Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2023 i Classic Car Mart

38 It’s a fact of life that all good things must come to an end eventually. Ford’s domination of the passenger car market and its long-running battle with Vauxhall is one such example, and it’s one that inspired the theme of this issue. Sadly, another is this very publication, for this will be the final issue of Classic Car Mart. The title has certainly had an enviable run, first hitting the newsstand in 1993 and remaining there for three decades. So why is it coming to an end? Well, print has endured challenges since the pandemic for various reasons, and we’ve had a rethink of the Kelsey portfolio to ensure we can bring you the best and most engaging classic car content. As well as our one-make titles, you’ll be…

A 1968 Rolls-Royce once owned by Sir Michael Caine has sold at auction with H&H for £135,000. The Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe was the actor’s first car, purchased for £10,511 when he was 35 years old – that’s almost £148,000 adjusted for inflation today. Famously, the actor was driven in the car by a chauffeur because he did not hold a driving licence, and it appeared in a 1969 documentary called Candid Caine: A Self-Portrait of Michael Caine. He sold the car to Jack Leach of the famous Gasworks restaurant in Fulham, who kept it in his care for 43 years until his death in 2013. The Rolls-Royce, which was guided at £100,000-£150,000, sold to a telephone bidder. The auction’s top performer, however, was a 1923 Bentley 3 Litre Tourer, a…

JAGUAR XJ12 SERIES 1 (1972-1973) The original XJ was the culmination of over 20 years’ work by William Lyons to create what he deemed to be the perfect luxury saloon car. But one final item still had to be introduced to turn the XJ into a true flagship, and that happened in 1972 with the launch of the XJ12 featuring the new 5.3-litre, 280bhp V12 engine that had debuted in the E-Type. Autocar caught the mood by saying that the XJ12 was “a car of phenomenal performance but deplorable fuel consumption… a marvellous achievement, deservedly the envy of the world.” Jaguar was already preparing for the introduction of the Series 2 XJ (in 1973) when the XJ12 was launched, and supply was hampered by recurring strike action, hence little more…

Company cars used to be far more straightforward. Others tried to muscle in, but for decades the primary battle for company car park territory was between Ford and Vauxhall – with the Blue Oval consistently the dominant force. At least it was until the slippery ‘jellymould’ Sierra arrived, leaving the door open for Vauxhall to take full advantage. An army of reps loved the Ford Cortina, but the more advancedlooking and aerodynamic Sierra came along in 1982 and took the familiar four-door format with it. Vauxhall could offer its Mk2 Cavalier with slightly more reserved styling and the option of a saloon, so it was no surprise to see it become the market leader in 1984 and 1985. The Sierra would recover in fine style, but when the new Mk3…

Current BMW models are often overshadowed by a strange controversy around the enormity of the grille. So, it seems peculiar to reflect on a time when BMW’s most insignificant feature was its nostrils. Instead, the wedge-shaped 8 Series is all about pop-up headlights and a smooth pillarless silhouette, a true immortalisation of ’80s design. Intended to take on efforts from established luxury marques like Porsche and Mercedes, BMW’s answer to the sports coupe conundrum was the two-door, 2+2, 8 Series. To compete in this market, it had to push the boundaries and present a new model that was technologically ahead of its time. And it did just that. Launched in 1989 and internally known as the E31, the 8 Series marked several firsts for the road-going automotive sector. It was…

Our Condition ratings CONDITION 1 First class, well cared for. Not ‘Concours’ (for which prices are higher). CONDITION 2 Good condition, with legitimate MoT and on the road. May require some work. CONDITION 3 In need of work, usually major. IMPORTANT NOTES 1 The Classic Car Mart Price Guide is compiled by reference to a wide variety of sources, including clubs, auction results and advertisements, both printed and online. It is impossible for anyone to accurately value a specific vehicle without first examining the car. 2 These listings are intended to provide a useful guide only. Asking prices can vary widely between different examples of the same model. The optimism of the seller can be a major factor. 3 Our figures relate to private sales. Dealer prices and values for…

Check out loads more news at WWW.CLASSICS-WORLD.CO.UK C lassic car specialists are urging caution over the values of older Fords following the world recordbreaking sale of a 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 last month. Market experts suggest the auction, which ended at £596,250 including fees, is not representative of the current climate for collectable Fords – and are encouraging enthusiasts wanting to cash in on their Blue Ovals to be realistic in their expectations. The immaculate Sierra has been likened to the sale of a 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 first owned by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, which sold for an astonishing £722,500 in August 2022. However, both were very special cars, and thus are deemed special cases. Referring to the RS500, Hagerty’s market expert John…

Check out loads more news at WWW.CLASSICS-WORLD.CO.UK C lassic car buyers are being warned to be extra vigilant against a rise in fraudsters seeking to cheat consumers who are purchasing or selling cars privately online. According to Close Brothers Motor Finance, one in 10 British motorists has fallen victim to fraud when purchasing a car, with younger drivers most at risk. Around a quarter of car buyers aged 24 or under say they have suffered at the hands of scammers, with our increasing reliance on the internet providing greater opportunities for criminals to strike. The data is supported by the experience of former CCM editor Paul Wager, whose 18-year-old son, Joe, recently offered a modern-classic BMW 3 Series for sale online. “Joe received emails offering to buy the car without…

Peugeot’s fabled 205 GTI is one of those modern classics which inevitably arouses fierce debate: even those who have never even sat in one of these fast but f rantic fliers will have an opinion as to whether it’s the revvy 1.6 or the torquey 1.9 that is best. In truth, neither camp is quite right since in many ways it’s the even smaller-engined versions that showcase these modern classic Peugeots at their very best. The feisty 1.4-litre XS model for example was the 205 in warm hatch guise but its carbfed motor offered snappy response the equal of either of the injected engines and a grin-per-pound quotient better than all of them, even if it didn’t have quite the top-end pace or snappy rear-end breakaway. Taking the concept of…

O ne of the deadliest battles in the automotive world is the one that has raged in the fleet and family sector between Detroit arch rivals Ford and General Motors. And here in Britain, that fight has meant Ford versus Vauxhall – a that was ramped up post war by the launch of new, Americanthemed saloon car ranges. To celebrate that battle, we’ve picked five of our favourite Ford versus Vauxhall battles in an effort to see which of these heavyweights comes out on top... FORD Mk2 SERIES v VAUXHALL PA SERIES The Ford versus Vauxhall wars really began in Britain in the early 1950s – with the Ford Consul and Zephyr facing off against Vauxhall’s Wyvern and Velox models. The 1950 Fords and 1951 Vauxhalls both brought Detroit style…

See more of our project cars on our Classics World YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ClassicsWorldUK REPORTING ON: 1972 MINI 1275 GT With the recent bad weather and various deadlines to worry about, work on the Kelsey fleet of classics has been limited over the past few weeks. So for that reason, you’ll have to excuse me for another update on my own long-term Mini 1275 GT project. Sadly, as this is the final issue of Classic Car Mart, you won’t see the finished article on these pages. However, rest assured that good progress is being made. Last time, back in the October 2022 issue, I was pleased to report that the metalwork was now drawing to a close, having had plenty of attention over the last 17 years. Yep, that’s almost…

AUSTIN MINI CITY YEAR: 1988 MoT: AUGUST 2023 By 1988, the Mini had come through the worst of it. Sales had hit an all-time low of 33,700 in 1986 and then began to creep back up. By the time this F-reg example was made, Mini production was at its highest level since 1983 and would soon pop above the 40,000 mark again. The Mini’s emerging status as a retro fashion icon, it’s popularity in Japan and low running costs were all reasons behind the Mini’s renaissance. Then, in 1990, the much-missed Cooper would make its reappearance and really set the Mini on a new course for its final decade. That course would see the disappearance of the basic Mini by 1996, which makes cars like this rather poignant. This Mini…

With the winter blues disappearing and the summer shows ever closer, the UK’s auction houses have continued to display their resilience with another round of strong recent sales. And while we’re still nowhere near the f renzied sales that occurred during the pandemic, the right cars in the right condition continue to be popular – especially traditional British models and modern classics. Historics’ latest sale proved to be one of the main attractions as the London Classic Show returned to the famous Olympia venue for the first time since 2020. The firm’s customary consignment of 160- 180 cars had to be dialled down to around 100 due to space limitations, but the occasion and location surely played a part as several of the highticket lots found new homes. Indeed, the…

The model designations of Volvo’s Amazon range are among the world’s great impenetrable mysteries. First on sale as a four-door saloon in 1957 and running until 1970, it only used the ‘Amazon’ label in Nordic countries after motorbike maker Kriedler objected to Volvo’s original name ‘Amason’. Elsewhere, Volvo would use the 120 model designation, kicking off the three-digit naming convention it used until the late ’90s, but with the designations 12 and 1200 also employed for some markets. The first model, the Volvo 121, was a four-door saloon fitted with a 1583cc B16 engine equipped with a single carburettor, producing 66bhp and making do with a three-speed gearbox. In 1958 a sports model was made available called the Volvo 122S, which produced 85bhp from its twincarb B16 engine and could…

TheTR5 simultaneously marked the end of one era and the beginning of another for Triumph’s TR range. While the styling remained familiar, retaining the handsome Michelotti-designed body of the TR4 and TR4A, a 150bhp six-cylinder engine made the car faster than the previous four-pot models and paved the way for the successful TR6 that followed. Manufactured from July 1967, the TR5 was a one-year wonder, but its relative rarity and ‘best of both worlds’ slot in the range means it’s a highly desirable classic. In truth, its roots extend back even further than the TR4 of 1961, as that essentially took the underpinnings of the TR3 that had been so successful on both sides of the Atlantic and clothed it in a new body. A big change came in 1965,…

A lfa Romeo’s range at the turn of the millennium offered some tempting choices – 156 and GTV amongst them – but in 2003 the decision became a little harder with the launch of the GT. Making its debut at that year’s Geneva Motor Show and going into production at Pomigliano d’Arco in the November, the new coupe borrowed the Fiat C platform also used for the 156 and clothed it in attractive bodywork penned by Bertone. The result was a model that not only looked good but boasted a decent helping of practicality, even if rear accommodation was a little on the tight side for some adults. But for many of the ‘Alfisti’ it's what’s under the bonnet that really matters, and the GT didn’t disappoint. During its run…