Practical Classicsの December 2025 の目次

What was it that started you off on your journey into classics? Was it nostalgia for a parent, grandparent or the family petrolhead? Did you have a car on your bedroom wall that you decided you would have one day? Do you love engineering and fancied a garage project you could use? Are you a pragmatic aesthete? Do you want something practical and beautiful that you can drive to the shops? Are you simply after the wind in your hair in a car you feel alive in? Whatever it was that started your journey into this magnificent hobby of ours, it will have started with a car, that first car that you imbued with more than simply the title ‘car’. A motor that you decided to buy and love, or…

On 1 October, a group of heritage specialists, council leaders and artists were given an exclusive ‘last chance’ visit to the Vauxhall Factory in Luton to record the manufacturing halls and identify anything that might be worth preserving for display in a future Luton Engineering heritage museum. Goodman, the new owners of the site worked closely with Stellantis to create the opportunity and Practical Classics editor Danny Hopkins was also one of the invitees. The site is currently in the process of being cleared of all machinery, including robot lines that are being sent to Ellesmere Port for reuse. Those lines were still switched on during the visit. The team visited AA Block, K Block, AC Block and AH block on a site that grew from three acres to over…

Why did your interest in classics start? ‘I have always been interested in cars, for as long I can remember. I started by being fascinated by how everything worked from a very young age. From there, I realised that cars were everywhere, and they were all so different, but also all the same. As I got older and my understanding of cars grew, I then became interested in what made cars different from each other. One car that stood was the BMW E46, (which is a car that I now own). Once I could drive, I kept looking at cars I could get, what was affordable, what was insurable, and this was when I discovered classic cars and the simplicity of them.’ Who has been your biggest help? ‘In recent…

ACROSS 1 The Ti was a sporting version of which Seventies Italian saloons? (8) 7 Landmark Mazda rotary (5) 9 Lada launched them in the Eighties (7) 10 Sluggish in terms of performance (4) 11 Big-engined offshoots of the Vauxhall Victor FD (8) 13 The VP 4-litre R featured a Rolls-Royce one (6) 14 French marque active between 1905 and 1953 (6) 16 Well-heeled Sunbeam? (8) 17 Silver _, longer version of the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit (4) 19 Classic Fords that survived until the late Sixties (7) 20 A motorsport-derived name synonymous with performance Nissans (5) 21 Classic Triumph driven by TV detective Bergerac (8) DOWN 2 Jalpas, Miuras, etc (12) 3 Morgan model built between 1929 and 1932 (4)  4 Sports version of the Austin 7 made from 1930…

Simon: It’s a three-wheeler with an air-cooled V-twin engine. There are only a handful of them left in existence. I purchased it around four years ago, it having been discovered in a barn as a semi‑derelict non-runner. I bought it off the chap who found it, rebuilt it mechanically and left everything else original. There’s a very active club for the BSA Front Wheel Drive who carry quite an extensive range of spares for them. I’ve been a fan of the VSCC for many years but had never raced. When I acquired this car, I decided I needed to go out and get my race licence and have a bit of fun with it. I first competed with the car in the Light Car Race at Donington Park two years…

OK, don’t judge. In the pages of PC all cars are equal and, when I heard that Sue Rough’s Cruiser needed rescuing I thought, ‘why not?’. You might have many reasons why not – but as far as I am concerned the Cruiser is a worthy car, partially for its sheer bonkersness. The Cruiser in question has been very well looked after, has 94k on the clock, and Sue will miss it. But now it is time for it to find some fame. Question is, do I have the guts to drive it top down? ASKING PRICE £0 PAID Case of wine VERDICT Heroic failure or distinctive future classic?…

Many a pint has been supped in a row between the Capri lads and Manta folk. Truth is, while the Capri is more valuable these days, the Opel Manta is catching it up… and matches it for performance. They are, arguably, King of the Coupés. So why would you choose anything else? Well… there’s a Lotus here, for starters. The Gods of Hethel developed their svelte Excel into this beauty – it’s justifiably sought after nowadays. Equally exotic, albeit older in design, is the Giugiaro-styled Alfasud Sprint – as joyous to look at and drive as ever. Talking of Giugiaro, VW decided it could do better than his original Scirocco and restyled the Mk2II to great success – the car selling well for more than a decade. With our five writers…

1996 PEUGEOT 406 EXECUTIVE Al David, UK Shocked his 406 is now a ‘classic’, Al enjoys it alongside his fleet of other retro gems. 1997 SAAB 9000 CDE Adam Sindrey, Wales Enjoying its service for a while, Adam’s 9000 now provides parts to help others live. 2007 SAAB 9-3 AERO Karl Mullen, Birmingham After nearly a decade of ownership, Karl still finds himself falling for his Aero Anniversary. Katie says… ‘Modern classics are essential for a thriving future. That’s why FJ is right behind JJ and the team at PC, bringing modern classics to life every four weeks.’Katie Delamain-Blunt, Head of Marketing…

Why you want one Drive an Alfa 164 today and you’ll struggle not to grin. Against a backdrop of bloated moderns, the big Alfa feels light on its feet and sounds the part, whichever engine is under the bonnet. It’s an old school sports saloon. What Alfa achieved with the ‘Type Four’ platform of the late Eighties was remarkable. While its transverse engine/front-wheel-drive layout was shared with the altogether softer Lancia Thema, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000, the 164 was blessed with a greater focus on fun and lavished with the genius of Pininfarina’s sharpest pen. It still looks sensational today – and is looking even better as time goes by. The 164 went on sale in 1988 with the UK market getting a choice of 146bhp 2.0 Twin Spark…

WINTER STORAGE How should I put my car to bed? Q Thinking ahead, I don't want to run my 1979 Mini through the winter – how best should I store it? Archie Long, Keighley Ed says A Don't be late: you don't want to stow it away dusted with salt. This attracts moisture and accelerates corrosion. Put it away dry after a long, fast run. If you have chance to rustproof it, anti-rust waxes in aerosol form with long lances are very convenient. It does no harm to occasionally go around with an aerosol of penetrating oil and spray it into any handy holes in sills, door frames, structural members, etc. Treat chromework with rustproofing wax (don't forget the insides of bumpers!) or petroleum jelly. Change the oil and filter…

GET GOING PREPARATION 1 The joint to fill The surface of a body panel will generally sink on a welded joint as the metal shrinks following welding. Lead filler is ideal for levelling this dip in the panel’s surface. 2 Cleaning the panel Clean the surface of the panel over a wider area than that being lead loaded removing any paint and oxide using a polycarbide disc fitted to an angle grinder. TOP TIP Cleanliness is critical Clean the surface of the panel thoroughly to remove all oxide or contaminants as these will prevent the lead from sticking to the panel. 3 Acid etching Apply phosphoric acid (e.g. Jenolite) to provide a key on the surface of the steel for the flux to adhere to. The acid is simply wiped…

The Practical Classics team will be out in force at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the NEC between November 7-9. This year the team has its own stand as well, so come along to Hall 4 say hello. There will be at least one member of the team on the stand at any time and with regular Q&A sessions, some superb subscription offers and great classics to feast your eyes on, it’s a great place from which to explore the rest of the show. You can grab yourself a free magazine as well; we will be giving them away throughout the weekend. Elsewhere, editor Danny will be hosting discussions with industry leaders on the Live Stage, and Matt Tomkins’ racing Austin Seven will be starring on the 750…

Spill the beans GENERAL PURPOSE SPILL KIT £62.50 Small spills can become big problems fast. This new general purpose spill kit puts a complete, portable response solution easily to hand to allow you to contain and clear oil and fuel spills quickly and safely. Designed for busy workshops, race service vehicles, and recovery trucks, but equally suitable for the home workshop, the kit contains personal protective equipment plus a selection of absorbents and accessories sized to cope with typical incidents. With an absorbent capacity of approximately 26 litres, the kit promises to handle the majority of small to medium spills and is packaged for fast deployment when time matters. Part no: 9222. lasertools.co.uk Spring has sprung XK8 FRONT COIL SPRING £107.94 EACH SNG Barratt has just announced the return of…

Going from the vision and conception of the initial idea in 1935 to a £30 million manufacturer by the Seventies, to bankruptcy in the Nineties, takes some doing. Tom Williams, who worked for Raleigh Bicycles, started the ball rolling with his prototype three-wheeler, made in the garden shed where he lived in Tamworth with his former Raleigh Colleague, Ewart Thompson. Tom left Raleigh after it stopped vehicle production as he saw a gap in the market for three-wheeled delivery vans. The first snag? After building his prototype, he had to dismantle it as it would not fit past the house to get it out from the garden! He setup the Reliant Engineering Company Ltd in August 1935 and bought a bus depot in Two Gates, Tamworth. How little did he…

‘I finished it for my dad. He watches on from the back seat’ ‘My dad taught me how to rebuild a Fiesta MkI engine when I was seventeen. That’s where it started’, recalls Tony Shepherd as we ogle the tiny result of his mammoth restoration efforts. ‘I’ve had four of these now.’ Tony enthuses, ‘This one came to me as a shell and a pile of bits, taken apart by somebody else. A lot of repairs had been done that weren’t very good – the doors, for example, wouldn’t fit onto the body – but it was largely complete. I took a couple of years getting it welded, painted and had gone through the running gear, but then my dad passed away.’ Tony takes a moment to gather himself. ‘All…

Love Practical Classics – my no.1 mag! Graham, April 2025 I have been reading PC for the past fifteen years. Best classic magazine by far. Norm, October 2024 Get 6 issues for just £19.99* ✓ Save 41% on shop prices* ✓ FREE UK delivery ✓ Unlock bonus content & rewards in the app Get this limited time deal! greatmagazines.co.uk/practicalclassics or call 01858 438 884 Terms & Conditions: *£19.99 for six issues refers to a Print+ subscription trial. The trial auto renews every six months at £29.99 after the initial trial period. Offers close December 29, 2025. UK only. Your subscription will start with the next available issue. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximate) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximate) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on…

This 75 could easily be yours if you answer a few simple questions and give us a reason why you should win it. Kindly donated by Richard Usher at the Great British Car Journey in Ambergate, Derbyshire, it is ready and waiting for a new owner. A new owner who will get free tickets to The Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show next March, where the car will be presented to the lucky winner by Richard himself. But is it a desirable first classic? Here are a few reasons to answer: yes! The brilliant Rover 75 was initially built at Cowley by BMW, before production moved to Longbridge under the MG Rover Group. A superb estate and rear-drive V8 versions followed, along with the MG ZT – which breathed…

Tim: This was DeDion’s racing model, with the 955cc single‑cylinder engine. It was built between the wars from the remnants of a touring car. The chassis was shortened and this glorious bodywork added. It was featured in Motor Sport Magazine in September 1949. My great‑grandfather bought it in 1960 and used it a lot in the Sixties and Seventies, rebuilding everything on it, and did a number of other tweaks along the way. In 1976 he passed it to my dad who used it extensively in the Seventies and Eighties, competing at Wiscombe and Prescott hill climbs every year. It was even my mum and dad’s wedding car. When I turned 30 a couple of months ago, dad gave it to me. I’ve hill climbed it a couple of times,…

September was the month to grab an entry into historic motorsport. Most notable were two historic rally cars at Brightwells’ Online Sale. The 1971 Triumph 2500 PI was a faithful replica of the car that took second in the 1970 World Cup Rally, and all that attention to detail looked cheap at £12,833, while a genuine Works  prepared 1968 Morris 1800S ‘Landcrab’ in good, original condition didn’t reach its modest reserve of £20,000. Want to go faster? At their Southampton sale, Barons Manor Park let a rare and nifty 1958 Turner 950S go under the low estimate of £13,000, while an Austin A35 racer with Goodwood Revival history failed below its £9000 minimum. Less than the cost of bits, never mind the labour! Same for a 1965 Ford Mustang GT350 race replica…

Why you want one Ford spent years trying to hit the top of the sales charts with its Cortina, and did so at last in 1967 with the second generation, usurping BMC’s 1100/1300. Launched the year before to replace its 1962-66 MkI predecessor, Ford’s new midsize family car superstar came in two- and four-door saloon forms, badged 1300 Deluxe, 1500 Super (carpets and posh dash), 1500 GT (extra gauges and an armrest) and, from October 1967, 1600E. There were numerous improvements over the MkI – from ride quality to cabin space – but Ford’s typically cost-conscious operations meant the MkII continued to be massively profitable. Owners loved the car, choosing from a new fivebearing 1300cc engine and a 1500cc unit. Engines were upgraded from 1967 (the 1500cc becoming a 1600…

Toyota Celica GT (sixth-gen) 270 LEFT ON UK ROADS Not all endangered cars have single digit survival figures. Although this one might seem safe, at first glance, three quarters of Toyota’s penultimate performance version of its sixth-gen Celica have been lost in the past decade. Suffering perhaps from not being the infamous rally-cheating, turbocharged GT-4, adding to market ambivalence, instead this front-wheel drive GT got a similar naturally aspirated (but still largely forged) 2.0-litre engine as its badder brother. This still developed an impressive and delightfully revvy (thanks to cylinder head magic from Yamaha) 173bhp at 7000rpm. Good enough for 60mph from rest in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 139mph. Hot hatch level performance wrapped in a reliable and practical WRC-like coupé body. Best grab a good one…

I've spent a lot of time in Portugal over the last ten years. Renault 4s are reasonably plentiful in good nick and I'd like to drive one back and register it in the UK. I don't really know where to start. Can you offer any advice on the subject? Terry Hutter, Chard 1 NOVA declaration When – or soon as possible after – the vehicle arrives in the UK, ask a shipping agent to apply for a Notification of Vehicle Arrival (NOVA) certification. It’s no longer possible to do this yourself. 2 Pay duty You'll have to pay the agent’s fee (£200-£300 is a very rough ballpark figure), plus any import duty. No VAT on 30+ year-old cars. Once the import duty’s paid, you'll be issued a NOVA approval number.…

Dodgy connections Electrical faults, particularly intermittent ones, can often be resolved by simply wiggling and cleaning connectors. Spend an hour or so working around any problem areas and protect exposed connectors with a little petroleum jelly. Don’t forget the earths. Lubricate squeaks A squeaky hood frame or door hinge can drive you insane out on the road. A little penetrating oil to drive out corrosion followed by grease or silicone spray generally offers a lasting solution. Water leaks A car with its own microclimate is as unhealthy as it is unenjoyable. Find the source of leaks, stop water getting in then ensure that the interior is fully dried out. Gummy glass? Low sun this time of year in particular will exaggerate any marks on the windscreen. Use a lightly abrasive…

‘Initially I wanted to be an engineer but I couldn’t get along with my tutor, so I switched to design. That saw me move to the States and GM, then on to BMW. It gave me a great experience but I hated the weather… and I wanted to work faster, on a variety of projects. So when Bob Hall asked me to come to California, I jumped at it. ‘When I arrived I thought…. what have I done? It was a much smaller operation, but what an operation. I have to say as well, the first thing I did when I landed in California was to buy a convertible, a little Fiat 850 Spider. It was just the thing to do, a ‘no brainer’. I applied this to the design…

Members of the Caithness and Sutherland Vintage and Classic Vehicle Club gathered at John O' Groats as a taster for the Monte Carlo Classique/Historique Rally, which will be starting from the iconic signpost on January 29, 2026. The rally will mark the centenary of the John O' Groats start when a group of intrepid adventurers left the northern tip of mainland Scotland to drive 1500 miles to Monte Carlo. The modern classic counterparts of the original runners and riders will replicate the century-old event in a range of cars. During the centenary rally the cars can be seen travelling south with stops at Inverness, Stirling and Edinburgh before heading through the Scottish Borders and York the following day to Hull for the ferry to Rotterdam.…

A 100-year-old Sunbeam Tourer was upstaged by an admirer four years it’s senior when a line-up of classics from the Teesside Yesteryear Motor Club assembled at the Middleton Hall Retirement Village, to raise funds for Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice. The stand-out moment came when a club member displaying the Sunbeam was spotted by a resident, aged 104, who cheerfully responded: ‘I can beat that!’ before posing for a photograph. Paul Peacock, TYMC Secretary said: ‘Our members always look forward to bringing their cars to Middleton Hall. This year’s friendly competition between a 100-year-old car and a 104-year-old resident was a memory we’ll all treasure.’ Thanks to the generosity of all involved, from Motor Club members to residents, Middleton Hall employees and visitors, the Car Show raised £218.70 for Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice Middlesbrough.…

When Reliant ceased trading a quarter of a century ago, we lost something unique – one of the very few ‘cottage’ manufacturers that managed to produce vehicles on a large scale. Very large in fact, from humble beginnings the company grew to become the second largest British-owned car manufacturer. Always Tamworth based, the Reliant story started 90 years ago in a shed. A more PC birthplace it is hard to imagine so, naturally, to celebrate the birthday I set off with Reliant specialist and club big wig James Holland and a small team to rediscover what is left of what was our biggest small car manufacturer. Of course, it is worth mentioning at this point that the Reliant story continues in the shape of fantastic clubs and specialists that cater…

What’s the car’s story? ‘Originally registered by Ford Main Dealer, E Ward Limited of Kettering as a demonstrator on February 28, 1985, the car was subsequently sold to its only other owner, prior to me, on April 1, 1985. I bought the Fiesta on December 10, 2022 from Silverstone Auctions. The car had apparently been on a Wheeler Dealers episode of 'Dream Car' where it was found, gently recommissioned and then used to part fund the next dream car. I have never found the episode, but I did however meet Mike Brewer at the auction, who confirmed this and remembered meeting the lady who had owned it.’ What else makes it special? ‘The car had under 9000 miles when I purchased it and it still has under 10,000 miles. But…

1 OCT 2020 A floor in the plan Mounted on a rotisserie, Tony set about righting previous wrongs. The floors needed repairs while the doors refused to close. 2 JUN 2021 All the gears A complete rebuild of the three-speed gearbox was required with new bearings and seals as required. 3 JUL 2021 Man and machine Tony used his milling machine throughout the restoration, including machining the steering column cowl to clear the indicator stalk. 4 OCT 2021 Fully suspended The suspension was stripped nut and bolt and thoroughly refurbished while the car was away for paint. This resulted inh a kit of parts ready for assembly once the car was resplendent in red. 5 SEP 2022 Rolling! The body returned from the paint shop in time for the reassembly…

Hold on! If you are reading this you’ve already owned your first classic… so stop now and call on that person who needs to see this magazine. Slip it under their nose with a cuppa and let the enthusiasm percolate. This is where it starts. Buy wisely and you won’t look back. There’s another caveat though, and it’s not about taking our recommendations here as gospel or spending hours researching. There is a golden rule: whatever you decide to buy, you must absolutely love it. Without that connection, that passion, your purchase will be back on the market within six months. So, while you must buy wisely and use your head… above all else, choose your first classic with your heart. DANNY HOPKINS MAZDA MX-5 NC Any MX-5 will make…

Traditionalists will say that Alfa Romeo’s best era began and ended with the 105-series. Some journalists, long in the game and seemingly short on memory, seem to have a complete memory blank between the Seventies and the Giulia’s 2016 launch. Absolute hogwash. Wind back to the mid-Nineties and Alfa Romeos were winning hearts – not just hacks, but the buying public, too. It had taken Alfa a while to find its mojo after Fiat jumped in at the last moment to save the government from selling it to Ford. Though the 75 and 33 did well, their underpinnings were far behind the times. Worse still, the first ‘proper’ Fiat Alfa was the 155, which was panned for basically being a Fiat Croma in a suit. It simply didn’t drive like…

Competing in the Edwardian race, fresh from restoration following an unfortunate and very public incident at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting in April, was this magnificent machine owned and driven by Mark Walker. ‘The car was built to break the land speed record,’ he says. ‘The only rule was that it had to weigh under 1000kg, so there’s no bodywork, no gearbox, and a huge engine in a 990kg car. The engine is a 25.4‑litre V8 putting out around 300bhp and 1000lb ft of torque. In a car with tyres that are only three inches wide and only has brakes on the back axle – it’s kinda good! ‘The cone clutch is nearly half a metre in diameter, but even so it’s very difficult to get off the line owing to…

There was a time, not so long ago, when James Holland was bombing around in a Ford Sierra Cosworth. But, one day, he sold it so he could save some threewheeled Reliants. James runs CHG Classics, which has grown to become one of the biggest Reliant parts specialists in the world. ‘I started off with the three-wheelers as they were a hobby of mine,’ said James. ‘I love all sorts of cars, and I found them weird and wonderful. Getting parts was starting to prove tricky, so I accumulated them and bought in bulk, then started selling bits to other Reliant Club members. ‘It really took off during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020; the mail order side of the business went potty, so I invested a bit more into it…

While the key to the joys of Cortina was its sheer ease of ownership, driver appeal is immense. Even the basic Cortina feels nimble – agile even. To this end, a hot Cortina is a fine thing. I once met a gent called Dave Marson who had one of the earliest MkII GTs – a car he’d always wanted. He told me he'd restored a few Cortinas over the years, but had always fancied a two-door GT. Dave’s car had been built in November 1966 and had the pre-crossflow 1500GT engine from the Cortina MkI and being an export model also uses the strengthened Lotus-type shell. At the time, I asked him what it was like to restore one. ‘All are simplicity itself to work on although some interior parts…

Japanese-made motoring legends don’t come a lot more, err, legendary than the Nissan Skyline. It’s up there – ‘up’ being pinned to bedroom walls in the Nineties – with the Toyota Supra MkIV and Mazda RX-7 FD. The GTR is and always has been king of the hill, but with ‘Godzilla’ values having turned monstrous, fans are looking favourably on variants a little lower down the range. Arguably chief among these is the GTS-T, the rear-wheel drive, single turbocharged alternative to an R33 GTR that still punches hard. By factory numbers it’s said to have 250bhp from its 2.5-litre RB25DET engine, however, like its more flamboyant four-wheel drive sibling, this figure is likely highly conservative. With that single blower, the engine is actually easier and cheaper to tune than the all-time…

It’s the generation that’s often cited as being the best of British off-road royalty – despite quite a lot of its development and components coming from BMW. The L322 seems to offer a sweet spot between the classic elegance of Range Rovers past and the high technology showcase of more modern generations. It’s a Rangie, so keep funds aside for when it inevitably breaks, but search out an excellent example and you’ll likely be rewarded with one of the most opulent and capable off- or on-road SUVs in existence. Running costs are high, as to be expected for a machine that retailed for £45k to £87k in 2001, but if you have deep enough pockets then the rewards are legion. The market hasn’t fully woken up to just how great…