Classics Monthly October 2021

Many is the time that I’ve crawled into the house after a day spent unsuccessfully spannering in the garage – cold, filthy dirty, cut, bruised and thoroughly despondent having failed to make any measurable progress on my projects. At such times, my wife will invariably ask: ‘And you do this why?’ To which I will reply through gritted teeth: ‘Because it is FUN!’ Of course, some days are more fun than others, and you have to really make the most of the good times to help carry you through the bad ones. Ultimately, as I’ve said before, when viewed objectively, running classic cars makes little rational sense. But at the end of the day classic cars are an emotional thing, and you either get it or you don’t. I get…

who ate alongside an immaculate 1986 Volvo 340DL with a spread of period correct fare • BEST DRESSED: Mark Pallatt – 1979 Ford Escort The winning Proton, owned by Jon Coupland (30) from Boston in Lincolnshire, is one of just 201 examples made, this being the only remaining one. The previous owner put the Black Knight into a garage in 1993 with just 3600 miles recorded, and it didn’t surface again until 2017. Now showing just over 13,000 miles, it is the star of Coupland’s three-Proton collection. The runner-up prize winning Peugeot 106 was bought for just £500 via Facebook Marketplace. Owner Danny Wilson (27) from Driffield in East Yorkshire brought the peppermint-coloured Peugeot back to life himself, and the judges noted that it was fitted with a carburetter and…

We are sad to report that Graham Robson died unexpectedly on 5th August. He suffered a bad fall back in May that fractured his hip, but he had appeared to be recovering well, if slowly. Indeed, in a telephone conversation just a few days before his passing, Graham sounded fed up with not being able to get out and about, but as feisty as ever. Born in Skipton in Yorkshire on 18th January 1936, Graham attended the local Ermysteds Grammar School before going on to read engineering at Lincoln College, Oxford. When Jaguar set up a graduate training scheme in 1957, Graham – along with his friend and fellow student Jim Woodcock – became the first members, starting in September of that year. After a spell learning all manner of…

It might not be a tennis player adjusting her skirt or a shirtless bloke holding a baby, but the Lamborghini Countach has been crowned as the all-time favourite pin-up poster car among followers of The British Motor Show, which took place on 19th-22nd August. The striking Marcello Gandini masterpiece was the most popular poster car of the show’s Facebook followers, closely pursued by the Ferrari Testarossa and Porsche 959 – and who (of a certain age) doesn’t remember flicking through them on the rails in the poster shops? But there were some oddball respondents too – one of the show’s fans had an MG Maestro on his bedroom wall, another had a Fiat Uno 55S, and for one respondent it was the Leyland Roadrunner truck that took pride of place…

Simply British Classics will return to the grounds of the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu on Sunday 26th September, with all British classic car owners invited to join the rally as part of a superb day out. Open to any pre-1990 classic vehicle built in Britain or by a British manufacturer, Simply British Classics promises a diverse range of classics for enthusiasts and families alike to admire, as well as enjoying access to all the regular Beaulieu attractions. All tickets must be bought in advance, with carefully-managed capacity limits in place. Rally participants should visit www.beaulieu. co.uk/events/simply-british-classics, while all other visitors should purchase normal visitor admission tickets via www.beaulieu.co.uk…

A 1987 AE86 Toyota Corolla GT originally bought to cheer the owner up after separating from her partner has achieved a record price of £46,250 on Car & Classic’s online auction platform. Known to be the highest UK recorded price for a car of this type sold at auction, this car also beat the US record price of £29,004 achieved in March this year. Ordered new from Hallens Toyota in Cambridge, the time-warp survivor, complete with period Nokia phone cradle, Toyota mudflaps and dealer-badged registration plates, underlines the continuing demand for original, usable modern classics from the 1980s and ’90s.…