Table of contents for August 2019 in Practical Classics

Clubs are changing, and shows are, too. Our latest blast round the UK, part of our hunt for Britain’s Best Classic Car Club, was a real education. It showed clearly that there is no slackening in our passion for old motors, but also that how our passion expresses itself has evolved. Clubs that require less admin, aren’t weighed down with constitutional complexity, have a meaningful social media presence and which avoid overly hierarchical structures are the new norm. This also filters through to shows – less formality and more flexibility is the new format. Events where you can come and go, which feature other things to do, which are welcoming to all and have food and drink readily available tend to succeed. Add ease of access for the cars, a…

Consider the content of most motoring-related magazines, books and TV shows and you’ll encounter a selection of fairly predictable classics. Obviously, there’s nothing at all wrong with an E-type or a Ferrari 250 – quite the opposite, in fact – but I usually get my own fix of classics by scanning through the tattered pages of a Daily Mail Motor Show Review publication – or an hour perusing my embarrassingly vast collection of brochures. In doing so, it doesn’t take long to find a long-forgotten slice of mainstream motoring furniture with a fascinating story. The Talbot Horizon (see opposite) is an unnecessarily ridiculed car with an intriguing history behind its development, production and marketing. All too often, we encounter a breed of writers and TV people who have zero understanding…

The Vauxhall Heritage Centre open day celebrated the 50th birthday of the Bedford CF. The display included this 1972 Dealer Team Vauxhall minibus. As part of the Cavalier and Chevette Club’s 25th anniversary, Chairman Kevin Bricknall is off on a UK tour. Follow via chairmanstravels@blogspot.com. A nine-car BMW E28 barn-find collection has emerged. Now looked after by classicbahnstormers. com, the cars are all available for restoration. A not for profit venture offering curated tours for classic groups around the sites of D-Day has been launched. Visit dday1944.tours for more. This Merc featured in the first Trans-Himalayan Adventure, as fifteen classics drove 3000 miles between Chengdu, China and Kathmandu.…

Ever since the first Festival in 2014, this gathering has been a real smash hit. It’s easy to see the appeal because, as a PC reader, this event celebrates the cars that you grew up with – the ones that used to be on every corner but which nowadays you hardly ever see. Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional, which takes place within the grounds of the Claydon Estate in Bucks (MK18 2EX) on Saturday July 20, has the lot. While the event itself features only 50 cars there by invitation, the car park is expected to have around 10 times that figure. PC will be curating a small group of classics of which there is only one... look out for the ‘Last one left’ display. Turn up in your classic…

1 OCT 2009 Rotten as a pear Removal of the front wing revealed… not a lot of metal at all. Where to begin! 2 OCT 2009 Slow work Replacement side panel (from scratch) necessitated the removal of the lower A-pillar 3 DEC 2009 Second time lucky Mike had fitted a new valance when he first owned the car, but ‘hadn’t cut enough rust out’. Unsurprisingly, it had continued to spread, so removing the panel was ‘very easy’. 4 JUN 2012 Pillar drill It was discovered that the B-pillar was not lined up correctly. Steel, a scissor jack and some wood was used to push it out again. 5 APR 2015 Brave pills It’s quite a step to cut the front…

I have recently spoken to a 15-year-old who overcame major obstacles to organise a classic car event, met a dealer selling classics to billionaires and discovered there is now an Astra MkII Belmont Facebook page. I also learned that the Fiat Panda is 40 years-old next year and a 1990 World Cup special edition with half football shaped hubcaps is being restored. Enthusiasts have rescued a deeply rare Mini-based Status 365 kit car of which only 25 were built and no-one previously knew this one existed. Not least former Lotus departmental manager Brian Luff, now 83, who had set up Status in the Seventies and revealed to me that he named it after the popular music group, Status Quo. ‘The rise in prices has substantially changed the classic car scene’…

Are we ready yet to let the 1996-2001 Honda Prelude fifth generation into the fold yet? After all, it was already pretty old hat by the time it was launched – to the extent that Honda dropped the model completely at the end of this run – which has to add some classic cred. Obviously the 2.2 VTEC or last-ditch VTi will be the ones to own, blessed with a high-revving 183-197bhp rather than the 2.0s 131bhp. Look hard and you can even find good ones for under two grand.…

Strut tops MacPherson strut tops rust badly. Repair panels are available, but must be seam welded in place for strength. Engine The Pinto engine in the RS2000 is fitted with a cam belt that should be replaced every three years. It’s an easy 45-minute DIY job and a new belt costs just £17.95 from Burton Power. Interior Ten years ago a worn interior was a big problem, but nowadays all RS2000 trim is readily available, if eye-wateringly expensive (£4100 for kit). Drivetrain RS models got a stronger gearbox, diff and clutch in anticipation of abuse; the gearbox is mounted further back, too, so a quick-shift selector is required. WHAT TO PAY PROJECT £4000-£15,000 RUNNER £5000-£25,000 GOOD £8000-£50,000 TECH SPEC Engine 1993cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 110bhp@5500rpm Torque 119lb ft@4000rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual 0-60mph…

James Walshe As well as being Britain’s premiere classic motoring publication, Practical Classics frequently feels like a home for stray cars. If it’s not the office phone ringing with the offer of an unfinished project or classic-in-need, it’ll be one of us hearing rumours of yet another unwanted old car that’s destined for the scrap heap. Like the sensible, professional people we are most definitely not in the PC office, we can rarely find the willpower to refuse. Cars such as these are rarely faultless, though. Every stray that ends up being deposited on the office door mat comes with a list of issues and we rise to the challenge of each one. The newest addition to my fleet is no exception – and comes from a good pal of…

The X350 might have looked like every Jaguar XJ since the first model in 1968, but this one was incredibly high-tech and could easily compete with key rivals. The first XJ to be developed under Ford, it was the best-built variation yet, with all of the latest kit and lightweight construction. The X350 was 40 per cent lighter and 60 per cent stiffer than its predecessor, yet the two look almost interchangeable. Which was a shame, because those traditional styling cues alone were responsible for many potential buyers shopping elsewhere. They didn’t know what they were missing. Why you want one Drive two luxury cars back to back, one steel-bodied and the other aluminium, and you’ll soon see just what a difference the latter makes to agility and economy. This…

1971 JENSEN INTERCEPTOR II Engine 6313cc/V8/OHV Power 330bhp@5000rpm Torque 425lb ft@2800rpm Gearbox 3-speed auto 0-60mph 7.4sec Top Speed 136mph Fuel economy 14.4mpg Work done Paperwork sorted; reregistration complete. Also in Danny’s shed 1956 RILEY PATHFINDER Formhalls working on the engine right now. 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 Been to its first 2019 show. 1980 TRIUMPH TR7 Regular use in the sun. 1985 DAIHATSU CHARADE Quietly being ignored. 2002 ROVER 75 1.8T Will have to be a parts car. 2002 PROTON WIRA Yes – it’s a bira’ Wira. 2004 FREELANDER 1 My wife’s daily driver. Now that my two major restoration projects are nearing completion, I had to think about what cars will go where and how I should use them. I’ve got too many cars and I needed to slim down the…

1972 MGB GT Engine 1798cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 95bhp@5400rpm Work since last report Rebuilt engine fitted. With the MGB’s short block rebuilt ( PC , July 2019), getting to the point of fitting it didn’t take long. After a false start wherein I fitted the flywheel and clutch only to discover the rear main oil seal clamp still sitting at the bottom of the box, I had the head on and bottom end all back together ready to drop in. Everything aligned easily and soon I was fitting my shiny new LCB exhaust manifold and carbs. There’s a problem, though. Having packed the new oil pump with assembly lube to aid suction, and with the plugs out and the engine spinning over on the starter, I’m not getting any oil pressure. Even…

Few people did as much for Jaguar as Norman Dewis. As the marque’s chief test driver from 1952 to 1985, he played a major part in developing cars from the XK140 to the XJ40. In retirement, he still championed Jaguar as a roving ambassador for the company. It was a brand he loved and, in return, classic car enthusiasts loved him and his stock of always entertaining anecdotes from an era when driving from Coventry to Geneva overnight in an E-type wasn’t an impossible dream. Q How did you come to work for Jaguar in the first place? ‘Well, I’d done my apprenticeship at Armstrong-Siddeley before the war. After it (I was an air-gunner on Blenheim bombers), I worked for Lea-Francis, doing the same sort of job as I’d do…

A thousand French classics swarmed into the Midlands for a birthday event where members of 2CVGB, the Citroën Car Club and Traction Owners Club joined forces for the official UK Citroën Centenary celebration. The climax was a convoy that saw Citroën models of all types and eras leaving the Coombe Abbey venue and filing into nearby Coventry for the Sunday stage of this year’s MotoFest. The cars dispersed to locations throughout the city centre, filling every patch of spare grass, concrete and plaza. With support from Citroën UK and long-time partners Total, it was the largest single-marque showcase of cars ever seen at the motorsport event, where classics even went on display inside Coventry Cathedral – a Type A, Traction Avant coupé, 2CV and a DS were parked in the…

Citroën Ami 6 I spotted this Ami 6 while spending a few days in Llandudno. I hope it got to be driven around the Great Orme! Geoff Maine, Liverpool 1973 Bedford CF This CF ice cream van arrived at a family event in Lode, Cambridgeshire. It had been totally renovated and had a smooth Perkins diesel engine. Paul Wilding, email Ford Transit MkI Van This lovely Transit MkI was seen at Ascot Racecourse. It had been found and restored as a surprise to the Carey brothers to celebrate their 50 years in the construction business. Thomas Nelis, County Mayo Bentley S1 & Willys Overlanders This immaculate 1959 Bentley S1 was outside the pub in Skenfrith, near Monmouth. I also spotted two Willys Overlanders at Tintern Abbey; the one of the…

Mike’s done a top job on the Sportshatch’s body – a running thread on the DSG forum allowed continual feedback during the process. That evocative front end (which set the tone for the next generation of Vauxhalls) is like a lamp to a moth, so much attention does it garner – in fact within the first five minutes of getting behind the wheel, I was stopped and asked if I want to sell my car. On the hoof, it’s a breathy and perky performer; the small sports steering wheel and high-profile rubber lend the driver a real connection with the road surface. The suspension is firm, but compliant and it’s aided by a nice fairly close-ratio ‘box and decently sharp brakes. Best of all though are the personal touches that…

THE REVIEWER John Simister is a legendary road tester having written for Motor, CAR, Autocar and a whole host of national publications. John has been a Car of the Year jury member and a car journalist since 1984. He lives in the Chiltern Hills and his classic fleet includes a Mazda MX-5 and a two-stroke Saab that he drove to this shoot. 1992 Citroën XM Turbo SD Range launched 1989 Engine 2088cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 109bhp@4300rpm Torque 173lb ft@2000rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-62mph 12.7sec Top speed 119mph 1988 Renault 25 GTX Range launched 1984 Engine 2165cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 125bhp@5250rpm Torque 134lb ft@2750rpm Gearbox 4-speed auto 0-62mph 12.5sec Top speed 115mph 1993 Peugeot 605 SRDT Range launched 1989 Engine 2088cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 110bhp@4300rpm Torque 179lb ft@ 2000rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-62mph 13.1sec Top speed 119mph…

Opening its latest sale with Rowan Atkinson’s Merc 500E did Classic Car Auctions no harm at all. Sold for £19,758, it was part of a good 70.2 per cent sale rate from a nicely diverse selection of classics. One very good buy had Festival of the  Unexceptional written all over it. An amazingly well cared for one-owner 1988 Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Merit with just over 100,000 miles, it came with everything back to the original bill of sale. MOT’d till August, it’s straight onto the show field for just £583. Proving that you can’t go wrong with any decent fast Ford was a Fiesta MkIII XR2i with two owners and 71,000 miles. As night follows day, these are starting to catch up with earlier XR2s, and the £5000-£6000 estimate wasn’t…

What’s hot and what’s not in the market MG 1100/1300 Given the growing interest in ADO16s and this one’s badge, it was inevitable it would wind up challenging the Austin/Morris 1300GT for the most valuable derivative title. And it has. Top ones are now over £8000. HOT +39% IN THE LAST YEAR Mercedes-Benz 190E Cosworth It might not be massive, but it is still a significant drop. Especially set alongside the knowledge that the Merc’s arch-rival BMW M3 is holding its value well. And the 190E Cossie was already only a third of the price. NOT -5.7% THIS YEAR…

With over 35 years of both O.E. and aftermarket experience, Polybush is a British manufacturing success story. From its factory base in Wrexham it skilfully designs, mixes, manufactures and distributes Polyurethane bushes to the automotive industry. Advertised as a ‘fit and forget’ solution that outlasts the life of rubber bushes, Polybushes are unaffected by oil, petrol or road contaminants. A range of hardness can be created. During the manufacturing process, the hardness can be controlled based on customer requirements and new products are being developed all the time. During our visit we met Matthew, who started at Polybush in 2017, and has designed over 50 bushes since. He is currently working on new applications for the Rover MG ZT 260. Matthew studied both Motorsport Engineering and Automotive Technology at Staffordshire…

Danny Hopkins No. I had never heard of one either. So, when Ben Wanklyn called about a near-perfect example that was in danger of being scrapped, I had to know more. The car in question belonged to Ben’s grandparents, and had been theirs from new. It had 32,000 miles on it, had been lovingly cared for by Ron, Ben’s grandfather – a former Hawker Siddeley engineer – and it needed a new home. I couldn’t resist. Rather than see the Malaysian rarity disappear to a fate unknown, I decided to say ‘yes’ without seeing the car and set off to Hampshire. The Wira hadn’t been used for several months, so Ron had put the battery on charge, checked the tyres and made sure all the fluids were in order. An…

1968 Morris 1100 Engine 1098cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 48bhp@5100rpm Torque 68lb ft@2500rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 24sec Top speed 80mph Fuel economy 27mpg Work done Trailered to the PC Workshop; rotten nearside sill and lower heelboard section repaired. Also in Matt’s garage 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 I poked a hole in the end of the offside outer sill… more soon. 1999 VW PASSAT 1.9 TDI Handy for both daily duties and towing our trailer tent. Meet ‘Rosie’ – a dinky little Morris 1100, first registered in March 1968, and therefore a very early MkII model. Rosie was owned by 1100 Club member Jane Pusey from 1991 until February of this year, when a failed MOT (due to significant amounts of rust underneath the car) resulted in their time together finally coming to an…

1972 Triumph GT6 MkIII Engine 1998cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 98bhp@5300rpm Torque 108lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-speed man + o/d 0-60mph 10.1sec Top speed 112mph Fuel economy 27mpg Work this report The 2500 engine is coming together, with crank ground and bottom end built up. In Nigel’s garage 1970 TRIUMPH TR6 I’ve had to give myself a reality check and admit that, until the GT6 engine transplant is finished, I simply don’t have time to sort out the poor TR’s non-functioning speedo. The 2500 engine build for my GT6 has mushroomed, as a light refresh became a full-on rebuild, with a few performance tweaks thrown in. As a result, costs and timescales have soared, and I can often be heard muttering: ‘Well I’m only going to do this once, so let’s do it right’.…

1987 BMW 535is Engine 3430cc/6-cyl/OHC Power 185hp@5400rpm Torque 290Nm@4000rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 7.2sec Top speed 143mph Fuel economy 22mpg Work done Animal removal; intense scrubbing and buffing session; clutch hydraulics and electrical issues sorted out. Also in Matt’s garage 1971 CITROËN AMI 8 Now 6000 American miles in. 1980 AMC AMX Rolling Danzig concert rides on. Impulse control is in scarce supply here in eastern USA. It’s also not often that one is offered their lifelong friend’s first mode of internal combustion engine transportation for no money at all. With those factors in mind, resisting a long-dormant E28 5-series BMW wasn’t a realistic scenario. To provide some history, I found this car for my friend Steve, an apprentice mechanic at the time, while in high school in 2001. Steve…

The Saab 92 that entered production in December 1949 was individualistic and groundbreaking. Gunnar Ljungstrom’s stiff unitary construction body and compact torsion bar suspension was cloaked in Sixten Sason’s aerodynamic styling, which allowed 65mph from initially just 25bhp. The 92 pioneered the drivetrain layout that’s become today’s norm: a transverse engine mounted alongside a transverse front-wheel drive transaxle. That engine, however, owed a great deal to DKW, the German firm that found itself in the Democratic Republic after the Second World War and reformed in West Germany in 1949. Its design bears more than a passing resemblance to the DKW F8 and later F89 units. The 76mm stroke is identical, but Saab increased the bore to give 764cc rather than 692cc. DKW cars were very popular in Sweden before the…

The transaxle of a front-wheel drive car incorporates both a gearbox and a final drive. Most modern classics have a transverse engine, so the motion doesn’t have to be turned through 90° as it does with a longitudinal engine. This allows the gearbox to be compact and the final drive to be less stressed. Many use standard motor oil as a lubricant rather than extreme pressure (EP) gear oil. The transmission’s main enemies are oil that’s never changed or checked and driver abuse, such as unsympathetic gearshifting or labouring the drivetrain in too high a gear. Even a well-treated gearbox, however, will eventually sound tired as the bearings become worn, making their own noises as well as throwing the gears out-of-mesh and creating exciting gnashing sounds. Our three-part guide will…

Classic Jaguars ‘I should have put a few away, shouldn’t I? A D-type and my E-type, put ‘em away and see what they were worth in 50 years’ time. Whoo!’ The best Jaguar drivers ‘Mike Hawthorn, and Stirling of course. We’ve been pals for over 60 years. He’s a good lad.’ His OBE ‘That was a surprise, it came completely out of the blue. Prince Charles did the award, as sadly the Queen was unavailable. But I have met her before. And Prince Philip I drove around MIRA test track. Prince Charles congratulated me on the disc brake development.’ The British Leyland era ‘I didn’t like Leyland at all, it was the worst thing we did. That nearly closed Jaguar down. I was tempted to leave… sending two people up…

Members of the Practical Classics editorial team have covered almost 2000 miles in their own cherished classics, as part of their mission to visit Britain’s top ten classic car clubs. The chaps were greeted by each of the shortlisted local clubs – as exclusively voted for by thousands of Practical Classics readers – at locations right across England and Wales, where members showcased their own enthusiasm with a variety of meets involving classics of all types and eras. There were convoys through some of the most spectacular countryside that the United Kingdom has to offer, including the Black Mountains in Wales and the Forest of Bowland, with partners Footman James present throughout the trip, coming along for the ride in their classic Volkswagen van. ‘This was our most ambitious road…

There’s always one marque we’re drawn to and for me, I’m a sucker for André Citroën’s spirit of innovation. Having built the first mass-produced vehicle in Europe, in 1924 he replaced wooden frames for stronger, safer all-steel bodies. Thereafter, the firm pioneered the use of anything from flexible rubber engine mounts and plastic cooling fans to front wheel drive, unitary construction, hydraulic brakes and independent suspension and even the world’s first van with a lateral sliding door – the front-drive TUB of 1939. After the clever 2CV, Citroën engineers reasoned that coil springs were flawed and thus was born a constant height system that used hydropneumatics for suspension, gears, steering and (disc) brakes. The firm also pioneered a self-levelling headlamp that turned with the steering, (which in itself was speed…

This year’s Old Ford Rally takes place at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon on 21 July; if you’re a big Capri fan you’ll want to be there the day before, where a major birthday party is taking place for the Capri. Organiser Isobel Fairbrother told us: ‘We’ve got cars coming from all over Europe including RS2600 and RS3100, a MkI dragster and a MkI Broadspeed. Steve Saxty will be launching his new Capri book, there will be evening entertainment on the Saturday and many more special Capris, too.’ For more info, log on to tinyurl.com/y2wun5xd.…

Many of us have been there. Owned a car, enjoyed it and then, after much deliberation, sold it on. Sometimes with the proviso ‘I’d like first refusal if you ever…’ – of course, if you state that then you shouldn’t be selling it. Perhaps, we add it to soften the blow somewhat. Well for Mike Edwards, what happened next was of the hammer variety. ‘I’d seen the 1976 Sportshatch in Auto Trader in 1985, bought it and ran it for a few years,’ he explains. ‘After a while it got too rusty for an MOT, so I put it in a lock-up, thinking that I would do it up at some point.’ In the intervening couple of years Mike had taken ownership of an HP Firenza and then, another Sportshatch.…

Interior ‘Panhard aficionados might spot that it’s a Relmax interior resplendent in blue velour thanks to the donor car being a better spec than this one; Relaxation Maxime, indeed. I used a fabric spray on the seats to re-colour and refresh them and they’ve come up a treat.’ Engine ‘I’ve never been entirely happy with the engine in the car. It’s not the original and, although it runs well enough and has covered a good number of miles since the rebuild, it’s not as smooth as some Panhards I’ve heard, so I’ve just finished rebuilding a Tigre engine to go in. It’s a slightly sportier engine than the one currently fitted and I’ve modified an SU HS4 carburettor to fit – having already successfully fitted an HS2 to the car…

A friend recently lent me his X300; I was hooked! Said friend is a bad influence. He sent the link to this car and said, ‘Go on, make an offer!’ Apart from the striking paint, it had the interior colour and wood trim I wanted along with cruise control – a must! It started at £1500, dropped to £1000, and I haggled down to £600. Who knew that you could get a 326bhp super-saloon for the price of a week in Ibiza? But it isn’t home yet. I live in North Wales and a pal in Southampton has collected and is storing it for me. He assures me it drives OK. Priority is a new interior as the driver’s seat is terribly worn. Please send your own buying story to:…

Those into their ‘chromy’ classics might wonder why, but this is one of my dream cars. The 323f ‘BA’ is 25 this year but you’d barely know it with a svelte shape and compact and smooth V6. I searched for years to find a V6 like this and was thrilled when I did so in 2016. Sadly, with a costly CX project on the go, sacrifices must be made. A man called Conor from Ireland is coming to pick up the Mazda in the coming weeks and I expect a tear to be shed when it departs. Alas, you can’t have it all. ASKING PRICE £2800. SOLD FOR £2600 VERDICT Hope James doesn’t live to regret selling...…

Tell us about your MkII 1 history? ‘I bought my first one 37 years ago when I was 17 and working at a Ford main dealer. Since then I’ve owned over 100 of them; I used to buy any MkII part-exchanges for £40-£50 and break them for spares. I wish I could buy complete cars so cheaply now! I didn’t break all of the cars that I bought though; I’ve run at least 35 MkIIs as everyday transport.’ Do you keep your cars 2 standard? ‘I keep most of them as original as possible, but over the years I’ve done all sorts of modifications, including engine and gearbox swaps. I’ve also fitted a few limited slip diffs, but the lairiest upgrade I’ve ever made was a tuned 3.0-litre V6 engine.…

Craig Cheetham Being a dad to three young boys is wonderfully rewarding, but not without its moments of chaos. My latest vehicle acquisition, though, is like my downstairs loo. No, I don’t mean it’s somewhere to do your business, but more an oasis of calm into which I can escape for 20 minutes. It’s the perfect MPV. We used to have a Renault Espace and replaced it with a Land Rover Discovery II, both excellent family wagons in their own right, but my LTI TX1 trumps them both because it’s fitted with a soundproof screen between the cab and the passenger compartment. If the boys are being loud and annoying, I simply pull the screen across, switch off the intercom and turn Springsteen up to 11. Sure, it’s slow, noisy…

1972 Triumph TR6 Engine 2498cc/6-cyl/OHV Power Yet to be determined… Work done Shiny new air filters fitted and looking the business! With the TR6 up and running, I decided to treat it to some decent air filters in order to protect my investment in the engine. I’ve never used anything other than a pair of K & N pancake filters on my 2000 saloon’s HS6-fed 2.5 engine since it was built in 2012, so there was only one way I was going to go with the ’6. I ordered up an identical set and fitted them up. With the six-pot’s tuned nature in mind, the extra air flow offered by the K & N filters is a great match for the richer BDM needles in the carbs. All is well…

A laminated windscreen is made of a layer of clear plastic sandwiched between two sheets of plain glass. It’s vulnerable to stone-chips, but the damage is usually limited to small star-shaped cracks or more visible ‘bullseyes’. It’s wise to treat damage as swiftly as possible with a resin bonding compound. The top sheet of glass is often pierced and the ingress of damp can make the plastic interlayer become opaque around the affected area. The refractive index of the resin is similar to that of the glass, so the damage will no longer catch the light. It will make chips almost invisible and make cracks far less obvious. Windscreen repair kits are available from mainstream motor factors and online, costing between £5 and £15 depending on the brand. Our mid-priced…

Model evolution The A40 and A50 Cambridge launched in late 1954 represented a significant step forward from its Somerset predecessor. It introduced unitary construction and BMC’s then-new B-Series engine, available in 1200cc and 1489cc displacements. This drove a live axle at the rear via a four-speed column-change gearbox. The A50 was fitted with 13in rather than 15in wheels from October 1956 and gained higher compression and final drive ratios. The mildly-restyled A55 replaced the A50 in January 1957, but remained mechanically very similar. The 1489cc models were offered with a semi-automatic ‘Manumatic’ transmission or a Borg-Warner overdrive. Very late A55s received a floor-change. Saloons, vans and pick-ups were built, the latter remaining in production until 1973. What’s it like to work on? With a generous engine compartment and a traditional…