Innholdsfortegnelse for 2/9/2022 i Classic Car Buyer

It always fascinates me how public perception of a car so often changes as the decades pass. Back in the 1980s, one of the ultimate ways of blending into a motoring crowd would be to drive a beige Austin Montego. It was arguably the least exciting colour choice for a car that didn’t exactly scream ‘excitement’ to begin with. A lowly-spec beige Montego was one of the least likely models to attract “Nice car, mister!” compliments back then. Oh, how times have changed. Since mid-November, I’ve been the happy custodian of our very own Montego Estate project car, a rare survivor from 1985 that still wears its original beige colour scheme. Prior to that I spent a couple of months with our Bentley Turbo R, a high-performance behemoth that cost…

A company that specialises in supplying vehicles for films, TV and music videos is on the look-out for pre-1975 classics that are available from next month. Described as a “period feature film”, the project takes place in and around Leeds and Harrogate, with filming due between March 7 and April 14. Motor Film says it requires “a lot of pre-1975 vehicles” for this latest project, with owners being paid for their involvement. To register your classic, visit motorfilm.co.uk or call Josh on 07578 630126.…

Sign up to our newsletter at www.classicsworld.co.uk Sir Greg Knight, MP and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group, has issued a call to action for enthusiasts to assist him in ensuring yesterday’s cars can still be a fixture on today’s roads. Speaking at the recent FBHVC Club Expo event, the long-serving politician, who has a diverse range of classics including a Jensen Interceptor, stressed the need for lobbying now and in the future to keep law makers on side. The Conservative MP for East Yorkshire co-founded the All-Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group during the 1990s to ensure owners of historic vehicles have a voice in parliament. Over the years the 30-strong group has had several successes, including arguing for and winning a VED exemption for historic vehicles, an…

TR2 (1953-1955) You may be wondering why this list doesn’t start with a ‘TR1’. Well, although such a car did technically exist, it never actually came into production. For Standard-Triumph’s first attempt at a sports car they shortened the chassis of a Standard Eight and dumped the engine from a Vanguard into it. Feedback from test drivers was universally negative and once everyone had gone back to the drawing board, the TR2 emerged. At the second attempt, Triumph had hit the nail on the head, and the car was a major success. In fact, it became the brand’s best-selling model at the time, and is often attributed with being the catalyst for Triumph’s success over the years in America. Despite the age of the TR2 – and its relatively short…

That these two technically rather different cars could ever have been viewed as peer-to-peer, class rivals says a great deal about the shape of the ‘warm’ hatchback market just over 40 years ago, and also how it has evolved in the years since. The Ford, after all, was front-wheel drive and thus pointed the way to the future of the segment, while the Talbot, the product of a last-ditch government financial aid package, was resolute in its old school, rear-wheel drive configuration. But the first hot Fiesta and Sunbeam (the Lotus version didn’t appear until 1979) burst onto the scene at near enough the same time and, for a brief while, represented the sharp end of the performance hatchback sector. They sold well and offered their owners affordable (if modest)…

JAGUAR MkX XJ6 not big enough for you? Well, this might do the trick instead. First released in 1961, the Jag MkX shares the same unmistakably British ’60s styling cues as the Rolls, just with a more sporting badge on the front and arguably sleeker silhouette. What’s untypical about it though is its size. By UK standards, this Big Cat is well and truly massive, so if it’s road presence that you’re looking for then the MkX can offer that in spades. ROLLS-ROYCE CORNICHE Crafted by Mulliner Park Ward, the Rolls-Royce Corniche shares most of its parts with the Silver Shadow. So, if you like the standard saloon but would rather have it in two-door guise (or even as a convertible), then the Corniche is your answer. Although some immaculate…

Spotted outside an Italian restaurant in Brighton is what at first glance looks to be a Fiat 600, the rear-engined saloon that arrived in 1955, predating by two years the smaller Fiat 500. And what could be more appropriate for a pizzeria than an all-Italian classic Fiat? Except this one happens to be a de-badged Zastava 750, built under licence in Serbia and featuring a 767cc version of the four-cylinder Fiat engine, pushing out 25bhp when new. Remarkably, the rear-engined Zastava remained in production through to 1985, making it the longest-lived of all Fiat 600 derivatives.…

The best road tunnels in the UK for motorists who enjoy their cars’ audible qualities have been revealed in Alfa Romeo’s new Sound Tunnel Index. The 658-metre long Penmaenbach tunnel in North Wales – which dates back to the 1930s – topped the Alfa rankings for providing the best acoustic environment for appreciating a car’s engine and exhaust sounds. The Sound Tunnel Index ranks the top ten tunnels for drivers, with each location rated on a sound recording of the latest Stelvio Quadrifoglio driving through. The sound, captured from inside the vehicle, was then assessed by Sandy Brown – one of the UK’s leading acoustic consultancies. With one-way traffic to each of the tunnel’s twin bores, an excellent road surface and a distinctive U-shaped profile, the Penmaenbach tunnel is said…

South Western Vehicle Auctions’ first classic sale of 2022 took place on Friday January 28, featuring a great selection of vehicles ranging from pre-war entries to a 2005 Aston Martin DB9 Volante. And while we may still be in the depths of winter, a host of reserve-busting sales would suggest there’s the still very much a strong appetite for classic cars. Two of the best performers on the day were modern classics, with a very early BMW MINI wearing a desirable ‘OBL’ registration selling for an impressive £4700 plus fees. A trio of open-topped entries also did very well, with that DB9 Volante selling for a hammer price of £38,200 against a guide of £27,000-£29,000, a 2002 Maserati Spyder beating its £10,000-£12,000 estimate to sell for £13,00 plus fees, and…

FIAT BARCHETTA (1995-2006) Wherever the Barchetta’s poor reputation may stem from it might be time to look beyond the prejudice and recognise the ‘little boat’ for what it is – an intriguing gateway choice into the world of sports cars. Primarily designed by Andreas Zapatinas, despite it sitting on a Punto platform you could never accuse the Barchetta of being boring to look at, with its heavily sculpted arches and fragmented rear lights ensuring that it stands out against its more conservative Japanese and European rivals. Underneath the suitably stylish bodywork, power comes from a 129bhp in-line four-cylinder engine. Not blisteringly fast by any means, but with a 0-60 time of 8.9 seconds, it’s plenty quick enough for an inexperienced but enthusiastic driver. There is one downside though. A big…

This shot was taken in 1975 as part of the Sunday Mirror’s road test of the Enfield electric car but what caught our eye was the caravan directly behind it – as unusual a sight back then in central London as it is now. Is it a Londoner escaping the capital for a getaway or an out-of-towner expecting to find a pitch somewhere in the city for cut-price accommodation? In front of the caravan-towing Cortina, we see a glimpse of an Austin Landcrab speeding past, while heading the other way we made out the rear of a Transit and one of only two foreign cars in shot, a Renault 16 – the other being a barely visible VW Beetle. The bus enthusiasts out there will love the 1965 Routemaster of…

Paul Wager, Group Editor MGB GT The MGB GT set the scene for the Triumph when it appeared in 1965, a year before the GT6 broke cover. It shares a similar if slightly less radical GT profile, of course, and like the GT6 it was an Italian (Pininfarina in this case) who was largely responsible for the styling. The other common feature is they both boast an opening rear hatch so they share the same modicum of practicality. Despite having two fewer cylinders and a slightly smaller capacity, power output from the MG’s B-Series is about the same as the Triumph’s. But it’s heavier, which means it’s not as quick off the mark and can’t go quite as fast. That said, MkI GT6 apart, both cars offer the same driver…

A late-model Jaguar 3.4 Litre saloon originally owned by the ukulele-playing entertainer, George Formby, has sold for an impressive £87,480 (including fees) at auction. The late-model ‘Mk1’ was bought new by Formby, who transferred his personalised registration number – GF 2 – on to it. The now non-transferable registration was included in the recent sale by Anglia Car Auctions. Soon after buying the Jaguar, Formby and his wife, Beryl, were involved in a major accident on the A47, heading for Great Yarmouth, when they collided with an Austin A30. The damaged Jaguar was subsequently part-exchanged against a new MkIX, with Formby receiving a part-ex allowance of £1425. The re-registered ‘Mk1’ was then repaired and sold on, only to be taken off the road in 1968. The early 2000s saw the…

Almost exactly six years after the last of the traditional Land Rover Defenders was driven off the line, an unused example of the exclusive Heritage Edition has hit the market in as-new condition and with just 58 miles on its odometer. Only 400 examples of the Heritage Edition were built to mark the end of Defender production, with the total being split between the 90 Commercial, 90 Station Wagon and 110 Station Wagon. Each Heritage Edition was finished in traditional-looking Grasmere Green metallic with a contrasting white roof, as well as featuring a host of retro-inspired trim. Each example also featured a black and white HUE 166 decal on its nearside front wing as a tribute to the registration of the oldest surviving Land Rover, affectionately known as ‘Huey’. This…

Morgan is set to reveal its all-new, second-generation 3 Wheeler on February 24, ahead of its arrival in UK showrooms later this year. The reinvented trike will be a thoroughly modern machine using the same advanced aluminium latest Plus Four and Plus Six models, together with an overall design that’s described by Morgan as “bold and eccentric”. Morgan claims the next-generation 3 Wheeler will offer the same raw driving experience as its 10-year-old predecessor. The current S&S-sourced air-cooled 2.0-litre V-twin engine is being ditched, however, in favour a version of Ford’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder unit – pushing power from 80bhp to an estimated 120bhp-plus.…

If ever proof was needed that retro fast Fords are hot property, it was this first ACA sale of 2022, which saw a 28,000-mile Capri 2.8 Injection change hands for a hefty £42,660 with premium. Technically the better car but far more affordable was another blue oval product in the shape of a Mondeo ST200 – the first attempt at replacing the much-loved Sapphire Cosworth – which changed hands for £10,880, showing that perhaps these underrated cars are finally appreciating. In a similar vein, the £9504 including premium may have been just shy of the lower estimate but gained someone a very straight-looking Escort RS Turbo and never mind the previous insurance loss status. More traditional classics were headlined by the £87k result of the ex-Formby Jaguar featured in our…

We’re huge fans of the ever-green MGB GT. And why not? It ticks every box, and then some. But if you want a classic GT that’s likely to turn a few more heads as you burble your way into a country pub car park, we’ve got a more intriguing proposition. Triumph’s pretty GT6. Smaller sporty Triumphs like the GT6 are hot commodities these days, not least because they’re likely to be a lot more affordable than a more exotic TR or Stag. Indeed, if you don’t mind taking on a bit of a project a later MkIII might be as little as £10,000-£12,000. That said, there’s not a huge number to choose from for sale in the classifieds – in fact, according to howmanyleft.co.uk, of the 40,926 made, only a…

Rover kept up a continual flow of improvements to the celebrated P4 in response to customer and critical feedback. The controversial ‘cyclops’ lamp went in 1952, while in 1953 came additions to the range – a more powerful 2.6-litre Rover 90 and a more economy-minded 2.0-litre four-cylinder Rover 60. These also saw the introduction of what is perhaps (after the central headlamp) the P4’s most celebrated feature – the cranked gear lever with an exquisitely-engineered ball-and-socket linkage to allow three people to still sit on the front bench in comfort. Then in 1954 came a facelift which saw an enlarged boot, a wraparound rear window and the addition of flashing indicators to the front end, which for 1956 migrated up to near the wingtops with the sidelamps, including little chrome…