Indice dei contenuti per December 2020 in Classics World

This issue marks something of a milestone for Classics Monthly, being the 300th edition to be published. That’s nearly 25 years worth, and it is incredible to think about how much has changed in the world of classic cars over that quarter of a century. Perhaps the most obvious of these changes has been the way values of traditional classics have risen across the board, although some models have crept up slowly while others have simply rocketed skywards. That has conspired with the influx of new and younger enthusiasts to bring more modern cars into the classic fold – saloons from the 1980s and 1990s and sports cars into the 2000s, for example. There have also been any number of subtle shifts in tastes and fashions so that cars which…

MOKE International Limited has announced the return of the iconic Moke, with 56 limited edition cars being made available to signify the number of years since the Mini Moke first appeared in Britain in 1964. Order books are also open for Mokes in standard configuration, confirming the permanent return of the brand. The original Moke was designed in the 1960s by Sir Alec Issigonis, the architect of the Austin Mini. It was first specified as a military vehicle engineered to be robust enough for deployment behind enemy lines by aeroplane. The original shared many components with the Mini, including suspension and chassis. However, it found its niche as a symbol of the 1960s, becoming fashionable amongst inhabitants of the most exclusive coastal resorts in Europe, the Caribbean, US and Asia.…

Allard Motor Company, a name created in the 1930s from a love of racing, coachbuilding and pre-war ‘hot-rodding,’ is making its comeback for the first time in 60 years and introducing the Allard Sports Cars JR continuation series. This has been a collective family project to bring back the Allard name and continue the founding father’s (Sydney Allard) legacy. Hand built in the UK by Sydney’s son Alan and grandson Lloyd, alongside his other grandson Gavin who is archivist of the Allard Owners Club, the JR continuation model has been built using original drawings and parts, design bucks and traditional materials to the original 1953 JR Le Mans racing specification. Alan Allard said: 'Watching my father build these cars in period is a memory that will always stay with me.…

“The Sport model was launched in 1971 and was basically a lower-spec 1300GT” When Ford of Europe unveiled the Escort to the public at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1968, the all-new model was an instant success. Cleverly marketed as ‘The small car that isn’t,’ the Escort hit the ground running. The early models were available as two-door saloons in De Luxe, Super and GT format. These were equipped with either 1098cc (1.1-litre) or 1298cc (1.3-litre) Kent crossflow engines. An automatic gearbox was made available as an option, and a four-door saloon and estate were introduced the following year. As production of the latest Ford gathered pace, buyers were tempted by the low prices and a variety of body specs and engine options. It did not matter whether your…

Standard-Triumph made several abortive efforts to break into the sports car market in the early postwar years, but finally cracked that lucrative nut with the TR2 of 1953. Styled by Walter Belgrove, this had sweeping wings and cutaway doors with sidescreens rather than winding windows, as was normal for sports cars in this era. It was a highly advanced looking design compared to opposition from the likes of MG, and it proved to be rugged, reliable and capable of 100mph, no mean feat in the early 1950s. By the time that Leyland rode to the struggling Standard-Triumph’s rescue in 1961, the cash-strapped Coventry concern already had a successor nearly ready for production. This was the TR4, with a bigger body, full height doors and wind-up windows courtesy of Italian stylist…

Contributor An expat motoring author and journo resident in Vancouver, Iain was unable to resist the opportunities that comprise his fleet of projects, but is also unable to muster the focus, energy or organisational skills to complete them. MY FLEET 1947 BENTLEY MKVI OWNED SINCE: 2015 1957 BENTLEY S1 OWNED SINCE: 2019 1958 CHEVROLET DELRAY OWNED SINCE: 2005 1984 DODGE CAMPERVAN OWNED SINCE: 2009 1974 MINI MARCOS PROJECT OWNED SINCE: 2015 1990 ROVER MINI COOPER RSP OWNED: since 2016 1992 JEEP CHEROKEE OWNED SINCE: 2006 1992 MAZDA MX5 SUNBURST OWNED SINCE: 2015 199X COBRA REPLICA PROJECT OWNED SINCE: 2007…

After several months with relatively little travel, I looked forward to a week-long sojourn in North Wales at the end of August. Regular readers will be aware that this is a trip I like to make annually, as it provides the perfect confluence of interests – brilliant roads for classic car driving, plenty of steam railways, and the opportunity for walking in the beautiful Snowdonia mountains. For the first time, I had two Morris Minors suitably modified for long-distance driving. I would have liked to take Lily, my 1967 saloon newly fitted with a 1275 A+ engine and upgraded running gear during the lockdown. However, I opted to take my modified 1950 Lowlight on account of it being a well fettled and known car to which I felt comfortable entrusting…

As we come to the end of our Figaro project, there are still a few jobs to be done and a couple of those are being shown here. However, on a car that is nearly 30 years old there will always be some additional fettling and repairs to be done, so it is never truly finished. The pictures show the last few tasks in our ownership, but this is probably an opportune moment to also share with you a few thoughts on what the car has been like to own and run. I’ll start with stating the obvious – a Figaro is first and foremost about style. There are any number of sensible hatchbacks on the market and if you just want a shopping trolley then you should go and…

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The age and make of your classic car determines what sort of spanners, sockets, nuts and bolts you need for it. A British-manufactured classic from the 1960s up to the 1980s will probably use unified fastenings, with the most popular spanner/ socket sizes being 1/2in, along with 9/16in and 7/16in. By the 1990s, many of these cars were using metric fastenings (measured in millimetres, or mm for short), which the continental manufacturers had already been using for a few decades. Nowadays the Americans have largely retained unified sizes, but most other manufacturers have adopted metric. Before unified was introduced, there were the likes of Whitworth and BA (British Association), which you'll find on pre-war British classics. Moving to a newer standard of thread was made easier in some cases by…

Nuts and bolts should have information on them to explain their grading. A metric bolt, for example, will have a number displayed on the top of the head which indicates its tensile strength. The higher the number, the greater the bolt can be tightened, making it more useful for applications where a high torque setting is required such as caliper mounting bolts and suspension mounts. Typically you will find 4.6, 8.8, 10.9 and 12.9 grades, though they may only be marked up with the 4, 8, 10 or 12 on nuts. The 4.6-grade was generally used for attaching light objects such as trim, but these have been deleted from most manufacturers' catalogues these days and 8.8 is now the standard choice for most applications up to and including structural and…

Lock tab washers are often fitted to brake and suspension components to help prevent a bolt or nut from loosening. The ends of the washer are bent over and against the flats of the fastener to lock it into place and remove any possibility of it turning, although some means of stopping the entire washer from moving is required – it will be bent over something else as well, or a single tab washer will secure two or more bolts. Shakeproof washers (sometimes called star washers) can be fitted where a nut or bolt may be subject to excessive vibration. The jagged edges of the washer help to dig into the nut or bolt and whatever it is fitted to. This is useful for earth straps, helping to cut through…

In some cases, a bolt should be fitted with a small amount of thread lock applied to help reduce the risk of it slackening. This is essentially a mild glue, and manufacturers such as Loctite produce thread lock in a bottle and tube. Avoid saturating the thread in thread lock because a small amount is usually sufficient. Some bolts are supplied with thread lock already applied, so they may need to be replaced if removed because the thread lock won’t be as effective when fitting the bolt for a second time. Such bolts are often used for suspension and brake components. In some cases, it may be possible to clean the thread and apply thread lock to re-use the bolt. Nylon insert nuts have a small amount of nylon above…

For the first time, teens can now drive classic cars with ADI instructors thanks to the UK’s largest pre-17 driving school, Young Driver. The school, which usually offers lessons in brand new Vauxhall Corsa SE Premiums, has added three British classics to its fleet so that youngsters aged from 10 to 17 will be able to sample the driving dynamics of a Vauxhall VX490, a Morris Minor or an Austin 7. Adults keen to reminisce are also welcome! Working with the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Young Driver will be running events at the museum once or twice a month, with more venues planned. To date they have delivered over 800,000 lessons, and now will be offering 15-minute driving experiences in the three classic cars, accompanied by fully qualified instructors.…

JUE 477 – THE REMARKABLE HISTORY & RESTORATION OF THE WORLD’S FIRST PRODUCTION LAND-ROVER By Martin Port. Price: £30. Hardback, 280mm x 240mm, 240+ images. ISBN: 978-1-907085-78-9 This book tells the unlikely story of the world’s first production Land-Rover, chassis number 860001. Built in 1948, Land-Rover number one was intended for presentation to King George VI, but actually ended up working on farms and mining sites in north east England. After 22 years of hard service, it was sold to Northumberland farmer David Fairless for just £15 – and he wasn’t sure whether to continue using the vehicle or break it up for spares. Before long, 860001 lay forgotten and exposed to the elements on the farm. In 2017, after Fairless’s death, 860001 was liberated from the barn, sold…

Last issue, we learnt about this Midget’s history in the hands of David Irving, who had bought it in 1975 when the MG was just five years old and had 14,777 miles on the clock. He finally decided in the summer of 2019 that it was time to move on, and advertised the Midget for sale. I saw it in Safety Fast!, the magazine of the MG Car Club, and gave him a call. David and I had a long chat about the car, and I was interested enough to pop down to Stroud for a look. Before travelling, Dave told me: ‘I checked the MoT – the last one was 10th March 2017 and she’s done 130 miles since then. She passed without any work, but they gave warnings…

I had noticed recently that the rubber gaiters on the upper wishbone balljoints and the vertical link on the Gentry’s front suspension had badly deteriorated. If left in such a state, they would allow dirt and grit to attack the balljoints, accelerating wear. They would also be an MoT fail point. A quick call to Moss Europe and two new gaiters arrived in the post the following morning – all the suspension components on this early Gentry are straight off a Triumph Spitfire Mk3, so parts are easily obtainable and generally cheap. After jacking the car up and removing both front wheels, I undid the nyloc nuts securing the balljoints. After a sharp tap with a hammer to release the balljoint from the arm, it was then easy to pry…

Contributor 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…

Winter hibernation for a classic car is one of the best means of protecting it from the perils of road salt, dirt and water that can contaminate the chassis legs, wheelarches and sills. However, it could be argued that similar damage can be inflicted upon it should the car be incorrectly stored. For instance, rising damp and moisture in the air can lead to corrosion, mice and other rodents may find their way into the interior and eat away at wiring and upholstery, or tyres may become misshapen and the battery could go flat. So a careful plan for storing your classic is essential. Cleaning The old saying that you should leave something in the condition that you’d like to find it surely applies to a classic car when storing…

Fine and coarse threads are available for most nuts and bolts, a coarse thread having fewer threads per inch than a fine thread. For unified American fastenings, a coarse thread is abbreviated to UNC (Unified National Coarse) while UNF (Unified National Fine) describes a fine thread. There’s also UNEF for Unified Extra Fine thread and UNS for Unified Special, but these are not really applicable to cars. A fine thread is stronger than a coarse thread, so it is capable of withstanding higher torque settings. Also, its smaller pitch allows for finer adjustment and has less risk of loosening. That's one reason why they are commonly used in suspension and seatbelt mountings. Actually, seatbelt mountings are an odd case as they have always been standardised at 7/16th UNF pretty much…

Some bolts have a thread running all the way up to the underside of the head, but to be correct these are set screws and not bolts at all. So take care to use the correct terminology when ordering or you might end up with something much longer than intended. True bolts have a shorter length of thread and an unthreaded shank leading up to the head. The unthreaded section is stronger than a threaded section as far as shearing goes, so such a bolt is recommended for safety-critical mountings such as suspension arms. This type of fitting may also be essential to reduce the amount of play in a mounting, such as in a suspension wishbone bush. A similar fitting is a stepped bolt, which also has a shank,…

Lockwire or safety wire is a traditional means of reducing the risk of one or more bolts coming undone. The head of the bolt must have a hole drilled through it to allow the lockwire to be fitted, which is available in a range of diameters. A pair of lockwire pliers is needed, and only use dedicated lockwire, which has a suitable diameter and strength. Car Builder Solutions sells a budget locking wire kit for £24, which includes 30 metres of 0.7mm-diameter locking wire and a twisting tool.…

A washer that can be compressed or crushed is often used where a liquid-tight seal needs to be achieved, such as the fitting of an engine oil drain sump plug. Avoid over tightening the sump plug (refer to a workshop manual for the correct torque setting) as it could flatten the washer and fail to achieve a seal. If a solid copper washer is used, it must be soft copper because one that has not been annealed will be too hard and may well end up leaking. Aluminium compression washers are usually softer than the copper equivalent and are used for engine oil sump drain plugs, or pneumatic and low-pressure hydraulic systems. Just like a copper washer, it’s important to follow any recommended torque-tightening settings to ensure the compression washer…

PETE BARRETT Insurance Manager, Cherished Vehicle Insurance Services 1 What was the first car that you ever owned? The first car I owned was my grandad’s Ford Cortina Crusader 1.6, fondly known as Brutus the Destroyer. Grandad had owned the Cortina from new and I restored the car after inheriting it at the age of 16. I fitted new wings, did a lot of welding and even resprayed the front end myself. The car was very reliable, taking my friends and I to Newquay twice and ferrying us all over the place. She’s still registered with the DVLA, but not had an MoT since 2000 so if anyone knows the location of YFR 488Y, I would be interested in getting her back! 2 What classic car(s) do you currently own?…

ORIGINAL ACCESSORIES IDEAL FOR YOUR 1960S SUNBEAM RAPIER I suspect that most clubs are in a similar position, but the restrictions this year have prevented the meetings that we normally report on in our magazines. That has certainly been the case for the Sunbeam Rapier Owners Club's magazine, Cut and Thrust. However, that does provide opportunities for us to turn to other sources, and one that I put together was a light-hearted look at some magazine adverts from the early 1960s that I came across. The first one to catch my attention was what makers NMC claimed was 'The only safe way to light a cigarette when driving.' Easily mounted on your dashboard, the dispenser held ten cigarettes that were loaded before a journey. All the driver then…

I bought the Duchess, our 1965 Rover 3 Litre saloon, in 1976. That is now 44 years ago, and at the time it had only 22,000 miles on the clock. Although I gave the car to Anne as a wedding present, I have somehow still ended up paying all the bills on it. Over the years, apart from routine maintenance, Duchess has had a professional bodywork overhaul with many new panels and a respray. The interior is mainly original, but the front seat bases had to have new leather installed by a local specialist a few years ago. In 1978, Anne sold the 1965 Vauxhall Viva HA she'd had since new and bought Sausage (from the registration number Sizzling Hot Chipolatas 864 Sausages) a brand new four-door Viva 1300L, as…

Having waved goodbye to the TR6 project recently, I’ll keep tabs on its rebuild. The car’s new owner Craig regretted selling his previous TR6. I’ll probably also regret selling that TR6 as it is a solid base for a restoration. I passed it on at a minor loss, but that’s fine because there had to be a project cull: the convertible two-door Bentley, the Blower replica, the Miata/Ford Cobra and the Mini Marcos are enough to be going on with. While I had my sensible head on, something sank in regarding the convertible Cloud project: I’m not going to keep one of those because it’s a commercial venture. The original Mulliner conversions are worth about US$650,000. The replicas are worth about half that, and it’s going to cost pretty serious…

Having brought you news in the October issue of our purchase of the 1949 Allard L, LKR 963, I can now report on further progress. First of all, previous owner Roger Murray-Evans went through the car and replaced the wiring loom and sorted out various things including the door hinges, although more work on the door pillars will be needed. He rebuilt and modified the rear brakes too, and now the hand brake does work very well. New wheel cylinders, master cylinder and front brake linings also went on, and on one of my visits we bled the brakes together. All the fuel system rubber pipework was replaced too, and new filters back and front fitted. The car obtained a lovely set of Dunlop 600 x 16 tyres during the…

There’s a certain level of assumed knowledge when it comes to fitting the right nut, bolt and washer, so people are often reluctant to ask the obvious questions, such as what does 8.8 mean on the top of the head of a bolt, or can I replace all my rusty bolts with stainless steel ones? The answers to such questions and more are covered over the following pages with our guide to fitting the correct type of fastenings, ensuring they don’t slacken and understanding the different types of finishes that are available. One of the biggest problems concerning classic cars and their fastenings is deciding whether they are metric, unified (UNF and UNC) or imperial (such as Whitworth and BSF). Confusingly, some bolts are a mixture of more than one…

Cylinder heads on many engines from the 1990s onwards use stretch bolts to secure the head to the top of the engine block. These are capable of withstanding a greater amount of torque than traditional head bolts because they stretch when tightened. Consequently, it is often not possible to re-use them – your workshop manual will have specifications for measuring how long they are so you can decide whether they may be reused.…

Whilst nuts and bolts can be made from a variety of materials, the most popular on classic cars is steel. However, there are a number of different finishes, some of which last longer than others. Zinc plating and passivated coatings are the most common and among the cheapest to apply. Nickel has a harder, more resistant finish, but it is more expensive. You used to be able to get chromium and chromate coatings that offered a brighter finish with even better resistance to corrosion, but those processes have since been banned. Stainless steel is popular because it offers good corrosion resistance. However, it is not as strong as steel, so it is generally not recommended for fitting to safety-critical components such as mounting points for the brakes, suspension, drivetrain or…

Split pins are often fitted through a hole in the end of a thread and through slots in the nut to prevent it from loosening, or through a clevis pin to stop that from falling out. They are designed to be a single use item, with the ends being bent over after fitting (any excess ends can be cut off if necessary). Extracting a rusted split pin can be awkward, especially if it is seized and breaks, leaving remains behind that may need to be drilled out. R-clips work in a similar way to prevent a fastening from loosening, but they cannot be fitted to a castle nut. As the name suggests, they are R-shaped, and they are commonly used for securing the end of a brake pad retaining pin…

Studs can be particularly problematic to order correctly. On metric studs, the length is measured as indicated here – from the start of the unthreaded shank at the bottom (known as the metal end) to the very top (known as the nut end). You then need to say how many diameters of the shank you want that first thread to extend – this one is 1.25. On an imperial or unified stud, the length you quote is for the entire stud, and you then state what thread you want within this and how long you want them to be at either end.…

The history of most British automotive marques is a litany of changing ownership and shifting corporate allegiance. Lotus is no exception: although it had remained under the control of its charismatic founder Colin Chapman from its 1952 birth until his sudden demise in 1982, by 1993 it had passed through several hands – including General Motors and Toyota – to end up the property of Italian entrepreneur and Bugatti brand owner, Romano Artioli. By this point just two models were in production – the stunning-but-ancient Esprit and the pricy, front-drive Elan S2, and neither were selling particularly well. Lotus could well have failed at this point, but instead it girded its loins, gathered together its considerable technical genius and produced one of the most technologically daring, pure and wonderful cars…

Vauxhall is the UK’s oldest surviving home-grown brand, and their 117-year history is brimming with models that not only left an indelible mark on the face of British motoring, but also raised the bar in so many areas – performance, design, safety and technology. To celebrate that heritage, the company has provided this snapshot of the dozen decades that they have been manufacturing cars and commercials. Not all the vehicles they have chosen are the obvious ones, but taken all together they do show how Vauxhall’s models have changed radically to reflect the ever-changing demands and desires of British car buyers. So, from a tiller-steered, two-geared, chain-driven runabout to a near-600hp behemoth, welcome to Vauxhall’s long and varied product journey. 1: VAUXHALL 5HP LIGHT CAR Built from 1903 (Vauxhall’s first…