Classic Cars Sample Issue

Porsche 356B coupé We put one reader into his dream car

QUENTIN WILLSON

On why you should buy an Audi Quattro, Cosworth Sierra or Porsche 356

Renault 5 Turbo How to buy the ballistic bargain

MUSTANG

50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL 289 CONVERTIBLE 6-CYL NOTCHBACK SHELBY GT 350

1910 Benz

Wild drive in a Prince Heinrich Trial car

Bentley coupé

by Mulliner R-type Continental forerunner tested

ASTON

VANTAGE One man’s 34-year story of life with a legendary V8

MINI COOPER 970S REBUILT FROM SHED-FOUND WRECK

JA N UA RY 2014 £4. 50

• WWW.CLASSICCARSMAGAZINE.CO.UK JANUARY 2014 • ASTON VANTAGE • BENTLEY MULLINER COUPÉ • MINI COOPER 970S • FORD MUSTANG AT 50 • RENAULT 5 TURBO BUYING GUIDE

FORD

CONTENTS NEWS & EVENTS

BUYING

London to Brighton New entrants and a huge centenary display Jerez Masters Historic Spain rumbles to the sound of Can-Am RAC Rally Who came out on top in the Scottish forests?

Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Fords’ thrilling season climax Winter Challenge Still a chance to enter Planner Fill up your calendar with the coming year’s best events The Market Revealed: how to sell your classic securely Your Letters Memories of armoured De Tomaso Deauvilles

14 19 20 23 24 27 37 57

Smart Buys Quentin Willson on the classics to buy now Market Watch Russ Smith on the key sale results Temptations See what’s piquing our interest in the months ahead Barn Finds Nigel Boothman reveals the latest discoveries Books and Models Latest releases rated Buying Guide How to buy the best Renault 5 GT Turbo Ads on Test Triumph TR3A, Aston Martin Lagonda V8 prototype,

30 34 39 42 46 108

Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray and BMW M3 Evolution II

125

THE INSIDERS

Quentin Willson celebrates an atmospheric garage he swears by Tom Tjaarda recounts how he incurred Sergio Pininfarina’s wrath Simon Kidston gets cold and wet in Wales – and loves it

51 53 55

London to Brighton, p14

Smart Buys, p30

Buying Guide, p108 Jerez, p19 Events planner, p27

Market Watch, p34

4

I N

T H I S

I S S U E

OWNING

|

J A N U A R Y

2 0 1 4

|

I S S U E

4 8 6

DRIVING

Life Cycle Aston Martin V8 Vantage. A daily driver and family holdall, then treasured motoring companion. We explore this one-owner car’s life 70 My Life in Cars Alec Poole. From racing a resurrected Frogeye to

touring across Europe for MG and a stint running Nissan’s touring cars, Alec spills the beans on the cars that have shaped his life The Collector One man’s penchant for British sports cars revealed Epic Restorations Morris Mini-Cooper 970S. A heroic battle to turn a shed-found wreck into a vision of perfection Our Cars Quentin fettles his Rolls-Royce Corniche, Phil’s E-type provides inspiration and Sam tries to rescue his Toyota MR2’s paint Classic Punts Your tales of cars bought and sold on a whim

76 88 100

The List Porsche 356. A reader’s dream drive comes true as we

hand him the keys to the car that helped build the Porsche legend 6 Mustang We celebrate its 50th birthday by testing a 6-cyl Notchback, 289 Convertible and a Shelby Fastback 58 Bentley MkVI Testing one of three Mulliner-built prototypes of the R-type Continental 82 Benz 21/80 We don goggles and wrestle with a Prince Heinrich Trial car.

Just don’t mention the lack of brakes. Or the starting procedure...

94

113 218

The Collector, p88

The List, p6

Benz 21/80, p94

Epic Restorations, p100

ADVERTISING 124 185 199 206 208

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• www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk januiary 2014 • aston vantage • bentley mulliner coupé • mini cooper 970s • ford mustang at 50 • renault 5 turbo buying guide

Dealer adverts Advertise your classic for free Insurance Services Clubs

porsche 356b coupé w wee put one reader into his dream car

quentin willson

On why you should buy an Audi Quattro, Cosworth Sierra, or Porsche 356

renault 5 turbo t

how to buy the ballistic bargain

ford

mustang

50th anniversary special

289 convertible 6-cyl Notchback shelby gt 350

1910 Benz

Wild drive in a Prince Heinrich Trial car

Bentley coupé

by Mulliner R-type Continental forerunner tested

aston

vantage

nov ember 2013 £4.50

Life Cycle, p70

One man’s 34-year story of life with a legendary V8

mini cooper 970s rebuilt from shed-found wreck

5

WILLSON’S SMART BUYS

This month the curvy

PORSCHE 356 Here’s a market anomaly.

You can pay up to £30k for a replica plastic Porsche 356 roadster, but a real 356B or C Coupé is only 20 grand more. That’s nuts, and one of the reasons why 356s are set for another rise.

Gone are the days when good ones were £25,000 and over the past five years they’ve climbed steadily. But with 911s (and now 912s) performing so strongly, it is time we revalued their beetle-backed forebear.

And I know which Porsche radiates the most charisma.

A well-sorted and restored 356 makes a disarming and reliable daily driver and is massively distinctive. Blue Dragon Cars in Essex has a fine silver 1961 356B for just £44,995 while the Old School Garage has a stunning white 1963 356C with two owners from new at £65k. But what’s significant is that 356s are getting hard to find now with the posh trade buying up proper ones and doing the Price On Application thing.

You don’t see many at auction like we used to and they seem to sell fast in offthe-radar private sales. The £61,000 paid for a tired but solid 1959 356B roadster at ACA’s bumper Porsche auction back in August now looks temptingly inexpensive, because restored, it could make £175,000.

American 356s are cheaper and much more plentiful – plus with the dollar so weak it makes sense to think about bringing one into the UK. Even with shipping and duty you could land a shiny, reasonably restored 356 for only £35k.

And once everyone gets over the current fad for Seventies 911s, the 356 will start to move into that very exclusive territory of tweedy gentleman’s sports car like the AC Ace and Aston DB2. All the credentials are right – looks, shape, gorgeous detailing and £60k

the heritage of being the chosen wheels of German barons. Exclusive, originally expensive with a halo of cool Prussian precision, I’m betting that the 356 is set for a big renaissance.

FORD SIERRA COSWORTH Low survival rates push up prices so we shouldn’t be surprised that the three-door Sierra RS Cosworth is on the move. Top, tiny mileage cars can now make up to £60k but you can still find Cossies in the classifieds for £10-17,000. The other day I saw a private ad for a mint 1987 with 80,000 and full Ford history for just £10,750, while Mac West Motors in Wigan has a beautifully detailed D plate with 90,000 for £16,995. And the reason the three-door models are increasing in value is that so many got thrashed, crashed and stolen.

This was a riotously fast 150mph car that

PORSCHE 356 COUPÉ LATE DEVELOPER Rate of rise starts to slow

£50k Sparked interest as early 911s become expensive

For years collectors only wanted six-cylinder Porsches

£40k £30k £20k

Market finally wakes up to 356’s charms

£10k

£0 1987

1990

1995

2000

The 356 was late to the Porsche price gain part, but it still seems good value

30

2005

2010

2013

became the favourite midnight ride of joy riders and thieves. And when secondhand prices were low many an unskilled owner came to grief stuffing their fast Ford on greasy country roads. At one stage the Cossie was almost uninsurable. DVLA records show that there are just short of 1000 RS Cosworths still licensed which is a frightening decline from the 5545 built between 1986 and 1990.

But find a survivor with all its factory locks and glass, that hasn’t been on its roof, and you’ll have bought a very rare car indeed and one that’s a landmark Eighties performance icon. One need only look at the enthusiasm shown by one reader in December Classic Cars’ The List feature to understand this car’s appeal.

Originality, mileage and history exert a huge influence on values so avoid anything that been modified or uprated. Cars with continuous Ford histories, matching dealer window stickers and number plates are fiercely prized and can carry large premiums. Simply put, the more original the RS Cosworth, the more it’s going to be worth. In July H&H sold a beautifully unmolested 54,000 miles two owner ’86 RS for £18,400, which is probably worth £25k now. But just to prove that you can still find cheap Cossies away from the usual classic market sources how about this? As I write Targa Florio Cars in Chichester are advertising one of the ultra-rare homologation RS500s for just £37,995. Number 36 of the limited 500 production run, it’s totally original down to the windscreen, has covered a genuine 74,000 miles and is in absolutely perfect factory specification. Needs buying, that one….

Porsche 356, cult hero Ford Sierra Cosworth and Audi Quattro quicken Quentin’s pulse

Market is waking up to the 356

T R A D I N G

H I G H

As Alfa Romeo’s 4C is bringing back some focus on the Italian marque, the iconic Spider is just one of several breeds of Alfa across the age spectrum that have performed well at auction recently

£24k £21k

FORD SIERRA COSWORTH EIGHTIES NOSTALGIA Rarity means that TAKES EFFECT

dream becomes less attainable

£18k Ford Focus RS brings Cossie back to collective consciousness

£15k £12k £9k

Childhood dream car becomes tangible reality for children of the Eighties

£6k £3k

2000

2005

2010

Make/Model

Estimate

Sold for

Above est % above

1966

Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider

23,870

30,775

6905

28.9

1972

Alfa Romeo Junior 1600 Zagato

33,900

37,950

4050

11.9

1991

Alfa Romeo SZ

29,838

38,982

9144

30.6

1992

Alfa Romeo Spider S4

15,250

17,439

2189

14.4

1939

Austin Seven Special

6500

8624

2124

32.7

1956

Austin-Healey 100M

128,650

145,853

17,203

13.4

1937

Bentley 3.5 Litre VDP Drophead

180,000

212,800

32,800

18.2

1903

Clement Talbot CT4K 18HP

450,000

606,300

156,300

34.7

1977

Citroën HY pick-up

8,475

16,316

7,841

92.5

1951

Daimler DB18 Drophead

26,000

32,000

6000

23.1

1977

Daimler Double Six coupé

3,000

6,272

3272

109.1

1972

Ferrari Dino 246 GT

179,000

213,377

34,377

19.2

1983

Ford Capri 1.6 LS

3,000

4,088

1,088

36.3

1962

Jaguar E-type 3.8 fhc

32,000

42,940

10,940

34.2

1965

Jaguar E-type 4.2 roadster

70,000

100,800

30,800

30.6

1970

Jaguar E-type SII fhc

15,000

19,210

4210

28.1

1970

Jaguar E-type SII 2+2

24,000

28,000

4,000

16.7

1990

Jaguar XJ12 SIII saloon

10,230

13,336

3,106

30.4

1990

Jaguar XJR-S 6.0

6,000

7,840

1,840

30.7

1991

Lamborghini LM 002

76,250

141,314

65,064

85.3

1962

Maserati 3500 GT Spider

341,000

471,890

130,890 38.4

1966

Matra Djet V Luxe Coupe

34,100

45,137

11,037

32.4

1976

Mercedes-Benz 350 SL

7,000

8,475

1,475

21.1

1987

Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL

10,230

16,413

6,183

60.4

1952

MG TD

16,000

17,920

1,920

12.0

1961

MGA MkII Roadster

16,000

18,480

2,480

15.5

1992

Mini Cooper 1.3i

12,700

20,400

7,700

60.6

1961

Morris Mini pick-up

13,000

15,680

2,680

20.6

1957

Nash Metropolitan Coupe

18,800

27,569

8,769

46.6

1955

Peugeot 203 Cabriolet

46,888

59,500

12,612

26.9

1994

Porsche 911 (964) Carrera RS 3.8

169,500

229,000

59,500

35.1

1933

Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental

30,000

62,720

32,720

109.0

T R A D I N G

£0 1995

Year

2013

Motor sport heritage, a cult following and the shape that launched many a child’s love of motoring. Could a Sierra really nudge the £100,000 mark in roadgoing RS500 form?

Fancy being Andy Rouse on the ring road?

LOW

A disappointing month for Fords, and elsewhere Porsches seem to be struggling – has the 911 exposure in 2013 dried the market’s palate?

Year

Make/Model

Estimate

Sold for

Below est % below

1975

Aston Martin V8

50,000

39,160

10,840

1949

Bentley MkVI saloon

14,000

12,600

1,400

10.0

1951

Bentley MkVI Mulliner saloon

20,000

16,800

3,200

16.0

1963

BMW 700 coupé project

5,000

612

4,388

87.8

1968

Fiat 500

4,800

3,584

1,216

25.3

1929

Ford Model A Phaeton

5,115

2,564

2,551

49.9

1955

Ford Thunderbird

21,930

18,954

2976

13.6

1969

Ford Mustang Mach 1

20,000

17,920

2,080

10.4

1959

Jaguar MkI 3.4

15,000

10,080

4,920

32.8

1973

Jaguar XJ6 2.8

4,000

3,360

640

16.0

1965

Mercedes-Benz 230 SL

38,000

34,110

3890

10.2

1961

Morris Mini Minor

6,500

4,704

1796

27.6

1976

Porsche 911S

10,000

7,840

2160

21.6

1977

Porsche 911 2.7 Targa

33,900

28,263

5637

16.6

1980

Porsche 924 Carrera GT

38,000

31,186

6814

17.9

1994

Porsche 911 Carrera

18,000

15,680

2320

12.9

1955

Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn

28,000

22,321

5679

20.3

1982

Rolls-Royce Silver Spur

11,935

9,746

2189

18.3

1903

Winton Runabout

130,000

107,900

22,100

17.0

21.7

31

2014:Vantage wears

its road rash and fly squash well

70

L I F E

C Y C L E

The life story of an

ASTON MARTIN V8 One owner from new and still maintained for him by the Aston Martin factory Words: RUSS SMITH Photography: RORY GAME

1979

Neil Phoenix buys the car brand-new for £23,700 ‘I wanted the Vantage because of the extra 100bhp; that made it interesting. The regular V8 is pretty ordinary.’ That’s a pretty assertive opinion; possibly fighting talk in the wrong company. But when you realise the speaker was looking to move on from a Lamborghini Espada and already had a V12 E-type in his garage, it starts to make perfect sense. Neil Phoenix, a chartered surveyor, is a man who knows his fast cars.

So began a 34-year journey through life with this Aztec Gold Aston Martin V8 Vantage – in its day the fastest four-seater car in the world – though not without a fact-finding detour to southern Europe first.

Neil says, ‘On holiday in Italy in 1978 we had a tour of the Lamborghini factory, but sadly that was six days after they’d gone bust. I then test-drove Maseratis, but they didn’t impress, and I felt the Ferrari 412i was ugly. On our return I had a drive of Aston’s Vantage demonstrator. No contest; this was the car. I wanted to part-exchange my Espada for it, but didn’t like Aston’s

£8000 trade-in offer so I sold it myself privately for more.

‘As years have gone by I’ve never regretted buying the Vantage. It’s a proper GT with a big enough boot for the family to use it to go on holiday in. We had two daughters under ten when I bought it, so that was important. I also like that there’s a fuel filler on each side. I am also intensely patriotic: in my work we always specify building materials made in Great Britain.’

The car was ready for collection from the factory on 6 April 1979, once a quick ‘under the counter’ modification had been made, ‘Once it had been signed off as legal the car was taken to the other side of the road in Newport Pagnell to have two silencers removed, on the recommendation of sales director Tony Nugent. He assured me, “It will sound like a Ferrari that’s been to Oxford!”’

Neil’s patriotic streak has also seen his Vantage return to the Aston Martin factory in Newport Pagnell for every service and virtually all repair work. Not that it’s been the smoothest of rides. Part of this car’s unique history is a fat file of correspondence

1979: The first

Aston family holiday with friends in Kent

71

e p i c

r e s t o r a t i o n s

‘I love that it’s still the same car’ Words: John Simister Photography: Laurens parsons

‘It probably wasn’t rational,’ says Bryan Smart of the perfect renaissance of his August 1964 Morris Mini Cooper 970S. ‘It becomes almost illogical to talk about saving a bodyshell when you’re having to replace so much metal, and you’re spending so much time completely unpicking it and putting it back together. It would make more commercial sense to have found another, better shell – but then it would be a re-shell and I didn’t want that.’

For Bryan, authenticity and provenance are vital. They are the cornerstones of what makes a car a genuine piece of history, not a recreation, a facsimile or – as is worryingly commonplace with Cooper Ss – a clone. These cars now have a value undreamed-of back in the days of the regular re-shelling of hot-but-rusty Minis, so the temptation for the less than scrupulous to make a car seem something that it isn’t can be huge.

BFX 322B has impeccable provenance, which is one reason why Bryan bought it. ‘It had one owner and a credible history, having been taken off the road in 1973 and languishing in a garage ever since.’

And there was the fact that it’s the rare – fewer than 1000 made – 970S. ‘I tend not to buy the obvious car in a model range, the ones that the market assumes are best. I thought that a homologation special with a Formula Junior engine is a more interesting thing to have, and so few of them remain.’

Bryan saw the Mini in an advertisment showing only the speedometer that read (a genuine) 24,894 miles. It gave a hefty price, which related to what was planned to be a restored car.

Nippycars of Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, was building its reputation as a top Mini restorer, one of its cars having won bestof-show at the Fuji concours in Japan, and the company’s Fred Walters had placed the ad.

‘I went to see the car, by then dismantled,’ says Bryan, ‘and to check I could trust Nippycars to do the job. I saw a Morris Minor van that Fred and his father Tony had just completed. If you can do it to that standard, I said, you’ve got the job.’ Bryan originally wanted Nippycars just to restore the shell so he could do the rest of the work, a process he had enjoyed years before when he restored a 1071S. Fred, however, had other ideas…

100

Black paint was just one of the Mini’s troublesome Sixties modifications

1964 Morris Mini Cooper 970S Thirty-nine years in a leaky garage took its toll – rust was everywhere and the engine was seized solid.

Nothing that 550 hours’ work couldn’t put right…

101