Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Classics World

We fell into discussion recently over the question of whether enthusiasm for classic cars extends to all kinds of old machinery and as you can imagine, we failed to come up with an answer. My not-very-scientifi c contribution involved asking a classic bike collector in my local, who frequently rides past my house on a selection of ancient machinery but relies on a new Dacia for four-wheeled duties and although clued-up on the general subject of automotive history would never be encouraged to swap his Bonneville for a TR6. Personally, my enthusiasm for two-wheelers is generally reserved for the human-powered kind and experience has shown that the VW Transporter is pretty much dominant in the world of mountain biking… and even then only in T5 or T6 guise rather than…

EMAIL: CLASSICS.ED@KELSEY.CO.UK Whilst on holiday recently I picked a copy of your magazine, which I found really interesting and not a motoring magazine that I’d seen previously. The articles which grabbed my attention were those relating to the Rootes Group (June 2025, p99) My career commenced back in the 1950s as an apprentice, together with Harris Mann who I guess most of your readers have heard of, at Duple Motor Bodies in Hendon NW9, a company that built ‘luxury’ coach bodies on various chassis but mainly Bedfords. Following my apprenticeship and two years’ National Service in the RAF I returned to Duple as a designer, but unfortunately Duple didn’t pay very well and I therefore sought more lucrative employment elsewhere and took a job with Commer, Rootes’ truck division in…

Want to build a time machine so you can head back and visit your old haunts but don’t have the time, funds and, more importantly, an understanding of theoretical physics? Then there’s a cheaper and easier way of going back in time than creating a wormhole and that’s to buy this 1983 Mercedes-Benz 230TE. A mere 33,000 miles on the clock and just four former owners – the first for over a quarter of century – has left the 42-year-old car remarkably original. From its unblemished paint to the pristine interior, it would have convinced sceptic Stephen Hawking that not only are time travellers amongst us but they arrived in style. According to the inches thick history file, the car – a 230TE in Silver Blue with a matching cloth…

800 Vitesse Chris sold his Rover 75 Tourer to a local garage owner to fund the Vitesse and rates the facelifted 800 highly, especially with the 197bhp turbocharged T-Series. 2CV The back-to-basics Deux Chevaux couldn’t be more different from a Rover V8, but vies for the 3500 as the daily driver of the fleet. There is a tenuous connection of course in that Citroën’s DS pioneered the ‘baseframe’ construction method used by the P6. 3500S Something of a Holy Grail in P6 circles, a 3500S in Cameron Green was a hard one to part with. Which is why it’s stayed in the family. P5B It seems one Rover V8 isn’t enough for some people, which is why Chris’s fleet also includes this 1970 P5B saloon.…

Rather strangely, we Brits always seem to come out top in surveys of nations with the greatest fondness for open cars. Despite our grey and damp skies, it seems we can’t get enough of our convertibles and in fact it was the British motor industry which pretty much single-handedly invented the affordable two-seater sportscar, despite what the Italians might like to think. It might be a cliche but a glorious British summer day is the perfect time to enjoy a classic drop-top – but so many of the more obvious choices come with just the two seats, which is about as family-friendly as a motorbike. All is not lost though: you don’t need a Corniche to enjoy four-up open classic motoring and we’ve rounded up likely candidates for every taste,…

Enthusiasts will need little in the way of introduction to one of the most affordable and popular cars on the classic scene. Launched in 1962 to replace the MGA, the MGB proved to be an instant hit, and with monocoque construction it was a much more modern affair. The roadster appeared first, with the GT arriving in 1965 with its neat Pininfarina styling that blended sporting looks with useful practicality. All were powered by the durable four-cylinder B-Series engine (plus a V8 from 1973, although we’ll save that for another time) and while there were numerous rivals – including the likes of the Triumph TR4 and Sunbeam Alpine – few could match the overall usability and driver appeal of this newest MG. We’re concentrating here on the chrome-bumpered B that,…

Good enough to beat the best was Autocar’s verdict in October 1989 on the newly arrived Rover 200 and although a part of that praise must go to Honda the success of the car in early tests was due in no small part to its advanced Rover-designed powerplant. Yes, today the ill-informed will immediately snigger about head gaskets in overheated MGFs but at launch the K-Series was a state-of-the-art design and won praise including the Queen’s Award for Engineering. Work on a new powerplant for Rover’s mid-size cars had begun some four years earlier with the realisation that forthcoming emissions regulations and consumer demand for greater efficiency and refinement meant that the long-serving A-Series was hard up against its development ceiling. An overhead cam development of the A-Series was considered…

Sadly, it seems the art of the ‘sleeper’ – a fast car that doesn’t look it – has been lost in 2025. Manufacturers used to love sticking incongruously large engines into unassuming models but today, emissions regulations and changing consumer tastes have more or less killed off the phenomenon. Modern performance cars generally leave nothing to the imagination. Large grilles, extra vents, faux diffusers and massive wheels adorn hot hatches and premium sports cars alike; standing out both to buyers and other road users is the aim. The good news is that there are plenty of interesting choices from the 1990s and 2000s to be found in the classifieds. With most now simply out of fashion, too expensive to run or sidelined by low emissions zones, understated fast cars are…

We kick off the jobs on our VW Caravelle with some simple tasks. First, servicing the engine, which involves dropping out the engine oil, changing the oil filter, air filter, fuel filter and cabin filter. It really didn’t take that long (2hrs with photographs). Bear in mind that these vehicles do weigh over 2.3 tonnes unladen so you need proper lifting jacks or ramps and axle stands to match. On collection from BCA Nottingham, I noticed that the dashboard was saying ‘check brake pads’. Since then, as I’d not seen any invoices for brake changes, I’ve searched the service paperwork again and found more main dealer invoices. Only 5600 miles ago, the latest invoice advised rear brake disc and pad change, but the last owner said to only fit pads.…

GOT A STORY TO SHARE? EMAIL IT TO CLASSICS. ED@KELSEY.CO.UK Young Driver, the UK’s largest under-17s driving scheme, is now offering lessons at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey – the iconic former home of Top Gear. Children aged 9 to 17 can learn to drive on the famous track once used for Power Laps and the ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’ segments. Young learners will get behind the wheel of the current Suzuki Swift, the modern counterpart to the Liana once driven by celebrity guests. On May 25 the first group of Young Driver pupils visited Dunsfold, even meeting the original Top Gear Suzuki Liana before taking to the track in Swifts. A few lucky teens also had the rare chance to drive a Porsche ‘996’ 911 around the course.…

GOT A STORY TO SHARE? EMAIL IT TO CLASSICS. ED@KELSEY.CO.UK Sustainable liquid fuel continues to provide hope for the future of the historic vehicle sector, with the prospect of more pumps by the end of the month on top of significant awareness created through motorsport, progress in Europe and a new initiative to encourage its use by manufacturers of new ICE vehicles. However, experts agree a consistent approach is needed to help sway regulations that focus only on the tailpipe and ignore other factors. An umbrella phrase used to cover fuels made from reduced amounts of fossil-derived ingredients, sustainable liquid fuels cut down on the use of first-generation oil that’s just come out of the ground. There are two main chemistry bases currently at work – biogasoline and e-fuels, which…

As is generally known, the Land Rover was born in 1948 as a result of Rover boss Spencer Wilks and his brother, Rover chief designer Maurice Wilks, working on Maurice’s farm where Maurice had an old ex-US Army Jeep. Together the two brothers conceived the idea of building a utility machine for use on farms, as well as other industrial locations. I doubt that either of them ever imagined back in 1948 that their highly accomplished four-wheel drive workhorse would turn marketing men’s thinking on its head – and would still be so highly acclaimed to this day. This is a tale about a rather special 1951 Land Rover Mk1 that started its working life with the GPO (General Post Office). It was initially painted blue, then later the more…

Think of an RS Escort, and many a mind will picture an Mk1 or Mk2 RS2000 sideways through somewhere like the Kielder Forest. But when the Mk2 was discontinued in 1980, it marked a temporary hiatus for the Rallye Sport moniker – something that was resolved in time for the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1981, when the famous tag reappeared on the front-wheel drive, Mk3-based RS1600i. It’s a car that always had a strong following among Ford aficionados and folk of a certain age, but is perhaps a little more under the radar than its rear-driven forebears. So, when the chance to drive Ford Parts R Us’s immaculate 1983 example came up, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to see how this rare homologation special stands up today. All RS1600is were…

As part of an exclusive licence arrangement with Ford Motor Company, Boreham Motorworks (part of DRVN Automotive Group) is on a mission to recreate some of the most iconic Blue Ovals ever released in the UK and Europe. While we await the introduction of its first road car, the Mk1 Escort RS, Boreham Motorworks has just completed the first of 24 Alan Mann 68 Edition Escorts, built to the exact specification of the race cars that won the British Saloon Car Championships in 1968 and 1969. The key to delivering this and future projects to the standards expected is the partnership between Boreham Motorworks and Alan Mann Racing. Both businesses are owned by DRVN Automotive Group; it’s their connections with the Ford Motor Company over in America that were key…

1998 Mitsubishi GTO ● CCA, June 1 £15,469 This 1998 Mitsubishi GTO was a rare ‘MR’ model, a sporty specification that deletied four-wheel steering, ABS, ECS and Active Aero in the pursuit of light weight. Its strong sale price reflects a continued enthusiasm in the UK for rare, fast Japanese cars from the 1990s. 2006 Rolls-Royce Phantom VII ● CCA, June 1 £76,500 A contrast to the classic Silver Shadows and Spirits we normally see, this 2006 Rolls-Royce Phantom VII looked imposing in Balmoral Green, boasted a special-order interior and was a former RREC Concours First in Class winner. It’s no wonder this impressive machine achieved an similarly impressive result. 2000 Volkswagen Lupo ● CCA, June 1 £5625 This 2000 VW Lupo 1.4 was an unlikely star of the sale…

The Mazda RX-8’s ability to turn heads is equaled only by the horror stories about its thirst for oil and rotary engine issues. However, if you do your homework first and tread carefully, you’ll bag yourself a terrific four-seater sports coupe with 228bhp on tap for very little money. Mazda’s choice of engine represented the latest in a line of rotary powerplants that can be traced back to the late 1990s – but it wasn’t the RX-8’s only quirk. Behind each of the front doors is another ‘suicide’ door which opens rearwards to create a large, pillarless aperture to allow rear-seat passengers easy access. As you might imagine, this makes the RX-8 a surprisingly accommodating four-seater. The RX-8’s cabin echoes the sportiness of those bold exterior curves, blistered wheelarches and…

It is easy to forget how close Porsche came to bankruptcy in the early ’90s. Steeped in road and track tradition that older marques would have killed for, it found itself stymied by the very legacy it had traded on to date. The 911 was, at a stroke, Porsche’s source of strength and, simultaneously, its greatest weakness. Other models (namely the transaxle cars) failed to replace the 911 outright, but the 911 itself was in need of an update. Its body could trace its roots back to the 1963 901/911; the latter 964 and 993 were, in effect, heavy iterative upgrades. A 1960s bodyshell with no more room for improvement, with a seminal air cooled engine at the mercy of emissions legislation. What was Porsche to do? To the horror…

Mini Packed with character and with complete parts support, few classics are more fun to own (or to drive) Metro A more modern take on the Mini recipe, the Metro has become a beloved classic in its own right Let us know which you’d pick and why at classics.ed@kelsey.co.uk – we’ll publish our favourite replies along with overall results of a vote on the Classics World Facebook and YouTube pages! LAST MONTH'S WINNER Last month’s winner was the Morgan Plus 8 which beat the TVR Griffith soundly. Here’s what you had to say: @MartynRogers-n7q Well, I spent the first 20 years of my life living around or in Malvern. So, the choice between wood frame or plastic (fibreglass) is obvious. The Morgan, hand built craftmanship. The TVR always seems more of…

The UK general election of 1983 was notable for many things, not least Mrs Thatcher’s landslide victory, and most of us who were old enough to take an interest in politics will remember what we were doing when we heard the results booming out on Radio Four’s Long Wave broadcast in that pre-internet age. Chris Deane-Hall certainly remembers what he was doing as the 144-seat majority was announced: he was buying and renovating his first Rover P6, something which would mark the start of a hobby outlasting the new government, the new prime minister and even Rover itself. “My father-in-law had a couple of P6s,” muses Chris. “I think that must have been the trigger for it… but I’ve had one pretty much ever since.” Said father-in-law also happened have…

With the Mk2 Escort facing stiff competition from a new wave of hatchbacks, including its Fiesta stablemate that was actually more spacious inside, Ford gave its bestseller a radical makeover with the launch of the Mk3 version in September 1980. Codenamed Erika, the Mk3 was now driven by the front wheels and the new body embraced the hatchback design, although there was the addition of a bustle that extended the tailgate with a hint of a conventional bootlid. Also brand new was independent rear suspension and the addition of Ford’s new CVH engine (Compound Valve Hemispherical head) in 1.3 and 1.6-litre sizes, with the entry-level engine the Fiesta’s 1.1-litre Kentbased Valencia motor. What was more familiar to Escort buyers was the choice of cooking trim levels – base (Popular), L,…

PART 4 Last time, we left project Volvo with an unresolved bad running problem. Unfortunately, that issue remains unresolved as a replacement Lambda sensor has been delayed. But I’m not over-worried as there’s plenty of other stuff to be getting on with including the main topic this month of renewing the lower suspension wishbone arms. Unusually however, these don’t need changing due to wear, but because of corrosion. Both were covered in surface rust, but the inner back of the offside looked to be threatening the component’s entire structural integrity. And having had a bottom suspension joint fail on me once before, it really isn’t an experience that I care to repeat! Fortunately, because front suspension lower arms and joints are under maximum strain during low-speed manoeuvring (when rolling resistance…

Much like Porsche with its 911, the XJ saloon was at once both Jaguar’s salvation and very nearly its downfall. To put it simply, it was so good that it rendered the company’s other saloons largely irrelevant and suddenly very old-fashioned. As indeed many of them were, the 240/340 being essentially rebadged versions of the Mk2 which itself was a heavy facelift of the original Mk1, while the S-Type was a development of the Mk2 and the 420 in turn a development of the S-Type. As for the big MkX… well, excellent though it was in technical terms, it had found itself marginalised by a shift in buying tastes towards smaller cars. All of which means that the XJ when it was unveiled was really only the firm’s third allnew…

The Japanese domestic car market is an automotive landscape that’s been shaped over generations by a unique combination of rapid urbanisation, stringent regulation and a diverse climate. The cars produced to suit this environment -almost exclusively by Japanese manufacturers – tend to be very interesting as a result. The models produced to meet Japan’s ‘keijidosha’ (light automobile) regulations are perhaps the most idiosyncratic. Known in English as kei cars, they occupy the lowest passenger car tax band in Japan and must be no more than 3.4 metres long and 1.48 metres wide; engine capacity is limited to 660cc and power output capped at 47kW -about 63bhp. In times gone by, these regulations were even more stringent. An early contingent of tiny two- and four-stroke kei cars existed as Japan recovered…

Nissan 370Z (2009-2020) A replacement for the Nissan 350Z, the 370Z followed a similar recipe when it arrived in 2006: V6 engine up front, rear-wheel drive and a choice of Coupe and Roadster variants, with the latter arriving in 2009. While it looked broadly similar to the car it replaced, the 370Z had a shorter wheelbase, was shorter overall and sported a wider track. The car has a purposeful, squat stance that still cuts a dash, helped along by its almost cartoonish proportions and large wheelarches. Power came courtesy of a naturally aspirated 328bhp 3.7-litre V6 and the choice of a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic. The result was a brawny sports car with a great exhaust note – but thankfully the car’s well-sorted chassis ensured it didn’t fall apart…

It has been a staple of sitcoms for decades – the hapless heroes will find themselves at an auction without a clue as to what is going on, and while busy waving to their mate across the room or winking hopefully at the attractive brunette two seats along, they will unwittingly be bidding on something they can never hope to afford. It is the sort of thing that must make ladies and gentlemen of the rostrum cringe, because it is virtually impossible to submit a bid without registering first for a bidding card, and even if you’ve done that, you still have to catch the auctioneer’s eye and make it perfectly clear that you want to join battle. You simply can’t walk into an auction hall and accidentally walk out…