Classics Monthly July 2021

Newton’s third law of motion is widely quoted as saying that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. Since he died in 1727, I’m pretty sure that good old Sir Isaac knew as little about classic cars as I know about physics, but I do wonder if we are seeing proof of his science within the classic car movement. Last issue I mentioned the astronomical sums that some people were prepared to pay just for a personalised number plate. In a similar vein, we have become accustomed in recent years to seeing reports of Ferraris and the like selling for many millions, certainly far more than anybody could justify if it was ever intended to use the thing for its intended purpose. More recently, I’ve noticed the asking…

Newton’s third law of motion is widely quoted as saying that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. Since he died in 1727, I’m pretty sure that good old Sir Isaac knew as little about classic cars as I know about physics, but I do wonder if we are seeing proof of his science within the classic car movement. Last issue I mentioned the astronomical sums that some people were prepared to pay just for a personalised number plate. In a similar vein, we have become accustomed in recent years to seeing reports of Ferraris and the like selling for many millions, certainly far more than anybody could justify if it was ever intended to use the thing for its intended purpose. More recently, I’ve noticed the…

Making the once ordinary extraordinary, the Great British Car Journey is packed with British marques and models that dominated the roads for nearly a century. Motors fixed in our memories like the Morris Minor, the Ford Capri and many others that were once commonplace but which are now rare fill a former wire works factory on the banks of the River Derwent in Ambergate, Derbyshire. Richard Usher, CEO of Great British Car Journey, explained: 'Four years ago, when I owned and managed Blyton Circuit, a gentleman approached me asking if I’d like to buy his 1989 Austin Maestro in mint condition with just 10,000 miles on the clock. My first thought was no, but it then got me thinking about when I last saw an Austin Allegro, Metro, original Mini…

Making the once ordinary extraordinary, the Great British Car Journey is packed with British marques and models that dominated the roads for nearly a century. Motors fixed in our memories like the Morris Minor, the Ford Capri and many others that were once commonplace but which are now rare fill a former wire works factory on the banks of the River Derwent in Ambergate, Derbyshire. Richard Usher, CEO of Great British Car Journey, explained: 'Four years ago, when I owned and managed Blyton Circuit, a gentleman approached me asking if I’d like to buy his 1989 Austin Maestro in mint condition with just 10,000 miles on the clock. My first thought was no, but it then got me thinking about when I last saw an Austin Allegro, Metro, original Mini or…

A new exhibition at the Market Hall Museum in Warwick that will run from May 2021 to Spring 2022 and is called Healey: Cars for Speed and Glamour, tells the remarkable story of the Donald Healey Motor Company using rarely seen archives, photographs and artefacts. That is inextricably wound up with the story of Donald Healey himself, from his time competing as a rally driver right through to the consultancy business he ran with his son Geoffrey in the 1980s. Some of the highlights to look out for are a typed letter from Donald Healey to one of the Riley brothers in 1945 right at the dawn of the founding of the company, a Gerry Coker design for the Healey winged badge, a report written by Geoffrey Healey verifying the…

A new exhibition at the Market Hall Museum in Warwick that will run from May 2021 to Spring 2022 and is called Healey: Cars for Speed and Glamour, tells the remarkable story of the Donald Healey Motor Company using rarely seen archives, photographs and artefacts. That is inextricably wound up with the story of Donald Healey himself, from his time competing as a rally driver right through to the consultancy business he ran with his son Geoffrey in the 1980s. Some of the highlights to look out for are a typed letter from Donald Healey to one of the Riley brothers in 1945 right at the dawn of the founding of the company, a Gerry Coker design for the Healey winged badge, a report written by Geoffrey Healey verifying the…