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PROJECT SHOESTRING

ReadeRs' CaRs JAGUAR XJ6

THE BEST THE NATION CAN OFFER WORDS: ANDREW ROBERTS PICTURES: MATT RICHARDSON

The title above is not our own take on this 1971 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Automatic, but is a quote from Car magazine at the model's launch. However, we must admit that we couldn't have put it better.

his beautiful Jaguar is a prime example of a classic car which is now so familiar that its impact when new is frequently taken for granted. However, back in 1969 Sir William Lyons stated that the XJ6 was ‘a car which it is the ambition of every keen motorist to own,’ and he was fully justified in this assessment. The reality now is that Jaguar's XJ6 ranks alongside the Morris Minor, the Mini and the E-Type as one for the few British cars to truly merit the term ‘iconic.’ The XJ6 made its bow on the 26th September 1968 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel on London's Bayswater Road.

‘Ladies and Gentlemen, I should like to introduce to you my new car,’ Lyons proclaimed to the gathered journalists and dealers, all of whom greeted the latest Jaguar with acclaim. It further mesmerised visitors to the Earls Court Motor Show, and when looking at the Pathé News footage, it is easy to assume that the XJ6 was declared European Car of the Year in 1969. In fact, that honour went to the far more prosaic Peugeot 504, with the BMW E3 2500/2800 in second place and the Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina in third. However, when the British motoring press finally obtained test cars, they positively

rhapsodised. Motor thought: ‘As it stands at the moment, dynamically, it has no equal regardless of price, which explains those 12-months delivery quotes from dealers and black-market prices £1000 over list.' Autocar stated: ‘If Jaguar were to double the price of the XJ6 and bill it as the best car in the world, we would be right behind them.' By 1970 Road & Track informed readers in the all-important US export market that the XJ6 was: ‘Uncannily silent, gloriously swift and as safe as houses.' The XJ6 can trace its origins to the 1950 MkVII, the Jaguar that redefined the British luxury saloon. By the end of the decade, Riley had lost all vestiges of independence, Armstrong-Siddeley was on the verge of ending its car production while Daimler was soon to be acquired by Jaguar.

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Sir William Lyons said the XJ6 was ‘a car which it is the ambition of every keen motorist to own,’ and he was fully justified In 1961 Jaguar introduced the utterly magnificent MkX with its vast unitary body and all-independent suspension, yet sales never quite achieved expectations. Keith Adams notes of the MkX in the indispensable www.aronline. co.uk that: ‘Production peaked at 6572 in 1963, but collapsed dramatically to 2458 in 1964. The introduction of the 4.2-litre engine boosted production to 3296 in 1965, but declined again to 2023 in 1966.' By that time Jaguar faced an additional problem in that the Mk2, which had made its bow in 1959, was competing against the more up-to-the-minute Rover P6 and Triumph 2000. The Jaguar S-Type debuted in 1963 as an offering to bridge the gulf www.classicsworld.co.uk

between the Mk2 and the MkX, but as the story goes, Lyons discerned a lack of interest in the new model at that year’s Motor Show. He decided that Jaguar must do something quickly, and the immediate solution was the stop-gap 420, essentially the S-Type with a MkX-style nose and the 4235cc engine, which debuted in 1966. However, Jaguar’s main concern was Project XJ4, the model that would reinvigorate its saloon range. The bodywork, reminiscent of a smaller MkX, combined tradition with modernity, while power was from the 4.2-litre XK unit and a new 2.8-litre version for European customers. Jaguar also evaluated a V12 as early as 1964,

but this engine would not be ready for the new car’s launch. In July 1966 Jaguar merged with the British Motor Corporation to form British Motor Holdings, a move that ensured financial backing for the XJ4 and body supplies from Pressed Steel. By that time, Jaguar dealers faced the problem of an overly complicated saloon line-up. For the managing director there was the 420G (a facelifted MkX), the exquisite Daimler Majestic Major and the Daimler DR450. Entry level cars were the Mk2 in 2.4-litre, 3.4-litre and 3.8-litre forms plus the Daimler 2.5 V8, while the mid-range offerings consisted of the 3.4S and 3.8S, plus the new 420 and its more expensive Daimler Sovereign

counterpart. All were splendid motor cars, but aside from the 420G, they also bore design tropes that harked back to the 1955 2.4 Mk1 saloon. By contrast, the Mercedes-Benz W108-Series S-Class which debuted in 1965 was proving a significant competitor in Jaguar’s export territories. A further issue was the standard of quality at Browns Lane. In 2001 Donald Stokes, the former chairman of British Leyland, reflected: ‘Bill Lyons was a marvellous chap, but the quality of Jaguars was so awful it was unbelievable.' Given the standards experienced by many a BL customer of the 1970s, this was an ironic remark. Yet Browns Lane’s quality control was a genuine issue,

FEBRUARY 2021 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

ReadeRs' CaRs JAGUAR XJ6

Despite its gloriously brash red exterior, the interior of this XJ6 features the typical Jaguar understated class and quality. Owner Vaughn loves the feel of the finger-light power steering through the thin-rimmed wheel.

especially when combined with the age of its model line-up. When Car evaluated the Sovereign opposite the Rover P5B 3.5-litre Coupé in January 1968, they pulled no punches. ‘ We think that buyers of either car will feel they are getting value for money providing they continue to judge their purchases by British standards and British conditions,' they wrote. However, by world standards the writer discerned serious shortcomings and said: ‘Our advice to both companies is to cut the gimmicks (and the prices) and get on with bringing

these potential world-beaters up to date.' This, of course, was precisely what was underway at Browns Lane, and indeed at Rover HQ too, although their P9 project sadly never made it through to production. Few 1960s British automotive titles were as outspoken as Car, but their test did highlight Jaguar’s urgent need for a new four-door model. When it arrived, the XJ6 allowed Jaguar to simplify its saloon car range significantly. Production of the 340, S-Type and 420 ceased, while the 240 and Daimlers 250 V8 and 420 Sovereign remained

24 CLASSICS MONTHLY ❙ FEBRUARY 2021

available until 1969. The 420G remained listed until 1970, and arguably would not be replaced until the 1972 debut of the long-wheelbase XJ12. The suspension devised by chief engineer Bob Knight resulted in astounding road manners from the new XJ6, and Autocar thought its handling surpassed the E-Type. The first generation XJ6 was also one of the first large cars to debut under the auspices of the newly formed British Leyland Motor

Corporation. Even at the time of its launch, corporate in-fighting at BLMC anticipated a not entirely smooth future for one of the most important cars to bear the Jaguar badge, yet nothing could detract from the impact of the original XJ6. Car stated: ‘It is probably the best this nation can offer, and certainly among the best this nation has known in 75 years.' Meanwhile, the brochure urged customers to ‘enter the private world of the Jaguar XJ6’ where they would find an abundance of leather and timber plus an elaborate heating and ventilation system in place of the not very useful set-ups of earlier models. The fascia boasted the familiar layout of the MkX, but gone was the separate starter button. Some traditionalists mourned the lack of the leaping cat bonnet mascot, but it would not have complied with US safety regulations. The range commenced with the 2.8 at £1797 and rose to www.classicsworld.co.uk

ReadeRs' CaRs JAGUAR XJ6

the 4.2-litre with Borg Warner Model 8 automatic transmission costing £2398. Autocar believed the XJ6 had no equal, regardless of price. Certainly in terms of British rivals, few potential XJ6 buyers would have looked at either the Ford Zodiac Executive MkIV or the Vauxhall Viscount, which were cars for spivs. Likewise, the Austin 3-Litre was unlikely to have found favour with the average Jaguar enthusiast – that was transport for the Town Clerk. There was of course the Rover P5B, but that was a somewhat different form of vehicle – utterly sober and respectable rather than sporting, for all its Rostyle wheels. The saloon version piloted by Roger Moore in The Man Who Haunted ABOVE AND LEFT: The 4.2-litre XK engine delivered 245bhp and could propel the 3627lb XJ6 Automatic from rest to 60mph in 10.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 120mph. Fuel consumption was 15.2mpg.

Himself perfectly epitomised the Rover’s image. Meanwhile, for those considering a foreign marque, Volvo’s new 164 was tempting but more a car in the tradition of the recently demised Wolseley 6/110. As for the Citroën DS Pallas and the NSU Ro80, they both occupied their own quirky niches in the executive car market. And so the Jaguar’s closest rivals, both at home and in the US export market, were the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the latest BMW New Six. Both were almost impossibly exotic in Britain of the late 1960s. The BMW also cost £3245 in 2788cc www.classicsworld.co.uk

form, while the equally splendid Mercedes 280SE required a very understanding bank manager at a list price of £3324. By contrast, the XJ6 may have been expensive by 1968 standards, but it was far more attainable to the average solicitor or chartered accountant. The great L.J.K. Setright wrote in Car that the new Jaguar was ‘not merely remarkable for what it is, but also because it renders superfluous all cars which cost more. I can think of no car of which this can be as truthfully said.' Motor simply titled their 1970 test of the 4.2 Automatic:

FEBRUARY 2021 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

ReadeRs' CaRs JAGUAR XJ6 'Beat this, Europe.' 1969 saw the launches of the Daimler Sovereign 2.8 and 4.2, the cars for the discreet social climber. The Series II XJ, bearing raised bumpers to comply with American regulations, replaced the Series I in 1973. Owner Vaughn High came by the Jaguar in our pictures in 1998. ‘It was ordered new from a Clacton-on-Sea outlet, and when I discovered it the XJ6 had been resting in a garage in that town for several years,' he said. Vaughn's initial foray into the world of classic cars had been with a Triumph TR6 followed by a Porsche 911, but he says: 'The moment I saw this XJ6, I became a Jaguar enthusiast.' The XJ6 might have been residing in its lodgings for several years, but rather surprisingly it was not in a bad state of repair. ‘The interior was in an original condition, although there were dents down one side from where the previous owner accessed his lawn mower,' recalled Vaughn. The Jaguar also sported an official factory vinyl roof, while Vaughn believes it was first painted in Sable. ‘I noticed that the XJ6 had undergone a very 1970s bare-metal re-spray,' he explained, 'but there was an inch of another colour visible

at the bottom of the boot lid. My guess is that such was the demand at that time, the buyer took whatever he was given and had it repainted later.' The XJ6 then underwent a rolling restoration that Vaughn describes as a labour of love. There were naturally challenges en route, such as the day the brake cylinder expired and deposited fluid over the driveway of a stately home... Over the years, the Jaguar has been treated to new brake discs all round and a dropped rear subframe. During the last-named modification, Vaughn took the opportunity to change the original tyres and rear suspension, also adding new shock absorbers fore and aft. The result is akin to driving a floating carpet – it must have been so different from virtually all other cars of its time.

Showing off the XJ6's perfect lines, Series 1 cars are marked by the low bumper and deep radiator grille.

‘I love the feel of the thin steering wheel and the fingertip control from the standard-fit power steering,' confides Vaughn. Possibly the only modification that he would like concerns the automatic gearbox as he reckons the Jaguar could do with another ratio to cope with modern traffic conditions. Otherwise, his Jaguar more than fulfils the brochure promise of being ‘a saloon car setting new standards of comfort and luxury, road-holding and ride steering and braking, performance and safety.' Vaughn has noticed that the Series One has attracted more interest over recent years. ‘For

shows, I have printed a board explaining its history which always attracts people, and yes, some of them do say “my dad had one of those”!' he laughs. 'The Jaguar has travelled all over Europe including to Le Mans, and it seems that people just have a joy in looking at the XJ6.' Sir William himself could not have put it better. But perhaps the most apt summary for the XJ6 is that it was both the last Jaguar to bear Lyons’s stylistic influence, and the culmination of the company’s achievements to date. Today, Vaughn’s car truly embodies the famous slogan: ‘Grace. Space. Pace.'

Our thanks go to Vaughn High and JEC Essex Thameside (www. jecessexthameside.co.uk)

Vaughn had owned a Triumph TR6 followed by a Porsche 911, but says: 'The moment I saw this XJ6 I became a Jaguar enthusiast'

26 CLASSICS MONTHLY ❙ FEBRUARY 2021

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Q&A HELP IS AT HAND

Troubleshooting with Steve Rothwell Our helpful Q&A hotline may be able to solve your classic-related problems, so email us at classics.ed@kelsey.co.uk and we’ll do our best to help. HUMBER SCEPTRE CHARGING PROBLEM

I am hoping you can help with a problem that has baffled my local auto electrician. I have a 1966 Humber Sceptre MKII which is fitted with the early type alternator and the 4TR control box. When there is a small positive charge rate, the ammeter needle and the lights will flicker rapidly. If the wires F and Earth from the box are joined effectively isolating the control box, the flickering will stop. It was diagnosed that the control box needed replacing which I have done, but the problem remains exactly the same with the new control box fitted. Does this mean that the alternator is at fault? Davin Edwards

My first check would be to see that all the connections are tight and that the problem is not due to something as simple as a loose terminal. I would extend these checks to not only the

alternator and ignition wiring, but also to the battery and earth connections, including the engine-to-body earth strap. The alternator fitted should be a Lucas 11AC, which also needed the 3AW and 6RA relays. It is feasible that one of these relays has developed a poor internal connection and the higher resistance is creating the problem that you have. You may be able to detect such a problem by feeling the temperature of the relays when the engine is running and the alternator is charging. If the relays are warm, then they are probably suffering from wear on the internal contacts. The 6RA relay is still readily available, but a replacement unit is now made for the 3AW unit which is available from www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk. The other alternative is to upgrade the alternator using diodes to eliminate the need for the relays. Details of this can be found by searching the internet for 11AC alternator guides.

ROVER 2000 COOLANT LOSS

I have a 1971 Rover 2000TC (the P6) and I am suffering loss of coolant from one of the engine side plates. I would like to carry out the replacement myself, but the one concern I have is that the engine mounting appears to be attached to the side plate. I am intending to support the engine from below and then remove the engine mounting, but was looking for some reassurance that this is not going to turn into a larger job than I am expecting. Paul Ratcliff

Although an awkward job, the measures you are proposing are quite correct and the good news is that while the engine mount does need to come off, it is not secured to the side plate, but merely obscures it. The distributor will also need to be removed, and the easiest way to ensure the timing stays correct is to set the engine to TDC and mark the distributor before removing it. I would presume you will replace both side plates because if one is leaking, the other will shortly follow. Fitting the new gaskets with a little smear of Wellseal will ensure a good watertight seal. Once re-assembled, the engine mount can be bolted to the block and then lowered back into position.

The side plates for the Rover 2000 P6 engine.

The 11AC alternator used the 4TR control box as well as the 6RA and 3AW relays, and although the 3AW relay is no longer available a replacement unit can be sourced

FORD CONSUL PERIODIC CUTTING OUT

Every now and again, especially when placed under load such as driving up an incline, the engine on my 1961 Consul 375 will cut out and die. When I check, I find that the carburettor bowl is completely dry with the float sitting at the base. I normally remove the fuel lines and ensure they are clear, then reconnect them, filling the carburettor float chamber with fuel to get things running again. The engine will always fire into life immediately and then will run OK. This may last for a short or longer period, but eventually – possibly five or sometimes up to 100 miles later – the

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problem will reoccur. I replaced the fuel pump the first time the problem occurred, but this has failed to have any effect on matters. I am hoping you may have a suggestion. Denis Webb

From the symptoms you describe and the actions you have taken, this would suggest to me that the problem is not in the fuel pump or fuel lines, but may be much farther back in the vehicle. I would imagine that at some point something has found its way into the fuel tank and is now floating freely around. This foreign object is at times floating across and blocking the fuel pick

up pipe which, unlike its modern counterparts, does not have a fine mesh filter fitted. Once the engine has stopped and the draw from the fuel tank is removed, this object floats back down and the pick up is free to draw fuel up again. The reason this may seem to occur under load is twofold: firstly the fuel consumption and therefore the draw of petrol is greater, and secondly the incline when going up a hill may be allowing the object to float further. The answer I believe is to remove your fuel tank and drain it out, hoping that when you invert it the object comes floating out.

JANUARY 2021 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

DRIVER’S Diary Simon Goldsworthy Editor

Simon always has too many projects on the go, which means progress on individual cars can sometimes be slow. On the bright side, it does mean he never gets stuck watching telly of an evening. He likes virtually all classics, but has a weak spot for anything small, basic and generally overlooked.

MY FLEET 1967 MORRIS MINOR OWNED SINCE: 2019

1970 MG MIDGET OWNED SINCE: 2019

1976 MINI CLUBMAN OWNED SINCE: 2020

1983 ACCLAIM HLS OWNED SINCE: 2015

1989 VOLVO 340

OWNED SINCE: 2020

Water leaks and unevenly worn tyres

iving the Acclaim a check over recently before one of the kids borrowed it for a long run, I was surprised to notice that one rear tyre was quite badly worn around its outside edge and was now close to the legal limit. I might have expected this more on the front wheels if the tracking was out, but was concerned that on the back wheel it could mean structural problems and misalignment. Fortunately, upon reading up on the subject I discovered that the tracking of the rear wheels on an Acclaim is adjustable too – who knew! So I rolled the car over my Trakrite gauge and found that the rear wheels were indeed toed-in by 0.6 degrees. Since I wanted two new tyres fitted as well and we needed everything done by the weekend, I decided to wimp out and have the adjustment made by my local classic specialist,

Simon was surprised to discover that one rear tyre on the Acclaim had worn quite badly around its outer edge.

Hall’s Garage, at the same time as they changed the tyres. With the car up on their ramp, spannerman Earl cleaned all around the trailing arm pivot nuts, which revealed markings to indicate the positions of the eccentric bolts. After spraying on penetrating fluid, it was then a matter of trial and error to adjust these until the wheels were pointing dead ahead. Finally Earl replaced the two worn tyres, taking care to clean up the rims of the steel wheels and even spraying on some paint to protect them and prevent rust forming that could allow air to leak out. Excellent service all round, and the Acclaim was fit for action once more in time for its big trip. Meanwhile, the Volvo 340 has been giving brilliant service since all the initial niggles were sorted out, but of course things never stand still and once you have tackled the most obvious issues, then your attention can turn to

54 CLASSICS MONTHLY ❙ FEBRUARY 2021

It turns out that while camber and castor on the rear of an Acclaim are fixed, the rear wheel alignment can be adjusted. those that are less urgent. Mind you, being less urgent does not mean they can be ignored, because small problems have a habit of rapidly growing into big ones and it is always best to nip them in the bud if you can. In the Volvo’s case, my next concern was a slight water leak. This had revealed itself after a long run with just a drip or two of fluid appearing under

the engine. This looked and felt like coolant, and exploring all around the engine bay with hands and eyes suggested that it was coming from the water pump. I couldn’t be sure whether this was from a weeping pipe or the pump itself, but since the Volvo is destined to fulfil the role of sensible family wagon, I didn’t want to take any chances – if the pump www.classicsworld.co.uk

DRIVER’S Diary

With all nuts and bolts on the trailing arms cleaned and lubricated, Earl adjusted them to get the wheel alignment right.

ABOVE: On the Volvo 340, a new water pump kit from Classic Swede cost just £46.79, despite being a very complex casting. LEFT: The old pump’s securing bolts came out without breaking and despite looking so grotty initially, they cleaned up nicely.

He then fitted two new tyres, taking great care to ensure that they had an airtight and durable seal against the steel rims. itself was dripping, then it would only be a matter of time before this got worse. I wanted to drain the coolant anyway, because I had no idea what type of coolant technology was in there and so I could only top it up with clean water in case conflicting antifreeze technologies reacted badly with each other. By taking this opportunity to drain and flush the system, I could then refill it with a known mix. An added bonus of doing the job promptly and properly was that I also discovered the fan belt was quite badly cracked, so I replaced this at the same time.

The water pump itself is a fiendishly complicated casting on these late-model 340s, but a brand new one complete with the steel backing plate and two gaskets was a reasonable £46.79 delivered. The pump itself was secured with six M6 bolts with 11mm heads and I was concerned that they would snap off, which seems to be the usual way of things with water pumps and thermostat housings that have been in place for decades. A six-point socket, plus careful manoeuvring back and forth rather than trying to undo them in a single go did the trick, although all six had picked

It always pays to keep your eyes open when doing a job – this badly cracked fan belt clearly needed changing too. www.classicsworld.co.uk

up plenty of alloy corrosion from the casting and added in a bit of surface rust of their own. They soon cleaned up on the wire wheel though, and I ran a die up and down all the threads for good measure. In fact the hardest part of the job was cleaning up the mating face on the engine – I think this was the original pump which had not been disturbed for over 30 years and the old gasket really did not want to come off. However, if I didn’t get the mating face scrupulously clean, then I’d only have to repeat all the work to cure another leak. Eventually a combination of razor blade, wire brush in a drill and a Scotchbrite pad got the mating face back to shiny metal without scratching it.

I flushed through the entire system – radiator, heater and engine cooling passageways – and was very impressed with how little rust and muck came out. I remember buckets of rust coming out of the cooling system on my old Trabant 1.1, but on the Volvo there was only a momentary flow of orange water before it ran crystal clear. I really do think I have landed on my feet with this car, (dodgy plastic fittings aside!). Replacement then really was a reversal of the dismantling process, and these later 340s are self-bleeding so a fill with fresh antifreeze and a run up to temperature had the job done. I then parked it in the garage over a clean piece of cardboard, and the next morning this was bone dry so it was job done.

“The water pump is a complicated casting on these late-model 340s”

Cheap hose clips have holes cut out and are easily distorted. Quality Jubilee clips are solid and worth the extra money. FEBRUARY 2021 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

DRIVER’S Diary MY FLEET

Mike Taylor

1965 E-TYPE JAGUAR OWNED SINCE: September 1986

Contributor

Mike is based in Australia and although his Stag and E-type have both been restored to a very high standard, both of them still require regular maintenance.

TRIUMPH STAG OWNED SINCE: 2004

On the home straight with the Stag’s shafts

icking up where I left off my Stag report in the November issue, now that I had manufactured all the components for fitting the CVjointed driveshafts it was time to assemble everything. The original shaft sliding splines were located midway along the shaft and were a relatively small diameter that allowed the complete assembly to be withdrawn as a single piece through the trailing arm. The upgraded shafts were a completely different design comprising a large diameter cylinder that is bolted to the differential flanges, which contains both the CV joint and sliding section. The larger diameter of inner section prevented it from passing through the trailing arm bore, so the replacement shafts required fitting in two sections, meaning the hub assembly had to be removed from the shaft, thus allowing the shaft to be inserted from the differential side. Since the outer CV joint diameter is slightly smaller than

The nearside hub would not locate correctly into the suspension arm. the bore in the trailing arm, this was able to squeeze through. Once the hubs were off the shafts, they were trial fitted to the trailing arms to ensure that the locating spigot would

Even light tapping with a soft faced hammer could not get it into place.

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fit into the bore of the trailing arm. The driver’s side was fine, but the hub spigot on the passenger side would not push into the trailing arm, and even light tapping with a soft faced mallet would not allow it to locate correctly. I did not want to force it in which would make it very difficult for later removal, so it was gently levered out and checked to see where it was binding. There appeared to be a single high spot adjacent to a stud that was identified by a mark on the aluminium bore. A hand scraper was used to remove the excess material from the bore, and after a couple more fitting trials, the hub spigot located correctly, so the shafts could be inserted through the arms. Initially I screwed the studs into the driveshaft inner sliding joint cylinder, but now found

that there was insufficient room to allow the shafts to be fitted with the studs in place. The exhaust pipes are routed below the shaft location and hindered the space available to manoeuvre the shafts into position, so the studs were removed to investigate whether that would allow shaft fitment. The driver’s side shaft went in without a hitch, although it did take a couple of attempts from different angles before the outer CV joint slid through the bore. It was then pushed well through the trailing arm so that the four studs could again be screwed into the inner end cylinder and a spacer slid over the studs. Next the shaft was moved towards the differential and the studs aligned with the holes in the differential flange and pushed inwards, allowing the studs to pass through the www.classicsworld.co.uk

DRIVER’S Diary

A high spot was found and carefully removed with a hand scraper. This then allowed for correct location of the hub.

The band holding the rubber boot came off the passenger side shaft, and was replaced with three turns of lockwire.

“A hand scraper was used to remove the excess material from the bore”

The inner shaft end bolted to the diff with the spacer in place. flange so that spring washers and nuts could be fitted. The nuts were tightened in rotation, ensuring that the spigots on the shaft and spacer were correctly located and the flange faces tightened squarely. The passenger side shaft was treated in a similar way. However, when the shaft was pushed through the trailing arm, it became apparent that the stainless band holding the rubber boot

in place had unclipped. I am not sure whether the band was originally poorly fitted or whether I had caught it when I was fitting the shaft, probably the latter. I tried to refit the original band, but was unable to securely reposition it so decided to improvise by wrapping three turns of thick stainless lockwire around the boot, which was gently tightened so that it held the boot firmly in place without

The hubs were pulled out to their maximum and the clearance was checked to confirm that there was sufficient movement during suspension travel. www.classicsworld.co.uk

running the risk of cutting through the rubber. The hubs could then be fitted to the outer end on the driveshafts and the centre retaining nyloc nut tightened with an electric impact wrench. This did not have the output to tension the nut to the correct value, but ensured that the hub was correctly seated onto the shaft. I pulled the hub out so that the sliding joint was at its maximum extension, and then measured the gap between the hub and brake backplate to double check that there was sufficient sliding motion available for all positions of the suspension. There was. As a final check on the shaft inner cylinder concentricity,

a dial gauge with a magnetic base was clamped onto the differential casting and the shafts rotated, allowing a measurement of any run out. I must admit to giving a sigh of relief when it was confirmed that the maximum run out was only a few hundredths of a millimetre. This will ensure that the shafts will not be the source of vibration due to run out. The hubs were then pushed up against the trailing arm, sandwiching the back plate so that the nuts could be fitted and lightly tightened. They will be finally tensioned with a torque wrench as it is easy to strip the thread in the aluminium trailing arms by over tightening.

With both replacement shafts in place, it can be seen how the exhausts interfere with the shaft fitting. JANUARY 2021 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

OUR CARS PROJECT MG MIDGET

MG MIDGET PROJECT PART 3

LET THE CUTTING BEGIN! There is no point fitting shiny widgets to a rotten shell, so we start work on our 1970 Midget by delving into those suspect sills to see how much metal remains beneath. REPORT: SIMON GOLDSWORTHY

s detailed last issue, I had compiled an extensive list of jobs to be done on our project Midget, divided into three categories: those required for an MoT, those that I wanted to do before driving it regularly, and those which would be nice to do if time and funds allowed. As is usually the case with any classic car, potentially the biggest jobs in terms of both time and money concerned the bodywork. In particular, the sills were clearly standing proud of the front wings and so were probably over-panels hiding rust, and there was also considerable filler in the A-posts and in the rear wings above the sills. None of this would have failed an MoT given that the areas in question were demonstrably solid, even if there was no way of telling exactly what was hiding underneath – such are the limitations of an MoT, or indeed any visual inspection of a car with shiny outer panels. However, it also made little sense to invest serious time and money in addressing the more obvious issues if the basic structure was of the rotten pear variety, and so the bodywork was chosen as the first item to be ticked off

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my lists. And that meant a trip to Alan Denne’s workshop – Alan has been in the bodywork trade all his life and has helped me with a number of previous projects. He had also just finished restoring his own RWA Midget, and so the scars of the model were still fresh in his mind! The pictures that follow will show a lot of the main things we discovered, but I should also add a few notes here. One of these is not to assume that excessive amounts of filler are always hiding rust. The nearside A-post’s outer skin was covered in filler and sanding this off could have revealed a real mess, but as it happened the amount of filler appeared to be completely OTT because the A-post

itself was sound, and if only a thin skim had been used, it could have been flatted back to a much smoother finish. There was, however, the expected rust at the bottom of the A-post where it sits on the top of the sill. This is prime rust territory on a Midget, and ours had been brazed at this point. Brazing such a repair was legal at one time, but it is not any more for a structural repair like this. There should be a visible seam at the bottom of the A-post where this sits on the sill panel’s top face, and people used to braze this area because you could run the brass right into the joint and it would look original – the inward facing flanges were spot-welded at the factory, but there isn’t www.classicsworld.co.uk

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As well as the fact that the nearside outer sill was sitting proud of the front wing, we knew there was something funny going on because the inner wheelarch had been stuffed with filler and/or fibreglass.

To gain access, the front wing had to come off. For some reason it had been tack welded to the front panel rather than bolted. We’ll investigate that more next issue.

The front wing itself appeared to be in good shape, which was finally a piece of good news because genuine Heritage replacement wings are nearly £600 – when they are available.

The wheelarch panel should have folded into the sill end, but when Alan started digging around we discovered that this area had been covered with Gaffa tape and then filler!

enough access to do that (or use plug welds) on the completed car. Instead, when making a repair these days, people tend to weld across the join and then cut a groove into this to get the correct look while maintaining the required strength. On further inspection, we found that the braze here was even weaker than normal because it was not even joined to the sill! We will have to

make up a new section for this area. We suspect that the reason so much filler had been used was not because the A-post was rotten, but in order to bring its face out to match the extra width of the sill below it. That’s because there were clear signs that a repair sill had simply been welded over the top of the original panel, and of course as well

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The outer sill should be a single panel that folds across the top and joins the upright panel that forms the outer edge of the footwell. Ours had a cover sill welded on along this line.

The sad thing is that the structure behind this bodged repair was mostly strong and there were only a couple of small holes, but that they simply hadn’t been repaired.

JANUARY 2021 CLASSICS MONTHLY

OUR CARS PROJECT MG MIDGET

Returning to the front end, Alan cut a section of the outer sill off using a cutting disc in the angle grinder. You can see here the remains of the original sill projecting down about 2 inches.

as harbouring rust, the double thickness of metal would have effectively moved the sill outwards. Removing the filler from the front of the sill panel showed that previous visitors had cut the new sill panel on its vertical face and welded a new panel to the side of the existing one. Presumably they did this to avoid having to remove the front wing, which explains why the hole in the bottom of the A-post was not repaired either. This method of welding on the new panel made us

wonder how much of the old sill was left behind, but the only way to know for sure was to cut the front section off. Before doing that though, we moved to the back of the sill. There should have been another seam here where the rear wing sits on top of the sill, much like at the foot of the A-post. Ours had been filled, but there was a crack across the filler and the gap between the door and the B-post was not right. We were keen to find out what lay under the filler, and that meant more

There was a small hole at the base of the A-post on its forward face, but the pillar itself was sound and there was no play in the door hinges. It had been poorly brazed to the sill, though.

Using a sanding disc in the angle grinder, Alan started to remove the filler. The amount of dust this created made us wonder if the whole of the rear wing had been crafted from P40...

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There should have been a visible seam at the back of the sill where it joins the rear wing, but just as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d found at the front end, ours was covered in filler here and this had cracked.

...but again like the front end, the filler had been used to bring the wing out to match the oversill. There were more brazed repairs in this area, but nothing too extensive. Here Alan is indicating the section that can be reached from inside the car.

The outer sill is welded to an inner panel, and this can be accessed from inside the car. Removing the carpets suggested that ours was in good shape, which raised our hopes.

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Further forwards in the footwell though, a large plate had been welded on to close off the sill section and form the outer side of the passenger footwell. This had been tack welded in place rather than seam welded, but appeared to still be strong.

However, by now we were resigned to the fact that we needed to cut off the entire sill and start again. So first of all Alan cut it from one end to the other, then down at the back.

There was evidence of previous repairs further back too. These included the area around the seat belt anchorage point, but these looked to have been neatly done and strong.

Pulling down the outer sill revealed this rust that was behind the heel board and so not visible from inside the car, but still too close to the seat belt anchorage to be ignored.

These are the two new panels we needed to buy – the inner sill (bottom) is a relatively simple pressing and cost £15.95, while the more complex outer sill (top) cost £39.95. The smaller panel is a closing piece that joins the inner wheelarch to the sill and closes this off. We’ll also need one of those for the other end.

destruction. Alan sanded off clouds of filler, but unfortunately there was not much of it by the shut line – had we been able to sand this area back, we might have been able to remove some thickness to open up the door gap. As Alan worked his way through the filler, a picture of past repairs emerged. Again it did not look terrible, but what appears to have happened is that a few flat pieces were brazed in to repair some rust in the bottom of the rear wing, but again like the front not actually joined up to the sill.

In this section you can get to the front part of the join from inside the car so there is no excuse for not doing a proper job there, but there is no such access at the back so you have to do the same as at the bottom of the A-post in that section – in other words weld the two together and then cut out a groove for the correct look. Alan continued sanding back the filler to determine how far it went, and a third of the way along the rear wheelarch we finally started to see the original paint. That meant we could be

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With the new sill clamped in place for reference, Alan then started cutting out the previous repairs on the rear wing. He started off drilling out the spot welds with a specialised cutter...

JANUARY 2021 CLASSICS MONTHLY

OUR CARS PROJECT MG MIDGET

The MG Owners Club The MG Owners Club is the world’s largest single marque car club. Formed in 1973 and supplying all MG requirements, the club provides a full range of benefits for the dedicated MG enthusiast, as well as for the less enthusiastic owner who simply enjoys running an MG for everyday transport or just for fun. Catering for all types of MG but with the emphasis on 1950s models such as the Midget and MGB through to the present day, they offer an unrivalled range of benefits. See www.mgownersclub.co.uk for more.

...before resorting to an air-driven hacksaw to get in there and cut off the outer panel. He then cleaned up the flange with a cold chisel and finally an abrasive sanding disc.

Further forwards, the flange around the crossmember (which also contains the jacking point) came away with the inner sill and so this section will need to be remade.

Eventually he had cut out all of the rust and had something he could weld new metal to. At this stage he still needs to cut higher up on the rear wing to remove the last of the brazed repairs.

confident that we had got beyond the full extent of the previous repairs. Next we had to cut above the braze line and see what we found behind it in the way of metal. First though, we returned to the front to cut off the forward section of outer sill to see how much of the old panel they had left behind there. We found there were about two inches of the old sill left, but that it was not finished properly at the ends. This also revealed that the closing panel on the footwell had not been seam welded fully, but at least the inner sill felt good from inside the car further back by the seat and the crossmember. Then, having gone this far, we decided to just cut the rest of the sill off and have a proper look along its length. This then revealed that the inner panel had gone at the bottom in places, which to be honest was no great surprise. It was not a disaster and in reality no worse than we had expected, but it meant that we needed an inner sill as well as the outer panel. Still, they were great value at £15.95 and £39.95 respectively which, when you see how much metal is included and how complex the outer sill pressing is in particular, is really quite astonishing. By the end of the day, the Midget had made the full transition for car to project. There was less metal left than we had hoped initially, but this is pretty much par for the course on a 50 year old classic. However, it was pretty clear that this was not going to be a quick project with just a few localised repairs.

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This was the area where the front wheelarch joins the sill. The sloping section is the toe board inside the cabin, while the rusted section of arch had been previously plated and filled.

Starting to look much better, there are still some remains of double skin on the floorpan to be removed before everything can be cleaned up and the welder brought into play.

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TECH FOCUS NUTS, BOLTS AND WASHERS

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NUTS, BOLTS AND WASHERS

Discover the benefits of compression washers, different threads, how bolts are graded and how to use lockwire with our beginner's guide to fastenings. REPORT: ROB HAWKINS

here’s a certain level of assumed knowledge when it comes to fitting the right nut, bolt and washer, so people are often reluctant to ask the obvious questions, such as what does 8.8 mean on the top of the head of a bolt, or can I replace all my rusty bolts with stainless steel ones? The answers to such questions and more are covered over the following pages with our guide to fitting the correct type of

fastenings, ensuring they don’t slacken and understanding the different types of finishes that are available. One of the biggest problems concerning classic cars and their fastenings is deciding whether they are metric, unified (UNF and UNC) or imperial (such as Whitworth and BSF). Confusingly, some bolts are a mixture of more than one type, as we shall see shortly! To add further confusion, most owners refer

to UNF and UNC fastenings as imperial, but to engineers and specialist suppliers, imperial (Whitworth, BSF, BA etc ) and unified (UNF and UNC) are two different things. All of these different threads and sizes of heads can restrict where you buy your supplies, what tools you need and whether you can convert to another type. Ideally though, you won't use for example a metric nut and bolt on a car that generally uses unified because that can make finding the right spanner during later work something of a lottery – a near fit is rarely near enough! Hopefully our guide will shed some light on what can be a very confusing matter.

Fine or coarse

Stretch bolts

Fine and coarse threads are available for most nuts and bolts, a coarse thread having fewer threads per inch than a fine thread. For unified American fastenings, a coarse thread is abbreviated to UNC (Unified National Coarse) With practice, you'll soon be able to while UNF (Unified tell by eye the difference between a National Fine) describes a coarse and a fine thread. fine thread. There’s also UNEF for Unified Extra Fine thread and UNS for Unified Special, but these are not really applicable to cars. A fine thread is stronger than a coarse thread, so it is capable of withstanding higher torque settings. Also, its smaller pitch allows for finer adjustment and has less risk of loosening. That's one reason why they are commonly used in suspension and seatbelt mountings. Actually, seatbelt mountings are an odd case as they have always been standardised at 7/16th UNF pretty much across the board.

Cylinder heads on many engines from the 1990s onwards use stretch bolts to secure the head to the top of the engine block. These are capable of withstanding a greater amount of torque than traditional head bolts because they stretch when tightened. Consequently, it is often not possible to re-use them – your workshop manual will have specifications for measuring how long they are so you can decide whether they may be reused.

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It may be possible to reuse stretch bolts, but only if they remain within the manufacturer's tolerance specs for length.

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EMERGING CLASSICS FORD KA

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IMMACULATE CONCEPT FUN Chris Svensson was a young man with both talent and ideas, and his brainchild was exactly the supermini Ford needed to funk up its small car offering. Report: Phil White

deep-dyed car nut, Chris Svensson studied vehicle design at Coventry University and the Royal College of Art. His first job was for Ford, where every student’s career dream came true for him immediately – Svensson’s final year thesis was a design for a very small, very cool supermini, and four years after he left college his concept was launched as a production model. Svensson died in 2018, felled tragically young by cancer, but by then he had notched up a stellar career bookended by two iconic Ford models – 2017’s GT supercar and 1996’s KA. In the 1990s Ford had at its disposal a fine small-car platform in the Mk4 Fiesta, which enjoyed notably good handling. Upon this it was able to build derivatives with relatively low development costs. The results were the KA in 1996, and the lithe Puma sports coupé which arrived the following year. The Fiesta was an evolution of its previous generation, a familiar if largely undistinguished feature of Britain’s motoring landscape which hid a sparkling chassis beneath a distinctly lumpen body. In contrast, the

KA was a radical concoction of swooping curves, confident straight lines and triangular forms. Ford marketed the idea as its New Edge philosophy, which would go on to spawn the genuinely excellent Focus and catastrophically horrid Cougar, but the source material could be easily found by anyone leafing through the college sketch books of young Mr Svensson. The KA was launched as affordable, simple wheels for younger drivers, although the fact that it could accommodate four adults in comfort broadened its appeal somewhat. My aunt had one and loved it. Indeed, one of my colleagues on this magazine bought his KA new, flogged it mercilessly around the country on journalistic duties and declared it a brilliant machine. The root of its appeal seemed to be that it was great fun, completely practical and, well, not a Fiesta. The KA also handled brilliantly. 1990s Fords weren’t known for being beautifully constructed, although the engineering

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behind them was world-class. They were, like many Fords before them, made to a price, but for the money a Ford of this period would almost always out-handle its competitors while feeding the experience straight to the driver. And back then, before Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) suppression had taken its toll on cars made for the masses, dynamic appeal still had a value. Depending on specification, the KA weighed in at between 820kg and 960kg. Low mass and the sharp suspension made

it phenomenal fun to hustle across the landscape. As a result, nobody really cared that the engine was little more than an evolution of 1959’s Kent mill. By 1996 this four-cylinder motor had moved through several phases – and every generation of the Fiesta – to gain a crossflow head and fuel injection. In the KA it was a 1297cc unit that developed 59bhp at 5000rpm. More importantly it gave 77lb.ft of torque at 3500rpm. In today’s terms this doesn’t sound terribly impressive, but the engine was extremely tractable and allowed the driver to make the most of www.classicsworld.co.uk

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the grip and handling potential on open roads. In more urban settings it also made the little Ford a surprisingly relaxing thing to pilot. The gearbox was always a five-speed manual which, being a Ford unit, worked perfectly well. In many ways the KA was rather like the Renault Twingo, which preceded it by three years. Mechanically quite conventional, these cars were a triumph of poppy styling both inside and out. However, the Twingo was very much a French affair and the reason you are reading about the Ford rather than the Renault here is simple: the KA was the one available in right-hand drive. That styling, which owed so much to Svensson’s ideas, was as practical as it was enjoyable. Dominating the scheme were curvy front and rear bumpers in dark grey plastic. These underlined the cool, strippeddown aesthetic and meant that minor parking contacts didn’t result in major bills. They were also an immediate target for car

modification enthusiasts, who commissioned body shops to spray them up. Sadly, the plastic contained an additive designed to reduce the deleterious effects of ultra-violet light on the material, and this proved quite resistant to the application of paint. In 1999 Ford realised that buyers quite fancied a colourful aesthetic rather than brutalism, and finally also offered bodycoloured bumpers. As a car enthusiast of, well, a certain age, my heart leaps when I find a car interior that features plenty of exposed, body-colour metalwork. On this front the KA delivers comprehensively. Personally I really like this car’s cabin. It might be composed of reasonably-priced plastics, but they are arranged in a symphony of swoops, curves and circles that provides far more interest than the lounge of a Mk4 Fiesta. There is even a two-spoke steering wheel, a nod to early XR Fords that I love – although I admit this is a touch which may be lost on those not

approaching their 50th birthday. In the context of a car that will now be between 12 and 24 years old, the elemental nature of the interior has additional benefits as there is little to go wrong, so most things still work well. And used spares are abundantly available. Despite its apparent simplicity, many KAs are quite well equipped with useful stuff. Depending upon trim level, they can feature air conditioning, power steering, leather trim and – Ford’s innovation in lowbudget motoring – the brilliant heated front screen. A series of special edition models can also bring goodies such as a fulllength fabric sunroof. In 2002 the venerable Endura engine was replaced by an overheadcam motor, but as it did almost the same job as its predecessor, nobody really noticed. Although they are footnotes to this particular story, the KA did have two offspring. Both were wider-arched than their parent and both enjoyed a revvy 1.6-litre Zetec engine. The SportKA was a fixed-head, sports derivative of KA, while the StreetKA was an interesting convertible constructed by Pininfarina. Both cars basically took what KA did best and did

a bit more of it, and as a result they both have an enthusiastic following of their own to this day – we may well return to look at those in a later issue. The compact, curvesand-slashes lines remained throughout the Mk1 KA’s remarkably long production life, for the simple reason that they worked perfectly well and a facelift was unnecessary. When the car was finally updated in 2008, its successor shared absolutely nothing with its forebear except the name. It was based on the Fiat 500, for crying out loud. The fact that it was so little altered for 12 years is one of the reasons why the Mk1 KA is fast emerging as a classic of the near future. These days, because the KA itself was often a muchloved member of the family, those that have survived can frequently be found in a rather happier state than contemporary Fiestas. Lowmileage examples are worth hunting out, because with a little care they can be thoroughly enjoyed for years as their value mounts. Regardless of whether you’ve owned one in the past or not, one of these could well be the KA you always promised yourself.

FORD KA SAMPLE PARTS PRICES Prices from www.caarparts.co.uk for a Ford KA 1.3 petrol (2006) Water Pump .................................................................................£24.75 Dampers ...........................£68.50 ea. (Front) ..............£56.25 ea. (Rear) Coil Springs......................£10.50 ea. (Front) ................ £9.25 ea. (Rear) Brake Calliper (remanufactured) .................................................£70.95 Brake Discs (Front each)........... ...................................................£13.50 Brake Shoes (Rear set)........... ..................................................... £27.25 Starter Motor...............................................................................£69.75 Clutch Kit .......................................................................................£80.75 Head Gasket Set .........................................................................£72.95

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FEBRUARY 2021 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

10 A

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT... THE ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SPIRIT

The SZ-generation of Rolls-Royce and Bentley saloons was launched 40 years ago, replacing the long-running Silver Shadow and providing us with a fascinating array of facts and figures all these years later. REPORT BY PAUL GUINNESS

lthough serious discussions about a replacement for the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow began as early as 1972, it wasn’t until eight years later that the eagerly-awaited Silver Spirit finally took a bow – and along with it, its Bentley Mulsanne cousin. The Silver Shadow had remained in production for an impressive 15 years and had become the highly respected elder statesman of the ultraluxury car market. Remarkably, however, the Silver Spirit-based family was to enjoy an even longer career, with its eventual successor – the Silver Seraph – not arriving until 1998. An 18-year run is impressive in itself, made all the more remarkable by the Silver Spirit employing essentially the same platform as its long-lived predecessor. Rolls-Royce hadn’t

designed an all-new car since the Phantom III of 1935, and they couldn’t afford to do so for the Shadow’s replacement. Management required the new car to look fresh and modern yet retain as much of the Silver Shadow’s engineering as possible, which is why the Silver Spirit had broadly similar proportions. The entire drivetrain and running gear was carried over, albeit featuring various refinements – RollsRoyce’s long-serving L-series V8 engine was to feature in familiar 6.75-litre guise (this itself dated back to the 1959 Silver Cloud) driving through the familiar GM Hydramatic three-speed auto, while a modified version of the Silver Shadow II’s suspension set-up was also employed. Bodyshells for the new models were produced by Cowley-based Pressed Steel, a

50 CLASSICS MONTHLY ❙ JANUARY 2021

Silver Spirit’s dimensions were not too far removed from those of the Silver Shadow, but clever styling tweaks made it look bigger.

subsidiary of BL. It continued the relationship between RollsRoyce and Pressed Steel that had first begun in 1946 when the Bentley MkVI ‘Standard Steel’ saloon arrived, the company’s first model to be

available as a complete car (rather than a rolling chassis) direct from the factory. The updated R-Type version of 1952 and all-new Bentley S-series and Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud of 1955-65 also featured www.classicsworld.co.uk

bodywork by Pressed Steel, as did the subsequent Silver Shadow – a model that marked a major turning point thanks to its monocoque bodyshell. The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit and Bentley Mulsanne met with a favourable reaction when they took a bow in late 1980, with the former going on to achieve healthy sales from day one. By comparison, the Mulsanne attracted relatively few buyers (much like its T2 predecessor), although a rejuvenation of the Bentley marque was only just around the corner. Although initial reaction to the Silver Spirit was positive, American exports were delayed until 1981 to allow more time for costly certification work. This involved fitting the V8 with fuel injection as well as a catalytic converter and exhaust gas recirculation in order to

satisfy the stringent emissions regulations in the USA. The first engines ran a 7.3:1 compression ratio, meaning a 15% drop in power with the Federal-spec Silver Spirit topping out at a rather feeble 105mph. US cars also got four rectangular headlamps to satisfy the legislation there, and springs behind the bumpers for impact absorption. Fuel-injection became standard on European and UK models in 1987. An updated Silver Spirit II of 1989 featured Bosch engine management and adaptive Automatic Ride Control damping. A new four-speed automatic gearbox with lock-up clutch on the overdrive top gear arrived in 1992, while the following year came the Silver Spirit III – complete with redesigned cylinder heads, a new induction system, and

The limousine version featured two extra feet of wheelbase and a raised roof, but US market versions still got diddy headlights.

revised anti-roll bars for sharper handling. The Flying Spur announced in 1994 featured the turbo engine from the Bentley models, while in ’95 the whole range received Zytek fuelinjection and a charge-cooler for turbo models. Known as the SZ-generation, the Silver Spirit-based family proved to be one of Crewe’s best-sellers, and on today’s modern-classic scene continues to attract plenty of interest. If you’re seeking the ultimate in (relatively) affordable luxury, it makes a lot of sense, but just how much do you know about this highly successful line-up?

Thankfully, thoughts of a modern digital display dash were shelved and a layout adopted that majored on traditional class.

The rear seat of the Silver Spur with division and a 14in extension.

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When styling the Silver Spirit, the team led by Austrianborn engineer Fritz Feller had to ensure the newcomer wasn’t too radical, whilst at the same time creating something distinct from the Silver Shadow – a car that by the late 1970s was starting to look rather oldfashioned, as well as being deemed too small for the US market when up against the latest from Cadillac. The easy solution would have been to create a significantly larger car, but this was impossible given the financial requirement to use SY-generation (Silver Shadow) underpinnings. Fashionable wedge styling was tried, but difficulties with this included retaining a radiator grille with the required domination in such a shallow nose, and the fact that because the long body had to rise quickly to go over hard points such as the Shadow’s engine and bulkhead, the wedge shape ended up with a massive back end. And besides, it would have been impossible

to stretch a wedge shape to give a LWB limo...

Since the Silver Spirit and Mulsanne of 1980 employed a revised version of the Silver Shadow’s floorpan and running gear, they therefore relied on clever detailing and styling tricks to achieve the illusion of appearing far larger, when in reality they were only marginally longer and wider than the outgoing model. Part of the process included enlarging the glass area by around 30%, lowering the waist line and using less decorative trim, together with more angular lines, a flatter bonnet and a more horizontal design to the front and rear lights.

During the design stage, Chief Engineer John Holling had wanted a full digital display on the new Spirit to help bring the car bang up to date. In his book Inside the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Styling Department, (which incidentally we heartily recommend,) Graham Hull says that Chief Stylist Fritz Feller was not keen on this and drew a sketch of Big Ben with a digital face to make his point. The new car did end up with a digital display as a nod to modernity, but only a small unit in the centre of the dash to display outside temperature, a clock and elapsed time.

The previous Silver Shadow II’s suspension was improved for the Silver Spirit. The angle of the rear trailing arm pivots was altered to allow a greater degree of camber change as the wheel moved up and down and so helping to reduce body roll

JANUARY 2021 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

and provide a flatter ride, while the rear track was also widened by three inches. The selflevelling system was effectively the same as the Silver Shadow II’s, using the dampers as a height control mechanism (with a valve controlling the flow of fluid from the car’s highpressure hydraulic system), thus removing the need for separate height control rams.

The Silver Spirit was revealed to the press in Nice in 1980, before being officially launched at that year’s British International Motor Show, which took place in the October. The show opened just a few days after the announcement that Rolls-Royce Motors had been acquired by engineering and defence giant Vickers. Following the collapse and government rescue of RollsRoyce in 1971, the car division had subsequently been hived off and run as an independent company up until the launch of the Silver Spirit. Vickers remained in control until 1998, when Rolls-Royce ownership passed into German hands.

The standard Bentley Mulsanne was joined by the Mulsanne Turbo in 1982. With an AiResearch T04 turbo blowing at 7psi through a Solex 4A1 four-choke carburettor, it brought blistering performance (by Rolls-Royce and Bentley standards) to the range and a top speed electronically limited to 135mph, but less than perfect handling. This, however, led to the launch of the hugely impressive Turbo R, where the

The Bentley Mulsanne Turbo R brought handling as well as blistering performance to the party.

R stood for Roadholding. It featured beefed-up suspension to reduce body roll and ensure dramatically improved cornering. The Turbo R also introduced a bright red option to the paint palette; this was Vermilion, though it was accidentally spelled Vermillion initially in what was perhaps a Freudian slip. There was also a Bentley Eight launched in the middle of 1984, essentially a cheaper version of the Mulsanne. If you specified cloth instead of leather, the price of this entry level model even dropped below £50k, but only just – it was priced at £49,497.

A LWB option called the Silver Spur or Mulsanne L had four extra inches of rear seat legroom and a vinyl roof, but Robert Jankel modified a car to create a true stretch limo. RR decided to bring this in-house and worked with Jankel to create the Mulliner Park Ward Touring Limousine with 24in

FLYING SPARES If you are running any kind of Rolls-Royce or Bentley, then Flying Spares is a name you'll want to remember. The firm can supply everything from recycled used parts to brand new spares for the whole range of Rolls-Royce and Bentley-badged cars, which can make a big difference to the cost of

running them, especially if you're prepared to get stuck in with the spanners for the smaller jobs. Having made its name with the older cars, Flying Spares now covers the modern generation too, and can supply everything you might need to bring something like a tired Continental GT back to life.

52 CLASSICS MONTHLY ❙ JANUARY 2021

The V8 engine was an oldie but a goodie. Forced induction gave it a totally new character, and helped usher in a Bentley revival.

added to the wheelbase, plus two inches to the roof height to stop it (in Graham Hull’s words) looking like a stretched toffee.

To try and force manufacturers to focus on fuel economy, the US government introduced Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets after the Arab oil embargo of 197374. This imposed financial penalties (the so-called gas guzzler tax) on manufacturers whose model range did not meet certain average MPG figures. In 1980, that target was 20 miles per US gallon. With no small car offering to offset the Spirit’s dismal 14mpg figure (down to 12mpg in California thanks to the additional smog equipment), RR had no option but to accept the financial penalty. However, at US$650 on a list price north of £100,000, it is fair to say that few buyers were unduly inconvenienced.

Thanks to the success of the Turbo R, the previously moribund Bentley brand went from strength to strength. From 1977 to 1980, just 58 examples of the Silver Shadowderived Bentley T2 had been sold worldwide, leading to speculation that the Bentley name would be phased out. In 1987, however, Bentley’s annual sales actually overtook those of Rolls-Royce for the first time since the 1950s.

The SZ’s underpinnings were also used as the base for the 1991-on Continental R coupé – the first bespoke Bentley model since the 1950s, and the most expensive production car of its day. It was joined in 1995 by a convertible version going by the name of Azure. Both of these remained in production until 2003, a remarkable extension to the career of an already longlived automotive platform. www.classicsworld.co.uk

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PROJECT MORRIS MINOR

PART 9: SORTING OUT THE REAR SUSPENSION With the Minor back from the bodyshop and running well, it was time to address a minor fault with the rear suspension that had long been on our radar – and also a major one that we only now discovered. Report: Simon Goldsworthy

hen we assessed our new Morris Minor project car back in the February issue, we noted a problem with the rear suspension on the offside whereby the rear spring eye was fouling on the bodywork and not allowing the shackle to move freely. Initially we had assumed that either the hanging plates were too short or the locating hole had been welded on in slightly the wrong position, but closer inspection showed that the chassis rail had been repaired in the past, and a flange added below it on one side that had not been there on the original – this was what the spring eye was fouling upon. This was not noticeable on the move, but would have stiffened the suspension on that side and potentially produced a knock, not to mention transferred loads incorrectly into the car’s structure. After tapping along the length of the chassis rail, I was happy that it was structurally sound. I didn’t want to

48 CLASSICS MONTHLY ❙ SEPTEMBER 2020

This was the problem area of the rear suspension that needed sorting – the offside rear spring eye was fouling on the chassis rail and so not allowing the hanger to move and the spring to flex freely. The problem was that lip below the box section.

get into a major replacement just yet – if I like the Minor enough that I still own it next year (something which I feel is highly likely), then at that point I will see about asking Alan Denne to start replacing the patchwork of small repairs with complete panels and slowly tidy the car up this way one section at the time. For now though, I made clearance for the spring eye as shown in the pictures. I had to remove both springs anyway to fit the same polyurethane bushes all round as I had previously fitted to the front suspension. To do this, I supported the body of the car on axle stands and a hefty chunk of wood to spread the load, lowered the axle as far as it would go and then just took its weight

on a trolley jack at the bottom of its travel. It looked initially as though I would need to detach the rear damper, (and after the fun and games I’d had previously detaching the front dampers, this was not something to be relished!) but that is not the case and you can simply undo the U-bolts clamping the spring to the axle before transferring attention to the spring eyes at either end. At the back there is a hanger made up of two plates, with one pin and two bushes in the eye of the spring, then another set of pin and bushes through the chassis rail. It all came apart easily enough, and the rubber bushes knocked out without too much of a fight. However, at the front of the spring www.classicsworld.co.uk

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PROJECT MORRIS MINOR

The spring eye bushes themselves looked badly chewed up, but on this type of top hat bush it is not unusual for the exposed portion to look grim when the central bit that carries the bolt is fine.

The rear shackle/eye bolt pins had a nut on each end securing them to the shackle plates. The central portion was unworn and unrusted, suggesting they had not been on the car for too long.

To remove the rear spring, with the car body securely supported and taking the strain, the rear axle was lowered on a trolley jack to the full extent of the suspension travel, supported at this point and then the U-bolts holding the spring to it were undone.

The front pin was a little different. In that recessed head are the two locking holes referred to in the introduction, but as also explained there – DO NOTE THAT THIS IS FITTED INCORRECTLY.

When the pin was removed, it came away with the collar that should have remained as part of the plate attached to the side of the spring hanger, which in turn is welded to the floor of the car.

With the rear spring removed, it was clear how its eye had ground away at the flange that had been added as part of previous chassis rail repairs. Fortunately the spring itself was OK.

I had more of a problem. Here there is a spring hanger welded onto the floor of the car and the spring eye is secured through this. However, unlike at the back where the pin has a simple nut at each end, this front pin only has a nut on one end. The other end is a large circular affair with two holes in it, rather like the locking plate on an angle grinder. This round head sits in a plate that is bolted to the inside face of the spring hanger, a plate which incorporates a collar. This is difficult to explain in words, so bear with me and do refer to the pictures. When it came to refitting the pin, I couldn’t get it www.classicsworld.co.uk

The holes in the old rubber bushes were not entirely central, but they were nowhere near being worn out. New polyurethane bushes pushed in (one on each side of the spring eye) with a little pressure and some help from silicone grease.

to locate centrally in the spring hanger, and with the locking holes in the face of the pin being recessed into the collar, nor could I see how to easily lock it into position so I could tighten up the nut without the whole pin turning. I spent ages trying to figure out how

it went together, but nothing made sense. So I did the sensible thing and asked our resident Morris Minor expert Will ArmstonSheret for advice, sending him a picture of the pin I had and explaining my concerns. He replied: ‘I’ve always used an adjustable SEPTEMBER 2020 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

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PROJECT MORRIS MINOR

On that troublesome chassis rail, Simon had decided on a localised repair for now so ground the flange away at just this section, then welded up the join to restore structural integrity.

two pin spanner for this, but can you send a better picture of the pin? It doesn’t look right to me, and from memory the ones I’ve used don’t have a lip like the one you’ve pictured. Were these previously fitted to the car? It almost looks to me like the lip of the locating plate has come out with the pin, but I can’t quite work out how that would happen.’ So I sent him a picture of the parts as fitted to the car, and that’s when the penny dropped. ‘The original front spring locating plates are made from a single piece of pressed steel, whereas the repro ones are often a tube and flat plate attached to each other,’ he replied. ‘It looks to me like this tube section has come out of the plate, and I would suggest you need to get replacements. Additionally, the spring locating plates are attached to the car the wrong way round – the lip should face into the spring hanger and not out as pictured on your car. This will leave the pin flush with the edge of the plate rather than recessed. I would get yourself some new locating plates and possibly pins too and start again. I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble then!’ Once Will had explained that, all my questions were answered – I could see why the current set-up would not fit properly, and why it did not look a safe way of transferring loads into the bodyshell. As Will later added: ‘I was thinking about it and I don’t think the join in the repro items is inherently a problem. However, with the plate fitted the wrong way round the tube section would have been taking the whole weight of the car, and that’s probably why it failed. I don’t think I’ve had any problems with the two-piece ones myself, just make sure to put lots of wax around the area as it can be a nightmare get apart if they’ve rusted up. When it is the other way round, that tube section is supported by the spring hanger and so less likely to fail.’ The moral of this tale is to never assume a part fitted to a car, especially one that has undergone restoration, is necessarily fitted correctly and if it doesn’t look right, do not proceed until you have established the correct way forward to your satisfaction. I had fallen into the first of those traps, but was saved by avoiding the second!

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With a coating of underseal to help protect it, this should last well until the whole rail itself is replaced in due course. Just as importantly, it now provides ample clearance for the spring to move without fouling on the body.

Meanwhile, new plates (single piece pressed affairs rather than two-piece items), front pins and an adjustable locking tool had all arrived in the post – total cost including delivery was just £27.19.

It was also possible to get a ring spanner in to hold the bolt head while the nut was tightened up from the outside – no elves or miniature spanners required, despite what the internet says!

Then, when the pin is pushed through, the end is supported properly in the plate and guided in by the chamfer of the pressing. This pulls the bush central – it is slightly off centre in step 14.

After some experimentation that included screwdrivers and Blu Tack, it proved relatively easy to insert bolts from inside the spring hanger when gripped by long-nosed pliers in this way.

Now fitted correctly, you can trace a path of support for the pin (and hence the front end of the spring) directly into the body, and the weight is no longer being supported by the two bolts securing the plate to the hanger bracket.

Once everything was reassembled but left loose so that the bushes were not gripped, the car could finally be lowered onto its wheels and only then all of the suspension nuts and bolts tightened up.

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ReadeRs' CaRs VolVo P1800S

Worth the Wait Spend any time talking about the Volvo P1800 and Roger Moore in TV's The Saint series will inevitably crop up sooner or later. However, that programme really was the inspiration for Stephen Shacaluga when he went in search of his dream car. WoRDS: IvAN OSTrOff PICTURES: MATT rICHArdSON

tephen Shacaluga is a retired baker living on the Rock of Gibraltar. He has been a classic car enthusiast for many years and has owned several interesting cars in the past, including a Daimler Barker Special Sports, a Singer Gazelle and an Alfa Romeo Duetto. The car that he always longed for above all else however, was the Volvo P1800. 'I used to watch Roger Moore as The Saint on TV in the 1960s driving that white Volvo P1800 with its distinctive ST1 registration, and really liked the looks of the car,' he explains. 'Then back in 1963, I noticed a chap driving a Volvo P1800 here in Gibraltar. That did it – although I was only 15 years old at the time, I was hooked and I knew one day, I'd own one.' Many years later, and well after he had driven an Aston Martin when playing James Bond, Roger Moore was asked

what his favourite movie car was. Moore replied: 'Without doubt it was the Volvo P1800. I have a great affection for that car, as of course I owned one as well as using one in The Saint series. It is a beautiful car.' In fact, Roger Moore was not the only celebrity to be associated in period with a Volvo P1800S. Roger Daltry of The Who had a custompainted Volvo P1800, in front of which he and his band posed for press photographs. But it was Roger Moore as The Saint that Stephen remembered best when, in 2008, he began to look seriously for a P1800 of his own. In 2009, when he was visiting the UK for the classic car show at the NEC, he went to see a couple of P1800s that were for sale, but neither of them felt right. Then, whilst sitting on the train down to London on the way home, he spotted a P1800 for sale in the

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magazine he was reading. 'I phoned the chap immediately, and the car sounded exactly what I was after,' he recalls. 'Furthermore, it was the right colour – it was white, just like ST1. When I phoned the vendor, however, he said the Volvo had been sold and he had arranged to deliver the car to its new owner the following Monday. I was so disappointed, but there was nothing I could do. I told him that if the sale fell through

for any reason, to please call me as I was seriously interested in buying the car.' The following Tuesday, to Stephen's delight the vendor called him to say that the sale had indeed fallen through and that the car was therefore available if he was still interested. Stephen transferred the agreed amount of £6000, and the car was his. It might have taken 46 years, but at last the dream had come true. www.classicsworld.co.uk

ReadeRs' CaRs VolVo P1800S

HISTORY

once the sale had been completed and Stephen had registered the documentation in his name, arrangements were made to ship the car down to Gibraltar. once the car arrived in Gib, it was put through the Customs Importation system which was in place back then. Stephen relates: 'To my horror they told me that I would have to pay import duty of £5600. I collected as much information about the current value of www.classicsworld.co.uk

Volvo P1800s from as many classic car magazines as I could find and took it along to the customs people. Eventually, they accepted that they had overvalued the car and we came to an agreement whereby they would levy just £600 in duty. That was of course a huge improvement, but it was still somewhat higher than I had anticipated. However, with the bill settled, I was at last able to take the car for its obligatory

The Volvo P1800 2+2 sports coupé was manufactured between 1961 and 1972. Styling was created by Swede Pelle Helmer Petterson whilst he was a student, working under the watchful eye of Pietro Frua at Frua's studios in Italy when they were a subsidiary of Ghia. The Volvo's B1800 engine (B standing for Bensin which is Swedish for petrol and 1800 for the cubic capacity) was derived from the one used in the Volvo Amazon 122, which was an extremely hardy unit with a five main bearing crankshaft, thus dependability and mechanical strength were almost a foregone conclusion. At first, production of the Volvo P1800 was carried out in the UK – the bodies were produced by Pressed Steel in Scotland and then transported down to Jensen Motors of West Bromwich where they were finished and trimmed. The electrics were produced in Germany, the engine and gearbox in Sweden and the rear axle in the USA, so it was a truly international effort. In 1963, however, as a result of quality problems, all production was transferred to lundby, a suburb of Gothenburg in Sweden. From that point onwards the car became the P1800S, where the S signified that it was produced in Sverige, or in English – Sweden. The P1800S remained in production until 1972, although the Volvo P1800ES estate car version which had only been introduced that year carried on until 1973.

JANUARY 2021 ❙ CLASSICS MONTHLY

ReadeRs' CaRs VolVo P1800S

Side trim flicks up distinctively at the rear edge of the door.

MoT, which thankfully it passed without any problem.' When registering the car, Stephen applied for a suitable cherished number and managed to obtain G1165, which corresponds to the date that the car was built, ie. 1/1/1965. once the number plates were fitted, Stephen took the car out for a drive around the Rock. He says of this trip: 'The car ran well, but unfortunately the clutch was slipping. So I ordered a complete new clutch assembly including pressure plate and thrust bearing from Brook House Volvo of Ipswich, Suffolk and changed the lot. I also ordered new engine mounts, and new universal joints for the propshaft as there was a slight vibration in the powertrain. At the same time I fitted a new seal between the engine and the gearbox. 'I also bought reconditioning kits for the carburettors and fitted new needles, floats and everything else supplied in the kit, then mounted nice new SU air filters. The last thing I did was to fit new rear brake shoes and rear slave cylinders.' The previous owner had done

The interior exudes quality and a degree of American 1960s glamour. There is an occasional rear seat, or factory-fitted tie-down straps if using this area for luggage. This stereo has been modernised internally.

some work on the exterior of the car including a full repaint, but there was still some work required on the interior. 'The back seats and the door cards were fine, but the front seats were a little shabby so they have now been recovered and a fresh set of carpets has been fitted,' says Stephen. 'I know that Volvos are a tad

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agricultural to drive because everything is so over-engineered and many components are rather heavy duty,' he continues, 'but on the plus side, that's why they are so strong and the engines last so well. of course, it is not a very fast car, it is a touring machine rather than a sports car â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and now having covered 60,000 miles

The P1800 is most distinctive from this angle, those big rear fins giving it a unique profile.

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Stephen has added SU-branded air filter housings to the carbs.

this one is running beautifully and is extremely comfortable to drive over long distances. I particularly like the car's interior. It is kind of American in styling without being too brash. I rather enjoy owning a car that few other people have; there is not another in Gibraltar and there are only a couple registered in Spain. With hindsight, as I live in Gibraltar it would have been preferable to have the car lefthand drive. However, there are very few of those available and therefore they fetch more money too.' Stephen usually uses the P1800S a couple of times every week, and being a member of the Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association often takes the Volvo on the club's regular forays into Spain. 'on the road,

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It may not have been the latest in high-tech engineering, but the B1800 engine is almost indestructible.

everyone loves it, they always give me a thumbs up and stop to let me pull out into the traffic,' he says with a smile. 'Hardly anyone recognises the car though, and when I tell people it's a Volvo, they are quite surprised. In the summer however, when it gets extremely hot down here, I do sometimes wish it had air-conditioning. It will cruise along merrily at 70 or 80mph, though I never take it over 90mph in the interests of longevity. I cannot imagine

parting with itâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is the classic that I intend keeping forever.' Given how much this car means to Stephen, I was particularly grateful to him for allowing me to have a go behind the wheel and form some impressions of my own. The Volvo P1800 was not designed as a two-seater, but as a 2+2 with young family ownership in mind, so there are two occasional seats in the rear which, although they would be somewhat cramped for adult

occupancy, are quite adequate for two small children. This area is also most handy when extra luggage space is required, which can be easily secured by the extra factory-fitted tie down straps provided. Climbing behind the wheel for the first time, the leatherclad interior of the car not only looks good, but has an air of quality about it. The front seats are adjustable not just fore and aft, but also for rake. They provide excellent support under

JANUARY 2021 â?&#x2122; CLASSICS MONTHLY

ReadeRs' CaRs VolVo P1800S

the thighs and in the small of the back, as well as laterally. Visible through the upper section of the steering wheel are the clearly marked matching speedometer and tachometer, whilst a good range of sundry gauges – including water, oil temperature, oil pressure, fuel level and a clock – are spread out to my left. I twist the key and the somewhat agricultural Volvo straight four engine fires up instantly. I soon decide that the term 'agricultural' does it a great disservice though, and certainly I find myself impressed by the smoothness of the twin carburettor 1800cc Volvo unit on tickover. I press down on the lightly sprung clutch and slide the gear lever silently into first. once on the move, all four ratios prove easy to select, the gearbox remaining quiet and free of transmission whine. Volvo changed the gearbox in the P1800S from the earlier M40 box to the M41 unit which was available with the option of an electrically actuated Laycock

de Normanville overdrive on top gear. Stephen's P1800S is fitted with this option, so when cruising on the motorway, a simple flick of a switch makes for very relaxed driving, better economy and quieter running. It also offers the added advantage of reduced engine wear. In this day and age, 108bhp is nothing to get over-excited about, but it proves more than adequate to allow the Volvo to stay with most modern traffic. More importantly, however, the 110lb.ft of torque produced at 4000rpm by this ultra-reliable 1800cc straight four guarantees that there is always sufficient poke when you need to pull out and overtake a line of slower vehicles. And when you need to slow down in a hurry, the servoassisted brakes provide plenty of feel and require little effort to scrub off speed easily. With three and a quarter turns from lock to lock, the steering is not heavy but

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High summer temperatures on Gibraltar mean that air-conditioning would be nice, but it does rain too and so the roof can be a bonus!

certainly not over-light either. Although not rack and pinion, it is accurate and there is plenty of feel so you know exactly what is happening up front. The Volvo's independent front suspension is controlled by coil springs and an anti-roll bar, whilst at the rear there are coils, trailing arms and a Panhard rod for lateral location. No matter how hard I tried, I was quite unable to induce any axle tramp on take-off, and the excellent ride makes the P1800S particularly comfortable to sit in for long periods. This car is always maintained in tip top order, but just recently the flasher system has been modified so that all four corners can flash in an emergency. The original radio has also been replaced

with a new unit that looks original, but has modern innards with a USB port. The ventilation unit works reasonably well, though for a car of this vintage and with both windows down there is plenty of air whilst on the move even in Gibraltar's heat. As he admitted earlier, Stephen would have preferred the car to have been equipped with a decent air-conditioning system though, as summer temperatures here can reach more than 40°C, and it can also be very humid. All in all I must say that I was very impressed by my short time with this car, but I should add to my own personal impressions by pointing out that if proof were needed of the durability of Volvo's P1800, one is a Guinness world record holder for mileage covered – on 18th September 2013, a 1966 Volvo P1800S owned by the late Irv Gordon of East Patchogue, New York, USA, was certified as having covered 3,000,000 miles, the highest mileage a privately-owned vehicle had ever driven. Gordon went on to cover 3,250,257 miles before he passed away in 2018. Perhaps though, I should leave the last word on the model to Stephen, who says: 'The Volvo P1800S is a car in which one can cover great distances rather rapidly in very reasonable comfort. At the end of a journey, you feel as if you have just started out. It is a sporting grand tourer in the truest sense.' www.classicsworld.co.uk

ARCHIVES PRESS PICTURES A-Z

PRESS PICTURES A-Z Simon Goldsworthy picks another varied selection of press images to progress our third trawl through the automotive alphabet, this issue ranging from P for Panther to T for Triumph via a couple of Rs and a trio of Ss. u PANTHER

Shy, retiring, subtle and discreet – four words that have never been used to describe the Panther De Ville. Built from 1974-1985 by Panther Westwinds of Surrey, its massive 142in wheelbase housed Jaguar running gear, including their straight-six XK or V12 engines. The doors had a less exotic parentage, being lifted from the Austin 1800! Said to have been inspired by the Bugatti Royale, the neo-classic exterior appealed to nouveau riche tastes – the flamboyant Elton John was a keen owner, so keen in fact that he used his car in a video for the song I'm Still Standing in 1983. Lancaster Insurance once calculated that for the cost of a new De Ville you could have bought 30 Lada 1200s...

t ROVER

This image reminds us of those effects achieved by placing one mirror in front of you and another behind, the reflections then seeming to go on forever. There were no mirrors (or smoke for that matter!) used in the creation of this image though, which shows a whole host of body sides waiting to be welded to the rest of their Rover 200 shells. This was the original SD3 model built from 1984-1989, although really of course it was not original at all because it was based on the Honda Ballade, and was a successor to the Triumph Acclaim. Rover even built Honda-badged Ballades at their Longbridge factory too, though these were shipped to Honda's new factory in Swindon for final quality control checks.

u RENAULT

The description on this press photo reads: 'Renault cars and the Russian Court.' Digging around, we think that these belonged to keen motorist, Tsar Nicholas II. One source says that he bought his first Renault, a 40 CV, in 1907, but that model wasn't introduced until 1911. Unfortunately, trawling through records from the Tsar's personal garage only turns up one Renault by 1912, and that was a truck. Can Renault fans shed more light on this?

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ARCHIVES PRESS PICTURES A-Z t SAAB

Saab was set up in 1937 to build aeroplanes for the Swedish armed forces. The expertise they developed in this field was transferred to car production when they unveiled their first offering, the streamlined Saab 92 in 1947. Here it is posed beside the Saab J21 fighter plane, itself an unusual design with a pushing propeller at the back. Aircraft production was moved to Linköping, with production examples of the 92 emerging from the Trollhättan plant in late 1949 for sales to start in 1950.

u STANDARD

This is a Standard Vanguard Phase 3, and the notes on the back of the press photo claim that it is from October 1955 and shows the new 1956 model. This really was a departure from what had gone before, ditching the separate chassis of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 for monocoque construction. Standard said of it: ‘ The performance of the Vanguard III makes it the ideal car for touring – a cruising speed of 70mph, maximum speed 84mph and fuel consumption 26-30mpg.’ We have to say that we rather like the new styling too!

t SEAT

This photo was released by SEAT in 2013 to mark the 60th anniversary of the company building its first car, the SEAT 1400 shown here. Built at their Barcelona factory from 1953 until 1963, this was essentially a rebranded Fiat 1400, although within a year of SEAT production starting, Spanish-produced content of the car had risen to an impressive 93%.

u TRIUMPH

Graham Robson says of this picture: ‘5VC on a Vitesse was a lash-up. The number had already appeared in its proper place on a TR4 on the Tulip Rally of 1962, before the Vitesse was announced. When the TR4s were delivered, they automatically became part of the company fleet. For the sake of that Vitesse newmodel launch, some lackey chose three numbers (3VC, 4VC and 5VC) at random whose plates were already sitting, unused, in a corner of his office. You’ll notice that there is no licence disc on the windscreen of the car. The girls were well-known local models, who worked for the company a lot in those days.’ www.classicsworld.co.uk

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