Table of contents for March 2020 in Classics World

It takes me about 15 minutes to walk into the centre of town from home. On one recent stroll to the shops with some copies of the magazine to post, I was paying more attention than usual to the cars which drove past me. There were a number of reasons for this. One was that I am incurably addicted to any kind of transport, ideally with wheels but essentially anything with an engine will do at a pinch. A second reason was that I had just sold my Herald, and despite taking this drastic step because I wanted to reduce the number of cars in my care, I don’t ever seem able to sell one car without immediately considering a replacement. This tied into the third reason – for the…

MOPAR, alongside Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Heritage, has enriched its genuine parts range by launching a heritage parts department dedicated to its classic cars, thanks to the tracing of original equipment. Beginning with one of the icons of FCA history, the first parts available focus on the Lancia Delta Integrale and Integrale Evoluzione, using the original materials to produce front and rear bumpers. The bumpers are created through the use of four pieces of original equipment that were found abandoned at the San Benigno plant. Having undertaken extensive maintenance to check all moving parts as well as electric and hydraulic circuits, the equipment is now used to mould the bumpers. They will be priced from £1170 for the front bumper and £1035 for the rear. All parts are street legal and…

The city of Glasgow will once again be the starting point for entrants on the historic re-run of the Monte Carlo Rally on 29th January. The city is the only British start point of seven European cities including Athens, Milan and Barcelona. In recent years, Paisley and Clydebank have also featured as the sole UK start locations, but it’s the third time Glasgow has taken on the role. The competing crews will set off from the start ramp in front of Glasgow City Chambers in George Square at 7pm for the epic 1300-mile drive to the south of France. The start is being supported by Glasgow Life, the charity that delivers cultural, sporting and learning activities on behalf of Glasgow City Council. Among the early entries is Dundee GP Colin…

ABOUT THE Z-CARS ZEPHYR Regarding the image in your February issue editorial, I think you missed the fact that the image used appears to be taken from Z Cars as I'm sure that's a very young Brian Blessed on the right! You are probably right that it was a staged promo shot as the lighting seems too good to be a still taken from an action sequence. I grew up watching Z Cars and Softly Softly in the early 1970s. In 1972, aged 6, I told my parents I wanted to be a policeman just like in Z Cars. In 1986 at an interview for the Met Police, I was asked what made me want to be a policeman. My answer? Z Cars! It must have been a good answer…

The venue is Goodwood and the drivers are lined up for the Le Mans start. The cars were all built between 1949 and 1971. The flag drops, drivers rush to their cars and they’re away. The race only last about 90 seconds, but the competition is furious. There is a fair bit of jostling for position and some exciting passing through the chicane, even though none of the drivers are older than 11 – this is the Settrington Cup and the cars are all Austin J40 pedal cars. While the idea of Austin building pedal cars for children may seem of minor importance or even laughable, there was a very serious side to the enterprise. Not only were more than 30,000 built in a dedicated factory, but that factory played…

Blasting the shell airborne from a gantry. It was in pretty good shape, which was helpful. New rear wings and a new rear valance panel were fitted, but the exhaust cutouts were obviously no longer required and consequently were deleted. Bob primed the shell himself before taking it to Maaco for a budget paint job, though thanks to the detailed prep there is nothing budget about the finish. The rear set of batteries occupies the luggage space behind the rear seats. Luggage space is now only the back seat and floor, plus a small space in the front boot. The motor is bolted to the VW gearbox with a bell housing and a conventional clutch. The DC to DC converter reduces voltage for the 12-volt car wiring loom which has…

Well, the 944 is back home, and it’s really good to have it back in my clutches. Nigel Pittard at Pontyclun Vehicle Repairs has done an incredible job on restoring the car to its former glory. Better – much better – than its former glory, in fact. I’ll fill you in on some of the magic he’s worked on my car. As I mentioned in a previous diary instalment, despite having a bodyshell that was galvanized at the factory, the 944 is not immune from rust. All I can think is that Porsche’s galvanizing process was a tad hit and miss, protecting some sections of the bodyshell well but missing others – most notably the sills. Having looked at a wide variety of 944s, they all seem to have had…

I have never been completely happy with the Stag steering, as it feels nervous and tends to wander more that the E-Type or modern cars due to small caster angles – 0.8° on the left and 1.4° on the right, whereas the specification is 2.5°. There is no simple provision to adjust the front suspension geometry. Small changes to camber can be achieved by placing shims between the bottom of the strut and the hub upright, but changes to caster are more involved. The lower radius arm’s fore-and-aft position is controlled by a fixed length drag strut, and the top of the strut is fixed in the strut tower. My calculations indicated that a 10.5mm increase in drag link length would increase the caster by around 1°. After removing the…

This month, I have been continuing with progress on trimming out the interior of my Standard 8 Tourer, and I’ve surprised myself by actually enjoying the process! I think it helps that the changes are large, immediate and for the better, and that I don’t appear to have made any major errors as yet. Rather than the trim panels though, the work started with the trafficators located just behind the B-posts. There were a few sundry bits of these in the pile of pieces that originally came with the dismantled car, enough to make up a unit for one side. However, as well as being in poor cosmetic condition, this was the original 6v item and I had changed the car to 12 volts. Some time ago I’d paid £100…

After all the work we’ve done to this car, it was time for a proper road trip to put the Escort through its paces and finish up our mini-series. The idea was that we would spend enough time in the Ford to really appreciate its strong points and its shortcomings, maybe even get some evaluation from family members who’d long since moved onto more modern cars. The plan was that I would head west from Peterborough, make a stop-off in Warwickshire, and then work my way through the increasingly hilly countryside towards Wales. The comparative size of our Escort Mk3 in today’s traffic would suggest that people really did have things worse off in 1981. How, I wondered, did we fit all our luggage and passengers in back then? And…

It’s now 45 years since the original E21 replaced the much loved ’02, itself one of the two ranges that saved BMW. The Neue Klasse (New Class) four-doors of 1962 had taken BMW in a whole new direction, directly towards the likes of Alfa Romeo – moderately expensive but well-trimmed and brisk sporty saloons with high quality running gear and engines capable of more power than the likes of BMC and Rootes. If those Neue Klasse 1500 and 1600 saloons sold well, the smaller two door 1600 and 1600Ti cars based on a shorter wheelbase version of the same platform did even better, opening up the USA as well as Britain as big export markets. The 1975 E21 3 Series was the next evolutionary step in the BMW master plan.…

Now I’ve reached my mid-50s, it seemed I should have a mid-life crisis – or as a newspaper recently put it ‘an ongoing personal emergency.’ Either way, after a lifetime of driving Astras and Zafiras for sensible family reasons, it seemed reasonable to do something not entirely sensible. But only in a relatively cautious way, which is why I was thinking about a two-seater convertible, so long as it was for less than say £3000. So why an MGF/TF rather than the clearly more sensible MX5? Three reasons, really. Firstly at 6ft 2in I just don’t fit into an MX5. Secondly, MGF/ TFs look nicer – they just do. And thirdly, if the desire is to do something not sensible, then why not embrace this by buying a car with…

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu has been awarded £74,527 by Arts Council England to reinterpret Land Speed Record-breaking icon Golden Arrow, using computer generated augmented reality and historic collections to enhance engagement for visitors. The distinctive 1929 Golden Arrow was a harmonious blend of technology and design, producing a masterpiece of Art Deco expression which paved the way for two decades of unbroken British record-breaking success. With Major Henry Segrave in the driving seat, this arrow shattered its target and set a new Land Speed Record of 231.36mph. Today, Golden Arrow is on permanent display in a multi-media presentation which also features its record-breaking stablemates the 1920 Sunbeam 350hp, the 1927 Sunbeam 1000hp and the 1960 Bluebird CN7. This project, The Golden Arrow – Shot from the Past, Aimed…

If your New Year’s resolution was to attend more classic car meets in 2020, then the New Year's Day Gathering at Brooklands Museum near Weybridge in Surrey was the perfect way to start as you mean to go on. Brooklands is the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, and there were many proud owners showing off some beautiful machinery from British marques including Jaguar, Morris, Austin, MG, Triumph, Riley and others. Other classic marques were well represented to, and there was an area for supercars and modern classics. The laid-back event enjoyed mild, dry weather and attracted almost 7000 visitors who enjoyed the chance to meet up with friends over a cuppa and a cake in Brooklands’ fine café. Cars were parked up on the historic start/finish straight, as well…

MGA 1500 BRAKE CONVERSION Price: £599.95 Owners of MGA 1500s fitted with front drum brakes can now carry out an authentic MGA 1600 disc brake conversion using parts faithfully reproduced to the original 1600 design. Offered for either steel wheel (part number H510) or wire wheel MGAs (part number H511), this comprehensive conversion kit from MGOC Spares comprises MGA 1600 brake calipers, pads, pins and clips, discs, brake hoses, banjo bolts and washers, brake hose locking plates, caliper adaptors, 1600 wire wheel hubs, front wheel bearing kits and mounting hardware. The optional 1600 master cylinder extension (part number 17H7702) for increased brake fluid capacity is available separately priced at £44.95. To order, call 01954230928 or visit www.mgocspares.co.uk CLASSIC MK3 MINI WINDOW WINDER MECHANISMS Price: £90 each As classic cars get…

If I was asked to think about a British car manufacturer that epitomises style, speed and engineering prowess, I’d immediately think of Jaguar. Particularly in the early postwar years and through the 1950s as this was when Jaguar’s talented engineers had penned the remarkable XK straight six engine range and fitted it into incredibly beautiful cars of the time. Beautiful cars like this XK120, a car that does exactly what it says on the tin – it was called the XK120 simply because it houses a 3.4 XK engine and is capable of reaching 120mph. However, it’s not just about the speed, because this is the marriage of a famously well-engineered power plant with the stunning grace of one of this country’s most beautiful two seater sports cars. You may…

We have got something a little different for you this issue with our Top Ten Trivia slot, because instead of looking at a particular classic model, we are focusing our attention on registration numbers. And yes, we realise that registration numbers might not sound the most exciting of subjects, but bear with us because it was inspired by a new book on the subject from John Harrison which we found surprisingly addictive. As well as providing a comprehensive overview of how the UK system was introduced and developed through to the present day, John’s book also answers no end of questions that might puzzle the classic owner. Why, for example, did some classic cars receive A-plate numbers when they were re-registered but others get age-related plates? How come so many…

1965 E-TYPE JAGUAR ENGINE: 4235cc inline-six OWNED SINCE: September 1986 TRIUMPH STAG ENGINE: 2997cc V8 OWNED SINCE: 2004 THOUGHT OF THE MONTH Increasing the Stag caster angle became a far more involved task than I had originally anticipated. It is a shame that Triumph did not provide some form of adjustment when designing the Stag and 2000/2500 range, probably due to cost considerations. The accuracy of modern car component manufacture and assembly ensures that vehicles depart the factory very close to their design specifications, but manufacturing techniques in the 1970s were much less precise, which likely resulted in some specifications being out of tolerance when a car exited the factory. Cars designed and built in this era really required a simple method of adjustment for critical areas like front suspension…

Lily, my 1967 four-door Morris Minor, has been on the road for seven years now. I cut my teeth restoring it with dad. In that time it’s been used as an everyday car and has been kept outside in all weathers. The paintwork was only cellulose, sprayed by us, and hasn’t fared that well. I have heard it said that modern cellulose paint is of low quality, which could be part of the reason why this hasn’t lasted. Alternatively, it could be down to the quality of the spray job or the lack of epoxy primer under the paint. Either way, it was becoming obvious that if we didn’t do something about the paintwork now, it would be a much larger and more expensive job later. Since Lily’s restoration, I…

1946 STANDARD 8 TOURER ENGINE: 1009cc sidevalve four OWNED SINCE: 2013 1966 HERALD CONVERTIBLE ENGINE: 1493cc OHV four OWNED SINCE: 2012 1983 ACCLAIM ENGINE: 1335cc OHC four OWNED SINCE: 2015 2005 MG TF135 ENGINE: 1796cc DOHC four OWNED SINCE: 2018 THOUGHT OF THE MONTH It is possible to have too many cars! Once you have to start making up journeys just because a car has not been out for a couple of months, then I would suggest that you have reached that point. And while it can be a wrench to sell one, it can also then be something of a relief.…

In the last issue of Classics, we followed the Burton Car Company stripping down a 602cc engine. This time, we’re finding out how they reassemble the engine with new or overhauled components. The lightness, compactness and simplicity of Citroën’s commonly known 2CV engine perhaps makes it ideal to overhaul for a classic car DIYer. There are, however, a number of tools that can help save time and avoid disasters, many of which are available through the Burton Car Company in the Netherlands. And some jobs do require specialist tools, such as for assembling the crankshaft (should you need to dismantle it in the first place). In other situations, such as fitting the front and rear main oil seals, a suitable size drift is required. Cleanliness is a top priority when…

They do things differently in Sweden, as Volvo’s stand at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show proved. It featured a compact, four-seater sporting car with pop-up headlights and a liftback body. The 480 was distinctive, combining a low stance with some of the rugged looks that Volvo had made very much its own. In some ways it trod familiar ground for the company, echoing the sporting brake style of 1971’s P1800ES. Although more associated with hulking saloons and estates that looked as though they were built to survive a nuclear apocalypse, Volvo had also ventured into the smaller car market with its 300 series. However, the 480 was something of a revolutionary model in its own right: it was the manufacturer’s first ever front-wheel drive car. In this respect the 480…

ISETTA We've included this under I for Isetta, but we have to come clean and admit that we believe this is a 1955 press photo from the launch of BMW's version. The Bavarian company built the Isetta under licence from 1955 until 1962, churning out no fewer than 161,728 examples of the ultra-cute bubble car. The young lady is beautifully attired for a day on the water, though her companion does have a rather dubious taste in socks. Unfortunately we do have our doubts about the staging and exactly what the ad team are trying to suggest – while we can just about accept that the Isetta could be driven with a paddle poking out of the sunroof, where the heck did the canoe come from? INNOCENTI If the Marques…

NISSAN FIGARO WE INTRODUCE THE LATEST CLASSICS PROJECT CAR THE ORIGINAL AUDI QUATTRO TOP TEN TRIVIA OF A ROAD & RALLY LEGEND SUNBEAM RAPIER SERIES IIIA WITH ONE PASSIONATE OWNER SINCE 1972 1954 BOND MINITRUCK MKC THE SOLE SURVIVING EXAMPLE IS RESTORED ALSO IN THE ISSUE • Reader’s Car: A rare Scimitar GT SE4a • Reader’s Cars: Triumph Acclaim and Nissan Arna • Marques and Models: Jaguar XJR • Project Car: Morris Minor suspension overhaul pt2 • Archive Images: Manufacturers from M to P • Emerging Classic: Rover Streetwise • Workshop Skills: Starter and second tool kits • Buying Guide: Ford 100E and 107E…

Silverstone Classic is the world's biggest classic motor racing festival, with an unrivalled feast of dedicated retro races, massive eye-catching car club displays and glittering on-track parades that in recent years have been saluted with multiple Guinness World Records. Even by those lofty standards, 2020 is revving up to be an extraordinary year, not least as the Classic itself will be celebrating its very own 30th birthday. It's all happening on the weekend of 31st July-2nd August, and as part of these celebrations a special 30th Anniversary Celebration package offers all owners of pre-1990 classic cars the opportunity to purchase two adult weekend tickets, a vehicle display pass granting access to a dedicated anniversary infield display area, and a special anniversary track parade on Friday on the Silverstone Grand Prix…

Last issue we were treated to a feature on a Morgan 3 Wheeler, in which we learnt just how limited the luggage space could be in such a vehicle. That did not stop the owners of our featured car from taking it on lengthy trips to Europe, but one couple is planning an even more ambitious adventure – the Morgan Motor Company has given official backing to 73-year-old entrepreneur and philanthropist Alan Braithwaite and his wife Pat, who plan to drive their Morgan 3W on a 3500-mile, 33-day journey around India on the Trans-India Challenge. The Challenge aims to raise £200,000 to support Indian aid NGO Goonj, and fund academic research into Goonj’s ‘circular economy’ model. This sustainable approach recycles urban waste to use as ‘currency,’ rewarding rural communities for…

Santa Pod Raceway has launched its 55th consecutive season of high-speed racing action. 400,000 people a year pass through Santa Pod’s gates to attend more than 70 varied events on a calendar that runs from February to November, adn the championship drag racing season begins with Easter’s Festival of Power, an amalgam of serious racing and the family entertainment activities that feature at many Santa Pod meetings. The first and last rounds of the FIA/FIM European Championships are the venue’s flagship events, held in late May and early September respectively, with further national championship races for cars and motorcycles held through the year. July’s Dragstalgia is the highlight of the historic drag racing season. This year’s 10th Anniversary event features the return of the riotous Fuel Altereds in a transatlantic…

ADJUSTABLE DAMPERS FOR JAGUAR S TYPE (1964-66) Price: £72.80 (front)/£86.08 (rear) each The Jaguar S Type produced from 1964-1966 was a technically more sophisticated development of the Jaguar Mk2, which it sold alongside. By now most original S Types will be showing signs of age, particularly in the handling department. GAZ can provide dampers that will not only restore the ride and road holding, but also offer an upgrade to adjustable damping rates as GAZ fully adjustable dampers enable the damping bump and rebound rate to be adjusted to suit the conditions and driving style. GAZ can set the dampers up for general road use, but they will also be suitable for the occasional track slalom and sprint use; alternatively they can even be set up for serious racing use…

I have owned a lot of Triumph motorbikes over the years, but even though I've had a lot of cars pass through my hands too, but before this TR6 only one of these has ever been a Triumph. Your readers might not know this, but Triumph in Meriden built a TR6 motorbike from 1956-1973. I'd never had one of those either, and one day I decided that this was a gap in my motorcycling CV which needed filling. So I went online and typed TRIUMPH TR6 into the search engine. Obviously, both cars and bikes popped up. In the past I'd restored a Jaguar E-Type, but this was in the very early 1980s and back then you didn't restore cars so much as get them ready for the next MoT.…

Highway 99 runs from Vancouver BC down to the US border, and then as Interstate Highway 5 it cruises all the way down to San Diego and Mexico. Ambling down 99 towards Bob Cutting’s house in White Rock BC, I was curious to find out how he had tackled converting a 1963 Beetle to electric power. I’ve driven an electric Smart and... meh. The whole concept of electric cars seems to me to be a temporary side issue on the way to hydrogen cells, and I expect Priuses to end up as valuable and relevant as compact discs. The low cost of automotive electricity is a temporary mirage as well. It may well currently (as it were) cost Bob $2 to fill the electric tank on his lecky Beetle, but…

Last issue we asked Morris Minor expert Russ Smith to cast his eyes over our new purchase, helping us to compile a list of jobs to be done. He picked up a number of small items that we can choose whether or not to fix, but also a couple of more serious things that definitely need our attention. The most important of these was that the front suspension was missing its bump stops. This should be an MoT fail, but only if the tester knows what should be there – it is far easier to spot something that is present and defective than it is to know when something is missing entirely. Not that our Minor had been put through a ministry test since 2017, because when that one expired…

A couple of months ago the air-conditioning system in the 1988 XJ40 Sovereign was gassed up after replacement of the receiver-drier unit. Therefore, I was rather surprised when the system failed yet again. Even though the air-con system is used mostly in the summer, the system also needs to be working properly if you want to keep the screen from steaming up on damp winter nights. A quick examination by air-conditioning guru Denis Bourne confirmed that the condenser was now leaking and had finally given up the ghost. Since it had been in place for the last 31 years, I suppose it hadn’t done too badly. Fortunately, SNG Barratt had a replacement in stock for a very reasonable price, and it was delivered within a couple of days. When Denis…

This is part one of hopefully just two parts, although that may be optimistic. The plan last summer was to buy the 1957 Bentley S, get it transported home, bleed the brakes and take it for a drive. Several months later, the going-for-a-drive part of that plan is still a distant dream. The previous owner, my elderly friend Robin, had been a marine engineer and had owned the car for a significant percentage of his life. He used to drive it to work, but took it off the road to sort out the brakes and a few other minor issues. He vaguely thought that had been ten years or so ago, but the paperwork says it was in 1989. Time flies when you’re having fun. The tranny fluid had been…

FORD CAPRI WIPER DELAY Q I have a 1973 Mk1 Capri 1600L which I have owned and driven for over 35 years now. I stopped using it as my main car quite a while ago, but still enjoy taking it out during the summer months. My daily drive does however have one feature that my Capri does not, and I was wondering if it would be possible to retrofit an intermittent wipe function to my Capri without making any vast modifications or destroying the authenticity of the vehicle. I am quite capable of carrying out any electrical modification that may be needed, but I am unsure of how I would achieve this. Any help would be appreciated. James Keats A There is a unit which is made specifically for classic…

Feeler gauges (FG13100, £4.90) Soft face mallet (HMSF £29.90)  Screwdrivers (MD906N 6-piece flat/PZ/PH set, £37.90) Spanners: 6-22mm (6517 combination spanner 17-piece set £119.20) Sockets (T3839 39-piece socket set £92.34) \ 6mm allen key (included in socket set) Spark plug socket: 21mm (in socket set) Torque wrenches: 5-25NM (1492AG-E £50.34) 20-100NM (3892AG-E3 £63.54) Multi-purpose grease Petroleum jelly Thread lock Unless otherwise noted, all the quality example tools and suggested prices above (plus many other options) can be found at www.tengtools.com or your local Teng Tools stockist.…

The 1958 A40’s family tree began with the 1922 Austin Seven, a basic 2+2 transport intended to get the masses mobile. The little Seven’s final form before WW2 was the Ruby, an attempt to dress the charming Box Saloon in a cloak of rather gauche modernity which candidly didn’t bode well for the future. A sea change after the war saw motor manufacturers casting eyes across the Atlantic for aesthetic and engineering inspiration – hence the popular Austin A30 launched in 1951 at Earl’s Court as the New Austin Seven. It adopted a kind of miniature Americana style, and the traditional separate flowing wings of the coachbuilder’s art were reduced to shallow bas-relief echoes of their former grandiose flourish, while a dummy radiator shell gave but a nod to tradition.…

IT’S A KIND OF CLASSIC CAR VANDALISM I’d like to talk (or rant?) about car restoration this month, and how in my view it almost borders on vandalism. After all, if you see old pictures of furniture such as a vintage Chesterfield, do you see them restored to as-new condition? No. Does Shakespeare’s house look like the day it was built, every tile on the roof freshly minted? Of course not, and to do such a thing would cause an outcry because one you go down that road, what you have just restored isn’t old anymore. So why do cars differ? I’ll give you an excellent example of why this concours infatuation is so wrong: the ex-Elvis Presley BMW 507. This was discovered a while back in the USA after…