Table of contents for Spring 2022 in Practical Classics

Nothing illustrates the passion that we feel for our classics better than the lengths to which we all go to to make them ‘just right’. That can mean anything from a polish to a full custom conversion, a light service to the whole hog – a complete ground-up restoration. At PC, we spend our days searching for the very best home restorations, celebrating the heroes in sheds who spend their lives wrestling with rusty tin to make a thing of beauty, a car that lives again. The point of that search is to make sure these quietly brilliant petrolheads, get the recognition they deserve, in print, every issue. And it doesn’t stop there. We also make sure the best of the best get their moment in the sun. The restorations,…

Starting HANDLE Danny Hopkins on why the year ahead is going to be a real classic So here we go: 2022 is open for business and, it seems, so is the classic car world. The PC Resto Show is back – better than ever, with new features, halls bursting at the seams and all of us, waiting to meet all of you. We will be working hard on our charity project live at the show, the Rebel with a Cause, the cause being NHS Charities. I am delighted to reveal that Lancaster Insurance will be partnering us with our little Reliant, helping rebuild an extremely rare commercial. Lancaster are also joining us in our new magazine section, ‘Charity Heroes’. When we decided to celebrate the people in our hobby who…

Two pre-war Citroën Traction Avants will be leading the 14th Cape to Cape Grand Tour, which takes place from April 22 to May 7. Cape to Cape’s goal is to raise funds and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support, and has raised over £900k for the charity. The 14th and final event departs from Cape Cornwall (Land’s End) and heads to Cape Wrath, then to takes a tour right around the island of Ireland (taking in two more Capes) and then back on the ferry to Holyhead, and finishing – after 2700 miles – where it started at Land’s End. This year the two oldest cars are very special pre-war, Slough-built Citroën Light 15 Roadsters belonging to Traction Owners Club members Philippe and Sue Allison and Rob and Carol Kiff. One…

My story starts in the late Sixties. There was an article in the Sunday Times magazine about a solicitor who built a sports car with a wooden chassis, a Marcos, from a kit in a weekend. The car’s shape was eye-catching and it caught my imagination. I had to find one and eventually I did and so my latest, and according to Mrs B, my final, project started. PUH 50G, a 1969 1600GT with a Ford crossflow engine arrived in 2018. The first of this style of Marcos had a Volvo straight-six, but the crossflow was reasonably light and more than adequate for such a small and light car. The engine went to a local machine shop to be freed up, bored to 1700 and have new valve seats fitted.…

Clues Across 5 As definitive as the early Sixties Ford Consul? (7) 7 Vauxhall Chevette successors (5) 8 A name which has been used by Tata, Allard, Monteverdi and Citroën (6) 9 County __, the Clan Crusader was built here during the Seventies (6) 10 Production of this French marque survived until 1953 (6) 11 Model name of the Lotus M100 (4) 13 __ litre, engine size of the six-cylinder Jaguar XJS from the Nineties (4) 14 A fruity old Datsun offering! (6) 16 Boxy Mazda models came to our shores in the late Nineties (6) 17 A poultry-inspired Singer model! (6) 18 These wheels came as standard on the Bentley Eight, originally (5) 19 V4 cars introduced by Lancia in 1931 (7) Clues Down 1 Cars we associate with…

Grandad’s car’ normally brings to mind a dusty Austin A30 or a staid Rover – but when grandad worked for Colin Chapman, you can bet something more exciting is stashed in his garage. Morgan Langdon is therefore a very lucky grandson, having regular rides in a spotlessly restored 1974 Ford Escort MkI RS2000. But while Morgan has helped out with the project along the way, the car’s journey from wreck to resto started before he was even born – and involved grandfather, Andrew Morgan in more drama than the average restoration. Along the way, it’s cemented a strong relationship between the two of them. Andrew’s engineering career started in Norfolk. His father owned a boatyard and tuned Jaguar E-types and XJ6s. Andrew and his father were frequent visitors to Lotus’s…

‘NOOOOO!’ I recoiled in shock at the photos. A Wolseley 6/80 well, err ravaged. Savaged even. One of the precious few survivors of my all-time favourite car lowered, resprayed bright red and treated to some very strange wheeltrims. I’m pausing the list of further modifications to give you a chance to take many deep breaths and prepare for distressing information. You will need to be very brave! Ah, the Wolseley 6/80. Automotive love from first seeing on late night ITV the greatest film opening sequence ever. Forget Bond. TWO 6/80s speed towards the camera in Town on Trial (b/w 1956) starring John Mills as bipolar police superintendent Mike Halloran, sent to investigate a murder in a hostile commuter town. Even the recent episode of Upstairs in Downstairs in which Georgina…

There really is nothing quite like a Jag, is there? That distinctively svelte silhouette that all classic Jaguars have. Watch one sliding by and it carries itself in a unique manner – a world far away from the modern Jaguar that, although nicely made and pleasant to drive, lacks the character of this little collection. While that blend of style, comfort and sporting pedigree has its roots long before any of these cars arrived on the scene, there’s an inherent ‘rightness’ to the S-type. Also beautifully proportioned were the XJC, potent XKR and handsome XJR. The XJ-S? It looks better now than it ever has. All of the models here share one thing in common and that’s value. Prices are definitely on the march but you can still pick up…

1996 BMW M3 (E36) Robert Bentley, Bournemouth Fun for all the family but especially for our Rob in his fabulous four-door M3. 1994 RENAULT CLIO WILLIAMS Marek Rodziewicz, Poland Hopefully Marek gets his ‘Williams’ out on more than just special occasions! 1989 MG METRO TURBO Tom Wood, West Midlands We’re green with envy at the sight of Tom’s seriously tidy Metro Turbo. We can help... So many cars here that we would all love to have on our drives. Call us to discuss your requirements, so we can help turn your modern classic dream into a reality.…

From its status as Eighties driving school workhorse to £500 banger in the Nineties, the humble Fiesta is deservedly celebrated nowadays, with surviving examples thankfully cherished by legions of fans who recognise the impact it had on the motoring world, as well as a joyful ownership experience. This is one historically important car. To Ford executives in the Sixties, small cars meant small profits. That was until the firm noticed European car makers successfully churning out thousands of them in the early Seventies. The Fiat 127, Peugeot 104, Renault 5 and Simca 1100 quickly got a foothold on the market, to be joined in 1975 by the Vauxhall Chevette and Audi 50/VW Polo, among others. The Fiesta went on sale in the UK in January 1977 and was an immediate…

It’s been a busy month with progress aplenty on both of my ongoing Austin projects. At home, my Seven special really is starting to take shape, and down at the PC workshop, I’m slowly working through the welding work required on my Mini Countryman. It’s a painstakingly slow process, but one that I know will be worthwhile doing properly when the time comes to prepare and paint the underside of the car in its original shade of Island Blue. With the ethos established as preservation where possible and restoration where required, repairs to the body this month have been somewhat challenging, yet immensely satisfying. Take the front of the sill as an example. A 50 pence-sized hole required repair, however the front of the floors had been used to support…

2002 BMW 325i Touring Engine 2494cc/6-cyl/OHC Power 189bhp@6100rpm Torque 181lb ft@3500rpm Work done Oil and filter changed ready for another year. It’s more than a year since I gave my daily BMW a service. The dashboard indicator shows thousands of miles before the next service is due, but even with the advantages of modern synthetic oil, I still like to change the oil and filter annually. Unnecessary expense? Possibly, but this car is in nice condition, it does everything I need with comfort and refinement, and I aim to keep it for the foreseeable future. I reckon looking after the Beemer well will definitely repay me in the long term. I ordered synthetic oil and a Bosch original equipment quality oil filter online. After a run to warm the old…

All you need to know about everything important ‘Julian really was an endless bestower of useful life skills’ Julian Nowill, inventor of the banger rally, has passed away at 62 after a long illness. Born in Istanbul, as a child he admired the vehicles of the Soviet Embassy – leading to a lifelong interest in Eastern Bloc cars and stewardship of the Unloved Soviet Socialist Register. Educated in England, he was regularly driven across Cold War Europe in his father’s Anadol and this inspired a love of independent travel. He visited scores of countries, collecting a group of friends – including Practical Classics regulars Ed Hughes and Sam Glover – who’d follow him anywhere. Paris or pariah state – Julian was equally at home, placating bureaucrats, angry officials and security…

Cars & Coffee Cheshire Chester Lakes, Chester You never know what you’ll see at a ‘cars and coffee’ meet, with the best ones letting pretty much anything in. Such a gathering is the Cars & Coffee Cheshire event, which was set up in 2016. Dave Brown is one of those behind it, and he told us: ‘We welcome all enthusiasts, whatever the age, type, condition or value of their classic, because we want to keep our meets as varied and as friendly as possible. Up to and including October we’ll be meeting on the second Sunday of each month this year, at Chester Lakes (CH4 9LQ), apart from in August when it’ll be the first Sunday. Anyone attending needs to book their ticket in advance, but it’s free via our…

1 OCT 2017 Starting point The RS doesn’t look too bad. As regular readers will know, this is a typical portent of doom. 2 NOV 2017 Front end replacement Rather than try and patch up the flea-bitten front end, Andrew sensibly adopted an all-new-metal policy. 3 NOV 2017 Pillar of the community Andrew’s no-nonsense approach continued rearwards – here the RS receives new A-pillar and door sill. 4 JUN 2018 Progress! After extensive repairs, the shell looks immaculate in fresh Diamond White two-pack acrylic paint. 5 JUL 2018 Engine choices The engine’s in, showing tubular manifold, Stage 2 cam and short-lived twin Weber sidedraught carbs.…

Why you want one When Porsche build a flagship, you know it’s going to be one very special car. Fast, comfortable, and beautifully engineered, the Porsche 928 is quite simply one of the greatest GTs ever made. The fact it remained in production for almost 20 years speaks volumes. It was conceived as something rather more luxurious than the 911 – a cruiser that would take the fight directly to the door of Mercedes. It may have been born in the 1970s but the unique shape and extraordinary design still seemed modern when the axe fell in 1995. We’re not for a second going to suggest you’ll get lucky and pick up a bargain. Those days are gone, as well as the likelihood of a barn find. But if you’ve…

We’ve gone mad for Toyota’s GR Yaris. It’s a welcome reminder that some makers still care about cars that are more than just smart phone extensions. Though this new homologation special reminds me of the Nineties, when you couldn’t pass a dealership without seeing a motorsport hero. Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Subaru and Mitsubishi dominated the WRC back then, though there’s one Group A near miss that’s now all but forgotten – Nissan’s Sunny/Pulsar GTI-R. It might have looked a bit like a Sunny hatch (because it was), but Nissan tried hard to disguise the fact. It resembled a runaway from a Max Power photoshoot, but the GTI-R’s aero was the real deal. Its SR20DET turbocharged four-cylinder engine gave a mighty 230bhp – good for 60mph in 5.4 seconds and a…

BMW Z3 Munich’s MX-5 rival might have been put together largely from the bits that they had lying around out the back of the factory, but that has never really hurt its enduring appeal. Also, as far as parts bins go, BMW’s is a pretty good one to pillage. Its Nineties retro-styled roadster really struck a chord with audiences worldwide, with a myriad of engine and trim options allowing everyone to find the right Z3 for them. The four-cylinder cars offer an affordable way to be seen cruising, somewhat slowly, while the six pots offer something a lot more in line (excuse the pun) with the Ultimate Driving Machine ethos. The M Coupe and Roadster have already rocketed in value, but the appreciation curve has been much more gradual for…

2001 Ford Puma 1.7 Engine 1679cc/4-cy1/OHC Power 123bhp@6300rpm Torgue 116lb ft@4500rpm Work done Rear suspension bushes; headlamps polished. Well that’s that. I am the owner of one fully-functioning Ford Puma, having offset the cost of revival with a rotten example. I picked off the last remaining bits from the carcass and off it went to the scrapyard, where it made a grand total of... £40. Having removed so much, there wasn’t a great deal of weight in it, so that would explain it. My next problem was storage of spare parts, from power steering pipes to lamp units. I could have sold the lot, but have decided this would be a stupid idea, not least because I have realised the Berlingo has a worryingly noisy diff. Three months ago, I…

1 Template Ian Bancroft’s rare cast manifold formed the template. Note the 45-degree angle of the carburettor mounting flange, which lets the HS2 float chamber sit upright. 2 First tubes Ian holds a stock of laser-cut mounting plates. Tube was bent and ends formed into squares over a stake before being tacked in place. 3 Log on With the mounting flanges bolted to a jig plate, the tubes could be cut and shaped then the ‘log’ could be welded into place. Lastly, the carburettor mounting flange is added and the log ends closed up. 4 Back to black Finally, a coat of VHT black paint finishes the job before the manifold can be bolted into place on the side of the engine. 5 Panel work With the carburettor now in…

So, last time, it was our Tatra T97’s re-engineered clutch that I fed back on, but the opportunity to do that work had arisen because of the failure of its gearbox. Up until two years ago, our 1938 car was quite a sweated asset, having become a familiar attendee at European as well as UK events. Our cars aren’t garage queens, and we’ve always expected them to perform and to entertain us, but that obviously comes at a price. The need to hold in third gear with the lever was the eventual writing on the wall for the gearbox, and there’s nothing conventional about this one. To keep rear-end weight down it has a fragile Elektron (magnesium alloy) casing that’s much lighter than aluminium – actually a somewhat wasted initiative…

The two hour workshop START GETTING READY 15MINS 1 Gather all the new parts Jack the rear of the car up and secure it safely on axle stands, then remove the road wheels. Gather all the parts likely to be needed. In addition to the new springs, here we’ve got shock absorber top mounts, bump stops and dust covers ready. TIP Make sure you’ve got all the parts and tools needed before rendering the car immobile! 2 Cables and hoses Check for any cables or hoses that may need releasing before the suspension drops; consult your workshop manual about this. The brake hose clips on the rear suspension arms needed to be undone on this BMW. NEXT OUT WITH THE OLD 1HR 3 Release the shock absorber Raise the rear…

PAUL HUGHES OF 2SPEC TRANSMISSIONS – A SPECIALIST VIEW The small-chassis Triumph gearbox is relatively straightforward to rebuild, though using a dummy layshaft to secure the laygear needle rollers makes the job easier. These basic gearboxes are reliable when handling the power of a four-cylinder Triumph engine, but can be marginal behind a two-litre six-cylinder engine, and won’t last long with 2.5-litre conversion. This uprated hybrid uses a large needle roller bearing between the input- and main-shafts and a stronger J-type overdrive. It is being built to bolt into the same space originally occupied by the standard gearbox and D-type overdrive, without the need for modifications to the chassis or transmission tunnel. STRIP DOWN 1 Remove top cover With the gearbox cleaned, start by removing the lever linkage and the…

A special train service will take place on May 22. Steam Dreams’ train will steam past Brooklands slowly to allow a recreation of the above to be photographed. An AC Greyhound once owned by Colonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell CBE, founder of Operation Raleigh, is for sale via H&H Classics on March 16. Morgan’s new ‘runabout’ is to go into limited production at the company’s factory in Malvern. The Super 3 has been designed from the ground up. The six finalists for Restorer of the Year will take pride of place at the PC Resto Show. The Golden Spanner will be awarded to the winner on show Sunday. A Volvo PV51 sold for 270,000 Swedish Krona (£21,300) in Gothenburg. The 1937 PV51 came with a log of every journey and had…

Takona can be seen at car events throughout the UK – look for Lewis’s black and gold display gazebo or his distinctive Toyota GT86. Lewis regularly attends road runs and charity events in either his GT86 or his Renault 5 – one a future classic and the other an enduring legend. Cars and Coffee events in Sawbridgeworth happen on the second Saturday of the month. Another is set to take place in Cheshire, too. The Takona hashtag is proudly displayed on all of Lewis’s cars and clothing. Spread the word yourself with #ITSOKTOTLK.…

Fist pump CLARKE CTC150 12V TYRE INFLATOR £29.99 It’s always a good idea to carry a portable tyre inflator that can run from a 12v socket. This handheld device shows pressure on a backlit digital display that can switch between measurement units (PSI, Bar, Kpa, cm2), plus it incorporates an LED worklamp in case you run into trouble in the dark. The pump operates up to 150psi (10.3 Bar), has a 22L/min flow rate, and comes with a flexible extension hose. It also includes various adaptors for use with household inflatables. machinemart.co.uk No more spaghetti BOND BUG WIRING HARNESS KIT £219.99 This new wiring harness kit for the inimitable Bond Bug is made in the UK by the OE supplier to Reliant. It includes the main loom as well as…

SUN, MAR 13 SHROPSHIRE Ultimate Dubs VW Show at The Telford International Centre, TF3 4JH (ultimate-dubs.co.uk). KENT Breakfast Club at The Swan in Ockham, KT11 1NG (blackswanockham.com). WORCS Autojumble at Malvern Three Counties Showground, WR13 6NW (classicshows.org). MON, MAR 14 EAST SUSSEX Southern Classics Society Breakfast Meet at the Bull Inn, Henfield, BN5 9AD (southernclassics.org.uk). THUR, MAR 17 SURREY Travels in a Beetle: Driving an air-cooled VW Round the World. Film presentation at Brooklands Museum, KT13 0SL (brooklandsmuseum.com). FRI-SUN, MAR 18-20 BIRMINGHAM Practical Classic Restoration Show, NEC, B40 1NT (necrestorationshow.com). SAT, MAR 19 STAFFS Classics and Customs Club West Midlands monthly meet at The Trucker’s Rest, WS11 1SF (tinyurl.com/kxzey9ku). LONDON Waterloo Classics on Lower Marsh Street, SE1 7RG (water-looclassics.com). SURREY Four Counties Car Club meet at The Bletchingley Arms, RH1…

Just like an automotive Lord of the Rings Team PC’s trilogy ends with a climactic battle – budget classics versus the elements and an epic B-road quest, from one side of Wales to the other. Our annual Winter test had produced very few dramas up to this point, but that could all change as Puma, MGF, Minor and Merc prepare to battle the Welsh hills… from West to East. DANNY HOPKINS MGF St Davids to Whitesands Bay Having been on two adventures already (getting the cars roadworthy and then chasing the RAC Rally with them) a third adventure seemed kind of greedy. But no matter, we were game for anything that Wales, or our sub-£1000 steeds could throw at us. Mid-winter, on exciting Welsh B-roads, in classic cars we had…

Why social media has a time and a place… My diamanté-covered stilettos hadn’t been out of their shoe box since soiree-season 2019 and dad’s garage was the place to reacquaint myself with them. As I tottered past axle stands and oil drums, with my ballgown’s train in one hand and smartphone in the other, I was the epitome of woman hobbled by heels, but I was also a woman on a mission. A mission, to take a selfie for Instagram. Four years ago, in much sturdier footwear, I stood on stage in the penthouse of London’s City Hall to accept an award that identified me as a ‘Social Media Influencer’. The accolade was in recognition of my role as digital editor at a national newspaper and I felt proud. Back…

1 Why the 928? ‘I saw one as a teenager and it looked like science fiction. More sophisticated than a 911, but you could always still hear a 928 coming down the road! I was driving a shabby Triumph Vitesse at the time and ended up with everything from a Hillman Minx to a 205 GTi, but that first sighting of a 928 never left me.’ 2 So you bought one? ‘Well, I’ve actually since owned five! My first was in 1990 – an S2 that I used as a daily driver for three years. It was everything I’d hoped for, yet was so usable. Driving a 928 feels like a special occasion whenever you get in. Turn the key and there’s a whoomph! It sounds absolutely fantastic.’ 3 Tell…

26 LEFT ON UK ROADS Styled in the UK and built from French (Simca) parts, the original Alpine won Car of the Year 1976 – beating the new BMW 3 Series. Initially imported from Poissy, France, the Avenger’s move to Linwood freed up Ryton to build the Alpine. It was a fairly advanced car for the time featuring both a hatchback and front wheel drive. It also had electronic ignition, which was far from the norm. Chrysler Europe’s first ‘seven-day a week’ car was aimed at toppling the mighty Ford Cortina. Sadly, rough engines, poor quality and rust meant that few fell for it, which was a shame, as it got plenty of things right. A neat facelift and Talbot badge (as above) increased appeal but it just wasn’t enough…

2005 Mazda 6 2.0TS Engine 1998cc/4-cyl/DOHCPower 120bhp@5500rpmGearbox 6-speed manual0-60mph 11.4sec Built in an era when Mazda were still constructing cars with a serious eye on quality, my Bangernomics ‘6’ has been used hard on heavy duty journeys over a short period of time. It has been a willing servant and has done everything I have required of it. Before pressing it into service though, I made sure it was given a big fat going over with all filters and gloops replaced. I also made sure it had a proper clean and tidy up. This included buying a secondhand rear light cluster off eBay and giving the headlights a proper seeing to. The £12 headlight revival kits you can buy over the internet are actually OK if used carefully, and so…

A few months ago, I decided to treat my wife, Abby to a weekend in the Cotswolds to celebrate her birthday. I knew just the place to go, too – Charingworth Manor, Chipping Campden. Part of the excellent Classic Lodges chain of luxury hotels, Charingworth was also the place where we ‘mini-mooned’ after getting married in 2019. Having popped a core plug the day before the wedding, the TR never made it to Charingworth back then, so it also seemed fitting that we should use that for our trip this time. On the day of departure, all was going well as we approached our first destination – the picture-perfect village of Bourton-on-the-Water – when I happened to glance down at the oil pressure gauge. Regardless of revs, it didn’t seem…

For a while there’s been a weep of fluid from the clutch slave cylinder on my TR6, while recently, I’ve noticed fluid dribbling down the pedal from the master cylinder. Attention to the clutch hydraulics is clearly well overdue! I’ve never needed to touch the TR’s clutch system in nearly twenty years of ownership, so I really can’t complain at spending a little hard-earned cash on tackling this job thoroughly. In addition, the clutch pedal has always felt very heavy and, although TRs aren’t known for having the lightest of controls, I’ve wondered whether the clutch should really be giving my left leg quite such a thorough workout! I decided to renew both cylinders rather than repair, as fitting new seals to clutch hydraulics has never worked well for me…

Your classic problems solved My driver’s seat squab looks sad and awful. The cover has gone limp and loose and the bolster on the door side has collapsed completely. It seems a shame to replace it with one that won’t match, so I wondered what steps could be taken to bring this one back to life. Hilary Nowill, Whimple BOLSTER BASICS 1 Starting point Our seat is looking terrible. The fabric is loose and flaccid (though not torn) and the side bolster has completely collapsed. The main foam base is still supportive, and the backrest is in decent order. We’ll start by stripping it and repairing the collapsed foam before moving to tightening up the cover. 2 Separate squab It’s easier to make repairs with the seat out of the…

THE CARS TO DRIVE BEFORE YOU DIE... Twenty-five years on from this legendary feature from our sister publication, we revisit the question... with two of the original writers and a whole shed full of amazing classics PAY LESS AND NEVER MISS A COPY! See p74 Resto Heroes One family and their amazing restoration museum How to buy In depth guides to the Hillman Imp and the Citroën AX Luxo barges Our choice of millionaire masterpieces that define excess PLUS An amazing Peugeot 306 cabriolet restoration, two friends and their restoration palace, PC Show review, Modern Classics, Bangernomics, news, reviews, views and more from the very best writers and photographers. In the tech section we will chase oil leaks, shim valves and answer all your queries... PLUS all the regulars from…