Innholdsfortegnelse for 11/22/2023 i Classic Car Buyer

A 1981 Morris Ital with just 4550 miles on its odometer is heading to auction next month. The Vermillion 1300 HL four-door is a rare survivor, having been dry stored for many years before being bequeathed to the vendor by his neighbour in 2017 – a ‘Ziebart’ sticker in the rear window providing a clue as to why the remarkable Morris presents in such preserved condition today. Forming part of the CCA Christmas auction to be held at the Warwickshire Event Centre on December 9, the car is offered without reserve. View this car, and the rest of the sale catalogue, at classiccarauctions.co.uk.…

A 1954 Jaguar XK120 once owned by renowned British racing driver, Patsy Burt, is heading to auction with H&H Classics next week. The fixed-head coupe, ‘OLF 460’, was once the pride and joy of Britain’s most accomplished lady racing driver, who rose above gender biases to enjoy a career in road cars and single-seaters. One of only 195 XK120s built in right-hand drive specification, the famous Jaguar became a symbol of Burt’s determination and now boasts a potent version of the 3.8-litre XK DOHC engine with numerous modern upgrades. Damian Jones, senior motorcar specialist at H&H Classics, said: “The Jaguar XK120 holds a significant place in British motoring, especially with its ties to Patsy Burt’s legacy in motorsport. It’s a privilege to have this vehicle at our auction. Beyond its…

Iconic Auctioneers – formerly known as Silverstone Auctions – returned to host its headline sale at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show on the weekend of November 10-12. A dedicated enclosure in Hall Two allowed viewing on Friday, followed by the car auction on Saturday and the motorcycle sale on Sunday. The eclectic mix of cars spanned everything from the pre-war period to modern classics of the 2000s and beyond, with plenty of curios among the varied lots and a handful of exciting thoroughbred competition machines thrown in for good measure. In total 166 cars, 246 motorcycles and 150 lots of automobilia went under the hammer achieving a combined sale rate for cars and motorcycles of 70 per cent, and a total sales value of£7 million. The headline result was…

Deciding to take on a classic car restoration is a major milestone in the career of an enthusiast. Some may reach this point because their beloved classic has grown too tired to keep on the road, while others see buying a basket case as a way to work gradually towards their dream car. Regardless of starting point, with a bit of planning even the most complex of cars can be restored. Understand the basics, know where to go for help and advice, and be ready to hand some jobs over to the professionals when you reach the limit of your abilities; anything is possible if this basic formula can be adhered to. Done right, the world of classic car restoration can be one of immense satisfaction and fun. Over the…

FIAT PANDA – SIMON GOLDSWORTHY The Fiat Panda was meant to be a cheap-as-chips antidote to the Bentley Turbo R project we were running at the time on Classics World magazine. It was a low-mileage car with under 35,000 miles on the clock, but those had been London miles which can be tough. Still, with lockdown restrictions in place at the time and pages to be filled, for £1400 we were tempted to buy it sight unseen. After all, it had a fresh MoT, so what could possibly go wrong? Well, enough to fill nine instalments in the magazine, that’s for sure! That fresh MoT must have been applied for by post, because we ended up overhauling and replacing much of the braking system, the suspension and the steering, while…

We visit early ’60s West London for this week’s flashback, where the Chiswick Flyover is under construction. The archive caption refers to it as part of the M4 motorway, but in this image dated October 1963, the road was yet to become part of the M4 and the traffic in shot is driving on the original A4. Closest to the camera we see a Vauxhall Cresta in ‘PB’ guise. It’s followed by another Vauxhall, this being an older Victor and in the left-hand lane there’s a Ford challenger in the shape of a Zephyr. The grain of the high-speed ’60s film makes the car behind the pair of Vauxhalls tricky to identify accurately, but we reckon it might just be a third Vauxhall – a reminder of just how prominent…

The design of the MG TF remained largely unchanged during its lifetime, though it did come in for a raft of tweaks towards the end, all designed to keep it competitive against peers such as the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota MR2. While the mild facelift of 2005 did not deliver the full interior redesign that some had wished for, it did serve to improve ride comfort levels with revised suspension. The 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine produced 134bhp, delivering a respectable a 0-60mph sprint time of 8.2 seconds, while specification improvements across the range added further appeal. The MG TF 135 on offer here is finished in extremely rare Black Pearl with a Grenadine/Black interior, and has covered a remarkably low 3600 miles from new. Purchased from the administrators and still wearing…

SILVERSTONE AT 75 The home of British motorsport celebrates its milestone 75th anniversary this year, prompting us to look back on its fascinating history. CLASSIC CHOICE Three 1970s saloons battle for our affections as the Morris Marina and Ford Cortina take on the Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1. BUYING A DAIMLER SP250 The Daimler SP250 ‘Dart’ offers individuality and exclusivity – but does that make it a sensible choice today? We cover everything you need to know. 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…

Drivers of older petrol and diesel cars are facing higher car parking fees thanks to the growing introduction of Ultra Low Emissions Parking (ULEP). Several councils around the UK are implementing emissions-based parking charges, which see motorists driving the most polluting vehicles paying more to park. The City of London has operated a ULEP scheme since 2018, which sees electric, hydrogen or hybrid vehicles charged £5 per hour to park, whereas petrol vehicles registered from 2005, and diesels from 2015, pay £7.20 and any other vehicle pays £10 per hour. In many areas in the city residents with older vehicles are forced to pay additional annual fees on top of their parking permits – those in Haringey pay an extra £80 per year. The Borough of Merton is considering the…

A new motor museum has opened this week in Taunton. The County Classics Motor Museum is the result of a four-year plan by local businessman and enthusiast, Patrick Hawkins, and was opened on Monday in a special ceremony featuring TV’s Richard Hammond, with the first members of the public admitted on Tuesday. Located in Taunton town centre in a former department store building dating from 1836, the new museum in North Street is arranged over two floors and home to around 100 cars and 80 motorcycles mostly dating from the 1960s to the 1990s (it even includes an aeroplane). Visitors can also enjoy a café and a small shop. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the website: countyclassicsmotormuseum.co.uk or alternatively you can contact the museum via 01823 253777.…

Aston Martin has been celebrating 30 years since the arrival of its Vantage V550. Fewer than 240 examples of the 2+2 coupe were built between 1993 and 1999, which at launch was the fastest and most powerful production Aston Martin yet built thanks to its 5.3-litre twin supercharged V8 with 550bhp and 550lb.ft of torque. The V8 Vantage V550 had been unveiled a year earlier at the British Motor Show of 1992, and by the time production cars were ready to be handed over in late 1993, the model had already begun to acquire near mythical status. Rave reviews created a frenzy of excitement around the new car. Styled by designers Ken Greely and John Heffernan, the V8 Vantage V550is widely considered an engineering and styling tour de force. It…

WB & Sons has enjoyed perhaps its best year yet, with its December 2 auction set to finish 2023 in fine style. As ever for the Newcastle auction house, variety proves the spice of life, with projects through to potential museum pieces set to cross the block. British luxury is especially plentiful, with a 2001 Jaguar XKR showing just 64,000 miles guided at £3500-£4500, and a 2003 example of its X350 XJ stablemate complete with an extensive history carrying the same estimate. In addition, a rare 2003 Bentley Arnage R is predicted to change hands for £15,000-£20,000. More traditional Brits are prevalent too, with something for all tastes and budgets. The Hillman Minx remains an affordable entry to classic motoring, with a gorgeous blue 1957 example available in this sale…

WHICH MODEL? Very often, your choice of make and model will be dictated by your past. Maybe you want to revisit childhood memories by restoring a car similar to one your parents owned when you were a kid, or perhaps it is the first car you had on the road as a teenager that is pulling the nostalgia strings. Be careful not to see things through rosetinted spectacles through, and see if you can try an example of the car you favour out on the road to ensure that you do actually like it, and can still fit in it… Nowadays, it may well be a car from the 1980s or 1990s that floats the good ship nostalgia for you, and these are generally much easier to jump into and…

JANE LEDGERWOOD’S MINI PICK-UP – MINIWORLD The Ledgerwood family bought their 1985 Mini Pick-up new, but after serving a practical role as an engineer’s works van and trials motorbike carrier, its gearbox failed in 1990 and it went on to spend the next quarter of a century locked in a barn. When that barn had to be demolished, Jane’s dad, Phil, set about a restoration. It didn’t look too bad, but a stripdown revealed many of the panels were beyond repair. The cab and load area floors, both inner and outer wings, along with the front panel and lower screen panel, all had to be replaced, with the bare shell placed on a rotating spit to improve access. The 90,000-mile engine and faulty gearbox were also treated to a home…

AUSTIN METRO The Metro was meant to replace the Mini, yet the former ended up outlasting it. Pre-1990 A-Series cars make a good alternative though, sharing many of the same mechanical bits while also boasting a lot more space for passengers and luggage. Just watch for rust. FIAT CINQUECENTO A rival for the Mini in the mid-1990s, the Cinquecento offered neat styling combined with a willing engine and plenty of smiles, especially in Sporting guise. The Fiat will be far cheaper and less rust-prone too, but it doesn’t boast the Mini’s legendary status. NISSAN FIGARO While the Mini was a ’50s design available in the ’90s, the Figaro was a 1991 car designed to evoke the ’50s. Fitted with a turbocharged 998cc engine and automatic ‘box, it was based on…

The rebirth of TWR has gained momentum with the announcement of its first project car, which will be based on the classic Jaguar XJ-S. The modern iteration of TWR – now run by Tom Walkinshaw’s son, Fergus, will work with automotive stylists Magnus Walker and Khyzyl Saleem on a reimagined version of the British classic. The XJ-S was produced between 1975 and 1996, with the original TWR producing uprated XJR versions. The reinvented TWR version promises to bring the car into the 21stcentury. Walker joins as Design Consultant, while digital designer Saleem continues his work for TWR as Vehicle Designer. Khyzyl Saleem said: “I’m designing something pretty badass and helping to create a truly relevant TWR for the 21st century. The XJ-S has been seen as sort of unloved, a…

A 19-year-old from Underwood in Nottinghamshire has been announced as the new apprentice at classic car visitor attraction, Great British Car Journey. Riley Smith joins the Derbyshire museum as he embarks on a Level Three Apprenticeship in Digital Marketing, with his new role set to include marketing Great British Car Journey’s online range of merchandise. Having completed a work experience placement at the Ambergate site last year, Riley went on to adopt a weekend position as a coordinator for the popular Drive Dad’s Car experience, and is one of two young classic car enthusiast apprentices now employed at the award-winning classic car attraction. “I didn’t want to go to university,” said Riley. “I knew that I wanted to have a lived-experience of industry. Great British Car Journey has been a…

SILVER CLOUD I-III (1955-1965) Launched at the same time as its Bentley S-series cousin, the Silver Cloud marked a major step up from its Silver Dawn predecessor. Bigger, more powerful and more stylish, the factory-supplied ‘standard steel’ Cloud was aimed as much at the owner-driver as it was the traditional chauffeur-driven market, and it proved to be an instant hit. The Silver Cloud II of 1959 saw the 4887cc straight-six engine replaced by Rolls-Royce’s all-new 6230cc V8, bringing superior levels of performance and refinement to the range. And just three years later came the Silver Cloud III, which introduced the quad-headlamp arrangement for the first time on a Rolls-Royce. Silver Cloud values appear fairly static at present, with plenty changing hands for sensible money at auction. While you’ll easily pay…

Now we arrive at tools. We’ve deliberately placed this after selecting an assessing a project, as the type of car you’re working on will affect the tools you need. If you’re restoring an old Mini for example, there’s no use in having a metric socket set, and things like rubber spring compressors can be vital. That said, you’ll always need a decent set of hand tools that can be applicable to almost every vehicle. So where do you start? It is very unlikely that anybody embarking on a full restoration will be starting from scratch. Most of us cut our teeth with a little servicing, then build up through minor troubleshooting to major repairs before taking the full restoration plunge. Along the way we will have built up a modest…

MYSTERY SALOON Simon Burtwell contacted us after reading our November 8 issue, where we asked if anyone could identify a mystery saloon car with overriders in our Classic Scenes spread, pictured at Bath train station in 1976. “I first thought it was a Mark 1 Triumph 2000,” he wrote, “but the rear window is wrong. Rover P6, but the bumper didn’t wrap around like that. Rover P5 maybe, but it doesn’t look thick-set enough and there’s no sign of the chrome filler cap that would be on that side. Getting more exotic I tried a Maserati Quattroporte and Lancia Flaminia (there’s something Italian about the shape), but it is not those. Bristol 411 looks close, but I haven’t seen one with overriders. So, my final thought is that could it…