Innholdsfortegnelse for 9/20/2023 i Classic Car Buyer

Talking to auction houses about the current (and thankfully rather resilient) state of the classic car market, I couldn’t help but think what a difficult job it must be to set an estimate or a reserve price for an entry. Sure, there are price guides, but there’s the intricacies of each car, as well as individual history and provenance that can have a major impact on what people are willing to pay. Then you’ve got the job of finding a happy medium between what the vendor wants for their car and making the figures tempting enough to attract interest and – ultimately – buyers. The car that really confirmed the difficulty for me is a garage-find Mini 1275GT set to be sold by CCA at the end of this month.…

LED Headlights These high-power, 7-inch LED headlights from Wipac feature built-in halo Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) and orange indicators. Using minimal power, they come in pairs and generate vast amounts of light. How much? £478.80 Where? bettercarlighting.co.uk / 0121 773 7000 Austin J40 Book This new book charts the Austin pedal car story – J40 and Pathfinder – from 1946 to the present day. The 488-page hardback features more than 1000 images, including previously unpublished archive materials. ISBN978-1-913089-28-3 How much? £89.00 Where? porterpress.co.uk / 01584 781588 Jaguar Cufflinks These Jaguar cufflinks are made from milled steel and plated in gunmetal. Embossed with the ‘Jaguar Est. 1935’ logo, they come in a smart presentation box. Item no: SKU50JJCL013SLA. How much? £60.00  Where? shop.jaguar.co.uk / 0800 096 0493 Radiator Relief DEI’s coolant…

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK As the Bank of England ponders a record 15th consecutive increase in the base rate of interest, the ever-increasing cost of borrowing and living should theoretically have led to a reduction in demand and prices for classic cars. And yet, the market has managed to stay remarkably resilient in the face of stormy conditions, with sales that continue to surprise and market experts warning against snap judgements. A look at recent auctions results indicate that overall sales have fallen behind slightly in recent months. Historics’ sale rate of 63 per cent of at Windsorview Lakes was down on the 75 per cent of its previous sale in May – not helped by poor weather and demand at the premium end not being as…

The Mercedes-Benz Club celebrated the 60th anniversary of the distinctive and much-loved W113 SL ‘Pagoda’ at the Silverstone Festival on Friday August 25. Members had the unique opportunity to take part in a lap of honour around the world-famous circuit, with a stunning collection of 25 Pagodas in a beautiful array of colours taking to the track in front of thousands of visitors. The Club, now in its 71st year and the only official club for the UK, was privileged to have this opportunity, and for its passionate members to enjoy such a memorable experience. The Pagoda and many other models were put on display for people to appreciate too, and visitors could also learn more about the Club and its activities throughout the year. W113 Model Register Captain Dene…

The Sunbeam Alpine probably ranks as the ‘forgotten’ classic British sports car – if one excludes low-production specialist models, then the Alpine is badly overshadowed in modern viewpoints by MG, Triumph, Austin-Healey and Lotus. That’s something of a shame, since the Sunbeam boasts a longer heritage than any of them – the name dates back to the 1900s (and further back than that in the realm of bicycles and motorbikes) and Alpines have been on the road since the early 1950s. You could still buy an Alpine until the mid-1970s. But one issue the Alpine always had when it came to sporting credibility was that in all its forms – whether the original roadster, the Ford Thunderbird-lookalike sportster or the final fastback – was that it was always closely related…

1973 - Range launched in May with two- and four-door saloon models in 1100, 1100DL, 1300, 1300DL, 1300SDL, 1500SDL, 1500 Special, 1750 Special and 1750 Sports Special trim levels. 1974 - Vanden Plas 1500 with coachbuilt interior and bespoke grille launched in October. 1750 model gains twin-carb engine. HL trim replaces Special. ‘Quartic’ steering wheel dropped.  1975 - Three-door estate model introduced in 1300SDL and 1500SDL versions. Allegro 2 introduced in October with improved suspension, better rear seat leg room, modified engine mountings to reduce noise, improved cabin ventilation and higher overall gearing. 1979 - Equipe model (2700 total production) introduced in July as a two-door 1750HLS with alloy wheels and unique side stripes. The Allegro 3 comes in September with a new dashboard, different bumpers, grille and rear lamps, a…

So often when we see mention of ‘Zephyr’ or ‘Zodiac’, our mind’s eye will automatically conjure one of Ford’s later creations to bear the name, but of course the story started in the early 1950s with the first incarnation. Revolutionary at birth, the four-cylinder Mk1 Consul and its six-pot Zephyr stablemate arrived in 1951, with the upmarket Zephyr Zodiac debuting at the London Motor Show in autumn 1953. The Mk1 Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac – often known as the ‘Three Graces’ – broke new ground for Ford with MacPherson strut independent front suspension, advanced overhead-valve engines, and unibody construction. The Zodiac also got two-tone paint, leather, an interior heater, windscreen washers and whitewall tyres to add to the stylish recipe of these practical and capable executive cars. First registered in…

The future of Britain’s historic car manufacturing plant in Oxford has been secured. BMW has pledged £600 million to upgrade the former Morris Motorssite at Cowley, which celebrated its 110th anniversary this year. It is now set to produce the new electric MINI Cooper and its crossover SUV sibling – the MINI Aceman – starting in 2026. Fears that the factory would be closed altogether with production moved to China were allayed following UK government support with a £75m spend in subsidies, according to reports in the Financial Times. The government investment secures jobs at both the Oxford and Swindon plants, operated by BMW Group alongside its Hams Hall facility in Birmingham. BMW has owned the MINI brand since 2000, electric versions of the popular hatchback have been produced at…

Auctioneer Charterhouse is offering two Fiat 500s that it has dubbed “mustard and ketchup” for rather obvious reasons. Produced just one year apart, the 1972 500L (ketchup) and 1973 500F (mustard) have both been fully restored and will form part of the October 5 auction at the Haynes International Motor Museum. Both lots are estimated to reach £10,000 when they go under the gavel. Charterhouse’s Richard Bromell commented: “Baby Fiats have been popular since they first came out in 1957. Today they continue to have a loyal following and still offer fun city driving.” Visit charterhouse-auction.com to view the full sale catalogue.…

The Fordwater Trophy race at Goodwood Revival made history recently with a full grid of classic cars running on sustainably sourced fuel. In a race dedicated to the Porsche 911, 27 1965 911s and three 1964 901s all using FIA grade synthetic fuel were driven by a star-studded roster of racers, including 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button and former F1 driver and World Endurance Champion, Mark Webber. The 2.0-litre flat-six air-cooled classics required no mechanical modifications to use the fuel, and CCB spoke with several drivers who reported gains in performance as a result of using it. The race itself was a memorable one, featuring several closely fought battles. The car shared by 2013 British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan and Matt Holme took victory. Webber came home fifth…

Ensure your car has the correct cover if it’s off the road We're not talking car covers, we're talking about laid-up insurance. Some people at this time of year choose to take their classic off the road completely, whether that’s for a restoration project or because they can't drive it. If that’s you and your insurance is up for renewal, it’s important to make sure you have the right protection in place. Accidents and theft can sadly still happen when you least expect it and laid-up cover is perfect for ensuring your pride and joy is protected when parked in storage or your garage should the worst happen; which sadly as we all know, it sometimes does. Provided the car is at least 80 per cent complete, laid-up cover can…

CITROËN 2CV (1948-1990) Conceived in the 1930s and put into large scale production in 1948, it seemed unfeasible that the Citroën 2CV would still appear on new car price lists in the late 1980s – the era of yuppies and double glazing very different indeed from the early post-war years. However, the pioneering deux chevaux endured, and its combination of entertaining driving characteristics, room for four, decent luggage space and a bargain-basement price tag meant it still found buyers just as it had done when launched four decades previously. The first cars had two cylinders and just a 375cc motor – though from 1955 that was raised to 425cc as a cost option. In 1960, this engine became the standard fitment alongside a facelift that saw a new scalloped bonnet…

The Allegro has long been a mainstay of those little ‘worst ever car’ books, but if there was ever a car that was dealt the most difficult of hands, then it’s surely top of the pile. For starters, the Allegro had to follow the best-selling ADO16 series during a period of turmoil for British Leyland. But making things even harder was the requirement to use existing drivetrain packages and components from BL’s parts bin, compromising Harris Mann’s stylish original design. When it was launched in 1973 it looked rather dumpy, with early reliability problems and the infamous Quartic steering wheel of early cars not helping matters either. The Allegro employed Hydragas suspension and two engine types: the familiar A-Series and the E-Series, the latter linked to five-speed gearboxes. They were…

Triumph’s failed attempt to buy Morgan led to the development of its own affordable sports car. For economies of scale existing parts would be utilised, and after the 20TS prototype was revised to make it more user-friendly, the result was the TR2 of 1953. Triumph quickly realised that it was onto a good thing, and so it followed that its replacement, the TR3, would borrow much of its genetic makeup – evolution not revolution in many respects. However, the TR3 did move the story on significantly with improvements to performance and stopping ability – indeed, from 1956 it was the first production car to include disc brakes as standard. Meanwhile, an optional GT package with a hard top added a new level of practicality. Under the skin, much was the…

ULEZ: A BALANCED VIEW Reader David Parsons contacted us following our cover story on ULEZ-beating modern classic cars in the September 6 issue of CCB. He said: “I read your story on the pre-2006 modern classics that are exempt from London’s ULEZ charges with interest. It seems to me that there is a great deal of scaremongering and political points scoring going on following the expansion of the capital’s catchment area, so it was nice to read a more positive and balanced story showing that it’s not all doom and gloom. “As I understand it, while there are a number of classic cars that will suffer as a result of Sadiq Khan’s expanded scheme, the vast majority of Londoners already drive compliant cars. More importantly, you don’t necessarily need to…

The sole surviving Brabham-tuned MG Midget has been sold at auction. One of the earliest known Mk1 Midgets in existence, the 1961 example was modified in period by Australian F1 World Champion, Jack Brabham, through his tuning business in Surrey. The changes included the fitment of a 1220cc Coventry Climax FWE engine, close-ratio gearbox, front disc brakes, mechanical rev counter, and a front anti-roll bar. Road testers in period reported that the alterations “transformed” the car. Discovered in 2008 as an abandoned restoration project, chassis number GAN1/593 was restored over an eight-year timeframe by a new owner, himself a renowned restorer, race engineer and Lotus employee during the Colin Chapman era. The project culminated in an appearance at the 2016 Goodwood Revival, where the car took part in the Sir…

The second-generation (‘NB’) Mazda MX-5 is now 25 years old, the youngest is 18 years old and this particular one is exactly 20. But feelings still run high when the NB is compared to the original ‘NA’ MX-5 – which is the better MX-5? And which – both, none or one – is worthy of classic status? These are questions that will need more than 750 words to properly discuss, but it’s easy to say here and now that you probably won’t find a 20-year-old MX-5 in better condition than this one. It has covered only 28,000 miles, confirmed by its MoT history and the two stamps in the service book required by that mileage. Luckily, there are also invoices for servicing and other work carried out over the years…

Quotation supplied by Lancaster Insurance Web: lancasterinsurance.co.uk | Tel: 01480 809176 Example quote: £95.57 or £113.57 with Agreed Value. Quote based on a 45-year-old marketing manager, access to another car, no claims or convictions, club member, 3000 miles per year, no modifications, living in SP2 0HL. Disclaimer: Subject to underwriting criteria. An additional charge may be payable. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.…