Table of contents for February 2020 in Classics World

Our new series of archive images moves on to manufacturers from E to H this issue, having started logically enough with those from A-D last month. Hopefully you are finding it interesting, but as ever please do get in touch if you have any comments or suggestions. Personally I love trawling through these old images – they are the perfect end to an evening when the winter chill has persuaded me to hang up my tools and lock the garage early. Some of these images are straightforward affairs of a then-new car pictured against an appropriate background, or often simply a scenic one that doesn’t compete unduly with the car for viewers’ attention. These can be interesting in their own right for showing how the manufacturer was trying to portray…

The Fiat 600 Multipla, a triumph of Italian style and forerunner of all MPVs, is one of 15 cars to star in a new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Called Cars: Accelerating the Modern World, it opened on 23rd November and runs until 19th April 2020. The exhibition focuses on the impact of the car, and aims to highlight examples that have changed the world in the last 130 years in terms of design, innovation and social impact. Structured in three main sections, Going Fast opens the exhibition by exploring the role of the automobile in imagining a future world of liberated movement and as a symbol of technological progress. This is followed by Making More which, the museum explains, 'explores the car as the archetype…

Since news emerged that a number of Triumph TR7 press tools had been scrapped, the TR Drivers Club has been looking into the best way to reintroduce these no-longer-available panels. The TR Register's Spares Development Fund came on board in the spring of this year, and the clubs are now able to report that instruction has been given for the tooling up and supply of the all-important TR7 front panel, also known as the headlamp panel. The chosen supplier is Ex-Pressed Steel Panels Ltd of Keighley near Bradford, and the finished panels will be approximately £625. It is hoped to have the first panel on display late in 2020, whereupon a decision will be made as to which panels should follow – currently front wings are the favoured option, but…

Sevenoaks and District Motor Club have announced that in 2020 they will once again be staging their popular Crystal Palace Sprint. Held over the traditional Bank Holiday weekend of Sunday 24th-Monday 25th May, the two day non-championship speed event will see classes decided by year of manufacture rather than engine size. This attracts a wide and varied entry of historic, classic and modern competition and road-going vehicles. There will also be trade stands, autojumble, car shows and various attractions aimed at the young. For further information or to register your interest in competing, see www. motorsportatthepalace.co.uk…

Vauxhall had abandoned the small-and-cheap car market before WW2, their smallest car at the beginning of the 1960s being the FB Victor, and they were losing out. So, with a limited budget and a single assembly line at Luton laid out, Vauxhall engineers designed the HA Viva quickly for launch in 1963. There’s no doubt that this was a stop gap model with much in common with the Opel Kadett to see if it would sell, and they must have been well-satisfied with how it was shaping up because work began in 1962 on the second generation – yep, before the HA had even been launched. The HA wasn’t a bad effort, but was already looking dated when it arrived a year after the remarkable Austin-Morris 1100. Vauxhall also had…

I was in a great rush as usual when I checked out the Allard P1 late one evening, only to find that the lights wouldn’t come on main beam. Colin Anton kindly came over so I had another set of hands to operate things – by now it was 11.30pm! With a live feed added, it was deduced that the VW square relay had packed up. I had a replacement and a reserve delivered the following afternoon, and late on the Friday night I fitted the £7 relay and was ready to leave early next morning on the 44 mile journey to the Woodchurch Steam and Vehicle Rally near Ashford, in Kent. This is the largest event of its type in Kent these days; it encompasses all types of transport…

1965 E-TYPE JAGUAR ENGINE: 4235cc inline-six OWNED SINCE: September 1986 TRIUMPH STAG ENGINE: 2997cc V8 OWNED SINCE: 2004 THOUGHT OF THE MONTH Once again customer service, or should I say lack of it, is a feature of my thoughts. I appreciate that many companies are not set up to give good coverage to the public. However, sending a standard message without even looking at the explanatory documentation seems extraordinary, especially to customers as remote as Australia. A few years ago I experienced a failed Kenlowe fan thermostat and found that the company had moved away from their traditional classic car retrofit business to focus on the major vehicle manufactures. I still contacted Kenlowe, they replied at length to explain that the products which I had were no longer part of…

FORD ESCORT RS2000 BURNING OIL Q I have a 1980 Ford Escort RS2000 with the original 2.0 Pinto engine, which has been in our family since new and so I know that it has always been serviced and well looked after. It has now covered just over 140,000 miles and even the camshaft (which you may know was a weak point on these engines) is original. The engine starts and runs well and there are no knocking or slapping noises when it is running, but (there is always a but!) it is burning oil at the rate of half a litre every 100 miles or so. The cylinder compressions are good and the oil pressure shows on the gauge as being good. I have already changed the valve stem seals…

Citroën’s air-cooled engine looks so small and light that it could be lifted out of the engine bay of a 2CV by one person and overhauled on a pasting table. That's not quite true, but it is a good starting point for anyone wanting to have a go at rebuilding a classic car engine. Some specialist tools are required, however we’ve found one UK-based supplier in West Yorkshire (www.2cvtools.com), and the Burton Car Company in the Netherlands can provide many of them. We've also highlighted suitable tools from the Teng website, but there are many other options so do check it out at www.teng.co.uk. The 2CV and its associated models (Ami, Dyane, Special) are where most of these two-cylinder engines will be found, although the Citroen Visa had a brief…

Crowds clustered around it, chattering excitedly in a multitude of languages. Flashbulbs popped, journalists scribbled ecstatic notes and a legend was born. The Paris Motor Show was an unmissable event in 2002, largely because of one car’s launch. But across the hall from Ferrari’s breathtaking new Enzo, Nissan also had a curiosity on show. As unlikely as it sounded, the third generation range of the entirely prosaic Micra – which debuted at Paris – contained a convertible model. There was actually precedent for this. 1991’s Figaro was a retro-styled two-door that enjoyed a fabric convertible roof – albeit with fixed sides. Although this was a model in its own right, it was based upon the first generation of Micra. A decade later, niche models had appeared in many manufacturers’ ranges.…

Christmas came early for John Williams from Cheltenham when he received the keys to Lancaster Insurance’s prize-giveaway Mazda MX-5. John beat thousands of other entrants to be randomly selected as the winner, and Lancaster’s Car Club Manager, Dave Youngs, delivered the sports car to him early in December. Dave commented: 'We’ve loved having the MX-5 with us this year and celebrating the iconic model's 30th anniversary. It was a special moment handing the car over to John – his face lit up when he saw the Mazda for the first time. We hope they have some great adventures together.' In addition to the car, John also benefits from a year’s free insurance, a Meguiar’s Mirror Bright Kit, a year’s membership with the MX-5 Owners Club and track tuition from MX-5…

Drew Pritchard and Paul Cowland will be returning to your TVs in January to present the brand-new series of Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars in which they find, buy, fix up and sell classic cars. In true salvage style, Drew will cast a keen eye over the greatest in motoring memorabilia, whilst Paul will rely on his extensive mechanical knowledge and business acumen when striking a deal. This series sees the pair travel to the Isle of Wight to buy an Alfa Romeo Spider and cast their eyes abroad in search of a cheap 1980s Range Rover which Drew adores for its originality. However, Drew fails to heed Paul’s golden rule of 'try before you buy' as apparently the newly purchased 4x4 handled terribly. The list of classic cars that will…

CLASSIC MEMORIES: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON As with many of your cover pictures and articles, the Ford Classic on the December issue brought the memories flooding back. My father owned a couple of secondhand Hillmans purchased from Hartwells in Bournemouth, and upon moving to the outskirts, Ferndown in Dorset, Corner Garage became his nearest local Rootes dealer who serviced and fuelled his cars. Having thus got to know the staff well and upon the garage becoming a Ford dealer, my father made the mistake of thinking that a car salesman is your friend. He’d expressed enthusiasm for the new Ford Classic, especially in two-door form, so ordered one in grey with a white roof. Within weeks of delivery, the improved 1500cc version had been launched and he was furious, having…

Every marque has its devotees, but few are as fanatical as those who have pinned their colours to Ford's mast. Steve Long and Jason Cunnington are no exceptions to this rule, but before we ask about their immaculate cars, we should probably start with a very brief Sierra history lesson for those who are – if you'll pardon the pun – not up to speed with fast Fords of the 1980s. Don't worry though, because we will keep it very brief! The Sierra was a replacement for the venerable Cortina family, and debuted in 1982 as a three or five door hatch, plus an estate. There were various engine options, but top of the sporting tree was initially the XR4i, replaced from 1985 by the more sure-footed XR4x4. However, in…

Last issue, we introduced our new Morris Minor project, a 1967 two-door saloon bought for £3350. Being over 40 years old and unmodified, it had been exempted from the MoT inspection, but was on the road and drove the 70 miles home very nicely indeed. However, it is now time to take off the rose-tinted buying goggles and get serious about assessing its condition. This will ultimately lead to a voluntary MoT, but first I wanted to get fellow journalist and long-time friend, Russ Smith, to give it a once over. Obviously it would have been preferable to have taken Russ to inspect the Minor before agreeing to buy it. Partly that’s because he is so much better than I am at staying objective when viewing a potential purchase, but…

The dual points on 1950s Rolls-Royce and Bentley distributors are twice as much trouble as single points, but they do have their good points (pardon the pun!). I was out for a drive in the 1947 MkVI and then walkies with the dogs – Rambo the ancient rescue Chihuahua/MinPin who ambles, dawdles and loiters, marking his property (‘That’s my tree, this is my deliciously stinky garbage bin!’) and Smellybelly the youthful Papillon who hurtles in pointless circles, their combined average speed being about that of a walk. Dawdlings and hurtlings over, it was time to head back home for lunch, but for the first time ever the Bentley failed to proceed. The fuel pump ticked and stopped as normal, so I checked the distributor and here was something unusual –…

1965 MINOR ENGINE: 1098cc inline-four OWNED SINCE: 2012 1967 MINOR ENGINE: 1098cc inline-four OWNED SINCE: 2010 1950 MINOR LOWLIGHT SALOON ENGINE: 918cc sidevalve inline-four OWNED SINCE: 2012 1970 MORRIS MINOR VAN ENGINE: 1098cc inline-four OWNED (BY MUM) SINCE: 1980 THOUGHT OF THE MONTH I’m forever grateful to fellow enthusiasts like Rob Thomas, who give their time to help with sourcing patterns for missing parts for the Alta head. Without them, I’d be much further away from getting the head back into a usable condition.…

In the last episode, we saw a fresh layer of paint applied to our Mk3 Escort 1.3L. We suspected that our radio aerial had been kept in place during a previous respray, so when we set to removing it this time, the item in question was very stubborn indeed. It was a good job we persevered in removing it as the bodywork underneath was a bit crusty, but it left us with an aerial sawn in half and thus no way to enjoy the medium and long wave radio on board. Finding a replacement aerial was difficult. The market is saturated with electrically operated chrome aerials that, while looking the part, wouldn’t have quite matched our car’s original specification – it’s a 1.3L, not a Ghia. The alternative seemed to…

There is something special about using your classic car in a way its original designers and manufacturers intended – for transport and pleasure. My first car, a Morris Minor Low Light Tourer, has long been considered a classic, but when I owned it, transport was its main role with a bit of back seat pleasure a secondary benefit. Subsequent cars, mostly MGs and all now classics, continued the role of transport with the pleasure component moving from back seat antics into the realm of pride of ownership. And so it is today. My daily driver is almost 20 years old, a faithful 2005 MG ZT260, and my classic is a pre-war 1937 MG Two Litre. Through the prewar MG community, a global network of friends has evolved over many years,…

JAGUAR XK120 A RARE RHD DROPHEAD IN FINE FETTLE AUSTIN A40 FARINA A NEW DIRECTION FROM LONGBRIDGE THE BMW E21 3-SERIES YOUR BUYING GUIDE TO THE 1975-83 CARS THE TRABANT P601 AND 1.1 TOP TEN TRIVIA, BUT WITHOUT THE CLICHÉS ALSO IN THE ISSUE • Reader’s Car: Home-brew electric Beetle • Reader’s Car: Superb concours-winning TR5 • Reader’s Car: A mid-life crisis MGF • Marques and Models: The J40 pedal car • Project Car: Morris Minor suspension overhaul pt1 • Archive Images: Manufacturers from I to L • Emerging Classic: Volvo 440 • Workshop Skills: Starter and second tool kits • Tech Focus: Citroën 2CV engine rebuild…

Advance discounted tickets for the 2020 Donington Historic Festival are now on sale, and available until the end of January. The event, which takes place from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd May, will see Donington Park become a living motorsport and motoring museum, with packed grids of racing cars spanning some nine decades treating spectators to hugely competitive, full-on racing. In addition, displays and parades – including dozens of car club stands – will showcase classic road cars of all kinds. The open-access paddock gives fans a chance to get up close to the racing machines of their dreams and to chat with the owners, drivers and preparers, while Donington Park’s famously spectator-friendly layout means race goers get incredible views of the track action. Advance discounted ticket prices start at…

The Historic Marathon Rally Group (HMRG) is putting together a reunion/ celebration of the iconic World Cup Rally on Sunday 19th April at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, 50 years to the day after the competitors left Wembley Stadium on their 16,000-mile adventure through Europe and South America. There were originally 106 entrants, of which 96 started and just 23 finished. The Ford Escort of Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm won this marathon, and this car will be at Gaydon for visitors to see. The organisers are hopeful that the only known surviving Citroën DS from the WCR will also be coming over from France (though this is not yet confirmed), but the event will definitely feature cars and competitors involved in the rally, films, talks and interviews, plus…

The Association of Singer Car Owners (ASCO) was founded in December 1976, focusing strongly on all things Singer. This year, following a period of steady growth, they are celebrating continuing success by changing their name to the Singer Motor Club. One of the things they shall be doing to mark this exciting change is to give each member a free 2020 SMC Picture Gallery calendar. Looking to the younger generation, they are also proposing to introduce a great value £10 annual subscription for members aged 18-35. Despite the name change, the club's objects continue unchanged, namely to promote enthusiasm for, and interest in, all aspects of the Singer marque, from the birth of George Singer in 1847 through to 1970 when the last car came off the production line. They…

An ultra-rare 1960 Triumph TRS with Le Mans provenance has been acquired for sale by Bicester Heritage-based specialists in post-war British sports cars, Pendine Historic Cars. As one of just four ever built, the ex-Works TRS is famous for playing a significant role in British motoring history as one of three cars which competed in Triumph’s 1960 and 1961 assault on the 24 hours of Le Mans, with their performance resulting in the prestigious manufacturer’s team prize. The cars set the scene for the yet to be released TR4 and featured the very rare Sabrina twin cam prototype engine, developed specifically for the demanding Le Mans race by the Triumph Competition Department in 1959, of which only a handful exist today. 927 HP first competed in the 1960 Le Mans…

Some interesting cars are misunderstood for too many years, and the MG Magnette MkIII and MkIV definitely fall into this category. Had the British Motor Corporation made the wise decision to use another model name, the Octagon-badged 1½-litre 'Farina' would have stood a far greater chance of establishing a niche. Such Magnettes are now amongst the rarest post-war cars to bear the MG name, and Jon Langford, the owner of this immaculate 1964 example, regularly encounters people who are unaware that there was ever such a car. In fact, he reports that many only seem to have heard of the Austin or the Morris, and that plenty don’t know of the Riley or Wolseley variants either. Back in the mid-1950s Leonard Lord, the then head of BMC, commissioned Battista 'Pinin'…

Having assured himself that he was not climbing into a death trap, Russ took the Minor out for a road test. This was his verdict. ‘There is no whining in the intermediate gears, which is good. You said the clutch felt like it was either on or off with no gradual take-up, but it feels about normal for a Minor to me. Having said that, you could probably improve the feel a little with new bushes. There is a bit of a squeak on the pedal too, so I would lubricate the shaft. ‘That amount of wobble in the speedo is well within the normal bounds. And yes, that feels like a Minor brake pedal! There is no pull to one side, so that is all very positive. You may…

We have been experiencing some beautiful weather for hood-down motoring recently here in Australia – dry and sunny, but not too hot. On my way home from a recent drive in the Stag, I was sitting in slow and stationary traffic when I was advised that the Stag’s brake lights were inoperative. I thought I was over the brake light issues with a replacement switch and LED bulbs, but a double check when I got home confirmed that the lights had indeed stopped working again. The brake light switch seemed a good if somewhat inaccessible place to start the investigation, which turned out to be an inspired choice as one of the spade terminals had pulled off the switch. The wiring was quite tight and I concluded that earlier work…

I’ve had my MG TF for two years now, and it is a lovely car both to look at and to drive. It has the 1.8-litre 135Ps engine, so sits between the entry level 1.6 and the top of the range VVC, but like all TFs it is perfectly poised on the road and has more than enough power for normal use. Being a 2005 car and right from the end of MG-Rover production, it also has all the goodies such as a glass rear screen in the soft top, a colour coded hard top for winter and the more comfortable suspension package. It was also specified from new with the desirable four-pot AP Racing brake calipers and the very rare and very expensive Oxford leather interior. All in all…

Having spent the past five months learning about making effective metalwork repairs, we’re rounding this short series off with a look at the part which is arguably noticed most – preparation for, and application of, paint. Clearly, I cannot tell you how to prepare and paint a car in one five-page feature because covering every aspect would take a book, or at the very least a full series in its own right. This is also an area where incomplete or over-brief advice could do more harm than good. I’m therefore not going to attempt to do that. Rather, I hope to give a bit of basic advice, and pass on a few hints and tips which I have picked up over the 35+ years that I’ve spent writing about classic…

The first TR7 prototype was completed in November 1972, and production commenced less than two years later. The early cars did not resemble Harris Mann’s impressive styling buck in so many ways, not least because the rear end of the car sat so high in the air. This was an issue that persisted until the first batch of revisions in March 1977, which included lowered suspension settings. Industrial strife was rife throughout the British Leyland empire during this period and just as the TR7 went into production, British Leyland went bankrupt. Looking at it from this perspective, it is perhaps easy to see why TR7 build quality was initially so poor. Yet despite the early failings, the factory did not seem to be able to produce enough cars to satisfy…

EAGLE We are starting off with a rather strange beast from 1983, and perhaps the only quibble point in the letters game this issue. The car is an Eagle SX/4, perhaps the first US crossover. Featuring Ferguson Formula (FF) permanent all-wheel-drive, it was introduced in 1979 by the American Motors Corporation (AMC). By 1983 the cars had been given a selectable transmission for fuel economy – either RWD or 4WD. The sporty SX/4 was dropped for 1984, but the Eagle line lasted until December 1987, by which time Chrysler had bought AMC. Chrysler eventually turned Eagle into a division alongside their Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge and Jeep marques, which is why we have slipped it in under E instead of A! EDSEL No collection of 'E's would be complete without at…