Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Classic Car Mart

Welcome… AUTOMOTIVE EXTREMES In this job, you expect to be hopping in and out of a varied selection of vehicles every month, but even by the standards of classic car publications the last few days have been unusually random. As you’ll read on page 84, it’s project car changeover time again and that means we’ve needed to move on the cars we acquired back at the start of the year by drawing vehicle buying budgets out of a hat. It now seems like a blissfully innocent pre-Covid world where our biggest worry was how to buy a Ford Puma for under a grand. It’s fair to say we didn’t expect one buyer to snap all three cars up at once but that’s what happened and the task was then to…

CHECK OUT LOADS MORE NEWS AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK WHEELER DEALERS COMES HOME Wheeler Dealers is to return across the Atlantic after six years away. Series 17 of Discovery’s hit TV series will air in late summer or autumn of 2021, but instead of being filmed in California, it will be back on UK soil with a new workshop at Bicester Heritage. Current mechanic Ant Anstead will depart as a series regular, opening the door for former F1 mechanic Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley to join the show as Mike Brewer’s third co-host since the show began in 2003. The announcement is likely to be met with approval from UK fans as Brewer and the show’s producers have received criticism in the past for the show being based in the US. Mike and Elvis…

DVCA, ONLINE, OCTOBER 22 DVCA returned to action for its first classic car sale since March on October 22, moving to a behind-closed-doors online format to keep its clients safe. Commission and telephone bids were accepted in the normal way, with prospective purchasers able to view the cars on site beforehand. The catalogue didn’t disappoint, with a varied collection of vehicles on offer that would have surely turned plenty of heads at a physical auction. These ranged from pre-war models right through to modern classics, with plenty of alluring entries in between. The star of the show was a 1937 SS Jaguar 2.5-litre Sports Saloon, which sold for £50,600. It was joined among the pre-war ranks by a 1934 two-seater Singer Nine Le Mans that sold for £26,400, while the…

CRITICAL ACCLAIM On the eve of its 40th birthday, we revisit the Triumph Acclaim: a historic moment for Leyland and British car production as a whole. Words: Joe Miller Photography: Simon Goldsworthy By the 1980s, the once great British Leyland empire was in tatters. The public perception of the company was tarnished by the extensive industrial action of the 1970s and the quality of the cars they were actually producing was falling behind the competition – Morris Ital, anyone? With struggling finances and its reputation at an all-time low, BL was at risk of going under. It needed a lifeline, and it got one: Honda. BL formed a partnership with the Japanese company to learn from their famously classleading reliability and quality, whilst Honda would learn from Britain how to…

ROUND UP: FOUR-DOOR VALUE BREAK ON THROUGH What is it about the iconic sports cars that appeals so much and drives lofty values? We break it down to the mechanicals and sneak in some extra doors, to see if you can have your saloon and race it too WORDS: AARON MCKAY The sleek bodywork propelled through idyllic geography at a rate of knots by an engine – oh what an engine – that burbles, fizzes, sings. It’s what many spend their tens, hundreds, multiples of thousands of pounds on – curved metal and mechanical marvel. Almost every exotic, super, iconic car is made by its engine – the beating heart, the metaphors never end – but what if you don’t have an open-ended savings account? Are you destined to be…

SPECIAL EDITIONS The Silverstone special edition was released in 2000 just before the British Grand Prix at the circuit which saw Jaguar’s short-lived entry into the Formula One scene having rebranded the Stewart Racing team. The idea was that the limited edition would celebrate Jaguar’s long association with the Northamptonshire circuit in saloon racing which had seen it take victory in models ranging from the XK120, MkVII, and MkII to XJS and XJRS. Limited to 100 cars – 50 coupe and 50 convertible – the Silverstone featured Platinum Silver paintwork and 20-inch ‘Detroit’ split-rim wheels as well as special Silverstone badging and unique interior trim including black seats with red piping and smoked Maple wood. The cars also featured the full range of ‘R’ performance options, including 30-profile P-Zero tyres…

RETROCARS MARKET TRENDS 1990s ROVERS With the growing popularity of 1990s classics, it’s no surprise that Britain’s once-proud Rover marque attracts a bigger following than many. Words: Craig Cheetham ROVER METRO (1990-1998) Be it patriotic enthusiasm or a rose-tinted affection for a lost British brand, there’s a lot of Rover love out there at the moment and that’s finally starting to be reflected in the prices, with the best examples of ’90s Rovers finally achieving decent sales results. Aside from the Mini, which has its own collectability, the smallest 1990s Rover was the Metro, or 100 as it became when it sprouted a shiny grille. Years of festering in the banger doldrums with values eroding as rapidly as its rear wheelarches are now behind the Metro, and while £1000 was enough…

BUYING GUIDE: TOYOTA CELICA T230 – 1999 TO 2006 LUCKY SEVEN The Celica is celebrating its half century, which makes it the perfect time to take a closer look at the final generation. Words: Chris Randall Once a staple of the UK’s sports car scene, the last Celica rolled off the production line in April 2006 and it’s that final seventh generation that interests us here. Where some previous iterations had drawn on Toyota’s rally heritage the T230 instead concentrated on being an engaging sports car that was equally at home on the daily commute as it was providing B-road thrills. Revealed as a concept at the 1999 Detroit Motor Show, there was an edgier, more angular look for the new model and European sales began in November the same…

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CHECK OUT LOADS MORE NEWS AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK PLUGS&LEADS BERKELEY IS BACK Berkeley, famed for producing sporting microcars between 1956 and 1960, is making a comeback. The company is to produce a new sports car at its original premises at the Old Warden aerodrome in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, launching in April 2021. The new car will be called the Berkeley Bandit, reviving a name from the firm’s failed attempt at producing a mainstream sports car in 1960. The original Bandit was due to be powered by a Ford engine rather than the motorcycle units of previous cars, but only two prototypes managed to make it out of the factory before the company was liquidated. Former aviation and automotive designer Martin Rees and motorsport engineer Simon Scleater are relaunching the marque with a…

MINI EV KIT LAUNCHED Swindon Powertrain is now taking orders for a new kit to convert a classic Mini to electric power. Following the launch of the brand’s own Swind E electric Mini, the Wiltshire firm has responded to strong demand to create the kit, which has been designed to fit with no body modifications and weighs in at just over 70kg – roughly half that of an original Mini’s engine and gearbox combined. The package comprises an 80kW continuous (120kW peak) HPD E Powertrain system mounted to an original classic Mini front subframe, with specially designed inner CV joint housings that allow the fitment of standard Mini driveshaft assemblies. It also comes complete a standard differential, but there’s an option for an LSD. In addition, a whole myriad of…

Classic Crossword 179 Clues Across 4 _ Opel, founder of the marque (4) 6 _ ignition, a first on the Fiat Dino (10) 8 & 22 across Cloned a car but under a different name (5,10) 9 Executive Vauxhall models introduced in 1994 (6) 10 Eastern Bloc maker of the T613 (5) 12 Daihatsu hatchbacks introduced in 1998 (7) 15 Four-seat Lamborghinis that arrived in the late 1960s (7) 16 A 4x4 Subaru that we knew better as the L-Series (5) 18 Two-door Austin released in the late 1940s (6) 20 Bentley's more affordable alternative to the Mulsanne (5) 22 See 8 across 23 German coachbuilder known for BMW cabriolets (4) Clues Down 1 Restyled Minis introduced in 1969 (8) 2 Car colour synonymous with British racing (5) 3 Mr…

SWVA, POOLE, OCTOBER 30 South Western Vehicle Auctions continued to return great prices for its sellers, with 98 cars in the auction and 94 per cent sold, with several going far in excess of their estimates. The October 30 auction might not have been quite as strong as the June sale, where 99 per cent of lots sold, but it still bucked the trend seen at other classic car auctions. The star of the sale was a Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier with only 40,960 warranted miles since it was first put on the road 40 years ago. Despite having an estimate of £1900 to £2500, it sold for an incredible £7100, excluding buyer’s fees. This Cavalier GLS 2000 four-door saloon was sold by its second owner, who had bought it from…

TWIN TEST: Saab 900 v BMW E30 OPEN SEASON The Saab 900 convertible is widely seen as one of the most enduring classics of the 1980s. But can it challenge the mighty BMW? WORDS: SAM SKELTON PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL WALTON Four seat convertibles are rather pleasant things to have. Often they’re not too sporty, they’re fun for all the family and they still allow you to enjoy the wind in your hair. It’s a formula that works well, as any number of Triumph Stag and Mercedes convertible owners will attest. But most of these cars are fetching values that put them beyond the reach of the average enthusiast. If you want genuine classic status and a four-seat tourer, there aren’t many cars you can choose from if you’re on a tighter…

BUYING GUIDE: Mk1 & Mk2 ESCORT POPULAR APPEAL Although prices for desirable sporting examples of the early Escort have gone through the roof, an unmodified saloon or an estate are far more affordable. Here’s what to look out for when viewing a possible candidate. By the mid-1960s, a pan-European programme involving Ford’s still independent research centres in the UK and Germany to replace the 105E Anglia was starting to gather pace. Although Ford’s then Birmingham-based research centre had explored a front-wheel drive set-up, along with a rear engine, a decision was made to produce the new car around the outgoing model’s rear-wheel drive format and to opt for a MacPherson strut front suspension layout instead of anything too radical. The decision not to adopt a more adventurous drivetrain had obviously…

LIVING WITH THE RANGE ROVER P38A THE ANTI-CLIMAX Air suspension, electronic everything… recipe for disaster? Not quite: the whole 2.2 tonnes of Range Rover P38 isn’t the horror show you might think. Words: Aaron McKay The P38 is in a good place right now: a quarter century after its release in 1994, it’s becoming a classic. It’s been a tough road to follow in the path of its original predecessor, later literally called the Classic, but with enough subsequent generations there’s now space for the P38 to gain some mainstream appreciation. While some traditionalists might have been sceptical at the time, there were enough of them to buy the new Range Rover plus a huge new group of customers making up the burgeoning luxury 4x4 market that, in the mid-1990s…

RETRO RIVALS: BMW E36 v AUDI A4 UPWARDLY MOBILE Audi’s A4 and the BMW E36 3-Series began the premium assault on Britain’s company car fleets-but which was the better car? Words: Andrew Everett BMW 3-SERIES When BMW’s second-generation ‘E30’ 3-Series was launched in late 1982, it represented a significant improvement over the original ‘E21’ model without diluting the essential BMW character. Over its ten year life (12 if you take the last Touring estates into account) the E30 was gradually improved but as popular as it was, you do wonder if it was the BMW badge that carried it some of the way. Sparsely equipped, not overly generous on rear legroom and with arm-twirling steering – over four turns lock to lock – as well as a chassis that still…

TAILGATE LETTING GO Ian Cushway reminds you to use it or just maybe lose it. Your old car, that is. It’s been a pretty rubbish year, hasn’t it? Shortages of toilet paper, lack of car shows and, worst of all, lack of employment in some cases, have all taken their toll on morale. Since February, it feels like we’ve all been living in a depressing, Groundhog Day-like episode of Eastenders. For many of us, the only thing, apart from family and the need to feed the cat, that has given us the enthusiasm to get up in the morning has been our cars. The prospect of tinkering with our classics, finally sorting the jobs on it we’ve been putting off, or simply sitting with a mug of hot tea adoring…

PEUGEOT LAUNCHES RESTORATION SERVICE Peugeot has celebrated its 210th anniversary by launching a new service in France to restore and sell models from its back catalogue. It will operate from the workshops of the company’s own museum – the Musée de l’Aventure in Sochaux – with engineers already hard at work restoring a 205 GTi to factory fresh specification. Peugeot has chosen to resuscitate a later 1.9 variant in black, with the shell already stripped of its engine, suspension and interior. Any rust holes the engineers find are being filled in with the correct gauge steel and stamped to match the original panels, with an army of engine builders, panel beaters, painters and trimmers on hand to complete the restoration. Luckily, the French firm has been hoarding parts for its…

CHECK OUT LOADS MORE NEWS AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK JEC TO GIVE AWAY V8 JAGUAR The Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club is giving away a sure-fire future classic to raise money for the Haemophilia Society. A £2 raffle ticket could be all it takes for a lucky winner to drive away in a desirable 2014 Jaguar XK Coupe next May. The JEC’s fundraising efforts are particularly poignant in these challenging times, with the impact of Covid-19 devastating for charities. This year the club has chosen the Haemophilia Society as its beneficiary, which is the only UK-wide charity for all those affected by a genetic bleeding disorder. It’s a condition that affects more than 36,000 men, women and children in the UK – a number that’s rising every year. Speaking about why the charity was…

AUCTION NEWS H&H CLASSICS, ONLINE, OCTOBER 21 Just a week after its first public-facing sale since lockdown at Duxford, October 21 saw H&H Classics back in action for the firm’s regular monthly ABC online auction. It proved to be a particularly attractive sale for fans of 1980s MGs too, with several rare examples up for grabs. A 1985 MG Metro Turbo was arguably the star of the show, having covered less than 10,000 miles in its 35 years. These cars are desirable in any case, but as a Mk1 version and a barely used one at that, it was no surprise to see it sell for close to £18,000 with fees – more than twice that of a more modest 1984 MG Metro 1300, which itself sold for an impressive…

MARKET TRENDS 1960s MERCEDES Widely considered to be a golden era for the three-pointed star, the 1960s Mercedes have become highly prized classics with prices to match Words: Aaron McKay W111/W112 S-Class (1959-1971) Slightly smaller but just as finely appointed as the famous Adenauer models, the W111 and top W112 models can be considered as the beginning of the S-Class as we know it. They introduced a new design language for the 1960s, with upright headlights and finned tails, and have remained attractive to classic Mercedes enthusiasts ever since. The coupes and convertibles, relatively rare in right-hand-drive, have always been more expensive than the saloons. Expensive when new, depreciation was slow and then by the 1990s they were quickly becoming recognised classics with the prices to match. A 220SE convertible…

DATABASE: JAGUAR XK8 / XK 1996-2013 The E-Type reincarnation which most definitely wasn’t an F-Type. Words: Paul Wager The XJ-S may be accepted without question as a fully fledged classic Jaguar today, yet for much of its lifespan it lived in the shadow of the E-Type. The boldly modern, forwardlooking XJ-S may have been technically superior to the E-Type in every way, yet its grand touring focus took the marque in a different direction from the older car. It was a direction which was more in tune with changing times, but by the early 1990s, retro was all the rage and with the XJ-S (by then the facelifted XJS) itself ageing, a replacement was needed. Work on replacing the sports coupe in Jaguar’s line-up had taken several false starts and…

PROJECT CAR: FORD ESCORT XR3i TIMING IS EVERYTHING The Escort gets a tune-up and meets some rivals. WORDS: PAUL WAGER Last month saw us tidying up the interior of the Escort but with the mysterious rough running having returned. As before, I suspected a misfire and that’s definitely how it felt, but chatting to the professionals in the shape of my local garage suggested it was more likely to be a sticking lifter. One of the selling features of the all-new Mk3 Escort back in 1980 was the reduced servicing requirements of the all-new CVH engine compared to the previous models and one of the ways this was achieved was by using hydraulic tappets. Needing no manual adjustment at service time, they reduced the workshop time dramatically but are known…

ENDANGERED SPECIES: FORD PUMA AND COUGAR ON THE PROWL The Puma and Cougar were Ford’s cool cats for the late 1990s, but both are in danger of disappearing into the night. Words: Jeff Ruggles Ford didn’t really enjoy the best of starts to the 1990s, beginning the decade with the Mk5 Escort that was roundly slated by just about every journalist and his dog. But such stinging criticism proved to be the kick up the behind Ford needed, and it would set the Blue Oval on course to reinvent itself as the 1990s progressed. The results were impressive. Ford managed to make the Escort a far better car thanks to a series of choice tweaks, before going straight to the top of the rep class with the launch of the…

RETRO PROJECTS STAFF CLASSICS Signing off on our retro project car fleet. All good things come to an end and it’s no less true in the case of our 2020 project cars. Check our Classics World YouTube channel and you’ll see the editorial team drawing their project car budgets out of the hat back in the new year, but with all that’s happened to the world since, it seems so much longer ago. To recap, Aaron was very much the winner, with his £1500 ticket looking sufficient to secure the Land Rover or Mercedes we knew he wanted, while Jeff was convinced he could stretch his £1000 to a Ford Puma. Thrifty Joe meanwhile, despite having drawn the £700 ticket, spent only around half of that on buying the actual…