Table of contents for November 2021 in Practical Classics

It simply isn’t going away. The quality of classic car replacement parts is still, at best, variable, with even reputable distributors now falling victim to suppliers that cannot seem to be able to make a component that will last more than a few journeys. This would be annoying at best if it weren’t safety critical. Many of the most consumable parts we all have to buy are brakes or fuel related… when things go wrong in that department, we should all be taking notice. Luckily however, we have a new trade organisation to help take these concerns forward. The Heritage and Classic Vehicles Alliance is here to help with these concerns and, I hope, over the next few months, will take on cowboy suppliers or distributors who will not take…

The J40 Motor Company, which remanufactures parts for the famous Austin-built pedal cars, is asking for memories and photographs of the iconic children’s toy, the first taste of motoring for many a PC reader. The book is due to be published next year and will track the J40’s history, co-development with Austin and its place in society, with human interest stories and the happy memories of J40 owners old and young core to the book’s content. J40 Motor Company spokesman Paul Garlick said: ‘The J40 is a British institution. The book will celebrate that and we’d love to hear from owners about their experiences with the pint-sized Austin.’ Current and past J40 owners can email Paul at paul.garlick@tonic-collective.com.…

9600HP £45 ISBN 978-1-913089-27-6 This hardback tells the story of 9600HP, the oldest surviving Jaguar E-type, from conception and its role at the Geneva Motor Show through post-Jaguar life and ownership and intricate restoration. porterpress.co.uk Cool Recipes and VW Camping Hacks £14.99 ISBN 978-1-787117-45-7 As the PC team prepares for Camper Round the Coast, this book of recipes and camping hacks is a well-timed travel companion. It explains how to get the most out of your VW’s limited catering facilities, too. veloce.co.uk Highway to the Highlands £15.99 ISBN 978-1-145699-24-0 Whether you’re planning a trip north or looking for inspiration, it’s a good read. amberley-books.com…

Or, indeed, with CAR’s testers? For despite the last sentence above, the Giant Test also said that ‘the BMW’s agility and sharper low-speed pickup could swing the verdict the other way, especially for many image-conscious buyers.’ That was always BMW’s advantage with a public who found Saabs a bit too odd, a bit too hard to understand for the people they wanted to impress. It was the story of Saab’s life. Clearly, though, CAR loved the Saab, and so do I. Nothing’s changed in 40 years then, except that this Alfa is better than I remembered. The BMW is still a cool and capable machine, though. Whoever buys the Salvage Hunters restoration should be very happy.…

MORRISES LEFT THEIR MARK I recently purchased an original 1968 Morris sales brochure to go with my Minor 1000 of the same vintage. Although I had heard rumours that brand new cars were shown off with drip trays in the showrooms, I had not realised this feature was actually considered a positive by the marketing department. The Morris 1800 on the brochure front cover has clearly been moved a few yards to the left, in order to get both the jet engine and a fresh stain in the frame. Meanwhile, even the young lady showing off the Mini is not allowed to distract from the evidence that this A-series has been sensibly topped up prior to driving to the shoot. Tim Hodgson, Lincoln PLUGGED IN VWS This made me smile.…

‘There was nothing cutprice about the Saga ’ You’ve probably read by now that a fine example of significant motoring history won the Concours de l’Ordinaire at the recent Festival of the Unexceptional. There can be no more fitting recognition of the excellence that is a Proton 1.5 GL, especially in – as here – Black Knight special-edition form, complete with pop-art lightning flashes on the side, a Black Knight pen and notebook and a matching T-shirt worn by proud victor, Jon Coupland. Two other early Protons also lurked in the FotU field, one of them an ‘Aeroback’ hatchback. The path to victory, however, involved quite a saga. Or, to be strictly accurate, Saga with a capital S. This, the car’s original name, was never used in the UK for…

FRI-SAT OCT 1-2 Mathewsons, live online, Thornton-Le-Dale, North Yorkshire. (01751 474455, mathewsons.co.uk) TUE OCT 5 Charterhouse Auctions, Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset. (01935 812277, charterhouse-cars.com) WED OCT 6 H&H Classic Auctions, Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire. (01925 210035, handh.co.uk) SAT OCT 16 Spicers Auctioneers, Dutch River Side, Old Goole, East Yorkshire. (01405 203203, spicer-sauctioneers.com) THU OCT 28 Brightwells’ classic car auction, Easter’s Court, Leominster, Herefordshire. (01568 611122, brightwells.com) FRI OCT 29 South West Vehicle Auctions’ classic sale, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset. (01202 745466, swva.co.uk) FRI NOV 5 Bonhams’ Motoring sale, New Bond Street, London. (020 7648 5801, bonhams.com/depart-ments/MOT-CAR/) SAT-SUN NOV 6-7 Anglia Car Auctions’ classic sale, The Cattlemarket, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. (01553 771881, angliacarauctions.co.uk)…

Buying & selling modern classics in the real world Craig Cheetham ‘I know you’ll want this and I think I might have surpassed myself this time,’ said my friend Joe, before hanging up and leaving me on tenterhooks. Joe, you see, runs a car dealership in my neighbouring town. The kind of place that specialises in cars around £2k-5k, and as such becomes a bit of a dumping ground for partexchanges that are either unsaleable or unloved. It’s how Joe and I became friends in the first place. Whenever he takes in a waif or stray that’s too hard to sell, but too good for the scrapyard, I become his go-to. He’s found the key to my vulnerability, and I know that whenever his name pops up on my phone…

2004 Citroën Berlingo HDi Engine 1997cc/4-cyl/OHC Power120bhp@4000rpm Torquelb@1900rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 10.5sec Top speed 115mph Fuel economy 53.6mpg Work done Air-con replacement; new tyres; sound-deadening. In James’s garage 1987 CITROËN CX TURBO Can’t get enough of driving it. 1987 CITROËN AX Still sadly going nowhere. 2001 FORD PUMA 1.7 Trying to find some time to fit the replacement engine. 2004 SMART ROADSTER Fitted rear brake drums an shoes. Old ones not pretty. Nope, I haven’t lost the plot… allow me to explain. As a travel nerd, I’ve spent my entire life exploring the planet and, when the lockdown gloom truly kicked in last year and we couldn’t go anywhere, I figured a new plan was needed to find a way of hitting the great outdoors. With camper van prices…

All you need to know about everything important It went down to the wire, with an MOT the day before departure and the retrimmed seats fast-tracked to the PC Workshop in a frantic rush, but the wheels on the bus went round and round the coast on a tour of Britain’s best beaches. What’s more, Camper Round the Coast followers and PC readers showed astonishing generosity, raising over £1000 for Prostate Cancer UK by coming out to join us. The first stop on the CRTC tour was the Beaulieu Autojumble, where the Type 2 was star of the show. Then it was onto the top five beaches in Britain, as voted for by PC readers and Lancaster Insurance customers, starting off at Woolacombe in Devon (above). The run then took…

CHANGES FOR YOUNG DRIVERS WHO WANT TO TOW The law around towing is changing for younger drivers. Anyone who passed their driving test after January 1, 1997 will no longer have to sit a test in order to tow a trailer or caravan weighing up to 3500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) from autumn 2021. The changes are the result of a recent government consultation and will enable more lorry tests to be offered instead, helping to combat the shortage of lorry drivers in the UK. The exact date of the change has yet to be confirmed, however car and trailer driving tests (Category B+E) will stop from September 20, 2021. Find out more from the government website via tinyurl.com/trailertests.…

After giving out gongs at Luton Festival of Transport I took my Frontera back to its birthplace: the Plant. Moment of the year? Driving the BMM’s last Stag at the head of the 50th parade at Silverstone Classic. Noisiest moment? Commentating on the LRO Show. The winch challenge trucks broke my ears. SAAB completion. At last, my Gary Fisher Special SAAB 95 is done, with its Gary Fisher mountain bike. My Rover 2000SC at the Stony Classic, where I was given the privilege of judging the town centre event.…

Room on top! A much-loved Daimler Fleetline bus, Midland Red DD12, has begun a new life at Wythall Transport Museum in Worcestershire, after restoration by First Worcester – a fine example of a major regional bus operator respecting its heritage. E-type legends The three Jaguar E-type launch cars that stunned the motor industry at its 1961 debut have reunited for the first time, at the home of Jaguar’s founder Sir William Lyons, to mark the car’s 60th anniversary. They were 77 RW and 9600 HP – which were used for the Geneva Motor Show press drives – and chassis 885005, the static display car that appeared on Jaguar’s Motor Show stand. Mystery Healey An Austin-Healey due to be offered at Ewbank’s classic auctions could be a surviving legendary prototype previously…

Fifty-five years since she first visited the factory to collect the family’s new TF21, 89-year-old Ruth Montlake went to Alvis Car Company in Kenilworth as part of her birthday celebrations. The visit to the home of Alvis since 1968 enabled Mrs Montlake to see how little the production process has changed as the 101-year-old car manufacturer continues to hand-build cars much as it always did. Ruth was overjoyed to be presented with a copy of the original workbook for her Alvis, which remains in immaculate condition.…

Prescott Rally Day ’21 New event added to calendar For many years now, the final event of the season at Prescott Hillclimb has been the Autumn Classic, an American-themed weekend. Except you can’t do it this year, because its being replaced by the first ever Rallye Prescott on Sunday October 3. Prescott hosted the RAC Rally on numerous occasions in the Fifties, and that’s when the featured cars will start, going right up to the present day. Already confirmed for the day is our old friend Zoey, the Austin A40 that allowed Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom to scoop the Ladies’ Trophy on the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally. For the latest news on Rallye Prescott, log on to prescott hillclimb.co.uk. HAYNES BREAKFAST CLUB DOESN’T STOP Fans welcome all year round…

IN THE NEWS A hoax Anglia TV episode of Science Report, named Alternative 3, causes panic when it ‘reveals’ that scientists are heading to the moon prior to a secret colonisation of Mars, as Earth is now doomed due to climate change. The episode had been planned for an April Fool’s Day broadcast, but was delayed. AT THE FLICKS Roger Moore makes the role of 007 his own in The Spy Who Loved Me, his third outing as James Bond. Still one of the best-loved of the series, the movie brings us Jaws, Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better and, of course, the submersible Esprit. IN THE CHARTS It’s the era of punk, with the Sex Pistols stealing a lot of the headlines. In March, having recently been dropped by…

CAR Magazine became famous – or infamous, if you were a manufacturer of sub-standard cars – for saying that a crap car was crap, and for printing pictures of new models on test months, sometime years, before they went on sale. Neither of these editorial choices seems unusual today, but back in the late Sixties, when CAR Magazine’s voice began to be heard, its tone and attitude were seen as near-scandalous, not only among car makers, but some parts of the automotive press, too. For decades Britain’s motoring press was dominated by two titans: Autocar and Motor, both weeklies, both long-lived and both fat with advertising from manufacturers, component suppliers and classified ads. Much of these titles’ revenue came from print sales, which were vast by today’s standards, but at…

‘This is the car from Our Friends in the North’ 1968 Jaguar 420G Jeremy Topping, Aston Clinton My dad bought me the Corgi model – the one with the 420 towing the boat – when I was a kid so I’ve always loved them. This car was used in the TV series Our Friends in the North and was the one Alun Armstrong drove around the streets of Newcastle. It’s all original with full history and I have had it for about six years. I’ve done bits of bodywork and trim, it’s a beautiful old car and fantastic to drive. It hits 0-60mph in ten seconds, has a 120mph top speed and is luxuriously comfy. ‘The speed limiter has been removed so it’ll reach 160mph’ RSR Works-spec Jaguar XKR 4.8…

You gotta roll with it when you drive a Series One and Elyot’s chariot is no exception. Making regular, directionally instinctive, inputs at the wheel are all part of the experience. It’s not everyone’s idea of a good time, but I love it. It is perky, not fast, and you are always aware of engineering busying itself beneath you – all noise and bustling purpose. And wind! Minus its tilt and with the screen flat there are few more exposed experiences to be had, on (or off) road. All of which makes the driving fabulously involved. It is alive, eager to serve and, like any good relationship, the more you put in, the more you get out. Bouncing around the country lanes near Goodwood I try to get lost to…

Triumph Dolomite Paul Adams from Northampton has been on a classic car spotting spree around the Lake District. Pick of the bunch is a 1979 Triumph Dolomite in Seventies Vermillion with a vinyl roof. Ford Zodiac Continuing Paul’s orange theme is a Ford Zodiac on a flatbed in a scrapyard… most of its missing panels are stored inside the car. £50 STAR FIND Can you do better! Send your high-res images to practical.classics@ bauermedia.co.uk Midas In the same scrapyard at the Zodiac one of the most recognizable kit cars of the era, a Midas. Successor to the Mini Marcos, production continued through the early Eighties. MG Midget & MGB V8 This Midget was on the forecourt at an MG specialist near Cambridge (Paul asked permission to take photos). And there’s…

1964 MG 1100 Price: £7250 Early model assembled in South Africa and imported from there last year. No rust and 41,000 miles, but needs work on front seats. 1972 Morris Marina 1.8 SDL Price: £4250 ‘Big-block’ Marina that’s done just 50,000 miles and benefits from much recent expenditure on body, paint and mechanics. 1980 Triumph TR7 V8 Price: £4000 Conversion fitted with Holley carb, four-pot brakes and Bilstein dampers. Good hood, but needs a bit of paint and a general tidy-up.…

An EV for drivers? If you’ve lurked around an EV conversation on social media you’ll no doubt have come to the same conclusions as me. Firstly, Musk evangelists are a touch fanatic and will not permit a bad word to be said against any Tesla-badged product. Secondly, current EV owners rarely talk about how their electric vehicles actually drive. I mean they’ll quote you the ‘real world range’ or 0-60mph time until the cows come home, but rarely (if ever) reveal any of the nuances of chassis behaviour. I think there’s a fundamental reason for this, these people aren’t fans of driving; they’re early adopters, which means they’re technology fans. Whether we like it or not, the electric car appears to have won the zero-emission race. But, while most popular…

Danny Hopkins ‘Now don’t be alarmed! I have another car that needs a new home.’ My chum Gary Josling does this from time to time, but this one was special: his dad Mike’s car. Mike had spent quite a bit of money on it over the years, but was changing to an automatic and so, earlier this year, I went to Kent to pick up my first ever Matiz. A 2007 Chevrolet Matiz to be precise, so not the original Guigaro designed Daewoo one – the (just as pretty to my eye) second generation model, this one with the 1.0-litre petrol engine. Mike loved this car and it had served him well over the years, mainly thanks to diligent servicing starting at 10,000 miles and ending with a cambelt at…

1985 Citroën 2CV6 Engine 602cc/2-cyl/OHV Power 29bhp@5750rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual Fuel economy 45mpg Work done Replaced fog lamp; fitted new air trunking. I hate to say this, but winter isn’t far away, so I’ve begun to think about the things I’ll need to do with my fleet to get the cars ready for the chilly months to come. While doing the usual regular checks on the 2CV (my most-used daily driver), I noticed the fog light had failed. It didn’t take long to work out why. Having quickly checked the wiring connectors in the boot and at the switch end (both hilariously accessible), I removed the lens to check the bulb. A small and grubby pool of water sploshed out onto my shoes, revealing all. One assumed this well-placed aftermarket…

1989 Eunos Roadster Engine 1598cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 114bhp@6500rpm Torque 100lbft@5500rpm 0-60mph 9.1sec Top speed 114mph Fuel economy 31mpg Work done Repaired hole in floor; fitted new front dampers; interior refurb and much else Also in John’s garage 1936 SINGER NINE SPORTS Head is about to come off. 1961 SAAB 96 Had 60th birthday on Mazda’s Castle Combe day. 1972 ROVER 2000 TC Was bridal transport for my daughter’s friend. ‘It was a joy to return to Combe and re-learn the correct lines’ Last time I reported on my Eunos Roadster, I wrote of my plan to de-rattle and smarten-up the interior. I had lifted the carpet, discovered mementoes of the Roadster’s first ten years in the form of Japanese coins, and encountered something less welcome. Rust. The driver’s-side footwell had been…

Matt Tomkins PROJECTS EDITOR Our resident workshop puppet master, Matt has , Morris Minors and A-Series engines in his blood. This month Used three of his Morris Minors as wedding cars. Martin Domoney WORKSHOP EDITOR A former JLR technician, Martin knows his modern classics inside and out. This month MX-5 welding galore. Saga coming soon… Theodore J Gillam ENGINEERING EXPERT Former Motor Vehicle lecturer and classic fiddling perfectionist. Has a love of compression ignition. This month Work continues on the Reliant Rebel’s bodywork. Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS Ed single-handedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern and will keep it that way. This month Completed (hopefully!) work on his Lada. Nigel Clark DIY RESTORER Our Nigel’s driveway achievements rival those of professional mechanics.…

So what is a relay? A relay is actually nothing more than a switch that’s operated electrically by an internal solenoid-like coil, rather than manually by the flick of a finger. Why do you need one? When a manual switch controls a circuit with high power consumption, for example the headlights, the switch has to cope with a high current. On main beam, a pair of headlights will draw a current of 10 amps, double for twin headlight setups. By comparison, a sidelight bulb takes less than ½ amp. The high current needed by some electrical components has implications. First, the small contacts inside the switch will spark at the instant the switch is operated. Higher currents make for bigger sparks. Over time, the contacts become burnt by the sparking,…

START CHECK ‘STAT FUNCTION 15MINS 1 Check gauge Low readings usually suggest a sticking thermostat; overheating may be the thermostat or other cooling system problems. It’s also possible the gauge is faulty. TIP Many classic temperature and fuel gauges run from a 10v supply. If both give odd readings, suspect the voltage stabiliser. 2 Confirm gauge reading If the temperature gauge shows an unexpected reading, or the heater remains cool, it’s useful to check using a digital laser temperature gauge aimed at the thermostat housing. With the engine fully warmed up, a reading of 80-90oC is normal. 3 Drain coolant Having confirmed the engine is under- or over-heating, start by draining the coolant into a suitable container. If there’s no drain plug on the radiator or cylinder block, disconnect the…

THEO’S JOB CARD OVERHAUL DELLORTO CARB The procedures in this job will apply to anyone overhauling a worn carburettor, restoring one that’s been left for years, or one that’s been sourced from another application in order to enhance velocity or loudness. Inevitably it will begin with some rudimentary identification to determine its previous application, before methodically stripping down just one carburettor at a time, making notes about key jet sizes. A deep clean will be required before repairing any damage caused by previous hamfisted interventions. Some parts may be missing, so visit the Dellorto/Eurocarb website and refer to their interactive exploded diagram. Most parts are readily available. How tough? You’ll need: ► Fire extinguisher ► Nitrile gloves and safety glasses ► High quality screwdrivers ► Heat gun ► Old spark…

Prices are researched from several sources, including clubs, auctions, the trade and advertisements online and in print. Prices are reviewed and updated every issue. Our C/D rating is a basic guide to what you can expect to pay (£) for the best examples of a model, a concours car or something from a dealer. CONDITION 1 means well-presented cars that have no obvious faults. CONDITION 2 cars are capable of regular use. They have a current MoT certificate but will need work and/or original parts. CONDITION 3 cars usually need a full rebuild, but may be driveable and MoT’d. PLEASE NOTE You can’t value any car without seeing it – don’t buy blind. Russ says ‘Buying and selling should be fun, but sometimes, it’s a nightmare. Follow these three rules…

The much-anticipated International Autojumble returned to Beaulieu on September 4/5 for a busy weekend of non-stop buying and selling. 25,000 show goers turned up with Saturday, in particular, feeling just like the good old days. The impact of Brexit and COVID restrictions on international visitors was obvious however, as the entire Yellow Field remained empty, one third of the site. Following the show’s postponement in 2020, its sundrenched return delighted stallholders and visitors, but with only two fields active and a tiny number of European stallholders and punters, the title ‘International’ autojumble was brought into question. Huge customs and COVID test costs at borders, along with associated mountains of paperwork, discouraged the international brigade. Beaulieu is understood to be actively exploring ways in which international visitors and stallholders can be…

SUN SEP 26 WARKS Classic Car Day at Ragley Hall, B49 5NJ (classicmotorevents.com). EAST Sussex Southern Classics Society show at Borde Hill Garden, RH16 1XP (southernclassics.org.uk). WARKS Cars at the Spa, Royal Pump Room Gardens, Leamington Spa, CV32 4AA (carsatthespa.co.uk). MIDDX Morris Minor Day at Whitewebbs Museum, EN2 9HW (whitewebbs-museum.co.uk). SOMERSET Classic Car Day at The Helicopter Museum, Weston-super-Mare, BS24 8PP helicoptermuseum.co.uk. HANTS Simply British Classics at Beaulieu, SO42 7ZN (beaulieu.co.uk). SAT OCT 2 SURREY Four Counties Car Club meet at The Wiremill Inn, Lingfield, RH7 6HJ (tinyurl.com/d4crab8m). SUN OCT 3 SURREY Mini Day at Brooklands, KT13 0SL (brooklandsmuseum.com). WEST SUSSEX Autumn Historic Transport Gathering at Amberley Museum, BN18 9LT (amberleymuseum.co.uk). SOMERSET Swedish Day at Haselbury Mill, TA18 7NY (swedishday.co.uk). KENT Sevenoaks Motor Meet at The Wheatsheaf, Bough Beech, TN8…

Tell us your Chevette tales! Here’s my very first car! Dan JE My dad’s stepdad had two or three Chevettes over my formative years and I can remember going everywhere in them. Even as a kid I loved the looks and they were very comfortable. Jim Biscuits Had mine out recently! Dave Curran A friend of mine got a brand new Chevy Chevette as a high school graduation present from her parents in ’78. She rolled up the driver’s side window and it fell out into the street and smashed. They had a bad reputation in the States, only slightly better than a Chevy Vega. John Otte I used to sit in the boot of mum and dads blue one staring out the back window! Ash Redman My first Chevette…

‘E10 is here to stay, whatever we think’ Anyone who thinks E10 is something taken out of orange squash to stop kids going Acraaaazy had better think again. And now for a commercial. ‘Coming soon to your classic (if you’re not careful) it’s go! go! go! with new E10 fuel. ‘Yes, E10 comes with ten per cent pure ethanol for added excitement. A smash hit in Europe, it’s your main choice at British filling stations from September ‘Put it straight in your classic or even better, leave it there, and just see how much fun you might have with corroded fuel lines and engine components when you come to start it up again next spring. So buy a new electric car NOW!’ (Finally, the jingle).‘E10, use E10, and you won’t…

FANCY A PUNT? ‘No better engine sound than a big V8’ Though most of the classic market is more than buoyant at the moment, one sector has taken a nosedive in recent times. It’s American cars, though from that I’d exclude Mustangs and Corvettes that are almost mainstream here with a support system of parts and specialists to hand. Their values are holding up well. Other ‘Yanks’ are struggling and plenty are being sold cheaply now for a combination of reasons. Petrol prices have shot up by around 30 per cent in the past year; getting parts from America is subject to ever-growing costs and delays; public opinion is turning against such obvious sources of pollution. ‘I’m starting to want to buy a Yank before it’s too late’ So, I’m…

James likes... THE EARLY ONE I recall the debut of the Chimaera, so on that basis, I’d like an original example of the breed – the one that Peter Wheeler and his dog came up with. Rumour has it, Ned took a bite out of the polystyrene model of the car, forming the indicator recess. I also like the door mirrors, which come from a Citroën CX. Obviously. Matt G likes... THE LAIRY ONE If you’re going to own a TVR then you really should do it properly and go for the most outrageous option available. In this case, that means I’m plumping for the Griffith 5.0-engined model. Yep, you’ve guessed it, that denotes a tweaked Rover V8 that’s been stretched all the way up to 4988cc. Sounds like fun…

‘The vRS is (now) an old-school hot hatch gem’ A rescue mission to Scotland, a rapidly closing window in which to do it, and the unfashionable world of diesel performance cars have occupied my mind this month. The latest purchase started with an email from PC reader Roger Martin and was perfectly timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Skoda’s performance brand: ‘My daughter has a 2006 Skoda Fabia vRS to dispose of. Any interest?’ he asked. Any interest? Of course! It looked tatty in the pics, but certainly worth saving – those diesel PD 130hp engines are good for at least 300,000 miles, and the vRS is (now) an old-school hot hatch gem. A reply was sent, details swapped, and a deal was done. There was a couple…