Innholdsfortegnelse for 4/23/2025 i Classic Car Buyer

The 82nd Goodwood Members’ Meeting, held on April 12–13 at Goodwood Circuit, played host to a parade of 70 Alpine cars fittingly brought together to celebrate the brand’s 70th anniversary. The display featured models spanning Alpine’s history, from the original A110 and A310 to the later GTA and A610, tracing the company’s evolution from its 1960s racing roots to the present day. The parade also included Alpine’s current A110 range and saw the first UK appearance of the new A290, an all-electric hot hatch based on the critically acclaimed Renault 5 and recently crowned Car of the Year for 2025. The Alpine celebration formed part of a wider weekend of motorsport at the Members’ Meeting. Some 40,000 visitors were in attendance over the weekend to witness big names like Alex…

Techno Classica enjoyed a busy last hurrah as it returned to the Messe Essen exhibition centre on April 9-13, 2025 for the 35th and final time. Since the inaugural show in 1989, the event has grown to become one of the largest and most prolific classic car events on the planet, attracting a bumper international crowd of enthusiasts, collectors and professionals to Germany’s industrial Ruhr region. At one point, Techno Classica was by far the largest classic car show in Europe, and while it’s shrunk a bit in recent years and the manufacturers’ displays are no more, it still makes for a major spectacle. Eight packed halls and a couple of bustling outdoor areas featured over 1250 exhibitors from 30 nations, with more than 2700 classics for sale. Clubs have…

VAUXHALL FRONTERA (1991-2004) Following the success and popularity of the Japanese 4x4s as family cars or ‘lifestyle’ products, Vauxhall decided it wanted a piece of the action. Handily, it could take advantage of a shortcut – parent company GM also owned Isuzu, so the Japanese firm’s MU model was rebadged as the Vauxhall Frontera, built in Luton and fitted with more familiar Vauxhall/Opel engines. The chunky styling made a good first impression, and the Frontera also boasted four-wheel drive, low range and a differential lock. Offered in a three- or more family-friendly four-door guise with swing away tailgate, the Frontera carried a low price tag of just £12,250 for the three-door and £16,000 for the four-door, some £2500 cheaper than a Land Rover Discovery. Sadly, it wasn’t all good news…

Was it really as long ago as 1965 that Britain’s builders could finally find an easy home for every sheet of 8x4 they needed? Was it 60 years ago that Ford finally built a van that handled like a car, and that a phenomenal dynasty was founded? OK, a Transit is a Transit — but over the years derivatives have become rally barges, motorhomes, four-wheel-drive load luggers, crew buses, flat beds, police vans, mobile libraries, pop group transport, executive transport… It all started in 1962 when Henry Ford II, no less, was growing increasingly irritated by the way that his British and German subsidiaries were competing, head-to-head, with each other in the showrooms of Europe. When both companies once again came to him, begging bowls in hand, both wanting to…

BMW E39 540i TOURING There aren’t many V8-powered estate cars, but the top-spec non-M E39 5 Series offered performance to rival the MG in a roomier, better-built package. Next to the ZT, the 540i is rarer, usually automatic and for some, lacking character. FORD MONDEO ST220 ESTATE Take one well-rounded but anonymous repmobile and add a smooth V6 powerplant, and you get one of the most underrated performance cars of the 21st century. The ST220 doesn’t go, nor sound like the ZT 260, but is superb dynamically and pleasingly subtle. VAUXHALL MONARO If you fancy V8 power in a big, comfy cruiser with a British badge, the Monaro – an Australian Holden Commodore by another name – is handsome, charming and plentiful. We love the big Vauxhall, but it’s nowhere…

A huge stash of barn-find classics is set to go under the hammer in South Gloucestershite on June 28, comprising a collection of over 170 hugely varied cars amassed over many years by a single owner. The vendor now feels it’s time to move them on, and has instructed Tewkesbury firm F.M. Hutchings to offer the cars and much associated paraphernalia for public auction. Among the images, we could spot various Mercedes, a Jensen-Healey, a Golf GTI Cabriolet, a Triumph TR7, an Alfa Spider, Porsche 924 and 944s, a TVR Chimaera, a host of Peugeot 205s, various Jaguars including an XJ-C, Land Rovers, MGBs and various pre-war cars. We also spotted an Aston Martin DBS and a 1960s Cadillac Eldorado. In addition, there are tractors, signs, and much more besides.…

The Lakeland Motor Museum has expanded its collection by adding two new display cars to its collection – and they offer quite a contrast. First up is a 1939 Vauxhall 10-4 H-Type saloon, a model famed for being the first British car to feature unitary construction. Donated by the family of Mr. David Brunton from Bonnyrigg, near Edinburgh, the museum becomes this car’s third owner in 86 years. Over the years, the car underwent extensive restorations, including repairs in the 1990s after a storm collapsed the garage roof where it was being worked on. Before his passing, Mr. Brunton wished for the car to be displayed in a museum for future generations to appreciate. After being donated to Lakeland Motor Museum, the car underwent three years of restoration work and…

The first Hobbs Parker classic car auction of 2025 was perhaps the best sale we’ve seen from the Ashford auction house, with all manner of rare, eclectic and high-quality cars crossing the blocks to sell for impressive sums. Exotica was something of a theme, headlined by the 1991 Ferrari 348 TB that began life in Kuwait and had just 50,000 miles to its name, which sold for £42,075. Next came a 2011 Pilgrim Sumo – a modern replica of the AC Cobra, powered by a Chevrolet 5.7-litre V8 – that changed hands for an impressive £30,525, while V8 roadster fanciers bid a 2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage convertible up to a £26,015 final sum. Other drop-tops to sell well included an immaculate 2004 BMW E46 M3 Cabriolet that fetched £20,625,…

The winter is long, cold and often quite disheartening for classic car enthusiasts, with very few events taking place, roads ravaged by salt and damp and many of us tucking our beloved cars away for months. Now spring has sprung, days are longer, the weather is – hopefully – warmer and summer is fast approaching, it’s time to get back out and enjoy the classic car hobby. We’ve brought together our favourite ways to easily and effectively upgrade and improve your classic, as well as the best roads to enjoy it on and a comprehensive listing of events to attend. What will you and your classic be up to this summer? Let us know via ccb.ed@kelsey.co.uk.…

APRIL Pride of Longbridge Date: April 26 Location: Cofton Park, Birmingham Great British Land Rover Show Date: April 26-27 Location: Bath & West Showground Website: gblandrovershow.co.uk Drive It Day Date: April 27 Location: Nationwide Website: fbhvc.co.uk/drive-it-day Bicester Scramble Date: April 27 Location: Bicester Heritage Website: bicesterheritage.co.uk Ultimate BMW Meet Date: April 27 Location: British Motor Museum, Gaydon Website: britishmotormuseum.co.uk Simply British Date: April 27 Location: National Motor Museum, Beaulieu Website: beaulieu.co.uk MAY NSRA Nostalgia Nationals Date: May 2-4 Location: Santa Pod Raceway Website: santapod.co.uk Donington Historic Festival Date: May 2-4 Location: Donington Park Website: doningtonhistoric.com Italian Car Day Date: May 3 Location: Brooklands Museum Website: brooklandsmuseum.com Land Rover Show Date: May 3-4 Location: British Motor Museum, Gaydon Website: britishmotormuseum.co.uk Magnificent Motors Date: May 3-4 Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex Website: visiteastbourne.com/magnificent-motors…

The Alvis Car Company – the modern incarnation of the famous British car maker – has revealed its latest hand-made continuation model. The Alvis Lancefield is a continuation of a one-off model originally made for the 1938 London Motor Show, resplendent with Art Deco coachwork. Based on designs from Alvis Car Company’s archive of over 25,000 original drawings, the Lancefield’s bodywork took 3800 man hours to complete. Its traditional construction comprises aluminium hand-formed over a bespoke ash frame, built atop a galvanised steel chassis. Under the long bonnet is a 4387cc straight-six built to original specifications but fitted with modern fuel injection and electronic engine management, plus a catalytic converter. There are also indicators and a collapsible steering column to meet legislation. The new car is ‘built to be used’…

A 5187-mile example of the rare and somewhat ill-fated MG XPower SV muscle car is up for auction in Historics’ May 3 sale at Farnborough International exhibition centre. The SV was produced between 2003 and 2005, and with this example delivered in 2007, it is one of the last to be registered. After MG Rover’s closure, Oakfields in Hampshire completed the builds and fulfilled the remaining orders, including this car. This example boasts optional CCW wheels, contrasting cooling vents, and a second lip spoiler, standing out even more for what is already a rare and unusual car. Finished in metallic black with black leather interior, it looks to be immaculate inside and out. Included with the car are the original bill of sale, manuals, service book copies, and invoices for…

The next Historics auction offers the typical broad range of high-quality and beautifully-presented classics for all tastes. The Jaguar contingent is fantastic, headlined by a 1966 E-Type Series 1 4.2 FHC that’s been beautifully restored throughout to ‘Sayer spec’ and is likely to exceed its £120,000-£150,000 estimate. More affordable E-Type experience can be had courtesy of a 1974 Series 3 V12 Roadster, whose smart Azure Blue bodywork houses the rare manual gearbox and carries an attractive £32,000-£36,000 guide, while a 1990 example of the XJ-S V12 Convertible that succeeded it has just 55,000 miles on the clock is guided at £18,000-£23,000. If you prefer your Jaguars four-door, a 1985 Series 3 XJ6 4.2 is resplendent in Gunmetal Grey and temptingly offered without reserve, while a 2007 X358 XJR offers all…

Owning a classic car means almost deliberately forgoing modern refinements and technology for a more characterful, interesting experience. However, life with a classic doesn’t have to mean an unpleasant, awkward, problematic or uncomfortable one – once you’ve serviced, maintained and thoroughly checked your car, there are plenty of cost-effective ways to improve comfort, safety and driving enjoyment. To this end, we’ve picked a dozen choice upgrades that will improve how you live with almost any classic car. Some will improve the way it performs, others its longevity and reliability, some its safety, and others are just nice to have. But have we made a glaring omission? What’s the best way you’ve improved your classic? Write in to ccb.ed@kelsey.co.uk and let us know. ELECTRIC FAN/COOLING UPGRADE We all like to drive…

In the midst of the traffic-packed Easter holidays, at least the vehicles looked nicer in Basingstoke in 1960. An Austin 8 leads the jam, followed by a Standard Pennant and Ford 100E. Looking down the line, other highlights include a Citroën Traction Avant, Morris Minor ‘Splitty’, Austin Seven and an Anglia 105E van – with 1950s cooling systems, we wouldn’t be surprised to see some high temperature gauges. We think the random roadster is a is possibly a Markham-Peasey Sabre, based on a pre-war Ford Ten chassis. Apparently, the chassis extension pieces were made from Dexion! What else can you spot? Let us know via ccb.ed@kelsey.co.uk.…