Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Classic Car Mart

42 We’ve been rather spoiled with the sheer amount of car programmes on TV in recent years, with many based on the idea of buying a classic, doing it up and flipping it on for a profit – entertaining for sure, but perhaps not always a true reflection of the perils and pitfalls of restoring a car. Which is why a recent episode of Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars was so notable. Sadly, the show has now reached its final series, but that did mean we got to see the culmination of its biggest restoration project – a1972 Jensen Interceptor once used as a press car. The work had taken four years to complete, and the results were spectacular. But the profit was nil. In fact, more than £20,000 was lost,…

The London Concours, which takes place at the Honourable Artillery Company on June 6-8, will be paying homage to the Porsche 911 RS on the Wednesday of the show – with 50 landmark examples on display, ranging from the seminal 2.7 RS through to the very latest hi-tech examples. The 2.7 RS was launched in 1972 to homologate the Carrera RSR racer. It was significantly lighter than the standard car, with featherweight body panels and a stripped-out interior giving it a kerb weight of just 960kg. With a 210bhp flat-six motor, the 2.7 RS could hit 152mph, reaching 60mph in just 5.8 seconds. A year later, the 3.0 RS arrived to homologate an evolved RSR racer for the ’74 season. While the 2.7 was stripped-out, the 230bhp 3.0 RS was…

Tom Karen OBE, the man behind such iconic designs as the Reliant Scimitar, the Bond Bug and the Raleigh Chopper bicycle, died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 96. He had lived in Britain since relocating from Czechoslovakia with his family in 1939. In a statement confirming Tom Karen’s death, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation – which runs the town’s museum and has been hosting an exhibition dedicated to the designer – called him a “true great.” Children of the ’70s will know Tom Karen best for the Raleigh Chopper bike, which sold a remarkable 1.5 million units. But it was his skill as an automotive designer that brought earlier success. When he joined Ford in 1955, his first project being to work on interior and trim designs…

On the face of it, the Fiat 126 had a tough gig. Not only did it have to follow in the footsteps of the legendary 'Nuova' 500, but it would also need to do so without the cutesy styling of its predecessor. And with the 500’s status further elevated by the modern, 2007-on car, the 126 is somewhat forgotten outside enthusiast circles – in the UK at least. But while the 126 never reached the 500’s popularity in western Europe, it would sell in greater numbers thanks to its unexpected role as the people’s car of Poland. Indeed, nearly three quarters of all the 126s built would be produced there, contributing to a production run a decade longer than the 500 could manage. Were all these buyers on to something…

Peoples’ cars in the late 1970s were something of a sorry lot. If you had under £2500 to spend on a car in 1979, your choices would consist of the Lada 1200, the Skoda 120LS, the FSO 125p, the Suzuki SC100 and the Fiat 126. In short, small or Soviet – cars too dinky for four, or in the eyes of some, a little too crude. There were, however, two exceptions – models that had forged themselves reputations over decades of service, and which offered entertaining driving characteristics, room for four and decent luggage space. The A-type Citroëns – specifically the £2072 2CV and the £2290 Dyane – had pretty much had this market sewn up until 1979. But that changed when a new entry level Mini, the City, sneaked…

There was no doubt that the fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz SL had a lot to live up to. The model line had already featured the beautiful 190 and 300 SL models in the ’50s, been brought into the modern era by the stunning W113 ‘Pagoda’ models available throughout much of the ‘60s and enjoyed 18 years of success with the iconic R107, which was produced from 1971 onwards. With such a legacy, Mercedes needed a new model that would retain the virtues of the SL yet bring it up to date at the same time – and with the R129, the Stuttgart giant managed it with aplomb. One of the biggest sensations at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1989, the new SL melded sharp styling with a technology overload. By this…

PRICE: £6995 Mercedes’ model naming system seems so logical – three digits for the engine capacity, a suffix denoting whether a car had fuel injection or was a diesel an estate or a ‘Sports Licht’ and, in more recent decades, a prefix denoting the ‘class’. But for such a simple system, Mercedes seems to have managed to stray from it quite regularly. Probably the most famous and prestigious example was the 300SEL 6.3 of the 1970s, which denoted the range-topping long-wheelbase SEL with a 6.3-litre V8 in place of the standard 3.0-litre straight-six. And 20 years later, at the very other end of the range, came the 190E 1.8. The 190E was already stretching the naming system a bit, since the standard model used the same 1997cc engine that was…

By the time this issue of Classic Car Mart hits the shops, we’ll be almost three years on from the first official UK lockdown caused by Covid-19. I remember it vividly, as Boris Johnson’s evening announcement of the following day’s lockdown happened to coincide with the eve of my birthday. And as someone who gains pleasure from spending time in a local pub or two (or several), it immediately put the scuppers on any plans I had for the following day. An interesting pandemic twist was, of course, a shortage of new cars, something that’s still an issue three years on. With automotive factories at a standstill, manufacturers of semiconductors moved over to sectors like the booming games industry. And when car factories finally came back to life, they found…

One of the most popular annual Mini events is under threat thanks to the forthcoming expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), with the organisers of the London to Brighton Mini Run claiming their 2023 event is “probably the last” – prompting fears that other events will be similarly impacted. If the run is cancelled from next year, it will mark the end of an era that began in 1986, when the newly formed London & Surrey Mini Owners’ Club staged the first London to Brighton Mini Run. It attracted 220 cars and their owners, which increased to 320 cars the following year and built steadily in the decades that followed. The 2022 event saw around 1800 Minis involved, beginning from a new start point at Cheam Recreation Ground.…

Visitors to the recent Tokyo Auto Salon saw Toyota displaying a pair of AE86- generation Corollas, each sporting a livery inspired by the Initial D comic book series that helped cement the car’s cult-classic status. So far, so familiar – but the changes made underneath represented a radical departure from the fan-favourite 4AG four-cylinder. All was made clear in a speech made during the show by Toyota's CEO, Akio Toyoda, who was keen to “dismiss the fear that we won’t be able to drive our beloved cars when we go carbon neutral.” “Many automakers are targeting a shift to battery EVs by around 2030- 2040,” he stated. “However, the reality is that we cannot achieve zero carbon emissions in 2050 simply by switching all new car sales to EVs.” Toyota’s…

Having seen the market slowly change post pandemic I’m starting to see cars from the late ’70s and ’80s soar in popularity. A great example of this would be the Volkswagen Corrado VR6, which has been quite popular for a while now and should continue to rise. In addition, most Fords of the ‘70s, ‘80s and now the ’90s are still gaining followers, especially Escorts. Regardless of whether it’s a Mk1 or an XR3i, people are still paying top dollar.” www.swva.co.uk…

For many, Rover’s peak was in its post-War, pre-Leyland era, when the company had full creative control to produce durable, luxurious, well-engineered cars on its own terms. The company enjoyed runaway success with its Land Rover off-roader, showed its innovative side via its experimental gas-turbine cars, and built fine midsized luxury saloons that became a mainstay of British culture. Rover was so keen to get going with building cars again after World War 2 that it restarted production of its pre-War P2 models, before introducing the visually similar P3 range in 1948. These featured new engines with overhead inlet and side exhaust valves in four and six-cylinder models called the 60 and 75 respectively. In truth, though, the Wilks brothers in charge at Rover saw these refreshed models as merely…

It’s said that the best things come in small packages, and when it comes to punchy performance and little cars, that old adage might just be right. It would certainly seem to be the case if the 10 cars we’ve assembled here are anything to go by, each one of them packing the sort of pep and character that makes you wonder whether a full-size, full-fat sports car is really necessary. Okay, so you won’t be setting any drag strip records but does that really matter when there’s plenty of fun on offer? And to add to the appeal there’s real rarity amongst our list, too. Compared to today’s increasingly large offerings, we reckon these little motors offer the perfect antidote, but which would you choose? FIAT ABARTH 595/695 We’re…

See more of our project cars on our Classics World YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ ClassicsWorldUK REPORTING ON: 2002 ROVER 75 We get a bit nervous in the office when our MD Phil announces he’s bought a car – late-night classified ad browsing is rarely wise and when you’re not averse to buying a car sight-unseen, you probably deserve what you get. When a Copperleaf Red Rover 75 Tourer rolled into the car park, I was initially keen – Ido like a Rover and the 75 is something I’ve yet to experience, not to mention it’s significant given it was one of the last chapters in Rover’s story. Ours is a pre-Project Drive example, with the BMW 2-litre diesel engine mated to an automatic gearbox. Cosmetically, it’s challenged to say the…

REVS-Limiter,the online community founded by Reverend Adam Gompertz, has announced its new REVS Restore project. A series of Restoration Weekends will see the community come together to renovate a 1975 Land Rover Series 3. Work will take place at the Heritage Skills Academy workshop, based at Bicester Heritage, with the project offering enthusiasts a chance to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in, while at the same time bringing people together in a team, encouraging new friendships and giving people a platform to talk about mental health and wellbeing. “There will always be people who feel mental health is a subject they can’t talk about,” says Adam, “and we just want to provide places of community where those who are struggling feel they can talk if they want to.”…

In last month’s issue of Classic Car Mart, we revealed the cars included in the latest Bull Market List, an annual report compiled by Hagerty identifying classics that the company’s valuation team expects to perform particularly well in 2023. Considering a wide array of models across many different genres, price levels and eras, Hagerty’s experts came up with 10 disparate vehicles. These include the pre-war Austin Seven and Triumph Spitfire, plus the Saab 99 Turbo and Ford Fiesta Mk1. The Mercedes SL500 also features, as does the Bentley Turbo R, the Audi TT Quattro Sport – aspecial edition run-out model for the Mk1 – the Lamborghini Diablo and the Lotus Elise S2. Inspired, we asked some of the UK’s leading auction houses for their tips as to what kind of…

TOYOTA CELICA GT-FOUR (1988-1999) Those of a certain age may remember the Toyota Celica GT-Four from the Sega Rally arcade game of 1995, by which point the turbocharged fastback had racked up four drivers’ titles. It later saw Toyota banned for running illegal turbo restrictors too, but we’ll gloss over that. The GT-Four was sold in three generations: The 182bhp ST165 first arrived in the UK in 1988 and took Carlos Sainz to a title win in 1990. However, by then the sleeker 200bhp ST185 had already been launched. The range subsequently included the 5000- off RC homologation model, known as the Carlos Sainz in Europe. Just 440 came to the UK. The ST205 arrived in 1994, just at the tail end of three years of WRC dominance for the…

After many months of wheeling and dealing, the stage was set for the final showdown in the Great Classic Trade Up challenge. The final purchases would be displayed in front of almost 70,000 visitors at the NEC Classic Motor Show in November, and while both British, they couldn’t have been more contrasting. Phil Weeden represented Kelsey Media with a 2004 Jaguar XK8 convertible, while Steph Hoy, Head of Car Club Liaison for the show’s headline sponsor Lancaster Insurance Services, had opted for a charming 1971 Austin 1300. Throughout the weekend, the cars would be displayed on the Lancaster Insurance Services stand, located in a prime position in Hall 1. Attendees were then given the chance to vote for their favourite, as well as entering a competition to win one of…

Sometimes magic just happens, and that was undoubtedly the case with the sleek MGA. Combining simple, proven underpinnings with a Le Mans-derived aerodynamic body, it’s still widely regarded as the most beautiful car MG has ever produced. As an illustration of Abingdon’s ability to make the desirable achievable, it was just about perfect, bringing the brand into the modern era and remaining a hugely desirable classic today. Announced in September 1955, the MGA was a big leap from the ‘square rigger’ T-Series models it replaced, with that startlingly pretty bodywork supported by a brand-new chassis with the seats mounted between the rails, giving it a low centre of gravity and a low-slung stance. Combined with a 68bhp version of the 1489cc BMC B-Series engine, the MGA was faster than the…

Although there’s no such thing as a ‘cheap’ E-Type anymore, some variants are more affordable than others. Go after an early flat-floor Series 1 and you’ll probably need a hefty six-figure budget, making the final V12-engined Series 3 versions from the early ’70s look relatively affordable by comparison. And although it’s more of a grand tourer than the raw and raucous sportster the E-Type started out as, the Series 3 boasts a unique appeal that makes it well worthy of consideration. Launched in 1971, a decade after the Series 1 first appeared at the Geneva motor show, the Series 3 was a more grown-up E-Type. It had flared wheelarches, a wider track and an additional two and a half inches in width across its bodywork. Meanwhile, the original short wheelbase…

PRICE: £49,950 MORGAN PLUS 8 YEAR: 1970 MoT: EXEMPT The Plus 8 emerged partially though a desire for Morgan to restore its edge against new, more powerful opposition, and partially through necessity. Its existing Plus 4 model used the Triumph wet-liner engine, but when Triumph decided to phase it out in preference of its more modern straight-six, the restrictive prewar engine bay of the Morgan couldn’t accommodate such a lengthy engine. This all but enforced the use of a V8 to meet Peter Morgan’s requirements for power and performance, and as luck would have it, Rover’s technical director Peter Wilks was an old school friend of the Morgan chairman. Access was duly offered to a new re-engineered version of the all-alloy V8 engine licensed from Buick, and even though it…