Innholdsfortegnelse for 8/10/2022 i Classic Car Buyer

By the time you read this, you may well have watched a new video from MG Motor UK ‘previewing’ its new sports car. I use the quote marks because, as is the way in the modern motor industry, the video consists of a few shots of the car back-lit in a dark studio with a carefully managed lamp illuminating the waistline. Therefore, all it really previews is that the car exists and that it reflects light. Of course, MG Motor UK is not the MG that features in the pages of CCB. It’s an entity almost entirely divorced from the MG of the Midget, Magnette and MGB. But a new sports car with that badge and those initials is, I think, worthy of further consideration. After all, they don’t come…

A late-model example of the R8-series Rover 200 has come to market with a genuine 1800 miles on its odometer. The original owner of the five-door 214i passed away when the car was just 18 months old; his family, who couldn’t face parting with the car, then stored it away in a heated garage. The Rover was eventually sold on after 17 years in storage, with its second owner keeping it as part of his private collection and adding very few miles, using the car solely for classic vehicle events and winning a couple of trophies with it. The selling dealer describes this potentially unique survivor as “stunning throughout”. It comes complete with two keys and remote fobs, previous MoT certificates and a sales brochure, while even the tyres are…

The Ford Escort RS Turbo that was driven by Diana, Princess of Wales, from August 1985 to May 1988 is about to go to auction – and despite being offered with no reserve, the 25,000-mile survivor is expected to command a six-figure sale price. Ford’s Special Vehicle Engineering department was tasked with supplying the car, fitting a regular five-slat front grille to give it a ‘stealth makeover’, plus a secondary rear view mirror and radio in the glovebox for use by protection officers. The Escort’s history file is extremely detailed and includes copies of internal memos confirming the ‘replating’ of the registration number (common with ex-royal cars) when it was returned to Ford. Further documentation from the DVLA shows the successful re-registration of the car back to C462 FHK in…

SWVA’s third classic car auction of 2022 proved to be a welcome respite from the school summer holidays and its frantic traffic queues, with the behind-closed-doors sale playing host to some impressive results. Over 70 cars spanning a period of more than 70 years were entered, with highlights among almost every genre. Appropriately for the time of year, it was an open-topped British classic that put in the most remarkable performance of the day, with a 1954 Morgan Plus 4 project sailing past its £5500-£7500 guide to sell for £15,600 plus fees. Indeed, it proved to be a good day for traditional marques, with all nine of the MGs offered finding new homes plus all four Triumphs. In addition, a 1962 Austin-Healey Sprite looked to be very good value at…

HUMBER HAWK (1957-1967) Ever since the name had emerged in the 1930s, the Hawk had been Humber’s entry-level model with a four-cylinder engine against the firm’s big six-cylinders like the Snipe and Pullman. May 1957 saw the latest Hawk announced, with a brand-new unitary body (the first for a Humber, and the largest found on a British car at that time) and streamlined American-influenced styling. The 2.2-litre OHV engine from the outgoing model was retained. Another ‘first’ was the availability of a factory-made estate. Despite being a ‘base’ model, the Hawk was still a Humber and the interior especially was a rather grand place, full of walnut, leather and carpet. The Hawk ran through six series in ten years, with the main changes being the introduction of disc brakes and…

Taken almost exactly 48 years ago, on August 6, 1974, this week’s image shows the crowded visitors’ car park at Coventry & Warwickshire Hospital, based (logically enough) in Coventry. And of course, it features a fascinating mix of vehicles, all of them British but varying greatly in age. On the right-hand side, for example, we have a 1968 Triumph 2000 that, according to the DVLA, remained on the road until 1985, and next to that is a brace of Mini saloons (an early example and a relatively new L-reg) and an Austin 1100. Other models in the same line-up include a couple of Mk3 Cortinas, a Mk1 Escort Estate, a Triumph Herald, an Austin A60 van, a Maxi and a Hillman Hunter with a black vinyl roof, while on the…

The 2022 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional proved to be a huge hit, with record attendance figures at Grimsthorpe Castle on Saturday, July 30, and hundreds of ‘unexceptional’ cars on display. TV motoring celebrities also joined in the fun, including Richard Hammond, Mike Brewer and Paul Cowland. From the 50 cars officially entered into the event’s Concours de l’Ordinaire, first prize was awarded to Samuel Allan’s superb 1994 Vauxhall Astra Merit, while runner-up was Matthew Bareham with his 1986 Skoda Estelle 120L. Junior Choice went to Chris Joy’s 1982 Peugeot 104 GR, while Chris James’ ’91 Nissan Primera won the Repmobile Special Award. The winning Vauxhall was described by organisers as a “true base-level beauty”, with non-metallic red paint, three doors and not a single optional extra. Although 287,000 Astra…

Steph Holloway, star of the IDRIVEACLASSIC YouTube channel, which has around 35,000 followers across the UK and beyond, recently paid a visit to Cumbria’s Lakeland Motor Museum to sample one of its oldest exhibits and to film fresh video content. After the trip, Steph told CCB: “I’m honestly in love with the Lake District and can’t wait to share our films with viewers. It’s the perfect place for a classic car road trip.” The museum allowed Steph beyond the wheel of its 1925 Humber 12/25 Tourer, as well as putting its 1955 Series 1 Land Rover at her disposal. Chris Lowe, operations manager at the Lakeland Motor Museum, commented: “We know that Steph’s thousands of viewers will be fascinated by the many vehicles on show here, but also by the…

As well as an exciting line-up of historic motorsport action, the final day of the prestigious Oulton Park Gold Cup weekend saw Hampson Auctions add to the occasion with a busy classic vehicle sale. Attendees could wander through an eclectic mix of cars and bikes on the Friday and Saturday, with the sale itself taking place on the Sunday. Fittingly given the venue, it was the performance-orientated entries that proved most popular. A 1999 Ferrari F355 F1 Berlinetta showing only 32,000 miles was sold for £47,000, but offering a more everyman slant was a 1990 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth that had covered only 46,000 miles and commanded £35,944. Along similar lines, the penultimate lot of the day was a 1987 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6 that sold for £11,250. Other…

Supercar-slaying RS Cosworths continue to grab the headlines, their lotto-winner auction results casting an iconic halo across the entire Sierra range. Yet the bread-and-butter variants are a world apart – not just in terms of price, but better usability, availability and ease of maintenance. Four decades on from the Sierra’s debut, it’s a classic with a great deal to offer. The Sierra famously superseded the conservative Cortina, and shocked loyal Ford buyers with its swooping curves and low-drag bodywork. The public wasn’t prepared for aerodynamic bumpers and flush wheel trims – even though the underpinnings were completely conventional. Worst of all, their beloved three-box saloon was replaced by a five-door hatchback, alongside a bulbous estate; the ‘jellymould’ nickname was quick to stick. Launched in September 1982, the Sierra retained the…

Sign up to our newsletter at www.classicsworld.co.uk The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) has issued an update on its latest communications with the DVLA, bringing good news in terms of backlogs easing – but potentially worrying news when it comes to registering vehicles without their original chassis plates or those fitted with new bodywork. The FBHVC’s DVLA manager, Ian Edmunds, commented: “I have written before about ‘missing’ chassis numbers, which in practice means any situation where the original chassis number is no longer present in its original form. Most recently this has arisen with regard to replacement chassis plates but it can arise in many different circumstances.” Edmunds explains that in such a situation, the DVLA’s official position is that the original vehicle no longer exists and that…

The MG Car Club, TR Register and Triumph Sports Six Club have announced the cancellation of the 2022 Triumph & MG Weekend, set to take place on August 19-21. The three clubs made the difficult decision to cancel the event due to what they call a “lack of ticket sales against a backdrop of sharply rising costs for holding the event”. Pre-booked ticket sales were apparently 70 per cent down on last year. A spokesperson for the organising committee stated: “The cost of living, in particular fuel prices, and the backlog of holidays and other events after the pandemic have all influenced attendance levels this year.” All ticket holders for the event will be contacted direct and refunded in full, including camping and additional extras such as autojumble pitches and…

AUSTIN SEVEN (1922-1939) The name Austin is so synonymous with the Seven, it’s worth remembering that in 1922 the company was best known for its big, premium cars, falling back on the Seven (the ‘Baby Austin’) to get out of a financial hole following the First World War. Intended to be a proper car in miniature from a trusted name, the Seven teamed its diminutive size with high-quality but minimalist engineering. Around 290,000 were made in 17 years, with the Seven’s rugged simplicity, versatility and loyal following meaning that today’s survival rate is very good, with around 9000 known in Britain by the Austin Seven Clubs Association. Perhaps even more impressive is the variety of Sevens on offer: Chummys, ‘Top Hats’, Speedys, Nippys, Rubys, Pearls, plus other bodies in almost…

SUNBEAM ALPINE SERIES I-V (1959-1968) The MGB was far from the first monocoque roadster in the class it came to define; three years earlier, when the MGA was hitting its peak in the form of the 1600 Deluxe, Rootes Group revived its Alpine nameplate for the new decade, using an adapted Husky Estate floorpan. Depictions in Dr No (making it the first cinematic Bond car), Get Smart and Get Carter came later; what was available out of the gate was unlike much else available at the time, when the Triumph TR3 with a separate chassis, side screens and a build-it-yourself hood was pretty much state of the art. Detail refinements really set the front-disc-braked Alpine apart from its rivals, which were faster but cruder. It was one of the first…

FORD CAPRI The V6-powered Capri was the fly in the MGC’s ointment, showing it up for the half-hearted effort that it was. Ford’s sporting flagship was quicker, lighter, more economical and much more engaging and spritely to drive. It didn’t – and doesn’t – have the MG’s upmarket sporting image but a lot of buyers preferred the more boisterous character of the Capri. A really good 3000GXL is now on a par with an MGC GT in terms of values. CHEVROLET CORVETTE Another model that falls into a hinterland between tourer and sports car is the C3-generation Corvette. If laid-back, torque-rich, low-stress motoring is to your taste, then the big V8 found here is ideal. Around £25,000 will get you an early ’70s C3 with chrome bumpers, or a post-1974…