Innholdsfortegnelse for 3/8/2023 i Classic Car Buyer

Two of this week’s features bring back personal memories for me, kicking off chronologically with our two-page look at life with a Triumph 2000 or 2500. It takes me back to the mid-1970s, when my father was the proud owner of a white K-reg Triumph 2.5PI. I can still recall being driven around in the back of that Triumph, a car that seemed upmarket and really rather sporty to my 10-year-old eyes. The fuel injection system might have been troublesome at times, but it was still a hugely impressive car – and one that my father seemed mostly happy with. That 2.5PI had replaced a Rover 2000TC in the Guinness family, a car that my mother had a rather unfortunate accident in when a brewery delivery truck passed too close,…

GTI-Treffen, Europe’s famous Volkswagen festival at Reifnitz, on the banks of Lake Wörth in Austria, has been abolished. The Maria Wörth district gave climate protection and sustainable living as the reasons for its decision to ban future events. Established in 1982, ‘Wörthersee’ grew in size and stature to become an annual Volkswagen pilgrimage, attracting 200,000 visitors. The four-day event evolved into a month-long celebration of VW Group cars, many of them modified. Volkswagen itself had sponsored the gathering since 2006, using it as a platform to showcase new models. GTI-Treffen has not run since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, yet thousands of fans still visited in 2022. The famous granite VW Golf statue will be allowed to remain at its location in Reifnitz.…

Sign up to our newsletter at www.classicsworld.co.uk Classic car enthusiasts with modified vehicles are welcoming the news that a motoring user group is forcing policy change at the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). A consortium representing the interests of the classic car industry, including owners, has been working closely with the government agency to encourage a review of how it deals with classics that deviate from their original manufacturer’s specification. Under current DVLA regulations, vehicles that have undergone certain modifications are required to be inspected and re-registered, potentially leading to being deemed unfit for the road. Changes falling foul of the strict system can be as superficial as bolting on a replacement inner front wing or drilling a small hole in the chassis to run new wiring. Any changes…

Bentley has announced the end of its long-running W12 engine, which will finally cease production in April 2024 – 21 years after it made its debut in the company’s game-changing Continental GT (pictured). Production of the twin-turbocharged unit will halt as part of Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy, which will see every model line electrified by 2030. Bentley will now focus efforts on its V8 and V6 hybrid line-up and will convert its W12 production line to an “expanded area” for these powertrains. When production ends next year, more than 100,000 examples of the Bentley W12 will have been produced. The final 6.0-litre unit will power 18 Mulliner-crafted Batur coupes, each tuned to produce 739bhp – the engine’s highest ever output. Bentley expects orders for W12 variants of the regular Continental and…

MINI CLUBMAN & 1275GT (1969-1980) The first significant evolution of the classic Mini, the Clubman was intended to replace the existing clutter of upmarket Minis with a new range that was cheaper to build, could be sold for a higher price, had lower running costs and needed less maintenance. The new Minis had a longer, squarer nose, improved interior trim, instruments in front of the driver. All Clubmans (available as a saloon or an estate) initially came with 998cc power, replaced in 1975 by the 1098cc A-Series. The Cooper was usurped by the 1275GT, which shared the Clubman’s body but not – officially – its name. As befitted its initials, this was more of a brisk cruiser than a sporting thoroughbred like the Cooper. But despite dissent from Mini diehards,…

The Citroën DS wasn’t perhaps the most obvious choice when it came to creating a world-beating rally car. Its complex technology in general and hydropneumatic suspension in particular meant a whole range of unusual challenges for the Citroën engineers tasked with launching a new rally star. So, what caused Citroën to take the DS rallying in the first place? Numerous benefits, including the major publicity that would be generated by success on the world rally stage. Even more importantly, however, any car capable of winning rallies could have its public image transformed – and after the DS’s initial reliability issues, emphasising the model’s durability was seen as vital. Citroën’s official DS rally cars proved very competitive, winning some of the rally world’s most coveted trophies between 1959 and ’73 –…

One of our more ‘modern’ Classic Scenes, this one was taken on a rainy day in Newport, South Wales, in January 1995. And what a typical street scene it was, featuring some of the bestselling models that were just about everywhere 28 years ago. These included a trio of Fords, kicking off with a Mk3 Escort van on the left-hand side of the road, while across from that are a couple of Blue Oval hatchbacks: another Mk3 Escort and a Sierra. Working our way up the road towards the camera, we can see a five-door Austin Metro parked outside Dewhursts, and behind that is a B-reg Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 – a car that lasted 15 years, as according to the DVLA it’s not been taxed since 1999. The Mk2 Golf…

The classic car world has been rocked by the Silverstone Auctions sale of a 1987 Sierra RS500 Cosworth at Race Retro. The low-mileage Ford, billed as “perhaps the finest example of Ford’s most desired Cosworth ever”, was predicted to break global auction records by selling for an estimated £150,000-£180,000 – but ended up changing hands for an astonishing £596,250 including fees. One of only 500 Sierras converted by Aston Martin Tickford, the desirable 5192-mile RS500 smashed the previous world record price of £135,700, set in November 2022. This latest result further underlines the insatiable appetite for 1980s fast Fords. Silverstone Auctions immediately took to social media to express its feelings with one word: “Incredible”.…

Japanese coachbuilder, Mitsuoka, has unveiled a brand new version of its Viewt – the Jaguar Mk2-inspired creation that in previous generations has been based around the Nissan Micra. Mitsuoka has sold more than 13,000 Viewts since its inception in 1993, and it has been a popular ‘grey’ import in the UK for many years. Now, to coincide with the Viewt’s 30th anniversary, a new fourth-generation model has been unveiled, ditching the old Micra platform in favour of more modern Toyota Yaris underpinnings. The newcomer, which is 70mm longer than the Yaris, uses the same range of engines as its donor, with 1.0- and 1.5-litre hybrid units available. The entry-level Viewt Story is priced at around £19,000 (3,080,000 yen).…

The 2009 Jaguar X-Type Estate formerly owned by HM Queen Elizabeth II, which sold at auction for more than £39,000 last November, is about to be given away in a competition to raise funds for Comic Relief. As the car that set a new auction record for an X-Type when it went under the hammer with Historics, the modern-classic Jaguar has been donated to Comic Relief by Chris Evans’ CarFest – and is now up for grabs in a special prize draw. When owned by Her Majesty, the Jaguar wore the registration number PYN 1F that had previously been seen on her Vauxhall Cresta. The 3.0-litre V6 model is finished in its original Emerald Fire with a Barley leather interior, and comes complete with a sunroof, automatic transmission, electric windows,…

When a panel of some of the world’s most influential car designers was asked to name the most beautiful car in the world, you might have expected a supercar legend from the likes of Bugatti, Ferrari or Aston Martin to make it to the top spot. But you’d be wrong. Names like Ian Callum (famous for his Jaguar and Aston Martin designs), Leonardo Fioravanti (of Pininfarina/Ferrari fame) and ItalDesign founder Giorgetto Giugiaro were all part of the assembled jury some years back. And their verdict? First place went to the Citroën DS. It seems that when it comes to sheer beauty, those in the know adore the DS more than the Jaguar XK120 (in second place), Ferrari 275GTB (third), Jaguar E-Type (seventh) or original Lotus Elan (ninth). By any standards,…

The Triumph 2000 celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, a milestone that it shares with some iconic classic cars including its closest rival, the Rover P6. Both models came to represent the best of British in the modern executive saloon sector, and each went on to enjoy a long career. For Triumph, however, the 2000 and subsequent 2500 marked the end of an era, as there would be no direct replacement. But fast-forward to 2023 and these six-cylinder offerings make a tempting classic choice. In the middle of the 1950s, Triumph sensed a shifting trend in the wants and needs of the car-buying public. The larger 3.0-litre models that had been popular in the upmarket executive segment were losing their appeal as a younger, more affluent audience began to crave…

VAUXHALL ‘HA’ VIVA General Motors was also pursuing a ‘similar but different’ strategy for its European operations, and the original Viva therefore bore a lot of stylistic and engineering similarities with the Opel Kadett while not sharing any parts whatsoever. Almost crushingly austere, the Viva isn’t as glamorous as the Taunus but is probably just as rare and has a reputation for light and easy handling. RENAULT 10 Another European saloon in the one-and-a-bit-litre class, the Renault 10 also adopted the ’60s straight-edge looks in place of its Dauphine predecessor’s curves. Like the Taunus, it also had its engine at the same end as its driven wheels, although in this case that means the rear. Unlike the Taunus, the Renault was officially sold in the UK, although not in great…

A remarkably untouched ‘garage find’ Mini is set to go under the hammer with Classic Car Auctions at its Classic Car & Restoration Show sale, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham over the weekend of March 25-26. As an early 1970 Mini 1275 GT it’s already special enough, with features like Hydrolastic suspension (discontinued from 1971) and the bonnet stay on the left-hand side – a feature of very early Clubman-fronted Minis only. However, this Bronze Yellow example is even more notable, having had only one owner from new and showing just 11,936 miles. The car is thought to have been in storage for the past 33 years, with its last tax disc having expired in 1990. CCA reports that the car’s bodywork and interior remain in remarkable condition,…

WB & Sons’ second sale of 2023 takes place this Saturday (March 11), with over 120 lots set to go under the hammer at the firm’s Newcastle upon Tyne base. There’s great variety among them too, with everything from commercials to track day stars. A strong quota of traditional classics includes a quartet of smart Triumphs. A 1970 Spitfire Mk3 in need of a little TLC carries an alluring £3000-£4000 estimate, with a 1975 1500 in green guided at £5000-£7000. You’ll also find a very smart TR4A IRS dating from 1965 at an estimated £12,000-£15,000, while a 1975 TR6 described as probably the best on the market could go for as much as £22,000. In addition, you’ll find some contrasting Blue Ovals, with a 1964 Ford Cortina Estate showing just…

By the standards of 1955, the hydraulic system used for the Citroën DS was truly revolutionary. Where previously hydraulics had generally been restricted to use in brakes and power steering, the DS employed them in its suspension, clutch and transmission systems. The suspension set-up was particularly fascinating. Each of the DS’s wheels was connected to a hydraulic suspension unit consisting of a sphere containing pressurised nitrogen, a cylinder containing hydraulic fluid screwed to the suspension sphere, a piston inside the cylinder connected by levers to the suspension itself, and a damper valve between the piston and the sphere. A membrane in the sphere prevented the nitrogen from escaping, while the motion of the wheels translated to a motion of the piston, which acted on the oil in the nitrogen cushion…

The hugely popular MGB had finished in 1980, so it was something of a surprise when the RV8 appeared more than a decade later. MG enthusiasts still hankered after a traditional roadster, though, and there was a gap to fill before the MGF arrived. The RV8 was the perfect short-term answer – one made possible by the production of MGB bodyshells by British Motor Heritage. Development began in the late 1980s, with the new model – and it was effectively new despite the familiar looks – being launched at the 1992 British Motor Show, going into production the following year. Buyers were treated to muscular looks, a characterful Rover V8 and an opulent cabin; but despite the tempting recipe, just 1983 examples would be built before production ceased in 1995.…

JAGUAR S-TYPE (1998-2007) The German executive duo on the opposite page had both ceased production by the time the Jaguar S-Type finally made its debut at the 1998 British Motor Show, hitting UK showrooms early the following year. But the BMW E34 and Mercedes W124 were certainly behind Jaguar’s decision to develop a new sub-XJ saloon, giving the British brand a contender in the hotly contested 5 Series sector – and all these years later, an S-Type provides a tempting modern-classic alternative to those older German designs. It was Ford’s acquisition of Jaguar that gave the company sufficient funds to expand its lineup. The S-Type was a distinctive-looking saloon that not only took its name from an ancestor of the ’60s, it was also unashamedly influenced by styling from the…

Carbon offsetting Our news story on the Enthusiast Carbon Offset programme that’s running in partnership with Hagerty (CCB, February 8) attracted the attention of Simon Biggs, who writes: “I’ve been a classic car fan since I was a kid and I’m in my 60s now. I’ve also been environmentally aware for most of my adult life. When I started teaching Biology in 1980, the hot topic was the hole in the ozone layer. People started talking about CFCs and other environmental matters. As I was hopefully setting an example and moulding younger minds, I set about banging the environmental drum with enthusiasm, even meeting kids on a Saturday morning to volunteer at a local nature reserve.” Simon has owned his Jaguar S-Type since 2010, but doesn’t feel the need to…