Classic Ford February 2023

NEXT ISSUE ON SALE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 CLASSIC FORD THE PERFECT FESTIVE GIFT! SEE PAGE 24 Everyone’s idea of a rare, dream classic Ford is different, and if you’re anything like me, it changes every week. So when we were working out which cars we should feature in this Rare Beasts issue, we knew they would have to be eclectic. While there are some obvious big (but rare) hitters (the Fiesta 1300S in Signal Orange, for example), there are less obvious examples, in the form of the South African market-only Escort XR3 TF. And then there are the high-end and rare dream machines — the ones that we have no real hope of owning unless we’re a) very lucky, or b) extremely well-off (or both), in the form of Esso…

ADE BRANNAN CONTRIBUTOR Ade photographed David Rose’s incredible, unrestored and 1962-built Mk1 Cortina for this issue. Read the amazing story on page 34. ANDY SAUNDERS CONTRIBUTOR We can’t keep Rich Bishop out of the mag at the moment. Andy caught up with him and his latest project for a Grafters. Page 8. GAVIN HUTTON CONTRIBUTOR Realising he has way too many projects on the go, Gavin’s said goodbye to Woody the woody this issue, but it’s not without regrets. Page 82. How To Contact Us Telephone: 01959 541444 Email: classicford.ed@kelsey.co.uk Write to: Classic Ford, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding ME18 6AL, UK…

It’s always nice to see people in the classic Ford community develop and not long ago, friend of the magazine Rich Bishop became director of his own fabrication company; Bishop’s Bespoke Builds (BBB). We’ve regularly featured his cars and track events, but although he’s come a long way in business, he’s also progressing on a personal level, as he recently revealed he’s ticking the box of becoming a racer. Better known as Trig, he’s taking the Mk1 Escort track car he’s owned for nearly 25 years racing, with plans to enter the Blue Oval Saloon Series (BOSS), but there’s a lot of work to be done. “Sadly, the car has been laid up for a long time,” says Rich. “I bought it when I was 19 and did lots with…

FRONTEND YOUR EYE ON THE WORLDWIDE CLASSIC FORD SCENE A new report investigating the carbon footprint of all classic cars registered in the UK has revealed that their total annual CO2 emissions represent just 0.22 per cent of those from the entire UK transport sector. The report, Quantifying Classic Car Emissions 2022, was collated by automotive PR agency, loop, and included all cars over 30 years of age – the same definition of classics as used by FIVA, the international federation for historic vehicles. There are currently 874,083 such cars registered in the UK, 461,515 of which are declared SORN. According to loop, an average classic car’s annual emissions are comparable to a single round-trip flight from London to New York, a typical three-day Christmas for one person, or the…

London Classic Car Show When: February 24-26 Where: Olympia London, UK What’s going on: The London Classic Car Show returns to London’s Olympia on February 24-26, marking the event’s ninth successful year. Tickets for the season-opening event are on sale now, with early bookings eligible to a £5 discount on standard adult rates. The London Classic Car Show will boast hundreds of the world’s finest cars, plus celebrity interviews on the main stage and a spotlight on Barn-Finds and Survivors. With restrictions on indoor venues, the show was forced to innovate with an inspired move to a temporary new outdoor venue in Syon Park in June 2021… but now returns to its traditional February fixture under Olympia’s magnificent, Victorian, barrel-vaulted roof. Olympia is steeped in motoring history having hosted blue-riband…

Hagerty has announced the return of its three major UK events for 2023, with the company’s official calendar kicking off on May 27-28 with the Hagerty Hillclimb, taking place at Shelsley Walsh and giving visitors a chance to witness two days of exciting hillclimbing antics. The legendary Festival of the Unexceptional (above) then takes place on Saturday, July 29, held once again at Grimsthorpe Castle and set to be bigger and better than ever, famously celebrating “the greatest everyday classic cars on our roads”. RADwood UK, which made its debut in 2022, will also return next year, attracting fans of 1980s and ’90s car lifestyle culture. The date and location will be announced once confirmed. For more details of all three events, visit hagerty.co.uk.…