Índice para September 2019 em Classics World

It is amazing just how many times the same thing can be discovered. Leaving aside rather large ‘discoveries’ such as North America and Australia which had indigenous populations long before European travellers stumbled across them, it seems that every generation has the same long list of things they discovered and about which their parents knew nothing. Sex and relationships are usually placed right near the top of that particular list, though there are many other items on it, ranging from the monotony of a 9-5 job to the fact that mushrooms may not in fact be the devil’s food after all. As for automotive discoveries, the list of newly-discovered old discoveries is perhaps even longer and in truth there is scarcely any new and revolutionary idea that hasn’t been tried…

In June 2019, we received the sad news that former Triumph race and rally driver Jean-Jacques Thuner of Switzerland had died. Graham Robson was put in charge of the newly formed Triumph Competitions Department in February 1962, and Jean-Jacques was in the first batch of three drivers he signed. TR4s were the order of the day back then, and Jean-Jacques (along with his regular co-driver John Gretener) was a regular competitor in them. The 1962 Tulip Rally was his first Works Triumph appearance. His second rally was the Alpine, where he finished sixth overall and then ninth overall in the most gruelling of all the annual events, the Liege-Sofia-Liege. Results near the top of the leader board were common for Jean-Jacques, and if he’d had better luck he would undoubtedly…

EXTERIOR CHROME DOOR HANDLES Price: from £60 each David Manners Group now have in stock a selection of original exterior chrome door handles, both locking with keys and non-locking. The handles are suitable for the Daimler Dart, Rover P4, Alvis and Reliant three-wheeler cars. The product numbers are: • 81/646127# – locking door handle at £72 • 81/646128# – non-locking handle at £60 • 81/646127#PAIR – a pair of locking door handles at £144 For more information, or to check availability, call their sales experts on 0121 544 4040. CLARKE DUAL PURPOSE GAS/ NO-GAS MIG WELDERS Price: from £190.80 This new range of Clarke dual purpose No-Gas/ Gas MIG welders from Machine Mart offers the advantages of standard MIG welding without the need for gas bottles, producing excellent results in…

Electric cars might just be a dead end. This is an extremely political issue, but just to be clear, I do believe that anthropogenic, catalytic and cataclysmic climate change is a genuine risk. I just don’t believe much of the competing propaganda surrounding it. I have nothing against electric cars as such. I don’t much like the feel of them, and while the temporary savings for a limited period of cheap automotive electricity are attractive (although already coming to an end), I wouldn’t buy an electric car because of future petrol-matching charging costs, battery replacement costs, and also because of the false eco claims. The zero emissions badges on the back of electric cars are a lie. They are not zero-emissions cars, they are referred-emissions cars. If they’re powered by…

Virtually any classic public service vehicle provides an insight into another world. A police 3500S P6 conveys an image of flared-trousered hoods in a secondhand Jaguar XJ6 being chased through Battersea, while an SD1 with the jam stripe conjures memories of speeding yuppies in a BMW 323i. But surviving examples of police cars from the 1970s and 1980s are rare, largely due to their arduous service, which is why it is such a pleasure to feature these Rovers owned by Bob Weaver and James Wade. Back in 1963 the Rover P6 2000 truly revolutionised executive motoring, and a few years later the company noted ‘it was also to be the first postwar Rover in which the average owner would not be able to wear a hat in the driving seat!’…

As I have too many cars which aren’t all old enough to be tax free, I can’t afford or justify taxing them all at once. So while I’ve been enjoying the Alfa for the last two months, the Rover Tomcat has been languishing in a corner looking sorry for itself and collecting muddy paw prints from the neighbourhood moggies. Before swapping them over, to give the 145 a chance of shrugging off storage dirt I gave it the best clean of its life, doing everything properly, starting with a snow foam before moving on to a sponge using the two-bucket system to keep grit off the paint work. Next I used some clay bar with clay lube to lift ingrained dirt from the paint and windows, after which the car’s…

During the 1950s, the Standard Motor Company (who had bought the Triumph name in 1944) took their four-cylinder SC engine, which would eventually power the Herald, Spitfire and some Dolomites, and added a couple of cylinders to make a straight-six. The first engine displaced 1998cc and appeared in the Standard Vanguard Luxury 6 in 1960. Two years later a 1596cc version was fitted to the Triumph Vitesse, and the two-litre engine was fitted to the Triumph 2000 in 1963, followed by the GT6 and the Vitesse from 1966. A larger 2498cc straight-six was fitted in the Triumph 2500S, TC and PI, and it was also used in the fuel-injected TR5 and the TR6. The rarest straight-six engine is the 1600, which is the same size externally as the larger units,…

The 1960s began with President Kennedy promising that America would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade, however hard or expensive it would be. As we know (unless you believe in conspiracy theories), it happened with only a few months to spare. Fitting into the same time scale, the Beatles came and went, while the UK won the Eurovision Song Contest – twice. England also did rather well in a 1966 football match, apparently. The decade’s other iconic event was the 1961 launch of the Jaguar E-Type. It’s hard to imagine now just how much of a stir it caused, but boys of all ages drooled at the prospect of zooming along the new motorways at 150mph. In those days speed thrilled, not killed. To…

A collection of cars from the filming of the brand new series of Top Gear – the one with new presenters Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff alongside veteran Chris Harris – have been put on display at Beaulieu. Visitors to Beaulieu’s World of Top Gear can get up-close to the most memorable motors from Series 27, which kickstarts a brand new era for the iconic motoring show. From electric cars driven by Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris to Paddy McGuinness’ Overtaker hearse and some classics which survived the Borneo jungle challenge, there is something for everyone. The Borneo film saw Paddy and Freddie tasked with buying rare, but cheap, classic cars in episode four. Paddy bought a Matra Bagheera, France’s forgotten 1970s sports car, while Freddie went for a rarely-seen…

A new trade body targeted at the manufacturers and support services of specialist vehicles is looking to attract new members. The Specialist Vehicle Association has 20 founder partners, including the Classic Car Bank, Classic Oils Company, the Guild of Motoring Writers and Lancaster Insurance. Membership is free for the first year and £99 a year after that, and it is open to all classic-centric businesses and car clubs. Plans for 2020 include an online content platform in addition to several current benefits including free delivery on oils, showroom displays for valet products and discounted website building. Where the modern motor sector has the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the SVA is hoping to offer a similar service and unified body for businesses and clubs focused on specialist and…

I'M FALLING IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN This is a 1959 Australian-assembled MGA 1600 in its original Mamba Black, which was first registered on the road in Melbourne in 1960. Prior to me purchasing it last year, two previous owners had kept it straight and in good working order for nearly 60 years. In fact, before the registration ran out last November, my wife and I enjoyed several chilly winter road trips on the original motor. In Australia at least, I think MGAs still represent astonishing value for money, with good examples available for the same numbers in Australian dollars as they are fetching in the UK in Pounds Sterling. [Today, AUS$1 equals 56p! – Ed] However, this story really begins with a BGT. I inherited (or was perhaps indoctrinated…

What was the first car you drove? In my case it was my dad’s Ford Consul Mk2, sitting on his lap, with my grubby little seven year-old hands turning the steering wheel as directed. You’ll be relieved to know that this would be on a local common, not a public road, but in those carefree days people tended to do what they wanted in whatever space was available. Try the same today and you’ll probably have a police helicopter hovering overhead before you can say Dixon of Dock Green. This casual attitude to road safety extended to all walks of life – and non-walks, in fact, because babies and crawlers generally rode in cars cradled by proud mums’ arms, on the basis that if anything did go wrong they’d keep…

We like to bring you a mixture of familiar classics and exotic rarities on Classics, and this car certainly falls into the latter category. It is a Fiat as the badges make clear, but it was designed and built by coachbuilder Pinin Farina and the engine was developed by the Maserati brothers. And we do mean the Maserati brothers from Italy, not Bill and Joe Maserati from Peckham! The boxout on p40 explains more about the Maserati connection, but for now we can describe it as a 1963 Fiat-OSCA 1600 S Pininfarina Cabriolet. The car belongs to Andy Lerry, who bought it in 2013. He saw it at an auction, which he had gone to just to sniff around because, as Andy admits, he is always on the lookout for…

Lotus had decided to build a mid-engined model to take over from the Europa as early as 1970, but couldn’t afford to develop that at the same time as a front-engined replacement for the Elan +2S, (that one became the Elite,) so initial progress was slow. Eventually, a modified Europa chassis was given to Giorgetto Giugario of Ital Design in 1971. The fruits of these endeavours were displayed on Giugario’s stand at the Turin Motor Show in November 1972, alongside his Maserati Boomerang vision of the future. Mechanical development and design of the new Lotus Esprit took a little longer, and the first running prototype was not finished until the end of 1974. It was announced as production-ready in October 1975, but that was a tad premature and the first…

There is no doubt about it, but working to make a living definitely takes time away from fiddling with cars! This month I’ve been particularly busy and progress in the workshop had drawn almost to a standstill. The other day dad asked me to move Lilly, my 1967 four-door Morris Minor, so he could trim the hedge. It’s been months since I drove it – there were cobwebs on the door handle and brambles had grown up, making it difficult to get inside. I turned on the ignition, but did not hear the expected tick of the petrol pump and Lilly would not start. This problem is common on Minors, and is usually cured by lifting the bonnet and giving the pump a good thump. I duly tried this, but…

Our Escort is going in for a good deal of work, but the relatively simple oil change might end up being one of the most important jobs to do. It was the instinct of Quentin at Q-prep to simply check the oil level before we began on the compression test. It turned out to be a touch too high, and so our previous suspicions that valve guides or piston rings might be worn and causing it to burn oil were thrown into question. Could it simply be a case of oil being thrown up into the crankcase ventilation valve, then being evaporated in the combustion chamber from the intake manifold? That blue smoke could very easily be the excess oil in the sump being burned rather than it leaking through…

At its launch in the UK, the press really rather took to the Ford Probe. ‘The thirty-something audience that Ford is aiming for grew up with the Capri,’ wrote Jeremy Clarkson. ‘We are therefore bound to welcome the Probe like a long-lost school friend.’ The year was 1994, and the iconic Capri had been dead for a decade. During that time we hadn’t been starved of sporting Fords – the Escort RS Turbo and Sierra Cosworth had seen to that – but by the early 1990s this giant among car makers seemed to be losing its way somewhat. A global recession had dampened appetites for simple, blokey sports machines, other manufacturers were providing incisive, modern, affordable alternatives and Ford itself seemed to have lost control over its complex worldwide structure.…

Fairthorpe and Turner were part of a scene that flourished in the 1950s and 1960s, when numerous entrepreneurs set up businesses to build small cars appealing to young buyers. The formula was simple: fabricate a basic steel chassis, scour major manufacturers’ parts bins for mechanical components and clothe it all in a two-seater body, usually made from the new wonder material, glassfibre. These cars were squarely aimed at those who wanted something sporty to stand out from the crowd, but had only limited funds. Never produced in large numbers, today such quintessentially British classics could easily become lost from view if not for people like Andy Winston. A long time devotee, rescuer and collector of these charming period pieces, Andy runs and constantly improves his collection of two Fairthorpes and…

The latest Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional took place in the beautiful surroundings of Claydon House in Buckinghamshire on Saturday, 20th July. Welcoming thousands of enthusiasts, the 2019 hurrah for the humdrum saw huge numbers of enthusiasts of the ordinary gather in the sunshine to admire vehicles that many would ignore. 50 expertly selected unexceptional models were presented on the lawns of Claydon House with a hugely diverse and eclectic selection that has become expected from FOTU. Highlights included a 1992 Renault Clio 1.4 RT, in showroom condition and showing just 24,000 miles since new. Another popular entrant was a 1987 Rover 820E, suggested to be the very last model of its type remaining on UK roads. Cars that used to be mainstream, but which are now a rarity, included…

Three decades after the 1989 Chicago Motor Show was the stage for the debut of the original MX-5, Mazda unveiled the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition at the 2019 Chicago Motor Show. The 30th Anniversary Edition is exclusively offered in the newly developed Racing Orange body paint, a strikingly vivid colour that certainly ensures it stands out from the crowd. In addition to Racing Orange paint, the MX-5 30th Anniversary Edition features forged aluminium Rays wheels developed exclusively for the MX-5 in cooperation with Rays Co Ltd, and a 30th anniversary badge displaying the model’s serial number. Other unique features include orange brake calipers and, for the first time in the UK, Brembo front brakes. Inside, the bespoke feel continues with orange accents on the seats, door trim, dashboard, steering wheel,…

A communist ‘comedy car’ from East Germany has made its debut at Millbrook Proving Ground. The first Trabant to visit the Bedfordshire site, which tests the endurance of car designs, was provided by Mel Holley, Chairman of the Wartburg Trabant IFA UK, accompanied by Club Treasurer Diane Thorpe as navigator. The Millbrook site is not open to the public, but for one day only it allowed classic car owners to drive around its renowned Alpine Circuit as part of a charity fundraiser for the Little Lives Appeal, which helps premature, small or ill babies. The event raised around £7000. Said Mel: 'This is a brilliant start to the club’s 50th anniversary year, and in the process we’re delighted to be raising funds for charity. The Alpine Circuit is well known,…

It’s very sad really. Not too long ago, I had cause to visit Ford’s European HQ in a suburb of Brentwood, and for old times sake decided to approach it from the Dartford Tunnel by way of South Ockendon. Turning into Arisdale Avenue, I expected to see the remains of a redundant Ford factory, which once had an illustrious reputation. This, I thought, was where I could wave a nostalgic arm at the corner of the building where a whole family of Escort RS models were built, but to my dismay there was no trace of it. As so often these days, it seems, the whole factory had been bulldozed and new building – of a whole variety of housing – was taking over! Yet this was part of our…

I’ve owned air-cooled VWs for the last 25 years. My initial affection for them was the result of growing up next door to somebody who had a Beetle, and I have many fond memories of going out in that car with his son and daughter. Plus, as a kid growing up in the 1970s you couldn’t help loving Herbie, so it was inevitable that one day I would have my own. I like the early Beetles best. I started with a 1968 Beetle, but have just sort of gone back in time from there. I did buy a 1957 Beetle from Sweden which I kept for a couple of years, but I couldn’t say no when somebody offered me three times the money I’d paid for it. I’ve had campers…

THE MK2: POINTING IN THE SAME DIRECTION Having sorted out the brakes, fitted a new steering rack and repaired the damage caused to the nearside rear suspension after clouting a curb, it was finally time to get all four wheels on our Mk2 California pointing in the same direction. COSTS THIS ISSUE: Four wheel camber and alignment adjustment check : and £120 Four Avon tyres: £196 Getting a four-wheel alignment check on the Mk2 MX-5 was high on our agenda, partly because the front tyres were worn unevenly and partly because the car just never really felt 100% planted on the road. Some of that unsettled feeling was probably down to the tyres, which were pushing ten years old. Fitting a new set of boots all round was a no-brainer,…

This time of year is always busy for me, not least because our local Triumph Club organise a long-running annual show, Mac’s Bridge, which has between 300 and 400 classic cars on display with a similar number of visitors’ cars. I have been on the organising committee for the past six years, so whilst the requirements are familiar, it still absorbs many hours, including five solid days’ input leading up to the show. This year, on the weekend prior to our show, a few of us drove to another classic car show in Toowoomba, an inland city about 130km west of Brisbane, which involves me in a 200km drive each way. In Australia most major cities are located on the coast, so Toowoomba’s location is unusual, and it is the…

I left you all in our July issue waiting for better weather to road test the Allard P1, as the front suspension and front brakes had been rebuilt. Well, weeks went by as my designated Wednesday evening sessions were incessantly cancelled because of the weather and so much more! Eventually I gave up on that idea and, when by chance I had a Sunday afternoon free, I asked Richard Wade to be my rear guard with his Bristol 410 as I bedded the brakes in, remembering the Allard rear light clusters are not very large and some people don’t see the brake lights when they are on! Burgess Engineering’s Colin Anton came for a ride and we set off with some pace around these East Sussex narrow lanes, which are…

By its very nature, ‘preservation’ means extending the life of something past that intended by whoever made it. When it comes to motor vehicles, most from the classic era were designed for a typical service life of 10, 15 or at most (Volvo...) 20 years, and bodywork was basically designed, manufactured and rust proofed to last that long and no longer. It therefore follows that, sooner or later, anyone seeking to preserve a car will need to think about bodywork restoration. Some people are happy to pay others to do this for them. Many, however, want to tackle it themselves, either for financial reasons or because they see it as a hobby in itself, something in which to take pride. And that is where this series comes in. While we…

WHICH ONE? The most basic division in the world of Traction Avants is between the cars built in France and those built at Citroën’s plant in Slough. Slough-built cars are mechanically and structurally identical, but had some differences to suit British tastes and customs rules. The former were accounted for by leather seats and a wooden dashboard, while the latter led to the fitment of Lucas electrical parts and Girling brake components. Slough-built cars can easily be identified by the big chevrons of the Citroën logo being mounted behind the grille rather than in front of it. There is a further division: Traction aficionados prefer the pre-1952 small-boot (‘malle plate’) cars over the later big-boot (‘malle bombe’) versions and this is reflected in the values. By far the most common…