Table of contents for September 2023 in Classics World

I have been enjoying reading Veloce’s reprint of the late Graham Robson’s book on Rootes cars (see p14). I must admit that while I am a big fan of Rootes’ 1960s and 1970s offerings, the earlier stuff and some of the upmarket Humbers can be more of a mystery to me. Given our feature this issue on a Humber Imperial, it seemed a good time for me to read up on those lesser-known models. The Humbers from the late 1940s and early 1950s – the various iterations of Super Snipe, Hawk and Pullman in particular – were fascinating to see in print, but I can’t remember ever seeing one in the metal. I must have done at places like the NEC, but some of these models were only produced in…

Entries for the coveted autumn final of the Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership are now being accepted. Just 20 owners and their vehicles will be invited to the grand finale to be held at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show in Birmingham's NEC from 10th-12th November. The finalists will be judged by the show’s visitors, who will be casting their votes based on the story of the car and its relationship with the owners – the ultimate perfect partnership, which is this year’s show theme. Open to privately-owned vehicles manufactured before 1st January 2003, entrants are asked to share the story behind their classic with the judges. Whilst the standard of the vehicle is considered, it is not a concours competition so it’s not just about which car is the…

This Dutton 4WD Surf amphibious vehicle from the Great British Car Journey had its maiden voyage this month on the river Derwent in Derbyshire. Like all the cars in the award-winning interactive car museum’s collection, the custom-built amphibious car is in full working order, in this case both on land and water, as proven when Great British Car Journey’s director Andrew Talbot took the Dutton 4WD Surf into the Derwent at Ambergate from the museum’s car park and travelled upstream before returning to dry land. Now named the Derwent Duck by the museum team, the craft was built by British inventor Tim Dutton at his factory in Littlehampton. Tim has been making the amphibious car since 1989 at a factory that used to make lifeboats. Travelling on water at a…

UK-based automotive design house Makkina has created a TR25 concept car in celebration of the great British roadster, paying particular homage to the record-breaking Jabbeke Triumph TR2, MVC 575, which broke the land speed record for production cars under two litres in May 1953. They say it embodies the recordbreaking car’s attributes in a contemporary way with realistic proportions that remain true to the Triumph brand, including the TR-inspired headlights, a sleek, aerodynamically-optimised exterior surface, a single-seat configuration with optional flipout jump seat for the passenger, plus an uncompromising driverfocused cabin. Using an allelectric BMW i3S as a platform, it was created with the blessing of BMW Group, who own the rights to the Triumph name.…

WORTH A FEATURE? I hardly ever see any articles or references in classic car magazines regarding the first-generation Honda Accords (19761982). There are not many left in the UK admittedly, but surely the models warrant a feature or mention as they are excellent classic cars to own and were highly regarded by the motoring press at that time. My own Honda Accord Hondamatic saloon has a mere 34,700 miles on the clock and is in excellent unrestored condition. It receives many favourable comments at shows, yet I hardly ever see another. (I think the few other survivors are coupé versions.) The 1602cc engine propels the car happily on unleaded fuel and the two-speed autobox copes well indeed. Reliability is excellent, although I have replaced the original troublesome Keihin twin choke…

The message was: ‘Fancy a trip to the coast to look at an old Merc?’ Since the friend who sent it lives in Istanbul, I had dreams of a restorative dip in the Mediterranean followed by some tasty Turkish food. Unfortunately I was more likely to get cockles than kebabs, because the car he was interested in was in Southend in Essex. Oh well, the seaside is the seaside, even if it would involve a stint on the M25 rather than a flight to Antalya. Ben’s a Brit who wanders the globe living in cool places and buying nice old classics to drive around while he’s there. When I first met him some 20 years ago he was heavily into classic Minis and Peugeot 205 GTis, plus he also had…

Jaguar had commenced work on Project XJ21, an E-Type replacement, as early as 1966. Three years later, that project was a casualty of the new British Leyland Motor Corporation management. Still, on 9th September 1968, Jaguar’s Director of Design Malcolm Sayer suggested to Sir William Lyons that they should also build a 2+2 sports based on the new XJ6. In his view: ‘The image sought after is of a low, wide, high-speed car at least as eye-catching as those the Italians will produce.’ Consequently, planning began on the XJ27 coupé and the XJ28 drophead, which used a 102in version of the XJ6’s floorpan. Power would be from the famed 5.3-litre V12 enhanced by a Lucas fuel injection system that Jaguar first used on the XJ12 Series 2 in May 1975.…

PALMER AND THE PATHFINDER Andrew reflects on one of his favourite cars and Britain's most underrated designer. Gerald Palmer’s wonderful and elegant Riley Pathfinder was launched in 1953 as part of BMC’s continuing programme of replacing some excellent cars with even better ones. If Austin turned out the bread and butter, Nuffield (Morris, MG, Wolseley and Riley) were making the interesting stuff. The problem was the Austin-Morris merger to create BMC. It was obvious very early on that Austin, and Leonard Lord in particular, were going to be running the show. For whatever reason, Lord wanted Alec Issigonis to replace Gerald Palmer as chief designer and I don’t think anyone alive actually knows why because it flies in the face of common sense. As designers, Palmer possibly had the upper…

British Motor Heritage has announced the production of its 1000th replacement E-Type Jaguar bonnet. A Series 1 example, it was completed by the dedicated E-Type team of Steve Fry, Alan Stacey, Dave Jeffs and Tom Corfield, who between them can boast 71 years of service to BMH. Supplied exclusively to Jaguar Land Rover Classic, the bonnets are manufactured to original specification on the original Jaguar tooling. Each one comprises 82 individual parts and takes no fewer than 70 man hours to construct. Approximately 70% of the orders are for the Series 1 model, with the other 30% split evenly between Series 2 and Series 3 cars. Further information on BMH’s replacement parts for the Jaguar E-Type, classic Mini, MGB, MG Midget and RV8, Triumph TR4-6, Spitfire, GT6 and Stag, Austin-Healey…

The ’Series’ Humber family commenced in 1957 with the launch of the four-cylinder New Hawk, one of Britain’s largest unitarybodied cars at the time. The Super Snipe followed in 1958, powered by a 2651cc sixcylinder engine designed by Armstrong-Siddeley. The Series II of the following year had a 3-litre engine, the Series III of 1960 boasted four headlamps – a‘first’ for a British car – and the 1962 Series IV had a modified rear window. By that time, the Super Snipe Estate was a familiar sight as an A-road or motorway police patrol car, while any civilian with a Humber in their driveway was evidently a person of substance. The Rootes Group’s eye for product placement also ensured the Super Snipe appeared in ITV’s No Hiding Place and The Human…

As you walk up to the Rover, the first impression is of heft. I think that is a better word than 'bulk' because it does not feel overblown and vast, just that it is a car of substance. You approach it with the roof at chin level and anyone close to five feet tall would struggle to see over the top. It gives you a very different impression to something like a Jaguar XJ6 or a Ford MkIV Zodiac which can both also be described with considerable justification as substantial cars, but they are all about acreage with huge nearhorizontal panels whereas the Rover majors on height. This is not just a quirk of styling, because the figures bear out that initial impression – the Rover is shorter and narrower…

Following on from Simon’s introduction last month, a battle plan has been drawn up to bring the 2000 VW Beetle up to a good useable standard. On collection, my first impressions of the car were largely positive – after almost 25 years the New Beetle still stands out, and possibly more now than it did then given how ugly modern cars have become. The drive back home to Sheffield came as a stark contrast to the 2008 Fiat Panda 100HP that preceded it. The Fiat was tiny with a harsh ride and a frenetic nature, while the Beetle felt uncommonly large by comparison and vastly more comfortable. It’s quite undergeared at around 21mph per 1000rpm in fifth, but at cruising speeds it feels absolutely fine. The driving position is bizarre…

What can be best described as an oversized roller skate, the raw motoring appeal of the Lotus Seven that first appeared in 1957 may seem dated by cossetted modern motoring standards, but to many it’s the ultimate sports car and the nearest most of us will get to driving a race car on the road. Drive one with a good suspension setup that has been well maintained and you can’t beat the handling, performance and sheer fun these cars have to offer. When Lotus launched the Seven, it was simply a replacement for the Lotus Mk6, the company’s first production model, which had a spaceframe chassis. The first Lotus Sevens were powered by a Ford 100E sidevalve engine, followed by a Coventry Climax motor at the end of 1958 and…

Everyone knows that the MGB was the most successful MG ever built, and the most successful sports car in the world ever until the Mazda MX5 eclipsed it. Really? The production total for the MGB was 512,243 between 1962 and 1980. It is arguable that the MGC, MGB GT V8 and MG RV8 totals could be added in as they were all essentially MGBs, but the grand total of those combined was only 13,590. What then of the MX5? The original MX5 was the NA, produced from 1989 to 1997. An impressive total of 431,506 were built. The NB model which succeeded it reached a less impressive total of 282,991 by 2004, the MGB total being surpassed by the year 2000 and the title of 'most successful sports car ever'…

Last issue we brought you news of the UK's first publicly available sustainable petrol being put on sale by Coryton Fuels in Bicester under the Sustain Classic brand (wwwsustainclassic.com), and that it was used to power 70 of the 90 cars on the recent Rally for the Ages from HERO-ERA. Well this month, this type of synthetic fuel has been hitting the headlines again. First, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 13th-16th July, Sebastian Vettel used fossil-free P1 sustainable fuel to power his 1992 Williams and 1993 McLaren F1 cars that took Nigel Mansell to the world championship and Ayrton Senna to his final Monaco race win respectively. Vettel was aiming to prove on a world stage that any petrol-powered car can run on sustainable fuel and be driven…

Kelsey Media's Best of British 2023 show is heading to Turvey House in Bedfordshire on 3rd September. There will be some top displays from the editors of Aston Martin Driver, Jaguar World, Classic Jaguar and Rolls-Royce and Bentley Driver magazines, a range of products for you to browse in the retail village, club displays and awards, competitions and more. There are also a huge number of anniversaries to be celebrated, including: • 100 years of Triumph • 100 years of MG • 75 years of the Jaguar XK • 75 years of the Aston Martin DB series • 75 years of Lotus • 75 years of Land Rover • 75 years of the Morris Minor • 60 years of the Rover P6 • 60 Years of the Hillman Imp • 50…

This summer, the Caravan and Motorhome Club Collection, hosted at the National Motor Museum, will be celebrating one of the UK’s most prestigious manufacturers of holiday caravans – Bertram Hutchings Caravans Ltd, later known more simply as Winchester Caravans. A range of activities will be taking place throughout July and August including an exhibition and talk at Hampshire Record Office in Winchester, plus family activity packs at selected Club Campsites in Hampshire. Known as the Rolls-Royce of caravans, the Winchester Caravans works was located on Stockbridge Road in the Hampshire city. Spanning across five decades and transcending two World Wars, the business was one of the few to successfully produce a range of horse-drawn, motor and trailer caravans, but is a largely forgotten story in the annals of Hampshire’s industrial…

The Cortina Mk2 debuted at the 1966 London Motor Show, with Ford's marketing emphasising a Swinging London image. The 1600E evolved from Dagenham's logical desire to create a flagship version for the professional driver who demanded performance, comfort and a fair degree of verve in their car. Ford's management evidently thought such a driver would require less performance than the Cortina Lotus, but more social distinction than a Cortina Super could hope to offer. Since January 1965, the company had used the Executive brand for their flagship saloons, commencing with a lavishly appointed version of the Zodiac Mk3, followed in 1966 by the Zodiac Executive Mk4. January 1967 saw the debut of the Corsair 2000E, which Ford GB hoped would appeal to drivers in the Rover P6/ Triumph 2000 income…

With the engine running well, the brakes all sorted, a fresh MoT in the bag and the saggy headlining replaced, I was all set to hand over the keys of our posh Allegro and wave it goodbye. The plan was for it to head down south into the Kelsey pool, and for somebody based near the head office in Kent to take on the daunting task of sorting the microblistered paint. Unfortunately, the Vanden Plas had other ideas. I decided to take it for one last long test run before signing it off as ready to go, and on that run something just didn’t feel right in the steering department. I was only making a minor correction to change from one lane to another, but I could feel a distinct…

For 35 years, a Saab was one of the most recognisable cars on the planet. Whether a saloon, hatchback or a convertible, the wedge profile of a 99, 900 or 9-3 was as much a company trademark as the crowned griffin badge on its bonnet. There was gradual evolution through the decades of course as chrome bumpers gave way to plastic then integrated mouldings, but a Saab mid-sized car remained a Saab, resolutely Swedish and determinedly idiosyncratic with the ignition switch in the centre console next to the handbrake. Saab famously had a loyal following of serial customers, who would keep their car for a good decade and then just buy another one. The archetypal Saab buyer fitted – according to the motoring press, which tends to like a cliché…

Our Condition ratings CONDITION 1 Very good cars, well cared for but not concours (for which prices are higher). CONDITION 2 Good condition, with a legitimate MoT and on the road. but still requiring some work. CONDITION 3 Complete, maybe even running and possibly being used, but in need of work, usually major. Might not be able to pass an MoT making road use illegal. IMPORTANT NOTES 1 The Classics Monthly Price Guide is compiled by reference to a wide variety of sources, including clubs, auction results and advertisements, both printed and online. It is impossible for anyone to accurately value a specific vehicle without first examining the car. 2 These listings are intended to provide a useful guide only. Asking prices can vary widely between different examples of the…