Indholdsfortegnelse for 10/29/2025 i Classic Car Buyer

Hobbs Parker closed out its 2025 calendar of classic car auctions in successful fashion with a busy autumn sale on October 15-16. An impressive 143 lots found new homes, ranging from pre-war vehicles to modern classics. One of the main headliners was a 1964 230SL that had been treated to over £70,000-worth of restoration work, which therefore looked something of a bargain when it sold for £46,200. And staying with the prestige ethos, a 1995 Continental R was one of several Bentleys in the sale and changed hands for £19,580. Other top performers included a ‘Bugeye’ Subaru Impreza WRX-STi Prodrive from 2002, which had covered only 55,000 miles and sold for an impressive £28,160. Perhaps even more remarkable, meanwhile, was a 1982 E28-generation BMW 528i Automatic that had been laid…

The addictive chase of finding a project car rarely accounts for the reality of spending countless evenings and weekends trying to dismantle or assemble the remains of what was once a working vehicle. If you’ve dreamed of undertaking a restoration, but wondered whether it’s for you, then hopefully the following 10 soulsearching questions will help you decide. They’re not as cheesy as you may imagine and are intended to make you think about the level of commitment that’s required to see it through. 1. CAN I REALLY LEARN TO WELD? There’s more to welding than switching on the gas for a MIG and pointing the nozzle in the correct direction. Get it wrong and your weld can not only look like bird mess, but the heat generated can warp surrounding…

When it made its debut, the Rover P6 was the company’s most innovative and radical design yet. Created by an engineering team led by Spen King and Gordon Bashford, it was an ultra-modern, high-quality car that challenged convention in almost every way. Although not as radical as the engineers wanted it to be – for example, Bashford had said that he wanted hydro-pneumatic suspension and a boxer engine originally – it was created with a monocoque skeleton baseframe, to which all of the outer panels were simply bolted. Not only did the layout make the P6 easy to repair as damaged or corroded body panels could simply be unbolted and replaced, but it also made it a terrific car to drive. Indeed, the P6 remains a fairly modern feeling car…

A piece of British Leyland history is set to cross the block at Historics next month in the shape of a Triumph TR7 V8 Development Car. Registered HOJ 156W, this factory prototype was originally built by the Methods Build Department at Longbridge and played a key role in the evolution of the Triumph TR8. The car’s bodyshell was assembled and painted at the Speke factory in early 1976. It was then transported to the Longbridge factory for final assembly as a test vehicle. It was specifically set up for the American market, and was therefore a left-hand drive and had various emission control additions, including twin two-way catalytic converters. It even had air-conditioning! The car was then stored away at the Longbridge factory for some five years, avoiding the crusher,…

Findings from a major new survey conducted by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) confirm the historic vehicle movement is flourishing, and though ownership continues to be dominated by the older generation, there’s considerable support from the wider UK public – many of them aged under 35. The National Historic Vehicle Survey (NHVS) broadly takes place every five years, with most recent based on data collected in 2019. The survey is important because it provides robust insights into the historic vehicle sector, which can be used to inform Westminster of its importance to the nation – crucial at a time of potential uncertainty surrounding the Budget and VED exemption. This year’s survey was conducted by Turquoise Thinking and garnered an impressive 19,943 responses from owners, enthusiasts, the trade,…

VAUXHALL CALIBRA (1989-1998) With a drag co-efficient of just 0.26, the Vauxhall Calibra held the record of being the world’s most aerodynamic production car for over 10 years, until it was knocked off its perch by the Audi A2 and Honda Insight in 1999. Pub quiz facts aside, though, the Calibra was also extremely pretty. Based on the running gear of the Cavalier, it was styled by legendary GM designer Wayne Cherry and was brilliantly well-received, injecting new life into the coupé market at a time it was rapidly retracting. While it may have looked exotic, under the skin it wasn’t so. Indeed, it was standard Vauxhall Cavalier fare – not that that’s a bad thing, as it meant the Calibra was tremendously reliable and also simplicity itself to maintain,…

MIG WELDER Rust is inevitable with restoring any old car, so needing to weld is just as predictable, even if it’s just minor repairs rather than full blown bodywork. We recommend investing in a MIG welder that uses a gas cylinder instead of the so-called gasless welders that use self shielding MIG wire because they can weld steel that’s thinner than 1.2 mm and don’t need quite so much ventilation. Check the amp rating of the welder; 90 amps is usually suitable for sheet metal up to 2 mm thick. Check also whether it can be plugged into a standard 13-amp domestic three-pin socket in your garage or workshop. You may need to uprate the supply to 32 amps and use a round blue plug which would mean calling on…

This scene of parked cars at the headquarters of Thorn Electrical in Westminster, London, was supposedly taken in around 1955. Now you’ll have to excuse the poor strip lighting, but we can see enough to suggest that date is too early – the Ford Consul on the left is a Mk2 car, which didn’t get released until 1956, and there’s a Mk1 Jaguar parked next to it, of which the earliest cars would have been brand new in ’55. Besides, there’s further evidence. The Farina-bodied example of what looks to be an Austin Cambridge was a 1959 release, and there’s another casually parked example of one of Ford’s ‘Three Graces’ – this time what appears to be a Zodiac – at the far end. There’s also a saloon car third…

The NSU Prinz was the Neckarsulm company’s answer to the Volkswagen Beetle, long before the two companies had been brought together under the Volkswagen-Audi banner. The original model was awkward and gawky, and didn’t really achieve much success, but the Prinz 4, launched in 1961, was a much more convincing machine, with the looks of a scaled down Chevrolet Corvair (sound familiar?) and a layout to match – rear-engined and air-cooled. The two-pot engine was derived from that of the company’s motorcycles and liked to rev, but performance wasn’t particularly impressive. Nevertheless, it was well made for an economy car and enjoyed a 12-year production run, only ceasing sales following VW’s acquisition of NSU. After that, it continued in other markets, being sold in Yugoslavia as the Prettis and Egypt…

Bentley has paid homage to milestone anniversaries for three of its most significant four-door saloons by introducing a trio of bespoke Flying Spurs, each built by its Mulliner department in tribute to its past masters. The 1965 T Series, Bentley’s first monocoque sedan, heralded a new era of engineering and design. The example in the Bentley’s 50-strong Heritage Collection was the first ever production T Series and has recently been restored to its original Shell Grey exterior finish with a blue leather and Burr Walnut interior. That’s been echoed by a bespoke Flying Spur Azure, which features blue leather and an exterior hue remarsteed by Bentley’s paint shop from the original 1965 shade. Forty years on, the 1985 Turbo R combined a turbocharged engine with chassis improvements that triggered Bentley’s…

Iconic Auctioneers’ next live sales will be among the highlights of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show from November 7-9, with two separate auctions set to take place. The Iconic Sale will take place on the Saturday of the three-day show, and will feature the higher-end collectors’ and competition cars, while the Classic Sale on Sunday caters more for the enthusiasts’ market. We’ll bring you a preview of the Iconic sale next week, but for now, we’re focusing on the Classic Sale Some 185 entries are set to be included, with some intriguing low-mileage entries among them. We’ll start with a late 1980 MGB roadster, which has covered just 21,707 miles and is guided at £10,000-£12,000. Elsewhere, you’ll a find a 2000 Land Rover Discovery V8 showing a mere 23,278…

If you’re making money out of restoring classic cars then you’re not doing it right,” says car collector extraordinaire Jay Leno in one of his Jay’s Garage episodes, and it’s a sentiment you’ll hear paraphrased all over the classic car world. To put it simply, taking a rusty wreck and turning it into a shiny, useable car takes much more than skill and the right tools: it takes enormous quantities of hard work and time. If you’re doing it commercially then it’s a cost you’ll have to pass on, but if you’re doing it yourself, beavering away in a shed or garage and learning as you go, then there are huge cost savings to be had. Just like TV’s Grand Designs though, it’s probably wise to double the budget and…

These days, MIG (Metal Inert Gas) and TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding are the most commonly used in classic car restoration, with MIG being the more common DIY setup. MIG is best for structural work such as repairing/renewing underbody chassis members, floorpans, sills and so on, where you’re generally dealing with thicker-grade steel, and strength is most important. TIG is a softer and more controllable weld, and as such it’s best used for cosmetic work such as letting repair sections into rusty outer panels. The good news though, is that TIG and MIG welders are now cheaper in real terms than they’ve ever been and even an entry-level machine will, if used correctly, join metal every bit as well as one costing five or six times that, but probably wouldn’t…

Arear-engined saloon was nothing new for Renault when the R8 appeared in 1962 – it was the replacement for the hugely successful Dauphine, which itself had come after the 4CV, both of which had the engine in the rump. It’s no surprise, then, given the brand’s experience, that it’s the most advanced car of this trio – indeed, the R8 was an innovator, being one of the first production cars to be fitted with disc brakes all-round, straight from the factory. Led by chief designer Philippe Charbonneaux, the angular design was modern and well-packaged, with a surprisingly spacious interior and excellent visibility. It was powered by an all-new 44bhp 956cc four-cylinder engine. Known as the “Sierra” or “Cléon-Fonte” engine, it was water-cooled and had a five-bearing crankshaft. Durable and reliable,…

Born out of fierce disputes in the boardroom, the Jensen Interceptor endured a troubled beginning. Yet despite its rocky start – and the financial turbulence that would later engulf Jensen itself – the car went on to cement its place as one of Britain’s most admired grand tourers, remembered fondly long after the company’s decline. At the heart of those early disagreements was its striking silhouette. Originally styled by Carrozzeria Touring and later refined by Vignale, the Interceptor’s dramatic profile – complete with that unmistakable glass tailgate – proved as divisive in period as it is adored today. But the appeal wasn’t just skin-deep; beneath those bold lines lay mechanicals that gave the car real substance. Much of the running gear was carried over from the outgoing C-V8, including a…