Table of contents for September 2020 in Classics World

It is odd how two people can recall the same thing in totally different ways. In this issue’s Letters pages, we have some feedback from Alan Lee in Australia who was delighted to see our feature on the Leyland P76 last issue. He recalled buying one in 1987 and taking it around a race track. His verdict: ‘It was brilliant... You could throw it around like a massive Ford Escort.’ Then, just as we were putting this issue to bed, I got a letter from Denis Chick saying: ‘Enjoyed the latest issue. I worked on the development of the P76 here in the UK, trying to make it go around corners. The only decent part of it was its Rover V8!’ (For the record, Denis also pointed out a blooper…

In July, the Morgan Motor Company finally ended production of steel chassis cars, marking 84 years of continuous production for the underpinning – barring factory closures during World War II and the coronavirus pandemic – making it the longest-ever running production car architecture of all time, anywhere in the world. The firm’s steel ladder chassis was introduced in 1936, in the Morgan 4-4. This car’s name came from the fact that it was the first Morgan to have both four cylinders and four wheels – Morgan’s vehicles before this point, since the company’s foundation in 1909, were all three wheelers. The steel chassis, while undergoing many alterations and improvements over its lifetime, went on to underpin the Plus 4, Plus 4 Plus, first-generation Plus 8, 4 Seater, V6 Roadster, and…

Talk about starting them young – one week after celebrating his 17th birthday, apprentice spray painter Tommy Brooks at the Classic & Sportscar Centre in Yorkshire completed a full respray on a Jaguar XJS Convertible. James Szkiler of the Classic and Sportscar Centre said: 'As a company we are incredibly proud of what Tommy has achieved. Not only has he proven himself capable of completing such a skilled task, but the level of quality he has achieved is first class and of a standard expected from a fully skilled experienced painter. The whole process was monitored by Tommy’s supervisor, Sean Buckley, who has been with our company for over eight years and was originally trained by BMW. Sean commented that Tommy made easy work of it, and that his confidence…

When the market for sports cars boomed in the 1950s, notably in the USA but then all around the world, several British car makers saw a bandwagon, jumped on it and made a lot of money for their bosses and shareholders. Think of MG, then Jaguar, then Austin-Healey, then Triumph... but not the Rootes Group. Why? Rootes fanatics are going to hate me for this, but it was almost as if the group was ashamed of its sports cars, and over the years it looked as though the ruling family simply did not know how to tackle the opportunities. First there was the Sunbeam (Talbot) Alpine which Rootes dealer George Hartwell had invented in 1952, then came the ‘fintail’ Alpine which Rootes had Armstrong-Siddeley assembling from 1959, and lastly there…

“I was tempted into buying the Jubilee because they are very rare, especially in a condition as good as this one” All the Marina Jubilees were built in 1973 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first Morris car in 1913. It is a common misconception that it was built for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, but that wasn't until 1977 anyway. Funnily enough, in 1975 there was an MGB GT Jubilee which people also assume was for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, but that was in fact to celebrate 50 years of MG cars. Unfortunately the marketing people got the date wrong with that one, as 1975 was actually MG's 52nd year! What makes a Marina Jubilee? Basically you take the Marina parts and accessories catalogue for the UK and Overseas…

I came across this car for sale on eBay back in 2017. The Citron yellow reminded me of my father's Avenger. I put in an offer, but I was soon outbid. I believed the sale had been concluded and the Marina would soon be taking pride of place on someone else's driveway, but a few days later, the chap who was selling it sent me a text asking if I was still interested. And so after a quick discussion with my better half, the wheels were literally set in motion – within a few days it was driven from Aberystwyth to Wolverhampton, complete with a new MoT. From what I understand, it had been a labour of love for the previous but one owner who had carried out a full…

When the new ‘compact’ Jaguar Mk2 saloons made their bow on the 2nd October 1959, the brochure promised ‘the most advanced and lavishly equipped luxury cars ever to be presented by this company.’ Compared with its predecessor (the 2.4-litre of 1955 now retrospectively known as the Mk1), the Mk2 offered ‘greatly enhanced all-round vision, super efficient disc brakes, clear-view instruments and conveniently grouped hand controls.’ Moreover, they allegedly benefited ‘from the close relationship which has for long existed between owners and the Company, and which has found expression in the many thousands of letters addressed to us from many parts of the world.’ If only the sales copy of modern cars could attain such heights of eloquence! The new Jaguars finally reached the dealerships towards the end of 1959, and…

Since the spread of coronavirus, I like many others have been furloughed. This has enabled me to make significant progress on the restoration of my Morris Minor Lowlight Tourer. I hadn’t worked on it for many months, apart from sourcing parts for the Alta head, and so I was looking forward to having the opportunity to move it along. The last time I worked on this I had focused on replacing the chassis legs to strengthen the front of the car. This meant that it wouldn’t distort, and also provided a solid base to work from. However, the body still needed replacement of the engine bay floors before it could be put back into the rollover jig. Owing to the rustiness of the panels in this area, they were easy…

There has been recent discussion within Australian Triumph groups on rear outer axle shaft and hub failures on the Triumphs with independent rear suspension. These are the driveshafts that run between the differential output flanges and the rear wheels. The failures of a few combination yoke and stub axles have resulted in some nasty accidents, and in some cases the original Triumph design has come in for criticism. I believe that this criticism is unjustified; after all, many of the components are over 50 years old and still OK, so the original design could not have been that bad. However, of major concern is that a stub axle breakage will result in the loss of a rear wheel with possibly dire consequences. There had also been discussions on the various…

The lubrication of transmission or drivetrain components can be quite complicated, with recommended oils and fluids for the gearbox, differential and in the case of all-wheel-drive vehicles, the transfer box too. The classic Mini’s A-series engine, gearbox and differential for instance share the same 20W-50 mineral oil, whereas most FWD cars have separate oil for the engine and the gearbox/differential, while rear-wheel drive cars use separate oil for the engine, the gearbox and the differential. Hopefully the following pages will help you understand why there are so many differences, and which transmission oil is the best for you. Grades and Abbreviations Just like engine oil which we covered in the July issue, gear oil is graded according to its viscosity rating. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has developed a…

Triumph’s post-war range had rather inauspicious beginnings. In 1945, when the Standard Motor Company had taken over the bankrupt remains of Triumph, Sir John Black, its uncompromising boss, decided that what the recovering world (and his company!) needed was a sporty car that would tempt Americans to hand over their precious dollars. Export or die was the government’s mantra, applicable to industry in general, and especially the automotive division. There were no more military orders to be had, so the huge unused factories dotted around the Midlands would henceforth be making cars. MG at Abingdon had been doing exactly that when the War Department handed back control, having launched the somewhat quaint TC within weeks of the end of hostilities. That was possible because the TC was essentially a 1930s…

Škoda has announced that the marque's first fully-electric production model, the Enyaq iV, will be introduced in 2021, following hard on the heels of a wave of new models set to arrive this year including the Superb iV plug-in hybrid and the Citigoe iV. However, a close look at once-secret archive material from the marque’s past reveals that pioneering engineers and designers successfully developed both hybrid and fully electric vehicles more than 100 years ago. In 1908, Škoda AUTO founders Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement joined forces with renowned Czech engineer František Križík to investigate whether electric power was suitable for private vehicles. Križík had successfully designed and engineered Prague’s electric tram system (which still runs today) and believed that electric power represented the future. Working with an L&K Type…

After so many events have been cancelled or postponed, it is nice to report on one that is going ahead! The All-Triumph Day at Duxford was started by the Triumph Sports Six Club's Essex Area in 1997, and has been organised by the Herts and Beds Area since 2003. It generally attracts around 160 cars, but this year is having to be scaled back from an 'event' to a 'picnic' where owners can park up and wander around the museum's displays. It is all taking place on Sunday September 27th, with classic car entry from 9am-12 noon and full site access until 6pm. Contact Pete Lewis on 01582 750943 or email peter.h.lewis@ ntlworld.com for further details. GOT A STORY TO SHARE? EMAIL IT TO CLASSICS.ED@KELSEY.CO.UK OR POST IT TO CLASSICS…

3.7:1 CROWNWHEEL AND PINION SET Conversion for Midget, Austin Healey Sprite and Morris Minor. Price: £299.95 MGOC Spares has commissioned a further batch of brand new, British manufactured 3.7:1 crownwheel and pinion sets, part number BTA535. Originally specified for Midget 1500 models, this ratio was also widely accepted as a suitable upgrade for AH Sprite, MG Midget and Morris Minor 1098 and 1275 models. Changing from the standard 3.9:1 axle ratio on these cars to 3.7:1 will lower the car’s cruising RPM, reducing cabin noise and providing a slightly higher top speed while also improving fuel economy. Offered at an introductory price of £299.95, alternatively MGOC Spares can supply Midget differentials (BTA551QE) reconditioned with new bearings, seals and a new 3.7:1 crownwheel and pinion priced at £599.95 on an exchange…

Electrifying classics can be a contentious issue, but as far as I’m concerned, so long as a rarity is not being butchered, bash on and enjoy. There are still tens of thousands of 911s, Minis and E-Types about, and many of them will get some restoration work as well as batteries if they are converted. Electric conversion doesn’t usually involve much damage, and it will be repairable even if floors have been chopped for battery boxes. E-Types and MGBs need new floors as a service item anyway, and their replacement panels will remain very available. Personally, having tried them I don’t like the feel of electric Smarts or electric (real) Beetles, although the Beetle conversion was technically interesting, but I am actually sketching and pondering the perfect commuter vehicle, which…

Back in the early 1970s, there was an assembly plant in Malta for Marinas, which were built up from parts shipped out from the UK. The first Marina in our family arrived when I was four years old. This would have been in 1977, when my father bought his Morris Marina Mk2. So as you can see, I was brought up with the model. As I got older, I always took care of that car. My father noticed that I liked her very much, and when he bought a new car for himself, he gave me the Marina. I was over the moon because it held so many memories for me. Fast forward to today and I now have a Mk1 TC, three Mk2s and also a MK3. I was…

Prior to the marque being acquired by the Rootes Group in 1935, Sunbeam had produced a string of aero-engined land speed record breakers and winning Grand Prix racers along with a range of well-received sporting saloons and droptops. Once under the control of Rootes, Sunbeam was merged with the previously acquired Talbot nameplate to build upmarket sports-saloon versions of Rootes Group cars. In 1948 the covers came off the smart looking Sunbeam-Talbot 90 saloon. One of the first all-new post-war cars, the body-on-frame 90 was powered by a 1944cc OHV inline-four. In 1950 Rootes unveiled a heavily revised and much improved version. As well as utilising a revised chassis design featuring a coil spring and double wishbone independent front suspension set-up in place of the earlier model’s beam axle arrangement,…

When we assessed our new Morris Minor project car back in the February issue, we noted a problem with the rear suspension on the offside whereby the rear spring eye was fouling on the bodywork and not allowing the shackle to move freely. Initially we had assumed that either the hanging plates were too short or the locating hole had been welded on in slightly the wrong position, but closer inspection showed that the chassis rail had been repaired in the past, and a flange added below it on one side that had not been there on the original – this was what the spring eye was fouling upon. This was not noticeable on the move, but would have stiffened the suspension on that side and potentially produced a knock,…

Will has a collection of Morris Minors. This column follows the maintenance and modification of them for daily use, as well as the long-term restoration of a 1950 Lowlight tourer from a desert scrapyard in America and a 1970 Morris Van which has been in his family for nearly 40 years. MY FLEET 1950 MORRIS MINOR LOWLIGHT SALOON Owned since 2012 1950 MINOR LOWLIGHT CONVERTIBLE Owned since 2017 1967 MINOR SALOON Owned since 2010 1970 MINOR VAN Owned (by mum) since 1980…

In the last issue of Classics, we followed the strip down of a rusty two-litre Pinto engine, which had seized pistons and required lots of brute force to fully dismantle. Over the following pages, we’re revealing what’s involved in checking and grinding the crankshaft and boring out the cylinders to displace 2.1 litres, before rebuilding the engine with new bearings and other components. Turning a Pinto engine from a two-litre to a 2.1 adds an extra 95cc to the engine’s displacement. This is done by boring the block and fitting larger pistons from Ford’s V6 motor. The crankshaft and cylinder head can remain unmodified when doing this, but the block has to be decked by 1.5mm (60-thou) to allow for the shorter compression height of the V6 pistons. The resulting…

Following news that Goodwood's iconic events the Revival and the Festival of Speed will not be taking place this year, the West Sussex venue has announced instead a new, once-in-a-lifetime motorsport occasion in October. Called Goodwood Speedweek presented by Mastercard, it will take the greatest elements of the Festival and Revival and combine them into one unmissable three-day extravaganza. Staged behind closed doors at the Goodwood Motor Circuit, Speedweek will be optimised for broadcast, getting motorsport fans to the heart of the action wherever they are in the world. The thrilling action will be transmitted free of charge globally via Goodwood Road & Racing’s website, social channels and a range of broadcast partners. On the track, the cars will do battle in the most competitive historic racing in the world,…

When Beaulieu reopened the doors to the National Motor Museum in July, visitors got their first sight of an exciting new exhibition: Motoring in Miniature – the Toys of Your Childhood. Offering the chance to relive the joy and excitement of your favourite childhood toy cars, it showcases more than 800 toy cars and pedal cars to celebrate miniature motoring memories and much-loved playthings of the past. The exhibition is packed with toy cars of all shapes and sizes from the 1920s to the 1990s, from tin plate and wooden toys to die-cast and slot cars. See pull-alongs and pedal cars, radio control cars and scale models, motoring board games, jigsaws and computer games. These were the toys you were told to clear up, the toys you were proud of,…

WHEN IS A PROTOTYPE NOT A PROTOTYPE? I have read somewhere recently that no prototype of the TR3 was ever built. The author was probably right, although I had thought that I’d once owned one. It came about this way. I had, during the 1950s, worked my way up through a couple of Austin Sevens, a Meteor and a Singer Nine (4A) to an MG TD. I worked on the latter until, after many valve droppings and some run big-end bearings, it would do a shade over 90mph. So then I set my sights on 100mph, preferably without the risk of nasty noises from under the bonnet. I researched and reflected on the ship to the UK and decided it had to be a Swallow Doretti or a Triumph TR3.…

In the good old bad old days, cars self-destructed from the inside out and often disintegrated before their tenth birthday. Times changed, and corrosion isn’t really an issue now. To confirm it, a wander around Halfords (other similar shops are available, of course) will reveal a relatively small amount of shelf space devoted to rust. Evidently our ferrous fiend is less of a threat than used to be the case. A car bought 20 years ago will probably still be only slightly frilly around the edges now, and is more likely to be sidelined by electronic faults than structural or cosmetic failures. A car bought today may look like new in 2040. I say ‘may’ because cars as we know them won’t exist in 20 years, so we’ll have to…

I learnt to drive in 1975 with BSM in a 1.3 Marina Deluxe – they had fleets of them at the time. My lessons were in an early car with the tiny 6in clutch and these were very easy to stall – if you could master pulling away in a 6in clutch Marina, then you could drive anything. It certainly taught you well. Then I forgot about Marinas until 2003, when I decided I wanted to go classic rallying. Even then I couldn't afford a Ford Escort, but I remembered reading Car and Car Conversions in the 1970s when they ran a series on the build of a 1.3 Marina coupé by Leyland Special Tuning, which the magazine then rallied quite successfully. That car must have stuck in the back…

“I had a vision of owning a James Bond car, but as I can’t afford an Aston Martin DB5, a BGT was the next best thing” Richard Mann hails from Auchmithie on the outskirts of Arbroath, a village that came to prominence for its lightly smoked haddock which is better known as the legendary Smokie. According to folklore, a store in the village caught fire one night, destroying several barrels of fish. When the locals started to clear up the mess, they discovered that some of the containers had miraculously survived. Upon further inspection, the haddock had been cooked inside. Much to their amazement they found that the fish was not only edible, but also had a wonderfully distinctive taste – the humble Smokie was born, and is now one…

Last time, I mentioned that I’d bought a secondhand airbox complete with inlet pipe etc to replace the damaged one on my Porsche 944 Turbo. Well, recently I swapped the old with the ‘new.’ It’s not a difficult job, although it entails removing the cold air feed, the airbox, the air flow sensor, turbo pipe and intercooler pipe. I was pleased to discover that there was hardly any oily residue evident in any of the existing pipework, although the air filter was surprisingly dirty considering the car has only covered 2000 miles since this was fitted. Plus I did see evidence of water splashes in the base of the airbox. These were undoubtedly a result of the large crack at the rear. The replacement is air (and water) tight, and…

Before I took the Acclaim around Europe late last year on Club Triumph’s Ten Countries Run, I put it in for an early MoT inspection as a precaution. This was quite late in the day because I had been planning to go in the Herald, so I was relieved when it passed the inspection without issue. However, there was one heart-stopping moment when the tester started prodding away at the offside rear trailing arm and making worried noises. Fortunately what had looked like large areas of structural metal flaking away as rust turned out to be the original rust-proofing that had dried and lifted way from the arm. “The bolts should be tightened when the car is on its wheels with 50kg in the boot – I used my daughter”…

We’ve spent the last couple of issues at The Figaro Shop in Didcot, replacing the dash top and carrying out a number of other small improvements. With the interior now reassembled, there was just time for a quick inspection underneath by their experts before we headed back home to Lincolnshire. Workshop Manager Mark White kindly put the car up on a ramp for this during his lunch break – above and beyond the call of duty! Thankfully he did not turn up any disasters, though it was an extremely useful exercise. For one thing it confirmed our thoughts that the steering rack would need replacing or reconditioning shortly, the amount of power steering fluid escaping being more than just the occasional drop. It was clear that the underneath needed a…

The W202 generation C-class replaced the 190E in 1993, and with it Mercedes ushered in not just a new name, but also a new approach to the small Mercedes-Benz saloon. It more closely imitated its contemporary S-class, becoming a bit of a miniature of the new range-topping W140. But at first this approach was a bit confused, as the legacy of the 190E continued to dominate the narrative and so the C-class was just seen (and presented) as a simple replacement. In a market of increasingly competitive, highly equipped cars, the relatively expensive Mercedes C-class was a touch out of step. Many more people in this sector of the market were now spending the extra money on a 3-series BMW instead, and it’s no wonder that the W203 generation C-class…

It is very unlikely that we will ever again see an advance in car design quite like the 1971 Alfa Romeo Alfasud. Over-assisted and laden with things we don’t really need, the modern 12ft long hatchback may well be safer and faster, but it’s also 40% heavier and to generate similar lateral G force it needs tyres so wide that power steering is essential. It’s also quite unlikely that a manufacturer will make a car again that will effectively sink its parent company the way the Sud did for Alfa Romeo. Before the Sud, Alfa were a proud Milanese company making high quality and expensive saloons, coupés and sports cars – think of a BMW but with even more heritage. However, in the late 1960s times were a-changing in the…

OUR THROWAWAY CULTURE IS A DISGRACE I’ve visited some scrapyards recently and a lot of the throwaway waste culture in the UK truly baffles me. It’s no secret that lots of repairable cars end their lives prematurely, but some of it to me is just disgraceful. I was pulling out of a yard next to a Copart salvage auction recently and along came a transporter with cars to be auctioned off. On the top row, front-centre stage was a metallic bronze 2007 Audi A4 Convertible. I noticed this as I was driving one that very day – not mine as it happens, but even so... I thought no more of it until a week later when, on a return visit, I spotted the Audi in the breakers yard itself. There…