CLASSIC SCENES

Words: Paul Guinness Image: Getty

Taken in July 1969 is this photograph of the recently completed Rhondda Road Bridge, over the River Taff at Pontypridd. The new junction was designed to make the lives of locals and tourists alike a little easier, although 53 years ago it wasn’t exactly over-run with traffic. Now though, it makes a fascinating sight, with an interesting selection of vehicles in shot.

Heading away from the camera are a Mk1 version of BMC’s ADO17 ‘Landcrab’ (complete with rusty front wing), what looks like a PB-series Vauxhall Cresta, plus a Ford Zodiac Mk4; and heading in the other direction across the junction are a Triumph 2000 Mk1 and a BMC 1100 estate, cutting in front of a Morris FG lorry, an ageing Ford Consul Mk2 and a relatively new-looking Mini. Parked up on the left of the photograph, meanwhile, are another couple of Minis, a Mk1 Cortina estate, a Triumph Herald, a Ford Anglia 105E and what we think might be a Renault 10. If you’ve any other suggestions, drop us a line via ccb.ed@kelsey.co.uk. CCB

Sam Skelton Contributor

Combining the qualities of an estate car and a sports car seems an unlikely recipe, and yet it’s resulted in some brilliant all-rounders over the years – including this particular threesome

RELIANT SCIMITAR GTE

The Scimitar GTE might have been the answer to a question very few people were asking, but it was such a good concept that it endured beyond the end of its own production, joining the ranks of the Avanti and Jensen Interceptor in being reimagined after its death by a new manufacturer. And it’s not hard to see why; a sensible Ford V6 engine, space for four and a useful boot was good, optional automatic transmission was even better, as was the undeniable credibility of being used both by the husband and daughter of our monarch. A better public endorsement was hard to find in the 1960s and ’70s.

The attributes didn’t end on paper. All Scimitars can feel tight for the larger driver (while the later SE6 was wider, the extra width was in the centre console), but once you’re in they have comfortable seats and a good ride for a sports car. There’s plenty of poke, and it’s easy to have fun with the handling courtesy of the car’s progressive grip and long wheelbase. The dashboards are clear and well laid-out, and the styling – while always a matter of taste – has almost more fans than any other classic shape. With a GRP body, the only rust risk should be in the chassis – and even then, the last SE6Bs and subsequent Middlebridge models had galvanised chassis to obviate that issue.

There are five basic eras of Scimitar GTE upon which we should focus our attention – or six if you include the Middlebridge cars. The first GTE was the SE5, launched in 1968 and developed from the Ogle GTS as a more practical take on the sports car theme. The SE5A brought a new dashboard and an extra seven horsepower from 1972. For 1975 there was a new body – the SE6, which was longer, wider and softer than its predecessor, and was intended more as an executive car targeting company directors than dedicated sports car enthusiasts. This was short lived though, with the SE6A quickly bringing new brakes and other minor revisions in 1976. The final Scimitar GTE to be built by Reliant was the SE6B, which saw the replacement of the old Essex V6 with the new 2.8-litre Cologne unit as seen in the contemporary Granada and Capri models. These later cars may seem less powerful on paper but they’re smoother and more revhappy, bringing back an element of the sporting nature that had made the early Scimitars such an appealing prospect.

They’re not even dear cars to run; they use tried and tested Ford components, which means there are plenty of marque specialists happy to provide spares and service items or to even maintain your motor for you. They run on basic oil and coolant with no frills, and for what they offer in terms of performance, Scimitars aren’t even especially heavy on fuel. Even from an automatic, 25mpg ought to be possible if you’re gentle on a long run.

The best bit is that the Scimitar has always been an excellentvalue classic car, with rough SE6s still attainable with a budget of just £2000. Those sorts of cars have gone up by only about 10 per cent in the last decade, meaning that in real terms against inflation there has never been a better time to buy one. However, the very best have risen in the same period by as much as 50 per cent, meaning that if you’re canny about how you buy a Scimitar you can even make money in the long term. With good examples still under the magic £10,000 ceiling today, it’s a better investment than a savings account and far more fun into the bargain.

With active groups like the Reliant Sabre & Scimitar Owners’ Club, it’s possible to keep your Scimitar going with very little difficulty. Where’s the catch? Apart from the risk of a rotten chassis on early examples (and let’s be honest, if you’re careful when buying, this shouldn’t be an issue), there really isn’t one.

The GTE is a pretty, familyfriendly classic that’s fun to drive, affordable and offers investment potential if you buy the right example. There are plenty of cars and enthusiasts out there to help you keep it going. It’s cheap to run, seats the whole family and will also take luggage if you need it to. You won’t even be fighting eternal rust in the arches or door bottoms, meaning more time to get out on to the open road and enjoy the car for what it is. Could this be the ultimate practical family classic?

TECH SPEC      

RELIANT SCIMITAR GTE SE5A ENGINE: 2994cc, V6 POWER: 138bhp TOP SPEED: 123mph 0-60MPH: 8.9 secs ECONOMY: 24.2mpg GEARBOX: 4-spd, man BUY ONE FOR:£3000-£10,000

LANCIA BETA HPE

ENGINE: 1995cc, 4-cyl POWER: 119bhp TOP SPEED: 116mph 0-60MPH: 10.6 secs ECONOMY: 23.5mpg GEARBOX: 5-spd, man BUY ONE FOR:£8000-£12,000

LANCIA BETA HPE

The Beta HPE – later just Lancia HPE – was one of a series of sporting models to use Beta mechanicals under a new body. It bore perhaps the closest resemblance to the Beta Coupe, whose front end and doors were matched to the longer wheelbase of the Beta saloon platform. The idea was to capture some of the executive market from the likes of Volvo and Reliant, selling to people who wanted a personal car but without compromising practicality.

HPE stood for High Performance Estate at launch in March 1975, when the car was offered with 1.6- and 1.8-litre powerplants. New engines followed in November, in 1.6and 2.0-litre sizes. Automatic transmission and power steering joined the options list for 1978, while in ’79 we were informed that the initials now stood for High Powered Executive. Fuelinjection was offered on the 2.0 from 1981, and in ’84 a Volumex supercharged option became available. The latter would be short-lived, however, as Beta production would cease that year.

So, why do you want one? For a start, the Beta chassis is rather good; front-wheel drive it may be, but that doesn’t stop it from being entertaining and – in 2.0 form at least – quite quick. It’s also the most practical of the cars here, with a low loading lip and real space in the back seat. The Fiat-derived twin-cam engine is an absolute honey in the Beta and is both easy to maintain and blessed with good spares availability, to say nothing of its fuel efficiency. This Lancia is also the rarest car here by some margin, not helped by Lancia’s rust reputation of the mid-1970s.

It’ll take £12,000 to buy the best Volumex in the country today, and around £8000 for a really nice naturally-aspirated HPE. It may be harder to find panels for than the other two, but look at the package: the Beta coupe’s low-slung driving position combined with the saloon’s softer ride, a practical hatchback and a style all of its own. This is the sporting Italian that you not only covet but can justify as sensible family transport if you so wish. And unless you’re at an Italian car show, you’ll never park next to another example.

VOLVO 1800ES

It seems odd that Volvo, having earned its reputation on the strength of its estate cars, saved the most practical variant of the P1800 until last. But then, it took the Reliant Scimitar to invent the genre, and Volvo recognised this was a bandwagon worthy of additional riders. Effectively, it took the by then decade-old P1800 and replaced that swoopy Simon Templar roofline with slim pillars and plenty of glass, creating a shape that Volvo would return to in subsequent decades with the 480ES and the C30.

While it’s perhaps not as sporting as a Scimitar, owing to mechanical parts lifted from the Volvo ‘Amazon’ and a driving experience that feels like a heavily revised 123GT as a result, it’s still an entertaining thing to motor about in. Disc brakes all around mean it’s a sharp stopper, and the fuel-injected engine offers poke beyond what you’d expect of just 2.0 litres. The Volvo Owners’ Club and Volvo Enthusiasts’ Club will make running an 1800 easy enough too, given that the mechanical components are widely shared with the standard saloon and estate car ranges.

By buying an 1800ES, you guarantee rarity and turning heads – more of both than the Scimitar, and while the Beta may be rarer it’s also of an era that fewer people outside the classic car world regard as special. Everyone knows ‘The Saint Volvo’ , and by buying an 1800ES you can enjoy the very last, most developed model in that illustrious line.

The drawback is that it’s the most expensive car of our trio, with the very nicest examples selling now for somewhere in the region of £26,000. But with the best P1800 coupes commanding considerably north of £30,000, the ES offers Volvo enthusiasts a way to have their cake and eat it, by giving the most usable and up-to-date 1800 the greatest level of practicality and the lowest price. And P1800-based cars are hot property, having tripled in value in the last decade and showing no sign of stopping here. If you’re canny and you’re quick, the 1800ES might just seem like a little bargain.

TECH SPEC      

VOLVO 1800ES

ENGINE: 1986cc, 4-cyl POWER: 112bhp TOP SPEED: 116mph 0-60MPH: 11.3 secs ECONOMY: 26.7mpg GEARBOX: 4-spd, man + o/d BUY ONE FOR:£20,000-£26,000