Innholdsfortegnelse for 4/17/2024 i Classic Car Buyer

This weekend, we welcome the return of Drive It Day – the annual event created by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) to help raise awareness of the classic vehicle movement among the wider population, and the promote the importance of our transport heritage in a time when it’s facing ever-increasing challenges. Full details of this Sunday’s activities can be found on page 5, with shows, events and runs taking place all over the UK. Some will be sold out by now, but others will welcome impromptu arrivals, or you can just enjoy a drive in your classic either solo or with friends. Personally, I’ll be heading to my local cars and coffee meet – at least, that’s the plan. Check out driveitday.co.uk for details of events and…

FORD SIERRA (1982-1993) Popular from the outset, the Ford Cortina enjoyed sustained domination of Britain’s best-seller list during the 1970s and early ’80s. However, the ‘Cortina 80’ – otherwise known as the Mk5 – quickly began to show its age. The mechanicals differed little from the Mk3 of 1970, the styling was looking dated and Vauxhall’s all-star Cavalier was beating it in group tests. Ford response was to replace the Cortina with a radical, modern new car that would take the market by storm, which is where 1982’s Sierra came in. The aerodynamic styling wasn’t to everyone’s taste, with many traditionalist Cortina buyers put off by the large rear glasshouse, hatchback body and lack of traditional grille. Early sales fell well below expectations, not helped by heavy discounts on remaining…

Quotation supplied by Lancaster Insurance Web: lancasterinsurance.co.uk | Tel: 01480 809176 Example quote: £130 or £148 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.…

The late 1950s saw small British cars enjoy something of a style-led revolution, with the Austin A40 Farina of 1958 a prime example. Combining a sharp ‘two box’ body designed by Italian design house Pinin Farina with trusted mechanicals that included the venerable A-Series engine, 170,000 were sold in its first three years. A Countryman with a split tailgate arrangement joined the range in 1959, with the Mk2 of 1961 bringing in a new grille and redesigned dash, plus more room for rear passengers courtesy of a longer wheelbase. An SU carb replaced the previous Zenith to give the 948cc engine more power, but otherwise it was unchanged until the 1098cc unit was fitted from 1962. This Deluxe example car at RFH Classics is therefore something of a rarity, being…

BUMPER ISSUE BASICALLY BETTER We celebrate the entry level Fords that offered a taste of the experience provided by their contemporary big brothers, from the glamorous Anglia to the chic Ka. CLASSIC CHOICE Three affordable British people’s cars compared, but is the Morris Minor, Triumph Herald or Austin A35 the best bet? OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS The Rover Metro and its 100 successor saw an ageing supermini transformed into a competitive offering for the 1990s. We show you how to buy a good one today. DOWNLOAD THE DIGITAL ISSUE OF CLASSIC CAR BUYER FROM AS LITTLE AS 94p! Visit: www.pocketmags.com or download it via the App Store; search Classic Car Buyer. The printed version of Classic Car Buyer is available in ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons and WH Smiths, plus all good newsagents…

Paolo Pininfarina, chairman of the Italian car design firm and coachbuilder Pininfarina, sadly passed away on April 9 at the age of 65. A driving force behind the company founded by his grandfather Battista in 1930, Paolo studied mechanical engineering before joining his father Sergio Pininfarina’s firm in 1982. He began as a trainee stationed abroad with Cadillac and Honda, then as quality manager of the Cadillac Allanté project from 1984–1986 and program manager of the Engineering GM 200 at General Motors from 1987–1989, which led to Chevrolet Lumina APV, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Trans Sport. His leadership also guided the company through a diversification process in the 1980s, expanding its influence beyond automotive design to become a benchmark in various design fields. Paolo became deputy chairman 2006, before served…

Every once in a while, a sensible volume car maker lets a piece of inspired lunacy out of the skunk works and into the showroom. These were the kind of refreshing occurrences that reminded us that, even with the strong will of committees and cost analysis, magic could still happen. Whether those days are over remains to be seen, but over the following pages, we’ve shared some of our favourites from the 1970s right up to the mid-2000s. BMW Z3 M From a marketing and engineering point of view, there was cold Teutonic logic and very little lunacy behind BMW’s Z3. Using the running gear of the acclaimed E36 3 Series paired with the cheaper, simpler rear end from the previous E30 generation, it was BMW’s answer to the success…

Some criticised the Jaguar XJ-S for not being the nimble sports car that the E-Type Series 1 was, while also conveniently forgetting that the later Series 3 V12 was a long-legged GT. The Tom Walkinshaw-developed XJR-S aimed to give the divisive model a sporting edge, and the 1990 car for sale at Car Cave looks to be a fine example. Owned by Jaguar collectors for 20 years, this XJR-S has barely covered 1000 miles in that time, but maintenance has been thorough and frequent. The V12 engine – enlarged from 5.3- to 6.0-litres in 1989 for the XJR-S – is said to start and run smoothly, with a full stainless steel exhaust system fitted in 2019 to unleash a satisfying rumble. The rear subframe was dropped recently, with the brakes,…

There’s some overseas influence in this rare 1960 Hillman Minx Convertible too; the ‘Audax’ design was the work of Rootes, but with assistance from the Raymond Loewy design organisation, which was involved in the design of Studebaker coupes in the early ’50s. There were various facelifts over the years, but the Series III A and B models – this one is an example of the latter – also got subtle tail fins to increase the Americana. Hillman Minx Convertibles were finished off by the coachbuilder Thrupp & Maberley, which was owned by Rootes and also produced bespoke bodies for upmarket British and European marques. This example is finished in Ocean Blue with contrasting blue vinyl interior trim and is certainly eye-catching, but it’s useable too – it’s a true four-seat…

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK Created by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) to help raise awareness of the classic vehicle movement among the wider population, and promote the importance of our transport heritage, Drive It Day has played an important role since 2005. This year’s event takes place on Sunday, April 21 and looks set for more success. Each year, the date of Drive It Day is set as close as possible to the anniversary of the 1000-mile trial – a legendary tour from London to Edinburgh and back again, held by pioneering motorists in the year 1900. Happily, Drive It Day itself doesn’t involve anything quite so gruelling, being instead a day dedicated to the love of classic cars – and, just as importantly,…

As a more than serviceable replacement for the NA-Type Magnette, MG’s ‘1½-litre’ VA is also rare: just 1259 saloons, like the one sold at Chris McPheat Automotive, were built before the war. The VA was a product of a refocused MG. Until 1935, it had been William Morris’s personal property, but was now incorporated into the Morris Organisations (later the Nuffield Organisation). This changed things dramatically, with a ban on motorsport, the closing of Abingdon’s design office and instructions that future MGs were to be less adventurous, use more components from the corporate parts bin and have longer production lives, all in a bid to make them more profitable. The VA, also marketed as the ‘1½-litre’ from February 1937, therefore shared its tuned overhead valve Morris TPBG engine with the…

Among the automotive trends of the 1990s was the widespread return of the coupe, with major manufacturers keen to join what was fast becoming a burgeoning sector of the market once again. While the hot hatch was the biggest news of the ’80s, there was increased demand during the following decade for low-slung alternatives offering a touch more style. Few of the newcomers of the ’90s, however, boasted such a distinctive look as the logically named Fiat Coupe. With its wedge profile, dramatic wheelarch ‘slashes’, bubble-top headlamps and race-type filler cap, the new-for-1994 Italian offering (on sale in the UK from ’95) was like nothing else in its class, all thanks to the vivid imagination of one Chris Bangle. Inside too, the Fiat looked dramatically different from the competition thanks…

VW ADVENTURES The recent VW T2 Campervan road test video on our Classics World YouTube channel prompted various comments and opinions on the iconic Transporter, but perhaps our favourite was from user @jaisabai4155; “My 1957 Type 2 was brilliant on the dirt roads of Central Australia in the early 1970s. Obviously, it needed a load to handle the corrugations and bumps. That’s where a football team of indigenous students came in handy!” What a story! The VW Camper might not be the fastest of the classic icons, but we can’t imagine doing that in a Jaguar E-Type… EARLY ELECTRICS Reader Bill Shaw sent us one of the most interesting emails we’ve received at CCB for some time, a copy of a booklet from 1966 detailing the number of vehicles registered…