Inhaltsverzeichnis für April 2026 in Classics World

We've all done it. An over-optimistic slip of the bidding finger and you've bought something which you struggle to justify to yourself, let alone the wider world. And so it was that we acquired an MGF recently, bought in a trade sale for what it must be admitted was absolute peanuts. Currently it seems tidy MGFs are commanding stronger money than they did a couple of years ago, but there are also far more shabby examples around than there were too. Now despite working on classic car magazines for more years than I can begin to forget, I've never owned an MG. I have taken custody of several over the years courtesy of our ever-changing company fleet, however, from early basic MGF to the underrated VVC model and the later…

After more than 20 years as a static exhibit, the Haynes Motor Museum's 1961 Aston Martin DB4 has been fully restored by Haynes Heritage Engineering, the museum's specialist classic car workshop. The car will remain part of the Haynes Motor Museum's collection and is now on display to the public. Haynes Heritage Engineering is a public-facing workshop based within the Haynes Motor Museum grounds, supporting both private projects and the ongoing care of the Museum's collection. All workshop profits are reinvested into the Haynes Motor Museum charity, supporting the preservation of its collection. The car was originally purchased at auction and donated by John Haynes OBE and his wife Annette to the museum collection. Interestingly, the DB4 had previously been written off in its first year on the road and…

1963 Vauxhall VX4/90 SWVA, January 29 Estimate: £8000–£10,000 Sold for: £8050 plus fees Said to present in concours-level condition following a no-expense-spared restoration, this VX 4/90 was a wonderful example of the sporting FB-series flagship. Believed to be one of just three examples remaining on UK roads, it easily met its estimate. 1966 Triumph Vitesse SWVA, January 29 Estimate: £3000–£4000 Sold for: £5200 plus fees An earlier 1.6-litre car, this Vitesse had been the vendor's daily driver for the past three and a half years. It'd been well maintained and was in excellent condition inside and out, which would account for its healthy over-estimate sale price. 1960 Austin Metropolitan SWVA, January 29 No reserve Sold for: £6300 plus fees This Austin Metropolitan was a rare home-market, right-hand-drive car resplendent in…

Mercedes-Benz had done better than merely survive OPEC's Fuel Crisis – but as its biggest export market, the United States, raised average fuel consumption requirements, there was only one direction in which it could proceed. The idea of a smaller Benz had been kicked around before. In Europe, the 190 nameplate had previously adorned four-cylinder (W121) ‘Ponton’ and ‘Fintail’ (W110) models. Work on the 190/190, dubbed W201 within Mercedes-Benz, began in 1976, took six years and cost upwards of £600 million in today's money. Almost everything – bar the carburetted and fuel-injected 2.0-litre M102 four-cylinder from the W123 – was new, including its independent rear multi-link suspension, repurposed for the W124 E-Class and W202 C-Class. By 1982, the 190 and 190E (for ‘Einspritzung’ meaning fuel injection) were ready for launch.…

The 309 story begins with a tale of corporate manoeuvring as is so common in the car industry. Rootes Group had morphed into Chrysler Europe by 1967 and, after a lacklustre few years, was subsequently sold to PSA Peugeot Citroën in 1978. The Chrysler Horizon - essentially a Simca-developed car and sold under that name in France – had been released earlier that year and by 1979 was sold as a Talbot, with Chrysler and Simca brands dropped by PSA. Plans for a Horizon replacement were soon underway under the codename Projet C28, with development entrusted to the former Simca and Rootes teams in Poissy, France and Coventry respectively. Existing Simca engines and transmissions were to be mated to the underpinnings of the newly developed Peugeot 205, albeit stretched out…

Given the 32 years separating their launches, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Elan and MX-5 shared very little apart from their open two-seater silhouette, but in reality some very similar engineering thinking went into both of them. Like the Lotus, the Mazda uses a twin-cam engine and it's similarly mounted in what is effectively a backbone chassis similar in concept to the Elan if not identical. Both were also born of a pursuit of light weight and engineering elegance – the Elan in the interests of creating as much speed as possible from a relatively modest capacity, and the MX-5 in the interests of recreating the driver involvement missing from modern cars. Today, both are classics in their own right, with the Mazda still a rising star.…

From the perspective of 2026 it seems a very long time ago indeed that Rover was regarded as a genuinely premium product but when the P4 was launched in 1954, Jaguar was still an upstart new kid on the car making scene. It's this car – along with its beloved P5 and P6 successors – that would go on to inspire the brand's attempt to recapture the spirit of the independent pre-BL Rover at the turn of the millennium. The result, of course, was something of a German caricature of what a British saloon should be, but also a rather good car in its own right: the chintzy but undoubtedly very accomplished Rover 75. Rover P4, P5, P6 The P4 may have looked staid with its old-fashioned rear-hinged back doors…

By the time we reached the front end of our Mondeo ST24 project, the transformation underneath was already dramatic. The back of the car, freshly rebuilt with original springs, new brakes and a coat of protective underseal, looked every bit the part. But up front, things were rather less glamorous. We'd noticed from the start that the car didn't roll freely. Even when pushing it around the workshop, there was a definite dragging from the front brakes — a sure sign that at least one calliper was binding. A quick inspection on the ramp confirmed our suspicion: the driver's side front piston had seized solid, leaving the pad half-clamped against the disc. It wasn't dangerous – the car hasn't yet been driven on the road – but it needed sorting…

I've said before that restoring, maintaining and driving classic cars makes little logical sense. Fortunately, not everything can be explained by logic and that certainly doesn't stop so many of us having an enduring passion for the hobby. Some cars provide obvious rewards for the time and money we lavish on them – the poise and balance of a Lotus Elan, the exquisite grace and elegance of a Jaguar XJ6 and the sheer exuberant fun of a BMC Mini, for example. Not all classics have such an obvious payback reward however, and I'd be the first to admit that my 1974 Morris Marina 1.8 SDL falls into this latter camp. Personally, I like its no-nonsense 1970s styling, but even I have to admit that being designed for ease of production…

When Fiat Chrysler Automotive announced it was about to release a modern-day version of its classic Fiat 124 in open-top Spider guise in 2015, the automotive world took a collective gulp in anticipation. It almost didn't seem to matter that it would be a joint venture with Mazda and therefore little more than a re-cloaked fourth-generation MX-5, albeit with Fiat engines. However, it turned out that what did matter was sales – or a lack thereof. With a price tag nudging £30,000 new for the top-of-the-range Abarth, the 124 Spider was significantly dearer than its Japanese stablemate, so initially only Fiat stalwarts showed an interest. And because of this, the plug was pulled at the Hiroshima production line just three years after launch. Fiat's pretty convertible is only now receiving…

The availability of classic friendly E5 fuel is due to be reviewed by the government this year, and while experts are confident it will remain a fixture on the UK's forecourts, enthusiasts are being encouraged to continue supporting ‘protection grade’ petrol. E10 petrol was introduced as the standard 95-octane petrol grade on September 1, 2021, raising ethanol content up to 10 per cent. However, for older vehicles less tolerant of ethanol, higher-octane 97+ ‘Super’ grades remained at E5 – up to five per cent ethanol. This was designated as the ‘protection grade’ for owners of older vehicles. At time, it was said that the introduction of the 95-octane E10 grade and the maintenance of the Super E5 protection grade would be reviewed by the government after five years to ensure…

The three Ford GT40s that delivered the famous 1-2-3 finish at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race will be reunited in action later this year, appearing together for the first time in a decade at Goodwood's flagship motorsport events. Their appearance comes as 2026 marks the 60th anniversary of Ford and Shelby American's landmark triumph over Ferrari. Driven to victory at Le Mans by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, Ken Miles and Denny Hulme, and Ronnie Bucknum and Dick Hutcherson, the three Ford GT40 Mk IIs – chassis P/1046, P/1015 and P/1016 - played a central role in one of motorsport's most celebrated moments. They will run at both the Festival of Speed, held on July 9–12, and the Goodwood Revival on September 18–20. It marks a rare…

We're sure most of us have a soft spot for the cars that lived on our driveways during our youth. For Darren Amos, this car happened to be the Mk5 Cortina in the shape of a Midnight Blue 1.6L saloon with tan interior, belonging to his father. “I remember that car when it was just two years old,” he smiles. “I was often to be found washing and polishing the exterior and once sat in the passenger seat, I felt so proud witnessing my polishing efforts on the long bonnet that lay in front!” Even on the rare occasions that the bonnet wasn't so shiny, Darren still felt proud his family were able to own a Cortina. “I eventually got to drive that same car after I'd passed my driving…

One of the few success stories salvaged from BMW's ownership of Rover, the new Mini owed nothing to the engineering of the original – but everything to its heritage. The Mini was clever, there was no doubt about it. But much like today's Smart ForTwo, it still took up one whole car space on the road and buyers realised that with just a slightly larger overall dimension came a whole lot more practicality. Step forward the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo with their coil suspension, slick-shifting conventional gearboxes and the marvel of a hatchback rear and folding seats. The rest of the world quickly followed suit and the Mini started to get left behind. Visit the British Motor Museum and you can track a whole trail of abandoned prototypes attempting…

As European makers lean increasingly heavily on their heritage, the Renault 5 has reappeared with battery power and taken over the small electric car market. The motoring press and car buyers are equally besotted – although we'd be surprised if it can surpass the original. Renault 5s old and new If ever there was a perfect illustration of the characteristic French tendency to ignore the conventional and plough their own furrow, the original Renault 5 is it. Longitudinally engined, it broke with the developing convention pioneered by the Mini to use space-saving transverse powerplants in front-drive hatches, yet it still became a best seller and lived for a decade. Yes, the engine intruded into the cabin, but being French they simply trimmed the resulting protrusion in an attractive cloth and…

Adirect ancestor of today's 3 Series range (and the many imitators it inspired), the ‘02 range was the car that cemented the German firm's place alongside its domestic rivals – especially in the US market. It was conceived at a time when BMW was in dire straits and even at risk of a takeover by Mercedes. The problem lay in a lopsided product lineup: motorbikes and bubble cars at one end of the scale, large and expensive limousines and sports cars such as the 503 and 507 at the other, and very little in between. The answer was the so-called Neue Klasse (literally, ‘New Class’) range which was launched in 1962, a modern mid-range saloon which played Mercedes at its own game and was an immediate success. Using a new…

2003 Volkswagen Golf R32 • SWVA, January 29 Estimate: £8000-£10,000 Sold for: £15,650 plus fees One of just 57 UK-delivered cars finished in Moonlight Blue Pearl, this desirable three-door Volkswagen Golf R32 had benefitted from significant cosmetic and mechanical attention during its life. With just 62,931 miles on the clock it was bound to do well. 1994 Range Rover Classic • ACA, January 31 & February 1 Estimate: £30,000-£50,000 Sold for: £119,880 This dusty LSE 4.2 V8 had covered just 756 miles, having been in storage since its owner passed away when the car was still quite new. It came with the cherished registration number NEB 58 and easily beat its guide to return an incredible result. 1999 Rover Mini Cooper Sport • SWVA, January 29 Estimate: £8000-£10,000 Sold for:…

For 35 years, Saab produced some of the most recognisable cars in the world. Whether saloon, hatchback, or convertible, the wedge-shaped profile of models such as the 99, 900, and 9-3 became as distinctive a trademark as the crowned griffin badge on the bonnet. The design evolved gradually over the decades, with chrome bumpers giving way to plastic and then fully integrated mouldings, but a mid-sized Saab always remained resolutely Swedish and deliberately idiosyncratic. Saab was known for an unusually loyal customer base, with many owners keeping their cars for a decade or more before simply buying another. Saab produced cars that blended a distinctly Swedish emphasis on solid build quality, durability, and safety with the occasional eccentric flourish, fitting for a company that also built fighter jets. For many,…

The online marketplace eBay has revealed the most expensive parts and accessories sold via the platform in the UK during 2025 – and it's a classic Jaguar E-Type bonnet that tops the list. The rare aluminium item was snapped up for £18,564, surpassing the most expensive part sold on eBay in the UK in 2024 – an Audi R8 5.2-litre V10 engine that sold for £16,567. Body panels also claimed second place on the 2025 list, with a complete Ford Transit Custom front end selling for £17,180. Rounding out the top three was a BMW M5 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine, purchased for £17,048. High-performance engines dominated the rankings overall, accounting for seven of the top 10 most expensive parts sold. A 5.7-litre V12 engine from a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti placed…

Thousands of cars from the mundane to the truly exotic were once again on display at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles for Rétromobile, the event broadly recognised as the first major classic car event of the European season. The 2026 show, which ran from January 28-February 1, saw a rallying theme, with cars such as the Alpine A110, Mini Cooper S and Ford Cortina Lotus Mk1, Lancia Stratos, Fiat 131 Abarth and a selection of Group B era cars featured. There were also talks from well-known figures in the world of rallying, including Ari Vatanen, Bruno Saby, Jean-Claude Andruet and Didier Auriol. In addition, a special feature was the BMW Art Car World Tour, with cars such as the Jeff Koons M3, Julie Mehretu M Hybrid V8, Andy Warhol…

Peter has been a classic car journalist for nearly 40 years, and is a past editor of Practical Classics, Car Mechanics, Classic Car Weekly and Classic Car Buyer. These days he writes mainly about old lorries as editor of Classic & Vintage Commercials, but old cars remain his first love. MY FLEET 1949 RILEY RMB 1955 MG ZA MAGNETTE 1958 HILLMAN MINX 1961 AUSTIN CAMBRIDGE A55 MK2 1970 ROVER P6 3500 1990 VOLVO 240 ESTATE 1992 ROVER 827 COUPE Last time, we left off with my Volvo 240 estate still refusing to idle above 500rpm when warm, a speed too slow to keep the engine running with Drive engaged. So in a further attempt to try and sort matters, I first changed the fuel filter. This is one of those…

It's easy to see why car companies would want to draw on past glories when coming up with ways to sell their newest products. With many firms enjoying legacies that stretch back decades or even centuries, great ideas and designs are never far away. And of course, it's possible to draw on another brand's icons for inspiration too. Over the next few pages, we'll explore some of the best examples of automotive reboots over the years; remarkable remakes that have helped shape the fortunes of many a struggling heritage car company. We'll explore the newer models - and crucially, the cars that set the bar in the first place. First, we'll explore how car design began to look backwards for its inspiration – a phenomenon that seems to be gaining…

They may share similar curves but the Jaguar E-Type and XK8 don't have a single common component. In fact, they're not just a generation apart but two generations, since the XJ-S was chronologically the E-Type's successor, even if its grand touring demeanour made it very different in spirit. Regardless, the inspiration is clear, with long-bonnet proportions and an air of desirability that's hard to beat. Just as Jaguar didn't need to look far to find an iconic source of inspiration for its flagship GT, its saloon range has also pulled on retro design to great effect through the years, before ultimately abandoning the practice in the name of Germam-style modernity. E-Type The Jaguar E-Type offered startling performance for its time – and indeed for its price – but what really…

The Lagonda was the work of William Towns, one of the UK's most creative automotive designers. When he joined Aston Martin in 1966 following stints at Rootes and then Rover it was initially to design car seats. However, he soon approached the company's then chairman, David Brown, with sketches of a new, more modern coupe which eventually became the DBS from 1967. Towns had also developed a longer, four-door version, and in 1969 a single prototype was built for Brown's personal use that was fitted with a prototype 5.0-litre version of Aston Martin's new V8. Because Brown had been an enthusiast of the Lagonda marque ever since he'd bought it in 1947, the car was badged as such. It initially remained a one-off until 1974 when, with Aston Martin now…

Jaguar XK (X150) Having launched the aluminium-bodied X350 generation XJ in 2002, Jaguar had become only the second manufacturer after Audi to employ the idea for volume production. The same technology was to be used in the all-new Jaguar XK coupe to good effect, where it allowed a reduction in kerb weight of some 100kg over its steel-bodied predecessor. Working without the constraints of an existing platform, Jaguar's design team was able to give the new car – developed under codename X150 – more contemporary proportions, with a front axle line pushed further forwards to avoid a long overhang. Meanwhile, the drivetrain was essentially carried over from the late-model XK8, comprising the 300bhp 4.2-litre AJ-V8. The production car was launched at the Frankfurt show in September 2005 in both coupe…

PART FIVE After 102,000 miles, our MX-5's clutch still felt good, with no juddering to report. However, the gear selector felt a bit rough, especially going into third gear, so with no history of a change, it seemed likely that it was still on its original factory-fitted clutch. A Blue Print 3-piece clutch kit was duly ordered and the MX5 Restorer guys were asked to fit it. With their vast experience, the job was done without fuss (they've fitted loads of MX-5 clutches, of course), while I hung around taking photos. On a 2-post ramp, the job is easy enough. There's a bellhousing bolt at the top you can't really see with your eyes, and it needs three extensions on your ratchet plus a long 14mm socket to get on…

Ford Mustang (sixth generation) (2014-2023) The word ‘iconic’ is a little overused in automotive circles but if any car can claim that honour, it's the Ford Mustang. Introduced to the US market in 1964 and produced without pause ever since, Ford's everyman sports car is now in its seventh generation and has fully transcended car culture to become a household name. Despite its widespread international popularity, it took Ford a few decades to officially offer the Mustang for sale in the UK in right-hand drive. That all changed with the sixth-generation model, launched at the Detroit Auto Show in 2014 at a time when the American firm had begun to streamline its international model lineup. Ford brought the previously North American-only Edge SUV to Europe that year, while the new…