Innholdsfortegnelse for 9/28/2022 i Classic Car Buyer

The classic car market can be an unpredictable beast, as anyone who recalls the crash that followed the boom of the 1980s will know. Investors worldwide lost money as the values of high-end models tumbled, with an inevitable knock-on effect further down the chain. And so, with talk of an imminent recession coupled with rising inflation and further hikes to interest rates, many involved in the classic vehicle industry are pondering what might happen next. This week’s main story is timely, featuring Hagerty’s latest price guide update. It reports an overall increase in values of three per cent across its Classic Index, which monitors 50 of the models that best represent the classic vehicle scene. Inevitably, however, this means some models have risen by greater amounts, while others have fallen.…

The latest Fiat Scudo light commercial vehicle has started rolling off the production line in Luton, with Stellantis – owner of the former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA companies – hailing it as Fiat’s first ever UK-built model. The British-built Scudo will be produced in both right- and left- hand drive forms, and will be sold in the UK and throughout Europe. The traditional home of Vauxhall, Stellantis’ Luton plant also builds the Scudo’s sister models – the Vauxhall Vivaro, Opel Vivaro, Citroën Jumpy, Citroën Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. For the two French marques, Luton represents the resumption of UK production after many years, with Citroën’s Slough factory closing in 1966 and Peugeot’s Ryton plant shutting its doors at the end of 2006.…

The British Motor Museum (BMM) has launched its new Online Collections facility, enabling anyone to explore and find out more about the venue’s 400-plus vehicles in detail. By digitising each exhibit, the Gaydon-based museum is enabling website visitors to explore its vast collection. The information provides details of each vehicle, plus its current display location for easy navigation of the museum. Exhibits can be seached by decade, make or location. Cat Boxall, BMM curator, comments: “The launch of the Online Collections portal enables access for audiences anywhere in the world”. The BMM hopes the new facility will add to the growing digital presence of the museum. Other online exhibitions programmes are under development, following on from the success of ‘Metro at Forty’ back in 2020. To view the BMM’s Online…

Land Rover Defender specialist, Twisted Automotive, has unveiled an impressive line-up of 16 ‘new’ examples, carefully stored since leaving the production line six years ago. The factory-fresh Defender 110s – each with fewer than 30 miles under its wheels – are now available to order, complete with a Twisted twist. Twisted founder, Charles Fawcett, comments: “These 16 Defender 110s were hand-picked for their chassis numbers and build dates. They were all registered in 2016 – after production ceased – identifying them among the last off the line and, arguably, more collectable.” The 16 unused Defenders offer plenty of personalisation options, says Fawcett: “All will be Twisted, but exactly how depends on the lifestyle and tastes of the customer.” Customers have a choice of two upgraded engines: the 2.3-litre turbocharged petrol…

We often talk about variety when it comes to classic car sales, but Brightwells’ most recent timed auction on September 10-14 had it in spades. There was everything from early 1920s vehicles right through to future classics among an entry list of more than 160 lots, resulting in an equally intriguing mix of reserve busters and bargain buys come hammer time. Brightwells sales often include a broad selection of pre-war cars, and this occasion was no exception. A 1922 Bean 14 Tourer sold just shy of its lower estimate for £11,838, with a 1928 Austin Seven Chummy just beating its lower guide to sell for £10,360, and a 1935 Singer Nine Open Sports settling mid-estimate at £15,680. Perhaps most notable, however, was a 1935 Lagonda Rapier, which beat its upper…

There was a time when Vitaras being given the ‘Wideboy’ treatment were all the rage, with the 1990s and early 2000s seeing lots of unsuspecting Suzukis fitted with body kits, wheel/tyre upgrades and chrome adornments in order to stand out from the crowd. The vast majority of ‘Wideboy’ Vitaras have long since disappeared from our roads, so imagine editor Paul’s joy when he spotted this smart-looking survivor in Brighton – a real ’90s-style blast from the past! It’s one SUV we’d happily be seen cruising around in……

VANDEN PLAS PRINCESS R (1964-1968) Intended to compete head-on with the big Jaguars and fill what seemed to be a gap near the top of BMC’s product range, the Princess R was based on the existing Princess 3 Litre (itself a luxury version of the Farina-styled Austin Westminster) but its distinguishing feature was a 4.0-litre engine. To great fanfare on BMC’s part, this was built by Rolls-Royce. Boasting a new Borg Warner Model 8 automatic transmission and making a potent 177bhp, the Princess R combined extreme mechanical refinement with strong acceleration and the ability to cruise comfortably at over 90mph. Integral front fog lamps and a smoother, more ‘formal’ rear end were the main external features, while the interior had a polished walnut fascia, all-leather seats and rear picnic tables.…

WOLSELEY 4/44 The Magnette’s more refined and phlegmatic brother. If you’re a fan of pre-BMC Nuffield, this is the obvious choice with its XPAG engine and interior free of corporate parts-sharing. The clubby atmosphere of the Wolseley’s cabin is different to the MG’s more Art Deco ambience, while the lower-tune engine and column-shift gearbox makes progress a more stately process. LANCIA APPIA This was the sort of European sports saloon that the MG was emulating in its styling and, to a lesser extent, its engineering. The Appia was the last of a long line of small Lancias espousing the philosophy of founder Vincenzo with its sliding pillar suspension and narrow-angle V4. A much more expensive (but slower) car than the MG in its day, the value of this one puts…

Originality is always a prized commodity in a classic car, as is the badly over-used word ‘patina’ – the mystical property whereby a car shows honest signs of its age and life without looking decrepit. But the line between those two states can be blurry: when does honest age and weathering stop adding to a car’s appeal and start diminishing it? Now, don’t get the wrong idea about this Daimler, although it is an interesting example of this hinterland. Let’s start with the obvious fact that the Sovereign is in fine overall condition and has just been treated to a full external respray in its correct Regency Red, which is suitably regal in both name and appearance. And it’s interesting that the Daimler has had new paintwork, as this suggests…

One of London’s most successful children’s charity events, the Magical Taxi Tour, has completed its latest annual three-day trip to Paris. Organised by the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers, the event kicked off with a special breakfast held at East Wintergarden, in Canary Wharf. A total of 93 taxis then set off from the capital, taking 100 children and their families and carers to Disneyland Paris for a trip of a lifetime. The convoy was escorted by the City of London Police and the London Ambulance NHS Trust, with the French Gendarmerie Nationale picking up the route once the procession arrived in France. Since its inception in 1994, the Magical Taxi Tour has taken more than 5000 children to Disneyland Resort Paris. The event is run purely on donations…

Sign up to our newsletter at www.classicsworld.co.uk The latest version of a long-running classic car index, which monitors insured values, sale prices and auction results throughout the UK, is reporting an average value increase of three per cent for 50 of today’s most popular classics over the last 12 months. But among the findings are some outstanding results, including significant price rises for the perennially popular MGB GT. Hagerty’s Classic Index continues to track 50 different models that it sees as representative of the enthusiast market – those classics that are more affordable and easier to find than the rarer cars tracked elsewhere by the company. The last 12 months have seen the Classic Index rise by three per cent overall, with some cars rising more sharply and others falling…

Subaru is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its all-wheel drive system, which first appeared on the Leone 4WD Estate (pictured) in September 1972 – making it Japan’s first mass-produced four-wheel drive passenger car. Since then, around 21 million all-wheel drive Subarus have been built. The Subaru set-up stands out for pairing a symmetrically laid-out drivetrain with a longitudinally-mounted flat-four ‘boxer’ engine. The combination of the engine’s low centre of gravity and drivetrain’s impressive weight balance is claimed by Subaru to maximise stability and traction in all weather and road conditions.…

Auction records were broken as WB & Sons hosted the latest of its regular classic car sales on September 17. An entry list chock full of homologation specials, hot hatchbacks, hero models and traditional classics was surely the firm’s most alluring yet; but even so, we couldn’t help being shocked at some of the results. One of the record breakers was perhaps to be expected: a 22,000-mile Toyota Celica ST185 GT-Four in rare and desirable Carlos Sainz spec soared past its £25,000 lower estimate to reach £30,100, beating the previous high of €28,500 set in Italy a few months ago. Less expected was a 1967 Singer Gazelle automatic, which was guided at £7000-£9000 but sold to a Scottish bidder for a whopping £27,950 and had three different bidders over the…

BMW 2002 TURBO (1974) BMW’s 2002 had already found success as an executive saloon with sharp handling and good performance, with the upgraded Ti and Tii models adding increasingly more pep to the mix. BMW wanted to take it further, both as a high-performance road car and as a touring racer, but it already used BMW’s biggest four-cylinder engine in its highest practical road-going tune. The solution was to adopt a turbocharger to squeeze more power out of a small package – pushing it from the Tii’s 128bhp to 178bhp. This would be Europe’s first road-going turbocharged car, and with a top speed of over 130mph and a 0-60mph time of 6.2 seconds, it was a serious bit of kit, emblazoned with its model number and name in mirror writing…

Taken in September 1966, this photograph shows an elevated view of the recently opened Tay Road Bridge, spanning the estuary between Dundee and Newport-on-Tay. Measuring 2250 metres in length, the bridge took three years to build at a cost of £4.8 million – the equivalent of £99.5 million now. It was an advanced design for 56 years ago, with two-lane traffic in each direction, although it wasn’t exactly packed with vehicles on this particular day. Those that were using the bridge were typical of the time. Heading away from the camera we can see an almost new Ford Anglia 105E, a Standard 10, a Hillman Minx, an Austin A60 Cambridge and A35, a Hillman Imp and a BMC 1100 amongst others. Driving towards us, meanwhile, is a Bedford S-Type lorry,…