Innholdsfortegnelse for 28/07/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

Launched in March to find the best garage or workspace where enthusiasts can indulge in their automotive passions, the inaugural ‘Show Us Your Shed’ competition by Footman James now has its first winner. The specialist vehicle insurance provider has announced the stunning Hot Wheels-inspired space created by Lee Sunderland and his family as the outright victor. During the first lockdown in March last year, Lee and his 12-year-old son Stanley picked up their paint brushes to create a homage to the family’s collection of more than 2500 die-cast toy cars. The unique garage also provides a home for their restored 1970 Mini 850. In addition to receiving the inaugural custom made ‘Shed Head 2021’ trophy, Lee and his family will receive a unique piece of artwork featuring their Mini by…

The time is coming when fuel stations will start to thin out, taxes on petrol and diesel-engined cars will increase and fuel prices will start to rocket. If there is a good time to buy and use a big old car then it’s probably right now. Car design achieved something of a sweet spot in the mid ’90s, an era when systems were getting more complex yet were still just about fixable without recourse to expensive workshop equipment – the enthusiast could get by in the garage at home with maybe a hand-held fault code reader, or a laptop loaded with software which may have been of dubious provenance but which did the job. Expensive cars will always cost money to run and maintain properly and it is always, without…

The MkVI marked the start of a new era for Bentley, and not just because it was the company’s first post-war model. This was also the first Bentley to be built at Crewe since Rolls-Royce’s takeover of the marque in 1931. But even more importantly, it was the first Rolls-Royce product of any sort to be provided as a complete car (bodied, trimmed and furnished) from the factory, with all previous Rolls-Royces and Bentleys having been sold in rolling-chassis form for coachbuilders to work their craft on. Using a shortened version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith chassis (120 instead of 127 inches) and the same 4257cc straight-six engine (later increased to 4556cc), the MkVI could be had as a Standard Steel saloon for just shy of £4500, featuring an all-steel…

Contact: Sherwood Restorations Upton Road, Southwell, Notts NG25 0QB 01636 812655 www.sherwoodrestorations.co.uk Mmmm. Not only a sound of satisfaction at seeing an advert for a 71-year old car in excellent condition, but also the initials of its full model name – Morris MM Minor. The MM was the code given to the Minor in its original form when it was launched in 1948. This was the Minor closest to Alec Issigonis’s original vision. These early Minors to ‘home market’ specification are rare – the export drive meant that the number of Minors sold in the UK started off in the dozens and then crept into the hundreds per year. It wasn’t until the Minor was restyled and the headlamps moved into the wing tops that availability and sales surged upwards.…

For many of us, our fascination with cars began long before we had a driving licence. According to my parents, my first word was ‘car’. And there, at the age of about 11 months, a lifelong fascination began. By the time I started secondary school in 1989, that fascination had evolved into an obsession. So much so that my strongest memory of my first day at secondary school was being driven there in my mate Tim’s parents’ brand new Nissan Bluebird – the very first G-registered car I was given a ride in. ‘Big School’ would also bring with it some pretty cool car experiences, too, not least because the bus stop was behind the staff car park, and as a student from one of the outlying villages, I got…

Skoda is celebrating 20 years since the launch of its first performance vRS model, which itself was a revival of the RS nameplate worn by iconic competition cars from its past, such as the 180/200 RS and 130RS. The first Skoda to wear the vRS badge was the Octavia in 2001, which with its 180bhp turbocharged 1.8-litre motor, became the most powerful and most expensive Skoda ever produced. The first-generation Octavia vRS proved an instant hit with car buyers, and was followed up in 2003 with the Fabia vRS, powered by a convention-defying 130bhp diesel engine to make it arguably the first hot hatch fed by the black pump. Since then, the vRS badge has been used on subsequent Fabia and Octavia generations, and the Kodiaq SUV. In the future,…

The latest update to the Hagerty Price Guide, has provided a useful auction market overview of the first six months of 2021, revealing that more cars are being sold and average prices have risen. The data shows that the number of cars offered is up, with Hagerty having tracked 4019 so far this year in comparison with 4666 during the whole of 2020. This is probably due to extra manpower on Hagerty’s part, but also a reflection of the restrictions that prevented live auctions from taking place last year. Regardless, the sell-through rate is up too, from 70.7 per cent last year to a healthy 80.5 per cent so far in 2021. In 2020, the average sale price in was £38,984, but so far this year it’s recorded as £45,648.…

Pre-war motorsport will be celebrated at the historic Grimsthorpe Castle estate in Lincolnshire when the Vintage Speed Trials take place on August 28. Grimsthorpe’s rich legacy of motorsport goes back to 1903, with the first timed runs in the old deer park hosted by the Lincolnshire Automobile Club. Over a century later, the annual Speed Trials event will see 100 pre-war cars and motorbikes take turns to make three runs down a half-mile track. With entrants including Bugattis, MGs, ERAs, Maseratis and a number of Edwardian cars, visitors can enjoy getting close to the vehicles and talking to owners in the paddock, as well as watching the track runs. Adding to the charm will be displays and parades from an eclectic mix of motorised cycle cars, with period dress encouraged…

With the school summer holidays now underway in most of the UK and staycations set to see millions of cars on the road, we rewind back to the past to pick out five family summer holiday favourites from our youth, from the obvious to the alternative. Ford Cortina The Ford Cortina, and the Sierra and Mondeo that followed, were staple summer holiday transport, especially in practical estate guise. These Blue Ovals also came from a time when badge hierarchy was king, with a Cortina 2.3 Ghia just the job for maximum seaside points. ADO16 It’s hard to picture a 1960s or 1970s seaside scene without an ADO16 in it, especially in more humble Austin or Morris 1100/1300 guises. That’s little wonder, because the roomy ADO16 was a family favourite for…

With the ‘pony car’ formula enjoying such success in the 1960s US market, it was inevitable that their mix of stylish bodywork and simple mechanical underpinnings would arrive in Europe. Ford got there first, with the Capri in 1969, but it didn’t take GM long to release a competitor in the shape of the Opel Manta. Both took their oily bits from humble mid-range saloons and presented them in a package that brought sports car style within reach of more modest wallets. It proved to be a fast-moving market. By 1974, Ford had launched the Mk2 version of its Capri complete with a hatchback, and a year later Opel arrived with the second-generation Manta B. But both were beaten to the punch by Volkswagen, which debuted its stylish Scirocco hatch…

➤ 1951 Bentley MkVI, value £20,000: £81.05 or £99.05 with AV ➤ Based on 45-year old, with a second vehicle. It’s garaged, covers 3000 miles a year and lives in an SP2 postcode. They have no claims or convictions, are a club member, and are employed as a marketing manager. Disclaimer: Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may vary between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. An additional charge may be payable. ➤ Subject to underwriting criteria. An additional charge may be payable. www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk 01480 809176…

MG IN THE ’90s Rebirth of the octagon, from RV8 to MGF. FORD V TRIUMPH Granada meets Triumph 2000. BUYING JAGUAR XJ All the info on the Series 3 cars. PLUS… all the latest auction results, news from the old car world and catching up on staff projects DOWNLOAD THE DIGITAL ISSUE OF CLASSIC CAR BUYER FROM AS LITTLE AS 94p! Visit: www.pocketmags.com or download it via the App Store; search ‘Classic Car Buyer’. The printed version of Classic Car Buyer is available in ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons and WH Smiths, plus all good newsagents…

A very rare Mini derivative is set to go under the hammer at WB & Sons’ next auction when it takes place at the firm’s Newcastle base on August 7. The 1967 Wolseley 1000, is one of just 456 examples uniquely produced in South Africa over 24 months in the late ’60s, featuring the familiar Wolseley Hornet front end mated to a standard short-tailed Mini body. It was devised to offer a slightly upmarket Mini to the South African public and was produced in Mk1 and Mk2 guises, but was discontinued in 1969 when BMC South Africa was rebranded as Leykor. It’s believed to be one of only three examples in the UK, and though it needs some TLC, its rarity certainly adds to the intrigue. It shows 78,000 miles,…

Silverstone Auctions is to host its flagship auction at the Silverstone Classic event this weekend (July 30-August 1). Almost 130 classic and race cars will go under the hammer over the Saturday and Sunday, including two Aston Martins with celebrity provenance. Offered on Saturday, is a rare 1990 factory-built Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe X-Pack, which is one of just 95 and was previously owned by Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay. It’s a manual example showing just 37,412 miles from new, and is estimated at £340,000-£380,000. Up for auction on the Sunday is a 1979 Aston Martin V8 Volante, which was purchased by Queen’s drummer, Roger Taylor, at the height of their global success. The car was supplied new to Mr Taylor before being acquired by well-known Aston Martin aficionado, Howard…

Contact: Epping Motor Co, Ongar, Essex CM5 9QE Tel: 01277 365415 www.eppingmotorcompany.com There’s no arguing with the classic credentials of the R107 generation of Mercedes SL and although these have been accelerating in value steadily over the last decade or so, buying the wrong one can still catch you out. A rotten scuttle and bulkhead area for example can be a costly fix and one elegant way to sidestep the problem is to buy a car imported from a dry USA state. And it’s just such a car we have here, having spent its life in Arizona and California before coming back to Europe. Observant readers will also have spotted that the car is the range-topping 560 model, the badge signifying the 240bhp 5.6-litre V8 which was offered only for…