Table of contents for May 2017 in Practical Classics

‘Those last buildings must be preserved’ A powerhouse of engineering brilliance, Birmingham still clatters to the sound of industry today. Why it no longer makes cars is a debate that’ll rage on for decades but when I moved there in the mid-2000s, the sight of bulldozers lining up outside Longbridge was heartbreaking. The bright new future promised when PC visited in 2002 has given way to the desolate scene I witnessed last month. Despite being home to a small team of engineers, there are questions over the future of the production sheds and the admin offices – once a hive of great promise, but now empty and silent. There are many companies whose histories are littered with managerial calamity – and by 2004, with questionable governance and starved of investment,…

‘The disused track remains in place to this very day’ Proto-MPV? The Martin-Walter company is best known for the original Dormobile, but they made various van conversions including (on the Bedford CA) the minibus-like Utilabrake with forward-facing seats and the more Spartan Workobus with wooden benches along the side. Jazzy Austin The A55 was the final Austin Cambridge before the Farina models arrived in 1959. Two-tone paint and chrome sweep-spears gives this one Fifties glamour, but did you know there was a two-door version of the Cambridge that was withdrawn before any were sold? Weymouth Quay, 1966 Here’s a remarkable shot from a single-day outing organised by the Locomotive Club of Great Britain. It’s the Green Arrow Rail Tour, a Sunday trip that started from Waterloo and brought ten coaches…

They deliberately made the Ford Scorpio ugly so they would depreciate quicker and provide donor parts for better cars. Michael Stevens Nissan Joke or, even worse, the BMW i3! Barry Rathbone Toyota Prius plug-in. Truly nasty-looking! Steve Short Nissan Juke. They even have little bulges above the tailgate for the hinges. Horrid eyesores. Martin Sims The SsangYong Rodius has been around long enough to establish that there’s definitely something visually disturbing going on with this ghastly MPV. Wayne Crofts The SsangYong Rodius fell out the ugly tree, hit every branch. I’d rather walk than drive it. Andrew Pullen The new Suzuki ignis is meant to be a throwback to the SC100. The louvre grilles are intended to be the nod to the past. Mark Bedford One of the ugliest cars…

‘Researching the history of the car has proved fascinating’ 1966 Volkswagen 1300 Thom Airs, Oxfordshire I became fascinated by air-cooled VWs in my teens, but the dream of owning one took a while to realise. A 1965 Beetle proved a steep learning curve but this one ticked all the boxes after a thorough search. Restored in 2007 by a previous owner, it wears a respray of its original Sea Blue paint and is powered by a 1300 twin-port engine. I bought it from a VW fan whose wife used it as a daily driver and have gently moulded it to my own tastes. Researching the history of the car through the DVLA and VW museum has proved fascinating – it was assembled not in Wolfsburg, but in Belgium at the…

When I admit to owning 50 cars, people usually respond with pity and concern. In normal company, it’s akin to declaring that one has three dozen cats or a room filled with Spice Girls memorabilia. People assume I also have a hoard of empty cereal boxes and deep-set personality problems, and they treat me with due caution. Not so Terry Gale. ‘Why only 50?’ he asks. ‘You should get more!’ Terry owns 816 cars. He worked in the oil business and made a good enough fist of it to retire in his thirties. He now focuses his waking hours on collecting, repairing and restoring classic cars on his 165-acre estate near Denver, Colorado. ‘It all started with my dad’s ’54 Nash Ambassador,’ he explains. 'Dad bought it for $50 and…

‘Our route to Beaulieu could never be described as being direct…’ DANNY HOPKINS PETERBOROUGH TO THE COTSWOLDS The Beaulieu Autojumble: It should be on every true petrolhead’s bucket list – partly because once you get there, you could sell that bucket for a tidy sum and buy something you really don’t need and partly because it is like no other event on earth. Every year, without fail, we at Practical Classics take a holiday from life and bimble southwards, stuffing whatever classics come to hand with the varied kit that washes up in our section of the workshop during the year. It’s something we always look forward to and adds a couple of rusty waymarks to our classic calendar. I say a couple because we go to both the Spring…

THU APR 20 Brightwells’ Modern Classics, Easters Court, Leominster, Herefordshire (01568 611122, brightwells.com) SAT APR 22 Barons Auctions’ Spring Classic sale, Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey (023 8066 8413, barons-auctions.com) FRI APR 28 South West Vehicle Auctions, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset (01202 745466, swva.co.uk) SUN MAY 7 Essex Classic Car Auctions, Crowne Plaza Resort, Maldon, (01702 416153, essexclassic carauctions.co.uk) THU MAY 11 H&H Classics, Donington Park, Castle Donington, Derbyshire (01925 210035, handh.co.uk) SAT MAY 13 Silverstone Auctions, Wing building, Silverstone Circuit, Northants. (01926 691141, silverstoneauctions.com) WED MAY 17 Brightwells, Easters Court, Leominster, Herefordshire. (01568 611122, brightwells.com) SAT MAY 20 Historics at Brooklands, Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire (01753 639170, historics.co.uk)…

1956 Morris Minor Price: £3000 Nice combination of split-screen looks and later 1098cc running gear. This has a fresh interior too. Low price is due to dents in each front wing. Repairable. 1978 MG Midget 1500 Price: £5495 You rarely go wrong with unrestored and still superb cars with just 40,000 miles on the clock, and this doesn’t look overpriced. It comes with full history, too. 1988 Saab 900 T16 Price: £5900 This is the full-on 175bhp version and it’s said to be in superb order with no rust – it even has a replacement headlining. It’s being sold by a Saab enthusiast, so it should have been loved.…

Kevin Price is honorary president of the Volvo Enthusiasts’ Club, which he founded in 1989. He says: ‘My dad’s first Volvo was a 1972 144 S. I bought my first 145 in the Nineties. I’ve both restored and upgraded them and racked up huge mileages over the years in great comfort.’ SELECTED SPECIALISTS Brookhouse Volvo, Ipswich. 01473 218806, classicvolvoparts.co.uk CharlwoodAutomotive, Surrey. 01293 863535, charlwoodautomotive.com David Pengelly Autocare, Notts. 0115 978 1117, dpanottingham.co.uk Formula Cars, Somerset. 01823 661200, formulacars.co.uk Independent Volvo Services, Herts. 01462 683200, independent volvoservices.com PFS Parts, Northants. 0844 800 2742, parts forvolvosonline.com…

INHERITED FROM A MATE 1995 Jaguar X300 Sovereign 4.0, dented bootlid, Flamenco Red with cream leather. Some service history, 171,000 miles. Selling due to another Jaguar. Sam Skelton Why throw cars away when they still have useful life? That’s how I came to own my Jaguar. My former housemate was on the verge of scrapping it due to a cooling system fault and a dead heater – it would only get warm when standing. A £10 thermostat later and it’s now working beautifully, however. Even after replacing a dead interior door handle, along with fitting a rear sunblind and a few other sundries, it still stands me less than £100, including tax and insurance. Yes, it’s done 180,000 miles, it’s got dead air-conditioning, tired rear bushes, paintwork by a child…

1971 Citroën D Spécial Engine 2175cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 105bhp@5500rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 12.5sec Top speed 107mph Weight 1310kg Work done More parts ordered; panels painted; tyres fitted. Also in James’s garage 1988 CITROËN CX Leaky coolant pipe fixed. 2004 SMART ROADSTER Still keeps cutting out on me… ‘You can replace parts now and be confident – or you can do it later, when you’re stuck on the hard shoulder.’ Barry Annells speaks sense. The Citroën specialist reckons taking a chance on an aged fuel pump or a 40-year-old hose would be daft. But, as you know all too well, dear reader, restorations cost money. So not wishing to be stuck on the hard shoulder anytime soon, this month I fired up the laptop, clicked on a number of sites and…

1958 Austin A105 Westminster Estate Engine 2639cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 102bhp@4600rpm Torque 142lb ft@2400rpm Gearbox 3-speed automatic 0-60mph 17.8sec Top speed 97mph Fuel economy 20mpg Project overview CBR Motor Bodies and Practical Classics are restoring it in conjunction with Anglia Car Auctions, Hagerty Insurance and CL Panelcraft. Proceeds from its eventual sale at Anglia Car Auctions will go to Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund. When we last reported on the Westminster ( PC , July 2016), the engine had just landed on its mounts live at last year’s Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show. It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since then, but an awful lot has happened in that time. The axle, fitted at the event, came back off and was completely rebuilt. The front suspension uprights were…

1959 Peerless GT Engine 1991cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 110bhp@4800rpm Torque 117lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d 0-60mph 10.8sec Top speed 120mph Fuel economy 28mpg Work done Oil pressure gauge found to be faulty. Fuel pumps fitted. Also in Gary’s garage 1980 SAAB 99 TURBO Ex-factory press car now awaiting full restoration. ‘Owners tell stories of the rear tub rising up at high speeds…’ I signed off last issue having successfully installed the Dynalite high torque starter motor. Although I was able to crank the engine over, the battery was sluggish from lying dormant for so long, so that was put on charge for 48 hours using a low output smart charger to gently re-awaken it. More worrying was the lack of an oil pressure reading at the gauge. I knew oil…

Sam Glover TECHNICAL EDITOR Sam has broken down in a gigantic variety of classics over the years, then worked out how to fix them. John Simpson MASTER MECHANIC Big John has worked at the greasy end of the motor industry since leaving school. Theodore J Gillam TECHNICAL EXPERT Theo teaches automotive engineering and makes amazing things in his shed. Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS Ed singlehandedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern car. Kim Henson CLASSIC CAR GURU Kim’s been restoring classics for over four decades. BMC vehicles are his speciality. Nigel Clark DIY RESTORER Nigel’s driveway achievements rival those of professional mechanics. He’s our resident Triumph expert. DIFFICULTY LEVELS One to two spanners An easy job that’s well within the reach of…

You will need Respirator, brake cleaner or soapy water, drill, file, abrasive paper, brake linings and rivets, rivet punch, parallel punch. Symmetry Always fit brake shoes in axle sets, never individually or on one wheel. If your drums are scored, have them ground in axle sets and fit oversize linings. Contamination? If your old linings are contaminated with oil or brake fluid, identify and solve the problem before fitting new ones. Riveting advice Buy more rivets than you need so you can drill them out and try again if they go wrong. The friction linings of drum brakes inevitably need replacing from time-to-time. They degrade with age, wear out with use and suffer irreversible contamination from leaking brake cylinders and axle oil seals. If your classic’s a popular model and…

You will need Panel wipe and cloths, mixing board, bulk and fine filler, filler primer, spreaders, cellulose thinners, guide coat, rubber sanding blocks, abrasives, masking tape, paper, spraying equipment and safety gear. Clear holes Remove filler from every trim hole and aperture prior to spraying to avoid chipping it later. Use good stuff Always use branded, high-quality and in-date fillers. Don’t rely on memory Mark finished panels and areas that require further attention lightly with pencil. It’ll help you keep track of what’s finished and what still requires work. It is easy to spend many gruelling hours meticulously preparing one’s classic car in readiness for a top-notch respray, only for it to turn out looking like a glossy version of the Himalayas. This is not the result of skimping or…

With prices of spare parts rising for certain marques and supplies of new old-stock components dwindling, it seems even shiny cars are in danger of being broken up for spares, rather than preserved and cherished. A 105 miles from new Austin Maestro 1.3 HLE, which had been advertised for sale at £6995 for a few weeks has now been listed as ‘breaking for spares’. The owner declined to comment. Maestro enthusiasts say this would be an easy car to break, with every part saleable as practically brand new. PC’s Assistant Editor James Walshe says the same could be said for many a restored car: ‘This is particularly the case with a relatively low Condition 1 value like the Maestro. Once low-mileage examples like this one are lost, they are gone…

The annual Swiss extravaganza is a showcase for the latest cars, but many manufacturers use it as an opportunity to remind us what great motors they’ve made in the past. This year it was the turn of Ford to make us drool with its line-up of performance models (GT40, Escort MkI, XR2 MkII, Focus RS and Escort RS Cosworth). Elsewhere there were Porsches on various stands (928, 901 and 911) along with some truly gorgeous Mercedes-Benzes in the Brabus Classic display. But all of these paled into insignificance next to the fabulous collection of luxurious Swiss-made Monteverdis lined up in Hall 7, few of them seen in public before.…

Older affordable classics in danger I saw these cars rusting away in two different places in Ramsgate, Kent, recently. They are all from the early 1960s and look like they are part of separate collections that have gone to seed. I’m not sure if any are for sale, but if any readers are interested, I’m sure PC will be happy to pass on your details and I’ll shall try to track down the owners. Many of the cars in your magazine are affordable and within my grasp of ownership. But I do worry that the affordable classics of the 1960s, particularly those that need a lot of work like these in Ramsgate, are in danger of being lost. Mitch Kennington, Kent The Letter of the Month writer gets £100-worth of…

Alfa 145 Cloverleaf for me! What a brilliant car. So underrated. Lee Roberts Tipo 2.0 Sedicivalvole! Proper beastie and 16- valve sounds soooooooo cool when you say it in Italian! Ian Parker I’ll have a Fiat Uno Turbo if a good one could be found. Cameron Thompson If you’re talking fun it’s a Daihatsu Charade GTti. If it’s an investment, then I’d choose a Pug 205 GTI 1.9. Gray Cook Escort RS2000 - As with all RS Fords, the value will rocket. Nearly bought one a couple of years ago, in very good condition for £3k. The same would be double that now. Malcolm Williams Peugeot 306 GTI-6. No question. The greatest hot hatch of all time, bar none. Simon Davies I’m a Vauxhall man, but I’d have the Fiesta…

Austin-Healey Replica I was working in Western Maryland recently when I spotted this Healey replica. Don Jewell, Maryland Ford Escort RS2000 MkII I spotted this immaculate RS2000 on Garforth Main Street, Leeds. It had less than 35,000 miles on the clock! Kyle Greenwood, Bingley, West Yorkshire Renault 12 A tidy Renault 12, parked in Pinoso, Spain. Old French cars are a regular sighting in the Alicante Province, most of them in good order. Mike Hardwick, San Fulgencio, Spain Triumph Spitfire I saw this immaculate Spitfire in Long Acre, Covent Garden, Central London. In daily use and sporting an overdrive badge on the bootlid. Clive Hervé, Redhill, Surrey Fiat 131 This rare and amazingly rust free Fiat 131 Mirafiori 2000T/C was spotted at the Winton Raceway in North East Victoria. It…

‘Sadly the Oxford Club didn’t exactly embrace modern technology’ A list of desirable parts of the West Country tends not to include a landfill site in the Trowbridge area. But there, somewhere, lies a small item that members of a classic club would give their big toes to retrieve. Buried deep somewhere among the used disposable shavers used cat litter, ready meals for one containers and rotting copies of The Wiltshire Star that someone should be kicked for not putting into their green bin, lies… a compact disc. No, not the demo of Susan Boyle sings Motorhead – something more important than that. It contains the membership list for the Morris Cowley & Oxford Owners Club. This situation is threatening the future of the club, founded in 1979. Why it…

£50 STAR FIND Can you do better! Send your high-res images to practical.classics@ bauermedia.co.uk Jaguar Mk2 A Jaguar Mk2 3.4, discarded in a rubbish dump, and setting an eerie scene. This winning haul, all from the Sussex and Kent borders, comes from Glen Priestly of Bexhill-On-Sea. Austin A35 A cute little Austin A35 (with Union Flag sticker) which has seen better days, abandoned and missing a door and its rear lights, but everything else looks saveable. Fiat 850 Sport This very rare 1971 Fiat 850 Sport – displaying obvious signs of terminal Italian rust – has been untaxed since 1980. The engine was removed for another project. Triumph Vitesse This 1968 Vitesse lasted two decades before coming off the road and ending up in this final…

‘The Cortina MkI was nice, but what it fetched was a surprise’ Took me right back it did. When I was a nipper it seemed like every town in Essex had at least one Ford Cortina MkI done up to look like the Lotus version, with varying degrees of success – not to mention doors. The important things were the flash down the side, lowered suspension, and at the very least a cheap chrome pancake filter under the bonnet. Plus, of course, the essential front quarter-bumpers, all too often simply just the ends hacksawed off the original and inevitably crusty full-width fitment. The best ones were always those based on a two-door GT, so you did at least have the right number of apertures and enough under the bonnet to…

1973 Deeper bumpers are fitted from May and the injection is now Bosch K-Jetronic (145 E and 164 E). 1974 144 and 145 are killed off in July; 164 follows a month later. Taking their place are the 240 and 260 Series. 1977/78 A facelift brings a new grille and seats. LWB 264TE model introduced with three rows of seats. 1979/83 262 coupé debuts. 240 DL has 2.0 engine, GL gets 2.2, GLE and GLT are 2.3-litre estates, 260 GLE is V6 estate. 1989 Catalytic converter now no-cost option.GL and GLT estates get self-levelling rear suspension. 1993 The last 240 and 260 models are built.…

Due to generally low values, some of these sturdy cars are being restored on a DIY basis, but high costs prohibit most owners from involving professionals. But the conventional construction means DIY rebuilds aren’t daunting and a decent supply of used parts make things that much easier. There’s quite a lot of new stuff available, too; panel availability is pretty good thanks to lots of repair sections being manufactured in Holland. The biggest issue will be finding interior trim parts to exactly the right spec if you’re keen to return a car to ex-factory condition. WHAT TO PAY? Project: £100-£1000 Runner: £500-£6000 Good: £2000-£10,000 THINK AGAIN IF… It’ll always be cheaper to buy a good Volvo than restore something that’s rotten. But if you want an unusual variant you might…

ORIGINAL AD 2003 Citroën C5 SX 2.0-litre turbo diesel. 112,000 miles. MoT until June. Runs and drives fine with no smoke or warning lights. Alloys, electric windows and a massive boot. James Walshe What’s this ungainly looking wheeled hippo doing here? It is my new ‘classic car components carrying craft’, that’s what. And it is the epitome of pure bangernomics. The C5 was Citroën’s admittedly rather dull looking attempt at replacing the handsome Xantia and one of the last big Cits to be equipped with that legendary hydropneumatic suspension. I needed a big estate and after a brief search, discovered these beasts to be suitably unloved and worth very little. I’m delighted with it. Despite a reputation for iffy electrics, I get a 700-mile range from that rugged HDi diesel…

1971 Saab 96 V4 Engine 1498cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 65bhp@4700rpm Work since last report Welding. And lots of it! The list of parts needed is long. From headlights and brake parts to little pieces of trim and brackets that hold the speedo in place, there is much to source… but Saab people are incredibly helpful. There’s a parts mission looming, which will involve a journey around the UK to scoop them all up. To ensure unbroken electricity and a desire to keep the car to original spec, I’ve had the alternator rebuilt by classic remanufacturers Powerlite, whose workshop rebuilt the unit to glorious spinning perfection. Meanwhile, Powerspark has come up with a solution for my ignition, with a VCS Viper coil, HT leads, cap and rotor arm so once the Weber carb…

1960 Morris Minor Convertible Engine 998cc/4-cyl/OHV Power TBC Torque Unknown Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph Hopefully Top speed Anyone’s guess Fuel economy Some Work done Finally got first colour on the shell; engine sent for fettling. Also in Matt’s Garage 1969 MINOR TRAVELLER Preparing for summer. 1970 MINOR SALOON Interior de-moulded. 1992 EUNOS ROADSTER Still seriously good fun. ‘Cellulose might not be as toxic as two-pack but it can still blow you up’ Finally, after months of hard work, the end of this project seems to be in sight.OK, so I’ve still got to sort the the panels which will require months of hard work and probably constitute more than double the surface area of the shell. However, in my mind the project feels closer to the end than the beginning.…

1916 Ford Model T Engine 2897cc/4-cyl/SV Power 22.5bhp@1600rpm Torque 82lbft@900rpm Transmission 2-speed epicyclic Top speed 45mph 0-60mph N/A Fuel economy 20mpg The story so far Richard Skinner of Tudor Wheels started restoring this 1916 car in its centenary year. Saved from a scrapyard in Dakota, it was at the 2016 International Autojumble and will be back at Beaulieu for the Spring Autojumble on the PC stand on May 13-14. The Ford Model T is the epitome of a vintage car. For starters, it has the right proportions and general look. And a lot of this is due to the antique appearance of the large wooden wheels – Henry Ford decided the cars would be equipped with 30inx3in front wheels and 30inx3½in rear wheels. They would all be made with hickory…

My Citroën C15 spent much of the winter lying around outside . Shortly after pressing it back into service, I discovered its trailer electrics weren’t working. The cause: rabbits had eaten the cable insulation and corrosion had ravaged the copper within. The bucktoothed vermin had found a diesel return hose delicious, too – and they’d completely destroyed the oil-infused fibreboard engine under-tray of a nearby Iveco Daily. Idiots. I’ll check closely for their work in future. It could turn nasty if they develop a taste for brake hoses.…

You will need Trolley jack, axle stands, oil pan, AF spanners, screwdrivers, test lamp or multimeter, grease gun, oil can. Shock absorbers Bounce each corner in turn to make sure the shock absorbers function healthily. Propshaft Attempt to rotate the yokes of each universal joint against each other to check for play. Apply grease if they’re fitted with nipples. Hinges and catches Lubricate all catches and hinges with a little clean oil or aerosol grease. Wipe off excess. The Triumph TR2 was a benchmark hairy-chested British sports car. Its design was elegantly simple, combining a traditional chassis and a bare minimum of bodywork with parts borrowed largely from Standard saloons. The line evolved gradually from the first TR2 in 1953 until the last TR4A in 1967, when the TR5 arrived…

Ben from Vintage Tyres loaded my £250 estate with new rubber for my Saab and our Westminster project. An outing in the Dyane to Cotswold Airport with some good mates from the Wessex Citroën Car Club. I visited Gaydon for the first time in years. My mate’s mum used to take us to Cubs in a Cortina just like this. Waving Guy Loverage and Steve Berry off on their epic trip from Norway to Geneva in a 1946 Austin 16. I went to Retro Classics in Stuttgart and saw a truly intriguing bunch of cars we rarely see in Britain.…

Ant arrives Mike Brewer will begin filming a new series of Wheeler Dealers with new co-host Ant Anstead after it was announced that the former For the Love of Cars presenter would replace Edd China. Wheeler Dealers began in 2003, when Mike and Edd bought a Porsche 924 for £700. Farewell to John Surtees A service to celebrate the life of motorsport legend John Surtees has taken place. The only man to win world championships with both bike and car died aged 83 on March 10. Surtees won the F1 title with Ferrari in 1964. Longbridge fire Investigators say a ventilation unit was the cause of a blaze at Longbridge in March. Fire crews were called to a former production shed where the roof was in flames. The building on…

McLaren boss buys a Tatra Former McLaren F1 team manager Alastair Caldwell has become a Tatra 603 owner. He bought Frank Kolinek’s example (a former Pebble Beach show car) from Arizona for $42,000 in late March. It’s an almost record price for the big Tatra. Meet Team PC at Beaulieu Drop in and say hello to us at the Beaulieu Spring Autojumble on May 13-14. We’ll be announcing the winner of the Britain’s favourite classic café competition and finishing the bodywork of our Model T project. Visit beaulieu.co.uk for discounts on advance tickets. Kenlowe ends supply of fans PC understands that Kenlowe has ceased supplying engine cooling fans to the retail market. The UK firm is to concentrate solely on industry applications from now on. ‘We no longer make or…

S U N , APR 23 YORKS Classic Car Show and Autojumble at Ripon Racecourse, HG4 1UG (markwoodwardclassic events.com). LANCS All Fords Classic Show at the British Commercial Vehicle Museum, Leyland, PR25 2LE (britishcommercial vehiclemuseum.com). BIRMINGHAM XR OC meet at the National Motorcycle Museum, B92 0EJ (xroc.co.uk). KENT All Ford Show at Aylesford, ME20 7BX (kentsallfordshow.co.uk). AVON MX-5 day at Ashton Court, BS41 9JN (facebook.com/ Greatwesternroadsters). TUES, APR 25 WARKS Classics By the Lake, Bosworth Water Trust, CV13 6PD (bosworthwatertrust.co.uk). FRI-SUN, APR 28-30 DERBYS Donington Historic Fest, DE74 2RP (doningtonhistoric.com). NORTHANTS Vintage Hot Rod Association Nationals at Santa Pod, NN29 7XA (vhra.co.uk). SAT-MON, APR 29-MAY 1 N WALES Llandudno Transport Festival (llantransfest.co.uk). NORTHANTS: Rushden Historical Transport Society Cavalcade, NN10 0SN (cavalcade.org.uk). SUN-MON, APR 30-MAY 1 WARKS Stratford Festival of Motoring…

OWNER PROFILE Alan Stepney is now retired but spent half his professional life as a turbine engineer. Midway through his career, he changed direction and eventually ran his own business in property maintenance and construction for many years. His engineering skills and project management experience shine through in his highly organised approach to restoration, along with the undoubted quality of his cars. ˝ Alan Stepney is an engineer by profession, having served his apprenticeship with General Electric before working on power station turbines for twenty years. Big engineering is clearly in his blood and classic restoration has become much more than a retirement hobby, it’s his passion. He’s quick to say: ‘I enjoy restoration even more than driving classic cars, I love the mental challenge and the physical activity.’ Evidence,…

‘What’s that?’ said my seven-year-old pointing to a halfshaft in the corner of my garage. I picked it up, wiped away 15 years of dust and explained it was a spare from a Morris Ital axle I once sacrificed to yield vital organs for my Caterham’s rear end. What struck me in that moment is just what a time capsule my garage is – a shrine to projects and ideas long forgotten and charting the relative affluence or poverty of my life at the time. From the earliest treasure, an engine mount from my Talbot Samba. JYB 214Y is by now propping up a building but her engine mount lives on. A clutch cover from my first MG, my skills by this stage honed through necessity. Then the austerity years…

Disgusting. Someone has looked after that car for 30 years, only for some brainless moron to wreck it in 30 seconds. Richard Feetham My dad’s 1996 Mazda 626 GLX went the same way. It was stolen when we were out for a family meal, then it was used in a bank job, after which it was set on fire in a pub car park. The car was mint and it was my dad’s pride and joy. Barry Pierce The police phoned me once to say that if I didn’t move my ‘abandoned’, un-taxed, un-MoTd, uninsured car, then it was going to be towed away and crushed. Said car had been there for three months after it had been stolen from my garage – three months earlier. Paul Burt Cars like…

‘The Four Litre’s flanks were simple, but also daringly curvaceous’ Did you ever draw cars when you were a kid? Design your own, perhaps? I did, but they would never have got very far through any product-planning process. It would have helped had I been any good at art, but any art genes in my family got no further than my sisters. Drawing a typical modern car nowadays has never been harder. They tend to be so exaggerated-looking, so fussily over-styled with strakes and scoops and bits and pieces, that it’s very difficult to keep the image in your head once you’ve stopped looking at one, let alone producing an identifiable drawing of one from memory. They have become increasingly alike, too; I was staring at the side of some…

Conver tibles. Traditionally, they are the choice of classic petrolheads looking for a summer toy and now there is a whole new generation of classics to choose from. They are fun, distinctive, usable all year round and they are also GREAT value. We’ve chosen our ten best to buy now - so that you can do just that! ˝ Alfa Spider 2.0TS Engine 1970cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 155bhp@6400rpm Torque 138lb ft@3500rpm Transmission 5-spd manual 0-60mph 18.2sec Top speed 130mph Economy 30mpg MG TF160 Engine 1796cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 157bhp@6900rpm Torque 128lb ft@4700rpm Transmission 5-spd manual 0-60mph 6.9sec Top speed 137mph Economy 37mpg Porsche Boxster 2 . 5 Engine 2480cc/6-cyl/DOHC Power 204bhp@6000rpm Torque 177lb ft@5000rpm Transmission 5-spd manual 0-60mph 6.9sec Top speed 149mph Economy 29mpg Merc-Benz SLK230 Engine 2295cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 193bhp@5300rpm Torque 206lb ft@2500rpm Transmission…

AUSTIN A40 SPORTS It might not live up to the latter part of its name, but if you can find one of the surviving A40 Sports for sale, it may cost you considerably more than a ‘proper’ sports car. But it will also turn more heads. AC 2-LITRE DHC/ BUCKLAND Rarely seen, as they tend to be passed down rather than sold, but the few on the market have failed to set it alight, unlike almost anything else wearing an AC badge. They’re just too far off people’s radar.…

Alfa 75, rust-free and solid. But there’s always a but. In this case the seller had removed the engine, front seats and steering wheel to use on his 105 GTV. There were no headlights and he also wanted to keep the wheels. I offered £200, which was accepted. The reason I had to buy it was mainly due to having an Alfa V6 engine (24V) laying around that I’d been pondering what to do with. I like a challenge. Send your buying story to russ.smith@gmx.com…

1966 142 and 144 are launched. All cars feature a B18 engine in standard (85bhp) or twin-carb S (115bhp) forms. 1967 144 S arrives in January, then in September 142 and 142 S appear. 1968 145 and 145 S reach UK in May. In September all cars get B20 engine – 90bhp standard or 118bhp S . 1969/70 164 arrives in January with a B30 engine and power steering. Facelift for the 1 44 and 145 brings bigger wheels. 1971 The 145 GL and six-cylinder injection 164 E are introduced. 1972 New fascia fitted from September, with circular instruments and a padded steering wheel.…

BOUGHT FROM ANOTHER JOURNALIST 1992 SAAB 9000 2.3 Turbo It had 120,000 miles, a broken gearbox (locked in first gear) and no MoT. Rebuilt gearbox fitted and car serviced by Two Stroke to Turbo. New Michelins from Vintage Tyres. BOUGHT FOR: £200 Danny Hopkins Driving a Full Pressure Turbo Saab is like putting on a pair of ruggedly expensive walking boots and realising you can sprint and dance in them. You are just getting used to the feeling of road-owning invincibility when suddenly, as the speed increases, the chassis invites you to boogie. It is Swedish intoxication – a superb surprise and one of the must-have classic driving experiences. I bought my 9000 2.3 Turbo from Sam Skelton, mainly because I wanted it moved away from the workshop (where Sam…

1970 Jensen Interceptor II Engine 6313cc/V8/OHV Power 330bhp@5000rpm Torque 425lb ft@2800rpm Gearbox 3-speed auto 0-60mph 7.4sec Top speed 136mph Fuel economy 14.4mpg Work done Chrome & electricity added. Also in Danny’s garage 1950 RILEY RMA Riley RM Club is a fine bunch – more on that next time. 1956 RILEY PATHFINDER Has panels but no travel. 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 MoT’d and on the road. Needs manifold gasket. 1992 SAAB 9000 TURBO See Spares or Repairs, p88. 1997 ROVER 200 GSI Zippy with loads of leather and hardly any miles. 1998 MGF 1.8 £2.5k buys it. Best in UK? If you went to the PC Resto show and watched our Live Stage antics with Mike Brewer and hisnew Wheeler Dealers chumAntAnstead, you will know whether or not we managed to achieve…

1993 ZAZ 1102 ‘Tavria’ Engine 1091cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 53bhp@5500rpm Torque 60lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 16.sec Top speed 90mph Fuel economy 40mpg Work done Polished, reupholstered and recommissioned it. Also in Ed’s garage 1969 WARTBURG TOURIST Successful 400-mile round trip to PC workshop. 1993 LADA 2105 Moth-eaten jacking point replaced for MoT. Back in 1999, I was receiving nightly phone calls from Commie Keith – a genuine Marxist-Leninist from the People’s Republic of North Yorkshire. He’d spoken to as many people as possible about Seventies UK Moskvich and Lada importation – and had the four-figure telephone bills to prove it. He was also in touch with Eastern Bloc deviationist Julian Nowill, who lives a few miles from me. Commie Keith had been busy extracting information from the last man standing…

1997 BMW 318is Engine 1895cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 138bhp@6000rpm Torque 133lb ft@4300rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 9.9sec Top speed 132mph Fuel economy 35mpg Work done Front balljoint replaced and new bonnet gas struts fitted. Also in Matt’s garage 1971 VW KARMANN GHIA Gradually seeing more action as the weather improves. 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 April 2017 marks ten years of ownership. How time flies! 1972 VW BEETLE 1302 S Still rusty and still awaiting its fate… it’s not looking good. So far, so good with my bought-on-a-whim classic E36 (it is 20 years old, folks!). As hinted at during our recent Spares or Repairs challenge ( PC , Spring 2017) it did come with a few niggles that needed addressing, however. John Simpson and I spent a couple of hours removing the offside…

Work since last report Structure made sound and a mess made. ‘There’s just a little bit of softness around the door,’ the advert said. Eight metres of 2x1in pressure-treated timber, 30 hours in the workshop over a weekend and many grazed knuckles later, it’s finally solid. Huge thanks to Tim and Julie from craftevan.com  who came to help get it into shape. Studying the original brochures showed that the cracked glassfibre front box was aftermarket, so that was removed… only to reveal a nasty crack in the A-frame. A flourish with a welder and grinder saw the offending area removed and replaced with box-section through which the wiring could run. It was then time to remove the aluminium cladding. With this off, it was an ideal opportunity to…

1972 Triumph GT6 MkIII Engine 1998cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 98bhp@5300rpm Torque 108lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual + overdrive 0-60mph 10.1sec Top speed 112mph Fuel economy 27mpg Work done Real progress with the body repairs, chromework tackled, parts ready for re-plating Also in Nigel’s garage 1970 TRIUMPH TR6 The TR has risen from its winter slumbers and had a trip over to Stoneleigh for the MG & Triumph Spares Day. It’s strange having space under the car port with the GT6 away at the bodyshop for expert attention. But at least that’s given me the time to busy myself sorting out the huge pile of bits stripped from the car before it was sent away for its much-needed cosmetic surgery. It seemed a good idea to tackle the chrome first, since I knew…

1985 Jaguar XJS HE Engine 5343cc/V12/OHV Power 262bhp@5000rpm Torque 290lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-speed auto 0-60mph 8.2sec Economy 16mpg Work done Driven hard and fast almost everywhere. Cooling system redesigned and rebuilt. Also in George’s garage 1965 MASSEY FERGUSON 35 Restored farm hack, used most days. A joy to work on. I had spent a lot of time and headspace sorting out my V12’s cooling system (see last issue), so now was the moment of truth. If all were to go well, the full stainless steel small-bore-piped extravaganza would work and be productionised to give that sought-after ‘enthusiastic-amateur-doing-his-absolute-best’ under-bonnet look. An extensive test run proved that the modified system worked perfectly. For some reason the engine was quieter too, and because so many jubilee clipped joints, flexibles and banjo fittings had…

You will need Crimping pliers, timing strobe, computer running Windows. Points? The Amethyst system can use points as its trigger. However, upgrading to a discreet Hall-effect electronic ignition system is highly recommended, as it gives more precise control and won’t need readjustment in future. Modified? If your engine is in standard tune, the figures in your manual should give a pretty accurate initial ignition map and tweaking it using trial-and-error will bring it close to perfection. If it’s modified, however, setting it up on a rolling road can lead to significant gains. A petrol engine needs its sparks to be delivered at exactly the right moment under all conditions. This ‘right moment’ is a little before Top Dead Centre on the compression stroke. To complicate matters, though, it changes according…

If your club’s contact details have changed, please let us know! A 750 MOTOR CLUB 01379 741641 AC OWNERS’ CLUB 07768 363250 AMERICAN AUTO CLUB (UK) 0845 644 0345 www.americanautoclubuk.com AMBULANCE PRESERVATION SOCIETY www.southambpres.org.uk CLASSIC AMERICAN AC (GB) 020 8286 1120 PRE -’50 CLASSIC AMERICAN 01530 831170 AEC SOC yellowayreliance@hotmail.com ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA REGISTER www.giulietta.com ALFA ROMEO OC www.aroc-uk.com ALLARD OWNERS’ CLUB David Moseley, 19 Bramham Gardens, London SW5 0JE ALVIS OWNER CLUB www.alvisoc. org ALVIS REG 01509 412289, www.alvisregister.com ARMSTRONG SIDDELEY OC 0121 459 0742, www.siddeley.com, www.siddeley.net A-SERIOUS (A-SERIES ENGINED CARS) http://aserious.freeforums.org ASSN OF OLD VEHICLE CLUBS OF N IRELAND 028 9146 7886, www.aovc.co.uk ASTON MARTIN OC 01865 400400 AUDI 100 COUPÉ S CLUB GB 01702 461513 AUDI OC 07788 588449 , www.audiclub.co.uk CLUB…