NEWS

Barn finds unearthed for Resto Show

lassics that are

Cnormally hidden from view in barns, garages, lock-ups and even on driveways will be unearthed for the first time in years and thrust into the limelight at Birmingham’s NEC on March 18-20.

Taking place as part of the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show with discovery+, the Carole Nash Barn Find display is one of the event’s highlights and always showcases a fantastic mix of vehicles. One entry sure to turn heads is a Mk3 Ford Cortina 1600, which was commissioned to resemble a GT but with a crossflow engine and a bench seat. Saved from being scrapped and last on the road in 1986, it was shipped in from British Guiana just a few weeks ago and is now in the hands of Mk3 Cortina specialist Pete Crompton from Cortina City.

This down-at-heel Cortina is a recent import from British Guiana.

It won’t be the only Ford though, as Mark Pinnigar’s bold 1972 Mk1 Escort Mexico – finished in Le Mans Green – is being hauled out of the garage after more than 20 years in storage. Mark attempted to start the restoration in 2000 but a house move and a serious work injury saw the work put on hold for more than two decades.

Also featuring is a rare 1975 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT 1.8 shell that has been stored in a barn for over 30 years, and a 1960 Morris Mini van that was discovered in the back of a field in 2011 and has been awaiting restoration ever since. They’re joined by Martin Jewell’s 1954 VW Beetle, which had been in and out of storage since the 1970s and has since been recommissioned with its patina intact.

In all, the show organisers are hoping to have up to 20 vehicles in all states of repair on display, plus a special feature where visitors can see some of the cars that were previously displayed and have subsequently been restored.

Tickets for the event are now on sale. For more information and to book tickets, visit necrestorationshow.com.

Mark Pinnigar’s 1972 Escort Mexico has been tucked away for over 20 years.

Brits at The Motorist

orth Yorkshire-

Nbased automotive venue The Motorist is hosting its first specialist car show of 2022 on Saturday, March 12. Dubbed the Brilliantly British event, it will be a celebration of British vehicles of all ages – from pre-war to modern classics. The event is open to both individuals and clubs, with The Motorist able to reserve spaces for those looking to park with friends and fellow members. British vehicle fans who don’t currently own anything UK-built are also welcome to attend. The cost is £5 per vehicle (including passengers) and the charge applies to all vehicle types and marques. Each will receive a free sticker when purchasing an entry ticket, which will be presented on the gate.

The Motorist is not only home to weekly car events throughout the year, but also has an on-site classic garage and showroom, plus there’s a new restaurant opening this spring. For further details, visit themotorist.com.

Rarities head to auction

ilverstone Auctions

Swill get its 2022 calendar under way this weekend (March 5-6) at a new venue – the RAF Museum, London. As you would expect of a Silverstone sale, the catalogue is chock full of high-end exotica, prestige saloons and ex-competition cars, but also features some intriguing former street furniture.

Hosted amongst an array of spectacular RAF exhibits will be a 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Super in rare right-hand drive flavour, showing a mere 31,700 miles backed up by oodles of paperwork. It comes to auction from a private collector of original lowmileage classics who has, for several years, supported the work of the Feedback Madagascar charity. Excluding active war zones, Madagascar is the poorest state in the world, and the whole hammer price plus commission will go towards helping the island’s communities.

Other variations on the ‘everyman’ theme in the sale include a 1991 Mini Cabriolet, one of the 75 prototype cars built by Lamm Autohaus ahead of the official launch of Rover’s own version in 1992. It’s covered a mere 12,500 miles and is estimated at £16,000£20,000.

Amongst Sunday’s entries is a 2006 Land Rover Defender 90 County, which has covered just over 20,000 miles and carries a guide price of £28,000£32,000. A 2002 Smart Crossblade, a 1966 Jaguar S-Type and a couple of Jaguar Mk2s are also estimated at the cheaper end of the scale; but with a whole host of potential sixfigure lots, we expect the sale to gross several million pounds. For the full catalogue, see silverstoneauctions. com.

promise this.”

The organisers are now looking to 2024 to host the next IMM in Germany. For details of this and the postponement of the 2022 event, go to imm2024.de.

M i n i m e e t p o s t p o n e d

he International

TMini Meeting (IMM), due to take place in Germany this May, has been postponed once again. The organisers issued a statement on social media, blaming ongoing uncertainty over Covid19 regulations: “Even if we received permission after March 20 to hold the event, the Bavarian government can still withdraw this right up until the day of the event. How can we plan an amazing IMM? We would love to celebrate and talk Mini with you, but we can’t

P100 camper hits the market

n unusual

Amotorhome built from new around a Cortina-derived Ford P100 pick-up and thought to be one of just two still surviving is being offered for sale privately. Registered with the DVLA as a Ford Motor Caravan, the 1.6-litre Pintoengined truck is thought to have been professionally converted by Riverside Motorhomes forty years ago.

There’s an MoT until July of this year, and although the odometer shows around 33,000 miles, the vendor assumes it’s on its second time around. New tyres have been fitted, along with new leisure and car batteries. The original mechanically-operated side awning still works, and the fully functioning oven, grill and hob have been serviced by a gas engineer. The motorhome comes complete with a working shower, portable toilet and hot water boiler.

The vehicle would probably benefit from some bodywork tidying but it’s said to be usable as it is. The asking price is £5750 and you can find out more by emailing the Lancashirebased seller, Sam, at samrae7367@yahoo.co.uk.

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County Councils Network highlights major reduction in road maintenance funding

County authorities could see a 40 per cent drop in local roads maintenance funding n estimated cut

Aof almost £500m in local roads maintenance funding during the next financial year could mean 11.5 million potholes going unrepaired in England, according to the County Councils Network (CCN) – despite the government’s commitment to tackling what it calls “the scourge of potholes”.

The analysis of indicative roads maintenance funding by the CCN reveals that county and rural councils outside England’s major cities and urban areas could receive £727m from April – a reduction of £480m on what they received two years ago.

The CCN says the reduction, based on an analysis of the government’s Spending Review document, means local authorities will have little choice but to scale back planned road maintenance works. Cllr Martin Hill, the organisation’s devolution

Electric expansion

unaz, the

LSilverstone-based specialist in classic car electrification, has released more build allocation to meet what it describes as “soaring demand” for its remastered models. The company plans to increase production capacity to 110 restored, re-engineered and electrified vehicles every year, representing a 50 per cent increase in total buildslots compared with 2020.

Recent expansion of its headquarters has given Lunaz a total production area of 130,000 square feet, making it the largest employer and manufacturer at Silverstone’s Technology Cluster. This increase in manufacturing footprint means Lunaz can meet increasing global demand for its electric classic cars.

The company offers an electrified line-up of some of Britain’s most revered classics, including the Range Rover, Bentley S-series Continental, Jaguar XK120-XK150, plus the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Phantom V/VI. It also recently added the Aston Martin DB6 to its range.

Prices start at £290,000 plus local taxes for a restored and electrified Range Rover Classic, rising to £950,000 plus tax for a re-engineered battery-electric version of the Aston Martin DB6. spokesperson, commented: “It is important that communities across the whole country receive levelling-up support. And with over 13,000 miles of roads in areas outside of the major city areas requiring maintenance, ensuring these roads are in good condition is vital.”

With county authorities potentially seeing a 40 per cent drop in local roads maintenance funding, the CCN says many of them will be “grappling with a clear public expectation that councils would continue to invest in their road network – but with significantly less money to do so.” In contrast, Mayoral Combined Authorities – which cover England’s major cities and urban areas – are to benefit from significant investment in road and transport infrastructure through a new dedicated £5.7bn fund over the next three years.

The funding reduction for areas outside of those major cities comes despite analysis by the CCN showing that 13,000 miles of road were in need of maintenance across 36 county areas last year –nine per cent of the total mileage in those places and five times the amount of England’s largest cities, including London.

The cut in funding to £727m marks a major reduction on 2020/21, when the first tranche of the pothole fund saw a total figure of £1.206bn for county and unitary councils outside of England’s major cities. According to the CCN, county authorities in south-west England could see the biggest reduction in funding over the period: £100.7m, the equivalent of 2.4 million potholes being filled. Counties in the south-east could lose £87.1m, while county local authorities in the east of England are in line to lose £71.4m.

With inflation adding an average of 7.8% to road maintenance costs alone, and with wider financial pressures facing county authorities, many will have little choice but to reduce investment. The CCN is calling for the government to either find additional resources to maintain their manifesto pledge, or reprioritise funding from other budgets, such as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, to ensure that county and unitary authorities outside England’s major cities don’t face disproportionate reductions in capital funding.

Cllr Martin Hill of the CCN explained: “Unless this reduction is reversed, and the government provides an urgent injection of resources to match the level it distributed in 2020/21, then we will have little choice but to cancel planned works. This would represent a major scaling back of our ambitions.”

NEWS & comment Road trip ideas

f this special issue

Iof CCB is inspiring you to start planning your next road trip, we’d highly recommend an impressive new book by Peter Simpson, the name behind the Gaydon-based Jaguar Breakfast Club. The Curved Road is a 168-page softback title that takes you through some of the UK’s most picturesque driving routes and scenic tours. It’s packed with great ideas for enjoyable road trips, many of them well away from the usual tourist trails.

Whether you’re planning a day out or a week on the road, you’ll find plenty of inspiration within these pages, covering vast swathes of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Complementing the descriptions of each destination are detailed step-by-step guides to the best route to take, listing each road number as well as points of interest along the way. There’s full-colour photography throughout, mostly featuring the author’s Jaguar Mk2. But what really sets this book apart from other guides are the individual watercolour maps, giving the reader a highly useful bonus feature. The author has gone out of his way (literally) to find routes that many road trip fans won’t know about.

With a thick-card cover and high-quality paper, as well as excellent reproduction throughout,

Classic Fords on track

he first Classic Ford

TTrack Evening of 2022 takes place at Cadwell Park on Wednesday, May 11, offering Ford owners an opportunity to hit the circuit and put their driving skills to the test – as well as seeing what their cars are capable of.

The evening will begin with registration and noise testing of the cars, followed by a drivers’ briefing, which will include circuit information and some useful coaching tips. The cost per car is £129, which includes one additional driver.

Lincolnshire-based Cadwell Park is a unique and challenging circuit, often referred to as the mini-Nürburgring due to its woodland sections and fantastic elevation changes. The circuit is almost 2.2 miles and features 18 corners. The venue will open at 3pm for the Classic Ford event, with track time finishing at 8pm. For more details or to book, go to classicsworld.co.uk/classicford-track-evening. it’s a book well worth its £19.95 cover price. As a special offer to CCB readers, however, the author is giving a 10% discount as well as free UK postage and packing (worth £2.70). To order a copy at £18.00 allin, send an email to leapingcatmedia@gmail. com in the first instance. Payment can be made by PayPal (using the same email address) or direct bank transfer.

New jobs at Aston Martin

ston Martin is set to

Acreate more than 100 jobs at its St Athan site in Wales, following the launch of its new DBX707 model, claimed to be the world’s most powerful luxury SUV. Production of this new addition to the DBX range – for which Aston Martin’s latest skilled technicians are required – is due to start within the next few weeks.

Tobias Moers, CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda, said: “Our DBX SUV is the first Welsh-built production car for nearly 50 years and these new positions are an opportunity to join a team delivering our truly incredible new DBX707 derivative, which is setting new benchmarks for performance in the luxury segment.”

Hosts wanted at Beaulieu

he National

TMotor Museum is searching for talented storytellers with a passion for bringing history to life, as it looks to recruit new visitor engagement hosts for 2022. Each new recruit will be asked to “bring their playful, idiosyncratic style to the role” as they welcome visitors, creating an interactive experience of bygone eras.

Visitor engagement hosts are expected to be flexible and versatile, with the confidence to take on new challenges, helping to entertain and inform visitors to the museum. The roles are interchangeable across the team, with such variety as playing a period-correct bus driver or conductor one day to narrating a Beaulieu vehicle parade the next.

The museum is also on the lookout for new front of house team members. To find out more about the various roles on offer, go to beaulieu.co.uk/recruitment.

5OF THE BEST Forgotten Italians

There have been plenty of brilliantly successful Italian cars, models that have either sold in huge numbers or gone on to achieve iconic status. And then there’ve been others that have sunk without a trace. So, let’s celebrate those Italian underdogs that failed to make it big.

Al Alfa fa R eo 90omeo

Launched in 1984 and running for three years, the Alfa 90 was a reworked version of the old Alfetta, updated via new outer panels for a more ’80s look. The 90 remained a niche model in the UK, where just the V6-engined Gold Cloverleaf was available, although the 90 range managed to find 46,000 buyers elsewhere. Lancia Kappa Coupe

Lancia stopped building right-hand drive cars in 1994, which explains why the Kappa was never sold in Britain. That was a particular shame once the Kappa Coupe was launched in ’97, as this was Lancia’s last ever coupe. By the time production ceased in 2000, just 3263 Kappa Coupes had found buyers –mostly in Italy. Fiat Argenta

When Fiat unveiled the Argenta in 1981, there was no disguising the fact that it was an updated version of the old 132 – a model that had proved a tough sell in Britain during the previous decade. Italian executive saloons (especially with Fiat badges) are rarely popular here, and the Argenta continued this tradition. Lancia Zeta

With MPVs being big news in the ’90s, Italy’s Fiat and France’s PSA joined forces and created the 1994on Fiat Ulysse, Citroen Synergie and Peugeot 806. But Fiat then went one step further by launching a Lancia version, complete with ‘chrome’ grille, luxury fittings and a list price 20 per cent higher than its sister models. Alfa Romeo Alfa 6

Another overlooked Italian is the 1979-86 Alfa 6, which came with V6 power – hence its name. Only the flagship 2.5-litre was available to British buyers, costing £12,500 by 1982, which put it on a par with the Granada 2.8i Ghia X and Rover 3500SE. The Alfa 6 quietly disappeared from UK price lists in 1984.