Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i Classics World

Despite having lived on this island for more than half a century, the British obsession with weather always make me chuckle, especially when it comes to the flurry of alarmist press releases which fill up our inboxes over the Christmas period. Ranging from tips on getting your car roadworthy after the festive break to advice on driving in snow, they're trotted out on the flimsiest of pretexts and mostly come under the heading of “if you have this little idea of what you're doing then you probably shouldn't be in in charge of a motor vehicle…” Inevitably, the flood of media advice on winter motoring doesn't cover the tricky issue of how to jump start a 20-year old MINI Cooper S which a family member has left for a month…

Tolman Engineering, the firm behind the Peugeot 205 GTi Tolman Edition restomod, has shown off its latest one-off commission created especially for one of its lucky customers. The car, a Mini Cooper S MkII, has been ‘fastidiously restored and refined’ by the Warwickshire-based firm but keeps an ‘authentic Mini appearance inside and out’. The 12-month build was comprehensive, starting with in-depth bodywork to improve shut lines and panel gaps. Fully adjustable suspension with components from Bilstein and KAD is used to improve handling, along with periodstyle Dunlop Aquajet tyres on 10in wheels. The uprated braking system, meanwhile, utilises ATEC CNC brake lines for more consistent feel. Under the bonnet is a fully rebuilt A-Series with the addition of fuel injection and an uprated fuel system, a one-off Tolman exhaust, additional…

Only a select group of vehicles merit the highly overused term ‘iconic’, and in the 1950s, the Austin FX3 taxi was as much part of London as RT doubledeckers, Barker-bodied Daimler DC27 Ambulances and black Wolseley 6/80 police cars. And today, Colin Shepherd's 1957 diesel-powered Austin FX3 looks as though it should be driven by Sidney James, David Lodge or Sam Kydd in a blackand-white B-film. The FX3 was the joint product of Longbridge, Carbodies of Coventry and Mann and Overton, with the latter holding the concession for Austin taxi chassis throughout London. Work began on the project in 1944, and Robert Overton of M&O believed the new taxi should have pressed steel bodywork. Longbridge, while making the chassis, thought it had neither the expertise nor the staff to make…

After writing about old cars for more years than I want to work out, I've come across most of the common misconceptions and urban rumours – but one which still raises a smile in the CW offices is the use of wood in automotive construction. Certainly the fastest way to alienate yourself from the Morgan community is to ask whether they still use a wooden chassis. Of course, they never have and apart from the ash framework holding together the rear of the Morris Traveller, very few cars of the 20th century used wood as part of the structure – bodywork framing maybe, but not the chassis. Except, that is, for two notable exceptions. The first is Marcos, which used wood in the chassis of the GT until 1969, and…

PART 8 Any project takes a dramatic leap forwards once it has been painted – but visible progress then inevitably slows down as attention turns to fitting it back up. It's amazing how long this stage can take, especially as work invariably gets delayed whenever you discover that something is not quite as good as you thought it was and needs repairing or replacing before being fixed to that shiny body. If you're anything like me, you also waste rather too much time looking for things that you know you stored away somewhere – I try to be methodical and logical when storing components, but after 12 months it can be hard to remember just what seemed the obvious place at the time. Still, I do enjoy this stage of…

It was in January 1994 that Tim Sainsbury as Minister for Industry made an announcement at 3.30pm in the House of Commons: “This morning, British Aerospace announced its decision to accept an offer from BMW to acquire its wholly-owned subsidiary Rover Group Holdings Ltd.” British Aerospace had owned 80% of Rover Group since July 1988, having bought it from the government in a controversial £150m deal and needed to free up cash to invest in its turboprop and regional jet business. For BMW, it represented an opportunity to move into volume car making where industry pundits were all agreed at the time that the big money was to be made; the accepted wisdom was that small niche players like BMW operating only in the upper end of the market were…

1996 Bentley Turbo R • Historics, November 23 £17,160 There's a lot to love about a last-of-the-line Turbo R's combination of SZ-chassis charm and 1990s convenience. This example was one of the very last produced and had covered just 63,300 miles since. Resplendent in Peacock Blue and sporting late-model design touches including wing and bonnet vents, it's hard to imagine a better modern classic Bentley for the money. 1999 Mercedes CLK 320 • CCA, December 7 £19,125 Described as being in ‘remarkable, almost showroom condition’, this 1999 Mercedes CLK 320 cabriolet looked great in Titanite Red. With just 6300 miles on the clock it's surely one of the best-surviving examples of the breed – especially given the W208's reputation for rust. We hope its new owner makes the most of…

Conceived in the late 1990s to replace the aging but still popular R129 SL, the ‘Sport-Leicht’ for the 21st century was designed with a 3D super-computer called ‘CAVE’, which projected fullsize images via five projectors permitting close inspection of all surfaces digitally – a first for the car industry. The R230-generation Mercedes SL was launched to an enthusiastic public reception and motoring press alike, who appreciated the bold new design ethos with sweeping, modern lines, new quad headlights (adopted on other models throughout the range), yet retaining the essential link to Mercedes’ past with the side vents on each front wing. The R230 also featured a first for the SL range: the clever folding metal roof of the same design as pioneered on the R170 SLK, with optional panoramic glass…

Japanese car giants Nissan and Honda have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), the first step in a planned merger as each seeks to combat faltering sales. The two firms plan to share resources, standardised vehicle platforms and development costs, with plans for optimised manufacturing via the use of shared production lines. Other proposed areas of collaboration include shared supply chain infrastructure and parts, along with integration of back-office operations, financial services and human resources. Honda and Nissan's car businesses are also set to be merged with Honda's motorcycle and ‘power products’ arms. Once full details are fleshed out, the two firms will establish a joint holding company to act as an overarching parent company. This holding company is set to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in August…

The Mk1 Escort is available to buy again – if your pockets are deep enough. Boreham Motorworks has announced it is going to produce 150 continuation versions of what is being called the Ford Escort Mk1 RS, with customer applications now being accepted. Despite its name, Boreham Motorworks is based in County Durham rather than the village in Essex where the original Works team performed its magic, but is an official licensed partner of the Ford Motor Company. Its new Escort is not what has commonly become known as a ‘restomod’ that endows a restored donor car with modern upgrades, but will be a brand-new vehicle. Defined as “a blueprint-accurate, period-sympathetic vehicle built new,” the company is describing the car as a ‘Continumod’, and to this end, each will even…

SEALEY CAR RAMPS 1.5 TONNE CAPACITY (CAR3000C) £118.74 - sealey.co.uk - reviewed by Paul Wager For anyone working on cars at home without the benefit of a workshop lift, the humble car ramp has long been a staple piece of kit. When you just want enough room to shimmy under the car, ramps are much quicker than jacks and axles stands – and generally a lot safer too. I suspect that many of you will, like me, have a pair of ancient hand-me-down ramps lurking the back of the garage, generally metal and bearing the scars and overspray of generations of use and abuse. They're generally fine for ‘60s and ‘70s cars with their skinny tyres, lofty ride height and high front bumpers, but increasingly we've come up against the…

It might be the most iconic British car ever made, yet I've never had the chance to drive a pre-Defender Land Rover, so I jumped at the chance to try DM Historics’ fantastically unrestored 1960 Series 2A 88-inch. While many classics would be heavily criticised for wearing this level of patination, on a Land Rover it's all part of the charm, and many owners deliberately don't restore their cars for this very reason. Wearing its original MidGrey, this Landy shows its 64 years well, with faded paintwork throughout, several small dings, evidence of brush-painted repairs on the front wings, surface corrosion on the front grille panel and bumper and several areas of bodywork where there's almost no paint whatsoever. That said, the bodywork is generally straight and almost entirely corrosion-free,…

Octav Botnar's Datsun UK started small but by 1972 was selling 30,000 cars a year in the UK, more even than arch-rival Toyota. Here we see the 100A Cherry photographed that year for a magazine road test Nissan was the first Japanese maker to establish a UK manufacturing presence and the plant was built on the site of the former Sunderland airfield Here we see contractor CA Blackwell's fleet of Komatsu scrapers in action at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sunderland facility in 1984 Another shot from 1972 shows a 160B Bluebird being unloaded on arrival. The caption notes that five dock workers were needed: four to remove the wheel slings and one to drive the Datsun away The Datsun 1000 Sunny was the first model to be imported by…

US magazine Car & Driver hit the nail neatly on the head: “Can you say ‘Toyota Boxster?’” was the opening comment on its first road test of the third-generation MR2 in 2000. The Mk3 car represented an abrupt change in philosophy for Toyota's mid-engined runabout, the intention according to Brian Long in his title Toyota MR2 Coupes and Spyders being to break what chief engineer Tadashi Nakagawa termed ‘the cycle of growth’ which sees each model become heavier, more complex and in turn more powerful. He had a point: the MR2 had begun life as a relatively simply exercise in developing an affordable mid-engined sports car and the Mk1 was a delicate, compact machine but had become ever more sophisticated over the years to the point where the later second-generation…

Mercedes CLS (2004-2010) The Mercedes CLS is a prime example of the firm's knack for sniffing out market niches. Introduced in 2004, the car set a trend for four-door executive coupes that's still going strong today having inspired cars like the Volkswagen Passat CC, BMW 4 Series and Audi A5 Sportback among countless others. While the car's sleek styling split option and drew comparisons with bananas, the CLS was a success for Mercedes. It used the same underpinnings as the W211-generation E-Class and so offered a similar blend of comfort and refinement, albeit with suspension tweaks and quicker steering. Air suspension was offered as an option. Power came from the usual array of excellent Mercedes engines. The CLS350 used a new 3.5-litre V6 with 272bhp, while the CLS500 got a…

Enthusiasts of the AC 2-Litre saloon and Buckland have a new source of reproduction, new old stock, and secondhand spares available online. Long-term 2-Litre fan Ian Strange has had a 1949 saloon in his family since 1962. Realising that there was a shortage of certain components, he added an e-commerce store to his longrunning website, ac2litre.com, in November 2024. Introducing the shop on his YouTube channel, he said: ‘There's no one-stop-shop for AC spares, so I hope I can centralise the supply for these models.’ He added: ‘For new parts, I want to avoid any cheap imports. I have fitted handmade, mostly British parts to my AC and that will be the theme for what I sell to other owners.’ Having drawn up a shortlist of hard-to-find parts as a…

In my article published last year (p14, November 2024) I included a photo of a Ferrari 250 SWB which I stated was Rob Walker's car driven by Stirling Moss. I have now decided it was Tommy Sopwith's Equipe Endeavour's driven by Mike Parkes. I believe he is the immaculate tall chap in blazer and slacks directing the car being unloaded from the transporter in the attached photo. Mike was a talented motor engineer and driver who later drove for the Ferrari team in F1 and sportscars. He had also earlier been involved in the design and development of the Hillman Imp.…

When Preben Bograd, who lives on the tiny Danish island of Samsø, reached his forties, he decided it was time for a sports car, so he bought himself a Morgan Plus 8. That was back in 2012 and he became besotted with the car, soon developing a huge enthusiasm for everything Morgan. Preben now has 16 Morgans and runs The Morgan Garage, a Morgan museum on the island. Preben's already impressive collection has recently been bolstered with the addition of a unique car known as the Morgan EB prototype, so when he offered us the chance to try the car we didn't hesitate. The ‘EB’ name stems from the name of the coachbuilders who created the car: the Edwards Brothers, who were enlisted by Peter Morgan in the early 1960s.…

Peter has been a classic car journalist for nearly 40 years, and is a past editor of Practical Classics, Car Mechanics, Classic Car Weekly and Classic Car Buyer. These days he writes mainly about old lorries as editor of Classic & Vintage Commercials, but old cars remain his first love. MY FLEET 1949 RILEY RMB 1955 MG ZA MAGNETTE 1958 HILLMAN MINX 1965 MORRIS MINOR TRAVELLER 1970 ROVER P6 3500 1990 VOLVO 240 ESTATE 1992 ROVER 827 COUPE Though it was supposed to be long-gone by now, the 1965 Morris Minor Traveller which featured as a Classics World project car in the first half of 2024 seems to have decided that it rather likes being part of the Simpson collection. Every time I think it's finally ready to advertise, it…

PART ONE Being Deputy Editor of Classic Car Buyer, the weekly sister title to Classics World, my working week is rarely quiet – that is except for Friday, when we regroup to plan the following week's issue and can take a breather. This wasn't the case one particular Friday in August, however, when I spotted a social media post requesting teams of three for a 24-hour charity driving challenge due to take place in mid-October. Naturally we wanted to be involved, with CCB Editor Jeff and Videographer Lucas also putting an eager hand in the air before chat inevitably turned to potential routes – and potential cars. By way of context, the challenge was being organised by Rich Kitchen of the UPnDOWN YouTube channel. Rich had previously hosted two 24-hour…

Much has already been made of the DeLorean DMC 12's starring role in the Back To The Future films which celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2025, but there is another significant car in the films: the Citroën DS, which glides past as 1985's idea of a futuristic hover car when the action moves forwards to 2015. Ironically, the DS was itself launched in 1955, the year to which the film time travels and so celebrates its 70th birthday this year. Citroën today may be a shadow of its former self but the DS was truly revolutionary when it was unveiled: to put it in perspective, the Austin Westminster was launched just the year before but still featured a cart-sprung live rear axle, front kingpins, unassisted steering and non-servo drums all…

The Reliant Motor Company made three-wheeler vehicles from before the Second World War, originally as successors to Raleigh before it decided to pull out of that market. The series of passenger cars which led to the Robin began in the early post-war period with the Regal which was produced in various forms until the first Robin appeared in 1973; it was a Regal Supervan which famously appeared in Only Fools and Horses. The Robin was essentially a rebodied Regal, although the chassis was new and the much more modernlooking car now rode on 10-inch Mini wheels in place of the 13-inch wheels used on the Regal. The engine was initially 750cc and later 850cc, instead of the Regal's 700cc (and earlier 600cc). The Robin was considered much more stable than…

The generally accepted logic is that if you want a fast BMW, you buy an M car, and why wouldn't you? After all, BMW's Motorsport division has been making high-performance machinery since 1972. Over five decades it's been responsible for creating some of the greatest sports saloons ever to have emerged from Germany, notable for their ability to happily pop to the shops but also credible on-track performers. They are truly all cars to all people. Except sometimes they're not. Sometimes, M cars can be a little too much and can be too harsh, too loud, too brash; which is when you turn to Alpina, which has always been about delivering an altogether more subtle high-performance BMW, one that affords the owners of these rare offerings something a little more…

I've lost count of the number of magazine covers I've seen over the years that trumpeted ‘the car to save Alfa’ when a bold new model was launched which inevitably sold poorly, gained a terrible reputation and quickly disappeared into obscurity, loved only by the Alfisti diehards. And so it was again in 2010, when not one but two Autocar front covers proclaimed a new beginning for the brand as it launched the Type 940 Giulietta. “Ace new Alfa! Their best car for decades! No need for excuses!” shouted the April 14 issue, while the August 18 issue had more shock value: “New Alfa beats Focus,” reckoned the road testers. And turning to the group test, we discovered the final verdict saw them struggling with the question of whether the…

Buying a classic car as an investment is a very risky thing to do – values can fall as well as rise, fashions change so the hot item this year might be next year's lemon, and even just storing and maintaining a car costs money. Not that any of this seems to matter to those spending telephone-number sums on Ferraris, but then again such people generally inhabit a different world to most. For us mere mortals, the best advice is not to think in terms of investment potential, but rather enjoyment potential – buy a classic because you want it, enjoy it and just hope that you don't lose too much on the whole experience when the time comes to move it on. Of course, any enjoyment derived from a…