Practical Classics August 2021
Practical Classics magazine has a 30-year tradition of delivering the very best, hands-on classic car experiences to its readers. Every staff writer and contributor works on and restores their own classics. Each issue is packed with: * Rigorous buying advice * Real-world product tests * Inspirational classic driving features * Fascinating historical insight Practical Classics is also a campaigning title, taking the concerns of classic car owners to Parliament and keeping its readers' classics where they belong - on the road. So come and join PC in the workshop - the kettle's on.
in this issue
welcome to the workshop
Is restoration the new rock n roll? It certainly appears to be, judging by the number of completed project stories that are coming into the office. I can’t remember a time when there were so many fresh-off-the-production-line classics to choose from. The pandemic has few silver linings, but the time it has afforded some of us to get into the workshop is now bearing fruit. You must never underestimate the hours, skill and dedication it takes to complete a full restoration, but the satisfaction it brings is unbeatable. It brings you close to your classic. You will never know a car as well as one you have rebuilt yourself. But it isn’t for everyone and that is why, in this issue, we are exploring the theme ‘to buy or to restore?’ and our…
camper round the coast is here!
All you need to know about everything important Practical Classics has teamed up with our friends at Lancaster Insurance to create a very special round Britain event in our project 1979 Bay Window bus. The plucky little Volkswagen, currently on the restoration home straight in the PC workshop, will lead Britain’s longest classic car show all the way around Britain – this September. But to make that happen we need to know where to go, and that’s going to involve you. Camper Round the Coast will see the Lancaster Insurance sponsored bus take to the roads of Britain, exploring the coastline and hunting for Britain’s best beaches. We need your help to find them, so this is the big call for nominations. Tell us where to go by visiting the nomination site at…
our camper in 5 pics
► The project to buy and restore a Type 2 bus has taken a year longer than expected. Now it is time to put it to good use. ► Purchase – Danny and Dave Youngs from Lancaster Insurance buy the camper from the previous owner. It ran, it drove… it needed a complete rebuild. ► Assess, strip, repair – Tomkins gets stuck in to a stripped shell. The interior is off to Newton Commercial and the engine parts are incoming from Heritage. ► Paint/engine – the bare shell is painted at CBR Classic Restorations while the engine goes south for rebuilding by Ed Hughes. Then COVID-19 hits. ► New Inside – Danny picks up the complete camper interior from the Newton Commercial team in Suffolk.…
starting handle
Thirty years ago Mazda won at Le Mans… the only time a non piston-engined car has ever done so. The four-rotor 787B was a work of sporting genius from a manufacturer that has always understood why people love cars. I still maintain that Mazda are the ‘Alfa Romeo of Japan’ and just about every car they have produced supports the idea that deep inside the Hiroshima HQ are a bunch of petrolheads having a great time making stuff. So, hats off to Mazda and, in particular, hats off to Mazda UK for maintaining a flourishing heritage fleet, one that was laid out in all its glory in mid-June to celebrate the Le Mans anniversary. Journalists and specialists came to Jota Racing near Tonbridge to enjoy a sneaky ‘Mazdafest’, a bit of…
2 litre measuring jug £11.50
Lasertools.co.uk Sometimes in life, it’s the simplest things which offer the most. That’s certainly the case with this 2L measuring jug with flexible spout from Laser Tools. Suitable for all types of fluids, including petrol and diesel, it comes with caps to avoid spillage or contamination and features metric and US quart measurements. Ideal for changing the oil in your classic, or a huge variety of. other tasks, the caps prevent workshop dust and detritus contaminating the contents of the jug between uses, and the flexible spout allows easy Vapouring and no mess. These translucent jugs are also available in 1L and 5L capacities to suit your needs. Part no: 3841.…
mazda’s 787b at 30
Le Mans, June 1991, and for the first (and only, so far) time a rotary-engined car takes the top spot. The 700bhp R26B four-rotor engine powered 787B took the prize that year in a victory that surprised everyone. Mazda had succeeded where its bigger and better-funded compatriots had failed; Toyota wouldn’t win at the Circuit de la Sarthe until 2018. The colour scheme was shocking, as was the noise the engine made - a hellcat scream that once heard is never forgotten. Thirty years on, the impact that the victory made is still felt. The car, driven by Bertrand Gachot, Volker Wiedler and Johnny Herbert, has become one of the most iconic and recognisable racing machines of all time and Mazda’s pride in the anniversary was reflected on June 18 when…
