Innholdsfortegnelse for 12/28/2022 i Classic Car Buyer

Here we are with the final issue of CCB for 2022. Since I joined the team as editor at the start of February, the last 11 months have flown by. On the treadmill of a weekly title, with deadlines whooshing by at what seems like an ever-accelerating rate, it’s been a hectic year – but it’s also been a fascinating one, and I’m grateful to everyone who has supported us. The end of December is, of course, a time when most of us look back, remembering the year that’s just passed and the experiences we’ve had. For many, 2022 has been tough; the current cost of living crisis, high inflation and soaring energy bills have made it a difficult period all round. Throw into the mix the situation in Ukraine…

Sign up to our newsletter at www.classicsworld.co.uk The latest Bull Market List, an annual report compiled by Hagerty, has been revealed – with the company’s valuation team identifying those classics it expects to perform particularly well in 2023. The 10-strong line-up includes such disparate machines as the Citroen BX, Ford Fiesta, Austin Seven and Lotus Elise S2. The annual report is compiled over a period of several months, with industry experts considering a wide array of models across many different genres – with a broad spread of price ranges also represented. Hagerty’s intention is to identify cars from all eras that offer a great ownership experience, using its own market data to determine which are likely to appreciate in value. To compile the report, value changes from the Hagerty Price…

Silverstone-based CCA had a strong finish to 2022, with its Christmas Classic Car Sale seeing 245 different lots offered, 80 per cent of which found new owners. Pre-sale publicity had helped to generate interest in a number of Mercedes-Benz modern classics, with a 2007 CLK 63 AMG Cabriolet nearly doubling its estimate to sell for £30,375 (including fees), while an ‘R230’ SL55 AMG smashed its own by selling for £22,250. CCA’s tagline of ‘Everyman Classics’ ensured there was a good crop of more modest cars in the sale. A 1969 Morris Mini Mk2, owned and restored by one family in 46 years, made £19,125; and a 1977 Mini Mk3 1000 wrapped in Louis Vuitton-style vinyl sold for £3600. Other small cars included a Citroën 2CV ‘ripple bonnet’ that changed hands…

DORMOBILE The closest British alternative to the T2 camper would be one of Dormobile’s conversions, usually found on Bedford CA (as pictured) or Thames 400E vans. They haven’t survived in anything like the numbers of the VW; but that may be part of the appeal, as is their extra space and slightly less quirky driving experience. AUSTIN A60 SUN-TOR Here’s something literally more car-like, being built around the popular A55/A60 car-based van. Not as spacious as the Volkswagen, the Austin-based Sun-Tor makes good use of its volume, can easily be upgraded both domestically and mechanically with more modern parts, and is much more ‘normal’ to drive. VOLKSWAGEN DANBURY Embrace the ‘much more modern than it looks’ effect to the full. At this budget you could buy a 21st century T2…

Affected by ULEZ Responding to our lead story covering the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (CCB, December 7), Gabriel Bennett has written in to explain how it will affect him, and to enclose photographs of some of the Rovers on his personal fleet. “I own 10 cars built and registered between 1997 and 2005,” says Gabriel. “They comprise an MG, four Rovers, three Jaguars, a Bentley and a Toyota. All will be hit by ULEZ as my brother lives just inside the M25. It looks as though I shall be seeing him just once a year, on Christmas Day!” Set to come into force in August 2023, the expanded ULEZ will cover all London boroughs within the M25 and will be in operation 24 hours a day, 364…

Mass-market models of the ’90s represent a sweet spot in the classic car world – cheap-to-buy, relatively simple machinery that can still cover long distances reliably and without complaint. And as if to prove the point, production editor Jack Grover has just returned from a French adventure in his trusty 1996 Citroën Xantia 1.9TD SX Estate, covering 1100 miles in just 48 hours – a trip that included high-speed runs and stop-start snowy queues. For daily-driver comfort and durability, it doesn’t get much better than that.…

Goodwood has announced the race schedule for its 80th Members’ Meeting, which takes place over the weekend of April 15-16 and includes the return of the S.F. Edge Trophy, featuring an array of pre-war Edwardian favourites. The Gerry Marshall Trophy gets rebranded as the Gordon Spice Trophy for 2023, with plenty of on-track action from the Group 1 saloon cars that competed between 1970 and ’82. And new for 2023 is the Jim Clark Trophy, which will mark 60 years of the Lotus Cortina – with no fewer than 30 examples taking to the famous circuit. The ever-popular Threlfall Cup returns on the Sunday, with front-engined Formula Junior machines competing against each other, while 2023 also sees the return of the Moss Trophy for closed-cockpit GT cars in the spirit…

FIAT 127 (1971-1983) Launched initially as a saloon, with a hatchback following a few months later, the Fiat 127 was one of Europe’s first true superminis. With the almost obligatory front-wheel drive and transverse engine layout, it won praise for its roadholding and space. For 1977, the Series 2 brought squarer styling aping the yet-to-be-launched Strada, alongside a fiery Sport model (from 1978) with Weber carburettors, sports seats and numerous upgraded components courtesy of Abarth. A Series 3 model built for one year only would round off production in 1982-1983. Also produced by SEAT and Polski-Fiat, the 127 would continue in production in several markets after Fiat itself had ceased production. Here in the UK, the 127 was one of the most popular imports of the 1970s, although a niche…

The 75 was the first model in what would become the complex range of ‘P4’ Rover saloons, and the one which would be in production the longest. But Rover pursued a policy of continual improvement and this 1957 example is quite different from the original version. There’s no ‘Cyclops’ headlamp in the grille; and that grille, the headlamps and the front wings are all very different in shape and style. The back end has a bigger boot and a wraparound rear window, courtesy of David Bache’s 1954 facelift. The engine is still a straight-six of Rover’s distinctive ‘inlet over exhaust’ design, but it was a 2.2- rather than a 2.1-litre, while the column shift for the gearbox was replaced by the beautifully engineered floor-mounted lever with the ball-joint linkage. All…

PLUS FREE DELIVERY TO YOUR DOOR AND INSTANT ACCESS ON YOUR DEVICE. GREAT IF YOU’RE OUT AND ABOUT AND NEED THE CONTENT TO HAND Inside Each Issue: • The latest news and analysis • Expert buying guides and advice • Product reviews • Classic cars and parts for sale • Auction news and preview Visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/CBU22P Or Call: 01959 543 747 and quote CBU22P Hotlines open Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm. Calls are charged at your standard network rate *Full terms and conditions can be found at shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. Offer applies to UK subscribers only when paying by direct debit. Your subscription will start with the next available issue with your first 4 issues charged at just £9.99. Payments will continue to be taken at this low rate of £9.99 every…

The National Motor Museum has announced it will start work in 2023 to “take it forward for the next 50 years” after being awarded a £200,000 grant from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and the Wolfson Foundation, through the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund 2022-24. Fundraising by the National Motor Museum Trust (NMMT) will now begin to match the grant with its own contribution towards the ‘Motoring into the Future’ project, which aims to transform the museum entrance and initial exhibition areas for a more engaging and interactive start to every visitor journey. As phase one of a four-phase scheme, the ambitious new plans set out the future of the Beaulieu-based museum, which celebrated its landmark 50th anniversary in 2022. Commenting on the announcement, Jon Murden,…

After a two-year enforced break, the London Classic Car Show returns for 2023, taking place from February 24 to 26 at Olympia – and among the many attractions will be a sale by the event’s newly appointed official auction partner, Historics. With up to 100 classic and collectors’ cars expected to go under the gavel on Saturday, February 25, Mark Perkins, CEO of Historics, commented: “Having established and grown to become the south of England’s premier classic car auction specialists, it’s a natural extension to now bring Historics’ unique auction flavour to London and to the legion of enthusiasts in the capital and beyond.” Historics is inviting early consignment to the London Classic Car Show sale. To discuss entering your classic vehicle, call 01753 639170 or email auctions@historics.co.uk. For further…

Tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Donington Historic Festival, taking place over the weekend of April 29-30 – with ‘early bird’ offers available until the end of January. The event offers a wealth of on- and off-track entertainment for spectators, with two days of race action, track displays and parades, an open-access paddock, a trade village, plus classic car and club displays. Touring Car fanatics will get to enjoy what’s likely to be a big turnout from the combined Historic Touring Car Challenge, Tony Dron Trophy, Sixties Touring Car Challenge and U2TC for under 2.0-litre Touring Cars grid. And adding to the tin-top fun will be races for the HRDC Jack Sears Trophy (for 1958-1966 Touring Cars), the HRDC Gerry Marshall Trophy (for pre-1983 Group 1 and 1½…

Freezing conditions couldn’t prevent a sizeable crowd gathering in the auction hall for WB & Sons’ final sale of 2022 on December 10, with the dazzling line-up of classics being accompanied by some robust results come hammer time. Blue Ovals once again proved to be resilient against a challenging economic backdrop, headlined by a 1981 Ford Capri 3.0 S fitted with a genuine X-Pack body kit and a bored-out 3.1-litre Essex V6, which sold for an impressive £22,890. In addition, a 1983 Escort XR3i in silver went mid-estimate for £13,720, while a 1989 Bantam – essentially a South African-built pick-up based on a Mk4 Escort – sold for £6720. Moving back a generation, a 1970 Mk4 Zodiac resplendent in gold sold above its top estimate for £8447. Another contemporary British…

VOLVO 164 (1968-1975) In the late 1960s, Volvo took a conscious decision to build a truly upmarket large saloon. The initial styling proposal was directly inspired by the Wolseley 6/110, which Volvo took as the sort of car it wanted to make but in a superior form. Other influences from Volvo’s own P1900 roadster, the Ferrari 375 Agnelli Coupe and the Jaguar 420 were added to the mix and draped around the platform and running gear of Volvo’s new 140 series saloon. As well as a more prestigious grille, the front end of the new 164 was longer than the standard 140 to accommodate a 3.0-litre straight-six version of Volvo’s classic B-Series OHV engine. The 164 was a worthy competitor to products from the likes of Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar,…

This fascinating photograph dates from July 1957, when that year’s Riley Register rally saw around 100 pre-war Rileys parading around the city of Coventry. Some of the cars present would have been just 20 or so years old at the time, but among the earliest was the 1904 Riley Tricar driven by Coventry’s Municipal Motoring Museum curator, Mr C.J. Scott. His eight-year-old son, Andrew, is shown experiencing the trike’s up-front ‘armchair’… and looking decidedly unimpressed. The Riley Register is still going strong, catering for all Rileys built between 1899 and 1940. This covers the models produced prior to the marque’s takeover by Nuffield, a list that includes some of the most impressive pre-war British car designs. In the 1930s, these ranged in stature from the Riley Nine saloon (arguably at…