Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i Classic Car Mart

Welcome… LATERAL THINKING Every industry has been impacted by the pandemic in different ways and although we wouldn’t claim to regard outselves as working anywhere near any kind of front line, we have had to adapt to a new way of working in the way we gather material for our magazines. This month’s conundrum has been the challenge of performing tracking photography, the art of getting a sharp image of a car at speed from another vehicle either in front or behind. The traditional means of achieving this naturally involves the photographer shooting from a second car while someone else handles the tricky bsuiness of driving… but to the relief of everybody involved, none of us on the CCM team share the same household, the obligation to maintain a suitable…

Classic Crossword 182 Clues Across 7 His design firm styled the Alfa Romeo Montreal (6,7) 8 A Blue Oval model from the 1960s (4,7) 9 Lancia range discontinued in 1984 (5) 11 Italian makers of the Amica (5) 14 The marque behind the TD21 (5) 15 A serving of ice cream on the bonnet of the Jensen FF? (5) 18 Long-running Volkswagen van series (11) 20 South Korean saloon released in 1991 (7,6) Clues Down 1 Tyre type fitted to the Porsche 959 (3-4) 2 The Chevette was among those to use this GM platform (1-3) 3 See 17 down 4 America’s Motor City (7) 5 A name used by both Bugatti and Austin (8) 6 First name of Citroen’s founder (5) 10 Bentley model released in 1980 (8) 12…

NEW TR7 PANEL PRESSED The project undertaken by the TR Drivers’ Club and the TR Spares Development Fund to remanufacture the complicated TR7/8 headlamp panel has now reached fruition after two years of work. If the panel attracts enough demand, the chosen partner for the project, Ex-Pressed Steel Panels, will put it back into full production and the TRDC/TR SDF spares team can then start planning for the next TR7 panel project. However, if there is insufficient support, plans to resurrect more unavailable panels such as front wings, outer sills and offside door skins will be curtailed. Sadly, the original TR7 press tools were scrapped a couple of years ago. The inaugural batch of 10 units of the headlamp panel (WKC4077) is now available. Five have been retained in bare…

TWIN TEST: Porsche Boxster v Honda S2000 STOP MAKING SENSE We try to decide between two very different ways of creating a 150mph modern classic roadster. WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL WAGER On the face of it, here we have two very similar propositions: both two-seater sports cars, both packing over 200bhp and both with the potential to crack 150mph. The practical reality though is that in many ways they couldn’t be more different both in their background and in the way they go about getting to that magical ton-and-a-half: one was a calculated attempt to extend the appeal of the Porsche brand downwards into a more affordable market, while the other was Honda’s single-minded celebration of its engineering prowess. Despite that though, it’s a fair bet that anyone looking for…

NEW BOOKAZINE SERIES! CELEBRATING THE BEST OF BRITISH CARS BRITISH ICONS Inside each issue we reflect on the golden age of motoring, BRITISH ICONS provides insight to some of the UK’s most iconic classic cars: from the likes of the Range Rover (itself celebrating 50 years in 2020), the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, the Jaguar E-type and MGA, BRITISH ICONS will profile the very best of classic motoring. SUBSCRIBE TO THE SERIES 1 YEAR JUST £28.77 SINGLE ISSUE JUST £8.99 SHOP TODAY: visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/BIC or call: 01959 543 747 and quote BIC LINES OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY 8.30AM – 5.30PM. CALLS ARE CHARGED AT YOUR STANDARD NETWORK RATE Full terms and conditions can be found at shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. O_ er applies to UK subscribers only when paying by direct debit. Your…

BUYING GUIDE: SAAB 9-5 RETRO CARS FLYING HIGH The Saab 9-5 is gradually shifting from bargain used car to rare modern classic, so could now be the time to buy? Aaron McKay The 9-5 was a key part of Saab’s plotted ascension to the volume manufacturer it had to be in the modern era, and as part of giant General Motors. It was a remarkably successful car, especially in North America, taking a meaningful slice out of the market that Audi was busy scooping up in the 1990s. The estate was popular too. Introduced in 1997, the 9-5 would remain on sale until 2010 when its long-awaited successor came along. Saab itself wouldn’t survive much longer, shutting its doors in 2012. What that’s meant for some considerable time since is that…

Price guide 1980-2000 Our Condition ratings CONDITION 1 First class, well cared for. Not ‘Concours’ (for which prices are higher). CONDITION 2 Good condition, with legitimate MoT and on the road. May require some work. CONDITION 3 In need of work, usually major. Values and models newly updated for 2021! IMPORTANT NOTES 1 The Classic Car Mart Price Guide is compiled by reference to a wide variety of sources, including clubs, auction results and advertisements, both printed and online. It is impossible for anyone to accurately value a specific vehicle without first examining the car. 2 These listings are intended to provide a useful guide only. Asking prices can vary widely between different examples of the same model. The optimism of the seller can be a major factor. 3 Our…

CHECK OUT LOADS MORE NEWS AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK PLUGS&LEADS VAT THREAT TO CLASSIC IMPORTS New rules in the Brexit agreement will see classic cars imported from the European Union to the UK remaining duty-free but they will now face an additional five per cent charge. Previously, cars that crossed the Channel did so with no duty or VAT added while the UK was still part of the EU. Boris Johnson announced the long-awaited Brexit deal on December 24, saying that he had given colleagues something for Christmas that they would be able to read in that post lunch lull. With the UK preparing to leave at 11PM only seven days later, there was lots of pressure from car manufacturers and importers to avoid a 10 per cent duty charge on brand…

CLASSIC RENAULTS TO BE REINVENTED? Renault could reinvent classic models like the R4 as electric cars to turn its fortunes around, according to reports. New boss Luca de Meo, who was given the top job at the troubled French giant last year, has been working on a new business plan to boost sales and reposition the firm. Renault has already announced €2bn in cost savings and job cuts in its bid to improve margins and boost the group’s performance in an auto market hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Reuters, citing two sources, states that de Meo’s turnaround plan will lean on Renault’s French heritage by reviving at least two classic nameplates. They are set to include an electric reinvention of the legendary R4, launched 50 years ago this year.…

MARKET TRENDS BMW E36 Tracking the values of the third generation 3-Series. Words: Aaron McKay BMW enthusiasts have always known that the E36 was a bit of a gem in the timeline of 3-Series models, somewhat better balanced than the previous E30 and in some ways sharper than the E46 that replaced it. The M3s are another thing entirely, but when it comes to an affordable BMW driving experience with enough practicality to make it your only car, the E36 3-Series has been very popular. Over the past few years it has grown into a genuine modern classic, and values have reflected this. Unsurprisingly it’s the higher performance models that have led value rises lately. At the top of the tree is the M3. These were very expensive new: in…

THE MARKETPLACE THE CARS THE BEGINNING DATABASE MERCEDES SL R107 1971-1989 Half a century after it was first unveiled, the R107 generation of Mercedes SL still makes a case for itself as a usable and glamorous classic. We chart its life and times. Words: Paul Wager The story of Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Sport Licht’ range may have begun many years before with the 1954 300SL and continues to this day, but the car which would spring to mind for most people asked to identify an SL would be the 1971-1989 ‘R107’ generation. The original gullwinged 300SL had been an exotic creation built with motorsport in mind and the outwardly similar-looking 190SL had built on the 300’s halo appeal sufficiently for the company to introduce a more mainstream model in 1963 in the shape of…

RETRO RIVALS: FORD PUMA v VW GOLF GTI RETRO CARS GIANT KILLER Ford surprised the world with its new-found verve when it launched the Puma. Two decades later, is it the equal of the contemporary GTI? On paper, this doesn’t look like a fair fight. On the one hand, you’ve got the Mk4 Volkswagen Golf GTI – the sturdy, family-sized bastion of dependability, while in the other there’s the Ford Puma – a small couple often lambasted for being little more than a funked-up Fiesta. And yet, there are now similarities aplenty as both these cars enter their 24th year. Both offer more than the sum of their parts, one in terms of longevity, the other in terms of smiles per mile. What’s more, both are just about at the bottom…

SALES SPOTLIGHT DAIMLER DOUBLE SIX There’s something about a V12 Jaguar that feels special, a sense of occasion you can’t quite put your finger on. For many, the car that best embodies how enticing V12 Jaguars can be is the Series 3 XJ and what we have here is such a car in rangetopping Daimler Double Six guise. Despite the XJ40 having been launched in 1986, the newer car would have to wait until its 1993 facelift to accept the V12 powerplant and so the Series 3 continued until 1992 in both Jaguar and Daimler guises to bridge the gap. Series 3s were once cheap and many were neglected as they fell into the wrong hands, so the example we have here, currently in stock at at Arun Cars is…

SALES SPOTLIGHT PONTIAC TRANS AM A “nice bit of KITT” was the pun-laden response from a colleague on seeing a photo of this Pontiac and for many the third-generation Trans Am will forever be associated with the iconic Knight Industries Two Thousand talking car which stole the limelight from The Hoff throughout the ’80s in the Knight Rider TV series. Sharing its ‘F Body’ platform with the Chevrolet Camaro, the third-generation Firebird appeared in 1982 and although perhaps crude by European standards represented GM attempting to make a leap into a more efficient, technology-driven age. Some 230kg lighter than the outgoing model, it was also more aerodynamic and promised both performance and economy advantages. Taking its name from the American sports car motorsport series the Trans-American Championship, the Trans Am…

CHECK OUT LOADS MORE NEWS AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK BULLDOG SET FOR 200MPH RUN Aston Martin factory driver, Darren Turner, is set to attempt a 200mph run in the Aston Martin Bulldog concept car 40 years after it was first tried. The Bulldog, styled by William Towns, is a oneoff concept created in 1980 to showcase Aston’s engineering prowess. The firm hoped it would achieve 200mph, making it the fastest production car of its time. The car was just 9mph short when tested at MIRA, but Victor Gauntlett shelved the project due to financial reasons when he became chairman of AML in 1981. Last year the famous car was given to Classic Motor Cars in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, to carry out an 18-month nut and bolt restoration. Overseeing the restoration on behalf of…

BRITS COULD ESCAPE EU FINES British drivers caught in their classic by speed cameras in European Union countries are unlikely to face penalties following the UK’s departure from the EU, with information sharing agreements ending due to Brexit. Introduced in 2015, the Cross Border Enforcement directive meant authorities in EU countries could pursue drivers for motoring offences, as long as their car was registered in a European Union country. More than 444,000 British motorists were fined for offences detected by cameras in France last year, more than Belgians with 295,899, Spanish drivers with 262,012 and Germans with 249,291. In 2019, we covered how classic car drivers returning from touring holidays had been hit with unexpected fines following a speed limit drop from 90kph to 80kph on countryside roads in France.…

AUCTION NEWS PREVIEW: BRIGHTWELLS, TIMED ONLINE, FEBRUARY 13-18 As we went to press, the catalogue was filling up nicely for Brightwells’ first sale of 2021 which retains the tried-and-tested timed online format. Opening lots are a pair of intriguing Mk1 MGB projects, the GT needing recommissioning and the roadster more extensive restoration work but both estimated at an affordable £3000-£4000 as enticing projects to see you on the road for summer. Needing less work and ready to drive away is an Oselli-tuned 1966 roadster offered at no reserve, while a fully restored ’77 roadster is estimated at £7000-£8000. For those preferring the Italian take on the MGB, a presentable Series 3 Alfa Spider comes with an estimate of £10,000-£15,000. More modern octagon-badged fare comes in the shape of an unusually…

CLASSIC ROAD TEST: JAGUAR XJ6 FINAL FLING As the world awaits an all-new electric XJ, we revisit the final days of the original in the shape of the last-ever XJ6. WORDS: PAUL GUINNESS PHOTOGRAPHY: MATT WOODS The March 1979 launch of a Series III version of the evergreen XJ was an important event for Jaguar. Thanks to a wide range of useful updates and more than a hint of modernisation, the XJ was suddenly all set for the ’80s, giving Jaguar’s long-running saloon range a competitive edge against an array of increasingly popular imported rivals. Needless to say, the Series III proved to be a big hit, remaining in production even after the launch of the all-new XJ40 generation in October 1986. The XJ12 Series III famously enjoyed an extended…

ROUND UP: TRIUMPH v MG SPORTS CARS IN FOR THE WIN As grudge matches go this one’s got the perfect outcome. That’s because with rival Triumph and MG sports cars there are only ever winners. WORDS: IAN CUSHWAY See it as a positive that for a long time these two classic marques have had a score to settle, a grudge match undoubtedly triggered by the launch of the Austin-Healey Sprite in 1958. It was a rivalry that bubbled menacingly throughout the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and continues right through to the present day in the world of classic cars. You see, a little competition proved a good thing for us petrolheads because it pushed the boundaries, ruled out complacency and made those cars much better than they might otherwise have…

ENDANGERED SPECIES: ‘90s HOT VAUXHALLS RETRO CARS BROKEN IMAGES Vauxhalls from the ‘Cool Britannia’ era rarely had a good press, not least because of their boy racer image. Well, that’s the past – and here’s to the future Words: Ian Cushway If you swaggered down the road miming the lyrics to Wonderwall, wept at the telly while singing ‘football’s coming home’ and tapped out messages on your Nokia 6110 in the era which spawned the Spice Girls, Harry Potter and Dale Winton then you were obviously around in the 1990s. And if you were, you might just remember some of these now rarely seen performance Vauxhalls. The first ‘hot’ Vauxhall was the Sixties Victor FB VX4/90. But after the Firenza and Chevette HS had finished terrorising the British roads (and race…

LIVING WITH THE JAGUAR XK8 RETRO CARS AFFORDABLE EXOTIC? A generation more modern than the XJS and with echoes of the E-Type, the Jaguar XK8 can be a surprisingly practical proposition. Words: Paul Wager A decade ago, a Jaguar XK8 would have been a rare sighting in Classic Car Mart, the car still only on the edges of the modern classic arena and late-model examples still to be seen on franchised dealer forecourts. Today though, it’s the later aluminium XK generation which is hovering on the modern classic fringes and the original ‘X100’ XK8 is readily accepted as a classic. Partly because of its age of course, but partly because the passage of time has revealed its significance to the Jaguar brand as the link between the dark days of the…

SALES SPOTLIGHT TRIUMPH VITESSE A Triumph TR-series sports car is all well and good until all your lobbying with the family works and suddenly they fancy a day out in the classic car. Fortunately Triumph anticipated this problem, because the Vitesse convertible offers the vintage open-air experience of a classic British sports car for four people at once. And you certainly don’t have to give up a sporty exhaust note. In fact it’s surprising how few others from the 1960s are able to solve this problem. The Vitesse is the same as the Herald except for one crucial factor: a six-cylinder engine up front that, in the case of our later Mk2 Vitesse, makes 104bhp from two litres. It’s plenty to haul the family up to that viewing spot as…

TAILGATE SPACE ODDITY That car all true petrolheads must really drive? Sam Skelton doesn’t think it’s an Alfa after all. It is a truth universally acknowledged in the world of motoring that every petrolhead must, at some stage in life, own an Alfa Romeo. Once that immortal phrase was uttered by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear, it took on a life of its own. One commentator online has suggested that this is because Alfa Romeo owners take on iffy reliability, poor build quality and design quirks willingly, as a sacrifice worth making in order to get something pretty with charm and history on its side. Some forum blather about how Alfas have the finest front wheel drive chassis in the world would probably sit nicely here too. But here’s the…