Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 i Classic Car Mart

Welcome… CHAUFFEUR DUTY We’re not exactly known for our formal wear at CCM but putting this issue to press coincided with frantic hunting for a suitable tie following a panicked call from a friend late on Friday. Could I drive the car for his daughter’s wedding tomorrow? The happy couple had always been keen on classic VWs and the bride had originally had her heart set on arriving in a split-screen bus – at least, that is until she discovered the cost of classic camper van rentals. Our Bentley project car was lined up as a backup plan, until one of our party on an evening mountain bike ride casually mentioned that he owned a ’69 Beetle and would be it be any help. The only snag was that family…

ENTRIES OPEN FOR NEC PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP Enthusiasts are now being invited to the enter their classic into this year’s Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership, which is set to return to the halls of Birmingham’s NEC for the first time since 2019. The hugely popular competition will see 16 privately-owned cars battle for visitors’ votes as part of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, on November 12-14. Show director Lee Masters said: “To keep our visitors and owners safe, this year’s final has been capped at 16 cars with a walkway through the stand so that people can view the cars without the need to get too close to others. This means the competition is fiercer than ever for 2021.” In contrast to a regular concours competition, judges…

AUCTION NEWS REVIEW: ANGLIA CAR AUCTIONS, ONLINE, AUGUST 28-29 Anglia Car Auctions’ fourth sale of the year saw a far-ranging mix of classics and memorabilia go under the hammer on August 28-29, and despite the distractions of the Bank Holiday weekend, it proved to be very successful. As we went to press, 220 of the 258 entries had found new owners, making for an impressive 86 per cent sale rate. The sale was particularly notable for German prestige, with 23 Mercedes included. A remarkable 19 were snapped up, with the standout – a 1982 C123 280CE automatic – beating its £12,000-£14,000 estimate to reach £16,200. A wide section of BMWs also went under the hammer, but it was the E30 variants that performed best. A pair of Cabriolets in the…

MARKET TRENDS MORRIS MINOR With prices of some of its contemporaries having increased quite dramatically, the ubiquitous Minor offers seriously good value in today’s market There was a time when buying a Morris Minor saloon meant spending a bit more compared with some of its in-period rivals. Back in the 1980s, an excellent Minor would have been slightly dearer than a Ford Anglia 105E in the same condition; but the tables are now turned, with Fords of the ’60s having seen dramatic increases in value over the last decade or so, while saloon versions of the Minor remain relatively static price-wise. This doesn’t apply to all versions of the Issigonis-designed Morris, of course, as rarer versions will always attract a premium price tag, including some of the less commonplace saloons.…

LIVING WITH THE BENTLEY TURBO R PROJECT BLOWER As lockdown-inspired projects go, they don’t come more ambitious than a sight-unseen Bentley Turbo R. We took the plunge so you don’t have to. Words: Paul Wager Over the years every bit of advice I’ve ever given in print or received from a specialist concerning the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit and its Bentley Mulsanne is that in order to avoid a potential money pit of nightmarish proportions, it’s essential to have a professional assessment before purchase. These cars may appear conventional in many ways but Crewe very much ploughed their own furrow when it came to the detail engineering and it’s the hidden faults which will trip you up financially and which mean the modest cost of a specialist inspection can often be…

ENDANGERED SPECIES: SPORTY SEATS RETRO CARS THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE The first SEAT models developed under VW leadership took quite a bit of influence from the German brand, including those three little letters. Words: Craig Cheetham GTI. Gran Turismo Injection. Three letters that defined (and continue to define) a very special and very particular kind of car. They’ve been with us since 1976, first used by Volkswagen on the legendary Mk1 Golf. But they’ve popped up a few times since on other brands, including those owned by VW itself. The German company took an interest in SEAT in the early 1980s, when it began to sever its ties with Fiat – a relationship that had become rocky since the fall of Franco’s dictatorship in 1976. No longer did…

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CHECK OUT LOADS MORE NEWS AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK PLUGS&LEADS NOW’S THE TIME TO BUY With values for used cars in general currently sky-high and the classic market enjoying a significant purple patch during the pandemic, some folk could be forgiven for thinking that owning a historic vehicle is little more than a pipe dream. Barely a week goes by without a classic springing a surprise at auction, commanding a fee well in excess of any pre-sale estimates. However, as the market rushes towards modern classics, more traditional models have emerged as cost-effective routes into the scene. Currently, the vogue seems to be very much with cars from the 1980s, 1990s and even 2000s, with shifting nostalgia associated with a younger demographic likely to one of the key factors in fuelling a substantial…

CHECK OUT LOADS MORE NEWS AT WWW.CLASSICSWORLD.CO.UK STUDY REVEALS E10 UPGRADE COSTS A new report suggests that upgrading every classic car in the UK to become compatible with E10 unleaded fuel will cost almost £300 per car on average – or as much as £178m in total. That is according to a new study from comparison site GoCompare, which defines a classic car as over 25 years old and has based its research on a1963 Jaguar E Type, 1973 Mini Mk3, a 1983 Ford Capri Mk3 and a 1993 Mazda MX-5. These were chosen because they’re reckoned to represent the top-selling classic cars across four decades, with each vehicle’s engine capacity, mpg and average annual mileage reviewed. The study’s figures are based on a RAC estimate of 600,000 affected vehicles,…

£200k MORGAN LAUNCHED The classic looks remain, but these days the Morgan Plus Four is based on the Malvern firm’s new bonded aluminium ‘CX’ platform. And now, a limited-edition off-road version has been announced. The Plus Four CX-T is inspired by Morgan’s history of competing in all-terrain endurance trials. It’s been jointly engineered with Rally Raid UK, renowned creator of Dakar race cars, and just eight will be built in full overland specification. The standard two-wheel-drive Plus Four chassis and powertrain remains, but it adopts a BMW xDrive electronic differential with three driving modes. Ground clearance is up from 120mm to 230mm, with modified Plus Six suspension arms and bushes, bigger wheels and tyres and EXE-TC coil-over suspension units. The CX-T also features a composite hard-top with an external roll…

REVIEW: BRIGHTWELLS, TIMED ONLINE, AUGUST 5 Brightwells’ format of pre-sale viewing paired with online bidding looks to become a permanent way of operating and it’s something which works well. The August sale saw a varied collection of lots assembled at its Herefordshire premises, ranging from the usual selection of Land Rovers to JDM curiosities, American motorhomes and a big selection of more familiar classics. Among our favourites were a tidy-looking Aston Martin DB7 which ended at £16,409 including fees and the feisty Honda Beat which cost its new owner £2968, while the surprise of the sale was the nicely presented Mercedes E320 convertible which was expected to fetch around £10,000 but which made an astonishing £27,412 with the buyer’s premium. Another of our favourites was the timewarp Rover 213 (see…

CLASSIC ROAD TEST: PORSCHE 924 TURBO BOOSTING APPEAL The 924 Turbo took the entry-level Porsche closer to the legendary 911. How does it stack up today? WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: SAM SKELTON It almost seems like a redundant concept; for Porsche to produce a car with 911 levels of performance at a near 911 price, that wasn’t a 911. Doesn’t it? And today on the classic market, the concept seems equally redundant owing to the existence of Porsche’s later 2.5-litre 924S. But to dismiss the 924 Turbo as an irrelevance would be a catastrophic error. The story of the Porsche 924 begins in 1965, with the Volkswagen-Porsche 914. This model was a joint venture between the two companies, with each having its own variant. This relationship worked well, albeit with some…

ROUND UP: 1970s SIX-CYLINDER GTS SIX PACK Back in the Seventies, an extra pair of cylinders set you apart from the masses. We consider some stylish six-cylinder GTs. WORDS: SAM SKELTON Some cars evoke places, some evoke times and some evoke memories. And the concept of the six cylinder 1970s GT is a potent one – it was the everyman’s dream car, the aspiration which one day could be met, the car which brought to mind evenings with an attractive partner and Roxy Music’s Flesh and Blood album on the turntable. Bryan Ferry may have sung of being Over You, but you were never over the GT dream. Be honest. Who doesn’t want a six-cylinder GT car in their lives? And we’ve chosen nine of the best, from 2+2s to…

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. 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…

RETRO RIVALS: BMW X5 v RANGE ROVER P38A RETRO CARS FIT FOR PURPOSE When BMW acquired Land Rover, it was with an eye to creating its own SUV, but the P38a Range Rover was the first to be launched under BMW ownership. How do the pair compare as modern classics today? Words: Paul Wager The story of BMW’s brief and ultimately ill-fated excursion into volume British car making has been well documented, but while concentrating on the Rover 75 and ill-judged speeches by Bernd Pischetsrieder, auto industry writers almost entirely ignore the Land Rover side of the story. To reduce the importance of the Solihull subsidiary to a mere footnote however is to do Land Rover a great injustice. Although hampered similarly to the Rover cars business by decades of…

TAILGATE BRUM BREATHES? Peter Simpson reckons Birmingham’s CAZ needs better signposting Back in the summer holidays, we had a family day out in Birmingham. An unusual choice? Nope, there’s actually a lot to see and do, and my son had been badgering us for a return trip to the Sea Life Centre since our last visit a couple of years ago, so with tickets booked I went online to see how long to allow for the journey. On doing this I was somewhat surprised to be alerted to a ‘toll charge.’ At first I thought Bing was suggesting we use the M6 Toll. Nope, a Google search confirmed that the charge applied to our destination rather than our route and Birmingham City Centre is now covered by a Clean Air…

Classic Crossword 189 Clues Across 1 See 7 across 7 & 1 across Estate version of the R21 (7,7) 9 People carrier based on the Citroen Xsara (7) 10 Legendary designer Virgil (5) 11 As scarce as the Aston Martin DB5 shooting brake (4) 12 Company initials on the front of the DeLorean (3) 14 Definitive Jaguars which debuted in 1961 (1-5) 15 Mimosa _, sole colour offered on the Dolomite Sprint, originally (6) 19 & 20 across A GT from the Rivolta stable (3,4) 20 See 19 across 21 This late 1950s Ford brand was a spectacular flop (5) 23 An improved version of the Lotus Europa that arrived in 1972 (7) 24 Grand tourer made in Thames Ditton (2,5) 25 _ doors, distinctive feature of the Lamborghini Diablo…

SPARES DAY MOVES The MG & Triumph Spares Day, originally scheduled for February and subsequently last Sunday, has been moved to January 23, 2022. Held at the new venue of the Telford International Centre, the event will include a wealth of traders, autojumblers and service providers showcasing their wares. It’s also the perfect place to meet like-minded hobbyists and pick up advice, hints, and tips from the people who know the ins and outs of these iconic British marques. Alongside will be displays from some of the UK’s largest MG and Triumph car clubs. In recent years, both trade and club exhibitors have had live restoration and maintenance tasks taking place on their stands, with next year promising even more action. Discounted online tickets are now available via www.mgandtriumphsparesday.co.uk.…

REVIEW: WB & SONS, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, AUGUST 7 Recently-established auction house WB & Sons followed up its May debut with only its second ever classic car auction on August 7. Taking place at its Killingworth base near Newcastle, the sale included 83 entries – double that of the May sale – ranging from pre-war cars to modern classics. The summer holiday date and the country continuing to open up was probably at the root of some sluggish bidding early on, but the sale enjoyed a strong finish. Fords did particularly well, with a rare Tickford Capri selling for almost £32,000 and a modified Mk2 four-door Escort reaching £13,000. One of our pre-sale favourites was an exceptional pre-facelift Mk2 Granada, and although it didn’t find a buyer on the day,…

TWIN TEST: CITROËN 2CV v RENAULT 4 FIELD WORK The Citroën 2CV’s closest rival in France was the Renault 4. But which car was better? We put a late 2CV up against a late 4GTL to find out. Words and photography: Sam Skelton The Citroën 2CV is so well-established as a shorthand for France that it’s inserted into almost any scene with the regularity of Breton stripes, garlic or a Routemaster bus in London. And with good reason: this clever little car was instrumental in mobilising France. But following the launch of the Renault 4, the 2CV’s popularity waned – and while it enjoyed a revival in the 1970s, sales were never again as strong as they had been before Renault waded in. Neither the Ami nor the Dyane reversed…

THE MARKETPLACE THE CARS THE BEGINNING DATABASE: FORD CORTINA (1962-1982) DATABASE: FORD CORTINA (1962-1982) Clever marketing and pragmatic engineering helped the Cortina to transform the UK car market. We chart its life and times. Words: Andrew Everett Mk1 SPECIFICATIONS It’s not that often that a car – one that became a major success story – came about as the result of a nose being put out of joint. But that’s what happened when Sir Patrick Hennessy, Chief Executive of Ford of Britain heard that Ford Germany was building a new small saloon that would not only be sold in the USA as a Beetle competitor but also sold in all of Ford’s European showrooms. This was the postwar era when not everything made in Germany was warmly welcomed and Dutch customers…

MARKET TRENDS RETRO CARS MAZDA MX-5 Has the Mk3 generation achieved investment status? Words: Joe Miller By 2004, the Mazda MX-5 was widely agreed to be the small roadster to own – a rear-driven chassis that was unintimidating to new players but engaging for keen drivers, bulletproof reliability and genuine everyday practicality. It did all this while remaining compact, pleasingly minimalist and affordable into its ‘NB’ second generation, but with the Mk2 essentially a heavily-facelifted Mk1, the platform was dated and due for replacement. The Mk3 MX-5 of 2005 was longer and wider than the Mk2 and the now more spacious interior gained more crash protection and airbags, as well as optional gadgets including traction control, satellite navigation and cruise control, not to mention an electronic folding hardtop roof. These…

STAFF CARS RETRO CARS STAFF CLASSICS It's more change on the fleet as we revisit some old projects, welcome some new members to the collection and look into staffers’ own garages. BMW 320Ci Paul Wager Since its last appearance in these pages, the BMW has now been promoted to daily use and since it had been stood largely idle for several months, I was expecting some problems to crop up. Experience has told us that the one thing modern cars hate is lack of use, but I had at least made the effort to warm the car up and drive it a few miles once a week and it seems to have paid off with no disasters so far. Before returning the 320Ci to daily use, one thing I wanted…

LIVING WITH THE HONDA CRX CIVIC DUTY We consider the charms of Honda’s go kart coupe. Words: Paul Wager, Jeff Ruggles We may be living in a period of almost unprecedented change in the automotive market, but it’s easy to forget that similar levels of technical upheaval happened back in the 1980s. The last MGB may have left Abingdon in 1980, but its end was inevitable in the face of the sheer practicality offered by the new generation of performance hatchbacks. Ultimately, the likes of the MGB GT were eclipsed by the talents of the Golf GTI and Escort XR3i to the point where their demise was inevitable. In focusing on the likes of the Golf and Escort though, it’s easy to forget that there was another new wave of…