Innholdsfortegnelse for 3/23/2022 i Classic Car Buyer

BMW has acquired the performance specialist Alpina, almost 60 years after the Buchloe-based company produced its first upgrade for a production BMW model. The two firms have been closely linked since 1964, when BMW agreed to factory warranties being applied to cars featuring Alpina enhancements. Although known globally for its BMW-based performance models, Alpina has remained an independent company until now. According to BMW, its acquisition of Alpina will eventually enable it to bring “even greater diversity to its own luxury car range”. The two companies currently have an official cooperation agreement in place, due to expire at the end of 2025. Until then, Alpina will be largely unaffected, continuing to acquiring base-model BMW cars from the factory and modifying them mechanically and cosmetically at its own workshops. Alpina models…

A specialist in Malaysia is gaining the attention of hot hatch fans thanks to its release of eight fully restored examples of the Proton Satria GTI – the go-faster three-door that also has a niche following in the UK thanks to its impressive performance and the extra allure of ‘Handling by Lotus’ badges. The eight survivors have all been rebuilt to a high standard spec by Karrus Classic, whose aim was to “restore these cars and ‘return’ them back to the hands of the fans once again”. The company was careful to purchase only unmodified examples, which meant travelling throughout Malaysia to secure the perfect projects. The completed Satria GTIs are available from Karrus Classic for RM45,000 – or just under £8200 at today’s rates.…

The Rootes Archive Centre Trust (RACT) is holding its first Rootes Heritage Day at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon on Sunday, July 17 and aims to attract a wide cross-section of Rootes and later models to the event. Working in conjunction with the events team at the museum, the RACT hopes this will become an annual event, attracting individuals and club displays along with specialist traders offering Rootes parts for sale. Entry for exhibiting vehicles costs £9 for a driver and passenger and includes access to the Rootes Heritage display area, the museum and the Collections Centre. To book, go to britishmotormuseum.co.uk…

Rover 200 R8 Launched at the end of 1989 and in production for six years, the 200-series hatchback was a major hit, with a quality feel that set it apart from the best-selling Escort. It was the first model from Rover Group to feature the K-series engine (in 1.4-litre guise), and was highly praised by the motoring press of the time. MGF & TF The MGF was the marque’s first mid-engined roadster as well as the car that brought MG back with a bang. With 118-143bhp on tap, performance came via a 1796cc version of the K-series. The MGF died in 2002, replaced by the updated TF – complete with coil-sprung suspension instead of the old Hydragas set-up. Rover Metro The Metro had sold well for ten years by the…

MG METRO When the Metro finally bowed out in 1997 in the guise of Rover 100 after the ignominy of a catastrophically poor NCAP showing, it was some way past its sell-by date and indeed the Fiesta was by then in its fourth generation. In the beginning though, the Metro was a real contender, giving some credibility to that advertising strapline ‘a British car to beat the world.’ Developed at a massive cost by BL, including a £200m investment in Longbridge and a £30m update of the A-Series engine, the Metro was originally intended to replace the classic Mini and naturally a Cooper-style go-faster version was expected. At launch, the Metro was offered with four different engines: a low-compression 998cc in 41bhp form or regular 44bhp trim as found in…

➤ 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL350, value £10,000: £176.62 or £194.62 with Agreed Value. ➤ 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. www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk 01480 809176…

At the weekend, I realised my 2001 VW Polo 9N was parked broadside across no-man’s land. I had chanced my arm a few weeks prior based on a terrible online ad and ended up with a scruffy-but-sound 1.4-litre 16V, the GTI’s baby brother, for roughly half what the scrapman would pay. With an MoT measurable in minutes, it got me home with a sizeable to-do list – but I thought it worth saving even if it lacked those all-important three letters on its rump. With its faults fixed well enough for another year of roadworthiness at a local garage, I needed to get it back into storage. Now, my problems began in earnest: while the DVLA was happy to take road fund licence payments, my insurers wouldn’t. When the Polo’s…

Racing legend Nigel Mansell is selling five cars from his personal collection, all of them set to go under the hammer at RM Sotherbys’ Monaco sale on May 14 – with a combined upper estimate of up to €8.2 million. The cars are being sold by Florida-based Mansell from his private museum on Jersey. According to RM Sotherbys, he feels it’s time for the prized machines – four of which he’s owned for more than 30 years – to enjoy a new career elsewhere, and has offered to meet their next owners to advise on future use. The five cars being sold comprise a 1991 William FW14-5 (in which Mansell scored five wins that season), a 1989 Ferrari 640 (winner of the Brazilian and Hungarian F1 rounds), a 2005 GP…

North Yorkshire-based automotive venue The Motorist has announced an Action for Ukraine fundraiser, to be held on Saturday, April 2, from 9am until 4pm. The event is free to attend but visitors are encouraged to donate a minimum of £5 on behalf of the driver and passengers, with all funds going to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal being run by the Red Cross. Drivers of blue and yellow cars are particularly encouraged to attend, as they’ll help to form a visual display to show support for Ukraine. Vehicles of all types and colours are welcome, however, with organisers hoping for a strong turnout to help with their fundraising efforts. For the event, The Motorist has created a unique Ukrainian-themed sticker that will be available to purchase for £5, or will…

Jack Grover, Production Editor Jaguar X150 XK Jaguar’s second-generation XK gives nothing away to the Mercedes in terms of power or performance. It’s not as luxurious and is more grand tourer than boulevard cruiser, but it still has the unmistakeably Jaguar blend of handling and ride comfort. Values are about the same, it has no fancy air suspension to worry about and, remarkably, it’s less prone to electrical niggles than the Mercedes! Dave Youngs, Lancaster Insurance BMW E63 6 SERIES Another big-engined, high-performance coupe from a prestigious German name. The revived 6 Series had a harder edge to its character than the SL, with a harsher ride and sharper handling that you need to spring for an AMG variant to find on a Mercedes. It also lacks the SL’s party-piece…

EVENTS SPECIAL ISSUE Spring is upon us, so we’ve put together ten pages detailing the best places to go, events to attend and things to do with your classic ORANGE ALERT Two small, sporty cars that scream the ’70s, but otherwise couldn’t be more different. Can the Bond Bug best the Mini 1275GT? MID-PRICE, MID-ENGINED A round-up of some of our favourite classic sports cars with the engine behind the seats that you can buy without breaking the bank PLUS… All the latest classic car news and auction results from around the UK. 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…

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) has confirmed that the carbon balancing scheme it unveiled last December is already proving a success, with 553,564 miles being carbon balanced by the UK’s classic car owners since launch. Although the carbon footprint of the historic vehicle movement is extremely small, with the entire community accounting for less than 0.25 per cent of total mileage on UK roads, the offer of carbon balancing has been well received. The FBHVC’s scheme offers individuals, clubs and events organisers a quick and convenient way to carbon balance their emissions via new areas of woodland in the UK. The woodland is planted using native species to best contribute to the local ecosystem, as well as bringing other benefits of increased biodiversity and the creation of…

The British Motor Museum has announced an array of Mini-based activities for the Easter holidays, with a series of themed attractions between April 9 and 24. Families can explore the museum on a Family Trail, join Mini-mad characters on a family tour, and even design and make a Mini in the air-drying clay workshops. Over the Easter weekend of April 15-18, children can also enjoy a traditional Easter egg hunt with a Mini twist. The ‘Road Map’ Family Trail is expected to be particularly popular, taking place every day and enabling families to explore the cars in the collection that are linked by name to different destinations around the world. Museum entry is £40 for a family in advance, or £44 on the day. Individual adult tickets start at £14.50…

Owners of classics fitted with the Ford Essex V6 engine can now buy brand new alloy rocker covers from Burton Power, coming in a neutral finish but equally suitable for painting. The rocker covers feature polished ribs and ESSEX V6 lettering for a custom look. Suitable for all Essex-powered cars (including those from specialist manufacturers such as Reliant, TVR, Gilbern and Marcos), the rocker covers are priced at £192.50 per pair. To order part number FV430F, call 0208 554 2281 or visit burtonpower.com.…

JAGUAR XJ12 By the time Jaguar’s long-awaited new V12 saloon was announced in July 1972, its XJ6 six-cylinder cousin had been on sale for almost four years, achieving healthy sales thanks to its combination of style, performance, refinement, and sheer value for money. But the XJ12 derivative moved things on, providing Jaguar with a new four-door flagship capable of taking on the world’s finest luxury cars. The wait for the XJ12 had been worthwhile, with its glorious new 5343cc powerplant (initially pushing out a very healthy 250bhp) being complemented by Borg Warner’s latest Model 12 automatic transmission. The result was an ultra-refined luxury model with a claimed top speed of around 140mph, making the XJ12 “the fastest full four-seater available in the world today”, according to Jaguar. As with the…

Conceived in the late ’90s to replace the aging but still popular R129 SL, the ‘Sport-Leicht’ for the 21st century was designed with a 3D super-computer called ‘CAVE’, which projected full-size images via five projectors permitting close inspection of all surfaces digitally – a first for the car industry. The newcomer had its first public outing as the safety car at the German Grand Prix in September 2001 The R230 was launched to an enthusiastic public reception and motoring press alike, who appreciated the bold new design ethos with sweeping, modern lines, new quad headlights (adopted on other models throughout the range), yet retaining the essential link to Mercedes’ past with the side vents on each front wing. The R230 also featured a first for the SL range: the clever…

Contact: Knowles Wilkins Engineering Pipers Court, Berkshire Drive, Thatcham, RG19 4ER Tel: 01635 30030 www.kwecars.com/ We all know that in the grand scheme of things, British Leyland got an awful lot wrong. However, the Jaguar XJS was not one of them. Naturally though, like any other British car that originated in the 1970s, the XJS didn’t have the smoothest of starts to life. On paper, it was a formula that few could pick holes with, but early cars’ poor build quality soon spoilt things. It also suffered from being conceived in the late 1960s in an era of cheap oil and optimism but launched straight into the aftermath of the Energy Crisis and the recession that followed. Buyers in 1975 were never going to look favourably on a V12 sports…

Contact: Classic & Sportscar Centre, Corner Farm, West Knapton, North Yorkshire, YO17 8JB Tel: 01944 758000, classicandsportscar.ltd.uk/ The Austin A30 was born out of a rivalry, launching in 1951 to take on the mighty Morris Minor. By the following year, however, both cars were part of the same motoring stable thanks to the merger of Austin and Nuffield to create the British Motor Corporation. The A30 was subsequently developed into the bigger-engined A35, with the saloon version remaining on sale through to 1959 and the launch of the new Austin Seven (Mini). The A30 might not be quite such a household name these days as the Minor, but it’s still in high demand and prices have been rising in recent years. It’s a charming machine that’s very usable and fun…