fyufjty r

20

YEARS OF THE NEW MINI

FACTS, FIGURES AND HISTORY

100s O

F CARS FOR SALE

BUY A NEW CLASSIC FO R SUMMER

Vol.27 No.09 September 2021

BENTLEY TURBO R VS SUPERCHARGED DAIMLER

SCANDI CHIC: VOLVO P1800S ROAD TEST RETRO RIVALS

BUYING BMW E65

NEW AGE 7-SERIES

LIVING WITH THE

AUDI TT

THE MARKET

TOYOTA SUPRA

September 2021 Vol.27 No.09 £4.70

MONDEO VS 20-PAGE BONUS SECTION CAVALIER CELEBRATING THE CARS FROM THE ’80s,’90s AND 2000s

KIM CAIRNS - Established 1972

Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten

1967 Daimler 250 V8 Complete restoration to a very high standard. Finished in unmarked Old English White, interior is Jaguar/Daimler old red with original hide seats with very light patina. New carpets and new headlining. All the wood veneers have been restored to a very high standard. If you are looking for a Daimler 250 and only want the best don’t miss this one. .................................................. £36,995

1976 JAGUAR XJ-C 4.2. Finished in immaculate Jaguar Fern Grey with Cinnamon Hide. One of only a limited number of manual overdrive cars.

Only 33,000 miles from new, spent the last several years in a Museum, the car is in stunning condition. *VTLZ ^P[O 1HN\HY /LYP[HNL *LY[PÄJH[L VYPNPUHS book pack including Service Book, old MOT JLY[PÄJH[LZ HUK ZL[Z VM RL`Z >V\SK ZH[PZM` [OL most discerning collector/buyer. ...............£35,995

1977 JAGUAR XJC 4.2 AUTO. Finished in )YP[PZO 9HJPUN .YLLU ^P[O ISHJR L]LYÅL_ YVVM The Cinnamon Velour trim is virtually as new.

Only 3 owners and 47,000 miles with documented History File. Often referred to as the most elegant of all Jaguars. Certainly a wise investment. ............................................. £34,995

1990 ROLLS ROYCE SILVER SPIRIT II. 0TTHJ\SH[L .YHWOP[L )SHJR ,]LYÅL_ YVVM unmarked, Silverstone Hide piped in Slate, Grey Wilton Carpets and Dark Grey Lambswool rugs.

Only 35,000 miles and 2 owners. Service book stamped by P & A Wood. Recently recommissioned by Silverlady Brentwood. Stunning looking car in exceptional condition. .......£25,995

1966 JAGUAR MK10 4.2 AUTO. Finished in Opalescent Blue with Dark Blue Hide and excellent Walnut Veneers. Ony 3 owners from new and 58,000 miles. Restored in the nineties and very light use since. Comes with original sale brochure, log book, book pack and hand books etc. MOT’s dating back to 1991 and complete tool kit. ..............................................................£24,995

1975 MGB GT JUBILEE. A unique opportunity to own a very special MBG Jubilee 20,000 miles only. History includes copies of features in 6 KPɈLYLU[ JSHZZPJ JHY THNHaPULZ 9VZL[[LZ MVY various Concourse events and event score cards.

This stunning Jubilee comes with all original books, service history, MOT’s, letters from previous owners and 2 sets of keys. Must be the best for sale in the UK. .............................£18,995

1983 DAIMLER SOVEREIGN SERVICES III VERY RARE MANUAL Immaculate grosvenor brown with biscuit hide. Very rare, 5 speed manual gearbox, electric sunroof/windows and mirrors.

6US` TPSLZ 3L[[LYZ JVUÄYTPUN [OPZ 6YPNPUHS log book, letters from the 1st and 2nd owners JVUÄYTPUN TPSLHNL HUK OPZ[VY` VSK 46;»Z IVVR pack and complete tool kit. ........................£18,995

1961 HUMBER SUPER SNIPE. Finished in immaculate Dark Blue with Pale Blue roof and Grey Hide. Lots of chrome walnut dash and picnic tables. Only 57,000 miles recorded. Comes with the original sales brochure, lots of invoices for work done over the years. Very original and has power steering, column change manual gearbox and ivory steering wheel. Must be one of the best on the market. ...........................................£16,995

1970 MGB ROADSTER Finished in Mineral Blue with Black Trim, only 53,000 miles recorded.

Early toggle switch and alloy bonnet model.

Comes complete with tools and tonneau cover.

Perfect for summer shows. ................... £16,995

2006 PORSCHE BOXSTER 987 2.7 MANUAL. Finished in immaculate midnight blue unmarked with metropole blue leather. Only one lady owner from new and only 39,000 miles with full service.

Comes with all original books, service book and two sets of keys. Very low mileage immaculate example .................................................. £15,995

1978 MGB GT SEBRING STYLE. Lots of money spent on this aggressive looking MGB GT including engine and gearbox rebuild, upgraded brakes and suspension, stainless steel sports exhaust and Black Wire Wheels. Exceptionally good to drive .......................................... £14,995

1974 MG MIDGET 1275CC. Bare shell restoration approx 3 years ago. Finished in Dark Blue with red leather, red carpets and wire wheels. Only covered 500 miles since the restoration. Immaculate, well restored example which drives very well ............................ £14,995

1971 TRIUMPH 13/60. This time warp car has only covered 22,000 miles. First lady owner kept the car from when she worked at the British Embassy in Germany, Supplied by German Triumph distributed in RHD format, WALTER HAGEB GMBH until 1990.

It was then sold to an English collector at 22,000 miles. Original purchase invoices, document service history. Must be one of the best and most original on the market ................................£14,995

1988 MERCEDES 420 SEL. Finished in immaculate Lapis Blue with grey leather interior.

Considered by many one of the last properly built Mercedes. Very desirable LWB model to a very high spec air con, sun roof, cruise control, heated seats and more. Formally owned by a very well known local artist for 23 years. 33 years old 90,000 miles. Exceptionally well looked after and very desirable LWB V8 Mercedes.......................£13,995

1983 MERCEDES 240D Finished in immaculate Ivory Pearl with Henna Red interior. Totally original never been painted or welded. Only 3 owners from new and 82,000 miles. Comes with MOT’s from 1988 to present. Stunning example of a genuine Mercedes W123. ............... £13,995

1972 VANDEN PLAS 1300 PRINCESS. Finished in immaculate Damask Red with unmarked dark blue leather. Automatic Transmission, only 23,000 miles and only 4 owners from new. In time warp condition and remarkably original. Very OHYK [V ÄUK VUL SPRL [OPZ ......................... £13,995

1979 MGB GT ONLY 16,000 MILES. Only 16,000 TPSLZ ÄUPZOLK PU PTTHJ\SH[L 9\ZZL[ )YV^U ^P[O Black Leather upgraded seats. MOT and service PU]VPJLZ JVUÄYT [OL ]LY` SV^ TPSLHNL *VTLZ with hand books and 2 sets of keys etc. Hard to ÄUK PU [OPZ JVUKP[PVU HUK TPSLHNL........... £12,995

1966 HILLMAN MINX 1725 AUTO. Only 18,000 TPSLZ MYVT UL^ 46; JLY[PÄJH[LZ [V 2000. Has been part of the Jaguar Land Rover collection. Finished in its original colour of green with all original green interior, a real time warp car. Perfect show car.............................. £12,995

1979 MG MIDGET. Finished in British Racing 1959 TRIUMPH SPEEDTWIN 500CC Restored Green with Tan Trim. The car is in exceptional a few years ago and has had very little use since. condition having only covered 20,000 miles. Ready to ride or show. ............................. £6,495 Comes with the handbook pack, tools and tonneau cover. Really nice example in the best colour...................................................... £10,995

FINANCE CAN BE ARRANGED ON ALL OF THE ABOVE

Incorporating

Welcome...

www.classic-car-mart.co.uk CLASSIC CAR MART Kelsey Media, 5 Yalding Hill, Downs Court Yalding, ME18 6AL EDITORIAL Group Editor: Paul Wager Features Editor: Jeff Ruggles Production Editor: Jack Grover ccm.ed@kelsey.co.uk Art Editor: Paul Sander paul@panda-media.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS Nigel Clark, Paul Guinness, Gerard Hughes, Jeff Ruggles, Sam Skelton, Matt Woods ADVERTISEMENT SALES & PRODUCTION Tandem Media Limited Managing Director: Catherine Rowe 01233 228750 catherine.rowe@tandemmedia.co.uk Account Managers: Jasmine Bundock: 01233 228751 jasmine@tandemmedia.co.uk Perianne Smith: 01233 228753 perianne@tandemmedia.co.uk Ad Production Manager: Andy Welch 01233 220245 ccm@tandemmedia.co.uk MANAGEMENT Chief Operating Officer: Phil Weeden Retail Director: Steve Brown Chief Executive: Steve Wright Print Production Controller: Georgina Harris Audience Development Manager: Andy Cotton Events Manager: Kat Chappell Subscription Marketing Director: Gill Lambert Subscription Marketing Manager: Rochelle Gyer-Smith SUBSCRIPTIONS 12 issues of Classic Car Mart are published per annum UK annual subscription price: £55.25 Europe annual subscription price: £69 USA annual subscription price: £69 Rest of World annual subscription price: £75 CONTACT US UK subscription and back issue orderline: : 01959 543 747 Overseas subscription orderline: 0044 (0) 1959 543 747 Toll free USA subscription orderline: 1-888-777-0275 UK customer service team: 01959 543 747 Customer service email address: subs@kelsey.co.uk Customer service and subscription postal address: Classic Car Mart Customer Service Team Kelsey Media, 5 Yalding Hill, Downs Court Yalding, ME18 6AL, United Kingdom WEBSITE Find current subscription offers and buy back issues at shop.kelsey.co.uk/mart ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? Manage your subscription online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/myaccount FREE ADS Tel: 0906 802 0279 (premium rate line, operated by Kelsey Media. Calls cost 65p per minute from a BT landline; other networks and mobiles may vary.

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PLATING UP hilst we’re generally all for tolerance here at CCM and take the view that if it’s your car you’re welcome to do what you like to it, everyone has their own particular bugbear, whether it’s secretly not really liking MGBs or wondering why the Nissan Figaro isn’t more popular... but one thing we’re all agreed on is that number plates can absolutely make or break a car’s looks.

We’re not talking cherished plates here – that’s a whole different can of worms best left unopened – but the more subtle aspects of style and presentation which can make a huge difference. Oddly though, once again we all have our different takes on the subject: contributor Peter SImpson gets particularly vexed about black-and-silver plates on post’73 cars on the grounds that although it’s popular today, back then nobody would have wanted to fit an old-style plate to their new car. Meanwhile, Features Ed Jeff has a particular fixation with using the correct font on modern classics.

Me? I just can’t bring myself to overlook ugly fixings, for example when a white screw cap has been used on a black letter or vice versa... or even the worst sin of all: rusty self-tappers with no plastic cover which leave a rusty stain.

Combine that with a wonky plate and the effect will spoil even the most lavish restoration.

W

On the plus side, this slightly random obsession can have its benefits and it’s amazing how a shiny new number plate can cheer up an older car’s appearance massively, especially more modern classics.

In fact a trader recently commented to me that for the same reason he’d generally rather cough up for refurbished alloy wheels and a pair of plates than paintwork.

All of which explains why I’m off to replace the cracked front plate on a 2009 Jaguar. And yes, I’ve got a pair of stainless screws, two plastic caps and a spirit level.

Paul Wager Group Editor

Part of the Classics World Family www.classicsworld.co.uk

www.kelsey.co.uk

Subscribe and read online at shop.kelsey.co.uk Classic Car Mart September 2021 3

CONTENTS 6

SETEMBER 2021

PLUGS & LEADS

E10 fuel is here on the foecourts. We answer your questions about its use in old cars.

12 AUCTION NEWS Reviewing the latest classic sales.

16 MARKET TRENDS Tracking the values of the big-engined MGBs.

20 ROAD TEST: VOLVO 1800S

24

We sample the Swedish-built version of Volvo’s svelte Amazon-based coupe.

ON THE COVER

24 TWIN TEST: BENTLEY TURBO R v DAIMLER SUPER V8 Two forced--induction British heavyweights go head to head and produce a surprising result.

ON THE COVER

32 ROUND UP: ’50s PRESTIGE We consider a selection of upwardly mobile Fifties family cars from Rover to Jaguar.

38 BUYING GUIDE: Mk1 FORD CAPRI Don’t want to follow the 2.8 Injection herd? Then the Mustang-inspired ’60s original has classic appeal.

ON THE COVER

46 DATABASE: 20 YEARS OF THE NEW MINI Facts, figures and history on the last gasp of the Rover Group which became a cash cow for BMW.

58 TRIUMPH v MG The two brands were fierce rivals both before and after they became part of BL. We try to find a winner.

46

WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK

32

38 76

68

MARKET TRENDS: TOYOTA SUPRA

70

BUYING GUIDE: BMW E65 7-SERIES

74

RETRO PROJECTS

76

ENDANGERED SPECIES: RENAULT ALPINE A610 & GTA

Tracking the values of the big Celica.

76

These can still be magnificent cars but tread very carefully.

A couple of unexpected newcomers join the stable.

The intriguing French cross between Esprit and 911 which has all but disappeared.

80

RETRO RIVALS: FORD v VAUXHALL

84

LIVING WITH THE AUDI TT

Mk1 Mondeo or Mk3 Cavalier? Today as it was back then it’s tricky to pick a winner.

The stylish Audi coupe boasts concept car looks and Golfbased ownership costs... in theory.

130 TAILGATE

Are EV classics like barn conversions?

76 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! P128

SAVE CASH! PLUS RECEIVE A FREE GIFT

E10 IS HERE: WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW? WHY E10?

In theory the use of E10 petrol is an environmental move, intended to reduce the fossil fuel component of vehicle fuels and therefore combat climate change. Rather than emissions or air quality, the goal is reduced CO2 emissions and it’s thought that by doubling the proportion of the renewable component in the fuel (the ethanol) a 750,000-tonne reduction in CO2 is achieved – the equivalent of taking 350,00 cars off the road.

It’s not all good though. The fuel is slightly less energy dense, meaning an economy reduction of up to 1%, but what’s not widely known is that since 2016 new cars have been certified for emissions and performance using E10 fuel.

I

t’s been a long time coming and there’s been much discussion within the classic car world about it, but E10 fuel is now in the forecourt pumps and the government advertisements have started appearing on billboards.

As its name suggests, E10 petrol contains up to 10 per cent ethanol, twice the proportion of the E5 grade which has been the standard for the last decade. The issue of ethanol in fuel has long been a hot potato in the classic car world but at the lower concentration of the E5 fuel has proved not to be a problem in practice.

However, the E10 grade has people worried about its effects on older cars.

There are two big issues with ethanol fuels and older cars. The first is that ethanol can have a corrosive effect on metal, plastic and rubber parts in the fuel system. The results of this can range from the inconvenient, like sticking carburettor floats, to the dangerous when fuel lines perish.

Crucially though, not all vehicles will have problems and rather like the introduction of unleaded fuel back in the ’80s, some will be perfectly happy on the new fuel and some will need modification.

The second issue with the E10 fuel and something which is more of a problem for classic cars than everyday modern vehicles is that the ethanol is hygroscopic, meaning it tends to absorb water. Clearly the longer a car is left standing idle, the bigger an issue this will be, with any moisture in the fuel only adding to potential issues.

So what can classic owners do about it? Owners of modern classics can use the government’s online checker tool at www. gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol which uses information supplied by car makers as to the suitability of the fuel system. Information is patchy but has improved since the online check was first offered and for many brands the system will go as far back as the early ’90s.

Some marques, especially the German brands, go back even further: Volkswagen for example simply states that all its engines can run on E10 fuel except for a few FSI units from the early 2000s, while BMW flatly states that all its cars can use E10.

More modern future classics also escape the issue, since all new cars have been capable of using E10 fuels since 2011.

Clearly though, this doesn’t help owners of older cars, so what options do owners of traditional classics have? Well the good news is that the technology exists to upgrade the fuel systems to cope with the new fuel. In truth, it’s

6 Classic Car Mart September 2021

good practice to renew ancient fuel lines as a precaution in any case and modern fuel hose sold by a reputable supplier is rated for use with E10.

The commonly used SAE standard follows the J30/Rx rating, with the current J30/R9 being the accepted choice for modern fuels and rated at 100psi. The higher ‘R’ rating doesn‘t necessarily mean the hose is any better for ethanol fuels, though: R10 for instance is for submerged hoses but doesn’t like underbonnet heat, and R14 is for lower pressure applications than R9.

However, this may not in fact be necessary since the regulations require larger forecourts selling two grades of petrol to continue selling E5 fuel. This will be offered only in the more expensive Super Unleaded grade however, which brings its own problems: even the bigger petrol stations often only have a single Super Unleaded pump, and in rural areas it may be hard to find a retailer large enough to stock it.

The Super Unleaded is also a more expensive fuel, with the price gap potentially set to widen further in time.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on further developments but in the meantime the options for drivers of older cars are clear: if your car isn’t covered by the DfT online checker or is deemed unsuitable for E10, then you can either use the more expensive Super Unleaded or can update the fuel system and use a fuel stabiliser additive when the car is left for long periods.

THE INDUSTRY INSIDERS Regular readers will be aware that a non-profit organisation was recently created to support the interests of the classic car industry in the UK, which is judged to be worth some £18.3bn to the economy. Separate from the FBHVC, the Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance intends to ensure that the classic vehicle sector is properly represented at all levels and recognised as the sustainable industry it is.

Part of the HCVA’s aim is to ensure that when regulatory issues crop up which threaten the sector, dialogue with government beforehand can ensure that solutions are worked up before the problems arise. HCVA spokesperson Malcolm McKay commented: “our aim is to persuade government to keep all the options open on fuels for the historic and classic vehicle movement. As you know, they have already allowed the continued sale of E5 and that dispensation can be renewed - but the key factor will be demand, as if it is not used, retailers will not stock it and petrol companies will stop producing it. We need to encourage everyone to fill up with it if we want to keep it!”

In the longer term, the HCVA hopes to encourage the development of synthetic ‘eFuel’ as a means of keeping combustion-engined classics on the road with a low or zero-carbon footprint – a decidedly more green option than scrapping them. More at hcva.co.uk.

MORE CLASSIC NEWS IN CLASSIC CAR BUYER ON SALE EVERY WEDNESDAY Have you got a plug or a lead you’d like to promote through Classic Car Mart? These pages can provide valuable FREE publicity for you, your company, your club or your organisation. Send full details to: Plugs & Leads, Classic Car Mart, Kelsey Media, Downs Court, Yalding, Kent ME16 8AL. Or email: news@kelsey.co.uk

ANOTHER NEW AGE FOR BUGATTI he turbulent history of Bugatti takes the marque in another new direction with the announcement this month of a joint venture with Croatian EV maker Rimac. The agreement sees the establishment of a new company, Bugatti Rimac which will be led by Rimac founder Mate Rimac as CEO. Rimac Group will hold a 55% stake, with Porsche holding 45%.

Both Bugatti and Rimac are to continue as individual marques, with Bugatti retaining its production facility in Molsheim, although its headquarters will eventually be moved to the recently announced Rimac campus near Zagreb. Meanwhile, a separate company, Rimac Technology will continue to provide EV expertise to car makers.

It doesn’t take a leap of imagination to predict that the result of the move will be electric hypercars bearing the Bugatti badge, although it’s also been suggested that the marque will also continue to produce combustion-engined cars using the famous W16 engine.

T

An Italian national, Ettore Bugatti originally founded the marque in 1909 in Molsheim, at the time part of Germany, but the firm struggled after his death and disappeared as a car maker in the 1930s until Italian entrepreneur Romano

Artioli acquired the rights to the name in 1987, developing the outlandish EB110, produced in Modena, Italy. In 1995, falling demand saw the company fail, the brand eventually being acquired by Volkswagen Group in 1998.

CLASSIC CUT-OFF TO STAY AT 40 A

much-publicised petition to Parliament requesting that the cut-off date for a car to be considered historic be reduced from 40 years to 30 years has been met with refusal.

“There are no current plans to reduce the tax exemption age for classic cars from 40 to 30

years. The government has set 40 years as being a fair cut-off date to distinguish classic cars from old cars,” states the government response.

Since the 2014 Budget, a rolling exemption from road tax and MoT testing was set at 40

years, although many EU countries will use 30 years.

The petition was much discussed on social media but received only 13,671 signatures – far below the 100,000 required to trigger a debate in Parliament.

REBORN R5 CONFIRMED A

s part of its awkwardly-named ‘Renaulution’ strategy, Renault has confirmed that the reimagined and electrified Renault 5 previewed back in January will be making it to production, with a performance model marketed under the Alpine brand.

Slated to be on sale from 2024, the regular model will use a 134bhp motor, with the Alpine getting a 215bhp version, or 160kW in new money. The bigger motor is physically longer than the regular unit, so with it mounted transversely expect the Alpine to feature chunky boxed arches in the spirit of the original 5 Turbo.

The Alpine versions of the classic R5 were marketed as Gordini over here since Chrysler at the time owned the rights to the name, but following the revival of the Alpine brand in the UK, the reborn Five will wear the right badging.

Renault predicts the R5 EV will cost around a third less than its current entry-level electric car, the Zoe, while its ‘4Ever’ concept teased at a recent announcement clearly suggests a reimagined Renault 4 to join it.

Classic Car Mart September 2021 7

CHECK OUT LOADS MORE NEWS AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK

UK REPLACES GB

ULTIMATE X-TYPE RESURFACES A

fter being hidden from view for some 15 years, an intriguing V8-powered Jaguar X-Type racer has now reappeared and is currently for sale at Gloucestershire motorsport engineering specialist CNC AWS Engineering.

The car was originally built up by legendary touring car racer Andy Rouse’s company Rouse Hall Motorsport back in 2003 for a race series to be known as SCV8. The series was to use production bodyshells over a spaceframe chassis with 550bhp Nicholson McLaren V8s driving through a Hewland gearbox, but despite support from Jaguar, Peugeot and others, the

series ultimately never got off the ground.

“It’s a fantastic car, superbly built and specified with the best parts,” says CNC AWS’ Alan Strachan, who was employed by Rouse when the car was being built. “It’s also significant as the last car Rouse Hall built before closing his workshop. We can offer it as it is or ready to race. It would be eminently suitable for Thundersaloons and a host of other series as well as a special car for Jaguar collectors.”

If you fancy treating yourself to the ultimate X-Type then you’ll get more details from info@ cncmotorsport.com.

W

e’ve come to expect frequent change from government in recent times but the latest change to the UK number plate regulations comes less than six months after the Euro flag was outlawed on new plates in favour of a national flag and the ‘GB’ lettering.

On June 28 however, the UK government notified the UN under its 1968 Convention on Road Traffic that the United Kingdom is changing the international identification requirements for its vehicles travelling abroad. Instead of the letters ‘GB’, drivers must display ‘UK’ either as a sticker or as the number plate flag and the change will come into force from September 28.

The change applies only to cars registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and doesn’t affect British overseas territories.

Classic Crossword 188 Clues Across 1 South Korean car firm that took over Panther in the 1980s (9) 6 A Lancia model related to the Alfa 156 (5) 9 Famous marque behind the Type 57 Atlantic (7) 10 _ Panhard, French car pioneer (4) 11 Giotto Bizzarrini was a well-known one in the world of cars (8) 13 These Suzukis succeeded the original Baleno (6) 14 Protective concern of car manufacturers (6) 17 These cars were built in Wales (8) 19 Japanese truck brand that also made cars in the 1950s and 1960s (4) 21 What nationality were Paykan cars? (7) 22 MG model released in 1947 (1-4) 23 Rover 800s branded for the US market (9) Clues Down 1 Japanese saloon and estate launched in 1989 offered with four-wheel drive (6,6) 2 Fiat 132 update (7) 3 Daihatsu Charade hot hatch (4) 4 Saloon relatives of the Ford Escort (6) 5 The Goggomobil’s larger sibling (4,4) 7 The only colour offered on the Clio Williams (4) 8 Thames Ditton four-seaters (2,10) 12 Singer’s versions of the Hillman Minx (8) 15 The Capri 280 was a limited one (7) 16 Ford’s Essex unit (6) 18 A ‘Grey’ Alvis model from the 1950s (4) 20 Mr Benz (4)

Answers to Crossword 187

Across: 1. Opel GT 7. Rapid 9. Mirafiori 10. Show 11. Maserati 13. Leaded 14. Parked 17. Cosworth 19. Leon 21. Aluminium 22. Swiss 23. S-Class Down: 2. Persona 3. Left 4. Trojan 5. Primeras 6. Appia 8. Dacia Denem 9. Muscle cars 12. De Tomaso 15. K-Series 16. Struts 18. Strip 20. Sill

8 Classic Car Mart September 2021

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NEWS IN BRIEF

DAVID BROWN AUTOMOTIVE OPENS LONDON SHOWROOM avid Brown Automotive, makers of the Speedback GT and Mini Remastered, has expanded from Silverstone into central London with a new showroom in the prestigious St John’s Wood area.

The purpose-built dealership is in Park Road, next to Lord’s cricket ground and Regent’s Park and is the first of its kind in the UK for the company. It can display three cars indoors and three outside, with test drives available by appointment. Both of David Brown Automotive’s flagship models are accessible at the new showroom, as will be future models to be announced over the coming years. The Silverstone HQ and factory, where the company has been since 2017 after relocating from Coventry, will continue as a retail space and workshop.

D

It’s the first phase of growth for the company after it secured new investment in July 2020 from a team that specialises in the automotive and luxury goods sectors. The company, which also has sales representation in Germany, Japan and China, is expected to announce further sales partners over the coming months.

HAGERTY BACKS SCRAMBLERS Insurance brand Hagerty has announced a partnership with Bicester Heritage to extend the appeal of the popular weekend Scramble meetings. Announced back at the June Bicester Scramble event, Scramblers is a new membership club and details are sparse so far, but the scheme promises promotions and monthly themed member meetings in association with the on-site brewery, Wriggly Monkey. More details at wearescramblers.com.

ASTON RECORD-BREAKER The Aston Martin Heritage Trust’s event on June 26 marking the centenary of the oldest surviving Aston Martin ‘A3’ attracted the largest gathering of Aston Martin sports cars in history.

A total of 681 examples of the marque attended the event in Warwickshire, which included displays of cars from almost every period in the firm’s 108-year history, with the modern era including the Victor, Vulcan and the one-off Cygnet V8.

Meanwhile, the ‘A3’ which inspired the event and which was raced by co-founder Lionel Martin back in period, has returned to display at its regular home, the Aston Martin Museum near Wallingford in Oxfordshire and you can book to view the attractions at aston-martin-museum.arttickets.org.uk.

MOTORWAY CODE The Highway Code is to be updated later this year to cover driving on Smart motorways.

The motorway section was last updated in 2019 to cover the red ‘x’ overhead sign, but ‘smart’ features like hard shoulder running and the associated signage and procedures have been in use since 2006.

GAYDON GATHERING C

CM subscribers lucky enough to get their copy through the letterbox early in the month will still be in time for the Tuesday August 10th Gaydon Gathering at the British Motor Museum. Held outdoors between 5pm and 8.30pm at the museum site on the second Tuesday of every month, these informal events are free to attend and feature the ‘Gaydon Garage

10 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Feature’ at 6.30pm when the workshop doors are opened for a car from the collection to drive out which isn’t often seen outside the museum.

Refreshments will be on offer outside but although the event itself is free to enter, visitors must register beforehand at www. britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/gaydongathering-july.

SNG FOR XF Jaguar parts specialist SNG Barratt may be more often associated with the marque’s 1960s cars but the company has catered for owners of more modern Jaguars for some time now.

Indeed, it has recently revised and expanded its catalogue for owners of the 2008-onwards ‘X250’ first generation of the XF. This was the landmark car which saw the transition from Jaguar’s retro period into a bold new era under Ian Callum’s design leadership and they make a great modern choice for owners looking for an update of a much-loved S-Type. More from www.sngbarratt.com.

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AUCTION NEWS REVIEW: BRIGHTWELLS, TIMED ONLINE, JUNE 23

O

ver 120 cars were entered in Brightwells’ latest classic car auction, which once again worked to a timed online format before closing from 7pm on June 23. It proved to be an intriguing sale too, with a fantastic mix of classics spanning the eras and some interesting oddballs.

As usual, the sale turned up a wide section of pre-war cars. A 1928 Austin Seven Chummy beat its estimate to sell for £17,600, with a 1929 Singer Junior Tourer, a 1931 Morris Minor, a 1932 Wolseley Hornet Saloon and a 1943 Austin 12/4 all finding new homes. More unusual was a 1929 DeSoto K Model Roadster, which sold on estimate at £16,000, while a 1925 Daimler Landaulette Limousine 25/85 Type C with possible links to Winston Churchill achieved £15,600. The sale’s headliner, a 1937 Lagonda LG45 Rapide, achieved a top bid of £151,000, but looked to have fallen short of its estimate ahead of any post-sale negotiations.

It was also a good sale to demonstrate the resilience of traditional British classics, especially those with an octagon badge. A 1954 MG TF 1500 achieved an impressive £25,000, with a similar example commanding £18,600 and a 1968 MGC roadster making £19,000. A wide selection of MGBs and Midgets also proved popular, with a rare late example of the Midget’s factory stablemate, a 1971 Austin Healey Sprite, selling above estimate for £6500. Elsewhere, a 1965 Triumph

One of two 1954 MG TFs in the sale, this beautiful example had been treated to a tub-off bare metal respray in 2008, plus a recent engine rebuild and upgrades including a five-speed gearbox and new leather trim. It sold on-estimate for an impressive £25,000.

TR4a looked an excellent buy at £17,000, with a 1993 Morgan Plus 8 beating its estimate to sell for £30,600 and a 1972 Jaguar E-Type Series 3 roadster doing likewise at £52,000. For those preferring tin-tops, a 1949 Bristol 400 sold onguide at £40,000, while an altogether more humble 1964 Triumph Herald Estate sold for £9550.

There were some impressive performances among a strong selection of modern classics, too, with a Mk3 Toyota MR2 breaking the £10,000 barrier and the buzz for hot hatches

evidenced by a £13,000 Renault 5 GT Turbo.

There were still bargains to be had though, such as a 1981 Triumph TR7 for £575 and not one but two Alfa 90 projects at just £225 for the pair.

With more unusual lots including an experimental four-wheel-drive Reliant Scimitar, a Meyers Manx buggy, a Fiat 133 and a 2000 Saab 9-5 limousine, there was plenty to keep bidders furiously refreshing their screens. We’ve picked out some of our sale highlights below, but for the full list of results see www.brightwells.co.uk.

One of two 1990 Renault 5 GT Turbos in the sale, this three-owner car showed just 64,626 miles. It sold for £12,957 against an estimate of £10,000-£14,000.

Offered with no reserve, this 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 project was missing its seats, door cards and carpets, amongst other parts, but still managed a top bid of £10,200.

A unique four-wheel-drive prototype by FF Developments, this 1972 Reliant Scimitar GTE was offered with no reserve and attracted a top bid of £17,000.

Sunbeam-Talbot 90 ‘Rat Rod’ pick-up had been fitted with a Rover V8 engine and air suspension. It sold at the lower end of its estimate for £5100.

This 1964 Triumph Herald 1200 Estate came with plenty of history and was ready to enjoy. It proved to be popular too, selling for £9550 against a £7000-£9000 estimate.

An extremely rare UK-market version of the Seat 133, this right-hand-drive 1976 Fiat 133 was said to be one of just three in the country and sold for £3200.

12 Classic Car Mart September 2021

OR MAYBE...

ANGLIA, £12,15

BRIGHTWELLS, £17,600

0

BRIGHTWELLS,

£10,100

MANOR PARK C LA

SSICS, £14,625

REVIEW: ANGLIA, ONLINE, JUNE 26/27

One of three RS Turbos, this ’88 car was said to run well but need cosmetics. The £8370 cost seemed spot on to us.

Star of the sale was this 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL, which totalled £110,700 including premiums and was sold by ACA itself.

Dating from 1976, this really early XJ-S with interesting history remained unsold.

rying to review an Anglia sale in just a single page is never an easy task and the June sale was no exception, with the 240 cars on offer spanning everything from a Honda Z600 restoration project to a £110,000 BMW CSL. Highlights for us at CCB included what must be the only running Audi 200 Quattro Avant left which sold as a project for just £2700, while the

T

1997 Bentley Brooklands LPT put our own Turbo R to shame and the 1991 example at £3240 needing some paintwork had us wondering if it was just possibly the steal of the year.

Another rarity to stand out was the 1977 Fiat X1/9 which made £8640, while the sale included no less than three Escort RS Turbos, a brace of really late-model MG TFs and even a Mitsuoka

Viewt, the Jaguar pastiche on a Nissan Micra base.

Like we said, it’s impossible to capture the sale in a single page, so head to angliacarauctions.co.uk and follow the live bidding film on their YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Anglia was holding a ‘Future Classics’ sale within its regular car auction on Jul 28 with the next full classic sale on the weekend of Aug 28/29.

When did you last see a Peugeot 405 in daily use? This 87,000-mile 1989 example in GR spec made £860 including premium.

This Jensen Interceptor had received a bare metal restoration and came complete with a new interior for its selling price of £30,240 including premium.

Quite the oddest classic we’ve stumbled across in a while was this 1969 Daimler V8 fitted with a Perkins Prima diesel engine. It clattered away for a total of £5400.

Back in 1987, the turbocharged 200 Avant quattro was the absolute pinnacle of the Audi range. Rare now, this one was sold as a running project at £2700 including premium.

This 1989 Citroën CX estate was the soughtafter diesel manual and although looking sound and complete was sold as a project for £2268 after fees.

This 1974 Honda was driven from London to South Wales in 1983 and then left in storage ever since. It looked complete and reasonably solid for £2484.

Classic Car Mart September 2021 13

REVIEW: MANOR PARK CLASSICS, RUNCORN, JULY 6

A

lthough still a newcomer to the scene, there’s been a significant buzz around Manor Park Classics’ step into the auction world. The firm hosted its second major sale at its purpose-built facility in Runcorn, Cheshire, on July 6, offering a broad range of vehicles bookended by a 1914 Morris Oxford De Luxe Special and a 2007 Aston Martin DB9 Volante.

The Oxford was part of a trio of ‘bullnose’ Morris cars owned by the late Tony Chesters, and sold for an impressive £29,531. Once again though, it was low-mileage 1980s cars that particularly impressed. Examples included a 13,400-mile Triumph TR7 Convertible selling for £14,625 and a 44,000-mile 1984 Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet that surely set a new bar for open-top models at £18,000. The fondness for early 1990s classics was evident too, as a 1991 VW Scirocco GT II sailed past its £7000-£9000 estimate to sell for a whopping £15,188.

The current vogue for hot Fords continued too, with a totally original 1992 ‘big turbo’ Escort RS Cosworth selling for £65,250 and a very smart 1980 Escort RS2000 Custom achieving £38,250.

Elsewhere, a 1995 Aston Martin Virage Volante sold for £58,500 and a 1970 Porsche 911 E built into a Carrera RS replica changed hands for just shy of £60,000, but the role of the sale’s headliner was occupied by an AC Aceca. Fitted with a 2.6-litre Ford Zephyr engine and a Raymond Mays 12-port alloy head, the 1956 example changed hands for a heady £78,750.

Described as probably the finest example available worldwide, this 1950 Rover P4 75 ‘Cyclops’ had been professionally restored by a marque expert with fastidious attention to correctness and detail. It sold just above its lower estimate at £14,833.

Nevertheless, there were still plenty of bargains to be had. A mere £1300 was enough for a 36,000-mile 1974 Triumph 1500 TC, while just £1150 bought a 1978 MGB GT with an MoT until next April. A pairing of 1979 roadsters in the shape of a rubber-bumper Midget and an Inca Yellow Spitfire sold for £2025 and £3938 respectively, with a 52,000-mile Mini Thirty LE looking like an excellent buy at £4050. A 32,000-mile 1989 Audi

80 S also looked good value at £2588.

In all, 71.5 per cent of lots were sold amounting to a total of almost £970,000, with further deals still be finalised at the time of writing. Manor Park’s winter sale takes place on November 10, but in the meantime we’ve picked out some of our highlights from the summer sale. For the full list of results, see manorparkclassics.com CCM

Liberated from almost 30 years of storage, this 1983 Bristol 412 Beaufighter appeared to be largely complete and untouched. At a sale piece of £10,406, it was surely worth a gamble to get that 5.9-litre turbocharged V8 back on song.

An early example of the rear-wheel-drive 1500 TC model, this no-reserve 1974 Triumph looked to be a real bargain. It had only covered 36,000 miles and boasted a stainless steel exhaust, yet changed hands for just £1300.

The oldest vehicle in the sale was this 1914 Morris Oxford De Luxe Special, which was one of three cars from the late Tony Chesters’ collection. A good, sound car in need of light recommissioning, it soared past its £22,000 estimate to sell for £29,531.

The buzz for low-mileage 1980s classics was emphasised by this 1984 Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet, which showed only 44,000 miles. In wonderful condition and still wearing its dealer plates, it soared to a selling price of £18,000.

Thought to be one of just 45 examples on the road, this 1973 NSU Ro80 was in need of some cosmetic and recommissioning work but came with plenty of spares and paperwork. It was offered without reserve, but went on to change hands for £9450.

Another VW to impress was this 1991 Scirocco GT II. Showing 37,000 miles and described as in time warp condition, it was estimated at £5000-£7000 but managed to achieve £15,188 – surely a record for a Mk2 Scirocco.

14 Classic Car Mart September 2021

CAN’T FIND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR? VISIT OUR WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN SEARCH OUR ONLINE DATABASE OF MILLIONS OF NUMBER PLATES WITH PRICES OR GIVE US A CALL, ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP.

A 53 AA 487 AAA 592 AAE AAN 2G AAW 333 ABB 364M ABH 464C ABH 497C B741 ABH ABH 463C ABH 488C A824 GAL 804 ABK 24 BLE AB07 TTS AB07 TTT ABO 77T 477 ABU ABW 810D 8169 AC ACC 967A LAC 70N AAC 70N KAC 70N ADL 119X W866 ADW ADY 586D ADY 110D AEW 994A AFS 184 302 AFW AFW 982A AGO 751 AGU 35T AGW 59N 5640 AH 212 AHK 754 AHR 667 AJO 628 AKV RAL 41N HAL 4N JOA 14N 444 LAN 4 LFE JAL 150P DAL 107T A11 COT CAL 150P ALM 274B R29 ALY PAM 11D 465 AMJ AMJ 40L H3 ANN ANN 797H ANN 783H ANP 265A 4784 NT ANT 177A ANV 199A A417 WAR AOR 21V 6989 AP APA 13Y 547 APA APP 520J APP 13S APP 567J APY 227A ARA 122A ARB 590A ARB 592A ARC 116R ARF 80Y AR71 ZAN XAR 7X ARV 523 ARY 642B A5 FAD H15 HBY 973 ASM YGY 545S 741 ATD ATF 257 ATL 199A G151 ATL ATL 233A ATV 36Y AUD 145V AUD 151V AUD 135V 936 AUG AVG 516D 7864 AW 788 AWA AWF 732 AWG 400 720 AWN YEL 848S G84 CON

B BAD 57T BAG 913S BAG 935S 9 BAG 6 BAG BAG 909S BAH 778X BAH 192W BAH 77T K8 ANK B4 NEY BAR 123T BAR 120N BAR 121N BAR 121K BAR 71N BAR 77N EBA 570N BAS 11L BBA 570N BAS 477 BBA 53Y B4 SET BAS 835 8 ATY YBA 73S 8 ATY 1 BAU 730 BAX BAZ 993

BAZ 996 BBC 929B 200 BBD BBH 703P BBK 69 BBM 628 74 BCE 82 BCJ 555 BCJ 296 BCJ BDK 85 49 BDL 555 BE 3333 BE R128 EAL R98 EAL B834 VER R148 EAL BEA 1T R108 EAL BEA 570N B6 ATY E8 ECK 9 BEE Y831 ONY ABE 17T 86 ND BEN 7T B3 REL F83 RRY E78 ERY TBE 57T EDB 35T F149 ETH BET 228 BF 7561 569 BFM 555 BFW 3333 BG BG 6372 BGF 2H BGR 36 3374 BH 9301 BH BHA 77T BHD 24 BHO 74R BHW 529A BHW 526A B16 GER BIG 8115 BIG 8411 BIG 655 A81 GGS YEL 816S J81 GGS BIG 8115 81 MBO BNG 114M B125 TAL A81 RKE B15 CHO B55 HOP 913 BKE BKN 2T A959 BKU BLA 993Y E81 AKE KBL 41N B115 ETT BLO 77S 544 BLO 3333 BM YGY 320S YEL 820S Y840 ONY 830 BNG BNR 8Y S108 BNT 5555 BO 562 BOB BOB 805S BOC 891A BOD 56Y BOL 701N BOL 77S 751 BOL BOL 7T BOL 701V Y848 ONY Y828 ONY BON 533R K28 ONE 13 ONS BOO 856X BOO 853X B60 OTH SHT 805S FAB 805S VET 805S SBO 55Y POW 805S REE 805S CAB 805S ROT 80S BOB 805S PEE 805S ROT 80S 1305 S BOU 108H BOU 107H BOW 967E BOW 36N D80 WES WAC 180X WWW 80X LON 680X FUM 80Y 5018 BP 7334 BP 3722 BP 5061 BP 8713 BP BPR 654A 674 BPW 957 BPW BRA 550K BRA 991T BRA 7T BRA 17T BRA 77T BRA 99 BRD 996 BRE 14D

BRE 70Y BRE 51N BRE 771Y BRE 770T BRE 70T BRE 35Y BRE 78Y GBR 199S BBR 166S GBR 150N FBR 199S EBR 199S PB21 GHT TB21 DGE MB21 DGE RB21 GHT GB21 DGE PB21 DGE AB21 GHT 996 BRL 11 BRS BRU 119A BRU 3L BRU 116A BRY 110T CBR 750N BRY 417T B168 RYN 126 BTA BTM 92L 368 BTP BTW 756 31 BTW A18 UNK BUR 61S K13 URN SBU 12R TBU 12R B1 JST CBU 7T ABU 7T JBU 770N PBU 7S BBU 7T EBU 7T BVG 458E BVP 629 63 BVT 563 BWD BWP 888M BWP 953M 555 BXS 800 BYE AB19 BYK 5 BYL

C CAB 608W CAB 805S CAB 135H CAB 50N CAB 574R HU11 CAB K28 CAB CAC 53Y CAD 50N CAE 110S CCA 118W WCA 10W CCA 116W CAL 110W C411 LOW XCA 10W BCA 10W C4 LEL K24 CAM CAN 1F C4 NES C412 SFE PCA 123Y V8 OAR CAR 15N CAR 70N BCA 120L CAR 185T CAR 6N C4 REN C412 ONS DCA 120L CAR 14A CAR 105K PCA 50N CAS 946A CAS 11W RCA 53Y UCA 551D C47 ONS K28 CAT CAV 380Y 952 CBK 542 CBK 353 CBK 567 CBM CBW 32V CCA 665M 536 CCE 401 CCE CCN 580B CCN 557B 7996 CD X389 CDA CDM 278M CEH 785Y 8888 CF 208 CFC C974 CFG C986 CFG CFM 112W CG 4844 CHA 210T RCH 45M RCH 41M RCH 33M RCH 34M CHN 417B C11 OKA CHO 74L CHR 930 CHU 88Y CIL 6575 CIL 7601 C12 RON 545 CJO 37 CKA

CKE 188 2222 CL TCL 41R WCL 45S CLU 88S CMB 161S COA 57S COA 77S YEL 427S G6 COD COE 693 303 COJ COL 173R CON 311V CON 4V COO 180X COO 165T 333 COP KCO 2T COR 541R T38 COS COV 800K COV 80S COV 311S COX 31V 976 COX COX 792C COX 576V CPA 107T CPE 76 CRA 138L CRE 59Y CRE 4T CRE 45T CRE 3T CR15 PCO J985 CRM C915 CRU CSF 37B CSJ 215 CST 91A CTC 569M CUP 5S CUR 715E CUT 53T JCU 77S CVG 603F 17 CVJ CY 5241 CYB 46 CYN 700

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HER 56F HES 70N HES 46 HET 215 HEW 177W HEW 377S HEX 3N G350 HEX 98 HFK 38 HGG HGU 889J ADH 188S AAH 188S S111 CKS 200 HKJ HL 8674 HLK 107T HLZ 5555 2222 HM HN 5141 HNM 5 HNO 8N HNZ 3333 HO 1234 HOB 50W HOB 85H JHO 850N HOB 85L HOB 850N HOB 135N HOD 635N HOL 101W HOL 7W HOL 78N HOL 73N HOL 70N NSX 352A HOO 531N HOO 50N HOR 701N F110 RNE HOR 58N HOR 53N HOR 733N HOR 702N 400 HOT HOT 711L HOT 70N 448 HOV HOW 117T HOW 477J HOY 733N 8927 HP 764 HPA 5555 HR HRT 81 HSH 934Y 222 HT HUB 42D HUG 35N HUG 637S HUG 637T HUI 19 HUM 813S HUM 33R HUN 71N HUN 7N HUP 1N HUR 57T 144 HUR HUR 57V

JAC 946V JAD 35V TJA 994R JAG 163Y JAJ 350V T246 JAL JAL 53N T247 JAL JAM 53E 77 JAM JAN 35A B623 JAN E259 JAN JAN 35S JAO 4L JAP 17N JAR 50N JAR 35Y JAR 450N

JHL 508 64 JHP JIW 1537 JIW 653 M9 JKC JKH 998L 641 JKO JKW 6 JLX 24 JM 8753 JM 4045 JMA 915K JMB 444C JMB 277T JMC 51 587 JMP JMR 702 JMW 693 4407 JN

5 JUN JUV 176K JUX 508V JVG 757M 2604 JW JVV 896 8783 JW JW 9206 JWO 96N JWU 94Y JY 632 JY 4635 JYC 25 JYW 59

K KAH 108M KAJ 58N KAL 550N

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L LAB 377E LAB 37T N910 LAG LAL 14W LAM 85P BUY 14W LAW 59W LAZ 8 31 LBF LBF 57 1884 LC

H 3207 HA 8473 HA 7629 HA HAB 86N HAB 18J HAB 18N HAB 84S HAB 40S HAB 40J HAG 3E HAH 610T HAH 562T 478 HAJ HAL 4N HAL 550N HAL 77S HAL 58N HAL 350V H417 SEN J114 NDS HAN 120W HAP 3N HRT 50N WHA 121S VHA 121S HAR 19Y HAR 153N HAR 87S KKH 778N HAT 58N H4 TAC GHA 770N KKH 774N KKH 753N HAV 80Y HAW 53Y HAW 50N HAY 796V HAY 733V 851 HBC HC 7831 HC 5726 HCK 144E HCK 345 HCT 58 HDS 733H HE 4948 6502 HE MHE 4P KHE 4P HEC 5 HED 63N HEG 50N HEL 317S HEL 41V HEL 317V HEL 31V HEM 58Y HEN 70N HEN 570N HEN 71N

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Y309 NAL N524 PVL

ALL £100 EEL 603T EMV 498T A146 FVO A631 GAP HGU 889J R621 KAW KFX 565F KLJ 378N

JAY 833N JAY 51N A364 JAY A199 JAY JAZ 59 JBB 906 JBM 990F 860 JBM JBW 665Y JBX 472N JCC 152N JCR 999P JDK 228N JDY 200 JEL 50N JEM 41 JEP 35H JES 1W JES 53P RJE 5S JES 773R JEU 106 JEY 749Y C359 JGL 59 JGN JGU 678C JHC 454

LCL 887A MFX 423G NTG 307P OGU 767D PTU 468B PGU 903K Y829 ONY C397 SFE

86 JON JOS 11L JOY 376N JPA 261V R26 JPA JR 8891 532 JRR 684 JRR JRS 971 JS 4835 JSA 228G JSK 204 A104 JSO A103 JSO JSR 640 JSS 885N 552 JTA 326 JTB 469 JTO 232 JUB JUD 68S JUF 648 JUK 5W JUL 16N JUL 104N JUL 106N JUL 113N

KAW 54N KAW 51N KAW 52N KAW 53N R621 KAW KAY 537V KAY 83V KBD 76 KBL 39N 817 KBM 73 KBP 87 KBP 742 KBP KBS 3 KBS 5 KCH 74N B16 KCH KCK 892F KCL 197 KCW 335 KDG 89 KDG 977 KEA 524 KEL 10G A445 KEL K21 VYN KEN 33P

Y366 RVU T106 MAU T658 NWL N179 WUP S499 FAJ T710 TBD TRJ 651R UBD 339G T869 UEE VOY 214L WCU 846Y WWU 208J Y739 WFC XFX 712B LCC 663P LCL 887A LDD 87 89 LE LEE 5N LEE 366 LEG 785W LEG 37T LEG 6P YEL 499S LEN 941H LEN 297P LEP 84 LES 13R L355 TER YEL 377S LEV 177Y LEV 177V LEV 177J LEW 307P LEW 847H 4 LFE LFM 380N D630 LFX 568 LHA 1 YMO L154 SAL LJ 5961

H660 LJO H767 LJO LJR 691 LKK 273B LKO 555 753 LKP 7777 LM LMO 51 96 LN LNB 269 LNH 979 LNO 901 LOC 41X LOM 45S LON 680X K31 ONG 630 LOO B10 PES 708 LOP LOR 3R B10 UTH LOU 153P LOU 158P LOV 3P 59 LOV 12 LOW LOW 312Y LOX 500 LRE 8P LRS 72 8888 LS LSA 425 LSD 578 LSD 823 LSG 48N P867 LSM 874 LUB LUC 180X LUE 5P LUE 7V LUG 70P LUR 4L LVA 11 LVG 688B LWG 66 LYB 11E LYC 3E LYL 3N E282 LYN LYN 78P LYN 87X

M MAB 837T MAB 813Y MAC 346V MAC 15S M24 CKS 832 MAE 938 MAE NMA 660T MAH 41P MAH 33D MAH 41E C701 MAK C737 MAK OMA 110Y MAL 338W MAL 261W MAL 357P MAL 980P C54 MAL MAP 55S MAR 647E MAR 63L MRR 10W MAR 771V MRR 19W M425 HAL MAR 63P MAR 437V MAR 9E MAS 6Y LFM 454N MAS 537 MAT 235S T505 MAU T506 MAU MAY 598P MAZ 366 MAZ 399 853 YMB MBH 31H MCV 4N MCW 95G MCY 92E MDG 371V MDM 689G 3511 ME MEL 154P MEL 15F MEL 145P NME 110R LFM 310N A873 MEL E390 MEL MEP 127A M23 RCS ME21 VYN MER 543 MES 53Y LFM 354N MFA 54 MFF 949 MFO 283 MFX 514W MG 5725 MGL 976 26 MH 3165 MH 222 MHY MIG 4444 CFM 115S MIL 38 598 MM 6728 MM 1192 MM 5312 MM 167 MMT MNG 72L MNH 155K MNH 109K MNN 60D S41 MNP

1155 MO MOA 72X MOC 7P K21 MOD 985 MOE MOE 333X MOE 566X MOE 856P MOG 735X MOG 331P MOG 908P RMO 113R MOL 73N MOR 318Y MOR 155R MOR 73R MOS 51S MOS 55S MOT 3L CMO 713Y MOT 76Y MOV 13X MOW 3R MOW 13R MOW 9R MOY 124P 6 MPR N855 MPV E697 MPV 5555 MR MRR 45W C9 MRW MSA 27 B9 MSR MSV 878 MTU 41C MTW 555C MVG 512C MW 8743 R6 MWC MWJ 292 MWL 45 MWV 229F 777 MYC MYR 4P MYR 46X

N NAD 99M NAJ 18P NAJ 18W Y997 NAL NAL 332E 65 NAN NAN 70N N934 NAP NAS 386 N45 EER NAS 628 NAS 671 NAS 70R NAS 13R NAS 54R NAS 385 NAT 11S NAV 330S NAV 306F NAV 309F NAV 300F N42 EEM 6506 NB NBD 52 NBN 50 96 NCG 6553 ND 86 ND W576 NDA NDD 958 4571 NE 73 NE 8969 NE NED 87P NEE 42 EHN 335H NEJ 30R NEL 870 NEW 55S NEW 31P NEW 574R NFC 315S NIB 3333 N25 SAN NJ 4544 NJ 364 NJT 477H NJW 209P 204 NKE 840 NKR 1 NLG 9999 NM NMA 997T NMG 98 805 NNN 95 NNO NNW 5 NOB 13X 279 NOB NOB 80X NOB 56X NOH 712 NOM 88 JNO 74Y NOW 938 NPA 910 570 NPE NRG 71 H964 NRU H977 NRU NSX 346A 2222 NS NS 4570 NSX 390A NS 9999 NSJ 871 NST 270Y NSX 368A NTG 269P 79 NTW 5180 NU NUS 7Y NUT 1E NUT 741S NUX 208W NV 9830

T658 NWL NWT 5 NWT 750A NWX 5 E6 NYC NYK 5Y 3748 NZ

O O 3012 OAK 3S OAK 7M Y52 OAL OAN 20 B1 OAP R348 OAY OBU 311P OCL 108V 693 OCV OD 620 ODE 117F OER 1M F912 OFG OGU 767D OLY 268P OMY 456P ONE 11H ONE 7L ONE 41L ONO 73V 13 ONS Y921 ONY Y814 ONY OO 3840 P50 OOC OVV 377P

P P20 000 PAD 63T PAD 260W PAD 1P PAG 33E S418 PAG PAL 70R 819 PAL 60 PAM PAM 222R PAM 14R D872 PAM PAM 11D PAM 153R E5 PAM PAO 108P PAR 37H PAR 53L PAS 5S PAS 533S E5 PAT A972 PAT E3 PAT PAT 34M D735 PAT A460 PAT S121 PAT PAT 31S PAT 18M PAU 144R PAV 62J PAZ 6 PAZ 1 PBE 39 PBJ 49 PBN 822 PCD 667 PCR 8M PCS 81R PEA 73R PEE 805S PEG 555 PEG 5R PEG 199 PEN 155S PEN 677S PEP 53Y PEP 3R PER 121N PES 183M PET 80Y RPE 73R PET 73R RPE 76R 2620 PF PFB 112 PFE 792P 19 PFM PFN 25S 5695 PG 246 PG 9074 PG F11 PGH S6 PGJ 8 PGJ PGU 924K 1531 PH PHA 998 748 PHA PHH 57P PHH 541P P111 LUK P111 LOK PHO 563 59 PHW PIA 9746 PIJ 3252 PIL 111 PIL 15 PIL 4 3588 PJ 7461 PJ 7612 PJ 655 PJH 701 PJH PKH 130P 3546 PL PL 5049 PLA 73R BPL 47T APL 47T PLE 888 PLM 69 PMY 482W PM 9510 PMB 890L

PN 7018 1111 PN A102 PND PNS 6 LPO 111Y POM 3Y POM 333Y Y809 ONY TJA 928R A911 DUX C911 WOY TJA 968R C911 CRU POT 312S POW 311F POW 805S 2688 PP 4288 PP 482 PPE PPM 449 P91 PPO P125 PPO PRE 553R PRO 553R PRU 783 PSC 290 PSN 690H PTA 827 PTH 37S PTH 51S PTK 90 7 PTS 843 PTT PTU 973B PUE 236 PUI 3333 PUL 58Y GPU 113N PUL 14N A6 PUM 922 PUO PUT 3R PUT 73R PUT 71N N524 PVL 6795 PW PWA 58K 52 PWC PWN 6Y PWN 900R PWU 144P 49 PYD

R 3091 R 9498 R 6524 R RAE 785G 897 RAE 752 RAE RAE 636 JRA 63N RAG 55S RAJ 599X RAL 91F RAN 386L RAN 737E RAP 574R N934 RAP RAS 791 RAS 74S RAS 914 RAS 916 RAS 790 RAS 753 RAT 113R 472 RAT RAV 934R RAV 276X RAV 769X RAV 513X RAY 162M RAY 84R RAY 93R RAY 213R RAY 729N RAY 809 RAZ 59 RBM 6W S2 RBS RCA 505B RCA 316Y 3 RCA RCA 520B RCA 314Y RCD 499G RCH 510M RCS 18 RD 3197 RD 8371 RD 3350 RDB 3R 751 RDV 224 RDV R92 EAL R91 EAL 916 REA R101 EAL R142 EAL REC 703R RED 64R REE 744S REE 805S REG 417X REG 417M REG 51R REG 428G REG 417R RET 120F RET 20S REY 4T REY 360S 333 RFM RFM 828L RG 8305 RG 3805 RG 6659 RH 1508 RHR 266C RIA 9509 R188 NGN R133 EAL K121 LEY DR21 LEY

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MR21 LEY K21 VET RJG 176G 6475 RK 9401 RK 267 RKJ A8 RKM RMA 498 207 RML RMO 415 RMO 112R ROB 83Y ROD 53N ROF 3R ROG 63R ROG 33R R86 ERS 1206 ER ROH 17B ROJ 570 R9 LER R6 LER ROM 93Y RON 586R RON 843M RON 581R RON 579Y Y812 ONY RON 851Y ROO 173Y TED 120S K21 OSS ROW 417S ROW 113Y F843 ROY RPE 8 RPF 9 RPR 97 RRH 874 RRS 621X RRS 619X RSY 4L P22 RTS 743 RTW RUB 3R ARU 8Y RUB 83R 146 RUB RUD 4L RUG 504 RUG 3R RUG 8R RUG 63R RUL 911E RUN 17Y RUS 683M RUS 3L RUS 31W LRU 5H RUV 41N RUX 75 Y366 RVU 227 RW 8 RWG 900 RXG RYK 895 RYL 3S RCA 544B

S S17 JNA T254 JAL LSA 11Y SAL 7T H541 MON SAL 73R WSA 11Y CTC 654M SAN 580Y E54 NDS W54 NDS SAR 81R SAV 49E SAV 361M SAY 170R SAY 3R SAZ 1 S943 SBD 283 SBJ 4396 SC 139 SC SCA 73R SCA 12R SCA 73P SCA 119P SCO 713L SCR 33N SCW 768L SCW 736L 8888 SE R95 EAL SEA 820K J5 EAT R115 EAL M26 EAN R145 EAL K25 EAL R135 EAL SEL 50N M53 LBY SER 141S SET 805S COO 153X NET 53X VEG 53X RUF 53X UNE 53X SEY 63L C363 SFE 391 SFM SGN 700 SGU 985L SH 7640 SHA 1G SHA 24R RSH 4W SHA 61N K25 HAW SHE 90Y SHE 458Y SHE 12Y SHE 12S SHE 80Y SHE 24R

SHE 412S SHE 138Y SHH 29 SHT 805S G511 ORT SHO 128 SHO 127S S1 HOE SHO 12T K25 HOT SHP 510W SHP 9N SHR 177P SHY 805S MS18 SON TS18 SON GS18 SON PS18 SON CS18 SON F51 DHU T251 JAL T251 JAL D951 MON LPR 51M KLJ 351N SJT 948 SKE 114M 497 SKJ SKR 790G SKY 766S SLA 73R SLA 93R DSL 473R SLG 96 SLK 51R K25 LOW SMA 127L SMA 113R SM17 HYJ SM17 HYT SM17 HYD SMP 635 SMT 27 41 SN S17 OWS SNP 10 S10 AMS N504 BYA SOE 8Y T250 JAL SOL 36Y T250 JAL S1 OLD SON 580Y Y815 ONY Y935 ONY WH05 OUL SOU 150N J950 UTH M25 OUL SOY 3R SOY 6R SOY 43R SPE 19R SPU 12M SPU 125R SPU 12R SPY 50N SPY 80X 8809 SR SRL 89M SS 3504 SS 4714 SSA 791 SSG 989P SSG 95P SSN 691 B57 AGG N25 TAR K57 AGG FDS 733D D15 TEV STO 788F W57 OCK S701 NES 9 TOP F57 OCK H57 ONE W570 KES STR 470N STU 601R A451 STU 607 STU STU 427M 5 TUD S7 UBS STU 813L SUB 4R SUB 84R SUB 3R 8025 UE 78 SUE 83 SUE SUL 114N SUS 51R SUT 78N SUT 16R SUT 13R SV 7757 SV 6078 SVR 760W SVS 233 KSW 413S 5 WP SYD 769 SYM 78 L66 SYM 9886 SZ 2536 SZ

T 215 T TA 8009 333 TA 74 BBS TAF 50N TAH 533N TAL 81R TAL 181R TAL 9R TAL 131R TAL 87R TAL 881R TAM 99S

5 TAM TAN 14Y TAN 170Y TAO 458S J74 PPA TAR 44M TAS 235 TAS 799 TAV 875 TAW 83Y G2 TAX TAY 116R TAY 119R ETA 710R TBD 5W T710 TBD TBE 95 A860 TBW TCE 7 5309 TD TDU 8 T34 MUK TED 978S TED 298S TEF 132R TEF 97R TEK 7N TEN 15 TEN 77T TEN 7T TES 54K TFC 489 TFV 1J TGU 656E THE 984 THH 58R TIB 8 T188 UEE TIL 15 TJA 918R TJA 930R TJA 936R TKA 33 97 TKE TLE 858 TLJ 257R 896 TMK TNC 94J TNC 7 TNU 700 TNW 81 TOB 813Y C13 TOD TOG 3Y TOL 5H TOL 16Y TOM 45N TOM 45S Y917 ONY K27 ONY 9 TOP TOS 80X TOW 117G B165 TOW 32 TOY TP 926 TP 3155 290 TPE 212 TPL TPP 1 TPP 813 4407 TR 7124 CY TRA 173R T124 CYM TRD 900 TRE 5G TRE 113R TRJ 634R TRO 73R TRY 913 TSO 157R TSP 93 TSV 243 TSV 617 TSY 751 407 TTC 843 TTC 500 TTC TTM 45 TTP 107 TTT 742 TTU 633H 7354 TU TUB 35S TUD 348 TUD 496 TUI 6 TUK 1L TUT 73R TVV 74F 8184 TW 5593 TW TYS 4

U 5962 UA 6702 UB UBD 339G UCA 575D UDD 874 T869 UEE UEY 804T UEY 757T 5655 UG 30 UG Y868 UKE 5 UMT UNN 756 G919 UNU URM 266X URU 330 US 6769 W55 USA W29 USA 59 USA UYA 911M

V VA 2 621 VAL VAL 769Y VAL 169Y VAL 55M

MARKET TRENDS

B WITH BITE

Tracking the values of six and eight-pot MGBs. Words: Jack Grover MGC (1967-1969) The short-lived MGC is symptomatic of the general managerial chaos that gripped the British Motor Corporation in its final years. Intended primarily as a replacement for the popular Austin-Healey 3000, and effectively fitting that car’s 3.0-litre C-Series engine into the MGB, the work required fitting entirely bespoke torsion bar front suspension. There were also new wheels, brakes, steering and gearbox. The C-Series engine itself was redeveloped to be stronger, lighter, shorter and narrower. At the press launch itself the cars had their tyres inflated to incorrect pressures and the press material stated that the steering ratio was the same the MGB, when in fact it was significantly lower – the first error made the car more prone to understeer than it should have been and the second made testers question the effectiveness of the steering.

In reality the MGC was neither a ‘Big Healey’ successor or a high-performance MGB. But it was, and is, an exceptionally capable grand tourer, combining comfort, a good ride quality, and an under-stressed, torque-rich engine. In stock form (on correct tyre pressures) they don’t drive anything like as badly as the reputation suggests and modern tyres, dampers, front anti-roll bar and steering joints can produce noticeable improvements.

With fewer than 9000 examples built, rarity has always helped keep MGC values well above those for MGBs of the same era. That gap widened significantly in the 1990s and 2000s but the rate of increase has slowed more recently as focus has switched to classics from later decades. MGC values are now increasing broadly in line with the market as a whole. The

With less than 9000 made, rarity helps the MGC’s cause. roadsters are more desirable than the GTs and the best ones can go for over £30,000, while top-line GTs are £22,000-25,000. More average examples – older restorations showing some signs of use and age but still perfectly useable – are worth about £15,000 for GTs and £18,000 for roadsters. Project cars go for about £5000 but Cs are very tricky and expensive cars to restore to proper standards. Cars with upgraded running gear and those imported from the USA are not worth significantly more or less than standard RHD cars in the same overall condition.

MGB GT V8 (1973-1976) Only slightly longer-lived than the MGC, and built in much lower number, the MGB GT V8 was the second attempt at a high-performance B. Inspired by private converter Ken Costello, who was having great success fitting V8 engines from the Rover P6 to customers’ MGBs, British Leyland chose to provide their own official version. Fitted only to the hardtop GT, the version of the Rover V8 used was the 135bhp low-tune version from the Range Rover. Nonetheless this was 40bhp more than the standard four-cylinder model and the all-alloy V8 only weighed fractionally more than the B-Series once all the ancillaries were bolted on.

Values of the chrome bumpered factory V8s are on a par with the MGC.

16 Classic Car Mart September 2021

It was a much easier fit than the long, heavy and tall C-Series. Despite its low tune, the GT V8 was a very strong performer, with a 0-60mph time of under eight seconds and a top speed of 127mph.

Acceleration, hill climbing and fast cruising was as effortless as you’d expect a big V8 in a small car, and all accompanied by the unmistakeable eightcylinder wuffle. Performance was better than the Reliant Scimitar, Datsun 260Z, Triumph Stag, TVR 3000M or Alfa Romeo GTV. With limited quantities of the V8 engine available, the GT V8 was never homologated for sale in North America and only a very few left-hand drive examples were sold in Europe, denying the car sales from what should have been its biggest markets. Rising fuel prices, economic recession and British Leyland’s financial collapse all played against the GT V8 selling in the numbers it deserved.

Launched during the MGB’s black grille/ chrome bumper era, after a year in production the V8 received the same rubber bumper treatment as the other cars (despite not being sold in the USA), blunting both performance and handling. As a low-volume model the V8’s existence was always precarious and it was axed in 1976 after around 2500 had been sold.

Values for the early chrome-bumper cars are roughly on par with the MGC – about £25,000 for the really good ones and maybe as much as £30,000 if it’s a very original example with lots of history and low mileage. The more average ones are £15,000 or so and you could still find a roadworthy and useable but threadbare example for under £10,000 if you chose carefully. Rubberbumper cars rarely get over the £20,000 mark and most hover around the £10,000-12,000 region.

Those values show that interest in the chromebumper cars has risen strongly over the past five years or so but the rubber-bumper ones, while more valuable than a standard MGB, are increasing value at about the same rate. CCM

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CLASSIC ROAD TEST: VOLVO 1800S

SCANDI COOL

Volvo’s offering to the classic sports car market is a bit different, but it’s apparently a winning formula.

WORDS: AARON MCKAY PHOTOS: GREGORY OWAIN ports car is as fragile a term as classic car. It comes with certain expectations, which might be easy to meet if they remained the same for everyone. Sometimes a sports car must have competition pedigree to qualify in someone’s mind, or at the very least be a showcase of the latest sporting technologies for others. In the 1960s that would often mean twin camshafts, disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and so on. At other times, and arguably more often than the former group might like to admit, a sports car is simply in form. The Volvo P1800 might not qualify a grid position for our racy purists, missing most of the requisite technical features not to mention outright performance, but it does have the look and the charm of a 1960s sports car. It is also, of course, a classic that has risen in value quite considerably over the last decade.

The story of Volvo’s sports car begins with its founder and president Assar Gabrielsson going to America and falling for a Yankee style icon of the time, the Corvette C1. For anyone familiar with Volvo’s post-war range, it won’t be too surprising that it inspired a project back home for Gothenburg to make an interpretation of its own. Thus the P1900 was born in 1956, but this low-volume roadster was only to be a quiet, and now often forgotten, precursor to the P1800.

Not that the P1800’s production was anything like certain.

S

It was accepted that there was an opportunity for Volvo in the American sports car market, at a time when the famous pony cars were stirring up a storm, so there was motivation but the logistics of getting the car built and to market were trickier. Karmann was approached but a conflict of interest with rival Volkswagen, which itself was scooping up large swathes of European affordable sports car market share with its Karmann Ghia, meant that Volvo had to look elsewhere for manufacturing space.

In the end the P1800 project landed in Britain, where Jensen’s spare lines in Birmingham would be filled with P1800 assembly using bodies made at Pressed Steel in Scotland. With wheels finally in motion, the project that began in 1957 resulted in an unveiling in 1960 at the Brussels Motor Show. The first cars were sent immediately to North America so, while it was built here, it was only until the Spring of 1962 that the first British buyers were behind the wheel of their new Volvo P1800.

The name makes plain that underneath its long bonnet lies a 1.8-litre engine. This is indeed the same B18 unit as seen in the 120-Series, however it is in the higher-specification tune familiar only to the 123GT which came to the saloon car much later. Power climbed from 99bhp to 113bhp in the years 1962 through to 1968, making the P1800 a true 100mph car from release and steadily nearing the 11-second

The ‘S’ in the badging signifies the Swedish rather than UK assembly of the later cars.

18 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Volvo’s B18 engine is used in essentially 123GT specification.

mark to 60mph. Then in 1969 arrived the larger B20 engine which, with lower compression, didn’t provide much of a performance improvement. What did, however, was the introduction of the B20E with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection the following year. The 130bhp 1800E could crack 60mph in under 10 seconds and go on to hit 118mph.

Conveniently the 1800S is indeed the fastest 1800 before the 1800E but the S is in fact not for sport but Sweden. Those cars built by Pressed Steel and Jensen are named P1800, then when production was moved to Gothenburg in Sweden thus began the 1800S, with the P being dropped. The 1800E was, as we’ve covered, for Einspritzung (German for fuel injection), and then, finally, there was the 1800ES with the distinctive shooting brake body that replaced the coupe for the final two years from 1972-1973.

Little else changed to the 1800 line for its eleven years of production, with only minor revisions of the interior in 1969 and 1972

Classic Car Mart September 2021 19

Unsurprisingly, the 1800S feels much like the sportier Amazon models at speed. adding wood veneer to the dash and a lower line of dials and switchgear respectively. It’s worth pointing out, then, that the car pictured here is a 1968 1800S. Those Volvo fans among you might also spot the wider tyres on this car’s non-standard wheels and its dark blue paintwork borrowed from the 120-Series palette. It is more representative of today’s 1800 rather than 1962’s one, which is the perfect perspective for the drizzly setting of our time with it rather than the sunny riviera scene one might imagine for some other glamorous 1960s sports car.

It’s spacious inside: there’s no clambering in, avoiding sills or wiggling around steering wheels, it’s simply a case of lowering yourself down slightly into a wide and comfortable seat.

The ignition is neatly placed on the right edge of the dashboard and, with a pull of the belowdash choke, the Volvo spins into life quickly. I set the fan-assisted heater to the windscreen and crack open a quarterlight to clear some of the rain I’ve brought in on my coat, then realise how settled the engine is. Considering its 10:1 compression ratio and that it has a hotter cam

Stylish interior is a world away from Volvo’s later sedate style.

20 Classic Car Mart September 2021

than the most sporting saloon in the family, the 122S, the 1800S runs cleanly enough from cold to simply put it into gear, again no trouble, and pull out into traffic.

The throttle pedal is heavy and takes some getting used to. This tends to highlight the fact that there’s only modest performance on tap once you get to the end of the pedal’s travel.

At first it feels gutsy, happy to swallow gears around town and bumble around at low revs as the choke can slowly work its way out. Out onto the main road, leaning into the throttle reveals a bark from the engine as the two carburettors work their best out of the engine but there’s little sign of the peaky performance suggested by 113bhp at 6000rpm and 112lb. ft at 4000rpm. Instead it’s a determined but undramatic climb up the speedo and an encouragement to flick the right-hand stalk into overdrive as the engine sits fussily at 55mph.

Softly it thwomps down in the revs and then the 1800 feels completely settled. The difference is 15mph per 1000rpm and 21mph per 1000rpm but it’s more than this; the suspension is working at its most comfortable and the steering finds its sweetest point. Front discs, later all round, and telescopic dampers with coil springs all round are part of the package.

Bumbling along long-twisting A-roads is the Volvo’s speciality. It settles on its supple suspension, always feeling connected with the road but rarely ever jolting over broken tarmac, and the at times woolly cam and roller

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We supply parts for the following models: PV444, PV544, DUETT, Amazon 121, 122S, 123GT, P1800 Jensen, P1800S, P1800E, P1800ES, 142, 144, 145, 164, 240, 242, 244, 245, 260, 262, 264, 265, 740, 760, 940, 960, 850, S60, S70, S80, S90, V70, V90.

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Despite the rakish roofline, the 1800S still offers a proper four seats, making it very usable. steering has a pleasant way about guiding the car from gradual steering inputs. Apart from being ready to flick off and on overdrive for the occasional hill steep enough to require such action, the 1800S is undemanding. It is, really, exceptionally comfortable for a sports car. The sport is, you’ll have gathered, not in testing the new 185mm wide tyres, but instead in enjoying the swoopy bodywork ahead of you and in the rear-view mirror. The interior has all the charm of a classic sports car too, with its big gauges that push out of the aluminium dashboard like polished tin cans filled with numbers. The red carpet in this one is an extra bonus and contrasts brilliantly against the rich, dark blue paintwork.

22 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Open a door with the weighty pulls and you can’t help but look back as it clicks shut behind you. The outside handle is one of the best design details on the car, its push button a punctuation mark at the end of a beautiful sweep of chrome and bodywork. The lines extend to every corner of the car, completing the classic image of a 1960s sports car. It’s wider and heavier set than an MGB or Alfa Romeo but just as well proportioned. The roofline flows down in between the two restrained fins of the rear wings while the bonnet performs a similar trick at the front, subtly angling downward and rounding off the centre portion of the bonnet.

The rubber strips on the bumpers speak to its identity as a Volvo within this sphere of design. So too are the relatively large front indicators which

are neatly integrated into the whole. Inside you’d be surprised at how useable a rear bench has been packaged underneath the low roofline and there’s a good boot, too. These seem like boring things to talk about with a sports car, but there is a point. You might approach the Volvo 1800 with a doomed expectation of dynamism, but instead you find that the closer you inspect it and the longer you drive it the more it endears it to you in a different way. It’s endlessly charming while being robust, comfortable and practical. Altogether it’s unusually difficult to make an argument against and this, when it has to compete with Britain’s rainy weather and the other half’s grasp of the current account, makes it a rather unique type of sports car.

CCM

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TWIN TEST: BENTLEY TURBO R v DAIMLER SUPER V8

BLOWN APART

Turbocharged Bentley meets supercharged Daimler in a ‘Best of British’ duel.

Words Paul Wager

t’s a recurring theme when you’re writing about classic cars for a living, especially when the majority of them are British in origin, but history has taught us that if the British car industry has one strength, it’s creating success from unlikely origins: think MGF, Land Rover Discovery and countless others. And so it is with the pair we have here, both of which took an ageing design and created a car which won universal praise.

In the case of the Bentley, no vehicle this large and this heavy has any logical right to offer such cross-country pace yet the basic design underpinning the unlikely hot rod stems from the 1965 Silver Shadow.

I

24 Classic Car Mart September 2021

The Daimler meanwhile, was derived from the Jaguar XJ40 which may have appeared as late as 1986 but which had been in development since the 1970s. Smaller and lighter than the Bentley, it’s still a big car yet offers the impressive combination of performance and refinement which was for so long unique to Jaguar products.

On the face of it then, both appear quite similar but in practice they’re really very different, as we found out when we attempted to choose a winner.

BENTLEY TURBO R Before going any further, it’s worth addressing the elephant in the room: if you have your heart set on

a Turbo R, then nothing else will probably do and although you might nod appreciatively at the blown Daimler, it’s unlikely to steer you from your goal.

And it’s easy to understand why you might have got to that point, too. Quite simply, there’s nothing else like the Bentley Turbo R; nothing else which offers the same combination of bulk, performance and hand-crafted charm.

Like all the best cars though, it very nearly didn’t happen. The car which would eventually reach production as the Mulsanne Turbo began as a side project by then Rolls-Royce boss David Plastow who, wanting to embrace new technologies and aware that the firm’s 1950s V8 engine would need a performance boost

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to remain competitive into the ’80s, hit upon the idea of turbocharging. Forced induction was still a young science in those days and the development team were reluctant to share his enthusiasm, but with the words “Go on, let’s have some fun,” urban rumour tells us that Plastow procured a tired development hack Silver Shadow and sent it off to race outfit Broadspeed. When the car returned, it had a big Garrett blower strapped to the side of the block and a modest 10% more horsepower... but a massive 50% more torque.

All who drove the manic Shadow found it great fun if a little crude and the idea was subsequently refined for production, via at least

MODEL

BENTLEY TURBO R

DAIMLER SUPER V8

ENGINE

6750cc V8

4398cc V8

POWER

320 bhp @5 4200 rpm

370 bhp @ 6150rpm

TORQUE

455 lb.ft @ 2400rpm

387 lb.ft @ 3600 rpm

TOP SPEED

137 mph

155 mph

0-60MPH

7.0 secs

5.4 secs

LENGTH

5.3m

5.4m

WIDTH

1.5m

1.8m

WEIGHT

2410kg

1790kg

one turbocharged Camargue. In something of a master stroke, the decision was taken to offer the new car under the Bentley brand rather than Rolls-Royce, perhaps as a nod to its sporting heritage but also for the more prosaic reason that the word ‘turbo’ would sit uneasily with the traditionally conservative Rolls-Royce buyers.

The Mulsanne Turbo was launched at the Geneva show in 1982 and boasted the 298 bhp engine (the ‘adequate’ power output having been revealed by German regulations), a red Turbo boot badge, body-coloured grille and... well that was it. No wonder then that road testers found the cars alarming and exhilarating in equal measure, the reason being that Rolls-Royce,

newly independent of its aerospace parent, simply didn’t have the resources to develop the new car and engine at the same time.

The Mulsanne Turbo’s unruly handling was addressed in 1985 when the Turbo R was introduced, that ‘R’ allegedly signifying Roadholding. The legend goes that the chassis engineers showed their proposed suspension changes to R-R engineering chief Mike Dunn and were told in no uncertain terms to go away and make it twice as stiff again... which they duly did. The result was a 100 per cent stiffer front anti-roll bar, a 60 per cent uprated rear bar, firmer dampers with uprated rebound, a 50 per cent firmer power steering set-up and

Classic Car Mart September 2021 25

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a Panhard rod to reduce sideways movement of the rear subframe. To these changes were added lightweight 15-inch alloy wheels shod with 275/55 tyres and a deeper front spoiler.

The result transformed the car and road testers of the day never failed to be amazed by the way in which the big saloon could be flung around like a GTI. The popularity of the car transformed Bentley’s fortunes, attracting a much-needed younger buyer to the brand and leading it to outsell parent Rolls-Royce by 1991. Indeed, the attractiveness of the brand to current owners Volkswagen can be directly attributed to the success of the Turbo R. This also allowed the car more development than had traditionally been given to Crewe products, with the Turbo R being incrementally improved right until the end of production.

In 1988, the troublesome four-barrel Solex carburettor was replaced by Bosch fuel injection and in 1989 the cars gained adaptive damping to good effect, with a four-speed automatic from 1990 and a chargecooler in 1996.

Power outputs rose too, with the final Turbo RT packing an outrageous 400bhp and even more outrageous 590lb.ft.

It’s a 1990 example we have here, our own project car no less which means it comes with the convenience of fuel injection, ABS brakes and Active Ride. When it left Stratstone of

Wilmslow in 1990, it had cost its first owner a cool £101,000 which put it a clear head and shoulders ahead of the Daimler, but today you can acquire a decent example for anything from £8000 upwards... or even less than that if you fancy a project.

Be warned though, these aren’t cars you can run on a shoestring and one of the biggest costs will be tyres. Essentially there’s no other vehicle on the planet which weighs 2.5 tonnes, runs a 15inch wheel and can crest 140mph, which explains why there’s only one tyre choice: the Avon CR27 which was developed specially for the car back in the day. Not only do they come in at anywhere from £300-£400 per corner, but they’re made infrequently in small batches so a Turbo R on balding rubber is going to spring a big bill on you even before you take your first drive.

It’s not all gloom though. Parts support is excellent even if some of the low-volume detail parts are more expensive than you’d find with a Jaguar and the locomotive-style engineering is relatively simple. Provided you’re happy to get stuck in and have sufficiently beefy jacks and stands then there’s a surprising amount you can do yourself. The Citroën-style high-pressure hydraulic system which powers brakes and rear self-levelling however is best left to the experts.

As for the driving experience, it’s as unique as the car suggests. You sit up high, looking down on regular cars although not quite as lofty

The Bentley is physically bigger than the Daimler but not by as much as you might think.

26 Classic Car Mart September 2021

as something like a Range Rover and on our ’90-spec car there’s a column gearshift selector which brings to mind ’70s American cars.

Bury the throttle though and the Turbo R gathers speed faster than any US land yacht, although with commendably little fuss. In truth, the V8 isn’t as muted as legend would have you believe and its woofling exhaust note is always present, with a slight whistle as the boost builds and an invisible giant hand pushes you back into the seat. It’s not a high-revving engine by any means and is redlined at 4500rpm, underlining the fact that what gives the big Bentley its pace is the low-speed torque.

It’s addictive stuff yet the car remains so composed under hard acceleration that passengers seldom even look up from poking at their iPhones even under full bore standing starts. Part of the reason for this must be the adaptive ride, which takes signals from brake lights, throttle, steering input and accelerometers to evaluate driving style and adjust the dampers accordingly. Although it’s very much an analogue system rather than the electronic systems on modern cars, it’s effective when working properly and doesn’t take more than a few seconds of spirited driving to stiffen up noticeably.

All good then? Well yes, if outlandish performance is your thing but these aren’t easy cars to own, although to be fair most of the

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downsides are of a practical nature. The first question on most people’s minds will be the fuel economy but with moderate driving on longer trips it’s not so bad – budget on just over 20mpg on a good day, which is some way better than for example a V12 Jaguar, but be aware that this will sink to single figures in urban driving.

The other big issue is the Bentley’s size which means it won’t fit into the average domestic garage and these cars really need to be kept under cover. Things like window seals tend to shrink and perish over time and keeping a Turbo R of this age dry and well ventilated will simply make it a more enjoyable thing to own.

If you’ve got the space though, then with the help of a local Rolls/Bentley specialist, the right car can be a surprisingly easy ownership prospect.

Like I said though, if you’ve set your sights on a Turbo R nothing else will suffice, so how close does the range-topping Daimler come?

Both are lavishly trimmed, the Bentley having the hand crafted edge.

DAIMLER SUPER V8 The badge may have ended its days on the back of optioned-up Jaguars, but the Daimler marque (as distinct from Daimler-Benz) has an even more illustrious heritage than Bentley, having been the choice of royalty long before RollsRoyce stole the crown.

By the late ’60s though, Daimler was in trouble as sales of its cars declined but Jaguar’s

Classic Car Mart September 2021 27

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William Lyons saw value not in its product range but its production facilities and swooped in to acquire it in 1960, keeping quiet until the last minute which meant the first fellow Jaguar executives heard of it was on the morning news.

Production of Daimler-designed cars ended shortly afterwards, with the SP250 sports car failing to reach sales targets even after a hasty Jaguar redesign of its famously flexible chassis.

The badge did however live on, as a Daimler V8-engined version of the Mk2 and as a means of identifying the top trim level on the new XJ saloon. A Daimler version would remain at the top of the XJ range well into the new millennium, disappearing only for the final ‘X351’ model.

What we have here is the so-called ‘X308’ generation of XJ which was essentially the result of fitting Jaguar’s AJ-V8 engine into the older ‘X300’ generation – itself the result of giving the XJ40 a top-and-tail makeover.

The final car to be developed by an independent Jaguar before its takeover by Ford Motor Company, the XJ40 was the first all-new XJ since the original had appeared in 1968 and had itself been due for replacement by an allnew design when Ford arrived in 1989.

However, the pressing need to upgrade production facilities took priority and a comprehensive re-engineering was performed instead, followed by an extensive facelift which effectively grafted the retro nose and tail on to the XJ40 centre section.

The resulting X300 was the car many thought the XJ40 could – or should – have been from the start and it gave Jaguar a renewed impetus in the market against the German rivals.

One of the highlights of the range was the XJR, which unlike the largely cosmetic XJRbadged XJ40 models offered a real performance boost courtesy of supercharging.

Despite Jaguar product planners thinking the XJR would be a small-selling niche product, it proved to be surprisingly popular, so when the V8 engines were fitted to the X300 to create the X308, an XJR remained in the range.

This time however, the 360bhp supercharged engine was also offered in less shouty Daimler form, without the firm suspension and sporting trim details. The result was something very different, offering truly rapid pace yet with a composure offered by no other car – and yes, that includes the Bentley.

Stepping from the Bentley into Chris Mansell’s truly immaculate Super V8, the relative youth of the Daimler design is starkly obvious. The X308 facelift banished all visible traces of XJ40, ushering in a new, higherquality interior which in Daimler trim is no less lavishly trimmed than the Bentley. Yes, it’s more of a factory product against the Bentley’s hand-built craftsmanship but this brings with it advantages in terms of precision of fit and finish, with all the modern convenience kit nicely integrated.

Like the Bentley, the supercharged Daimler was offered only in automatic form, with the signature J-gate Jaguar shifter allowing some degree of manual control allied to a five-speed ZF box.

Twist the key in the Daimler and the first impression is how quiet the engine is. There’s always some mechanical and exhaust noise evident with the Turbo R, but at idle with the door closed the Daimler needs a second glance at the dashboard to verify whether it’s running or not.

On the road the Daimler offers no less muscular performance than the Bentley – in fact it’s noticeably faster – but delivers it in a very different way. Contrary to conventional logic, the turbocharged Crewe V8 relies on low-speed torque, whereas the supercharged Jaguar unit is more free-revving, with just a hint of blower whine as speed builds. This is a deceptively rapid machine and in a straight line there’s really not much to touch it. The official figures give it just 5.4 seconds to sprint to 60mph and although we didn’t want to treat Chris’s immaculate example to that kind of treatment it feels well up to the task of despatching contemporary Porsches.

It’s also incredibly refined, stepping through its five speeds unobtrusively even under hard throttle and like the Bentley, delivering its performance without disturbing passengers.

With only the fluted grille and different wheels to give the game away from the outside, it looks at

Exterior changes over the Jaguar XJ are subtle: chrome grille and boot handle, badging and wheels.

28 Classic Car Mart September 2021

The supercharged Daimler is essentially a softer, more plush version of the Jaguar XJR. It’s decisively quicker than the turbocharged Bentley and has even more built-in luxury kit.

Classic Car Mart September 2021 29

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a glance like a regular XJ8 and in that respect is the ultimate Q-Car – certainly much more so than the physically imposing Bentley.

The ride/handling balance has always been a traditional Jaguar strength and the Daimler benefits from this, offering a more supple ride than the Bentley, yet with the electronically controlled adaptive dampers giving it similar cornering capability. Granted, the suspension doesn’t have the bulk of the Bentley to deal with, but the age of the bodyshell design is obvious from the lack of the shuddering over potholes which afflicts the Bentley’s structure.

As with the Bentley it’s possible to achieve remarkably rapid cross-country progress in the Daimler but somehow it seems less outrageous from the newer car which offers a more conventional, lower-set driving position and simply feels so much more manageable – although in reality it’s only 10cm narrower and 20cm shorter.

Parts support is on a par with the Bentley and the Daimler’s Jaguar origins mean most of it is affordable, too. The cars are also well served by independent specialist who really know their way around them but perhaps the greatest advantage the Daimler has is the practical one. it may only be marginally slimmer than the Bentley but that’s enough to allow it to live in a regular domestic garage, while its 1800kg kerb weight makes it much more manageable for the DIY-minded owner.

VERDICT Having lived with our Bentley for six months and several thousand miles, I’ve come to love its combination of performance and olde worlde charm, but I’ve never encountered a Jaguar model I didn’t like and let’s face it, the Daimler is a Jaguar in all but name.

If pressed to choose, I’d pick the Daimler every time simply because it does everything the Bentley does, yet does it better and in a package which is so much easier to live with.

Like I said at the beginning though, if you want a Turbo R then there’s nothing else like it, so feel free to ignore my opinion.

CCM

FLYING SPARES If you're DIY-minded then there's a lot you can do yourself on these cars and it won't be too long before you find yourself on first-name terms with the helpful sales team at Flying Spares. Starting out as a specialist dismantler, the firm has evolved over the last 25 years to offer owners the ideal choice between used parts, OEM-quality equivalents or original Bentley-branded products, as well as operating its own remanufacturing and reconditioning programme for mechanical items.

30 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Flying Spares can supply parts for any Rolls-Royce or Bentley from 1946 and our own Turbo R is already wearing a selection of their products. Without firms like this to support these cars, they would certainly be a whole lot more tricky to own and it's certainly made our life easier already: only Flying Spares was able to supply a set of four correct Avon tyres, so without them we'd still be purching around on 19-year old Pirelli Scorpions. Find out more at www.flyingspares.com.

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ROUND UP: FIFTIES FAMILY CARS

SOCIAL CLIMBING

We round up the Fifties family cars which offered a step up from the neighbours. ritain in the 1950s was a somewhat conservative place. The baby boom children hadn’t yet become adults, and the automotive sector was still targeted at a traditional market. Wood and leather were the order of the day in larger and more upmarket cars, as was staid design. But that doesn’t mean that these cars should be overlooked – for the traits that made them capable family cars in that period also endear them today as family-friendly classics.

They don’t have to be the last word in driver involvement – their quality is their most enduring trait, and their ability to transport us to a forgotten age. But which of the myriad choices makes the best family classic today?

We’ve selected nine of our favourite big British saloons of the 1950s – some predictable, some less so – with something for all tastes.

B

and disguising its initial modernity through traditional facelifts.

From the staid 60 with its Land Rover derived four-cylinder engine to the 2.6-litre 110, there are P4s to suit all pockets. All offer a driving experience ahead of their time – they feel like very good 1960s car, rather than something that emerged from the shadow following the Second World War. The biggest problem you’ll find when looking to buy a P4 is corrosion, though water ingress can lead to rotten wood and leather inside –

this can all be mended, but trim work is rarely cheap. Mechanically they’re simple, and the clubs ensure that most parts you’re likely to need can be sourced.

Riley RM The Riley RM series also emerged during the days following the Second World War – launched in 1945 and produced in various guises until 1955. We’re going to be focusing on the four saloon models – the RMA and RMB made until 1952, the RME produced from 1952 to 1955

Rover P4 Talk about upmarket 1950s British cars, and the topic will almost inevitably turn to the Rover P4 before the first sentence is finished. And with good reason. While it originated in the previous decade, the ‘Auntie’ Rover – so named because it had all the homely and welcoming qualities of a favourite maiden aunt – is inextricably linked to the 1950s as the decade it survived in full.

And while other cars on this list may shout their status, the Rover is more discreet – hiding technical innovation behind quality trimmings

32 Classic Car Mart September 2021

WORDS: SAM SKELTON

Rover P4’s staid styling conceals a car of deep quality.

Although on sale into the ’50s, Riley’s RM series is a 1940s design, complete with a wood-framed body. and the RMF, built for just two production years between 1952 and 1953. Inspired by the prewar Kestrels, these cars were sporting saloons in the 1.5- litre (RMA and RME) and 2.5-litre (RMB and RMF) classes.

With surprisingly good handling for their era, timeless style, and an enthusiastic owners’ club, the RM series make excellent family-use classics. But beware – they’re a body-on-frame construction, and the frame used is wooden, as was the style for many cars of this era. The wood can rot, so it’s worth taking someone who knows RMs with you when you go to look at a potential purchase. Check the A post in

particular, by getting your head up into the arch and looking from underneath, and that the draught excluder and door striker are securely attached. Any damage will show here.

Also, check the doors hang properly, and that there’s nothing nasty where the rear wings join the body.

Jaguar Mk1 A Jaguar is an obvious choice for someone after a bit of Fifties flash – and the Mk1 is the natural first port of call. Jaguar’s first small saloon since the postwar 1.5-litre, the Mk1 was intended as a bridge between the MkVIIM and the XK range–

a sporting option for the family man and an entry-level model in the Jaguar range for those perhaps more used to Rovers and Humbers. It was expected to be the volume seller – and kickstarted a line which wouldn’t be extinguished until the end of 240 production in 1969, via the Mk2 and S Type.

Launched as a 2.4-litre and soon offered with the larger 3.4-litre engine too, the Mk1 was an unashamed sports saloon. They’re more agile than the Mk2, though the narrow rear track can lead to extreme oversteer if you try to be too clever. Modern tyres help, but it’s better to acclimatise to the car slowly.

The Jaguar Mk1 is the driver’s pick of the ’50s fare and makes an intriguing alternative to the more common Mk2.

Classic Car Mart September 2021 33

As with all the cars on our list, check for corrosion – typically in the sills, floors and door bottoms, though panels can pose an issue.

Only the tub, front doors and bootlid are directly shared with the equivalent Riley models, so be careful when buying replacements to ensure that they’re Wolseley specific.

Morris Six

The Wolseley is definitely the only one here with a light-up grille badge.

They’re excellent value now compared with their successor, too – and, dare we say it – more attractive to boot. As with the Mk2, you should check thoroughly for corrosion. The floorpan, rear suspension mounts and bulkhead are common rot spots and should be checked thoroughly.

Wolseley 6/90 Following Britain’s greatest police car was going to be no mean achievement, and when the Wolseley 6/90 was launched it was to a world expecting greatness. Effectively, it was a six-cylinder variation of the Riley Pathfinder, which had replaced the RMF in 1953. The latest diamond-badged car offered an almost Italianate

Six-cylinder Morris is a comparative rarity.

34 Classic Car Mart September 2021

body styled by Gerald Palmer and was fitted with the same big four as had powered the outgoing RM model. As for the Wolseley, its powerplant was the same C-Series family featured in the Austin Westminster. It would also be used in the Pathfinder’s replacement – the Riley 2.6.

While the 6/90 shocked Wolseley stalwarts with its grey Formica dashboard, the rest was pretty traditional. A four-speed column shift manual was standard at first, though a floor-mounted shift would be made available on subsequent Series 2 and 3 cars, along with a return to a full walnut dash. Its leather-trimmed seats were comfortable, and nothing spoke of authority like the illuminated grille badge.

Many would be more familiar with the Morris Six’s upmarket sibling, the Wolseley 6/80. For years, it became entrenched in the public psyche as the archetypal police car, and no ‘Scotland Yard’ B-movie film was complete without the ever-present 6/80 full of stout officers. But while the Wolseley was popular with the boys in blue, it cost about 15% more when new than the Morris – no reasonable family man could justify the additional spend when the Morris was in all honesty just as capable, despite its vinyl seats and painted dashboard. You could even have leather like the Wolseley – and a heater – if you bought a late Deluxe model.

Far fewer Morrises were sold than Wolseleys, making it a head-turner even at Nuffield group events. Check that the engine has been fitted with Stellite-coated exhaust valves, as the original-spec valves have been known to burn out.

Check also that the suspension has been kept well-greased, like the Minor, front trunnions can pose issues if they’ve been neglected over time – and the Six’s suspension supports a far greater weight than that of the smaller car. Body panels and some trim can be hard to find – while shared mostly with the Oxford, that doesn’t mean that such items are plentiful today. The CambridgeOxford Owners’ Club is your best bet.

Vauxhall Velox If the pin-up look appeals to you and Grease is in your top ten films of all time, we can understand why a Vauxhall Velox might be your upmarket 1950s saloon car of choice.

Metallic paint was a big deal in the first half of that decade, and when coupled to the flashy chrome grille, made the E-Series Vauxhall Velox look like a product of another world. In truth, the styling was pure Detroit, and the lazy 2.3-litre six-cylinder engine backed up the Stateside impression. No mere Zephyr driver could hope to compete with the glitz. And it was advanced for its era – that shell was of monocoque construction and engineered for solidity – while rust can take hold in the door bottoms and wings, it’s only really structural areas like the sills and bulkheads that need a thorough inspection. Mechanically much is shared with the subsequent PA and PB series cars or, regarding the early E series, with the outgoing LIP Velox. Trim can be hard to source but easy enough to replicate. There are few more practical ways to enjoy Americana on an English scale.

Humber Super Snipe

The Velox offers a slice of Detroit in a package which will fit British country lanes.

With American inspired styling, the Rootes Group’s big Humber range of the late 1950s took clear inspiration from the work being done by lower-end rivals such as Ford and Vauxhall. The new Super Snipe looked straight out of Detroit by 1958 – while smaller than the outgoing model, it clearly resembled the 1955 Chevrolet models. It was also significantly more spacious, faster and more economical than its predecessor, owing to a 2.6-litre (2.9-litre

from the Series 2 onwards) inline-six replacing the outgoing 4.1-litre unit. This engine was an Armstrong Siddeley design and related to the unit fitted to the Sapphire 346. The body was to be shared with the four-cylinder Hawk models, and from the Series 3 of 1960 was the first British design to be fitted with quad headlamps.

Welded seams are all prone to corrosion, as are the sills and floorpans. Rootes used

multiple pressings in areas of stress to ensure strength, and when water finds its way between the pressings these areas can rot from the inside out. Chassis outriggers can rot badly, as can front and rear wing edges. Mechanically, differentials can pose difficulties – up to the Series 4, they’re shared with the Hawk and can’t handle the increased torque without excessive crown and pinion wear.

Similarly, Rootes clearly took inspiration from mid-’50s Chevrolet for the Super Snipe.

Classic Car Mart September 2021 35

The Westminster has excellent club and parts support.

Austin Westminster As much as banger racing gets a bad name in the classic press, the popularity of the Westy on track did at least prove that it’s a hardy, solid, mechanically durable beast. As a classic for regular family use then, it’s likely to be fairly painless. Couple this to a spacious body with a cavernous boot, and you have what could well be the most family-friendly choice on our list. Styled

by Pininfarina in 1959, the A99 Westminster used the same 2.9-litre straight-six engine as the Austin Healey 3000. Its sister models, the Vanden Plas Princess and Wolseley 6/99, were identical under the skin. However, with their different noses and upmarket interiors, they perhaps exceed the requirement of a large family car and head into the territory of luxury cars.

Corrosion can be a big worry, but the Cambridge-Oxford Owners’ Club caters for the big Farinas too, and many club members will be happy to help with panels. Mechanically, parts can be sourced from Healey specialists making it easier to own than you might think. Farinas still get banger-raced, meaning that the banger community, can often be a good source of rare replacement trim items.

Not that it mattered. The fact remained that only Francophiles and engineers took the ID to their hearts in 1950s Britain, many choosing to stick to more conservative Rovers, Humbers and big Wolseleys. Slough-built IDs are hard to find today, and command a considerable premium if you can find them. Don’t worry too much about the hydraulics – it’s basic plumbing, and the most important check is whether it’s been converted to run on the later LHM fluid. If not, that could be worthwhile purely for the sake of availability. Be more concerned about corrosion – check everywhere possible for rust.

Conclusion These cars appeal to very different tastes – from the keen driver looking to enjoy six

cylinders with no frills, the technically audacious Francophile, and the traditional coachbuilt prestige of cars like the Riley RM. There is no ‘right’ attitude when it comes to something so subjective as a classic car, and each of our nine choices justifiably has its fans.

The ease of parts availability might make some of our choices more appealing than others for the family buyer with little time to spend in the garage, though – and the simplicity of certain designs may also appeal over the complexity of more modern thinking.

Whichever of our choices tempts you most, go ahead and do it. After all, family classics mean that the next generation can share in our hobby – and starting them young will help establish a lifelong interest of their own. CCM

Citroën ID An oddball Brit here, in that many readers might consider it to be somewhat more French.

But British IDs made in Slough had enough differences over and above the basic model to consider them a separate model for this list.

And the UK ID did compete with cars like the Rover P4 and the Humber Hawk, despite its lower power output. The somewhat incongruous walnut dash and leather trim were just two things that separated the British ID from its more Spartan French cousin. Citroën GB also added full hubcaps from the DS and chromed niceties to ensure that the ID driver in Britain felt they were getting value for money.

36 Classic Car Mart September 2021

It’s often forgotten that Citroën was once a fully-fledged British car maker.

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Mk1 CAPRI

PONYING UP

Often overshadowed by the V6 versions, the early fourcylinder Capris make great and stylish classic Fords.

Fancy one? Here’s what to look for.

WORDS: CHRIS TILBURY

38 Classic Car Mart September 2021

ord might have touted the Mk1 Capri as ‘The Car you always promised yourself’ on its February 1969 launch, but the distinctive coupé’s chances of fulfilling that somewhat tall order hinged a fair bit on what was under the never-ending bonnet.

Granted, the Capri’s long nose, squat rear end and sloping roofline certainly attracted plenty of admirers, but fitted with the entry-level 1298cc motor it’s debateable whether it was anyone’s dream car.

F

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To have even a fighting chance of backing up the Capri’s purposeful looks, the 1599cc Kent engine was the absolute minimum and, even then, you really needed the GT specification to give MGB owners a run for their money. More performance was just weeks away though, the Zephyr and Corsair’s 1998cc V4 motor introduced in March and reserved exclusively for the sporty GT. With its twin-choke Weber carburettor and better suited gearbox ratios, the 2-litre GT could run to 107 mph and at just

Classic Car Mart September 2021 39

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£46 more than the 1600GT it was a steal.

Adding to the GT’s appeal and also to the rest of the range were a host of appearanceenhancing Custom Packs – X, L and R. The X pack with such items as reclining front seats, bucket rear seats and reversing lights; and the L pack including overriders, chrome exhaust trim and dummy air scoops were available on all models, while the R pack with its Rostyle wheels, lairy matt black bonnet, spotlamps and leathershod steering wheel was unique to the GT. Such choice, its unique formula and Ford’s masterly marketing meant the Capri was a smash from the off, running changes such as more power for the 1.6-litre engine in September 1970 and a major facelift in 1972 ensuring its continued success.

All good things come to an end though, and with the hatchback Mk2 model around the corner, Ford called time on the production of the Mk1 in December 1973.

By then, the smaller-engined cars were overshadowed by the burly 3-litre V6 models and while that’s still the case today, there’s a great deal to recommend the four-pot Capris.

They might not be the fastest Mk1s but they’re cheaper to run and buy than their six-cylinder brethren and while you might indeed have always promised yourself a V6, the four-cylinder models certainly won’t leave you disappointed.

40 Classic Car Mart September 2021

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WHAT TO LOOK FOR BODYWORK Wings rot around the headlights and at the rear quarters, NOS Ford replacements costing circa £600 apiece and pattern panels around £300. Such is the price that the opinion is to professionally repair the original Ford wings if they’re still in place. Reckon on £450 to replace a frilly valance, although the likes of sills and the often-rusted rear arches can be rectified with more affordable reproduction panels. Bubbling on the

scuttle is a tell-tale of major rust in the A-post, the difficult-to-repair area rotting inside out. Doors don’t suffer too much, but if they do need replacing be aware that they’re not interchangeable between early and late cars without modification to the door card and lock fixings. Decent second-hand trim is hard to find, although some parts like the scarce and expensive ‘hockey sticks’ around the rear lights and the strip that runs below the boot have been reproduced in recent years by the likes of Motomobil in Germany.

SPECIFICATIONS MODEL

1600GT

2.0

3.0

ENGINE

1598cc

1996cc

2994cc

MAX POWER (BHP)

82/5400

93/5500

128/5200

MAX TORQUE (LBF.FT)

96/3600

104/3600

173/3000

TRANSMISSION SUSPENSION

4sp man Front MacPherson struts / rear dampers and semi-elliptic leaf springs

BRAKES

Discs front, drums rear

LENGTH (MM)

4261

WIDTH (MM)

1645

HEIGHT (MM)

1289

KERB WEIGHT (KG)

965

1003

1105

MAX SPEED (MPH)

96

106

113

0-62 MPH (SECS)

13.4

10.6

9.6

The Car Cave Scotland Unit 6A Butlerfield Industrial Estate Bonnyrigg, Midlothian e. alan@carcavescotland.co.uk t. 01875 820527

Car Cave (Scotland) Ltd At Car Cave we always carry a stock of around 25 Classic Cars and have many more on the way. We specialise in Classic Fords. If we do not have what you want in stock we may be able to source it so please feel free to ask.

We also have a small selection of modern vehicles that have been hand picked to ensure quality.

Looking to sell your Car We specialise in selling Classic Cars, if you have a classic car you wish to sell - simply get in touch with us and we can see if we can help you.

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Andrew Evanson Senior Operations Manager at Lancaster Insurance Services, says: “The late-model Mk3 Capris were the first to take off in value, but the Mk1 is now similarly sought-after and offers a great combination of practicality and ’60s style. And remember, you don't need to have a V6 to enjoy these cars.”

INTERIOR Reproduction black trim is available but doesn’t come cheap, a set of front seat covers costing over £340. Only 10 per cent of surviving Mk1 Capris are thought to be running shades different to black and its nigh-on impossible to find replacement trim for these.

Door cards can warp and it’s not unusual for the rear carpet to suffer from water damage if the rubber seals of the doors have perished.

Black door cards and rear panels can be bought new as can carpet sets, although it’s worth checking that the latter is to correct OE specification where the front section covers the floor crossmember.

If your interior is black then you're in luck: that’s the only colour reproduced.

ENGINE A rattling timing chain, tapping top end and heavy breathing are all signs of a tired Kent motor. The later 1.6-litre Pinto is also prone to a noisy top end – the cause being a worn camshaft that’s been starved of oil – and if the valves are to stay straight it’ll need a cambelt change every 30,000. Thorough servicing and resetting the tappets can usually sort rough running issues with both engines, although flat

spots and idling can be down to wear in the carburettor. The Essex V4 isn’t particularly smooth but reasonably durable if well maintained, issues such as overheating and blown head gaskets only tending to arise if the cooling system is neglected. Running hot can also increase the V4’s chances of smashing its nylon timing gear. The V4 GT’s Weber is reliable and it’s usually the pump at fault if there are any fuelling issues.

INSURANCE COSTS Quotation supplied by Lancaster Insurance h 1970 Ford Capri 1600GT, value £!5,000: £81.05 or £99.05 with Agreed Value h Based on 45-year old, with a second vehicle. It’s garaged, covers 3000 miles a year and lives in an SP2 postcode. They have no claims or convictions, are a club member, and are employed as a marketing manager.

Disclaimer: Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may vary between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. An additional charge may be payable. h Subject to underwriting criteria. An additional charge may be payable. www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk 01480 809176

42 Classic Car Mart September 2021

ELECTRICS Replacing the lights of early cars is relatively straightforward – the headlights are fairly common sealed-beam units and the rear clusters are shared with the Mk1 Escort.

Facelift items are a lot harder to source, both front and rear lights being unique to the model and the latter’s use on the RS3100 driving up prices. To make matters worse, the facelift’s oval lights also have a tendency to suffer from damp-induced damage. The lack of a relay can cause the headlight switch of pre-facelift cars to melt, while the GT’s rev counter is unreliable in its readings. It’s not interchangeable between 1.6-litre and 2-litre GTs either, the bigger-engined car’s rev counter being marked V4. Batteries for

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cars with flat post connectors are hard to find but it’s possible to change the leads. Pre-facelift models used narrower batteries; check the size of the battery tray before buying a replacement.

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BRAKES

too much it’ll skip everywhere.

Seldom used cars are prone to sticky callipers and seized rear wheel cylinders. New replacements are easy to source, as are the likes of front discs, rear drums and shoes.

GEARBOX Type 3, single-rail box is reasonably durable, although any rumbling points to terminally-worn bearings. The English axle isn’t nearly as hardy as the later 3-litre’s Atlas, but it tends to soldier on even with a bit of a whine. Bits to rebuild both the four-speed box and rear end are readily available.

STEERING & SUSPENSION Unresponsive steering and wallowy ride point to the respective problems of tired bushes and worn dampers. Facelift models are softer sprung than earlier cars and watch for cars that have upgraded rear suspension – the Mk1 has a very light rear end and if it’s stiffened

VALUES Ignoring the ultra-rare RS2600 and RS3100, an up-and-running MkI project car might set you back £4000-£6000, while a four-cylinder model in good order should be somewhere around £9000-£12,000.

Find a low-mileage immaculate V6-powered car, however, and again you’ll be looking at up to £20,000-£25,000 – or even more for a 3-litre which has been restored to an exceptionally high standard.

CCM

OR MAYBE..?

Paul Wager, Group Editor Ford Mustang Wthout the Mustang, we'd never have had the Capri and without the Capri we'd probably never have had so many of the saloon-based coupes it inspired from other makers.

Conceived to appeal to an affluent post-WW2 ‘baby boomer’ generation, the Mustang was Ford downsizing from 1950s land yachts and it was a success, with 100,000 sold in the first four months. It was never officially sold over here but plenty have been imported and in some ways they're an easier car to own and run than an early Capri.

44 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Dave Youngs, Lancaster Insurance Capri II If you fancy a Capri but values of the Mk1 leave you shocked and you really don't want to go with the herd and be just another 2.8 Injection Special owner secretly wishing they had the funds for a Sierra Cosworth, then what about the rarest Capri of them all?

The Mk2 – or Capri II in Ford speak – was made from ’74 until ’77 and added a facelift plus a hatchback to the original formula. If you can find one, then the all black with gold pinstripe ‘JPS’ special edition is pure ’70s, while a gold 3.0S with factory option black bonnet also appeals.

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THE MARKETPLACE

THE CARS

THE BEGINNING

DATABASE: BMW MINI

DATABASE:

BMW MINI After two decades, the classic Mini world has finally accepted BMW’s reimagining of the car. We chart its life and times.

Words: Paul Wager

O

f all the cars we might consider here under the modern classic tag, this has to be the most controversial: even the New Beetle – which was wildly different from its namesake – suffered little more than disinterested mumblings from the rearengined air-cooled VW brigade, but the new Mini aroused unbridled hatred from owners of the original. Even today, nearly 20 years

46 Classic Car Mart September 2021

after the car was unveiled there are still those who insist on referring to the car as ‘Bini’ – the B referring of course to BMW. There’s no excuse for intolerance but there is a reason for it, in that the new Mini – or all-capitals MINI as BMW would prefer you to call it – had its origins in a time of crisis for its maker. The project began in Longbridge, was subsequently taken over to Munich and then returned to Britain, only

to be finished off back in Germany before being made production-ready at the Cowley plant. And as we all know, by the time it hit production the Mini brand was no longer a part of the surviving Rover group and had become a BMW marque.

In truth the history of the new Mini goes much further back than the Rover/ BMW tangle, right to the early days of the Issigonis original. At launch in 1959

DATABASE: BMW MINI

the Mini amazed the world with the lateral thinking and clever engineering solutions which had allowed four adults to be squeezed into a three-metre length but the car had its compromises which became glaringly obvious the longer it remained in production.

Certainly by the ’70s the jouncing ride imparted by the rubber cone suspension and an old-fashioned overhead-valve

engine were drawbacks no longer found in the more modern competition. The Mini was clever, there was no doubt about it but much like today’s Smart car it still took up one whole car space on the road and buyers realised that with just a slightly larger overall dimension came a whole lot more practicality. Step forward the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo with their coil-sprung suspension, slick-shifting

conventional gearboxes and the marvel of a hatchback rear and folding seats. The rest of the world quickly followed suit and the Mini started to get left behind.

Visit the British Motor Museum and you can track a whole trail of abandoned prototypes attempting to update the Mini, including the ‘9X’ which used MacPherson struts, an OHC engine and hatchback but which was cancelled by

Classic Car Mart September 2021 47

THE BEGINNING

DATABASE: BMW MINI BMC on cost grounds. This was followed by the so-called ADO74 project which was a larger car than the Mini, closer to the Polo/Fiesta but which took so long in development that it was heavily revised several times to keep up with changing fashions before being axed on the grounds that it had grown too large to be considered as a Mini replacement.

This explains why the eventual replacement for the Mini was the ADO88, later renamed LC8 and then the Metro... except that it wasn’t. The Mini continued in production alongside the Metro and would eventually experience a rebirth as a retro style icon which would see it outlive the newer car by some years.

This was fuelled in its latter years by BMW which had acquired Rover Group in 1994 and which could see the value in the Mini name.

It wasn’t the first to realise the potential of the name which had received such woefully small investment spend over the years: it had been apparent as far back as the early ’90s that the Metro wouldn’t cut it in the long term as a Mini replacement and before the disastrous NCAP crash test results finally nailed the coffin shut, work had begun in 1993 on an all-new Mini.

At this point Rover was still under British Aerospace ownership and when BMW

48 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Stylised rendering hints at the production item.

arrived it looked as if the firm would finally have the funding to see an all-new Mini through to production.

Under BMW, the idea of a new Mini was given the green light and intriguingly, both Rover and BMW studios worked up their own ideas of what a new Mini should be.

The two took very different paths

though. The various design proposals worked up in the Rover studios were fascinating and demonstrated the same original thinking which had brought us Issigonis’s original: one of them, dubbed ‘Spiritual’ was a radical rear-engined car running a K-Series motor under the rear floor and Hydragas suspension in the mould

DATABASE: BMW MINI

The competing Rover (right) and BMW (left) proposals together.

of the MGF. Offering space for four adults, it was barely longer than the original Mini.

BMW meanwhile, rather than trying to reinvent the Mini, decided to take a more considered path, by asking the question of what the Mini would have looked like if it had been subjected to a constant evolution over the intervening 35 years, Porsche 911-style.

American BMW designer Frank Stephenson sketched something which looked very close to the MINI we know today and the project codenamed R50 was go.

The story of its development from concept to production is an unusual one, with the project starting off in Munich before being handed back to Rover and

then finally reverting to Germany once more before being finished off for production at the Cowley plant.

Along the way the Rover K-Series motor was ditched in favour of the Brazilian-made Tritec engine produced in conjunction with Chrysler, while the Hydragas suspension was sidelined in favour of a more

Classic Car Mart September 2021 49

THE CARS

DATABASE: BMW MINI conventional set-up using MacPherson struts and a development of BMW’s acclaimed Z-axle rear. And it’s that last detail which gives a clue as to the direction BMW was taking with the new Mini project: the costly Z-axle set-up was (and still is) one of the best in the business and shows how the new Mini was very much intended as a small premium car rather than an economy car as was the original design brief for its predecessor.

Concept teasers were released occasionally by BMW, including the ‘ACV30’ which appeared on the 1997 Monte Carlo rally and then the ‘Spiritual’ concepts at that year’s Geneva show but in reality these were little more than red herrings and it wasn’t until the Frankfurt show later in the year that the final shape of the new MINI was unveiled.

The car was launched at the 2000 Paris show, just as the classic Mini reached the end of the line, faced with ever-stricter emissions and safety legislation which even BMW Group couldn’t overcome.

HISTORY Production of the new Mini began at the former Morris plant in Oxford – or rather, the part of the Cowley site which had once been occupied by Pressed Steel – in April 2001 and finally on July 7, all those blackand-yellow MINI-branded cubes springing up alongside BMW dealerships had something to offer buyers.

At launch there were just two models of MINI: the One and the Cooper, both sharing the same Chrysler motor (known variously as Pentagon and Tritec after the name of the manufacturing company) in different states of tune. The iron block, alloy head engine was a curious unit considering BMW’s proud heritage of engine design in that it was in many ways rather old-fashioned: a 16-valve design it used only a single camshaft but it’s also pretty tough.

It’s been suggested that this engine – which also powered the Dodge Neon and PT Cruiser – was used because the much more sophisticated Rover K-Series unit wouldn’t fit under the MINI’s compact front end.

Criticism of the comparatively modest power of both the One and Cooper meant that the arrival of the Cooper S in 2002 was quite an event. Using a supercharger was a masterstroke and its whine was a big part of the car’s character, even reminding classic Mini fans of the characteristic drop gear noise.

In 2003 the John Cooper Works tuning kit was launched, consisting of a ported

50 Classic Car Mart September 2021

DATABASE: BMW MINI R NUMBERS The MINI was unusual for a BMW product in that it used ‘R’ codes instead of the firm’s more usual ‘E’ codes. It’s generally accepted that the R stood for Rover.

R50 One/Cooper hatch 2000-2006 R52 Convertible One/Cooper/ Cooper S 2003-2008 R53 Cooper S/JCW/GP 2000-2006 R55 Clubman One/Cooper/ Cooper S 2006-2014 R56 One/Cooper/Cooper S 2006-2014 R57 Convertible Cooper/Cooper S/ JCW 2008-2014 R58 Coupe 2011-2015 R59 Roadster 2011-2015 R60 Countryman 2010-2016 R61 Paceman 2012-2016

Classic Car Mart September 2021 51

THE CARS

DATABASE: BMW MINI

First-generation MINIs all used the same ‘Pentagon’ engine made by the Rover-BMW-Chrysler joint venture in Brazil called Tritec.

and polished cylinder head, smaller supercharger pulley (making it spin faster and thus produce more boost), uprated exhaust and revised ECU. The result was a boost to 200bhp which made the most of the MINI’s engaging chassis.

Initially the ‘JCW’ tuning parts were fitted by the dealer after the car was registered, although from 2005 the car could be ordered with the JCW kit, at which point uprated injectors and revised intake were added to produce 211bhp.

A similar kit was offered for the Cooper models, consisting of the flowed and ported head, sports exhaust and remapped ECU but the end result of 11bhp extra was a paltry result for the hefty cost and it was discontinued in 2004.

In June 2003 the range was broadened with the addition of the One D, powered by a Toyota-sourced diesel engine and

in July 2004 the Convertible model was announced. At the same time the MINI received its first facelift, with the replacement of the fragile Midland gearbox with a Getrag unit, plus new headlights, bumpers and minor interior revisions.

The big news came in 2006 though with the announcement of the secondgeneration MINI which went on sale in November and addressed all the criticisms of the original, especially the limited boot space. Bigger all round than the R50 cars, the new model codenamed R56 was such a clever evolution of Frank Stephenson’s original design that even today it’s hard to tell the two apart at a brief glance.

The second generation spelled the end for the Pentagon engine too: by 1998, partner Chrysler had merged with Daimler-Benz to become DaimlerChrysler, effectively meaning that BMW was relying for engines

on a partnership with arch rival Mercedes.

That explains why the second-generation cars used the ‘Prince’ engines developed in cooperation with France’s PSA Peugeot Citroën and built here in the UK. Interestingly, this meant that the MINI was now just as British as the original had been during its BL heyday. It also meant that the Cooper S was now turbocharged, losing the supercharger and its characterful whine. Initially the diesel option was also a PSA-developed unit and was sufficiently improved over the Toyota-engined original for the diesel now to be offered in Cooper D form. In 2010 though, this was replaced

by BMW’s own 2-litre N47 common rail diesel engine and as acknowledged masters of performance oil-burners the result, badged Cooper SD, was a winner.

Top of the trree though was the John Cooper Works released in 2008 as a full

met in the factory on Saturdays to review quality standards • £450 million was invested in the Cowley plant to get it ready for the MINI • The R50 bodyshell was exceptionally stiff: around three times more rigid than its competitors • The massive range of options means that out of the first half a million MINIs produced, only nine cars could possibly be identical

• Some 40 per cent by value of parts in the first generation MINI were supplied from the UK • Over half of the advance orders for the new MINI were from existing BMW owners • In 2005, 21 MINI dealers invested a total of £16.5 million in providing MINI facilities.

The MINI franchise was said to be optional but have you ever seen a BMW dealership without a MINI showroom?

YOU DIDN’T KNOW...

• All the Pentagon engines spent six weeks at sea between the Tritec plant in Curitiba, Brazil and Cowley. At any one time, about 20,000 engines were in transit • An early prototype was driven for 8000 km around the Nürburgring at an average lap time of 9 min 40 secs • Cars were tested in conditions from -40C to +45C • Before full production started, suppliers

52 Classic Car Mart September 2021

DATABASE: BMW MINI

It was rare to see an early car without stripes, spotlamps and coloured roof.

production model rather than the retrofit kits of earlier JCW options. This took the Cooper S and turned it up to 11, with much of the development work being handled by

the same people which produced BMW’s own M cars. With 211bhp, it scorched to 60mph in just 6.5 seconds and topped out just shy of 150mph.

In March 2009 the convertible was replaced with a model based on the revised car, the new version being a much more usable prospect with a better-engineered roof.

THE GP Rarest of all the first-generation MINIs and something of a Holy Grail for R53 fans is the MINI GP – or to give it its proper name, the MINI Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP Tuning Kit. Just 2000 were built by Bertone in Italy and only 444 (or 500 depending on who you believe) stayed in the UK, with the specification including a 215bhp engine uprate, body styling kit and a weight saving of 40kg achieved by jettisoning the rear seat and much sound deadening as well as employing aluminium rear suspension arms, lightweight 18-inch wheels and a carbonfibre roof spoiler.

In tuth, the GP was something of a cosmetic exercise with the car only 0.2 seconds faster than the regular Cooper S JCW, but the uprated springs and dampers gave the car immensely capable handling.

The limited edition status of the GP means it’s one of the first of the original new MINI models to have appreciated and you’ll find values now hovering around the £19k mark with collectors offering delivery-mileage examples for much more.

Classic Car Mart September 2021 53

DATABASE: BMW MINI

THE CARS

THE ISSIGONIS LEGACY In the early days of the MINI, classic Mini enthusiasts were vocal in their dislike of the new car, but the classic Mini scene owed more than many might have thought to the new car. Or rather, more specifically, to BMW’s desire to ensure that the iconic brand remained strong in its appeal until the new car was finally released to the showrooms.

It’s often overlooked that amidst the chaotic background of the Bavarians’ struggle to turn a profit out of the ashes of the old BL empire, there was also major investment.

A significant part of that went towards ensuring the Mini could live on long enough to welcome its own replacement.

The major obstacles for the 1950s design were strengthening emissions and crash safety regulations and it was here that BMW invested the largest sums since the car’s original development.

One of the most major was the installation of the airbag steering wheel, a task made difficult by the famously buslike angle of the Mini steering wheel.

At the same time a full-width dashboard was added and the struggle to make the airbag work did at least improve the angle of the wheel.

Meanwhile, a few years before the Germans arrived in Longbridge, the Mini had already been given a useful and long-overdue update by Rover itself.

The story begins with Japan of all places. Japanese buyers loved the classic Mini and it had gained something of a cult status – especially in Cooper form.

To satisfy the demand, significant numbers of original Coopers were being restored and exported to Japan, which encouraged Austin Rover Japan to request a modern-day Cooper version be engineered.

Back at Longbridge, they weren’t excited about the old Mini – the future was the high-tech K-Series Metro – but someone else who hadn’t given up on the classic Cooper was John Cooper himself.

Seeing an opportunity, John Cooper fitted a 1275cc MG Metro engine to a Mini Mayfair, added suitably period stripes and wheels and despatched it to Japan, where apparently the car was a hit. Cooper then marketed his own 64bhp tuning kit which could be exported to Japan and fitted to customers’ 998cc Minis – at the time, the only engine offered in the Mini by the factory. The

54 Classic Car Mart September 2021

JCG kits were flying out of the door when things changed at the top of Rover and Graham Day replaced Harold Musgrove.

If he could capitalise on the retro appeal of the classic Mini then Day was happy to provide what the market wanted. Talks between Rover and John Cooper Garages – by then a Honda dealer, ironically – resulted in the JCG kits being offered through British Rover dealers complete with a factory warranty.

This was only a first step though and formal discussions between Cooper and Rover raised the possibility of installing the 1275cc engine as a factory offering, development handled by the newly formed Rover Special Products division.

The recipe of the RSP car was essentially a standard Mini bodyshell fitted with the MG Metro version of the 1275cc engine rated at 61 bhp. It was good for 90 mph and offered a sparkle which the Mini had lacked since the 1275GT. Intended as a niche model, the RSP Cooper was produced as a limited edition of 1000 cars from July 1990 and quickly sold out. No surprise then that the Mini Cooper very quickly reappeared as a mainstream model in September 1990.

More was to come. In March 1991, John Cooper Garages began offering a Roverapproved ‘S’ pack which added the usual recipe of modified cylinder head, filters and exhaust to the 1275cc motor to achieve a handy 78 bhp. The original ‘S’ kit could be fitted by a Rover dealer but later ‘S’ packs took power up to 90 bhp and were installed at Cooper’s dedicated Mini facility.

In late 1991, the SU carburettor was finally pensioned off when the classic Mini

received single-point fuel injection in order to meet ever-tighter emissions regulations.

The Cooper 1.3i could make it to 60 mph in 11.5 seconds which the brochure of the time trumpeted as “performance that no other car in its class can match.” What it doesn’t admit is that by then the Mini was pretty much in a class all of its own... although the 998cc engine was pensioned off this year, meaning all models used the 1275cc motor.

The RSP-developed changes had in fact created a good basis for BMW to work with and the result was what Mini fans refer to as the ‘MkVII’ produced from 1996 which sat on 13-inch wheels and featured a revised engine bay with a conventional front-mounted radiator instead of the original side-mounted unit.

By this time the 63 bhp, 1275cc unit with twin-point fuel injection was the only engine on offer and higher gearing allowed more relaxing progress.

The marketing of the late-model Minis was a taster of what would later come with the BMW car, as a raft of personalisation options were added including flag decals, spot lights and colour-coded roof panels.

Then there was the Sport Pack, which brought with it wider 13-inch wheels and wheelarch flares. The Sport tag didn’t bring any extra power with it, but John Cooper garages could still supply a ‘Works’ pack offering 90 bhp courtesy of a big-valve, high-compression head which gave the Cooper the pace to match its chunky looks.

The Mini continued in this form until late 2000, with the final car leaving Longbridge on October 4.

DATABASE: BMW MINI

Clubman was usefully bigger... but Paceman perhaps a niche too far.

THE REACTION Convertible was a triumph of style over practicality.

The MINI brand strategy had always been a multi-pronged approach and the R56 represented the second phase, that of expansion into different niches and the first of these was the Clubman. Launched in November 2007, the Clubman was a clever modern-day interpretation of the original Mini Clubman and its mini-estate styling offered a useful extra dose of practicality.

It’s a real Marmite car, although we’ve always liked it and at launch the infamous third door attracted criticism for being on the ‘wrong’ side for UK owners to step out on to the pavement.

Controversial it may have been, but nothing like as controversial as the Countryman, which was not only the fourth member of the MINI family but is also the first to exceed four metres in length. More significantly it was the first to be produced outside the UK, assembly taking place in Graz, Austria.

Meanwhile, the specifications of the range were still changing. At its launch the R56 Mini One had used a 1.4-litre engine, but in Spring of 2010 this went back up to a 1.6-litre displacement in the name of improved emissions, the result

being a boost to 95bhp. The petrol engines received BMW’s Efficient Dynamics eco technology at this point, although it was branded as Minimalist. A Mini One Convertible was also added to the line-up at the same time.

An entry-level model, the Mini First was launched in July 2009 sharing the 75bhp 1.4-litre engine of the One but this was also upgraded to a 1.6-litre alongside the Mini One, although First buyers didn’t get the power boost.

The range expansion continued in 2011 with the release of the MINI Coupe and Roadster, based on the second-generation hatch and convertible respectively, while the ultimate niche model appeared in 2012 as the Paceman – essentially a coupe version of the high-riding Countryman.

The R56 generation may have been an evolution of the original R50 design but the F55 of 2014 was an all-new design and that use of the modern BMW ‘F’ code rather than the old R numbers tells you all you need to know. With Rover long gone and the MINI brand riding high, BMW was confident enough to complete all the design and development work back in Munich.

People’s reaction to the MINI depended very much on which direction they approached it from. Lovers of the classic Mini were generally appalled at the size of the car, with one oft-quoted statistic being its wheelbase which was close to that of the original Range Rover. On the other hand, buyers looking for a stylish, characterful modern hatchback which was fun to drive and which came with BMW quality were happy to be presented with an alternative to worthy-but-dull Polos or identikit Fiestas and Clios.

The personalisation options were another draw and before long even middleaged housewives were ordering spotlights and bonnet stripes which would have been the preserve of the boy racer Escort 20 years previously.

SALES The original predictions were for 100,000 sales a year, but in August 2004 the 500,000th car left the line. By July 2006, 800,000 had left the Cowley plant during a year in which a new sales record was set with 44,770 UK sales. The millionth car was produced in April 2007. By July 2009 that figure had risen to 1.5 million. The car still has some way to go to beat the classic Mini’s total of 5.3 million though.

CCM

SPECIFICATIONS MODEL

ONE

COOPER

COOPER S

COOPER S JCW

ONE D

ENGINE

1598cc 16V

1598cc 16V

1598cc 16V, supercharged

1598cc 16V, supercharged

1364cc 16V turbocharged, Toyota

Six-speed manual

Six-speed manual

TRANSMISSION Five-speed manual or CVT Five-speed manual or CVT Six-speed manual MAX POWER

90 bhp

115 bhp

163/ 170 bhp(post-2004)

210 bhp

75 bhp

MAX TORQUE

101 lbf.ft

108 lbf.ft

155 lbf.ft

181 lbf.ft

133 lbf.t

TOP SPEED

112 mph

124 mph

135 mph

143 mph

103 mph

0-60

10.6 secs

8.9 secs

7.2 secs

6.4 secs

13.4 secs

ECONOMY

41.5 mpg

40.9 mpg

33 mpg

32 mpg

58 mpg

Classic Car Mart September 2021 55

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1957 MGA 1500, Iris blue, Black trim, walnut dash, chrome wire wheels, immaculate restored car, painted underneath, everything is new or reconditioned, lovely panel gaps , a superb car and ready to use, would cost double asking price to restore. £32,995

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1976 MG Midget, Flame red, black trim, totally restored car, new bodyshell, W/W, all new trim. Family owned car restored by the engineer owners son. Superb condition, new shell, a superb car which would cost £30k+ to renovate now. Fantastic classic summer motoring. £12,995

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RIVALS: TRIUMPH vs MG

SIBLING RIVALRY

Triumph and MG are two giants of the British sports car fraternity and forever rivals. It’s a story of success, WORDS: NIGEL FRYATT failure and missed opportunities. hen production was at its peak, the rivalry between Triumph and MG owners was a powerful sales tool, with both marques dominating not just the British sports car market but also overseas, especially in the US. In today’s classic car market, that rivalry has grown exponentially. In football terms, it is now at a level of passion that occurs at Liverpool versus Manchester United games. For some, it has an almost religious fervour that puts it closer to the Scottish ‘Old Firm’ conflict of Rangers versus Celtic; it is simply impossible to support both sides. Of course there are some classic enthusiasts who like, and may even own, models from both, but the hardcore follower will just say they don’t understand; you have to choose your side, and once chosen, that’s where you stay.

But we are a broad church here at Classic Car Mart, and are going to take the contentious middle ground to look at some of the most provocative model match ups to try and give an objective account. At least that’s the idea.

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sports car. MG was therefore well positioned and despite not having any real experience in building sports cars, Triumph joined in the sales bonanza with the TR2. The demand was growing and it led to both marques raising the bar considerably with the next generation of models.

Both the MGA and the TR3 arrived in 1955.

For Triumph, the changes from the previous model were more evolution than revolution. For MG, however, the new look of the MGA was so different, so exquisite, that it appeared to be a model from another era, having little in common with the TF models it replaced. For many, the

MGA remains the most stylish and beautiful MG ever produced; the side profile especially having what we can now call classic lines, the roadster not even having door handles to obstruct the curvaceous flow from front to rear.

The TR3 stood open-mouthed in the MGA’s presence, with the front ‘egg crate’ grille to become a signature design marker for Triumph sports cars. It was a revised version of the TR2 - if anything a more robust and macho version. Under the bonnet, the venerable 1991cc four-cylinder engine gained larger SU carburettors, upping the power initially to 95bhp

TR3 v MGA Do looks really matter?

It is often remarked that the MG T-type started the sports car boom in the US when American servicemen took their British sports cars home at the end of the Second World War. While this is probably far too simplistic, the early 1950s certainly saw a growth in demand for the

58 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Triumph’s answer to the MGA was to develop the TR2 into the more polished TR3.

race at Silverstone, but it wasn’t until 1958 that the MGA Twin Cam actually arrived in the showrooms. When running correctly, this was a gem of a unit and resulted in a very fast MGA (useful since the TR3 is generally thought to be the faster of these two rivals). Unfortunately, poor build quality and reliability problems with the engine (oil burning and detonation) meant only just over 2000 were ever built. Those problems have now been solved, turning the MGA Twin Cam from being the model to avoid at all costs to being the most sought-after version for the MGA enthusiast – with prices reflecting this accordingly. In total, the MGA managed to top over 100,000 units produced, an impressive number that would have been much increased if the problems with the Twin Cam engine could have been solved earlier.

The MGA’s appearance was a generational shift for its maker. before some cylinder head modifications in 1956 pushed that to 100bhp – enough to take the top speed over the 100mph mark. That year also saw the TR3 get front disc brakes built by Girling, the first British production car to do so. This development reflected the TR’s sporting prowess, especially in the US where it had a reputation of being a fast, tough and successful competitor. The engine, with its roots as a tractor power unit was unsophisticated and tended to be thirsty, which added to the extra weight of the TR3 meant that fuel economy was not a strong point, but this was at a time when petrol costs were cheap (particularly in the US) and so had little effect on sales.

While the TR3 was a development of its predecessor, the MGA was virtually all new; a modern, very strong chassis complimented the stunning fully-welded, all-steel body shape.

It carried over the basic TF-design front suspension and drum brakes, but under the bonnet it was the first MG sports car to have the BMC B-Series four-cylinder engine; initially the 1489cc only produced 72bhp but that was just enough to meet the needs of the 100mph top speed. But there were some interesting engine developments to come…

The contemporary lines of the MGA were complemented by pressed steel wheels, but a wire wheel option was available for the purists.

A ‘bubble top’ coupe version arrived within a year, which was actually very stylish, not upsetting the car’s lines, but necessitating the need for exterior door handles. The TR3 had the somewhat odd choice of an ‘occasional’ rear seat. More interestingly, it also had Sports and GT specifications from the factory, which respectively were a lift-off hard top, and exterior door handles to allow owners to meet motorsport class requirements, especially in rallying.

Sales of the TR3 were impressive; export sales in 1956 totalled 4726, rising to over 10,000 the following year. Despite this, work was progressing on a replacement, driven by

the success of the MGA. Initial designs were not thought good enough and so a revised TR3, the TR3A (and its TR3B American-only cousin) arrived in 1958. Although never officially badged as a TR3A, these models are easy to spot thanks to the now even larger open-mouth front grille, door handles that were now standard and the headlamps recessed slightly. While sales were slowing in some markets, the US still had a demand and with the new TR4 not yet ready, some 3000 TR3 models for the US were produced with the TR4-spec engine now known as, but never officially designated, as the TR3B and production continued until 1962. In total, nearly 75,000 TR3/A/B models were produced.

The MGA also remained in production until 1962. Little was changed of the shape, but engine options were developed; in 1959 the 1600 arrived, 1588cc and 80bhp; 1961 saw the 1600 MkII, 1622cc and 86bhp. And then came the Twin Cam. Even before the MGA was launched, the company had planned to offer a Twin Cam version at extra cost. A pair of prototypes actually competed in the 1955 Tourist Trophy

THE VERDICT Comparing these cars is difficult. Rivals certainly, they were and remain, very different sports cars.

Both are great to drive, a fact reflected in the motorsporting successes they both achieved.

Today, with strong club support and ample parts availability they are sensible British sports car options to own and enjoy. In the end, however, it just has to come down to the looks. True, the TR tough look appeals, but that cannot really match the sophistication and smooth lines of the MGA and for this writer, those lines win this comparison every time; and if you can find a well-looked after Twin Cam version, that trumps the TR3 every time.

TR6 v MGC Double six delights These two make an interesting comparison – what’s not to like from a big-engined British sports car of the 1960s? Looking at how they came about, however, one is an obvious stop gap model that became a surprising sales success and the other an unloved, rapidly produced afterthought that could, indeed should, have been better.

For Triumph the TR6 can now be seen as the epitome of the traditional British sports car from

A front and rear facelift allowed the TR line to live on into the 1970s.

Classic Car Mart September 2021 59

Drive an MGC today on modern tyres and you may well be surprised. this era, the company having developed the tough, macho characteristics of the TR range to the full. At the time, of course, it was merely a restyled version of the Michelotti-designed TR5. The man himself was effectively Triumph’s ‘resident’ design consultant but was busy on many other products, so the TR6’s tweaks were handled by Karmann in Germany; chosen because they were able to make the changes within the target time and most importantly, within the very tight budget. Keeping the general proportions of the previous model and leaving the central section well alone, Karmann gave the TR its signature ‘Kamm chop’ rear end, flattened the vast front bonnet, got rid of the TR5’s Surrey top, incorporated the headlamps into the wings and widened the front grille. The result when it arrived in 1969 brought the car up-to-date, while still bearing strong links to the successful TR models of the past.

The technical changes were few; the wheels were wider and there was now a front anti-roll bar. The fuel injected European-spec 2498cc straight six remained, producing a strong 150bhp, while the necessary emission restricted carburettor version for the US was choked down to a miserable 104bhp. In fuel injected form, the TR6 was criticised by the lumpy idle and seemingly inflexible traits, however, with hindsight we can now surmise that the TR6 didn’t succeed despite these characteristics, but because of them. You knew this was a sports car from the minute you turned the key.

The same cannot really be claimed for the MGC. At the time BMC simply had too many sports cars for the numbers it sold. Some rationalisation had to be made; the Austin Healey Sprite was dropped in favour of the

60 Classic Car Mart September 2021

MG Midget and even the Austin-Healey 3000 was looking a little long in the tooth, but it was obvious that a new ‘big Healey’ was needed.

Donald Healey was less than impressed for his name to be used in a project he was not directly involved in, and so the resulting new six-cylinder, big-engined, sports car arrived as the MGC. There was logic in using the monocoque of the very successful MGB, both in roadster and GT format, yet not making it look significantly different other apart from the bonnet bulge was an error.

New front suspension with longitudinal torsion bars were needed to allow the space for the 2912cc engine. This was not the same engine as in the original Healey - this version was slightly shorter and a little lighter but was still a very tight fit and was positioned a lot further forward than was ideal.

It had the new all-synchromesh gearbox, tough Salisbury rear diff, 15-inch wheels (compared to the MGBs 14-inch) and an automatic version was developed. Initial press reports were heavily critical; the MGC was reported to be rather listless, the steering heavier than the Healey and the car was uninspiring to drive. Given that it came on the back of the highly successful MGB and MGB GT range only emphasised what can be seen as a disappointment.

Despite all this criticism, the MGC was a 120mph car and would hit 60mph in around 10 seconds, making it faster than the MGB options.

In terms of top speed it could just nudge ahead of the TR6, but in acceleration terms, the Triumph was a lot more sprightly, hitting 60mph in just over eight seconds. A slightly ‘softer’ camshaft profile was used in the TR6 from 1973, which helped ease the lumpy tickover, while barely taking the edge away from top end performance. The same year the car got the

Laycock overdrive (at extra cost). A year later the ridiculous black ‘impact’ rubber bumpers were fitted to meet the new US regulations.

There were little changes made to the MGC during its very short life. Gearbox ratios were changed for the last models made in 1969, which made the car feel livelier but not actually faster. In its 26 month production run, just under 9000 were built, half of which went to the US. In comparison, the TR6 was in production for seven years and totalled over 95,000 models, so if it comes to numbers produced, the TR6 crushes the MGC. Ironically, it is probably the limited numbers of MGCs available that are making it a desirable classic sports car.

Modern suspension tweaks can help improve the handling, but its biggest ‘plus’ today is probably that it is not just another MGB or MGB GT despite what it might appear at first glance.

THE VERDICT Both these models appeared when the British motor industry was going though very difficult times. The MGC in particular now appears as a good idea badly executed, while the TR6 is the final triumph (!) of a very successful model range. It also had a strong sporting heritage, notably in the US in the hands of Bob Tullius and his Group 44 race team (a highly successful Anglo-American combination that would remain loyal to British sports cars and give Jaguar a GTP class victory at the 1985 Le Mans 24 Hours). Owning a TR6 today is a statement, handling and road dynamics can be challenging but for many it is exactly what driving a sports car is all about, while the MGC is a touch more esoteric. In our head-to-head rivalry, therefore, this is an easy win for the TR6.

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TR7 v MGB The numbers game The success of the svelte MGA slowed any need for a replacement, which would always have a hard act to follow. Where the MGA was striking and innovative, the MGB that arrived in 1962 was a safer, somewhat less innovative (although it would be a first for MG to have a modern monocoque) option. But it was a sturdy and tidy design, fitted with the B-Series 1798cc engine and four-speed gearbox (a Laycock overdrive was optional). Given the same 95bhp as the MGA, the B could also make 100mph, but it got there a lot sooner. Handling was predictable (this was no TR6) and the ride was supple enough, but if that was felt a disappointment to some enthusiasts, it opened the market up for this sports car considerably. It was also a practical sports car, with a lot more cockpit space than the A, a decent-sized boot and a much-improved ride. Sensibly priced, the MGB was a sales success from the start; in its first calendar year (1963) sales set a new record for MG, which was promptly beaten in 1964. The company managed to keep up with tweaks and changes to stay ahead of competitors; it moved from a

three to a five main-bearing crankshaft in 1964 and then in the autumn of 1965 they unveiled the MGB GT version.

The stylish new coupe gained its good looks with help from Pininfarina, the hatchback rear suited the car perfectly while also making it even more practical, even being promoted as the sports car for the small family.

Behind the scenes, however, the machinations of the British motor industry meant that in 1968 MG was now in the muddled mix that called itself British Leyland, which included rival Triumph. Surprisingly, the decision on future sports car models was made by former Triumph executives and this meant that despite the obvious numerical success of the MGA and MGB model ranges BL’s future sports cars would be Triumphs. The result was the TR7, which could easily have been badged an MG. Roles were reversed; whereas that original MGA design had blown away the rather traditional TR3, the arrival of the TR7 made the MGB look dated. History tells us that the Harris Mann design was originally something of an ‘off-hand’ sketch, done to convey an idea rather than an actual design, yet it was much admired

The arresting TR7 suddenly made the MGB look antiquated.

by the management that made the decisions and the wedge-shaped TR7 arrived on our roads in 1975. It was intended to be a very modern design that would lead to a range of derivatives, engine options and to be sold worldwide.

It certainly surprised TR traditionalists, since it was a long way from the TR6 (to be fair, had it been badged an MG, it would have had much the same reaction from those following the octagon badge). The coupe body shape was awkward, especially at the rear, and while the wedge shape was in-keeping with the designs of the day, it was no Giugiaro-penned Lotus Esprit.

Corporate politics and a very tight budget dictated what components would be used. The BL parts bin donated the four-cylinder engine from the Dolomite in 2.0-litre form (sadly, the 16-valve version that so inspired the saloon never made it to the TR7). It produced a modest 105bhp in European spec, which pushed it to over 100mph and up to 60mph in under 10 seconds, which was faster than the original MGBs but hardly scintillating. Conventional suspension of MacPherson strut and coil springs, together with a live rear axle meant that, like the MGB, it had predictable handling and a reasonable ride.

The main problem with the TR7 was not the technical specification, but the people entrusted to put it together. Production went to the Speke plant at Liverpool, where the workers had a tendency of not working rather often. This was also a new sports car, something that they had no experience of even when the union allowed them to work. As a consequence, production quality varied somewhat, to put it mildly. The BL management then managed to make things even worse by shutting Speke in 1978 and shifting production to Canley – a process that did not go smoothly. And this is the enduring shame of

Classic Car Mart September 2021 63

the TR7 story. When well put together, this was a TR that handled a lot better than previous TRs, it was also practical if a lot less ‘hairy-chested’.

Times were changing and this could have been the British sports car for those times.

Over 112,000 TR7s were built between 1975 and 1981, a number that pales against the 387,000 MGB roadsters and 125,000 GTs, but that misses the point somewhat. The MGB was in production for longer and was a conservative next step for MG. The TR7 in comparison was a giant leap forward, unfortunately at a time when the British motor industry spent most of its time with its shoe laces tied together, falling flat on its face.

These two marques suffered a final joint disappointment. The last models for both the MG and the TR could, indeed should have been their most successful since fitting a V8 has to have been the most obvious decision. The MGB GT got its official V8 installation in 1974 (after a number of unofficial conversions had been produced by independent specialists). The aluminium V8 from GM that had been bought by Rover fitted under the MG’s bonnet as if it was always meant to be there (it’s perhaps a shame that it didn’t even need a minor bonnet bulge - the V8 badging and different wheel options would have to do). This gave the MG a 0-60mph time of under eight seconds. To put that in perspective, the emission-constricted fourcylinder MGB in the US, complete with its stupid, ugly black rubber bumpers, would stumble to that point in a tragic 18.3 seconds. The MGB GT V8 never made it to the market it was surely designed for. In fact, only 2591 were ever built.

The V8-powered TR7, called the TR8, did make it to America. The Harris Mann design had always meant to take the Rover V8 and it arrived in 1980, the same year as the (much better-looking) roadster option. So we now had an open-topped

64 Classic Car Mart September 2021

TR with a V8 engine that American enthusiasts could own and unnerve Corvette owners. The suspension was beefed up to ensure the TR8 still had great handling and great presence – what could go wrong? Much like the TR7, the TR8 was put together by a bunch of cowboys. One story goes that on being questioned about the problem of overheating, one owner was told by his US dealer to have a screwdriver in the car so he could keep tightening the hose clamps.

With more power, the TR8’s roadster body also suffered from flexing, but all these problems could, indeed should, have been solved. Much like the MG GT V8 only 2497 TR8s were produced, of which 2308 went to the US. And like the MG, the V8 powered TR7, is today the classic British sports car to own.

THE VERDICT Compared to the more conservative MGB, our vote here has to go to the TR7, but then you look at the numbers sold and the fact that the Triumphs were originally so badly built so

perhaps we should change sides. At the time of the TR7’s launch, the models given to the press to evaluate were much better built and I remember driving Autocar’s test evaluation roadster along a newly finished section of the M11 thinking it was the greatest sports car ever. Aside from the GT V8, no version of the B has ever done that for me, but I was very young at the time! To use our football analogy, when it comes to the TR7 and MGB, maybe a score draw is the more honest result. However, in both cases, the V8-engined versions represent missed opportunities that seem criminal today.

Of course, it is not really possible to score any debate between TR and MG sports cars. As has been proved only too well in the last few months, getting people in Britain to agree on anything is nigh on impossible, opinions range from the reasonable to the ridiculous. At least when it comes to classic cars, however, we can all agree just how important, interesting and exciting to own all these models are; which badge you want on your key ring is up to you.

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Even the US-mandated bumpers didn’t prevent the MGB lasting into the 1980s.

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Celebrating the cars from the ’80s,’90s and 2000s

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he Supra started as an evolution of Toyota’s Celica coupe, adopting a longer wheelbase and larger engines to create a GT car. By the mid-1980s, the 6XSUD ZDV FRQVLGHUHG GL΍HUHQW HQRXJK IRU the ‘Celica Supra’ moniker to be split into WZR GL΍HUHQW PRGHOV :LWK &HOLFDV HQGRZHG with smaller, revvier engines and sportier handling, it left the Supra to embrace larger powerplants and cruising ability. Today the ȴUVW 6XSUDV WR GLWFK WKH Ȇ&HOLFDȇ EDGJH DUH rapidly-appreciating classics.

Mk3 SUPRA ‘A70’ (1986-1993) 7KH 0N 6XSUD ZDV DOO QHZ ȴYH LQFKHV longer than its Celica little brother to allow for a genuine four-seater cabin. The ‘A70’ ZDV R΍HUHG ZLWK WKH ODUJHVW 6XSUD HQJLQH yet, a 3-litre straight-six giving 201bhp.

This comfortable GT car might’ve weighed 1500kg, but that power meant it was faster to 60mph than the contemporary Lotus Excel or Porsche 924S. Only the Nissan 300ZX Turbo could outrun the Supra and whereas Nissan charged you £17,750, the Supra looked good value at £15,299 for the full-fat 3.0. :KDWȇV PRUH WKH 7XUER PRGHO SULFHG at £22,000, undercut the similarly-outpaced Porsche 944 by £4000.

Come the mid-2000s, the Supra was like any other ageing Japanese car – neither current nor classic enough to be of interest, with tatty examples available under £1500.

Typically of Japanese metal, the Supra was susceptible to rust and many examples ZHUH VLPSO\ VFUDSSHG :LWK D UHFHQW upsurge in Japanese car values, however, the Mk3 Supra’s fortunes have turned; it echoes the 300ZX in not quite having as much mass appeal as smaller sports cars, but still the values climb thanks to their rarity. A 2-litre car can now ask £5000, but double that for a manual 3-litre example.

Automatic transmissions will knock 10-15 SHUFHQW R΍ WKH SULFH EXW LI \RXȇUH EX\LQJ it as a GT car, two-pedal Supras represent EHWWHU YDOXH (OVHZKHUH XQPRGLȴHG 7XUER cars are commanding upwards of £15,000 these days. So sought-after are Turbos that even automatics can exceed £20,000 for mint examples, more than they were brand new.

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68 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Rarity has boosted the ‘A70’ Mk3. This automatic Turbo made £15,848 at Historics back in April.

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value right through the 2000s, hovering at £15,000-£20,000. Prices slipped around WKH ȴQDQFLDO FULVLV DQG OHVV GHVLUDEOH QRQ turbo automatics were typically sub-£5000, EXW D VXUJH LQ PRGLȴHG FDU FXOWXUH DQG Japanese car values in the last decade has seen values rocket; you’ll pay over £15,000 for even non-turbo automatics these days, add another £10,000 for a manual example and desirable manual Turbos are £35,000 upwards.

Stock, low mileage cars can command up to £50,000 but so few are for sale at any WLPH WKDW PRGLȴFDWLRQV EDUHO\ D΍HFW WKH value. Having obtained classic status, the Mk4 Supra now costs similar to the Ferraris and Porsches it challenged when new. RC

Values of the Mk4 were given a push by appearing in the original Fast and Furious film.

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BUYING GUIDE: E65 BMW 7-SERIES

LUCKY SEVEN

The fourth generation of BMW’s 7-Series turned the luxury saloon market on its head. This controversial modern classic still impresses, but you need to know Words: Andrew Everett your stuff before taking the plunge.

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70 Classic Car Mart September 2021

PDQ\ ( V KDYH EHFRPH D VKDGRZ RI WKHLU IRUPHU JORU\ WKH NLQG RI FDU ZLWK IRXU GL΍HUHQW EUDQGV RI W\UH ȴWWHG ZKLFK ȆMXVW QHHGVȇ WKLV DQG ȆMXVW QHHGVȇ WKDW /LNH DQ\ ELJ QHHG\ ROG OX[XU\ FDU \RX ZDQW the one that’s had the money spent, low RZQHU ORZHU PLOHDJH FDUV WKDW KDYH EHHQ ORRNHG DIWHU 7KH e FDUV PD\ ZRUN RXW FKHDSHU LQ WKH HQG WKDQ WKH e RQHV /DVWO\ WKHVH DUH D WULFN\ 'Ζ< SURSRVLWLRQ They are incredibly complex, new parts

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Andrew Evanson Senior Operations Manager at Lancaster Insurance Services, says: “This was a landmark car for BMW and as time passes they’ll only become rarer.”

The diesel is the sensible choice but the petrol V8s are rapid cars.

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INSURANCE COSTS Quotation supplied by Lancaster Insurance h 2002 BMW 745i, value £2000: £145.18 or £163.18 with Agreed Value h Based on 45-year old, with a second vehicle. It’s garaged, covers 3000 miles a year and lives in an SP2 postcode. They have no claims or convictions, are a club member, and are employed as a marketing manager.

Disclaimer: Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may vary between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. An additional charge may be payable. h Subject to underwriting criteria. An additional charge may be payable. www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk 01480 809176

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72 Classic Car Mart September 2021

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the inlet which open and close to promote VZLUO LQ WKH LQWDNH FKDUJH 7KH\ FDQ EUHDN XS DQG HQWHU WKH HQJLQH DQG DOWKRXJK WKH SODVWLF ȵDSV WKHPVHOYHV ZRQȇW FDXVH GDPDJH WKH PHWDO ȴWWLQJV ZLOO 0DQ\ RZQHUV VLPSO\ UHPRYH DQG EODQN WKHP R΍ XVLQJ VSHFLDOO\ PDGH EODQNLQJ SODWHV DQG QRWLFH QR GL΍HUHQFH LQ SHUIRUPDQFH TRANSMISSION 7KHUH ZHUH QR PDQXDO RSWLRQV KHUH DQG DOO ( V XVHG WKH VL[ VSHHG =) DXWR ZLWK WKH (&8 EXLOW LQWR WKH YDOYH EORFN LQVLGH WKH ER[ :LWK DQ RLO FKDQJH EHIRUH WKH\ FDQ GR WZLFH WKDW PLOHDJH EXW PRVW KDYHQȇW DV LWȇV D ȆVHDOHG IRU OLIHȇ XQLW *LYHQ WKH FRVW RI D UHEXLOG YHUVXV WKH YDOXH RI WKH FDU ZHȇG UHFRPPHQG OHDYLQJ LW ZHOO DORQH DOWKRXJK D ȴOWHU FKDQJH LWȇV EXLOW LQWR WKH

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SUSPENSION AND STEERING 7KH ( LV ELJ KHDY\ FDU DQG WKH VXVSHQVLRQ ZLOO VX΍HU $SDUW IURP EDOOMRLQWV DQG EXVKHV WKH GDPSHUV ZLOO EH WLUHG E\ PLOHV RU PD\EH OHVV 8QOLNH PDQ\ WKHVH GDPSHUV GRQȇW OHDN ZKHQ WKH\ȇUH GHDG EXW XQOHVV WKH ULGH LV TXLHW DQG VPRRWK DVVXPH LW QHHGV QHZ RQHV DQG these are not cheap. A crashy, noisy ride

We have units in stock for immediate despatch, outright or exchange

“We supply a Vehicle comprehensive range of wiring Wiring products for repair, PRGLÀFDWLRQ RU FRPSOHWH Products rewire to your Classic Car”

THERE’S MORE!

Get even more great classic car content online at

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Visit our website, phone or email for a free catalogue

ZZZ YHKLFOHSURGXFWV FR XN Tel: 0115 9305454 • Email: sales@vehicleproducts.co.uk Vehicle Wiring Products Ltd, 9 Buxton Court Manners Industrial Estate, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 8EF

classicsworld.co.uk START Visit Head to YouTube and search Classics World WATCHING TODAY

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One of the car’s controversial features was the iDrive rotary infotainment controller. ( V FDQ ORRN UHDOO\ JRRG HYHQ DV WKH OLVW RI IDXOWV EXLOGV XS b (OHFWULFDO SUREOHPV RQ DQ ( DUH QRW WR EH WDNHQ OLJKWO\ DQG DEVROXWHO\ HYHU\WKLQJ KDV WR ZRUN 7KLQN RI IDXOWV DV EHLQJ e HDFK DQG \RX ZRQȇW EH WRR IDU R΍ RQ DYHUDJH 7KH FRUUHFW EDWWHU\ LQ IXOO KHDOWK LV YLWDO WR WKH ZKROH ORW ZRUNLQJ DQG EH DZDUH WKDW HDUO\ FDUV ZHUH QRQH WRR UHOLDEOH DV %0: JUDGXDOO\ ȴ [HG HYHU\WKLQJ 1RQ ZRUNLQJ DLU FRQGLWLRQLQJ LVQȇW DFFHSWDEOH LQ D FDU OLNH WKLV VR GRQȇW EH IREEHG R΍ E\ ȊLW MXVW QHHGV D UHJDV ȋ VERDICT <RX KDYH WR EH EUDYH WR RZQ RQH RI WKHVH FDUV DW WKLV VWDJH %DFN LQ WKH GD\ UXQQLQJ DQ ROG OX[XU\ FDU ZDV WU\LQJ WR NHHS DQ ;- WKH ULJKW VLGH RI DQ 0R7 WHVW DQG WKH ( LV WKH PRGHUQ HTXLYDOHQW ZLWK PHFKDQLFDO DQG

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OR MAYBE..?

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74 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Dave Youngs, Lancaster Insurance – Mercedes CLS 0HUFHGHVȇ DQVZHU WR JLYLQJ D WRS HQG OX[XU\ VDORRQ D VW\OH PDNHRYHU WKH &/6 ZDV D FRXSH VW\OHG YHUVLRQ RI WKH ( &ODVV SULFHG EHWZHHQ WKH ( &ODVV VDORRQ DQG WKH 6 &ODVV ZKLFK PDQDJHG WR EH DV HOHJDQWO\ VW\OLVK DV WKH %0: ZDV FRQWURYHUVLDO $ ELJJHU VHOOHU LQ WKH 8. WKDQ WKH %0: LW VKDUHG PRUH ZLWK RWKHU 0HUFHGHV PRGHOV DQG VR LV DQ HDVLHU FDU WR PDLQWDLQ

STAFF CARS

STAFF CLASSICS

(ÒłÌʼn´ºÈ ʼn yµ ʼnºµʼnÒ ʼnă ÒʼnyÌʼnâ ʼnÈ á¡Ì¡Òʼn̺´ ʼnº® ʼnÅȺ« ÒÌĝʼnâ ® º´ ʼn ̺´ ʼnµ âʼn´ ´ ÈÌʼnÒºʼnÒ ʼn º®® Ò¡ºµʼnyµ ʼn®ºº¬ʼn¡µÒºʼnÌÒy ÈÌļʼnºâµʼn yÈy ÌĜ Honda Insight Jack Grover

$QG QRZ IRU VRPHWKLQJ FRPSOHWHO\ GL΍HUHQW the feast of single-minded engineering purpose which is the Honda Insight.

7KH ȴUVW SURGXFWLRQ K\EULG FDU WR appear on the European market, the Insight was typically Honda in its make-up, XVLQJ D EHVSRNH OLJKWZHLJKW DOXPLQLXP ERG\ SRZHUHG E\ D WKUHH F\OLQGHU 97(& engine working in conjunction with a compact starter/motor/generator just FP WKLFN DQG JRLQJ E\ WKH QDPH RI Integrated Motor Assist or IMA. :HȇG EHHQ WR\LQJ ZLWK WKH LGHD RI acquiring an Insight for a while and after missing out on a likely example we got into conversation with the seller who mentioned that he had another for sale. Showing PLOHV LW ZDV GHVFULEHG DV VRPHWKLQJ RI D SURMHFW QHHGLQJ D ELW RI DWWHQWLRQ WR WKDW GLVWLQFWLYH &LWUXV SDLQW DQG D JRRG LQWHULRU FOHDQ EXW PHFKDQLFDOO\ LW ZDV VRXQG DSDUW IURP ZKDW ZDV WKRXJKW WR EH D QRLV\ ZDWHU SXPS 7KLV KDGQȇW EHHQ UHSODFHG VLQFH WKH SDUW LV XQDYDLODEOH PHDQLQJ WKH ȴ[ ZRXOG UHTXLUH WKH H[LVWLQJ SXPS WR EH VWULSSHG DQG ȴWWHG ZLWK QHZ EHDULQJV 2EYLRXVO\ ZH FRXOGQȇW WXUQ GRZQ ZKDW ZDV SUREDEO\ WKH 8.ȇV FKHDSHVW ΖQVLJKW DQG RQ WKH GULYH EDFN IURP WKH 1RUWK East, all went swimmingly until on the A1 VRPHZKHUH LQ 1RWWLQJKDPVKLUH WKH FDU WKUHZ LWV GULYH EHOW To cut a long story short, the people in the orange vans quoted a seven-hour ZDLW IRUFLQJ XV WR FUHHS WR D QHDUE\ KRWHO

Insight has earned its classic status as the first production hybrid on sale in the UK. RQ EDWWHU\ SRZHU 7KH QH[W PRUQLQJ ZH discovered that the cause was a seized tensioner, which actually turned out to EH WKH VRXUFH RI WKH QRLVH UDWKHU WKDQ the water pump. Since the tensioner is a VWRFN SDUW WKH FDU ZDV ȴ[HG WKH VDPH GD\ and is currently in daily use, returning an astonishing 79mph on a recent trip to the south coast. See more of the Insight on our <RX7XEH FKDQQHO ZZZ \RXWXEH FRP F &ODVVLFV:RUOG8.

Jaguar XF

Paul Wager Ζ VWLOO WKLQN RI WKH -DJXDU ;) DV EHLQJ D PRGHUQ FDU EXW WKH RULJLQDO Ȇ; ȇ ZDV ODXQFKHG LQ 2008 and deserves modern classic status

The XF represents the move away from Jaguar’s retro era. Twin-turbo V6 diesel is swift, too.

WKDQNV WR LWV VLJQLȴFDQFH WR -DJXDU DV D EUDQG 7KH ȴUVW FDU WR DSSHDU XQGHU ΖDQ &DOOXPȇV design leadership , it represents Jaguar’s move away from the retro-styled cars of the Ford era and in engineering terms needs to make no excuses.

Based on the platform of the S-Type, the XF has always felt like a supremely solid FDU EXW ΖȇYH RQO\ HYHU GULYHQ EUDQG QHZ H[DPSOHV VR ZKHQ Ζ ZDV R΍HUHG WKH FKDQFH WR VZDS RXU %HQWOH\ IRU WKH ;) UXQ E\ RXU sister title &DU 0HFKDQLFV, I was intrigued to see how they’ve stood the test of time.

9HU\ ZHOO LW VHHPV RXU PLOH example from 2009 feels as solid as I UHPHPEHU EUDQG QHZ ;)V IHHLQJ ZLWK no squeaks or rattles and the trim having survived at least as well as a BMW of WKH VDPH HUD 3UREOHPV" -XVW WKH RQH this is yet another project car with nonfunctioning air conditioning, although unlike the Bentley the system will sometimes kick into life and chill you to the ERQH VXJJHVWLQJ LWȇV WKH FRPPRQ LVVXH RI the pressure sensor on the compressor. ΖW DOVR GULYHV VXSHUEO\ RXUV EHLQJ WKH OLWUH GLHVHO ZLWK WKH WZLQ WXUER 9 JRRG IRU EKS DQG OE IW ZKLFK PHDQV LW UHDOO\ ȵLHV ZKLOH WKH ULGH LV QDWXUDOO\ KHDG DQG VKRXOGHUV DKHDG RI WKH FRPSDUDEOH %0: G Any readers looking to upgrade a muchloved S-Type can rest assured that the ;) LV D VW\OLVK DQG YHU\ D΍RUGDEOH DOWHUQDWLYH ZKLFK ZLOO R΍HU MXVW DV PXFK ownership pleasure.

RC

Classic Car Mart September 2021 75

ENDANGERED SPECIES: ALPINE GTA/A610

ESPRIT DE DIEPPE

Supercar looks and performance don’t always translate into superstar sales, as these pair demonstrate, but that rarity makes them all the more intriguing.

Words: Chris Randall

A

lightweight 2+2 with good looks, plentiful performance, and from a manufacturer with motorsport pedigree sounds like an enticing confection. It also sounds a lot like the Porsche 911, a car with which these Alpines would inevitably be compared, but Renault was clearly convinced their challenger from Dieppe could provide VWL΍ FRPSHWLWLRQ WR *HUPDQ\ȇV ȴQHVW QRW forgetting the likes of Lotus, too.

Launched in 1984, it would be another two years before right-hand cars made their debut at the British International Motor Show but it looked to have been worth the wait. Badged as the Renault *7$ WKH $OSLQH QDPH ZDVQȇW XVHG LQ WKH 8. DV &KU\VOHU 7DOERW KDG EDJJHG WKDW

it certainly looked the part thanks to its contemporary, aerodynamic styling – the 0.28 Cd made it the most aerodynamic production car at the time – which skilfully managed supercar appeal without wingsand-scoops shoutiness. Indeed, it looked somewhat futuristic and arguably made WKH 3RUVFKHȇV XSULJKW QLJK RQ \HDU old shape appear outdated. And even LI WKH VPRRWK ORRNV ZHUHQȇW HYHU\RQHȇV cup of pastis it was still a pretty striking interpretation of the supercar theme. In WHUPV RI FRQVWUXFWLRQ $OSLQHȇV UHFLSH ZDV

76 Classic Car Mart September 2021

A610 used the ubiquitous PRV V6 engine as found in Renaults, Volvos and the Delorean.

D UHODWLYHO\ VLPSOH RQH D VWL΍ EDFNERQH chassis, manufactured by specialists, Heuliez, was topped with polyester/ ȴEUHJODVV SDQHOV DQ DSSURDFK WKDW UHVXOWHG LQ DQ LPSUHVVLYHO\ VWL΍ VWUXFWXUH Mind you, the sleek body was rather more FRPSOH[ WKDQ LW ȴUVW DSSHDUHG DV LW XVHG around 40 separate mouldings and a labour-intensive build process.

As for power, Alpine called on the ubiquitous PRV engine that appeared in

everything from Volvos to the DeLorean, mounting it longitudinally at the rear albeit 40mm further forward compared to the outgoing A310 to reduce tail-heaviness. )RU WKH ȆHQWU\ OHYHOȇ *7 PRGHO WKDW PHDQW a 2.9-litre V6 producing 160bhp that was enough for a 0-62mph sprint in eight seconds and a 146mph maximum.

Relatively modest numbers, perhaps, but WKH\ ZHUH R΍VHW E\ D VXE e N DVNLQJ SULFH and in any case a punchier alternative

Backbone chassis was topped with a composite bodyshell made by coachbuilder Heuliez. was on its way. 1985 saw the introduction RI WKH *7$ 7XUER ZKLFK XVHG D VOLJKWO\ down-sized 2.5-litre version of the V6 that was good for 200bhp, resulting in a genuine 155mph maximum and a 0-62mph WLPH FXW WR VHYHQ VHFRQGV 7DOOHU IRXUWK DQG ȴIWK UDWLRV IRU WKH VSHHG WUDQVD[OH gearbox and bigger, ventilated disc brakes featured on the blown model although both versions utilised the same double-wishbone suspension that blended a supple ride with sharp handling. Indeed, that former attribute was noted by CAR magazine when LW SLWFKHG WKH 7XUER DJDLQVW WZR NH\ ULYDOV in the form of the 911 3.2 Carrera and /RWXV (VSULW 7XUER 7KDW LW ZDV WKRXVDQGV of pounds cheaper than the Porsche also ZRUNHG LQ WKH $OSLQHȇV IDYRXU DOWKRXJK GHVSLWH FDOOLQJ LW WKH ȆEHVW YDOXH IRU PRQH\ȇ LW ȴQLVKHG DV UXQQHU XS WR WKH *HUPDQ FDU

7KDW SULFH DGYDQWDJH FHUWDLQO\ ERRVWHG WKH *7$ȇV DSSHDO DQG ZKLOH LW ZDV D OLWWOH R΍ WKH SDFH LQ RXWULJKW SHUIRUPDQFH terms, it had other talents in its locker.

Weighing in at less than 1200kg allowed it to make the most of the power on R΍HU WKH UHDU HQJLQHG OD\RXW SURYLGLQJ excellent traction while stability on faster roads also impressed. And handling prowess aside, buyers would have liked what they found inside, too. Okay, so the plasticky dashboard drew a few negative comments but space was generous, the driving position was just-so, and there was SOHQW\ RI VWDQGDUG NLW 6SODVKLQJ RXW e on the optional leather upholstery made it plusher still, while the button-heavy OD\RXW WKH FRPSUHKHQVLYH KL ȴ V\VWHP ZDV VRPHWKLQJ WR EHKROG ZDV LQ PDUNHG contrast to the austerity of a 911.

Chunky yet plush interior was recognisably mid ’80s Renault.

Alpine would continue to tweak the recipe during production, adding the likes of ABS brakes along with some limited edition YDULDQWV 2I WKRVH WKH *7$ Ȇ0LOOH 0LOHVȇ RI ZDVQȇW PDGH LQ ULJKW KDQG GULYH but the wide-bodied Le Mans of 1990 was although there were just twenty six of them.

Sporting extended wings, three-piece BBS-style wheels and a numbered plaque RQ WKH GDVKERDUG LWȇV WKH UDUHVW DQG PRVW sought-after model today, which brings us to the matter of numbers. Production RI WKH *7$ HQGHG LQ DQG LQ WKDW WLPH just 582 had been made in right-hand drive FRPSDUHG WR LQ OHIW KDQG GULYH VR LWȇV KDUGO\ D VXUSULVH WKDW LWȇV D UDUH VLJKW RQ 8. roads today. According to the How Many Left website, around 50 are still licensed DOWKRXJK LWȇV HVWLPDWHG WKDW VRPH *7$V DQG $ V UHVLGH LQ WKH 8. LQ WRWDO As to why those numbers are so modest, LWȇV KDUG QRW WR DUJXH WKDW EUDQG VQREEHU\ might have been to blame. After all, this was a good-looking, capable sports car that undercut a number of key rivals on price but it likely just carried the wrong badge.

Not that Alpine was deterred, as 1991 saw it launch a successor in the form of the $ $W ȴUVW JODQFH LW ORRNHG WR EH PRUH of the same and while it retained the basic FRQVWUXFWLRQ LW ZDV VXEVWDQWLDOO\ GL΍HUHQW VKDULQJ RQO\ WKH ZLQGRZV ZLWK WKH *7$ although right-hand drive cars retained the TXLUN\ ȆFODS KDQGVȇ ZLSHU DUUDQJHPHQW 7KH most obvious change was the adoption of pop-up headlights, but this iteration had also taken on a more muscular aesthetic that was in marked contrast to the prettier, streamlined styling of its predecessor. Not

Classic Car Mart September 2021 77

From 1991, the Alpina A610 became simply Renault GTA with 3-litre V6 and revised styling.

WKDW LW KHOSHG WKH $ ȇV FDXVH EXW ZHȇOO come back to that later. Launched at the *HQHYD 0RWRU 6KRZ WKH QHZ PRGHO gained an enlarged 3.0-litre version of the PRV V6 engine that was available solely in WXUERFKDUJHG IRUP WKDW ERDVWHG D EHHȴHU EKS DQG OE IW RI WRUTXH 7XQHG IRU D less laggy power delivery and with revisions to the cooling system to cope with the higher outputs, Alpine claimed a 0-62mph time of 5.7 seconds and a maximum speed RI PSK ΖW ZRXOG SODFH WKH FDU ȴUPO\ LQ supercar territory, and despite weighing a heftier 1420kg it still rode and handled with impressive aplomb, aided by tweaks to the front/rear weight distribution that included relocating the spare wheel to the nose.

7KH UHVXOW ZDV D PRUH IDYRXUDEOH VSOLW FRPSDUHG WR *7$ȇV 5HYLVLRQV WR the transmission, suspension and brakes also improved its abilities. And while the EDVLF GHVLJQ RI WKH FDELQ KDGQȇW FKDQJHG D JUHDW GHDO LW ZDV D PRUH UHȴQHG DQG comfortable place to be, with even greater levels of standard equipment including power-assisted steering, air-conditioning DQG 3/Ζ3 UHPRWH FHQWUDO ORFNLQJ 7KDW DOO of this was available to UK buyers for less WKDQ e VKRXOG KDYH WHPSWHG PRUH RI WKHP DZD\ IURP =X΍HQKDXVHQ DQG 1RUIRON EXW LW ZDVQȇW WR EH ΖQ WKH HQG MXVW 67 examples would be built in right-hand drive from a total production run of 818 cars, a depressingly small number that UHȵHFWHG MXVW KRZ KDUG LW ZDV WR FRPSHWH with the supercar elite. In truth, production had plummeted in the last few years and the A610 was withdrawn with little fanfare in 1995. It would be the last model to bear the Alpine name until the revitalised A110 appeared more than two decades later.

78 Classic Car Mart September 2021

7KDW $OSLQH KDG EHHQ DEOH WR PDNH VXFK little headway over the course of a decade or so was something of a shame, especially for those enthusiasts that admired the ZD\ LW GLG WKLQJV D OLWWOH GL΍HUHQWO\ %XW motoring history is littered with cars that never managed to achieve their potential.

In any case, fast-forward to today and WKLV *DOOLF WDNH RQ WKH VXSHUFDU EULHI presents those same enthusiasts with the opportunity to own something that not only has rarity on its side, but that has to be considered something of a bargain.

Should your appetite have been and truly ZKHWWHG WKHQ WKH ȴUVW WKLQJ WR EHDU LQ PLQG is the limited numbers residing on these VKRUHV 7KHUHȇV D ULFKHU VHDP RI FKRLFH WR EH PLQHG LQ (XURSH LI \RX GRQȇW PLQG left-hand drive, but assuming you want to VWLFN ZLWK DQ RULJLQDO 8. FDU WKHQ D *7$ SURMHFW LV OLNHO\ WR FRVW IURP e 0LQG \RX EX\LQJ WKH EHVW \RX FDQ D΍RUG LV D mantra worth heeding here - if nothing else,

$OSLQH VSHFLȴF SDUWV FDQ EH KDUG WR VRXUFH and eye-wateringly expensive - so expect WR SD\ XS WR e IRU D XVDEOH QDWXUDOO\ DVSLUDWHG FDU DQG FORVHU WR e IRU D 7XUER $QRWKHU e EDJV D YHU\ good example of either, with values heading WRZDUGV WKH e PDUN IRU PLQW ORZ mileage ones which is the point at which the rare Le Mans starts. A610 values are generally a little higher, so budget in WKH UHJLRQ RI e N IRU RQH WKDW FRXOG EH GHVFULEHG DV IDLU ZLWK e N QHHGHG LI \RX ZDQW VRPHWKLQJ WKDWȇV EHHQ FKHULVKHG When you consider that you can pretty much double the values here for an equivalent-era 911 it really does make these Alpines a tempting alternative. And with the Renault Alpine Owners Club saying that the current A110 has rekindled interest in the marque and begun to push prices upward, LW VHHPV WKDW QRZ LV GHȴQLWHO\ WKH WLPH WR discover everything these cracking French VSRUWV FDU KDYH WR R΍HU RC

The GTA offered 165mph pace, lifting Renault into the supercar bracket.

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RETRO RIVALS: FORD MONDEO Mk1 v VAUXHALL CAVALIER Mk3

OFFICE RIVALRIES

The Mk1 Mondeo and Mk3 Cavalier ruled the fast lane in the 1990s, but which of these business machines on wheels was best – and which is the best modern sales rep classic today?

Words: Craig Cheetham

I

t may be an area of the car market that’s dead in the water today, but back in the early Nineties the mid-size saloon or hatchback – or D-Sector to use car industry jargon – was absolutely thriving.

Back then, the letters GLS or GLX were seen as badges of honour. If you had a car ZLWK WKRVH RQ WKH EDFN \RX ZHUH ȵ\LQJ KLJK above those with an L or LS – and in the UK, WKH VRFLDO VWUDWLȴFDWLRQ RI FDU EDGJHV ZDV greater than in any other market.

As such, spec levels were big news. And if you were successful enough to deserve a car with air conditioning, six speakers, electric mirrors or a full complement of four electric windows you were succeeding very nicely at life. Or at least at hitting your monthly targets. ΖQ %ULWDLQ WKH ȵHHW PDUNHW ZDV D WKUHH horse race: Ford and Vauxhall, with Rover Group snapping at their heels. But in the all-important D-Sector, Rover was at a disadvantage – the Montego was old and stigmatised as being a bit below par,

80 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Ford’s 16-valve Zetec engines were in a different class from the Sierra powerplants. while the new 600 was a cut above, more of a BMW 3-Series rival than a genuine competitor to the two big guns.

In the Eighties, we had Sierra and Cavalier. And in context the Montego was

competitive. But as we moved into the decade that gave us Britpop, Channel 5 and New Labour, Vauxhall pulled an ace out of its sleeve. The Mk3 Cavalier made its debut at the 1988 British Motor Show and at last

The GM ‘Family II’ engine lacked the sparkle of the Ford unit but was a solid contender. gave Vauxhall a car that would properly WDNH RQ WKH PLJKW RI WKH ȵHHW IDYRXULWH Ȃ WKH Ford Sierra. The Sierra’s modern jelly mould lines and transparent spec sheet made it a ȴUP KLW ZLWK ȵHHW PDQDJHUV DOOLHG WR HDVH of maintenance and low running costs. The Mk3 Cavalier ticked all of these boxes, along with the aerodynamic jelly mould one that had never been achieved with the Mk2.

It was well made, handled competently, was well equipped, comfortable and quick – even in 1.8-litre form where its credible 118bhp left the CVH-engined Sierra somewhat in the shade.

Over the next three years, Vauxhall stole Ford’s crown. The Blue Oval had enjoyed a decade as the nation’s number one, both in private sales and in the all-

LPSRUWDQW ȵHHW DUHQD EXW LWV ȵHHW VKDUH was hammered by the incoming Cavalier, ZKLFK ZDV VQDSSHG XS E\ ȵHHW PDQDJHUV and adored by company car drivers, who suddenly realised that the rear-drive Sierra was a bit of an antique compared with the sleek new Vauxhall. )RUG QHHGHG WR DFW EHIRUH LW ORVW LWV ȵHHW stability completely, and it was already on the case when the Cavalier appeared.

The new ‘world car’ it was planning as the Sierra’s replacement had a lot on its plate.

Not only did it need to be the star of the (XURSHDQ ȵHHW PDUNHW ZKLFK ZDV NH\ to the brand’s entire success in markets such as the UK, Germany and France, where the company car was a rapidly growing commodity, but it also had to be a global star: a compact car in the USA and Australasia and a family saloon in South America to name but a few.

It was earmarked to go into production in 1991, but the cool reception of the Mk5 Escort in 1990 and the arrival of new product boss, Richard Parry-Jones led to a delay in its launch while Ford took time out to re-evaluate the Mondeo’s dynamics.

It was time well spent. The Mondeo debuted at the 1992 Paris Motor Show and was well-received, its new curvy lines, front-drive layout and vastly improved cabin being a seismic shift forwards from the outgoing Sierra. But it wasn’t

Classic Car Mart September 2021 81

until 1993 and its actual launch that the improvements that Ford had made became apparent.

The enticing cabin, with high quality velour and an all-important pen holder were one thing, but the way that it drove was another entirely. A late programme rethink in the chassis department, much of it carried out around Richard ParryJones’s home near Snowdonia, was a complete revelation. Here was a mid-size saloon that was ostensibly a rep’s car, but ZLWK D ȴQHO\ KRQHG FKDVVLV DQG VWHHULQJ inputs that wouldn’t have been out of place in a sports car.

Initial press reviews of the Mondeo were stacked with praise, and company car GULYHUV DFURVV (XURSH KHOG R΍ SODFLQJ WKHLU orders for new Cavaliers until they’d been able to sample the new Ford. The threat to the Blue Oval’s market dominance had been taken seriously, and the Mondeo was D WHUULȴF FDU It still wasn’t as lively as the Cavalier.

In 1.8 form, it could only muster 114bhp and it was slower in the mid-range, but the Ford’s superior handling and RYHUDOO UHȴQHPHQW PDGH LW D PDWXUH DQG enjoyable drive.

With the Cavalier approaching its fourth full year on sale, the Mondeo was a welcome alternative for many company car drivers looking to change, and as such a combination of its newness and its driver appeal was enough to put Ford back on WRS RI WKH ȵHHW VDOHV FKDUWV LQ EXW Vauxhall wasn’t done yet.

Cognisant of the Mondeo’s impeding threat, in 1992 and 1993 GM’s engineers had worked hard on the Cavalier to make sure it would still remain competitive in the company car market. The entry-level Cavalier L was dropped and the new LS adapted to include spec levels that made WKH )RUG ORRN D ELW VWLQJ\ ΖW ZDV D ȴQH car and a good drive, albeit maybe not as VKDUS DV WKH 0RQGHR %XW WR PDQ\ ȵHHW buyers that didn’t matter, and from 1993 until the Vauxhall Vectra arrived in late 1995, the battle for supremacy was actually pretty close, the Mondeo edging it but the Cavalier not far behind.

So how do the two compare today?

Well, to make the comparison completely fair, it’s the pre-facelift Mondeo versus the already facelifted Cavalier, as apart from a couple of months in 1993 the two were sold concurrently.

In styling terms, the Vauxhall is the one that appears to have aged better. It was the older design back in 1993, but time has been kind to it and with the darker rear lights, new corporate grille and bolder colour palette that came with the facelift, LW ZDV JLYHQ DQ H΍HFWLYH EXW QRW RYHU WKH

82 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Saloon was the rarer Mondeo in the UK, where buyers preferred a hatch, usually a red 1.8LX. WRS QLS DQG WXFN $V D ȴYH GRRU KDWFK LWȇV arguably the best looker.

The Mondeo, by contrast, looks a little bland today. It actually works better in saloon or estate form than it does as a hatch, despite the latter being the volume seller in the UK. The Mk3 Cavalier never had an estate model, either – Vauxhall had to wait for the Vectra in 1995 before it could take on the Mondeo wagon.

These were, of course, volume cars. And that means they were mass-produced with fairly average build quality. They each lasted pretty well, but the passing of almost three decades is a long time for a car and rust is by far the biggest concern presented by either today. For the 0RQGHR LWȇV WKH VLOOV ERRW ȵRRU DQG LQQHU

ZLQJV WKDW DUH ZRUVW D΍HFWHG 7KH &DYDOLHU is a bit more robust, but the rear arches rot for fun and the back end of the sills is pretty vulnerable.

Interior-wise, it’s the Vauxhall that acquits itself better today. You’ll struggle WR ȴQG D 0N &DYDOLHU ZLWKRXW WKH ȆVQRZ WRSSHG PRXQWDLQȇ H΍HFW RQ WKH JHDU OHYHU gaiter where the vinyl wears away, but a combination of hard-wearing velour and strong, chunky plastics mean the rest of the interior wears its age very well. It feel more upmarket, too. The Mondeo may have had the more stylish fascia, but the 9DX[KDOO ZDV WKH EHWWHU ȴQLVKHG The Ford just doesn’t quite feel as well made. The dashboard plastics are hard and shiny, the steering wheel tends to

Mondeo cabin was thoroughly modern when it arrived in 1993.

The Cavalier offered a wider range than Ford, especially when it came to sporting models. wear and go a bit ‘squidgy’ and the overly FXUY\ VZRRSLQJ OLQHV PD\ ZHOO GHȴQH WKH 1990s, but the ergonomics aren’t brilliant.

In 1993, reviewers were sucked in by the Ford’s twin pen holders and under-seat storage drawer, but the reality is a cabin that feels a bit cheap today, with seat

fabrics that have a tendency to go baggy over time.

It’s more spacious than the Vauxhall, though, with greater shoulder room and more legroom in the back, while the Mondeo has a lower, sportier driving position. In the Cavalier, the gear lever

Less attractive maybe, but the Cavalier’s interior is reckoned to be more solidy made.

SPECIFICATIONS MODEL

FORD MONDEO 2.0 LX

VAUXHALL CAVALIER 2.0 GLSi 16V

ENGINE

2.0 4cyl DOHC 16v

2.0 4cyl DOHC 16v

MAX POWER

136bhp

134bhp

MAX TORQUE

142lb.ft

136lb.ft

0-60

9.7 secs

9.5 secs

TOP SPEED

129mph

130mph

ECONOMY

32mpg

36mpg

feels like it’s set back a bit, and unless you have long legs you need to sit close to the steering wheel.

That sportiness vs stodginess translates to the driving dynamics, too. The Ford was the sharper of the two to drive back in 1993/4 and it still is today. Indeed, the steering, gearshift and brake pedal feel are still as good as they ever were. It holds the road far better, too. The Vauxhall tends to understeer before dipping its nose and feeling light at the back, while the Mondeo LQVSLUHV FRQȴGHQFH HYHQ LQ IDVW FRUQHULQJ But we don’t all think we’re Nigel Mansell – which is a good thing if anyone remembers what he did to a Mondeo at Donington Park in the BTCC back in ’94, achieving more barrel rolls than your average stunt man. In real-world ownership terms, comfort and practicality are more important, and both of these cars do a decent job. The Ford is the more spacious and has the biggest boot, but the Vauxhall is far from poor.

There’s also powertrains to consider.

The Mondeo is at its best with the 1.8 or 2-litre Zetec engines under the bonnet, ZKLFK DUH VWXUG\ UHOLDEOH DQG UHȴQHG DW speed. The Cavalier was livelier across the board, though, with the 1.6, 1.8 and 2-litre )DPLO\ ΖΖ HQJLQHV R΍HULQJ FRPSDUDEOH reliability, low running costs and impressive performance. If diesel was your preference, the Cavalier won hands down – its Isuzu-sourced 1.7-litre oil burner making the Ford 1.8D look rough, unkempt and incredibly sluggish. The Vauxhall, either turbocharged or naturally aspirated, was one of the best diesels of its generation, and if you don’t believe us ask a taxi driver as the Cavalier was the cab of choice for years and years.

Vauxhall did performance better, too.

The semi-sporty Mondeo Si was a rarity, the Cavalier SRi pretty common. And Ford couldn’t raise a rival to the Cavalier GSi, Turbo or 4x4 – sorry Ford fans, but the Mondeo didn’t get its act together until the ST200 appeared right at the end of its life, while performance Vauxhalls of the same era were selling like hot cakes.

So which of the two would we choose?

It’s a toughie. Both of these cars were great when new, with the Mondeo arguably making the most impact. But in retrospect, the Cavalier had the broader range of engine choices and more than a quarter of a century later, it feel like the more robust, usable and sturdier car.

Mondeo was Ford’s world car. It achieved great things and was massively important in its heyday, but the Cavalier was just as good – and already was when Mondeo appeared on the scene. It’s close, but the Vauxhall is my favourite.

RC

Classic Car Mart September 2021 83

LIVING WITH THE AUDI TT

PROOF OF CONCEPT

Audi’s TT went from motor show concept to production reality little changed and makes a stylish, affordable modern classic today. Just don’t mention the Golf.

T

Words Paul Wager he science of badge engineering may have been established by Rootes and BMC back in the ’60s but the idea of platform sharing Ȃ ZKHUH D UDQJH RI PRGHOV LV VSXQ R΍ WKH VDPH EDVLF ȵRRUSDQ DUFKLWHFWXUH Ȃ LV rather newer.

It had been tried successfully before of course in a limited way as the basis for ‘world car’ designs from multinational makers, incuding the Chevette, the Mk2 Cavalier and even the Escort but all these were recognisably similar.

Ultimately it was the Volkswagen Group which really got stuck into the science of platform sharing during the ’90s and took the idea just about as far as the technology then allowed it. Instead of simply SURGXFLQJ PLOGO\ GL΍HUHQW YHUVLRQV RI WKH VDPH FDU WR VXLW GL΍HUHQW ORFDO PDUNHWV

84 Classic Car Mart September 2021

The concept was so close to the showroom car that industry observers suggested development was already well under way when it was first exhibited.

The original concept was an unexpected departure for the usually staid Audi brand.

Wolfsburg used its ‘PQ34’ platform as the EDVLV IRU DQ HQWLUH UDIW RI YHU\ GL΍ HUHQW PRGHOV DFURVV IRXU GL΍ HUHQW EUDQGV DQG PDQ\ GL΍ HUHQW SULFH OHYHOV That PQ34 design is commonly known as the MkIV Golf platform since that was the highest-volume car to be built on

it, but it also formed the bones of the humble Skoda Octavia, the ‘Spanish Alfa’ Seat Leon and Toledo, the controversial New Beetle and two upmarket Audis: the A3 and TT. The TT was something of a departure for Audi, which until the concept was unveiled at the Frankfurt show in 1995, was known more for chunky saloons and estates – or rather, Avants in Audi speak. Yes, it had a coupe in the line-up but that was little more than a two-door Audi 80 and the TT in FRPSDULVRQ ZDV VRPHWKLQJ YHU\ GL΍ HUHQW Audi’s press material states that the original design brief for the TT was to produce a car “radical in design, but suitable for everyday use” and it’s fair to VD\ WKDW WKH ȴ UVW SDUW RI WKDW UHTXLUHPHQW was certainly met.

The design may not have lacked the JUDFHIXO ȵ RZLQJ OLQHV RI D 3LQLQIDULQD Peugeot or Ferrari, but was elegant in its own way with a chunky, broad-shouldered stance which could only be German.

The TT was manufactured in Audi's Hungarian plant using bodyshells from Ingolstadt.

Indeed, much was made at the time of WKH GHVLJQ VKRZLQJ %DXKDXV LQȵ XHQFH WKH reference relating to the prewar German GHVLJQ PRYHPHQW ZKLFK UHTXLUHG IRUP WR follow function.

7KDWȇV D JURVV VLPSOLȴ FDWLRQ RI FRXUVH but essentially the style when applied to a car gave it an industrial, engineered look and the proportions and curves of the TT were such that they also evoked some of the 1930s Auto Union ‘Silver Arrows’ racers.

Compare an image of that original TT concept today with the early production cars and you can’t help but wonder if the production car was well underway when WKH ZUDSV FDPH R΍ WKH VWDQG DW )UDQNIXUW Certainly the time between the unveiling and the start of production was pretty short and the showroom version was unusually similar to the concept.

It was perhaps this which wowed the buyers of those early TTs: all too often an adventurous motor show concept is so watered-down during the transition to the production line that the excitement is lost, but the TT was barely altered.

7KH VZRRSLQJ UHDU VLGH URRȵ LQH ZDV DOWHUHG WR DFFRPPRGDWH UHDU TXDUWHUOLJKW windows, while side repeater indicators were added, the shape of the front plastic ORZHU YDODQFH ZDV PRGLȴ HG DQG WKDW ZDV about it.

Perhaps it was rushed to production too TXLFNO\ DIWHU DOO WKRXJK VLQFH VKRUWO\ DIWHU the car went on sale a series of crashes EURXJKW WKH LQWR TXHVWLRQ WKH FDUȇV VDIHW\ VSHFLȴ FDOO\ WKDW RI LWV KLJK VSHHG KDQGOLQJ After a German champion rally driver was killed in an early TT, serious investigations took place during which it was discovered that under certain circumstances, excessive rear-end lift would cause the rear wheels to lose all grip and the car spin out of control.

The solution was a recall in April 2000 to upgrade the electronic ESP stability

Classic Car Mart September 2021 85

Ducktail spoiler was part of a package of revisions following high-speed crashes in early cars.

FRQWURO ȴW D VPDOO UHDU GXFNWDLO VSRLOHU and modify the suspension using revised control arms, revised dampers and thicker front anti-roll bar.

It emerged later that the chassis engineers had always been in favour of the spoiler but that the stylists had resisted LW DQG PDQ\ PRGLȴHG FDUV WRGD\ KDYH had the spoiler removed but clearly it’s something you do at your own risk. The same chassis engineers also claimed that it was possible to solve the problem without the spoiler but only at the expense of dialling in excessive understeer.

Apart from that little episode, the TT was the ultimate evolution of that Golf SODWIRUP DQG R΍HUHG D FDU ZKLFK ZDV DOPRVW XQLTXH LQ WKH PDUNHW :LWK WKH RSWLRQ RI turbocharged four-cylinder engines rated DW HLWKHU EKS RU EKS SOXV TXDWWUR four-wheel drive (standard on the 225 and optional on the 180), the TT was in a class of its own. The Golf underpinnings and proven drivetrain made it an easy car to own, while $XGL EXLOG TXDOLW\ FRXOGQȇW EH HTXDOOHG E\ any other two-seater sports car at the time and it could even get you to work in deep snow. Something which Audi didn’t tend to mention in the press material at the time ZDV WKDW WKH 77 ZDV RQH RI WKH ȴUVW (XURSHDQ models to be constructed outside Germany: the cars were assembled at Audi’s Hungarian factory which had been in operation in Gyor since 1993, using complete bodyshells delivered from Ingolstadt. Usefully, the Hungarian site had been established as an engine manufacturing plant and was the VW Group’s sole supplier of the 1.8 turbo engine.

7KH FDUȇV XQLTXH SODFH LQ WKH PDUNHW ZDV reinforced when the open version entered production in 1999, the prototype having

86 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Convertible version is less practical but has its own following.

OUR CAR

VW Group's 1.8 turbo motor is a known quantity, reckoned to be at its best in 180bhp flavour.

ȴ UVW EHHQ GLVSOD\HG DW WKH 7R\R VKRZ The four-cylinder engines were joined in 2003 by a 3.2-litre six-cylinder using VW’s narrow-angle ‘VR6’ V6 motor good for 250 bhp and paired with standard TXDWWUR GULYHWUDLQ 7KLV ZDV MRLQHG LQ by a 150bhp front-wheel drive model and followed in 2005 by the Quattro Sport limited edition which used a 240 bhp version of the 1.8-litre turbo motor and achieved a 75 kg weight reduction by deleting the air conditioning and some trim items – think Audi’s answer to the BMW M3 CSL. The original TT was replaced in 2006 by the second-generation car which featured part-aluminium construction but lost the bold lines of the original styling in favour of a sleeker but more generic look.

5LJKW QRZ WKH ȴ UVW JHQHUDWLRQ 77 UHPDLQV D YHU\ D΍ RUGDEOH PRGHUQ FODVVLF DQG \RXȇOO ȴ QG D SUHVHQWDEOH FRXSH IRU e ZLWK FRQYHUWLEOHV VWDUWLQJ DW DURXQG e 7KH mechanical parts are familiar to any VW/Audi VSHFLDOLVW DQG ȴ UPV OLNH (XUR &DU 3DUWV DQG GSF can supply pretty much everything the DIY-minded owner might need.

The TT remains a stylish car and its XQLTXH VW\OLQJ KDV DJHG JUDFHIXOO\ PDNLQJ it an ideal modern classic which can also be pressed into daily use. Grab yourself a EKS TXDWWUR URDGVWHU EXGJHW IRU D IHZ VLPSOH ȴ [HV WR JHW LW XS WR VFUDWFK DQG \RX won’t be disappointed.

RC

Interior is of quality construction, with only failing digital displays letting the side down.

On the CCM team, we’ve often discussed what a bargain the TT appears to be and it was publishing boss Phil Weeden who ZDV ȴ UVW WR VSHQG KLV RZQ PRQH\ WDNLQJ the plunge.

2Q WKH IDFH RI LW 3KLOȇV e SXUFKDVH sounds like everything you’d advise a used car buyer not to do: his 2003-model EKS FRXSH ZDV ERXJKW IRU e LQ the twilight in a pub car park somewhere near Slough from a private trader.

It’s not as random as it seems though, VLQFH WKH WUDGHU LQ TXHVWLRQ ZDV LQ IDFW D VAG dealer technician and clearly knew KLV VWX΍ DOVR KDYLQJ D FRXSOH RI 6NRGDV and Seats for sale.

Indeed, one reason Phil bought this car was its general condition, especially the interior which despite its 17 years of age and 85,000 miles looked and felt spotless – apart, that is from the common problem of disappearing pixels on the dashboard displays.

2Q ȴ UVW DFTXLULQJ WKH FDU LW ZDV WDNHQ to a general local garage for a basic service, but a year later and with an MoT test looming, it was decided that a VAG specialist was needed and as we went to press Phil was steadying himself for a hefty bill thanks to a refurbished dash pack and the need to replace corroded UHDU EUDNH OLQHV D MRE ZKLFK UHTXLUHV WKH fuel tank dropping to do by the book.

Like so many cars of this era, advice IURP PDUTXH VSHFLDOLVWV LV WKDW OHDYLQJ them standing for long periods is the worst thing you can do: the Haldex FRXSOLQJ LQ WKH TXDWWUR IRXU ZKHHO drive system is particularly prone to

getting noisy after periods of inactivity and having bought the car during one ORFNGRZQ DQG WKHQ WDNLQJ LW R΍ WKH URDG it’s seen only nine months of regular usage during 18 months of ownership.

When lockdowns ease though, Phil reports that the TT feels surprisingly modern and can be put to everyday use OLNH D PRGHUQ FDU <HV SHRSOH PD\ VFR΍ DW WKH XELTXLWRXV *ROI 0N SODWIRUP which was used under everything from Skoda to Audi during that period but parts shared with so many other VAG PRGHOV GR PDNH WKH 77 D΍ RUGDEOH WR UXQ For DIY-minded owners, it also makes the FDUV DQ D΍ RUGDEOH SURVSHFW VLQFH WKHUHȇV not much you can’t do at home given enough space and patience.

On the subject of which, many owners reckon that the 180bhp engine is in some ways the better ownership proposition than the 225bhp unit, simply because it’s H΍ HFWLYHO\ WKH VWDQGDUG XQLW XVHG LQ VR many other VW Group models, whereas WKH ZDV PRGLȴ HG VLJQLȴ FDQWO\ DQG LV a more highly stressed unit less tolerant of neglect. Certainly the TT isn’t a heavy FDU DQG WKH EKS PRWRU PDNHV LW TXLFN enough to be fun.

The verdict from Phil’s experience then is that although these are cheap cars to buy right now, be prepared to spend what it costs to get it up to scratch and you’ll have a stylish, practical alternative to an anonymous modern car which will last you a long time. $V VFUXɝ HU 77V VWDUW WR GLVDSSHDU ZKHQ big bills arrive, a nice example should be set to inch up in value too.

Classic Car Mart September 2021 87

epping motor company Friendly family business established nearly 50 years

website: www.eppingmotorcompany.com If you wish to see extensive, more detailed photographs of our cars please go to our website, and underneath the description of each car click the direct link to our photobucket albums.

2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

Torch Red, Black leather 9500 miles.

As new throughout. £36,995

1966(D) Jaguar 3.8 Mk2.

Opalescent Silver Blue, A/C, full history from new.

0DJQLðFHQW £57,995

1970 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. Metallic Regal Red, Beige hide, 63500 miles FSH. Needs light restoration. Available ‘as is’ EHIRUH ZRUN VWDUWV IRU æ RU FLUFD æ IXOO\ ðQLVKHG

1986 Mercedes 560SL. LHD. Smoke Silver, Black hide, A/C, 114000 mls, FSH. Very nice original. £17,995

1955 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. White, Turquoise hide, showroom condition. £30,995

2001 Mercedes SLK320. Lazulite Blue, Siam/ Anthracite hide, A/C. 59000 miles. FSH. £5,995

1999(T) Mercedes A160 auto. Metallic Deep Sea Blue, Grey leather A/C, 7700 miles from new! £5,795

1967 Lotus Elan S3 Spyder DHC. Monaco Red, 71000 miles, older restoration. £24,995

2006(06) Mercedes CL500 Coupe. Obsidian Black, 98000 miles FSH. Lot of car for the money. £4,295

1963 Ford Fairlane 500 Coupe 260 cu.in V8. Metallic Red, Grey trim, automatic. £14,795

Up to date stock situation on our website: www.eppingmotorcompany.com We are always keen to purchase or take in part exchange Modern and Classic Cars in Right or Left Hand Drive

TEL: 01277 365415 FAX: 01277 365436 e-mail: sales@eppingmotorcompany.com

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Call our friendly UK team for a quote today:

Tailor your classic car policy to suit your needs.

Choose from a wide range of cover options.

0333 207 6013 or visit footmanjames.co.uk

@Footman_James

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Classic Car Mart September 2021 89

Cars for sale ALFA ROMEO ALFETTA

AUSTIN MINI COOPER

BMW 320

109115

AUSTIN A 30 1978, 111000 miles, £7,500.

Alfetta 2000. Four door, full history file, tax and MoT exempt. Please call 07975 907124, Wales.

109126

2003, 106000 miles, £1,650. 320i SE Touring. Rare, full service history, Japanrot red, manual, cloth interior, auto climate, tow bar electrics, two previous owners, new front disks, unused fitted mats, torch and toolkit. Please call 07971 174328, Scotland.

109152

AUSTIN 7

1938, £7,750. Austin Seven four seat Open Road Tourer Series AAL. Fully restored with new tyres and brake linings. Sweet free-revving 3-bearing engine. Re-trimmed, unblemished hood, hood bag and side-screens. Superb order with no work to do. Please call 01142 301023, Yorkshire and the Humber.

BMW 3 SERIES 1953, 50000 miles, £6,995. Nice Austin A30, older restoration, all electrics work, runs and drives well, good interior trim, use it every day if you like. easy to park but 4 seats.

Tax and MOT exempt. 803cc A series engine. Please call 07767 392053, North West.

109190

AUSTIN HEALEY 3000 MK III

108887

AUSTIN GIPSY

1964, £4,000. Austin Gipsy 4x4, 2.5cc, B.C. diesel engine, MoT and road tax exempt. Free wheel hubs, quite runnable. Please call 01307 840735, Scotland.

BMW ISETTA

1968, £25,000. Coper S MK2, owned 21 years. Excellent condition, stripped and painted in 2-pack tartan red. Black roof, always garaged. Please call 01371 872554, South East.

1967, 89000 miles, £84,995. In Healey Golden Beige Metallic. This is one of the last 552 cars to come out of the Abingdon factory. A genuine 89k miles from new. With only 4 previous owners. Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

109159

108973

AUSTIN MINI

BENTLEY MARK VI

108952

BMW Z3

1998, 58856 miles, £6,500. Future Classic, Super investment with increasing value in exceptional condition, One Lady Owner suppled by Millcars BMW. Finished in Morea Metallic Green with Full Beige Leather Interior. Full Service History with Service Book and Invoices, Previous MOT's with HPI Certificate, 5 Speed Automatic Gearbox, Folding Rear Seat Backrest.

Electric Tilt and Slide Sunroof, On Board Computer, ABS with Automatic Stability Control, Duel Climate Air Conditioning, Electric Windows Electric Mirrors, Alarm and Immobilizer with Deactivation Key, abd more, Please call 07976398044 , East of England.

2000, 19584 miles, £12,995.

Straight Six. Topas Blue with Black trim. Auto. 1 Previous owner. Owned from new and used as a second car.

In the last 6 years the car has only covered just over a 1k miles. Drives like new. Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

108975

CADILLAC DEVILLE

108907

BMW ALPINA

1969, 66600 miles, £6,000. Mini MK2, 998cc. Original and unrestored in island blue with light grey trim.

MoT till October 21, tax exempt.

Eye condition forces sale. Please call 07709 920279, Scotland.

1949, £35,000. Probably the best example on the market having undergone a total nut and bolt restoration four years ago. Please call 01794390895, Yorkshire and the Humber. (T)

2005, £24,995. A very rare and powerful Alpina B5 with just 3 owners. In fantastic condition throughout, with no dents or scratches just very minor stone chips to the leading edge of the bonnet, the alloys are almost perfect and recently refurbished, the interior is beautiful with no rips, tears or marks. There is no rust anywhere on the car and the headlamps are clear. Please call 07711645465, South East. (T)

109090

108969

109008

90 Classic Car Mart September 2021

1963, Auction date 28/29th July. To bid online please create an account on the Hobbs Parker website. Viewing available from the 26th July. Please call 01233506266, South East. (T)

1955, 103000 miles, £30,995.

Magnificent unrestored example.

Classic White with original Turquoise leather and brocade cloth interior with matching carpets. Original 5.4 litre V8 with power steering, power brakes, electric windows, original radio, autronic eye headlights, Kelsey Hayes style chrome wire wheels. Please call 01277365415, South East. (T) 109178

CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH SATELLITE HEMI

1966, POA. Very rare Pillarless 2 door Hardtop finished in her original colour scheme of ZZ1 Citron Gold Metallic ( a delightful period Light Metallic Green ) with matching correct Citron Gold premium interior with vinyl bucket seats and centre console ( so far 1 of only 3 documented in this colour scheme

by Galen Govier ). This is a genuine original HEMI car, NOT A CLONE and winner of the 2014 European Mopar Nationals ‘Best of Show’ trophy.

Please call 01277365415, South East. (T)

FORD FIESTA

1990, 28000 miles, £12,995. In fantastic condition throughout, with no dings, dents or scratches, the alloys are perfect and unmarked, the interior is mint with no rips, tears or marks on the seats. Under the bonnet is super clean and the boot area is unmarked. The car genuinely looks as good as it does in the pictures and it’s extremely clean and rust-free underneath. We have the original book pack and a file of invoices. Please call 07711645465, South East. (T)

FORD FAIRLANE

FORD MONDEO

1963, £14,795. Metallic Red with Grey interior. This car has the popular 4.2 litre small block V8 with 3 speed automatic gearbox.

Imported from dry State Nevada circa 2015. Very pretty and a solid useable car. Please call 01277365415, South East. (T) 109179

FORD FOCUS

109011

1998, 31955 miles, Guide price: from £2,000 to £2,500. Mondeo GLX, Hatchback 5 Door, Red, Petrol, Manual, 1796cc. Current registered owner since 2000, supplied as a used car by Invicta Motors, Broadstairs in £7,908, bill of sale enclosed. MOT's back to first one in 2001. Various bills and receipts.

Create an account and bid online on the Hobbs Parker website.

Auction date 28/29th July. Viewing available from 26th July. Please call 01233506266, South East. (T) 108902

FORD FIESTA

FORD MUSTANG

109183

DAIMLER V8 250

1964, 60000 miles, £45,995.

Silver Grey Metallic with Dove Grey interior. Five previous owners.

Fully restored 20 years ago, including full engine and gearbox rebuild. the shell was completely stripped, repaired and repainted with photo album to show work done. A stunning example that featured in Classic Car magazine.

A Daimler that could easily match a Beacham conversion. Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

1994, 58000 miles, £3,995.

Original 'time-warp' Fast Ford 16V Twin Cam (XR2i Engine). [Basically a renamed XR2i - Ford's attempt to combat insurance issues in the 90's].

Full ford service history inc cambelt 58,000 miles from new. All original aside from replacement Panasonic stereo (I hopefully have the correct Ford Stereo in the shed!). Dry (but dusty) stored for 18 years - started regularly - Covered in 18 years of storage dust, left 'as is' for new buyer. Metallic Black no rust,runs and drives lovely. Sorn'd so tow or trailer needed to collect. Est 5K+ at auction, priced for quick sale. Please call 07881856674, West Midlands.

2019, 29523 miles, £13,800. Ford Focus Zetec Ecoblue, 1499cc, diesel, manual, 120 2019 on 19 reg, grey, electric windows, radio, seats are in perfect condition. Floor in perfect condition, inside and outside car in immaculate condition. This car really is like brand new. Service history, drives perfect, lovely little car, Satellite Navigation, Bluetooth, Alloy Wheels, Air Conditioning, Metallic Paint, Connectivity / USB, Heated Front W/S, Cruise Control, Privacy Glass, Automatic Lights, DAB. Key start. Please call 07810198894 , Greater London.

109017

2007, 9500 miles, £36,996. GT500.

This is the sort of specification car you have probably dreamed of but never thought to find in the UK or Europe. Torch red with twin white stripes and black leather interior. It has the usual Shelby specification of the supercharged hand-built 32 valve 485bhp 5.4 litre v8, 6-speed Tremec manual gearbox, power steering, traction contril, unmarked original Shelby 18" alloy wheels, aircon and so much more. Please call 01277365415, South East. (T) 109186

FORD KA

HONDA CRX

109113

108977

FORD ANGLIA

FORD FIESTA

1964, £14,995. Maroon with grey trim. Only 3 owners from new covering just over 42k miles. In fantastic condition. Restored 5 years ago by ourselves. Bare metal respray/rebuild costing £24k!

Very little use since. Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

2008, 47000 miles, £4,250. Fiesta ST150 Colorado Red. Low mileage, full service history, 4 previous owners, totally standard, 2 keys, HPI clear, MOT until March 2022.

Excellent example. Please call 07702552601, Yorkshire and the Humber.

2004, 75042 miles, Auction date - 28/29th July. Street Ka Luxury, Convertible, Red, Petrol, Manual, 1599cc. Current owner since 2017, four previous keepers. Full leather interior, hard top. Original hand books and book pack. Create an account and bid online on the Hobbs Parker website. Viewing available from the 26th July. Guide price: from £1,500 to £2,000. Please call 01233506266, South East. (T)

108974

109147

108884

1993, 102000 miles, £2,400. CRX Del Sol VTI. Our Kelsey Media Honda is looking for a new home. Rare UK-supplied VTi model in Captiva Blue with 1595cc B16 twin-cam VTEC engine, manual targa roof, front fogs, reverse sensors, 15-inch Dezent wheels, lots of history and comes with plenty of spare parts.

Needs some attention to bodywork.

MoT until August. Email ccb.ed@ kelsey.co.uk. Please call 07812 043018, South East.

108901

Classic Car Mart September 2021 91

HYUNDAI COUPE

2001, 19900 miles, £3,995. 2.0 Coupe SE. In fantastic condition throughout, with no dents or scratches, the alloys are perfect, the interior is excellent with no rips, tears or marks on the seats.

There is no rust anywhere on the car and the headlamps are clear.

Full and unused toolkit in the boot.

New tyres all round. Please call 07711645465, South East. (T)

JAGUAR E-TYPE

1966, £89,995. Signal Red with Biscuit Hide. 2 owners from new.

Total ground up restoration by MandC Wilkinson. Adjustable reaction plate, alloy header tank, stainless steel exhaust, 4 pot calipers, electric steel sunroof, electronic ignition, high torque starter, 15" MotaLita steering wheel.

Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

108985

JAGUAR E TYPE

109012

JAGUAR E-TYPE

JAGUAR MK II

1966, £57,995. 3.8 MK2 Saloon.

Stunning in one of the most desirable colour combinations of original Oplaescent silver-blue with navy leather Recaro interior.

Full restoration and engine rebuild in 1990. Automatic gearbox with modified centre console gearshift selector, rack and pinion power steering, cold air-con, vented front disc brakes, the list goes on. Absolutely showroom condition throughout. Please call 01277365415, South East. (T) 109185

1965, 79000 miles, £150,000. 1965 E-Type Coupe, subject of an estate in Adelaide Australia, auction 17/7/21, www.bennettsclassicauctions.com. au. Please call 150000, Rest of the world.

JAGUAR S-TYPE

JAGUAR XJS 1988, £2,000. 5.3 V12 convertible.

Rolling shell, finished in solent blue. Complete with engine and all running gear. Logbook present.

Please call 07815 040038, South West.

JAGUAR E-TYPE

108948

JAGUAR E-TYPE

1969, 93997 miles, £97,995. RHD. Carmen Red with black trim. Comes with Jaguar Heritage Certificate.

This car has been painted to an extremely high standard. Other work included are uprated torsion bars, Reconditioned rear axle, 321 Electronic ignition, New fuel tank, New complete wiring loom, Complete new stainless exhaust, New Chrome Wire Wheels, new petrol tank. Originally an automatic, this car has been converted to manual using the Jaguar 4 speed including a new correct manual gearbox tunnel. Since full restoration the car has only covered just under 600 miles. Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

108983

1973, 77000 miles. Jaguar E Type Series 3 V12 Roadster, Convertible, Red, Petrol, Manual, 5343cc. Chassis no 1S1879 engine no 7S10102SB. Two owners from new, current owner since 1986. Comprehensive history folder with MOT certificates back dating back to 1977. Please call 01233506266, South East. (T)

1992, £19,995. XJS 4.0 Coupe.

The Jaguar has arrived with us in exceptional condition and has been driven to us from the West Coast of Scotland. The XJS covered almost 300 miles on the trip South and performed faultlessly as one would expect having had top quality maintenance its entire life. The XJS not only has the exceptional service history (including all receipts), but the recent work since coming out of hibernation has ensured the car is ready to enjoy without any expenditure. Please call 01944 758000, Yorkshire and the Humber.

108996

109148

1969, 41000 miles, £59,995. Series 2, FHC, 4.2, owned for the last 30 years. Finished in Old English white with red leather interior. Please call 01362 820629, East of England.

JAGUAR XJS

2006, 94000 miles, £3,250. S-Type 2.7 Diesel SE. One year MoT, service history, heated screens and memory seats, 6CD changer, SatNav, ivory leather, recent tyres front discs, extra chrome trim, Bluetooth adaptor, cruise, Terracleaned, chipped. Please call 07950 435017, South East.

109089

JAGUAR XJ6

109085

JAGUAR XF

108878

JAGUAR MK II

1968, £62,995. Carmen red with red trim. MK10 3.8 litre engine was used to give performance better performance and was rebuilt by Chesman Engineering. A fantastic example that will offer lots of excitement behind the wheel.

Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

2013, 29000 miles, £25,995. XFR. Immaculate collector owned final edition, latest 8-speed gearbox, full Jaguar service history, Italian Racing Red with Charcoal interior and Grey velour headlining. Private sale by owner. Please call 01489 877873, South East.

108976

108949

92 Classic Car Mart September 2021

1996, 79000 miles, £4,995. XJ6 Executive in metallic black with grey leather. Automatic, one previous owner. 3.2 straight six engine. Drives beautifully. Please call 07904 429655 , Greater London.

109156

Viewing by appointment only

6 days 9 -9pm.

keith@wec.uk.com

www.westendclassics.co.uk

FORD ZODIAC MK3 1963 Manual Column gears, bench front seat. The daddy of the big Fords in the 1960s this was ^P[OV\[ KV\I[ [OL JHY [V IL ÅVH[PUN HYV\UK PU HUK Z[PSS OHZ H great presence today. Very nice well presented example with the factory overdrive and factory sunroof just arrived as we go to press

TRIUMPH ROADSTER 2000 1949 with dicky seats.

Really attractive very sound example. With the last V^ULY MVY `LHYZ HUK OH]PUN ILULÄ[LK MYVT HSS new upholstery, paint, chrome ect. Just been fully serviced with new Avon tyres, exhaust system, and full lubrication service. Now ready for immediate use see website for more details photos. .... RESERVED

SUNBEAM ALPINE MK 1V 1964 Lady owner for some years, bare body shell restoration on a very original car a few years ago. Really good solid rust free example, full engine rebuild 8,000 miles ago and has provided trouble free use both locally and to classic car shows. Lots of bills and invoices of ££££ spent over the years, just receiving full service prior to being available .................................................................................. £P.O.A

MORRIS MINOR SPLIT SCREEN FACTORY CONVERTIBLE 1956 Outstanding example of this charming and useable little four seater convertible. Subject of a very sympathetic and detailed restoration by the right people, but look still retains all its splendid and original red hide upholstery - clearly demonstrates how well this car has been looked after.

Anyone taking the time to view would be hard pressed to fault this car and I have to say she drives every bit as good as it looks. ............RESERVED

RILEY RMB 2.5 1949 Slightly more upmarket cars to own like a pedigree dog I guess. Just the right period after the war when cars started to get a bit more civalised but still retained all the charm we loved then and still crave for today. This PZ H SV]LS` VYPNPUHS L_HTWSL YL[HPUPUN HSS P[Z VYPNPUHS \WOVSZ[LY` ÄUL ISHJR JVHJO^VYR and a new more recent black fabric top. Note photo is of a similar car we sold. This 2.5 example will be available shortly for viewing .SEE WEBSITE FOR UPDATES

AUSTIN 10/4 1935 Very original and dare we ZH` ZSPNO[S` ZJY\Ɉ` L_HTWSL ZV PM `V\Y SVVRPUN for mint this ones not for you. Been with the same family for many years and well know for being parked outside the village shops. Great little driver and needs to be left exactly as it is .................................................. RESERVED

FORD CORSAIR 1966 Four Door Saloon V4 in absolutely fabulous condition inside and out. This was the upmarket Cortina of the day, a car that we could all relate to with its distinctive lines. This ones even got the bench front seat and column gear change and I know many of you enjoyed driving those in the day. One owner till 2013 and only one since really needs to be viewed to appreciate just how nice an example this car really is ............................................ £POA

WANTED THE BEST EXAMPLES OF ALL CLASSIC CARS WE PAY MORE THAN MOST AND COLLECT

UK and overseas delivery on all cars for sale if required.

1967 AUSTIN HEALEY 3000 MK3. This is one of the last BJ8 cars made, registered in October of 67. The last 500 were painted in the beautiful metallic gold colour. A genuine 89k miles from new. A car we originally sold in 2005 to the last owner, we have since then serviced and maintained it on a regular basis.

Lots of upgrades, including larger bore exhaust.£84,995

1967 TRIUMPH TR5 - CP2 º;OL ]LY` Ä YZ[ WYVK\J[PVU ;9 » Valencia Blue with Black Ambla Interior. This historically important TR was built on Aug. 29th 1967 - Build Sheet

6YPNPUHSS` PUJVYWVYH[LK PU[V ;YP\TWO»Z 7YLZZ -SLL[ MVY L]HS\H[PVU HUK WYVTV[PVUHS \ZL :WLJPÄ JH[PVU PUJS\KLZ Disc Wheels, Overdrive and Heater. £79,995

1969 Jaguar E-type Series 2 9/+ *HYTLU 9LK ^P[O ISHJR [YPT *VTLZ ^P[O 1HN\HY /LYP[HNL *LY[PÄ JH[L 6YPNPUHSS` sent out to New York USA by British Leyland 27 June 1969.

It was then brought back to UK and registered on the 1st of February 2016. A full restoration was carried out with a photographic record included. Stunning. £97,995

1964 FORD ANGLIA in Maroon with grey trim. Only 3 owners from new covering just over 42k miles. In fantastic condition.

Restored 5 years ago by ourselves. Bare metal respray/ rebuild costing £24k! Very little use since. £14,995

1973 JENSEN INTERCEPTOR MK3 COUPE – ‘CAR 39» *OY`ZSLY Metallic Violet with Magnolia Hide. One of only three L_HTWSLZ ILSPL]LK [V OH]L ILLU Ä UPZOLK PU [OPZ JVSV\Y I` the factory. Only 31,000 miles since new, ‘one of’, if not ‘the’ very best examples on the road today. The condition has to be seen to be believed – totally blemish free. £84,995

1956 MGA 1500. 1956 MGA 1500. In Signal Red. Just come in and awaiting preparation for the showroom. Restored in the late 2000’s by MG specialist Simon Robinson, religiously serviced every year after. Red trim and black carpets. Kenlowe fan, period radio, chrome wire wheels, full weather equipment. £33,995

1977 MINI MIGLIA VORTZ. Tuned 998cc. Other upgrades include, SPNO[LULK Å `^OLLS HUK JVUYVKZ TVKPÄ LK KPZ[YPI\[VY 7V[ MYVU[ JHSPWLYZ TWO ZWLLKV JSVJR KHZO ;^PU TVKPÄ LK :<Z and Vortz air box. It is a rare Mini with very interesting history. Owned originally by the Vrotsos family. In Red with Black roof. Recent full IVK` YLZWYH` ^P[O UL^ ZLH[Z MYVU[ HUK YLHY Ä [[LK .YLH[ M\U £31,995

1965 SUNBEAM TIGER 1965 SUNBEAM TIGER, Mediterranean Blue ^P[O )SHJR ;YPT ;V[HS .YV\UK <W 9LZ[VYH[PVU *VTWSL[LK PU V\Y Workshops. From a Bare Shell to possibly ‘the’ best Tiger on the market today. Nothing left to chance with every inch of this stunning L_HTWSL YLJLP]PUN H[[LU[PVU 7LYMLJ[ WHULS NHWZ (SS TLJOHUPJHS components checked, refurbed or renewed as required. £59,995

Classic Cars Wanted 1950 Morris Minor Low Light Convertible. In Red with Beige trim. This wonderful Low light version named “Ruby” was restored over 10 years ago and has been maintained to a high standard since. £16,995

For full stock list please see our website

1970 Morris Minor Traveller. In Trafalgar Blue with light blue trim. Only three previous owners with just over 33k miles covered! £19,995

1957 MGA 1500. Glacier Blue with black trim. Weather Equipment. Steel wheels. Originally a North American Export, shipping out 18 September 1957. Returned to the UK in 1991 and then restored by Batheaston Artefactors. ;OPZ PUJS\KLK H IVK` VɈ [OL JOHZZPZ YLZ[VYH[PVU *VTLZ ^P[O /LYP[HNL *LY[PÄ JH[L PU]VPJLZ MVY ^VYR HUK WHY[Z £34,995

Please call or email with your details

sales@sherwoodrestorations.co.uk www.sherwoodrestorations.co.uk or call us on 01636 812655

JAGUAR XKR

88510 miles, £12,000. Coupe Lux 4.3 super charged V8. Finished in midnight with warm charcoal trim. Stunning example from a private Jaguar collection. Very high specification including keyless entry.

Two sets of keys, SatNav, premium sound system, adaptive lighting, reverse park sensors, paddle shift gear change, weave facia, full and detailed Jaguar history including a recent full service. 426 BHP, two previous owners, all new tyres. MoT 4th March 2022. Please call 07815 040038, South West.

109088

JAGUAR XK120

JENSEN INTERCEPTOR

1973, 31534 miles, £84,995. MK3 Coupe. ‘CAR 39’ Chrysler Metallic Violet with Magnolia Hide. One of only three examples believed to have been finished in this colour by the factory. This stunning example has been lovingly cared for throughout its illustrious and celebrity studded career. It is accompanied by full and detailed history files detailing ownership, maintenance, mileage etc. as well as original handbooks, leaflets and keys. Totally blemish free and fully detailed throughout. Unrepeatable.

Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

108982

JIFOSI JEM

KIA CARENS

LANCIA FLAMINIA

2004, 146000 miles, £595. Two litre turbo diesel. Blocks in third gear. MoT till August, owned 7 years.

Please call 07561 440922, North West.

1963, £29,995. Flaminia Pininfarina Coupe 2.5 3B. LHD. A lovely example of these rare and stylish coupes very capable of long distance touring with ample room for four and a large boot. A comprehensive body restoration was completed in 2016 since which the current owner has had the transaxle rebuilt, a new clutch and replacement bumpers.

Please call 01189 831200, South East. (T)

108940

LAGONDA

109245

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER 1951, £69,500. Fit for A Prince 1951 Lagonda 2.6 Litre Drophead Coupe.

In 2006 she underwent a total body off nut and bolt restoration, including all mechanics, a bare metal re spray, and a new mohair hood with matching hood bag, all with full photographic evidence.

Please call 01794390895, South East. (T) 108968

1952, £110,000. 3.4 litre engine with immaculate bodywork in white gold with a superb red leather interior. Manual five speed gear box. It was originally exported to the USA and therefore left-hand drive but converted to right hand on return to the UK in 2005. It then underwent a full restoration to its current condition and colour scheme using original XK 120 parts.

Recently fitted powered steering and electronic ignition and other upgrades too numerous to list.

Full restoration and maintenance history, including Production Record Trace Certificate. A real head turner!. Please call 02392 631159, South East.

1969, £29,995. Our demonstrator built on 1969 MG Midget base as a re-incarnation of the Jacobs Midget race cars built by MG and raced by Dick Jacobs. Built on a fully restored shell with a 1380cc engine, wire wheels, bespoke one off red trim and finished in night fire red. Please call 01778 570540, East Midlands.

(T)

109157

109248

LANCIA 1600 HF

1991, 49600 miles, £32,995.

Range Rover Vogue SE. In beautiful, unrestored condition throughout befitting its mileage with no dents or scratches (just two small touch ups on the driver side passenger door and some small stone chips to the leading edge of the bonnet), the alloys are excellent and original, the interior is almost perfect with no rips, tears or marks on the seats. The headlining is in excellent condition.

None of the usual rust!. Please call 07711645465, South East. (T) 109009

£37,850. LHD. Red with black interior. A very straight and sound example of these rare and desirable cars, imported from Belgium in 2014 and maintained to a very high standard since, with documented bills for approaching £20,000. Please call 01189 831200, South East. (T) 109241

LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2001, £380. 1800cc petrol. Recent failure due to brake pipes and ABS light. Drives and runs well. Body work all good. Four wheel drive okay. Pity to scrap. Please call 07794 273301, Wales.

109027

1990 MARLIN SPORTS 1990, £5,900 Body off restoration, new steel wings, total retrim, 1800 TC twin carb engine, new rocker assembly and oil cooler, electric fan, brakes refurbished, clutch master cylinder, slave cylinders renewed. Steering overhauled, gearbox converted to Ford 9, heater refurbished, MG TF wheels. Will PX classic car, M/C or three wheeler.

Please call 07756 567248, Dorset.

94 Classic Car Mart September 2021

09/20

www.allonwhitecars.co.uk SERVICING REPAIRS TRIMMING

We have been looking after British sports cars for over 50 years and are proud to be a Morgan Main Dealer and an official Lotus Service Dealer.

In our showroom, we always aim to have a good selection of Morgans and Lotus, not to mention a range of other interesting classic and modern sports cars.

Arranging test drives is never a problem and for details of all our cars please see our website, or come along to our village garage set in beautiful countryside to find out more!

RESTORATIONS MOTS ACCESSORIES

Main Dealer

Service Dealer

At our dealership, as well as offering routine servicing for Morgans and Lotus we are also pleased to provide a full range of specialist services, from upgrades and the fitting of accessories, to interior retrims or full restorations.

To carry out this work, our Workshop has 4 highly experienced Factory trained technicians and our specialist Trimshop has 2 equally experienced coach trimmers.

Our goal is simple …it’s to provide the best possible levels of service and expertise to the owners of Morgans, Lotus and other classic sports cars.

1972 Morgan 4/4 4-seater Corsa Red with black leather, mohair hood, chrome wire wheels, eared spinnners. £18,750

2015 Morgan Roadster 3.7 litre White, black leather, mohair hood, walnut dashboard, stainless wires, sunvisors, luggage rack. £48,750

1998 Morgan 4/4 Corsa Red, black leather, luggage rack, walnut dash, tonneau, map light, stainless exhaust, radio/CD. £25,500

1974 MGB Roadster Metallic Nightfire Red, black leather, new chrome wires, overdrive, Moto-lita wheel, beautiful car. £19,500

1958 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite Yellow, black leather seats, new PVC hood, wood rim steering wheel, very good condition, extensive history file. £19,950

1971 Lotus Elan Sprint DHC Metallic Blue over White, roll bar, replacement chassis, extensive history file, 4-point harness, Moto-lita. £43,995

2002 Lotus Elise S2 Metallic Ruby Red, grey leather, hard top, radio/CD, high mileage but drives very well and sensibly priced. £12,350

1969 Lotus Elan S4 FHC British Racing Green, fully restored in 2014 and only limited miles driven since then, excellent example. £34,995

1998 Lotus Elise S1 Metallic Solar Yellow, blue leather, upgrade to S2 Elise suspension, driving lights, radio/CD. £17,500

Telephone 01234 750205

Allon White Sports Cars Limited High Street, Cranfield, Beds MK43 0BS email: sales@allonwhite.co.uk

Only 5 minutes from Junction 13 of the M1

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY

MERCEDES-BENZ 230

MERCEDES-BENZ A

MG MGA

1999, £5,795. A160 automatic.

Metallic Deep Sea Blue with Light Grey leather. Switchable automatic, power steering, ABS braking, traction control, air-bags, electric windows, air-conditioning, electric and folding mirrors, and more.

Please call 01277365415, South East. (T)

1956, £32,995. MGA 1500 in Signal Red. Restored in the late 2000's

by MG specialists and religiously serviced every year since. Red trim and black carpets. Recent full body respray and detailing. Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

77000 miles, £5,000. Discovery V8, excellent condition, lots of extras, dark green, seven seats. Please call 07982 668635, South West.

109226

LAND ROVER SERIE III

1992, 16000 miles, £4,500. 230E Excellent condition. 2 owners from new, with current owner for 9 years, under 16,000 miles (Genuine), Sun Roof, Rear head rests, Electric windows, A beautiful classic. Please call 07870237864, Greater London.

109217

1979, Auction 28/29th July. Series 3 88" - 4 cyl, 4 x 4, Green (Cat D), Diesel, Manual, 2286cc. Old MOT's back to 1998. Create an account and bid online on the Hobbs Parker website. Viewing from the 26th July.

Please call 01233506266, South East. (T)

MERCEDES-BENZ 500

109181

108984

MG MGA

MERCEDES-BENZ SL

108880

LOTUS ELAN

1985, 140000 miles, Guide price: from £2,500 to £3,500. 500 SEC Auto, Coupe, Gold, Petrol, Auto, 4973cc. Auction 28th and 29th July.

Create an account and bid online on the Hobbs Parker website. Viewing from the 26th July. Please call 01233506266, South East. (T) 108903

MERCEDES-BENZ 560 1967, 70000 miles, £24,995. A very well sorted, well prepared, superb looking and driving car. Paint is still excellent with some minor stress cracks to be expected on a 20 year old respray of a fibreglass car but the chassis and suspension are still in show condition. Please call 01277365415, South East. (T)

1993, 83323 miles, £7,250. SL30024. Very good condition inside and out, as new electric hood including factory hardtop. As new Goodyear tyres, service history, including all receipts and mot’s, everything works and drives beautifully. Please call 07598791860, East Midlands.

1957, £34,995. MGA 1500. In Glacier blue with black trim.

Weather equipment, steel wheels, heritage certificate. A beautiful example covering just under 4,000 miles since restoration. Please call 01636812700, East Midlands.

108986

108906

MG MGA MERCEDES-BENZ CLK 2000, 126000 miles, £1,650.

CLK 230 Kompressor. Private reg included. Convertible, auto, metallic silver, full service history, all handbooks, everything operates, corrosion free bodywork, drives superbly, MoT, spare unused. Please call 07885 187076, North East.

109122

MERCEDES-BENZ SLK

109180

2003, 13800 miles, £6,500. MX5 Indiana. Exceptional condition, totally original, history and MoTs, ruby with original beige interior, four new tyres, ideal for MX5 enthusiast. Collection only. Please call 01745 814673, Wales.

1986, 114000 miles, £17,995.

560SL Convertible. LHD. Metallic Smoke Silver with Black leather and Black soft top. Factory hard top, 4-speed automatic, power steering, automatic climate control, cruise control, central locking, tinted glass, electric windows, ABS anti-lock braking system, air bag, passenger electric mirror, original Becker radio cassette with electric aerial, factory alloy wheels, stainless steel wheel arch and door edge guards etc.

Please call 01277365415, South East. (T)

2001, £5,995. Rare and desirable Metallic Lazulite Blue with twotone Siam Beige and Anthracite leather. Switchable automatic, power steering, electric folding hard top, ABS braking, front and side air-bags, air-conditioning, ESP traction control, electric seats, electric mirrors, electric windows, cruise control, factory alloy wheels, and more. Please call 01277365415, South East. (T)

1959, £69,995. MGA Twin Cam. The MGA is first class in every respect, driving superbly, in as new mechanical condition and having had a top class restoration with true precision, the chassis, body, paintwork, chrome, weather equipment, wheels, tyres, upholstery and engine bay are in outstanding condition. 250 XVC is not the typical twin cam MGA available, this is a car that can be in the absolute best company of any collection, but importantly it would make a wonderful touring car, ideal for events, summer jaunts and some serious long-distance touring.

Please call 01944 758000, Yorkshire and the Humber.

109132

109182

109184

108992

MAZDA MX5

96 Classic Car Mart September 2021

Melvyn Rutter Limited

International Morgan Sales, Service, Parts and Restoration for Morgan Cars from 1936 to Present Day

MG R V8 1995, Woodcote Green with Stone Piper GTT 1969, Yellow with Black Trim.

Leather Interior. Well Maintained Example. R380 Older Restoration By Piper Developments. Ford Gearbox. MOT Nov 2020. Good Condition £16,995 (WTXX‫ܫ‬T\ 4S 9\NS <JGJWX 8TRJ (TRUJYNYNTS History. June 2022 MOT. Super Rare Car. £16,995

New unregistered Morgan Plus Six Lotus Elan S4 DHC 1969. Yellow, Black Leather Trim. Solid Driveshafts. Sprint Plus Spec Engine. Older Mick Miller Rebuild. Massive History File. Outstanding Condition. ..... £30,995

Lotus Elan S3 FHC Race Car, Red with Grey Roof. Rebuilt With New TT Chassis. CBR All Steel Engine, 164 BHP. 3.9 LSD. TT Solid, Drive Shafts.

Full Cage. 5 1/2” Mag Wheels. Ideal For CSCC Swinging Sixties. Excellent Condition. ....£39.995

Sunbeam Alpine Race Car 1964. Mass Racing Engine 170bhp Last Built In 2016. 5 Speed.

2TIN‫ܪ‬JI 7JFW &]QJ <MJJQ )NXH 'WFPJX Lightened Chassis. Lightweight Panels. Former AMOC Champion. Fantastic Car........... £22,995.

Triumph TR6 CR 1974, Mimosa Yellow with Black Leather Trim. Duck Hood and Moto Lita Wheel. Overdrive. Stainless Exhaust. Some Paint Blemishes. Drives Well. Use and Improve Bargain at £15,995

WANTED JAGUAR E TYPE, MGB, LOTUS ELAN, AUSTIN HEALEY, TRIUMPH TR’S

AH Classics, Shaw, Oldham, Lancashire. Just 5 minutes from Junction 21 M62.

Other Cars & Motorcycles in stock - visit: www.ah-classic-cars.co.uk Telephone: 07761 549 454 email: andrewhenson@btinternet.com

Metallic black with Mulberry Red leather interior, heated seats and walnut veneer dashboard. £92,150 + on the road costs

2020 Morgan Plus Four - revised price Lagoon Blue with Biscuit Pebble leather, Oatmeal boxweave carpets, heated seats, air-conditioning, bluetooth and stainless-steel wire wheels. Our own car with just 146 miles.

Reduced price to include all on the road costs - now £73,950

1990 Morgan 4/4 Red with beige leather interior, polished stainless steel wire wheels, front spot lights, walnut dashboard, Moto-Lita steering wheel and only 32,930 miles.

Great affordable Morgan ownership - £22,950

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7 ((8 8*, (/8 ,1#$08 + 8/,) 8 8 +68 ,+ &0%,+

WE BUY MORGANS Melvyn & Adam Rutter try hardest, travel further with transporter collection MAIL ORDER DEPARTMENT OPEN www.mogparts.net – How May We Help You? We Buy Morgans In All Conditions - Please contact Adam Rutter

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8 5 8 8 8 8 80./$,- 0 ,++ 0 ,*8 444 0./$,- , 2'8

WE BUY MORGAN CARS, INCLUDING PROJECTS

84 PAGE RUTTER PARTS CATALOGUE £5 UK, £7 Europe, £9 overseas elsewhere

The Morgan Garage, Little Hallingbury, Nr Bishops Stortford, Herts CM22 7RA England Tel: 01279 725725 www.melvyn-rutter.co.uk Email: mr@melvyn-rutter.net