11 minute read
MOTORS The stylish classic car
MOTORS
TEACHING AN OLD CAT NEW TRICKS
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Classic cars are great when they work... but that’s sometimes a frustratingly rare occurrence. Happily a number of specialists like Matthew and Heather Ambrose now offer the best of both worlds, teaching old cats new tricks with a mechanical upgrade...
Words: Rob Davis.
TAKE A LOOK AROUND and you’ll find that Jaguar’s E-Type, once declared by Mini designer Alec Issigonis to be ‘the most beautiful car in the world,’ is available in quite some quantity.
Later 1970s Series III E-Type with the bigger and ostensibly better V12 engines are cheaper and can be picked up for around £50,000 depending on condition. But the really desirable - and pricier - models are the Mk I and Mk IIs E-Types.
But E-Types majored on luxury. And they’re a bit... well, predictable. The real Jaguar enthusiasts covet the E-Type’s predecessor, Jaguar’s XK120 and XK140.
These can command a price of anywhere from £100,000 to £200,000, and were built purely for racing and to achieve high speed records from 1948 - 1954, and 1954-1957. Matthew and Heather Ambrose will help you to avoid such an eye-watering of classic car expenditure, and the hassle of an unreliable purchase, with their Classic 120 and Classic 140 replicas.
Prices are from £62,679 and with modern mechanicals, not only are you likely to enjoy a more reliable classic car experience, but a more civilised one, too.
Essentially a kit car, Nostalgia Cars’ XK120 uses the mechanicals from a modern Jaguar and can accommodate a modern engine, fully rebuilt if necessary and displaced out to 3.6 litres. There’s an automatic gearbox as standard, making driving rather easier than wrestling with an old school gearbox.
A manual gearbox is optional, as is power steering, and air con. You can specify an analogue clock and even an infotainment system, if you can’t bear to be parted from
E-Type Zero: Of all the people to trust to create a re-engineered E-Type, you’re in safe hands with Jaguar’s own SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) team. Usually seen fettling with Range Rover and Jaguars to produce super-high performance cars, they’ve created a replica E-Type based on the 1986 Series 1.5 model. 60mph is dispatched in a decidedly quick 5.5 seconds, and the car has a fully electric powertrain, with not a combustion in sight. The only sticking point is the price. You’ll be lucky to get change out of £350,000! n
XK120: If we’ve piqued your interest with the prospect of XK ownership, but you’re also sold on eco-friendly motoring, Lunaz has the answer. This XK120 is a fixed-head model, but with the firm’s proprietary electric powertrain. Power output is from a single or twin motor ranging up to 700NM of torque (516lb ft) from zero engine speed and 375bhp. Using certain elements from the last generation XK, you’ll also find a rotary gear selector and a custom-designed central infotainment screen which, naturally, keeps an eye on battery range too. An electrified XK120 from Lunaz starts at £350,000. n
E-Type Reborn: Of course, if you’re a traditionalist, Jaguar’s SVO department also has you covered. E-type Reborn is a complete service from Jaguar Classic, which offers prospective customers the unique opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectible E-type direct from the vehicle’s original manufacturer. Every E-type Reborn, which starts with a base vehicle sourced by Jaguar’s E-type experts, is completely restored according to the company’s original 1960s factory specification. Prices for E-type Reborn restorations from Jaguar Classic are dependent on specification, starting from £285,000. n 124124 modern luxuries like sat nav, audio and a Bluetooth connection to your phone.
Single colour hide and a standard range of colours are provided, but by virtue of the fact that each car is hand-built the pair can accommodate anything that’s technically feasible. 15” wire wheels are standard, but you can also specify wire wheels in silver and chrome.
Delve a little further into the options list and you can also enjoy a centre console, two-tone leather, magnolia wood dash and wet weather gear.
The XK120 was so-called because it was one of the first cars to reach 120mph and still today its 160bhp and 0-60mph time of
around eight seconds means it’ll keep pace nicely with modern vehicles.
The XK140, meanwhile, provided more interior space, better brakes, shock absorbers and rack & pinion steering which is still the technology used in many modern cars; Matthew and Heather can upgrade your XK120 to XK140 spec for a modest £1,500.
The E-Type may be most people’s go-to sports car, but there’s something about the XK120 which is rarer and a bit more special. Whilst looks are subjective, we think it’s a prettier vehicle than the E-Type, and with modern mechanicals, it’ll waft along on a Sunday afternoon sortie for lunch at your local country pub.
Specified with cherry red paintwork and biscuit-coloured hide, this is the connoisseur’s Jaguar, back when Britain built sports cars that were the envy of the world... five minutes behind the wheel and you’ll almost certainly look like the cat who got the cream! n
JAGUAR XK120 REPLICA
Price: £62,697 (from) Drivetrain: Re-engineered 3.6 litre straight-six engine with automatic gearbox. Performance: 0-62 mph: 8 seconds. Top Speed: 120mph. Economy: Unspecified. Equipment: Leather upholstery, wire wheels. Air con, power steering and infotainment optional. See www.nostalgiacars.co.uk. n
A Baby Bugatti
There are few motoring brands which carry the kudos and the heritage that Bugatti enjoys, and now you can have your very own Bugatti on your driveway for £27,000... although there is a ‘small’ catch...
What’s that phrase? Caveat emptor; ‘may the buyer beware.’ The headline news is that you can have a Bugatti on your drive for just £27,000 as the firm releases its exclusive new model to celebrate the brand’s 110th anniversary. Let’s not forget that this is the company that gave us the 250mpg Veyron and £2.5m Chiron. But before you rush to the company website and start registering your interest, we should point out that there’s a catch. First, the good news. This is a new model from the firm, featuring a hybrid engine and composite or carbon fibre bodywork, plus coachwork and interior that recreates the firm’s 1924 Bugatti Type 35 Lyon Grand Prix racer. The company created 3D scans of the original 1924 car and re-engineered it with modern technology. Bugatti Baby II Type 32 Replica
Price: £27,000-£40,000. Engine: 1.4kW or 2.5kW electric motor. Performance: 12mpg (children’s setting); 42mph (V itesse). Interior: Aluminium and leather, single seater. n Which brings us to the bad news. The car is not actually a full size car. Rather, it’s a clever reproduction which is 75% the size of the original. The Bugatti ‘Baby II’ Type 35 mini replica is not being sold as a children’s toy, but there is a mode that limits the car’s speed to just 12mph. Otherwise the ‘adult’ setting will allow drivers to enjoy a top speed of 30mph and a range of 15 miles. Two models are available; the base Baby II at £27,000 with its 1.4kW power plant; the £40,000 Vitesse which can travel at 31 miles at 42mpg. Inside, the cabin has a wood steering wheel and turned aluminium dashboard. Baby II is also available in 21 different colours with a choice of eight colours of leather upholstery. Small? Yes. But perfectly formed... it seems the best things really do come in small packages. n
Five Star Luxury...
NEW VERSION OF BMW’S POPULAR LARGE EXECUTIVE IS NOW ON SALE
BMW The new BMW 5-Series reaches showrooms this month and reaffirms its position in the premium executive class thanks to a new look, an interior brimming with refinements, cutting-edge innovations and even greater efficiencies, as most models now feature mild-hybrid technology. Like the new BMW 5-Series Saloon, the new BMW 5-Series Touring
will also be available with a plug-in hybrid drive system from November 2020. The use of mild hybrid technology with a 48V starter-generator will be rolled out to all models with a four- or six-cylinder engine, except PHEV and M550i xDrive models. The car also benefits from the latest camera and radar-based assistance like steering and lane assistant and active cruise control. n
Goldfinger DB5 Resumes
‘YOU EXPECT ME TO TALK?’ NO. I EXPECT YOU DRIVE, MR BOND
E-Class family expands with new coupé and convertibles...
MERCEDES Mercedes has supersized the convertible with a new four-seater version of its soft top GT and a coupé model for those concerned about ruining their hairstyles. The latest measures to boost their attractiveness make these two dream cars even more desirable. The styling has been sportily honed with the front sections, in particular, being given a fresh look. The all-LED headlamps have been given flatter housings, while the interior of the LED tail lights has been reworked. n
ASTON MARTIN The good folk at Aston Martin were all keen to resume work as lockdown was relaxed, and soon restarted production of their £2.75m DB5 Continuation model, a run of just 25 cars made famous by the James Bond film Goldfinger. Fewer than 900 saloon examples were built by the brand between 1963 and 1965. Now, 55 years after the last new DB5 rolled elegantly off the production line at Aston Martin’s then global manufacturing base in Newport Pagnell, work is once again underway there on the cars, which include simulated radar tracking screens plus ‘smoke screen’ and ‘oil slick’ switches. n
MOTORING NEWS In Brief
BACK ON THE ROAD
MOTORISTS STRUGGLE BEING BACK BEHIND THE WHEEL AGAIN AFTER LOCKDOWN
A fifth of motorists have struggled to get to grips with driving again - after being off the road during lockdown. The average UK car is driven more than 7,000 miles per year - or an average of 583 miles per month, according to MOT data. But a survey of 2,000 motorists revealed that over the past 28 days the average driver has covered just 90 miles - with 30 per cent driving 25 miles or fewer. With so little driving, 18 per cent say they have struggled to get back to normal behind the wheel of a car. However, one third of the drivers surveyed said they have been driving more cautiously since the start of the pandemic.
Top 10 errors made by drivers since lockdown: 1. Stalled. 2. Struggled to parallel park. 3. Forgot to indicate. 4. Scraped wheels on kerb. 5. Had to think carefully about what each pedal does. 6. Not checking mirrors when pulling away. 7. Forgot where the fuel filler cap was. 8. Forgot to turn the ignition key. 9. Not shut the door properly. 10. Not put their seatbelt on. n
