Innholdsfortegnelse for 10/8/2025 i Classic Car Buyer

British electric vehicle conversion specialist Lunaz has celebrated the 70th anniversary of one of the world’s most iconic coachbuilt cars by unveiling what it describes as the world’s first electrified Bentley Continental S1 by James Young. The original Continental S1 was introduced in 1955, with only 13 examples built by the coachbuilder James Young. Lunaz says this particular car underwent more than 5000 hours of restoration work, including a full bare-metal, nut-and-bolt rebuild, before being fitted with the company’s proprietary electric powertrain. The interior was specified in collaboration with the client and features a combination of cognac and Tiffany blue leather, accented by contrasting piping. The cabin also integrates contemporary features such as climate control, heated seats and high-end audio system. The car was presented privately earlier this year at…

LOTUS CORTINA (1963-1970) The iconic Lotus Cortina was a car of mutual benefit. Walter Hayes at Ford saw the potential sales benefits in a successful British Saloon Car Championship campaign, while Lotus was keen to take a step-up in road car production. Ford supplied the painted, trimmed bodyshell, and Lotus did the assembly. Fitted with the same 1558cc engine as the Elan, the cars featured Ermine White paint enhanced by a trademark green stripe, Lotus badging and quarter bumpers. The Lotus Cortina was an instant success. With Team Lotus campaigning the race cars, Jim Clark (who had played an important role in developing and testing the car) won the British Saloon Car Championship in 1964. In 1965, Sir John Whitmore won the European title for Alan Mann Racing. Later cars…

Still in 1980s Bristol this week, we’re less than half a mile from last week’s image here at The Mall in Clifton. The shot is dated February 1982, which either means the Honda Accord Aerodeck outside the antiques shop must be a very early prototype… or that the photo is actually from at least 1985. In front of the Honda we see an early Vauxhall Nova, a Riley Elf or Wolseley Hornet and a ‘70s Triumph with rusty doors, while behind it is a Rover SD1 with the deep front spoiler signifying the Vitesse model, and behind that the barrel-shaped flanks of a Citroën GSA. Further back there’s a Mk1 VW Scirocco, the twin headlights suggesting the injected GLi model, with what looks like a battered Mk1 Escort in front…

BENTLEY T1 The T1 debuted in the same year as the Silver Shadow and replaced the S-Series models, its traditional round-shouldered Bentley front grille being the only material styling difference from the Rolls-Royce. It was also somewhat lower at bonnet height, giving it a slightly more assertive look. DAIMLER DOUBLE SIX/JAGUAR XJ12 With a silky 5.3-litre V12 under the bonnet, the Daimler Double Six and Jaguar XJ12 have a real sense of occasion about them, with delicate controls and wood-veneered interior not dissimilar to the Silver Shadow. There’s less space in the back, though, and they’re not quite as grandiose in appearance. MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS W126 The W126 generation of S-Class was spectacularly over-engineered and was one of the finest cars of its era when new. Today, they’re rapidly increasing in…

The Classic Motor Show will celebrate 50 years of the iconic TV cop show The Sweeney when it takes place at Birmingham’s NEC next month, with the series’ original Consul GT set to play a starring role on the stand of our sister title, Classic Ford. The hit series first aired on our TV screens in 1975, and starred legendary actors John Thaw and Dennis Waterman as no-nonsense Scotland Yard detectives, Jack Regan and George Carter. However, the cars became almost as famous as the actors — particularly the bronze, 3.0-litre Ford Consul GT used by Regan and Carter in the first two series, which was frequently seen being driven round corners on its doorhandles. The show was, and remains, so popular that since it first aired, The Sweeney has…

A Somerset classic car museum rocked by the sudden passing of its founder in August is determined to continue his legacy, with a strong push to continue and build on the venue’s success. Uniquely located in Taunton town centre, County Classics Motor Museum celebrates accessible and affordable cars and motorcycles from the 1950s through the 1990s, with its displays stretching from 1915 to the early 2000s. Opened in November 2023, the museum was the vision of Patrick Hawkins, who overcame huge challenges to repurpose the town’s former County Stores department store. Patrick, known for his kindness and generosity, created the museum as a way of giving back to Taunton after the local hospital flew in a US surgeon to perform the heart operation that saved his life. Sadly, Patrick passed…

Featuring a convertible model right from the off, the Alec Issigonis-designed Morris Minor was something of a revelation when launched in 1948, becoming the company’s first car to use unitary construction and featuring such advances as rack-and-pinion steering. Early ‘low-light’ models (known as the Series MM) would be sold until 1952, though they did get the familiar raised headlamps a year beforehand. Series 2 cars would feature the new 803cc A-Series Austin engine, following Morris’s Merger with Austin to create BMC. The split windscreen remained until the car’s second facelift in 1956, when the engine was increased in capacity to 948cc to create the Morris Minor 1000 – a variant that was far more useable. The 1098cc unit went in from 1962, and made the later cars genuinely lively. The…

You have to love Porsche’s dedication to a project. What was originally intended as a 944 ‘S3’, the 968 changed so much about the base car’s mechanicals, styling and interior, that it was ultimately awarded a new model designation. Indeed, Porsche claimed the 968 was 83 per cent new, though many of the changes were internal. Available as a coupe or a convertible, the 968 was powered by the 944 S2’s 3.0-litre four-pot, featuring a lightweight aluminium block, multi-point fuel injection, and a new variable valve timing system known as VarioCam. Producing 236bhp in standard form, it got the car from 0-60 mph in just over six seconds, making it one of the fastest naturally aspirated sports cars of its era. Porsche also offered the 968 Club Sport, a lighter,…

New figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) suggest that Britain’s growing preference for automatic cars could put traditional classic cars and vans out of reach for a new generation of drivers. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of the 1.8 million driving tests taken in England, Scotland, and Wales last year was in an automatic vehicle, amounting to 479,556 learners. That’s a sharp rise from just 6 per cent of tests a decade ago. Taking the test in an automatic car restricts the driver to a Category B Auto-only licence; to gain a manual licence at a later date is only possible by taking a driving test in a manual car. The trend, driven largely by the shift to electric cars ahead of the 2030 ban…

Hobbs Parker’s autumn classic car sale on October 15-16 looks set to be another busy affair for the Ashford auction house, with over 140 entries at the time of writing. As usual, the sale will take place on a timed online basis, with physical viewing available on the weekdays leading up to the sale. Prestige brands feature heavily, including no fewer than seven Mercedes. These are headlined by a 1964 230SL that’s had over £70,000-worth of restoration work, and could sell for as much as £60,000. Potentially more affordable is a R107-generation 380SL dating from 1981, which is guided at £8000-£10,000, and there are several later cars too. A W210-series E36 AMG catches the eye, as does a 2000 CLK 55 AMG Coupe. Bentley is also well represented, again with…

Based on the ‘Audax’ Minxes, also known as the ‘Series’ models, the Super Minx was a slightly elongated version of the standard model, with a slightly plusher level of trim. That leant itself well to conversion to a four-seater convertible, which arrived alongside the Series I Super Minx in 1962, powered by the 1592cc version of the proven and reliable Rootes OHV engine. Front disc brakes were standard and it was regarded as one of the most pleasant cars of its era to drive, as well as one of the most robust. That quality came at a price, however, and the Super Minx Convertible was never an especially strong seller, leading to the model being withdrawn in 1964. Today, it’s a sought-after variant among Rootes enthusiasts, with its American-inspired exterior…

The Ford Escort topped the sales charts for much of the 1980s – and there were many reasons why. Neatly styled and affordable to both buy and run, it was the perfect no-nonsense family car. But the 1980s was also the era of the yuppie, with Thatcherism in full swing and upwardly mobile young adults keen to show off their success. It’s no wonder, then, that the hot hatch became hot property. Ford’s VW Golf GTI rival, the original Escort XR3 came along in 1980 and used a carburettor-fed 1.6-litre engine developing 95bhp, meaning it never quite had the liveliness to match its looks. That was addressed completely with the launch of the XR3i in 1982, which used a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection set up to give it the verve…