Innholdsfortegnelse for 10/30/2024 i Classic Car Buyer

The Rover 200 & 400 Owners’ Club hosted its annual general meeting (AGM) on October 19, where it was able to celebrate the most members since its inception in 2007 – currently standing at over 400 – and over £3000 raised since its 2023 AGM. The club’s pioneering investment in creating new repair panels for various models, with the latest being sill and arch panels for the ‘HH-R’ generation Rover 400/45 and MG ZS, has returned over £600 of profit alone. The 200 & 400 Owners’ Club also stands out for hosting celebratory events for its models. The major event this year was ‘The Graduate @35’, where club members retraced the route and memorable spots from the original 200 R8 launch advert, culminating in a photo shoot at South Shields…

One of the major highlights at the annual Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC is the Iconic Auctioneers sale, and this year will be no exception. Held on the Saturday of the event, it will be the firm’s final auction of 2024 and is set to be lined with over 170 standout classics to suit all tastes. Jaguars are on offer in abundance, a particular highlight being the 1977 XJ-C restored and converted to supercharged XJR power by specialist, Tom Lenthall – it carries no reserve and all proceeds (along with Iconic’s fees) will be donated to the RNLI. Numerous E-Types also feature, including a 1967 Series 1 4.2 roadster that’s had more than £100,000 spent on restoration and carries an £80,000-£100,000 guide, a 1970 Series 2 roadster imported from…

With its W116 S-Class regularly earning the ‘best car in the world’ accolade, Mercedes wanted to distil that magic into a slightly more compact saloon, one that would also replace the hugely successful W114/115 models. The W123 was the result, bringing together Mercedes’ existing practices of fantastically durable mechanicals, high standards of design and engineering, all-round feeling of solidity and quality with high-speed refinement, comfort, discreet style and excellent versatility. The broad range of engines from workhorse diesels to frugal four-pot and smooth six-cylinder petrols combined with the option of a saloon, load-lugging estate or glamorous coupe to ensure there was a 123 to suit all tastes, tasks and scenarios. The soft long-travel suspension meant it was no sports saloon, but it soaked up rough roads with aplomb and combined…

With some up-and-running Triumph TR6s selling for under £10,000 at auction, you might wonder why anyone would want to restore one when you can buy one to drive right now for a smaller sum than you’ve been able to in years. But there are several reasons as to you might want to get busy with the spanners, as we shall explain. By way of introduction, the TR6 was the last of the traditional TR models. It was launched in January 1969 and successfully combined the underpinnings of previous models with a neat restyle to ready it for the 1970s. That meant you got a separate chassis and a front-mounted straight-six sending power to the rear wheels as per the outgoing TR5, but with a squared-off nose and tail penned by…

Ford gained its market dominance by creating the right car at the right time, offering a wide range of trims, engines and body styles to maximise appeal and crowning it with clever marketing, some glamorous styling touches and often a dash of motorsport pedigree to really make you want one. There was nothing all that groundbreaking about the Mk1 Escort of late 1967, but with its conventional layout and suspension teamed with smart styling, Kent Crossflow engine and nimble rack-and-pinion steering, it hit upon a monumentally successful formula. In just six years, Ford had built two million of them in locations all over the world. The affordable entry price and spacious interior for its size gave the Escort appeal as a family car, while the addition of numerous sporting variants…

Restoring an E-Type is a quick way to financial ruin, surely? Granted, paying for a professional job is one for the more affluent of our readers. But those people are out there, as evidenced by the huge specialist network that supports these cars – something even Jaguar Land Rover Classic itself is part of. And if you’re going to spend big on the historic vehicle of your dreams, you may as well choose one of the most beautiful cars every made. Indeed, the E-Type made the world sit up and take notice when it emerged in 1961. Powered by the 3.8-litre XK straight-six engine seen in the XK150S, it dispensed with the separate chassis of its predecessors, with subframes carrying the engine, all-round independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. It…

Designed as a compact yet premium executive offering, the second-generation BMW 3 Series helped continued the Bavarian firm’s ethos of making even a humble saloon handle and drive with remarkable aplomb, as well as really putting BMW on the map in the UK. The E30’s sharp Claus Luthe design evolved the handsome E21 into a more modern, chic look, while the driver-focussed interior had more of a cockpit look and feel. Engines ranged from humble four-pots to lusty straight-sixes that, whilst not especially fast, offered torque and a howling exhaust note befitting of far more exotic machinery. The near-perfect weight distribution, lightweight and well-tuned suspension made for a fun driving experience in any guise, the high-quality (albeit somewhat sparse) interior stands the test of time and the E30’s cool factor…

The government’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a national campaign warning of the dangers of counterfeit vehicle parts. The ‘Fake Always Breaks’ campaign aims to highlights to consumers and the motor trade that counterfeit items are more likely to fail and endanger road users, with safety-critical items such as tyres, wheels, airbags and brakes among the most commonly purchased examples. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) research estimated that counterfeit vehicle parts imported to the UK were worth almost £1billion in 2016, while a survey conducted for the IPO has revealed that one in six motorists who responded had bought a counterfeit part in the past 12 months alone. Counterfeit car parts are those which are advertised and sold as being genuine branded vehicle parts. They often look…

E65 7 SERIES (2001-2008) Of all the Chris Bangle era BMWs, the E65 generation 7 Series was perhaps the most controversially received. That’s because it debuted Bangle’s ‘flame surfacing’ design language (some nicknamed it the ‘Bangle Butt’), and yet it was largely penned by Dutch designer Adrian van Hooydonk. Not only was it a styling revolution, but it boasted technological innovation too – introducing BMW’s all-new iDrive infotainment system. A facelift in 2005 toned down the styling somewhat, but whichever version you buy you’ll find that the E65 generation 7 Series is really a car to be driven in, with rear passengers cosseted by comfortable seats with masses of legroom. A choice of six-cylinder, V8 or V12 petrol engines, or six-cylinder and V8 diesels were available, all delivering decent performance…

Like so many of our favourite classics, the Citroën 2CV’s appeal lies not in what it has or can offer, but what it does with so little. Created to mobilise the French masses post-war, the 2CV was created with an almost military level of ‘fit for purpose’ – the seats are basically just cloth hammocks stretched over springs, the roof is fabric to keep weight and material costs down, the windows flap upwards and clip into place to save having a mechanism, and the air-cooled flat-twin powerplant is the absolute minimal amount of engine needed to move the car around. All of this sounds like a recipe for a miserable experience, but that couldn’t be further from the truth – almost no car is as characterful or smile-inducing as a…

Although the hairy-chested British roadsters get all the attention, what we Brits really did best was provide maximum fun at attainable prices by using humble mechanicals and clever design to create our sports cars – and arguably, MG was the master. The Midget can trace its roots back to the 1958 Austin-Healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite, which was a return to a bare-bones raw sports that MG itself had popularised decades earlier. When the Mk2 Sprite was launched in 1961, MG offered its own badge-engineered version – after all, it was built at Abingdon. The ’Spridget’ duo made the most out of the absolute least, utilising the in-line A-Series that powered the A35 and the Minor, and slotting it into a 3.4-metre long, 1.4-metre-wide roadster that weighed under 750kg. The engine grew…

Arguably the ultimate DIY-friendly classic, the Morris Minorwas made over a period spanning four separate decades with good reason; it combined an engaging chassis with trusty mechanicals, ease of maintenance, affordability and enough room for the family. And all those virtues make it a great classic to restore today, too. Indeed, the Minor is pretty much the dictionary definition of an accessible classic car. It was hugely significant back in period, too: launched at the 1948 Earl’s Court Motor Show, it endowed Morris with an exciting new family saloon with which to boost its early post-war sales. Here was the firm’s way of shaking off its outmoded pre-war image, gained via hastily reintroduced models like the Eight Series E, while at the same time offering Britain’s crucial export markets something…

You might be thinking the first-generation MINI might still seem a bit too new to make this selection, but hear us out. While the classic Mini has become too expensive as a first project for many buyers, its replacement is more akin to where the original was 20 or 30 years ago. Reinventing an icon like the Mini was no easy task, but it’s one that faced a BMW owned Rover from the mid-1990s. Despite a slightly complicated gestation, which saw the German company offload Rover but retaining the Mini brand, the ‘new’ MINI (codenamed R50) finally went on sale in July 2001. Frank Stephenson’s characterful exterior design was joined by a stylish cabin featuring plenty of retro touches. The ‘R50’ One and Cooper models boasted 90bhp and 115bhp respectively…

Yet again, an iconic people’s car when new makes for the perfect restoration project today. Dante Giacosa’s little masterpiece was a response to the Suez fuel crisis and aimed to mobilise the Italian masses in as small and light of a package as possible in order to maximise fuel economy. What resulted was a car just 1.84-metres long and 1.32-metres wide that could indeed seat four, yet thanks partly to its sub-500kg kerb weight and partly to its tiny yet eager air-cooled twin-cylinder engine, could achieve 60mpg. That it looked so stylish was merely a by-product of Giacosa’s minimalist yet typically Italian design, while the roll-back fabric roof was a cost-saving exercise in reducing steel use rather than one of extravagance. Brimming with character, fun to drive, economical, small enough…

TRIUMPH TR4 Arch-rival to the Healey then and now, the six-pot Triumphs offered similarly raw, exciting sports car experiences. The TR4 was the BN7’s contemporary for a short while and boasts sharp Michelotti styling, but lacks quite the brutal character and motorsport pedigree of the Healey. JAGUAR XK150 If your budget will stretch, the Healey’s recipe is also available in a more exotic package, The legendary Jaguar XK betters the Healey’s pace and comes in fixed-head coupe or roadster variants, but can often cost double the money. DAIMLER SP250 Brutish, British and offering wind-in-the-hair thrills, the often-forgotten Daimler SP250 ‘Dart’ makes a compelling Healey alternative with its V8 soundtrack, fibreglass body and rapid performance. Some will find the looks challenging, however.…

The final ACA classic sale of 2024 on November 2-3 boasts perhaps the broadest range of cars we’ve seen from the King’s Lynn auction house this year. It’s packed with classics cars, motorcycles and automobilia, with viewing available on the Thursday and Friday prior to the sale. Hot hatchbacks of all eras seem to be a theme, with an all-white 1990 Vauxhall Astra GTE 16V a particular standout with its £7000-£9000 estimate, while a 1986 Peugeot 205CTI offers a more affordable entry to the iconic hot Peugeot with added open-top thrills for an estimated £4000-£6000. Fast Ford fans have plenty to get excited about, including a 1992 Fiesta XR2i with an (albeit unverified) 12,350 miles that carries a £4000-£6000 guide, a very tidy 2002 Focus ST170 with a verified 44,000…

One of the most alluring aspects of the classic car hobby is getting hands-on to tinker, maintain and repair, not to mention restore if you’re up to the task. If you fancy starting a classic restoration project, we’ve brought together 15 of the best candidates, just ahead of winter. Each enjoys strong parts support, a bustling club scene and a wealth of specialist knowledge to help you along the way. What’s more, each remains readily available in various degrees of project state. Which one would you choose, or perhaps have chosen? Let us know via ccb.ed@kelsey.co.uk.…

With so many enthusiasts carrying tales of nightmare bodges, subframe replacement and escalating rust, can the classic Mini really be considered restoration friendly? We think so. The Mini needs very little introduction of course. Alec Issigonis’ pioneering design featured front-wheel-drive, a transverse A-Series engine with its gearbox in the sump, rubber suspension and tiny wheels, thus leaving 80 per cent of the car for passengers and completely changing the blueprint for small cars. After a few early teething troubles, the Mini became an icon. It was produced in countless guises including the legendary Cooper, found favour amongst the rich and famous, became a giant-killer in motorsport, was assembled in factories all over the world and went on to spawn a whole new premium supermini genre. Being in production for 41…

Like the classic Mini, the Beetle needs little introduction although traditionally if you’re a fan of one then you probably won’t be a lover of the other. Regardless, their DIY-friendly make-up is very similar and if anything the Volkswagen has the edge thanks to its original design brief. Forgetting the murky politics of pre-war Germany, the design brief handed to Professor Porsche was to create a car that could be owned and maintained by buyers who were either graduating from a moped or who had never owned any kind of mechanical transport. Air-cooling removed at a stroke the complexity of radiator, water pump and pipework while also allowing the car to live outside in the harsh winters of northern Germany. With no coolant to boil or freeze, the only check…

Mazda’s tribute project to the much-missed classic British sports car was one so well thought-out and thorough, it’s now considered a classic in its own right. The MX-5 took particular inspiration from the Lotus Elan – mimicking its curvaceous styling, balanced weight distribution and even the design of its cam cover – and combined it with traits from the likes of the MGB, Midget and Triumph Spitfire, creating a little sports car that cared not for power, luxury or the driver aids that were becoming increasingly popular, but merely for simple driving pleasure. The hatchback-sourced 1.6- and 1.8-litre four-pots delivered no more than 130bhp (until 2001), which made performance reasonably brisk if thrashed, but neither intimidating to the rear-wheel drive uninitiated, nor substantial enough to risk your licence or regular…

The Hillman Impis perhaps one of the most undervalued and underrated classics of its era. Conceived by young designers at Rootes as a genuine but stylish alternative to the Mini, it emerged in 1963 sporting a sharp suit that resembled the Chevrolet Corvair, and was unusual in having its engine at that back. That engine was a good one too – Coventry Climax’s all-aluminium race motor was developed into a rev-happy 875cc road unit with an impressive 39bhp. But early Imps were less than reliable, and by the time the problems were rectified its image had been sunk. Choose from basic Hillman, sumptuous Singer or sporting Sunbeam models, each of which came as a coupe or saloon, and there was also the Hillman Husky estate and the Commer/Hillman Imp Van.…

This week we’re on South Lambeth Road in London, in 1976 specifically. From left to right, the 1969 Mk1 Mini-Minor looks to be a well-used daily-driver, judging by the numerous dents and what looks like a mismatched driver’s door. An ADO16 is parked in front, while a Datsun 120Y drives past. Looking further right, we think that might be a Fiat 128 Familiare poking out behind the Mk1 Granada/Consul, but we’re open to suggestions. There’s also a Jaguar 420 following an Austin 1300 and Triumph 2000, the latter of which was last licensed in 1986. What else can you spot? Let us know via ccb.ed@kelsey.co.uk.…