Innholdsfortegnelse for 15/12/2021 i Classic Car Buyer

There’s a running joke in the CCB office about the random blokes who appear as if by magic as soon as an old car needs pushing. They might even be the same people, following us through life like a kind of oily-fingered automotive guardian angel but they never fail us. They were there (all five of them) when our 2.5-tonne Bentley coasted to a halt blocking a country car park and they were there when we ran a Toledo out of fuel. Never needing to be summoned but just silently appearing at your shoulder with a cheery “Need a push mate?” as soon as an old car splutters to a halt. This week though, they let us down when a Lancia Fulvia conked out in rush hour on a rainy…

A 1959 Jaguar Mk1 that was once owned by much-loved entertainer George Formby is set to be put under the hammer by Anglia Car Auctions next month. Formby was a big stage and film star in the 1930s and 1940s, most famous for his ukulele playing. He bought the 3.4-litre example with its Mist Grey exterior and with red leather upholstery from Woodhead’s Garage in Blackpool during 1959, and transferred his personalised plate, GF2, onto it. However, on August Bank Holiday 1959, George and wife Beryl were driving along the A47 just past King’s Lynn, heading for Great Yarmouth where George was appearing at the Windmill Theatre. At East Winch, an Austin A30 turned right while the Jaguar was overtaking, and the two cars collided. The Formbys were taken to…

Cumbria motorsport preparation business M-Sport has created what is surely the ultimate restomod Fiat Panda 4x4. Nicknamed Pandamonium, it began life as a standard road-going example and emerged as a fully-fledged, fire-breathing competition car after months of work. The engineering team that worked on the Panda took the underpinnings of a Fiesta R5 Mk1 as their starting point, which is a rally car built by M-Sport and based upon the Mk7 Ford Fiesta ST road car. The original shell of the Fiat Panda was widened by 360mm to fit the Fiesta chassis, with box wheel arches added for a Group B-esque look, while the rear-hatch now features a hand-embossed ‘PANDA 4x4’ badge in homage to the original model. Powering the Panda is a 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost engine, producing just under…

EK9 CIVIC TYPE R (1997-2001) If one definition of a classic car is one that couldn’t exist in the modern age, then the EK9 Type R is a shoo-in. Part of the sixth Civic generation, the EK9 was the first Civic Type R and the third Type R model built by Honda. It achieved what is still very respectable performance – 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 146mph – by a combination of minimal weight and extreme high-revving power. Its 1.6-litre engine was a specially built ‘blueprinted’ unit which, when combined with Honda’s VTEC valve control system, resulted in 185bhp at 8200rpm (the highest specific power of any naturally aspirated engine at the time) and peak torque coming only just behind at 7500rpm. A unique close-ratio gearbox…

It’s been the year of the staycation and we reckon the habit is likely to stick – especially if our glorious UK countryside is continued to be enjoyed from behind the wheel of a campervan which gives holidaymakers the ultimate freedom to explore. Inevitably classic VW campervans have attracted the most interest and prices have rocketed but over winter values are likely to slacken so our advice is to buy now for next year. The iconic classic camper is Volkswagen’s pre-’68 split front window Bus or the Bay Window that followed. However, they’re big bucks so with £5000, the perfect alternative is the third generation T25 from 1981-1990. The first ones were air-cooled but water-cooled 1.9-litre and diesel 1.6-litre versions followed. None of the engines were brilliant, though, so if…

It seems hard to believe that the Volkswagen Golf has an entry price of almost £24,000 these days. And that could easily be pushed north of £25,000 with just one or two choice options – metallic paint, say, or a nice radio. The old adage of motoring writing, that you can buy a Bentley for Mondeo money hasn’t just been disproven, it’s been turned on its head – you could get two Turbo Rs for the price of a sensible hatchback in 2021. But ownership of two cheap Bentleys is a route map to the bankruptcy court. The four cars we’ve chosen as indicative of this sort of budget offer thrills of a very different nature, as well as unquestioned classic status and the certainty that values will do the…

We already have a saloon available at this price point – the Alpina B10 Biturbo. But to consider the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Makinen Edition as a saloon car is to underestimate its capabilities. It may be built into a saloon shell, but beneath the surface lies a well-disguised rally machine, almost better suited to short stage work than the tarmac that its tax disc was always intended for. An Evo VI TME is an Evo VI upon which every part is that little bit more refined, where there is more power, but the chassis is more capable. You can’t consider it a saloon because while it can be driven sedately, it feels alien to do so. The TME is not a cheap car, though and, in all honesty,…

For many years, the ADO16 was a very common sight on the UK’s roads. If you grew up in the 1960s or ‘70s, you were likely to have learned to drive in one, been ferried around in one by a family member or even bought one as a cheap second-hand car. Following the success of the Mini, that car’s designer, Alec Issigonis, proceeded to take the basic concept of front engine/front-wheel drive and maximum passenger space, and apply it to a full range of cars. The mid-size ADO16 arrived in 1962, and the biggest in the range – the ADO17 1800/2200 ‘Landcrab’ – would be launched in 1964. As with so many highly popular cars before and since, for many years, the 1100/1300 fell into the cheap ‘banger’ category, and…

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As the automotive industry strives to reduce weight in an era of increasingly heavy battery electric cars, a recent visit to the British Motor Museum’s Collections Centre saw us poring over this exhibit. Outwardly a standard-looking 1983 MG Metro, it is in fact one of the six aluminium-bodied Metros built by British Leyland in conjunction with Alcan. Replicas of the steel-bodied car, the Metro ‘Alum’ used panels fixed using Permabond adhesive but the project was abandoned in 1985.…

Sign up to our newsletter at www.classicsworld.co.uk The classic car movement has long been one to cater for niche interests, offering a haven where like-minded enthusiasts can get together and share their passion for a particular marque or model. But while single-make clubs and events still have their place, we now appear to be the midst of an era in which a diverse mixing of automotive subcultures is not only accepted into the mainstream scene but increasingly celebrated. On the face of it, the historic vehicle movement is in rude health. Recent research by the FBHVC reveals that there are almost 1.6 million historic vehicles registered in the UK – an increase of nearly 50 per cent since December 2015, and that’s only taking vehicles that are older than 30…

The long-established Charles Ware Morris Minor Centre Limited, which operated a vehicle restoration business in Bristol, ceased trading last month after 41 years and entered the process of liquidation. Former property developer Charles Ware set the business up in 1976 following a property crash, and originally operated from Bath before moving to Bristol in 2009. Over the years the centre kept scores of Minors on the road, and in 2003 Ware was given the Green Apple award for environmental services to the motor industry. Sadly, he passed away in 2015, and in 2019, the business was sold to Ecotec Partners. On November 11, the doors to the restoration business were closed. “Like many other businesses we have faced difficulties over the last two years with the global Covid-19 pandemic, the…

WB & Sons held its last auction of 2021 at its Killingworth base on December 4, with a bumper catalogue of over 110 entries to close its maiden year in fine style. And while stormy weather and Covid fears had a hand in cutting down the attendance, the firm could still look back upon a robust set of results. The star lot was a 1973 Datsun 240Z that had been lovingly restored and upgraded with triple carbs and a five-speed box. Much pre-sale attention was converted into an impressive result, as it sailed past its £18,000-£22,000 estimate to sell for £30,800. Moving into the 1980s but remaining on similar sporty lines, a 1985 Lotus Excel and a rare UK-supplied Mitsubishi Starion Turbo also found new homes for £6700 and £7500…

SAAB 99 (1968-1984) The 99 was arguably Saab’s first ‘proper’ car. After starting off with its two-stroke, teardrop-shaped economy cars this one was a bona fide executive car. It continued many established Saab features, such as a longitudinal engine mounted ‘backwards’ and aerodynamic design while introducing others that would come to be closely associated with the marque – an upright wraparound windscreen and a tapering rear, a front-hinged bonnet and a strong emphasis on safety. At first the 99 was produced only as a two-door saloon with a 1709cc but both the engines and the body options grew over the years, with the latter including four-door saloons and three-and five-door ‘Combi-coupe’ hatchbacks. The most famous 99 was introduced in 1978 – the 99 Turbo which had a boosted 2.0-litre engine…

The effect of the pandemic has been widespread and varied. But what’s surely got to be one of the most astonishing consequences of world lockdowns, port delays and bottlenecks in supply is the soaring price of used cars. A rupture in the supply of new cars combined with a reluctance to use public transport has resulted in a record number of people trawling the secondhand market with the average asking price for used cars shooting up by 15.2 per cent in the last year according to AutoTrader. Even downright dull nearly new cars like the Dacia Sandero have been eagerly sought out in the classifieds and we’ve read reports of people paying more than the new retail price of £9845 for used ones. Mad isn’t it? That’s why our next…

We know, Daimler DS420s are easily procured for under £10,000. So spending £25,000 might seem like folly. But stay with us on this, because this is a case of applying car buying logic to a traditionally emotive situation. Classic cars are bought with the heart, but anyone serious about the game buys the best example of anything that they can afford. And while you can find an £8000 DS420, it will be full of filler, painted with Dulux and fresh from a career transporting brides-to-be. If you really want a nice one, £25,000 will get you a rust free, blemish free example that you won’t need to worry about, with a service history as thick as the Domesday Book and polished walnut you could use as a mirror. The DS420…

It’s a suitably festive scene this week as we see the Christmas lights over London’s Regent Street in December 1968. The streets may not be quite as heavily thronged with shoppers as you might expect but the caption suggests this was late afternoon on a Sunday and in those days precious few shops would have been open. Many of the drivers in the shot would have been taking a Sunday afternoon trip to see the lights in an age where they were still a spectacle to be marvelled at. As expected it’s a sea of family cars from the era: a pair of HB Vivas and a Corsair are closest to the camera, with a Cortina heading away from the photographer past the Austin 1100 behind a Vauxhall Victor. Behind…

The original Healey 3000 is loved for the elegance of its lines but curiously, it was destined to remain the only complete car styled by Gerry Coker, a body engineer rather than designer. The car was born as the Healey 100 with the intention of moving Healey away from its heavy coachbuilt cars into a new, modern world as epitomised by the Jaguar XK120. Using a BMC engine borrowed from the Austin A90, the car was displayed at the 1952 Earls Court motor show purely as a concept but when BMC boss Leonard Lord caught sight of it, he shook hands with Donald Healey there and then on a deal for BMC to produce the car with Austin-Healey badging. Production started in 1953 as the ‘BN1’ and the car was…

Acting as a little brother to the top of the range Dolomite, Triumph’s Toledo took over from the 1300 as the marque’s entry-level family saloon. First put into production at the start of the 1970s, the Toledo was initially introduced as a two-door. This example, however, is a more popular four-door variant, and as it’s a 1973 model, the car also benefits from disc brakes at the front. What sets this Toledo apart though is its mileage. With just 13,500 miles on the clock, this particular car has won a number of awards, including ‘Best in Year’ and ‘Best in Show’ at the 2019 Charity Car Festival. The reason why this little Toledo is such a time warp is because it has spent the best part of 40 years sheltered…

Retailers have been slammed for taking motorists “for a ride,” with figures from RAC fuel watch revealing that petrol and diesel prices continued to increase last month despite declining wholesale prices. While the average cost of a litre of unleaded ended the month at 147.28p, wholesale petrol prices tumbled 10p in November to their lowest levels since September. It was a similar picture for diesel, with prices up to 150.64p by November 30 in spite of wholesale costs having fallen by 7p from the middle of the month. The RAC believes there is absolutely no justification for the high prices being charged on forecourts and is pleading with retailers to cut pump prices immediately by around 12p a litre for petrol and 7p for diesel. RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams…

The Motorist, located at Sherburn-in-Elmet in North Yorkshire, has launched a series of new monthly autojumbles for 2022. The classic car garage, showroom, café and meet venue has added the autojumbles to its busy calendar in response to overwhelming customer demand. The first event will run on Monday January 3 from 8.30am until 2pm and will be accompanied by a car meet. Both classic and modern cars are welcome to attend this family-friendly event, with dogs on leads also invited. Admission is £10 per pitch for traders and £2 for attendees, with parking available for over 500 vehicles. To trade at the event, apply to bookings@themotorist.com Following the January event, The Motorist Autojumble will run on the first Saturday of each month throughout the year, with traders or enthusiasts clearing…

The organisers of the Kop Hill Climb have announced that this year’s festival, held in September, raised an impressive £105,000 for local charities and good causes. This means the Buckinghamshire event, which is entirely volunteer-run, has raised £870,000 since its revival in 2009. The festival is a moving celebration of cars and bikes that pays tribute to the venue’s history as a hillclimb venue between 1910-1925. But as well as the chance to get up close and personal with some amazing machinery, the Buckinghamshire event offers plenty of entertainment for the whole family, with live music, food stalls and a soapbox race, plus trade and exhibition stalls. Next year’s dates are September 24-25, when the organisers hope for a record year to take the total past the magical one-million-pound mark.…

H&H Classics closed 2021 with a visit to the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton on December 8, with 72 lots going under the hammer at the Peak District venue. It was an eclectic catalogue too, with the consignments ranging from early pre-war vehicles to a couple of entries from the early 2000s. Those looking for a no-reserve bargain ahead of winter could certainly have their fill here, with a 52,000-mile 1968 Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R opening the sale at a very reasonable hammer price of £5000. A bid of £2000 was enough to net a 1971 MGB roadster that had been in long-term storage, with £2600 securing a 1995 Mk1 Mazda MX-5 in tidy condition and just £1000 enough for a Mk3 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet in rare ‘Rolling Stones Edition’…

We’ve all had to do a bit of belt-tightening recently but nevertheless; five grand isn’t a massive amount of money to spend on a classic. Especially as it will buy any of our trio here and serve you with a gluttonous portion of British motoring history spanning three different decades. Moreover, £5000 will give you the choice of buying a convertible, saloon or sporty coupé depending on which takes your fancy. Oh, and thinking ahead to next summer we’ve thrown a classic wildcard campervan into the mix for good measure. If you’re on a real budget and still tapping your calculator keys doing the sums, ponder for a moment about running costs. Or relative lack of them in this case. Because our selection is blessed by having excellent parts and…

If you’re after a practical, back-to-basics mud-plugger then look no further than the iconic Land Rover Defender. It can go just about anywhere off-road; parts are easy and relatively cheap and mechanically it will prove a piece of cake to work on. Best of all, despite their growing collectability, if you look hard enough you’ll get one for £10,000. The 200Tdi in the early ones is frugal, energetic and reasonably bulletproof – though watch for headgasket issues. The 300Tdi from 1994 was more refined, a little faster and smoother but can suffer coolant leaks and overheating which can lead to warped heads. The good news is that replacement heads are readily available and aren’t expensive. Obviously, the 1998-on Td5 is even faster and more refined. It’s chain driven, too, so…

The popularity of the Tesla Model 3 is such that it’s rapidly becoming one of Britain’s best-selling cars. But at £42,500 new, it’s a big investment for anyone who might want to buy one outright. We know, most modern cars are bought with finance packages, but even there it’s possible to obtain a bank loan at similar rates if you want to take the plunge with something more unusual. And £40,000 buys you a lot of car on the classic market, choices that will not depreciate and choices that mark you out as separate. And is that not better than following the herd? SALOON: ALPINA B10 BITURBO Many regard the BMW E34 as the pinnacle of BMW’s saloon range, both in the early 1990s and today. The Alpina B10 is…

Having no real need for all-wheel drive, an early Range Rover would indeed be a wildcard choice for me, especially when £50,000 buys a heck of a lot of tarmac-loving sports saloon instead. But there we are…wildcards aren’t really meant to be logical. And to me, a Range Rover in its original two-door form is one of the most desirable classics that money (any money) can buy. It’s also one of the most influential designs of all time, proving to the world that an off-roader didn’t need to be utilitarian or difficult to drive. In these days of family-friendly SUVs, the Range Rover can be seen as a real trendsetter. The idea of a more sophisticated Land Rover dates back to the late 1950s, although it was almost a decade…

History has taught us that if the British car industry has one strength, it’s creating success from unlikely origins: think MGF, Land Rover Discovery and countless others. And so it is with the pair we have here, both of which took an ageing design and created a car which won universal praise. In the case of the Bentley, no vehicle this large and this heavy has any logical right to offer such cross-country pace yet the basic design underpinning the unlikely hot rod stems from the 1965 Silver Shadow. The Daimler meanwhile, was derived from the Jaguar XJ40 which may have appeared as late as 1986 but which had been in development since the 1970s. Smaller and lighter than the Bentley, it’s still a big car yet offers the impressive…

Austin A35 If a lack of practicality really isn’t an issue, then another of BMC’s offerings – the Austin A35 – might be an equally charming alternative. These fun little cars share the same A-Series engines with the Minor and are even used by the Historic Racing Drivers Club nowadays for beginners to get to grips with cars from this time period. Ford Anglia 100E A different – arguably more modern-looking – body style, but the same sort of size as a Morris Minor. The Anglia 100E first arrived in 1953 as a two-door saloon, but if you want a four-door, then turn to the Prefect of the same era: an identical car, just with two extra ways of getting in. Renault 4CV Although its proportions might seem a bit…

‘It is not the cheaper things that we want to possess, but expensive things that cost a lot less’- John Ruskin When Country Rane Tours arranged the inital Viking Tour in 2002 it was also the first time a group of cars from the UK had joined in with the annual Tjoloholm Castle Classic, an amazing event with over a thousand varied machines from all over Scandinavia. We were honoured to be given our own dedicated space on the field and there were subsequently five more visits until sadly the last direct ferry sailing to Scandinavia ceased in 2014. Since then there have been many requests for the tour to run again and it will finally be done in 2022. Of course getting there requires a little more driving than…