Innholdsfortegnelse for 22/09/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

Perhaps the biggest debate in the car world is what defines a ‘classic car’, but I’ve personally had two recent experiences that further complicate matters; you may recall our 2002 Jaguar X350 project, a car which many purists would say is still a modern car. However, remember that the X350 is fast approaching its 20th birthday and when our example was pulled out of a 15-month slumber, we were met with more evidence of the Jag’s emerging classic status. Those who’ve dragged a Minor, Beetle or the like out of retirement will know about the common problems one can expect, such as seized brakes or rough running due to stale fuel. Modern petrol is less sensitive to storage than four-star, so the Jag ran smoothly after a jump start, similarly…

Visitors to the Haynes International Motor Museum over the upcoming half term break will be able to see the collection’s 118-year-old Darracq driving once again. One of the oldest cars in the museum’s collection, the 1903 Type L is due to take part in the 125th running of the London-To-Brighton veteran run in November and much effort has been put into readying it for the event. First restored after being discovered in a scrapyard in 1943, the Darracq was restored again by the Haynes museum before entering the 100th anniversary of the London To Brighton Run and was also featured in Wheeler Dealers where it was prepared for the 2013 event. Museum visitors will be able to see the car in action in The Paddock, but this will obviously be…

The Norfolk and Norwich Rover Owners’ Club was out in force again for its annual show at Bressingham on September 5 and such was the pent-up enthusiasm after missing last year’s event that entrants were queueing outside before the gates were even opened. Numbers were restricted to a socially-distanced 85 cars but the day still showcased a wide range of models from a 1935 Rover P2 to a 2003 Rover 75, with highlights including Jason Moore’s P4 ‘Woody’ project and Bob Hale’s rare 1950 P4 ‘Cyclops’. The Car of the Show, a 1947 P2 Tourer, was chosen by Mark and Angie Gray of MGBD Parts and Services and the Best Club Car, a 1972 P5B Coupe was chosen by Jason Moore of J Moore Classic Cars Ltd. The club is…

FORD CAPRI Mk2 (1974-1978) While the Capri hadn’t quite reached the realms of being the car you always promised yourself, by 1974, it was clear that it needed a facelift. Its mid ’60s American lines were starting to look a shade passé, and while the mechanical packages were still proudly right, the body was starting to feel too small for the family man who hadn’t the heart for a Cortina. So the Mk2 was bigger, more modern, and incorporated a hatchback for the first time. Capri-man likes the fastback lines, redolent almost of Aston Martin. His wife liked that the pram would now fit. Top of the heap were the 3.0 V6 models, popularised in The Professionals by Bodie and Doyle in Ghia automatic and S X-pack forms respectively. And…

While visiting a Jaguar specialist recently to sample a pre-production XJ40 survivor, we were sidetracked by this XJ40 estate. Jaguar itself only made a single prototype which lives in the British Motor Museum and this is one of two cars created by coachbuilder Humberstone in the late ’80s. It was by all accounts an elaborate job, involving splitting the rear of the car to widen the rear wings and modifying the floorpan to accommodate the relocated fuel tank under the boot floor. It’s a shame the XJ40 (and SD1) estates were never pursued but at the time the image was considered all wrong.…

One popular event which was forced to take a break during the pandemic was the Coffee & Chrome meetings organised by insurance specialist Footman James. The events restarted last month at Prescott hillclimb and for September will return to the Impney Estate in Droitwich where the meetings first began. Such was the pent-up demand from classic fans wanting to get out and about again though, that the 500 tickets sold out within the first week. “We couldn’t be more ecstatic that Coffee & Chrome at the Impney Estate has been so well received. We have always loved hosting the meet at Impney, as it is so picturesque and provides the perfect backdrop for hundreds of eclectic classics,” said Charlotte Moseley, Head of Marketing at Footman James. Luckily though, an October…

Following the success of their July sale, Charterhouse returns to the Haynes International Motor Museum at Sparkford near Yeovil for its October sale. As we went to press the catalogue already contained a diverse selection of lots including a couple of barn find rarities in the shape of an MG Maestro Turbo and a Mini Pickup. Both may be firmly in the project category but are sure to arouse great interest. At the other end of the scale, there’s what is reckoned to be the first Aston Martin DB7 sold to the general public, as well as a nice example of the R129 generation of Mercedes SL. No sale right now would be complete without an ’80s fast Ford and RS Turbo fans won’t be disappointed by the Series 1…

JAGUAR XJR SIX-CYLINDER (1994-1997) Launched in 1994, the gestation of the XJR dates back to the mid 1980s, and a tie-up between Jaguar and Eaton to showcase the potential of the M90 supercharger. It became a range topping halo model for the facelift in no small part due to Ford executive Jim Padilla, who wanted to effect the same transformation to Jaguar as Rolls-Royce had effected to Bentley in 1982 with the Mulsanne Turbo. The big cat had its claws back, courtesy of 322bhp and 378lb.ft of torque – enough to propel the automatic to 60 in 6.6 seconds and the rare manual in 5.9. Jaguar expected to sell 1000 in total – they sold that before the end of 1994. XJRs have never really been cheap unless in absolutely…

It’s the chap on the pavement which gives this photo the mystery… is he about to shout “Oi get off my car” or “Get your hands off my daughter”? Either way, the MGC’s resident Old English Sheepdog will ensure that things don’t get out of hand and we image the big dog made a great sight flying round early ’70s London wedged into the back of the roadster. Elsewhere the street is a snapshot of the automotive fashions of the time, with a Saab 96 in front of the MG and an MGB GT in front of that behind the distinctive rear of a Morris van. On the other side of the road, the big mid-’60s Ford Galaxie station wagon is undergoing some bonnet-up maintenance, while the Transit passing in…

Paul Wager, Group Editor BMW E36 If the E30 suddenly seems a bit too pricey now that values have shot up while your back was turned, what about its successor? The E36 third generation was technically a big jump forward but still has enough retro flavour to make it a nice antidote to the modern era of BMW. Find a nice 328i Sport coupe and you’ve got a near-200bhp car. Dave Youngs, Lancaster Insurance Mercedes 190E Legend has it that it was the success of the 3-Series especially in the lucrative US market which encouraged Mercedes to launch its own entry-level saloon and the 190E was the result. Very similar in flavour to the BMW it doesn’t feel quite as sporting but is more solid. The six-cylinder 190E-2.6 is vastly…

This week marks 40 years of the Mk2 Vauxhall Cavalier which was unveiled to the world on Wednesday, September 23 back in 1981. A significant car for General Motors in Europe, the Mk2 established front-wheel-drive as a viable option in the company fleet market and was responsible for Vauxhall leapfrogging Ford in the sales charts, as the new Sierra struggled to find acceptance in the conservative fleet market. The Cavalier was manufactured in Vauxhall’s hometown of Luton and to celebrate the anniversary, the Vauxhall Cavalier and Chevette Club will have three Mk2s on display in the town’s Mall shopping centre during Thursday, September 23. The club’s president and vice-president will be on hand, as well as club chairman Kevin Bricknall who points out that the Mk2 Cavalier has been the…

On page 4 of this issue, you’ll read about the Haynes museum offering half-term visitors the chance to see the 118-year old Darracq fire up and move under its own power before joining the London to Brighton run in November. No doubt onlookers at the Haynes site will be impressed that such an ancient piece of machinery can still move under its own power and truly ancient cars like this have been for a long time very much a niche activity, to be enjoyed in much the same way as a mighty steam locomotive on a preservation railway as a reminder of how technology has evolved. But as the world of classic cars evolves, is older machinery, less suited to modern traffic, in danger of falling out of favour? We’ve…

British Motor Heritage, well known as the source of replacement body panels and complete shells for many British classics, has been undergoing a period of major change recently culminating in a revamped online presence. The firm’s Motoring Classics operation has also been discontinued and in its place comes the Tex brand – an old-established name which produced items like wipers and mirrors for many iconic British classics. Like BMH’s body panels, the Tex products are manufactured using the original tooling, some of it going right back to the 1950s. In addition to the Tex-branded parts, the online offering also includes EBC brakes, Samco hoses, Castrol fluids and Renovo cleaning products. Meanwhile, the BMH website has been expanded to include details of its network of approved specialist resellers as well as…

Fledgling auction house WB & Sons held its first sale in May 2021 and followed up with a successful sale in August. Wasting no time, the next WB & Sons sale is set to take place on October 9, 11am at the company’s base at Killingworth, near Newcastle. Online bidding is also available, with viewings beforehand by appointment. Around 70 lots are expected. Highlights include modern classics like a Jaguar XJR, BMW Z4 and MG TF, a full range of ’80s and ’90s hot hatches from Peugeot, VW and Vauxhall, plus a wide selection of more traditional ’60s and ’70s offerings. Those with more transatlantic tastes are also catered for, with a selection of American classics that includes a colossal 1960 Plymouth Fury, among others. It wouldn’t be a classic…

You know, there are some of us here at CCB that can recall buying old E30s for about the same price as a nice pair of jeans – I think I even got one for free once. Those days have long gone and E30 prices have been steadily increasing since 2010 when the world cottoned on that BMW wouldn’t be making anything like it again. Perhaps the outgoing 2-Series Coupe comes closest but it’s not a classic yet. The time to buy an E30 was probably ten years ago when they were a lot cheaper and parts were plentiful and a not so expensive. With prices ranging from £5000-£30,000, they are now pricey classics but a good one is a sure-fire investment – they’ll never go out of fashion. HISTORY…

We seem to have spent a lot of time thinking and writing about the Silver Spirit generation of Rolls-Royces lately and with a Turbo R on the premises, perhaps that’s no surprise, but it does mean we’ve overlooked its predecessor which can be charming in a very different way. A nice Shadow is an effortlessly classy way to travel and the later cars came with many of the improvements which were later incorporated into the Spirit generation. Being a 1980 example wearing the W plate, this is a very late model indeed but in classic Chestnut paintwork with a tan interior it looks just as classic as the earliest ’60s Shadows. Its lovely condition is explained by it having covered less than 40,000 miles and clearly it’s been loved, as…