Classic Cars September 2021

Welcome A ride up Shelsley Walsh in a wild E-type has blasted off my classic year, but joy can be found without excess power Do you want a ride up the hill?’ The hill in question was Shelsley Walsh on the occasion of the E-type 60th anniversary event, the invitation was from Jaguar specialist Chris Keith-Lucas, and the car was Egal – a 1962 Jaguar E-type that was treated to a 7.0-litre Holman & Moody-tuned Ford Galaxie V8 in 1963 to make it more competitive. Some decisions are easier to make than others. One minute I was innocently asking a few questions about the car for my event report on p27, the next I was tightening a lap belt and wondering what 600lb ft would feel like as it plucked…

[The List] Your dream drive made real ‘It feels timeless when driving on the open road’ Reader Peter Warren once owned a Fiat 130 Coupe, but fancied trying a Dino – so Classic Cars made it happen Words ANDREW NOAKES Photography LAURENS PARSONS Somewhere in these tiny, twisty lanes, there is a classic car dealer with a Fiat Dino Coupé waiting for Classic Cars reader Peter Warren and I, but knowing it’s there and finding it are two different things. There’s no end of charming Cotswold villages and any number of picture postcard stone churches. Around every bend there seems to be a milk tanker or a massive tractor, the machines that make agriculture work around here. But this quaint corner of rural Gloucestershire isn’t giving up its secrets that…

PETER’S DREAM DRIVE LIST Ferrari F550 Maranello ‘One of the best looking Ferraris, and with reasonable manners for everyday driving.’ Alfa Montreal A charismatic flawed diamond. It seems Alfa was jealous of the Fiat Dino success and rushed out the Montreal. A stylish high-speed cruiser – quite un-Alfa-like!’ Dodge Charger ‘It’s just the meanest looking muscle car in the world. It’s a beautiful sounding engine, very fast. It’s just a proper muscle car. And then there’s the Bullitt appearance, of course.’ Fiat Dino ‘I’ve always thought it was such a cool car – the ultimate grand tourer from the Sixties and Seventies. It’s got power, class, style. It’s a very clever hybrid of Fiat and Ferrari.’ Maserati Mistral ‘Stylish grand tourer, looks very classy. The sort of car that you…

PETER WARREN’S CAR CV Style is clearly an attribute Peter values FIAT 130 COUPÉ ‘Enzo’s favourite daily driver. I bought it from a dealer in Italy – I didn’t even go and see it. They had 48 pictures of it on their website so I was happy they weren’t trying to hide anything.’ CITROËN SM ‘I’ve always liked it. I bought it in Italy where most of them are. It was very advanced with the oleo-pneumatic suspension and five-speed gearbox. A beautifully designed object.’ MASERATI QUATTROPORTE ‘A beautiful car. It rode well and had proper road presence but was ruinously expensive to run. It needed new windscreen wipers – but you have to buy the motor as well, and it’s £500.’ CHEVROLET CORVETTE ‘I loved the shapely view from the…

CHASING CARS Quentin Willson’s hot tips Corniches are in the shadows With certain Rolls-Royce and Bentley values slumbering, now is the time to pounce June saw a very original and keenly priced Rolls-Royce Corniche coupe go under Tennants’ hammer. Just £28k bought an unmolested and very correct ’71 in light metallic blue with blue leather, 58,000 miles, rare factory wood-rim steering wheel, valuable non-dating plate and a long history. I thought it was well bought for such a proper example with long provenance. Corniches can often be nasty, neglected and knackered but this one looked like it was 1971 all over again. Values of these graceful coachbuilt Shadows have been softening recently though. In April Mathewson’s sold a ’72 FHC in green with 75,000 miles for £24,912 and in March…

ASK QUENTIN Righthand drive conversion? I’m restoring a 1960 Austin-Healey 3000, left-hand drive from Nevada, United States. Should I convert it to right-hand drive? Mike Oakes. Left-hand drive isn’t such a turn-off now as it used to be. I know enthusiasts who now buy left-hookers because they’re better for European touring. Unless you really feel uncomfortable driving on the wrong side, I’d keep it lhd. I always think it’s part of the car’s story if it’s come from the States. And any notional reduction in value for it being lhd would be cancelled out by the cost of the conversion. Good luck with the restoration. Quentin Willson Chrysler Crossfire or BMW 335D? Someone has asked me if his 2016 BMW 335D will be a classic in the future. It’s an…