Lamborghini Stunning ex-Monaco GP Espada driven
Jaguar E-type
PRICE
‘Driving it was better than flying Concorde’
GUIDE QUARTERLY 312 CLIMBERS REVEALED
SMART BUYS of 2015 PICK OF THE MODELS • WHAT TO PAY • ESSENTIAL CHECKS BMW 2002
FERRARI 456
FORD MUSTANG
DAIMLER V8
PORSCHE 911
VOLVO 1800S RESTORED SAINTLY £55,000 REBUILD FROM SINFULLY RUSTY WRECK
5 0 2
PLUS
Ford Capri MkIII Cherished, vandalised, saved Mike ‘Cosworth’ Costin His life in road and race cars We rally a BMW 3 Series Battling snow, ice and its gearbox
I S S U E
MAY 2015 • SMART BUYS 2015 • LAMBORGHINI ESPADA • JAGUAR E-TYPE DREAM DRIVE • FORD CAPRI MkIII • MIKE COSTIN • PRICE GUIDE • RENAULT 4 BUYING • WWW.CLASSICCARSMAGAZINE.CO.UK
QUENTIN WILLSON’S
‘The Espada weaves a rich spell on so many sensory levels’ p88
on the UK end to end in the toughest rally 72 Taking
restored Volvo 80 Fabulously P1800 – how they did it
S PE C I A L I ST H EL P Insurance 211 | Services 204 | Clubs 220 BUY I N G O R S E LL I N G? Go to classiccarsforsale.co.uk 4
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CONTENTS
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THE MONTH IN CARS
Race Retro Rally legend Ari Vatanen talks candidly to Classic Cars Kuwait Concours Ferrari 250 California Spider steals the show Obituaries Tributes to Marcos co-founder Jem Marsh and endurance rallying luminary Philip Young Events planner Plenty to savour, including Techno Classica Essen and the Silverstone Classic Your letters We hear from a man who worked with Whizzo Williams and a serial Gilbern owner Next Month In the June issue we test classic convertibles to suit every taste and every budget
THE INSIDERS 45 Quentin Willson celebrates the slowing down of seemingly unstoppable price rises 47 Tom Tjaarda enjoyed working with De Tomaso – although not everybody did 49 Simon Kidston takes his crystal ball on a ‘future classics’ exercise at the Geneva show
OWNING 66 80 96 102 123
COVER Life Cycle This Ford Capri MkIII 1.6 Laser has been owned from new by confirmed Ford fans, whose afection for it have ensured that it continues to thrive now COVER Epic Restoration The Dr Who soundtrack musician who has ended up with what is very possibly the nicest Volvo P1800 in the Universe, after a painstaking and stunning restoration The Collector John Hughes and his sons give Ben Field a personal tour around a roster that includes several Ferraris, a Bentley Continental S3, a Jaguar E-type and a wartime Willys Jeep COVER Life In Cars Cosworth co-founder Mike Costin’s portfolio is predictably Ford-heavy, including an Anglia, Cortina GT and Sierra Cosworth – which he was wary of driving on the road Our Cars Ross introduces us to his Zagato, Quentin sorts out the doors on his Rolls-Royce Corniche (at a cost…), Nathan’s Mercedes W123 treats him to a late-night wait for a recovery truck, and Charlie has also been lavishing door-love on his Range Rover
DRIVING 6
The List Reader Paul Cannon has dreamed of driving a Jaguar E-type ever since, as a kid, he spotted a rock star driving one. We throw him the keys to an S1 roadster and capture the experience 48 COVER Quentin Willson’s Smart Buys of 2015 When QW points at a car and says ‘Buy this one’, it’s silly not to. With the help of Team CC, he outlines why the BMW 2002, Daimler V8, Ferrari 456, Ford Mustang and Porsche 911 are this year’s most outstanding prospects 72 COVER LE JOG 2014 We tackle the UK’s toughest rally in a BMW 3 Series 88 COVER Lamborghini Espada We get a drive in an exotic super-GT with a regal history – this is the car that Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco drove in parade laps of the Monaco GP circuit SS100: just one exotic in the John Hughes collection 96 Jaguar
SU B S CRI BE
BUYING 26 Smart Buys Quentin Willson explains why it’s a clever move to exchange your money for an overlooked Porsche Carrera 4, impregnable Mercedes W140 or beguiling MGA. This issue’s one to watch is the awe-inspiring Bentley Flying Spur W12 30 Market Watch Russ Smith analyses the latest market moves 37 Temptations Warning: these cars may result in a bank account lighter than it is at the moment 40 Barn Finds Nigel Boothman unearths a cluster of Aston DBs bound for Brooklands, a spectacular Ford Cortina MkIII in a council lock-up, an Alfa Giulietta with links to Loughborough and Lebanon and more oddities hidden away on Cyprus, including an early Rover P4 108 Buying Guide Six steps to ensure you land the best Renault 4 111 Books and Models New releases reviewed by Sam Dawson 131 Ads on Test Bristol 407 (p131), Bentley R-Type (p132), Aston Martin Vanquish (p135), Austin-Healey Sprite MkI (p136) 186 Advertise your classic for free 228 Price Guide Comprehensively updated by our market-watcher-in-chief Russ Smith 234 Classic Punts A Lancia Aprilia bought for seven pounds (and sold for a few quid more…)
For the best-value deals, call today on 01858 438884, visit greatmagazines.co.uk/classics or p112
C ONTAC T US
See p218
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SMArT
BUyS of 2015 Think there aren’t any bargains left in the booming classic car market? Here are our five choices that prove otherwise Words: QUENTIN WILLSON Plus: PHIL BELL, RUSS SMITH, SAM DAWSON, ROSS ALkUREISHI, NATHAN CHADWICk Photography: LAURENS PARSONS
T
he old car market hasn’t paused for breath over the past year. Values just kept climbing and, every month, selling prices of the right cars edged ever higher. Which is why we’ve put together five classics we think are good value right now. Our criteria are simple: looks, driveability, image, quality and – most vital of all – market potential. These are the classics we’d go out and buy today because they’re all undervalued and distinctive. What’s more, we think they will all keep pace with whatever the market throws at us and they will all be worth fettling and improving. Some are obvious candidates, such as the Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 – a great car in the Eighties and an even greater classic now. We chose the Ferrari 456 because it was one of Ferrari’s most glamorous and expensive road cars of its era but one that’s strangely under-appreciated. We reckon the Sixties Ford Mustang convertible is much misunderstood in the UK and makes a very striking fourseater ragtop for very reasonable money. The Daimler V8 is much more rare and less obvious than its Jaguar Mk2 counterpart and has a separate elegance and charm. And we chose the 2002tii because it’s a subtle and handsome early BMW that carries the historic DNA of every modern Beemer. But be quick. I’m sure we won’t be the only enthusiasts who have recognised the potential in these five under-market classics – they may well not be bargains for ever.
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‘After media-blasting, there were perforations all over the bodywork’ Ben Foster soundtracks Dr Who’s battles with the universe’s most despicable monsters. But when he wanted his dream Volvo P1800, he and his chosen restorers faced monstrous corrosion challenges too Words JOHN SIMISTER Photography LAURENS PARSONS
1963 VOLVO 1800S
Ben had always wanted a P1800, but finding a suitable car proved hard. The team chose a Swedish-made 1800S and aimed to recreate Jensen-era P1800 style
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V O LV O 1 8 0 0 S e p i c r e s t o r at i o n
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Lamborghini Espada
The
ESPADA E x t r a v a g a n c e
The Lamborghini Espada exudes exotic elegance in standard form, but not all cars were created equal. We try Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly’s 1969 Monaco GP parade car to get a taste of the high life Words Rob ScoRah Photography GeoRGe WilliamS
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C O L L E C T O R S
‘This is something my sons and I can do together’ John Hughes shares a deep love of cars with both his sons. They’ve created a collection that majors on the exotic but leans into luxury and the utilitarian Words: BEN FIELD Photography: JONATHAN JACOB
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‘I had a Sierra Cosworth as a test car, though I never used it much on the road for fear of losing my licence’ The name Cosworth will for ever be linked with the design and manufacture of performance engines. We talk to company co-founder Mike Costin about the cars from his own past Words: MIKE TAYLOR Photography: RORY GAME/ARCHIVE
Costin has good and bad memories of Ford’s 100E including a Spanish holiday and a nasty crash
M
y initial interest was in aircraft, following in the footsteps of my brother Frank,’ says Mike Costin. ‘He worked at the General Aircraft Company at Feltham, Middlesex. I applied for an apprenticeship with de Havilland in Hatfield, starting as a trade apprentice in January 1946. Later, I was upgraded to an engineering apprentice, which gave me an excellent grounding in engineering.’ Surprisingly, Mike asserts he’s never had an interest in cars although he did enjoy motor racing at club level and, like many of his friends, he was a member of the active 750 Motor Club. Another successful participant was Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus. ‘I still had my day job with de
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Mike raced Ford Anglias – he once rolled Anita Taylor’s car at Brands Hatch
Havilland when, in November 1952, fellow de Havilland apprentice Peter Ross suggested I get in touch with Colin over working for Lotus in the evenings – the great attraction being that I’d get to share racing a Lotus with him,’ says Mike. ‘At the time Colin still retained his job with British Aluminium, running the car business in the evening and racing his Lotus MkIII at weekends. I started in January 1953, working from 7pm until 2am.’ Transport in those hectic, heady years was always basic. For the round trip from his home in Harrow to Hatfield, then on to the Lotus garage in Hornsey in north London and back to Harrow in the small hours, Mike initially used a 1934 BSA 500cc Blue Star motorcycle. Then, through his 750 Motor Club contacts, he was able to borrow an Austin
Seven, a 1928 Chummy or occasionally a Seven powered by a Ford Ten engine. But things were about to change. With £500 sponsorship from Esso to help develop the Lotus MkVI racer it’s a measure of the extraordinary business growth rate at Lotus that, in January 1955, both Mike and Colin gave up their day jobs to work for Lotus full-time.
Ford 100E ‘Not long after starting with Lotus the company bought me a new Ford 100E Anglia. Not surprisingly, it was pretty hardused – and one year it took my wife and our three young children all the way to Spain on a camping holiday. ‘On the way back through France the weather turned and we got drowned in a heavy downpour. I called Jabby Crombac,
Mike Costin is reunited with the Sierra Cosworth he used as a development hack
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