsurfer. Sprinzel came to prominence for his motorsport exploits in the late 1950s. He finished third overall in 1958’s inaugural British Saloon Car Championship driving his own Team Speedwell Austin A35, and in 1959 won the British Rally Championship in an Austin-Healey Sprite, navigated by future BMC and Ford competitions boss Stuart Turner. Together they also won the 1959 BTRDA Rally Championship. Earlier, in 1957, Sprinzel and future Formula One Champion Graham Hill founded tuning firm Speedwell Performance Conversions Ltd, where…

The catalogue is building for Brightwells’ latest classic car sale, which will once again work to a timed online format before closing from 7pm on June 23. All the cars are on site at the firm’s Herefordshire base, with viewing available by appointment. Brightwells always turns up a wide section of pre-war cars, and this sale is no exception. A 1929 Standard Junior Tourer and a 1931 Morris Minor are expected to be available for £5000-£7000 and £4000-£6000 respectively, while at the other end of the scale, a 1937 Lagonda LG45 Rapide could sell for as much as £185,000. In addition, a 1936 Alvis Speed 20 Charlesworth Saloon is guided at £30,000-£40,000, while a choice of two Austin Sevens includes a 1934 Nippy at an estimated £14,000-£16,000 and a 1936…

This week we’re up in Edinburgh, the photo of Cockburn Street dated as being the summer of 1980 when carefree Cortina and Marina drivers could think nothing of casually parking up on a yellow line. Mind you, the Avenger driver has done a similarly poor job of parking, an uphill reversing manoeuvre perhaps being too much to handle. Behind the Hillman, we see a Ford Granada, with an Opel Kadett – the booted Chevette – just making it into shot on the right, while further down the hill a Bedford van sits behind an Marina quietly contemplating its nemesis in the shape of the Japanese car in front. We reckon it’s a Mazda 818, identified by the vents in the rear quarter, while further down the hill we can just…

Followers of our Classics World YouTube channel will remember our Features Editor Jeff acquiring this Honda Civic CRX Del Sol back in January. Covid restrictions haven’t made it easy but the car has slowly been improved, most recently with the addition of the original rear spoiler which balances up its appearance nicely. And just as it’s time to swap the Honda for something entirely different, Jeff admits he’s finally understood how to get the best from a VTEC Honda. In a nutshell: drive it like you stole it. See more at www.youtube.com/ClassicsWorldUK.…

MERCEDES 190 (1983-1993) Targeting the lucrative taxi market elsewhere, here the elegant if a little dull 190 was seen as a more prestigious (if slightly less sporty) rival to the smaller BMWs. Handling was predictable if a little uninspired, though performance from the later 113bhp fuel-injected 1.8 wasn’t bad. There were also the hallmark diesels; that legendary four-pot 2.5 just went on forever. Meanwhile, ultimate ‘sleepers’ were the 2.5-16 and 2.6, the former of which impressed with its sub-8 second 0-60mph time. While the 190 duly served to perpetuate the firm’s reputation for durability, for many potential buyers it wasn’t quite special enough. Moreover, pricey main dealer servicing meant as soon as the more well off first owner had done with it, secondhand values plummeted. Thus, a 1.8 which sold…

When Jaguar introduced its all-new XK8 coupé and convertible in 1996 as a direct replacement for the 21-year-old XJS, the company was suddenly thrust back into the sporting-luxury limelight. From its very first year of production, the XK8 was available in either coupé or soft-top versions, each one powered by an all-new 294bhp 4.0-litre V8 (known as the AJ-V8) linked to a five-speed ZF automatic gearbox, endowing the XK8 with an artificially limited top speed of 155mph and a 0-60mph sprint time of just 6.4 seconds. The Jaguar sports car was back… with a bang. Some buyers craved even more performance, however, hence the launch of the new XKR derivatives within a few months, boasting a whopping 370bhp via the addition of a supercharger. With their appearance also suitably ‘beefed…

Jaguar XJR Take the same ingredients as the XK8 and put them in a different body and instead of saloon car comfort in a sports car you get sports car performance in a saloon car. The X308 XJR has the same (electronically limited) top speed as the XK, virtually the same acceleration and better rear seats and luggage space. It loses out – slightly – on handling and lacks the XK’s lithe looks. Prices are broadly the same – if anything the XJR is costs slightly less these days. Very much a case of ‘you pay your money and make your choice.’ Aston Martin DB7 The XK8’s cousin, also based on a modernised version of the XJS platform and using a lot of Jaguar running gear. The DB7 offers slightly…

Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit With the Turbo R attracting the interest, the early Spirit increasingly looks like the clever buy and is ageing well. It’s also a lot more affordable. Daimler Double-Six The ultimate saloon car? Even Rolls-Royce couldn’t match Browns Lane’s 12 cylinders and this money will buy the best out there. Mercedes 450SEL The mighty S-Class may technically be the better car but lacks the charm of the British pair… although in 6.9 form it offers formidable pace.…

A new historic motorsport event is to take place in Yorkshire later this month, featuring three days of action to celebrate the 100th anniversary of hillclimbing in the Holmfirth area. The Yorkshire Motorsport Festival (YMSF) was originally due to take place in 2020, but will now take place on June 25-27, having been given the green light by Motorsport UK and Kirklees Council, plus the ‘We’re Good To Go’ Covid-19 industry standard by Visit Britain. It will feature mainly pre-1986 cars, with over 80 classics and high-profile drivers competing each day to set the fastest time on the Wolfstones Hillclimb – the first-ever Motorsport UK licensed hillclimb in the county to have road closures put in place. In addition, there will be a variety of vehicle displays ranging from vintage…

The classic car community has long been concerned about a lack of suitably skilled mechanics and restorers entering the sector. Caring for a classic often requires knowledge passed on from previous generations, especially for historic vehicles that don’t see an MOT tester every year, and the worry is that there’s a growing skills gap between retirees leaving the classic car industry and younger folk able to continue their legacy. Thankfully though, the hard work put in over recent years to redress the situation is now bearing fruit. While the number of historic vehicles, owners and total annual spend in the UK have all increased rapidly over the last five years according to figures from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC), the average age of an owner has risen…

Over 120 cars were on offer at H&H Classics’ first ‘in person’ auction since the pandemic restrictions started to ease. Held at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, a total of 99 cars changed hands for a selling rate of 80 per cent, with the gross sales amounting to £2.8 million. The auction house reported strong and positive responses from clients to the return to the more traditional form of auction, suggesting that there will be no widespread appetite for online-only auctions to continue once restrictions are loosened. Headline results include the £100,000 paid for a 1952 Bentley MkVI with Park Ward drophead coupe bodywork – one of five Bentley MkVIs in the sale. An equally glamorous Daimler DB8 Special Sports Drophead sold for £44,850, which is a record for the…

TRIUMPH TR7 (1977-1978) Purists hated it and even brave early converts were soon put off by the lamentably poor build quality. Yes, we’re talking about the quirky and divisive TR7. Even fans of the ‘wedge’ felt a little duped by the fact that while it used the Dolomite Sprint engine, it only had half the number of valves. This, however, was addressed by the tiny run of tin-top 16v Sprint versions which appeared in the latter part of 1977. It’s thought between 50-60 were made with genuine ones all having a commissioning plate starting ACH. Sadly, it never made it into full production, the TR8 launching two years later and satisfying those with a desire for more power although all but a handful went to the USA. It’s a shame…