Classics Worldの May 2021 の目次

Spending my days putting Classics Monthly together and most of my free time of an evening and at weekends in the garage, I think it is fair to say that I live and breathe classic cars. Naturally I have my own personal favourites, but I can’t really think of any car from the 1980s or before that I wouldn’t like to try. Yet despite this, I have always maintained that if you stand back and look at the hobby dispassionately, then it makes little sense to try and keep a car in shape and on the road for many decades when it had an original design life of just eight or ten years. Increasingly though, I am less and less sure this is the case. It is invariably true that…

Classic Mercedes-Benz specialists the SL Shop (www.theslshop.com) have acquired one of the world’s largest collections of classic Mercedes-Benz parts. Discovered in late 2019, the unique haul of parts comprises many thousands of components to suit W113 (Pagoda) and R107 generations of SL, and many of the items have until now been near impossible to find and out of production for decades. The gigantic collection was unearthed following numerous online enquires from a Dutch gentleman who was trying to ascertain values for parts, and repeatedly found himself on the website of SLSHOP. Instead of trying to value components individually, he decided to speak to the team about selling the entire collection. A trip to Holland was arranged on the understanding that it was an all or nothing transaction. As SLSHOP’s highly…

For the first time ever, a VW Type 2 van is now also available in PLAYMOBIL format at a scale of approximately 1:18. Called by PLAYMOBIL the Volkswagen T1 Camping Bus, the new toy is based on a genuine vehicle – the 1962 T1 Camping Bus ‘Henrik the Red’ from the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ collection. Despite the small size of the new toy, there is plenty of detail packed into the design as the bench seat tips up and the table and cupboards work. They are even filled with appropriate food and camping utensils. Recommended for ages 5+, the official list price is £49.99, though we found it for sale from £37.…

Back in 2012, Mark Wanstall heard about a Series 2 E-type Jaguar project for sale. As he explains: 'I heard about it fourth-hand, and bought it from a chap who owns a body shop. I particularly wanted it because E-types seem hard to find as restoration projects, most of them having been done up already.' The car Mark found was a UK-spec 1968 Series 2 with the 4.2-litre (4235cc) XK in-line six-cylinder engine. When Mark bought it, the car was a rolling shell. It had been partly dismantled in 1982 and had sat around since, but thankfully it had retained the vast majority of its parts, and those were all included as part of the package. With the Series 2, the E-type got amendments to lighting to conform with the…

Item ID AT420 Individual curved body working dolly – £40.68 Item ID AT415 Curved body working dolly – £40.68 Item ID HMBH03 Crown face body hammer with forged alloy steel head, mirror polished face and hickory handle – £46.68 Item ID HMBH01 Round crown face and straight pein hammer with forged alloy steel head, mirror polished face and hickory handle – £40.20 Item ID 490W Straight high-leverage snips – £29.40 Item ID 491W Straight/right high-leverage snips – £29.40 Item ID 492W Straight/left high-leverage snips: £29.40 With thanks to project partner Teng Tools Telephone: 015257 11500 Email: sales1@tengtools.com www.tengtools.com…

Ivan Ostroff Contributor None of the cars in Ivan’s stable are in concours condition, but all of them are in proper mechanical order and in continual use. He believes in using classics in the way they were designed to be used: simply driven every day. MY FLEET 1989 JAGUAR XJ6 OWNED SINCE: 2007 1988 JAGUAR XJ40 OWNED SINCE: 2015 1982 RMB GENTRY OWNED SINCE: 2012 1965 DAIMLER V8 OWNED SINCE: 1978. Leaving cars standing unused is never a good idea. No matter what the weather has to offer throughout the winter months, I have always made a point of running the Gentry regularly. Until Covid. For once, I let things go and did not start it or take it out on a run for almost three months. Eventually, on a…

Paul Wager Group Editor Group Editor at Kelsey Media, Paul heads up the team which brings you our weekly paper Classic Car Buyer and the monthly Classic Car Mart, as well as being unofficial marshal of the company’s eclectic and ever-changing fleet of classic project cars. Ranging from Honda CRX to Bentley Turbo R, the collection temporarily includes this Escort XR3i, while Paul’s own Alfa Spider has recently been changed after 23 years of ownership for a modern classic in the shape of a Honda S2000. MY FLEET 2003 HONDA S2000  Owned since: 2020 1984 FORD ESCORT XR3I Owned (by Lancaster) since: 2019 After introducing the Escort last issue – which was planned to be Lancaster insurance’s competition giveaway in 2020 before that plan got overtaken by global events –…

As we reported previously, the radiator on our Project Shoestring Acclaim was not in the best of shape, with plenty of green verdigris stains suggesting it was far from watertight. The plastic overflow bottle looked initially to be filled to the correct level, but closer inspection revealed that this was in fact empty – it was so badly stained at the fill level that it was impossible to see at a glance where the coolant reached. The coolant overflow bottle (or more technically correct the expansion bottle) was attached to the screenwash reservoir, which was also empty. Peering inside the screenwash reservoir revealed plenty of gunk in the bottom, so there was no point in just filling it with fluid and pushing this through the system as that would have…

My plan in late 2016 was to buy a 1970s Silver Shadow for around £12,000 (my maximum budget at the time) in the UK and then bring it home to Ireland, as it was my dream to own a Rolls-Royce. However, what I ended up with was rather different. Completed in October 1929, chassis number GEN 33 (with bodywork by Barker) was one of the later examples of the Rolls-Royce 20hp, featuring the various modifications carried out during the car’s seven-year production run. This particular 20hp has an interesting history, as some time in the 1950s it was re-bodied with secondhand Park Ward bodywork, which to my eyes looks better – although that view isn’t shared by most RREC members, it seems! It started life with the registration number UU…

JAGUAR This lovely image was only issued by Jaguar recently, but shows a 4.2 XJS Automatic from 1968, the year the model was introduced. I am not generally a big fan of brown cars, but it really seems to suit this one – maybe it is the super lighting in the image or the clean an uncluttered white background, or perhaps it is just that a car as beautiful as the XJ6 looks great in any colour. My biggest memory of the model was travelling five-up from Norwich to the British Motor Show at Birmingham's NEC in 1980 or 1982. The exhaust fell off on the way so we had to stop and get a new one fitted, and even when it was split five ways the petrol cost us…

Mitsubishi Motors in the UK has announced details of its heritage fleet auction, which is scheduled to run from 1st April to 30th April on the specialist online platform Auto Auction. All 14 cars are up for grabs, with detailed descriptions and a comprehensive array of images and videos for each vehicle, as well as introductory films by TV presenter and ex-Mitsubishi racer Tiff Needell. Amongst the cars on offer are two of the earliest original UK Mitsubishis ever registered in the country (a Colt Lancer and a Colt Galant), the brand’s flagship sports cars of the 1980s and 1990s (a Mitsubishi Starion Turbo and a Mitsubishi 3000GT) as well as three of its iconic 4x4 vehicles – a Mitsubishi Jeep and a Mk1 and Mk2 Shogun. Of most interest…

There has been even more debate and confusion than usual recently about the use of LED bulbs in classics, fuelled by changes to the MoT that became effective in February. These saw the automatic MoT failure of a car with HID headlamp conversions that had been brought in during 2018 being expanded to also include any LED headlamp conversion of an original halogen unit. However, on Thursday 18th March the government made a U-turn so that with effect from 22nd March, any car first used before 1st April 1986 is not now to be automatically failed if it has an LED or HID headlamp conversion, so long as the lamps meet all the practical aspects of the MoT test of beam alignment, matched pair and no dazzle etc. As former…

The date of the third picnic organised by the Pre-1940 Triumph Motor Club to celebrate everything that is wonderful about owning and running a classic Triumph, Standard or Standard-Triumph car has had to move once again, and it will now take place on Sunday 19th September. The venue remains the same though – the beautiful Mercure Walton Hall Hotel in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire. This is a wonderfully informal event, and all clubs and individual owners are truly welcome. You are asked to do nothing more than arrive in your car between 10am and 4pm, and then spend a sociable day enjoying and marvelling at the range and variety of cars produced by Standard and Triumph over eight decades. For those without a picnic, a Hog Roast will be available, together with…

Does the Mercedes-Benz 190E saloon of 1982 count as a classic car? I'm sure it does today, but in the event I’m going to describe it was brand new. That was the year in which the new ‘small’ Mercedes model was first put on sale in the UK, and when the concessionaires, backing up a journalist’s whim, decided to support a nonstop run from the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle to prove – well, nothing much apart from proving that it was a comfortable new machine in which to go anywhere! Since I had recently organised a harumscarum round-Europe run in the then-new Mini Metro, I inherited the new challenge. Originally we thought that the Tropic of Cancer from the Atlantic coast of Africa to the Arctic Circle in Northern…

James Rushford works at a local college and has been interested in convertible sports cars for many years. 'My first classic car was a red Sunbeam Alpine which I bought back in the late 1980s,' he recalls. 'The car was equipped with the 1725cc engine and twin carbs. I also owned a red Volkswagen Beetle at the time, which I used as my daily transport even though the Bug was on the point of being considered a classic in its own right. I drove the Alpine only at weekends and took it to shows during the summer months.' James does not pretend to be a mechanical genius and prefers to concentrate on restoring the cosmetic side of his classic cars rather than diving under the bonnet, spanners in hand. 'It’s…

Work had started on replacing the aging Standard Vanguard Phase 3 in 1957, with project ZEBU reaching the running prototype stage. This had a separate chassis and adventurous styling that featured pillarless construction and a reverse rake rear screen, but a lack of cash killed off such an ambitious design. The Vanguard range really was dying on its feet though, so project ZEBU was soon resurrected on a less ambitious scale, this time looking rather like a stretched Herald. Unfortunately the pert Herald styling looked all wrong when scaled up in this way and development did not proceed too far. However, after Leyland had ridden to the financial rescue and taken over the impoverished Standard-Triumph concern in May 1961, the project was resurrected once again. This time it was code…

FORD CORTINA TACHO TROUBLE QI have a 1972 Ford Cortina GXL 2.0 which has a tachometer fitted as standard. I have been restoring this car for the past three years, and am now nearing completion. The Cortina was running when I got it, and at that time I noticed the tachometer did not work. I am now at the stage where I need to find out why. Checking the coil, the connections seem to be OK there, but at the rear of the dash there are two wires which appear to have been disconnected. One is red and the other grey. Are these connected to the problem? Graham Hoader A From the wiring diagram I have for the 1972 GXL Cortina, the tachometer has two connections at the dash. The…

Had I been working on a classic Mini, waiting 20 years to think about rustproofing it would have been far too late. In the case of the BMW MINI One, whilst corrosion isn’t going to be a problem at present, it’s worthwhile planning ahead and assuming that any surface corrosion won’t go away. I missed an opportunity in the last issue of Classics when the MINI One went to mad4mini to have its subframe removed and front lower arm bushes replaced. If time had allowed, I could have cleaned and painted the subframe, but realistically, that takes a couple of days, meaning one of their ramps would have been out of action. At home in my garage, I have the luxury of more time, so I can leave paint, rust…

Volkswagen’s fondness for torsion beam suspension goes right back to the first examples of the Beetle, which used transverse torsion beams as a form of front suspension that was simple, rugged and required minimal maintenance. Those factors led to the basic concept being carried over to Volkswagen’s new generation of front wheel drive cars in the 1970s, even if the beam was now at the back and was used in conjunction with conventional coil springs which did most of the actually suspension work. This left the beam to serve mostly as a big anti-roll bar, while also being a compromise between the expense of true independent suspension and the rougher manners of a dead beam setup. Many Volkswagens (and cars from other marques within the VW family) still use variants…

I think that I can claim to have invented the description of homologation special for certain types of car in the 1960s. Those were the days when the FIA, which controlled motorsport world-wide, imposed a series of regulations that defined which production cars were authorised to compete in which categories. One of those regulations was the stipulation that a company had to produce a minimum number of each type, and to sell them as road-going vehicles to qualify. So, if you ever wondered why BMC made cars like the Mini-Cooper 970S, Ford made the Escort RS1800, Rootes the Hillman Imp Rallye and Vauxhall the Chevette HS and HSR, look no further. Sometimes – and I’m now going to mention other cars like the Triumph TR7 V8, the Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus and…

In February, the rally world said goodbye to one of its best loved characters from the glory days of the sport when Johnstone Syer lost his battle with cancer at the age of 87. The former miner and later professional photographer started competing in rallies in 1956, and ended up partnering some of the biggest stars of the day in a career that lasted until the 1993 London to Sydney Rally. Johnstone was particularly noted for his partnership with Brian Culcheth, the duo competing together in a wide variety of cars that ranged from Minis to Morris Marinas and from Triumph 2000s, Dolomites and TR7s to a number of Opels. Brian said of his friend and former colleague: 'For 58 years Johnstone was a special friend, and despite living 400…

Mum and dad bickering over maps and directions, playing I Spy with the kids and using wire coat hangers for replacement aerials are now all part of a bygone age of motoring, according to a new survey by the BBC's Top Gear programme. The research into family car travel over the last 40 years reveals a seismic change between generations, and identifies the in-car travel experiences that could soon be consigned to the history books and never be encountered by the younger generations. The survey of 2000 UK adults aged 40 and over was commissioned by BBC Studios to mark the start of the 30th series of the flagship BBC One motoring entertainment show in March. In the series opener on 14th March, presenters Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff and Chris…

TRIUMPH DOLOMITE BRAKE SERVO Price: £270 (or £234 for a limited time) Rimmer Brothers have announced that they now have available the brake servo for the Triumph Dolomite Sprint and late Dolomite 1850. The part number is AEU1304, and stock is due to arrive by the end of April. This item has not been available new for nearly 30 years, so its reintroduction is sure to be welcomed by enthusiasts. Priced at £270, it is an outright sale, so no exchange unit is required. Rimmers also tell us that the first customers to order will receive a special introductory discounted price of just £234. Orders can be placed by telephone on 01522 568000, by email via sales@rimmerbros.com or online at www.rimmerbros.com THE LIFE & TIMES OF A CLASSIC CAR JOURNALIST…

The 1992 MX5/Miata has left my stable after three years or so, which actually represents a pretty good long-term experience of it as a potential classic buy. My conclusion after all this is that it’s actually too good. Absolute efficiency and reliability is inherently slightly dull. The MX5 is a copy of the 1960s Lotus Elan, but executed with total competence as 1990s Japanese engineering was a high point. The Lotus is fragile, temperamental, unreliable, too small, borderline dangerous with its featherweight GRP construction, and the pop-up lights may or may not pop up. However, it’s also beautiful, charismatic, involving, fast, increasingly valuable, and it has a nice veneered dashboard. It’s a proper classic, whatever that means. The MX5 is strong, reliable, safe, fits all sizes, has substantial door intrusion…

In January 1966, Heinz invited the nation to take part in their Greatest Glow On Earth competition. Entrants were required to pair eight soups with a very 1960s array of main courses, such as oxtail soup with liver sausage salad, and complete the phrase: ‘I like to take Heinz soup on a picnic because...’. The form, together with two soup labels, would need to reach 100 Cromer Street, WC1 before the 28th February if you wished to win one of 57 Wolseley Hornet MkII Convertibles, henceforth known as the Heinz Hornets. John Worth, owner of the car pictured here, perceptively remarks that his Wolseley is the sort of car that would have appealed to a young Mildred Roper from the TV sitcom George and Mildred. In fact, the competition could…

For such a little car, this Midget has been something of a welding marathon. Having initially wanted to tidy up the nearside sill, we ended up moving round the car and finding more and more to fix in terms of rust and poor previous repairs. And as always happens on a project such as this, once you have got one area looking spot on, then the bit next to it which you’d previously classed as ‘acceptable’ suddenly becomes less so. And so the project grew. Last issue we had it stripped virtually to a bare shell, but reached something of a milestone when we had the entire front end grit-blasted and completed all the structural repairs there. However, if we thought that meant we could put the welder away, then…

Iain Ayre 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 1974 MINI MARCOS PROJECT OWNED SINCE: 2015 1990 ROVER MINI COOPER RSP OWNED SINCE: 2016 1992 JEEP CHEROKEE OWNED SINCE: 2006 199X COBRA REPLICA PROJECT OWNED SINCE: 2007 1952 8-LITRE-INSPIRED BENTLEY SPECIAL PROJECT OWNED SINCE: 2010 The fun has gone out of visiting the increasingly unstable USA, and its covid is raging so the Canadian border with the USA will remain closed for much of this year. Rather like Yugoslavia in 1990, people living in the…

TTD912TXN £107.88 A 12 piece TX driver set covering TX6 through to TX45. Features include TTMV PLUS steel blades and ergonomically designed bi-material handles with hanging hole and T drive facility for added torque and comfort. The set is supplied in a unique Teng Tools TC tray and can be used either on its own or as part of the Teng Tools TC control system. MD910N £92.28 10-piece screwdriver set for slotted, Phillips and Pozi drive heads. The screwdrivers feature TTMV PLUS steel blades and ergonomically designed bi-material handles with hanging hole and T drive facility for added torque and comfort. 6510A £83.88 10-piece metric combination spanner set. The spanners are supplied in a plastic holder for carrying away or fixing on the wall or on a…

Nobody would give the Mk2 Ford Scorpio a second glance nowadays, for in this vulgar age brutally ugly cars are everywhere. But in the 1990s, good looks were as intrinsic a part of a car’s proposition as its performance and equipment. From 1985 to 1994 Ford’s Granada Scorpio – which replaced the legendary Granada as its large car offering – was a fairly clean-limbed machine in hatchback, saloon and estate form. It looked like exactly what it was: a scaled-up, slightly porky take on the Sierra. Nobody quite knows what Ford’s design team were thinking when they penned the wholesale facelift of this fine vehicle to create the Scorpio’s second generation. The result, however, was what many described as quite the most unpleasant automotive visage seen on the European market…

I REMEMBER WHEN ALL THIS WAS FIELDS... Andrew is wallowing in nostalgia – a fantastic place to visit, but you can’t live there Let’s start this nostalgiafest with treasured possessions other than the house, cars and pets. With me, it’s a few books that aren’t really worth a lot. There’s my dad’s old Escort Mexico and RS1600 Haynes manual from 1973 in a laminated cover, as well as others that have been here since they were printed – a 1971 first print of The Works Minis, a 1977 original How to Modify your Mini by David Vizard, and even a 1957 Daily Mail motor show guide, the small booklet with the Players Cigarettes advert on the back and pages of yellowed B&W pictures of cars that were old even when…