Innholdsfortegnelse for 11/30/2022 i Classic Car Buyer

It’s not exactly breaking news that 2022 has presented us with innumerable challenges. Whether it’s the cost of living, the likelihood of a recession, war in Europe or any of the other issues facing us at the moment, these aren’t the easiest of times. But this year has also brought some welcome developments, not least the return of the classic vehicle show season. After the turbulence of the last two years, with the Covid-19 pandemic bringing major restrictions that caused countless shows to be cancelled, 2022 has seen a return-to-form for UK events. From local get-togethers attracting a few dozen cars each, through to weekend-long extravaganzas that see visitors attending in their tens of thousands, most of us have been able to get out and about, enjoying the amazing variety…

Porsche has unveiled its new 911 Dakar, an all-terrain four-wheel-drive version of the Stuttgart firm’s famous sports car. The newcomer is limited to just 2500 examples, all of them likely to be snapped up by collectors – despite a base price of £173,000. Inspired by Dakar-winning versions of the 911 from the 1980s, the 911 Dakar wears its heritage on its sleeve. The optional Rallye Design Package is the most obvious nod, adding faux-Rothmans livery among other visual refinements for a cool £18,434. Intended as a serious off-road machine, the 911 Dakar rides 50mm higher than a 911 Carrera, with an extra 30mm available from the standard-fit lift system. This high-level setting can be used either for slowly crossing obstacles or travelling at speeds of up to 105mph. Power comes…

TRIUMPH HERALD (1959-1971) At a time when Ford was launching the glitzy, transatlantic and thoroughly modern Anglia 105E and BMC was rewriting the rules of small car design with the radical Mini, the Herald seemed very old-fashioned with its three-box shape and body-on-frame construction. But it boasted crisp and pretty Michelotti styling, the familiar and proven 948cc OHV engine from the old Standard Ten, fully independent suspension, a snappy four-speed gearbox, and slick rack and pinion steering with a taxi-rivalling turning circle. The Herald was an attractive, practical and easy ownership prospect. Over the production run, the engine grew first to 1.1- and then to 1.3-litres, the specification grew to include a wood-laminated dashboard and front disc brakes, and the range included the standard two-door saloon, a fixed-head coupe, a…

A mainstay of the classic car calendar for several decades, the Bromley Pageant of Motoring made its post-pandemic bounce-back in June following a three-year hiatus. One of the biggest one-day classic events in the UK, 2022 saw the event return to its traditional location of Norman Park in Bromley, its home for 40 years. This celebration of all things motoring provided a superb opportunity to explore a plethora of club stands and vehicle displays. The Best Club award was handed to the Afro Classics Register for its fun-filled stand – and fun really is a big part of the attraction of the Pageant. And without fail, year in, year out, there’s a chance to see classics that simply don’t appear at other shows; somehow the relaxed atmosphere and accessible nature…

The British Motor Show broke its own attendance record when nearly 60,000 visitors flocked to Farnborough International Exhibition Centre in 2022. Now established as one of the UK’s favourite motoring events, this year’s was busy across all four days, with visitors treated to an array of live and interactive events, including stunt shows, the National Geographic Car SOS Live Stage, drift demonstrations and an incredible array of supercars. Meanwhile, motoring celebrities including Mike Brewer, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Tiff Needell engaged with show-goers. Naturally, there were plenty of classic cars in attendance, and diversity is the watchword for this one. The main halls mixed together an impressive array of classic and modern motors, a further hall was devoted to modified and custom cars, and the extensive lawns outside were slathered in…

The world-famous Goodwood Revival gathers together the types of cars and bikes that would have competed at the iconic circuit in the period between 1948 and 1966, with all in attendance dressing in splendid period attire. The theme illustrates the dates that the track opened after the Second World War and the time it shut down when it was felt that ‘modern’ racing cars were getting too fast for it. There are few such worries about that today – and no further proof was needed than the 2022 race card, with no holding back when the Duke of Richmond is pulling the strings. The cars at the Revival may be eye-wateringly expensive, but they exist to race… and that’s exactly what they do. If they get bent, so be it…

Support for veterans David Wagner emailed us this week to say how much he enjoyed seeing coverage of the 2022 London to Brighton veteran car run in CCB (November 16), an event he’s witnessed each year for the last decade: “I always make an effort to see the veteran run, usually heading to a vantage point in Crawley. This year though, I thought I’d make the effort to get to Brighton – and it was well worth it. There’s something very special about seeing cars that are 120 or more years old crossing the finish line. It was a great experience, despite the appalling weather.” As we reported in CCB, this year’s proved to be the wettest London to Brighton on record, with heavy rain leading to floods along the…

Following the announcement that Ford will cease production of its previous bestseller, the Fiesta, in 2023 (CCB, November 2) comes news that Volkswagen could kill off its own supermini – the Polo – rather than engineer it to meet costly new Euro 7 emissions regulations. Company CEO, Thomas Schäfer, has confirmed that VW engineers are currently assessing the new regulations, and a decision is likely to be made within the next week as to whether or not the Polo will survive. In a recent interview, Schäfer stated that the company is planning a range of small electric cars for 2025, to be built in Spain and sold with Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra badging: “That basically replaces the combustion engine in small vehicles like the Polo, as cars become so expensive…

The world of motoring journalism is mourning the loss of Sue Baker, 75, who passed away on November 14. The former Top Gear presenter had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease some years earlier. Sue began her career as a trainee on the Kentish Times, where she persuaded the editor to publish her reports on races at Brands Hatch. These came to the attention of the circuit’s managing director and the editor of Motor Racing magazine, who employed Sue to run the Motor Racing News Service based at the circuit. Sue subsequently moved to the Evening News, where she was taken on as a general reporter but soon graduated to motoring correspondent. She went on to become a familiar face on the original Top Gear, as well as BBC Breakfast…

The London Classic Car Show returns to London’s Olympia on February 24-26, 2023, marking the event’s ninth successful year. Tickets for the season-opening event are now on sale, with early bookings eligible to a £5 discount on standard adult rates. The London Classic Car Show will boast hundreds of the world’s finest cars, plus celebrity interviews on the main stage. A special display will commemorate 60 years of the Porsche 911, featuring a collection ranging from the original Type 901 of 1963 through to the latest 992 generation. For details or to book, head to theclassiccarshowuk.com.…

CITROËN SM (1970-1975) The SM was in development for nine years, and at the start it was simply a project to produce a faster, more sports-orientated version of the DS. Then it became an entirely new, re-engineered car that would be launched as an expensive, low-volume grand tourer and underpin a mooted DS successor. This then became tied up with Citroën’s purchase of Maserati to obtain a suitable engine and, finally, the SM was used as a testbed for technology that would appear on the actual DS replacement, the entirely different CX. The futuristic low-drag styling of the SM, combined with its features such as hydropneumatic suspension, corner-following headlamps, self-centering fully powered variable-assistance steering, optional carbon-resin wheels and a top speed of over 130mph combined with the ride comfort of…

It had been two years since the last Salon Retromobile, but the French gathering returned for 2022 at its traditional location in Paris. One of Europe’s biggest classic car events, the 46th edition delivered an incredible mix of classics to suit all tastes, set across two large floors of the city’s Expo. Amongst the sea of exotica at Retromobile were no fewer than seven examples of the iconic McLaren F1, part of a display dedicated to the model’s 30th birthday; these were curated by respected dealer, Simon Kidston. Sticking with the theme of supercars came a reconstruction of the first Lamborghini Countach, the LP 500 prototype of 1971, which was sat next to a striking Miura P400 SV body being restored by Lamborghini Polo Storico of Sant’Agata Bolognese. No self-respecting…

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is traditionally one of the largest events on the automotive show calendar, and this year’s was no exception. The ultimate summer garden party celebrated its 29th year, boasting a hugely diverse number of cars across every mainstream motorsport discipline you can think of, plus historic racers, freshly unveiled supercars, a concours lawn full of delectable treats, and a rally stage packed with iconic machinery. It’s all part of what makes Festival of Speed unique. A record crowd enjoyed the four-day motoring extravaganza in West Sussex, headlined by a mixture of new car world debuts and milestone anniversaries. In a year which celebrated ‘The Innovators – Masterminds of Motorsport’, BMW commemorated 50 years of its ‘M’ division via the impressive central sculpture feature, as well as…

The Silverstone Classic’s move to a new date over the August bank holiday weekend this year proved to be a major success, with record ticket sales, packed grids and more fun-fuelled off-track entertainment than ever before. More than 100,000 people attended over the course of the event’s three-day run. The bill featured 20 retro races spanning 10 decades of motorsport history, and included interactive driving experiences, extreme sports demonstrations, driving displays, and thousands of classic cars on show. Jeremy Clarkson was one of the famous TV faces at The Classic, with Mike Brewer and Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley from the Discovery Channel’s Wheeler Dealers also making appearances. Racing royalty was also out in force: the 1996 Formula One World Champion, Damon Hill, was at Silverstone celebrating the 60th anniversary of his…

The most recent event on our list, but without doubt one of the highlights of the annual classic enthusiast calendar, the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show saw 3000 classic cars and 300 clubs converge on Birmingham’s NEC. Enjoyed by 69,324 visitors over the weekend in November, the unmissable event filled seven halls with cars, traders and specialists. The overarching theme was ‘Part of the Family’, and without doubt this is an event with a family feel. Several significant vehicle anniversaries were celebrated at the show, including 40 years of the MG Metro, 50 years of Alfasud in the UK, and 60 years of the MGB. The centrepiece Pride of Ownership and Meguiar’s Club Showcase underlined the passion and dedication evident within the classic car movement in 2022, displaying immaculate concours…

AUSTIN-HEALEY 100/6 Jack Grover, Production Editor From within BMC came the six-cylinder ‘Big Healey’. Pricier than the MGA and with a bigger, more powerful engine, the 100/6 could leave it in its dust in a straight line, but the MG could close the gap in the corners. The MGA Twin Cam version had the edge in performance too, which was somewhat embarassing… TRIUMPH TR3 Andrew Evanson, Lancaster Insurance The Triumph TR range really showed how old-fashioned MG’s product line was becoming, spurring on development of the MGA that then became locked in a battle with the TR3 for sales and trophies. More powerful, faster and sturdier than the MG, the TR3 is not as refined and doesn’t handle as sweetly…

Unveiled by Stellantis Heritage at last week’s 12th Milano AutoClassica was the Abarth Classiche 500 Record Monza ’58 – a car that celebrates the centenary of the Autodromo di Monza, where Abarth racked up countless successes. Among the most significant were the six speed and endurance records that Abarth broke in February 1958 with its first ever Fiat 500-based creation. The Monza ’58, built from a 1970 Fiat 500, pays tribute to that first Nuova 500 developed by Carlo Abarth. Inside, it features a single racing seat (just like the single-seater original), plus a wooden steering wheel and Jaeger dashboard characteristic of historic Abarths. The bare floors and more aerodynamic rigid roof – replacing the usual sunroof – are also inspired by racing, as is the pair of additional headlights.…

Sign up to our newsletter at www.classicsworld.co.uk The announcement that Thierry Bolloré, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), has stepped down from his post – as revealed in CCB, November 23 – is creating debate among motor industry pundits over the company’s future. And for Jaguar fans in particular, there’s now much speculation about the historic marque’s direction. Bolloré claimed that his resignation was “for personal reasons”, stating that he would officially leave JLR on December 31. It was confirmed, however, that Adrian Mardell, who has been with the company for more than three decades and a member of the Executive Board for the last three years, would be taking over as interim boss with immediate effect. One of Bolloré’s final appearances as CEO was at the latest quarterly results…

WB & Sons will round off 2022 with another dazzling line-up of classics when it hosts its final auction of the year on December 10. The catalogue was still building at the time of writing, but already featured plenty of intriguing lots, especially for Blue Oval fans. The wide range of Fords includes several from the 1980s, with an early W-reg Escort XR3 in special-order black set to make as much as £20,000, and a later XR3i from 1983 estimated at £12,000-£15,000. You’ll also find a late Capri 2.8 Injection Special guided at a sensible £8000-£12,000, and as much as £25,000 could change hands for a 1981 3.0 S fitted with a genuine X-Pack body kit and a bored-out 3.1-litre Essex V6. Completing the ’80s sextet, meanwhile, are a 1987…

Impacted by the global pandemic, many of our beloved classic car events were forced to hit pause in 2020 and 2021. But this year saw a full return to form, with our automotive calendars once again bulging with exciting shows and events taking place up and down the country. As 2022 draws to a close, and we all begin to consider which diary dates will be unmissable next year, let’s take a look back at 11 of the UK’s best classic car events – remembering why each one offered such a memorable experience. These top multi-marque picks offered something for every taste, from those who adore sipping champagne on the lavish lawns of Salon Privé, to others who prefer celebrating the ordinary with a glass of lemonade at the Festival…

The Classic Car & Restoration Show, with discovery+, returned to Birmingham’s NEC in 2022 following a two-year absence, much to the delight of the UK’s classic motoring clubs and enthusiasts. A total of 25,221 attendees – almost the same number as in 2019 when it was last run – paid a visit, enjoying practical working and live demonstrations. Some 152 car clubs contributed to a total of more than 1000 display vehicles, ranging from barn finds to concours-standard classics. Awards were flowing at the three-day show, with plenty of silverware for owners to covet, plus the return of the National Car Club Awards. Bob Wilkinson received the Lifetime Achievement award for launching the Classic Car Loan Project. Clive Moss, owner of a 1981 Opel Manta B, was revealed as Restorer…

Hagerty created the first Festival of the Unexceptional in 2014 as a celebration of long-forgotten everyday family cars from the period between 1968 and 1989, now fondly known as the ‘Unexceptional Era’. Fast-forward eight years and the tongue-in-cheek event is now world-famous. Having endured a pandemic-enforced hiatus just like many other car shows, in 2022 it enjoyed a successful sell-out return at its Grimsthorpe Castle location in Lincolnshire, with record attendance and hundreds of ‘unexceptional’ cars on display. As in previous years, the concours lawns were packed with 50 cars from across the country, fighting to be judged most mundane. With countless Cavaliers, rows of Rovers and dozens of Datsuns, Hagerty’s judges debated the entrants, which included a 1986 Skoda Estelle 120L, a 1982 Peugeot 104 GR, a 1991 Nissan…

Salon Privé enjoyed its first outing back in 2006 at the Hurlingham Club, moving to Syon Park in 2011 and then Blenheim Palace in 2015 as the annual show continued to grow. The high-end concours is the sort of place where you’ll find million-pound Bugattis, historic Targa Florio entrants, helicopters, vintage Rolls-Royces, and a whole load of champagne. This year saw the launch of a new offshoot: Salon Privé London, a scaled-down concours as a satellite to the main event. The venue was the Royal Hospital Chelsea, just over the river from Battersea Park. However, the original five-day celebration of automotive lifestyle and luxury is our focus here. Salon Privé marked its 17th year in 2022, featuring among its attractions the global debut of the Engler Desat, the European debut…

Taken outside Daimler’s old Radford factory, in Coventry, is this classic image of a Commer transporter hauling a three-car load of new SP250s – the distinctively styled, glassfibre-bodied sports car that made its debut in 1959. With their windscreens removed for transportation, we can see from the bulge in the tonneau covers that these are left-hand drive cars – probably destined for the USA, where the whitewall tyres fitted would have been popular. The front and rear lights and wheel hubs have also been covered for protection. The hard-working Commer lorry, meanwhile, was modern in design, being one of the UK’s first forward-control offerings, its ‘flat’ TS3 diesel engine (with horizontally opposed pistons) being mounted under the floor of the cab, enabling Rootes Group to do away with a traditional…

VW JEANS BEETLE Volkswagen matched Citroën for marketing innovation, so it’s not surprising that it was also ahead of the game with special editions. Two years before the 2CV SPOT was the Jeans Beetle – a basic Beetle 1200 with orange paint, black details and denim-trimmed seats. A total of 1600 officially made it to the UK and they are both rare and collectable today. MINI 30 A year after this Charleston was made, the Mini marked its 30th anniversary and the inevitable Mini 30 special edition arrived, featuring unique half-leather seats, pearlescent paint in claret or black, special badges with the old Austin crest, and some kit that was optional on the ordinary Mayfair. In all, 3000 were made and survivors are now highly sought after. RENAULT 4 CLAN…