Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Classic Ford

The Motorist in North Yorkshire has been voted as the UK’s most popular Tclassic vehicle destination, according to enthusiasts. The popular location triumphed over four other locations, each picked by the classic vehicle community, to emerge as the winner of Footman James’ inaugural search for the UK’s ‘Classic Capital’. The search for the UK’s top automotive destination was conducted by the specialist insurance broker over a six-week period, with enthusiasts asked to nominate their favourite classic vehicle locations and venues. The five finalists were Bicester Heritage, Coleshill Auto Breakfast Meet in the West Midlands, Goodwood Motor Circuit, The Motorist and Re:Fuel in Devon, with hundreds of votes cast to decide the victor. Based in Sherburn in Elmet near Leeds, The Motorist has rapidly grown into one of the most popular…

The classic car world has its own cast of celebrities and experts, many of whom were in attendance at the show to engage in conversation and share wisdom in the Meet the Experts Theatre. Names to take the stage included Mike Brewer, 12-time World Trial Bike champion Dougie Lampkin, ‘Auto Alex’ Kersten, HubNut’s Ian Seabrook and Shahzad Sheikh (aka BrownCarGuy). Industry experts included the Heritage Skills Academy’s John Pitchforth, engineer Ralph Hosier and industry campaigner Dominic Taylor Lane, plus a number of car club spokespeople and journalists.…

1. TAKE YOUR TIME It’s not a race and you’re your own boss when it comes to your project. So don’t rush something for the sake of it, take your time and do it properly so you don’t have to do it again. 2. DO IT YOURSELF If you haven’t learned how to weld or paint or build an engine, now is the time to start. Pick up a book, get down the lock-up and teach yourself, as there’s no better way to learn than working on your own car. 3. GET SOMEWHERE SUITABLE Remember you’re going to need somewhere to store and work on your project and more often than not it won’t be a short-time thing. A driveway in the winter is not ideal to restore your car.…

Compared to Escorts, Capris, Fiestas and perhaps even Cortinas, we don’t come across quite so many freshly modified Anglia 105Es these days. Fortunately, there are still fans of the old Anglebox out there such as Steve Sillwood, who was certainly in it for the long haul when it came to this stunning 1966 saloon. “I probably developed my passion for Fords thanks to my dad,” Steve remembers. “He had a 100E, Zephyrs, Cortinas and a Granada, and in turn I went on to own and drive Anglias including the van derivatives, a Mk2 Lotus Cortina along with a Mk1 Escort pick-up.” The latter was quite an unusual beast, not only due to the unusual pick-up conversion but also because it ran a 3.1 V6. “I kept the Escort for 25…

PAYY LESS AND NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! SEE PAGE 22 ON SALE January 19! Contents correct as we go to press, and will change… Meanwhile, get your classic Ford fix at https://linktr.ee/classicford Ask for it in your friendly local newsagents, or call us now on 01959 543747 NEWSAGENT ORDER FORM Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Newsagent, I want a copy of Classic Ford magazine! Please reserve/deliver* a copy of Classic Ford on a regular basis, commencing with the next issue. *delete as appropriate IF YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS AN ISSUE: One of the best ways to ensure you receive every issue of Classic Ford is to place an order with your local newsagent. Once set up, your copy of Classic Ford will be held for you to collect, saving you the hassle of…

It’s a common scenario: you’ve just finished your project, it looks great, but the speedo either doesn’t work, is miles out or worse still bounces from one end of the dial to the other! It’s quite likely since, as a matter of course, we always fit larger or smaller wheels and tyres, plus change the back axle ratio according to engine and transmission combination. All of these have an effect on the speedo reading. So in response to a reader query, we spoke to BGH Geartech to ask the question and explain what’s going on — at least at the gearbox end. There is stuff you can do, but the adjustment’s limited without taking the gearbox apart, and that depends on which ’box you have! We’ve mainly concentrated on the…

The 30th edition of the Spa Six Hours ran under the motto, ‘The sound of history’. For three days, from Thursday morning to Saturday evening, Spa Six Hours showcased the cars of yesterday. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit was true to its reputation in terms of weather, oscillating between heavy rain and bright sunshine, yet the competitors had a great time, to the delight of a large crowd. In the Pre-66 Touring Cars class on Saturday, which battled it out for 60 minutes, Sam Tordoff won with authority in his impressive Falcon Sprint, ahead of the Mustang of Jake Hill and Rob Fenn, and the Falcon of Richard McAlpine. After the poor weather conditions for the qualifying on Friday, the Belcar Historic Cup benefited from optimal conditions for its race. That was…

What do you make? A biofuel called SUSTAIN Classic and for motorsport, SUSTAIN Racing. Can it be run in a classic Ford petrol engine, such as a Crossflow or Pinto? Yes, it mimics ethanol-free petrol. Has your fuel been used in motorsport activities yet? Yes. In October this year, Tony Jardine and ex M-Sport WRC Coordinator, Iain Tullie were the only bio-fuelled entry out of 130 cars competing in the Carlisle Stages Rally, driving a 1973 Chrysler Avenger that was running on SUSTAIN Classic Racing 50. The car had already been run with this fuel at the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire, where it finished third in class. ‘The test run on the Trackrod with SUSTAIN Classic fuel was incredible, not just because of the smooth-running engine, with maximum power without any…

The Classic Ford Tour returns for 2024 and next year we’re off to the Isle Of Man for a jam-packed classic and sports car weekend. Taking place over five days from May 16-20, the tour costs from £429 per person and includes four nights bed and breakfast in a 3-star hotel, ferry crossings, incredible closed-road runs on the famous Sloc Mountain Road, access to the TT pitlanes for a photo-shoot opportunity, admission to the Isle Of Man Motor Museum, afternoon tea at the famous Creg-Ny-Baa, a classic car meet in Jurby on the Sunday Morning, full road book and rally plate. Phew! Interested? Call tour organisers, Scenic Car Tours on 01732 879153 now to reserve your place or go to https://www.sceniccartours.com/classic-ford-tours The tour costs from £429 per person – to…

Scramblers, the official membership of Bicester Heritage, will launch a new structure and membership benefits offering for 2024. Among the changes are a refreshed events calendar, with four Sunday morning gatherings exclusively available to premium tier Pegasus members, who will receive free entry and a free coffee, too. The events will take place throughout the year around the three main Scrambles, which are set to take place on Sunday March 31, Sunday July 14, Sunday September 29 and Sunday December 15, 2024. Further benefits include early access to discounted event tickets and priority parking. Merlin, the secondary membership tier of Scramblers, will be consolidated into Pegasus, with its benefits including tracks socials and photography mornings. “Its doors opened barely three years ago, and 10s of thousands have stepped through to…

Inspired by their success in rallying, Shaun became acquainted with Mk2 Escorts in his early teens. “They were readily available for next to nothing back in the early 1990s,” he smiles, “and I managed to buy myself a mint green 1100 for £50 which had been accident damaged.” This became Shaun’s first project, requiring a new wing, driver’s door, and rear arch, though the remainder of the car was immaculate. “It was painted in green, white and red Italian flag colours by a friend,” Shaun recalls. “The rally-based theme led to a fibreglass bonnet, Weller wheels, Forest arches, bucket seats and a full cage. The 1660 Crossflow with Stage 2 head and twin 40s was pretty quick and it blew gearboxes for fun,” he continues, “and I’d managed to complete…

The benefit of owning a car for a long time is that it enables you to finely develop it to be whatever you want it to be. Richard Green has owned this Mk2 Cortina since 2006 and in that time it’s gone through some big changes; from different engine conversions to colour combinations. But after deciding to make it a dedicated track day tool some years ago, its current set up is by far its best. The tale of evolution started with Richard’s first car, a Mk2 Cortina two-door, but since then he’s passed through plenty of classics, including Mk1 Escorts, Fiestas, a Mk5 Cortina, an Escort XR3i as well as, “Two Mk2 Escort RS2000s, both of which had full nut-and-bolt restorations,” he tells us. “I also own a Sierra…

The All Ford Day in Sydney was very well supported this year with event organisers, The Combined Ford Clubs of NSW, putting the number of cars on show at an impressive 1720. The CFC consists of 19 clubs and has a strong focus on the heritage of Ford in Australia. Amongst the member clubs are those catering for the Model T, Model A and early Ford V8, ensuring that these cars, which are so significant to Ford’s early days as a local manufacturer, are well represented. For the CFC organisers the day starts well before sunrise and CFC President, Andrew Byrnes will have been hard at work long before anyone else. When the gates open and the cars start coming in, owned by either CFC members or other Ford enthusiasts,…

Email hi-res images to classicford.ed@kelsey.co.uk or post them up on our Facebook page.…

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Last month saw me travelling a good few hundred miles in the Granada. A trip to the north of Scotland was completed mostly hassle-free, but sadly the next day’s use as a photoshoot support vehicle saw the Mk2 lose its cool. This car has often been a bit questionable in the coolant department, even after so much has been replaced. Years of infrequent use can be just as damaging as excessive use and that’s what it had in its previous life in Spain. A proper overheat probably should have been expected at some point, but it was a testament to the great, simple old engine how long it held on. Once it was at MJ Racing a compression test found one cylinder was significantly down, even though no oil and…

Perhaps no rally car has achieved so much with so little support from its creator as the Escort Twin Cam, the first true sporting variant of the Mk1 Escort, and a model famously forced into existence over the span of single, manic weekend at Boreham in March 1967 by Bill Meade and a dedicated knot of engineers. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that that weekend bore witness to the birth of the cult of the sporting Escort, meaning every variant that followed — from the humblest Group 2 twink to the most ballistic Group A Cosworth by way of the iconic RS1800 — owes a debt of gratitude to those engineers and their endeavours, not to mention their foresight. Conceived with competition in mind from the outset, the Twin Cam’s…

1. Don’t just renew It’s all too easy to let the direct debit continue and sign up for another year with your existing insurer. Before you do though, have a look at quotes from other insurers. If they come in cheaper and you don’t want to switch, call your existing insurer, quote the cheaper prices and quite often they will be able to bring your renewal quote down to a similar level. 2. Look at classic insurance They’re often tied into Agreed Value, limited-mileage polices but classic insurance specialists can offer some great-value policies. Most class a vehicle eligible for classic insurance as being over 20 or 25 years old, but some allow exceptions for modern classics, so do your research before you dismiss a classic insurance policy out of…

You’ll have to excuse us for being a bit late to the party but October marked 60 years since the Halewood plant in Merseyside was originally opened by Ford. This January 1969 images shows the then brand-new Capri being driven away from the production line, presumably for export as it’s left-hand-drive. The Capri would be launched at the Brussels Motor Show the same month, although production at Halewood had actually begun two months earlier to ensure that every UK dealer could have at least one Capri on its forecourt by the time sales started. At the time, the plant was also producing the Mk1 Escort and Corsair and Ford would continue building cars at Halewood until 2002. It’s now under Jaguar-Land Rover ownership.…

When it comes to cars, the apple often doesn’t fall far from the tree. Whether it’s something that’s inherited on a genetic level, or simply through exposure at a young and impressionable age, if you grow up with a father that’s a dyed-in-the-wool petrolhead, there’s a strong possibility you’ll end up similarly afflicted. Which is exactly what’s happened in the case of 23-year-old Rhys Rolls, whose formative years were spent grafting away in the family garage, helping his dad Perry construct all manner of old school cult classics, most of which featuring a blue oval badge on the bonnet. “Dad has always been into classic Fords and has built loads of Escorts, Cortinas and Anglias over the years and I guess it just gets into your blood,” laughs Rhys, who is…

If you need a welcome distraction after the holiday period, then may we recommend popping down the shops on January 19 and picking up a copy of the March edition of Classic Ford to transport you away into a world of Blue Oval goodness? Featuring a whole host of trips, plans and suggestions for the year ahead, it’s the best way to see in 2024 The March 2024 issue hits the newsstands and is available to download from Friday, January 19. Why not subscribe to make sure you don’t miss out? Check out our latest offers on page 22 or go online: http://shop.kelsey.co.uk/subscription/CFD.…

The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show attracted 71,290 visitors over the weekend of November 10–12 – a three per cent rise on last year’s figure and a great sign that enthusiasm for classic cars remains strong. A total of 319 car clubs formed the enthusiast-centric backbone of the show, bolstered by the usual vast array of exhibitors, dealers and traders throughout the expansive halls of the NEC in Birmingham. Famous faces and industry experts were on hand to discuss the industry and dispense advice on the Meet the Experts Theatre stage, while the returning Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership and Meguiar’s Club Showcase stands saw huge interest and interaction from the visiting public. Iconic Auctioneers — formerly known as Silverstone Auctions — returned to its pride-of-place spot in Hall 2,…

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Timing can be everything when searching for a rare classic Ford as demonstrated by Rick Webb’s recent purchase of a Mk2 Capri. Deciding it was time to find a later model to join his Consul Capri, Rick put out the word that he was looking for a Mk2 or Mk3. This coincided with Russ Wise deciding he needed to thin out his classic Ford collection, and Russ was happy for the Capri to go to a diehard Capri enthusiast. This car has some very special history, being from a batch of only four Capri IIs that Ford Australia imported. They were all the same spec, being Ghia models with vinyl roofs and sunroofs, Essex V6 motors and autos, making them very desirable. It is documented that this is the car…

JANUARY Sunday Scramble January 7 Bicester Heritage, Oxfordshire UK https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/events/january-scramble-2024 Autosport International January 11-14 NEC Birmingham, UK www.autosportinternational.com Retromobile January 31-February 4 Paris Expo Porte des Versailles, France www.retromobile.com FEBRUARY Bremen Classic Motor Show February 2-4 Messe Bremen, Germany www.classicmotorshow.de Race Retro February 23-25 Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire UK www.raceretro.com MARCH Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show March 22-24 NEC, Birmingham UK www.necrestorationshow.com Zephyr & Zodiac Owners’ Club of Melbourne 50th Anniversary March 30-April 2 Ballarat, Victoria, Australia https://zzocm.com.au APRIL Techno Classica Essen April 3-7 Messe Essen, Essen, Germany www.techno-classica.de Squires Fordmeet April 7 Squires Bikers’ Cafe, West Yorkshire UK www.facebook.com/SquiresFordmeet Goodwood Members’ Meeting April 13-14 Goodwood Motor Circuit, West Sussex UK www.goodwood.com/motorsport Drive It Day April 21 Various club and specialist events and road-runs across the UK www.fbhvc.co.uk/drive-it-day MAY…

If you feel the need to install a powerplant that wasn’t conceived beneath the Blue Oval banner, you could do a lot worse than Vauxhall’s 2-litre, 16-valve XE. The C20XE, to quote its official codename, is an excellent engine in terms of component strength and high power-to-weight ratio. In standard trim the 2-litre XE delivers 150 bhp, and your budget is really the only limit to tuning the XE. It was designed and developed by Cosworth to put General Motors in contention for the BTCC. Swindon Race Engines managed to extract 300 bhp, though attaining this kind of power is dearer than diamonds. Upgrading the ECU with an aftermarket chip, isn’t likely to realise much more than 5 or 10 bhp. A more cost and power effective solution is to…

There appears to be no perfect environmental solution to powering a motor vehicle at present. The electric motor may be the way forward, but it isn’t the best answer on account of its manufacturing carbon footprint, supplying the electricity for running EVs and the practicality of having millions of people using them who all need to recharge quickly. The traditional combustion engine is out of favour because of the reliance on fossil fuels and the pollution generated, which sadly also crosses out LPG that was once regarded as the cleaner answer, but which is still sourced from crude oil. Hydrogen seems to be the best solution for the pollution problem, but its manufacture is a major hurdle at present. So, what else is there? Sustainable fuel could be the solution.…

Watching the Ford scene from the inside out, it’s interesting to observe the manner in which moneyed collectors are falling over one another to get their paddles in the air whenever something with an RS Cosworth badge rolls across the auction block. These blue-collar Blue Ovals have been a linchpin of our world for decades, and yet they’ve recently become a prize trinket for the sort of cash-rich types who are trying to mitigate a potential currency crash by filling their air-conditioned garages with delivery-mileage 911 GT3s and non-cat/non-adjust F40s. For old-school gearheads like Nick Dray, this is all very amusing, particularly as he loves nothing more than loading the family into the Cossie and heading for the horizon as the turbo whistles like a swarm of angry canaries. This…

Ford opted for a different kind of laser surgery when it came to realising its vision for a more appealing Capri range, launching the distinctive and well-equipped Laser in June 1984. True to its name, the Laser brightened up the Mk3 Capri line-up, originally sitting alongside LS, 2.0S, and 2.8i versions. By the end of the year though, the Laser would outshine the LS and S to be the only four-cylinder model available. There was no reason for Capri buyers to feel short-changed at the lack of choice though, as the Laser had plenty to offer. On top of its familiar running gear, including its well-proven 1.6 and 2-litre Pinto engines, the Laser had a generous specification that helped to reignite the Capri’s appeal. Visually identifying the Laser were such…