Classic Cars December 2022

Tell me, is the question posed by our lead cover story as palatable as suggesting that Stock, Aitken and Waterman should rekindle the old magic and write the next Foo Fighters album, or are we all cool about the way cars are going? Setting aside the debate about how environmentally friendly electric cars really are once you take everything into account, are they simply an acceptable evolutionary step in motoring or the end of the world as we enjoy knowing it? I must confess that until governments announced the end of petrol and diesel vehicle production, I didn’t expect to see electric cars become a viable and popular solution in my lifetime. There was surely too much vested interest from users, the car and petroleum industries, along with the governments…

Just for a moment, Darryl Sleath doesn’t know where to look. Seemingly endless rows of seven-figure classics and supercars stretch out before him, his gaze flitting between myriad machines he’s always wanted to experience. Then he spots his one dream car above all others, front and centre. The 1963 Porsche 356B Super 90 Cabriolet. Thanks to a generous owner and O’Kane Lavers – the dealership currently offering the car for £139,500 – there’s a key waiting in the ignition. Open roads beckon. Today Darryl will discover his long-cherished favourite from the driving seat. ‘My family always had VWs when I was growing up,’ he explains. ‘I used to borrow my brother’s Beetles, then ended up with one of my own. I tuned it, badly, before moving on to a pair…

Quentin Willson’s hot tips There’s a rising premium being paid for fine original or perfectly restored ’Healey 3000s. The days of buying a minter for £35k have long gone. In September, at the Bonhams Goodwood Revival sale, a very nice ’67 MkIII Phase 2 with £50k of restoration invoices made £65,550, and it was a US import. In August, Gooding & Company drew $100,800 for a ’67 MkIII BJ8 at Pebble Beach while in April Barrett-Jackson at Palm Beach dispatched a superb, fully restored ’64 BJ8 for $104,500. In July Hampsons sold a good, but not perfect, ’66 MkIII Phase 3 for £54k; in June Brightwells sold a lovely, unrestored, one-owner-for-52-years ’66 MkIII BJ8 with comprehensive history for £52,830. Then last August Gooding surprised everybody with a restored, last-of-the-line 1967…

Is this Jaguar Mk10 a good buy? I’ve been offered a good but imperfect 1963 Jaguar Mk10 with the rare 3.8 triple-carb engine for £10,000. The owner said it’s worth a lot more than the later 4.2. Classic car dealers ask £25-35k for really good ones. A good buy? Simon Weakley The 3.8 is the rarest of the Mk10s but the smoother 4.2 suits the car better and there’s little difference in values. As long as there’s not much work needed, £10k sounds about right, but not a bargain. The most recent 3.8 Mk10 sold at UK auction made £12.5k – and it was a nice old thing with 79,000 miles. Just because a dealer is asking £25k, doesn’t mean that’s the value. And remember, Mk10s are hard to sell…

Russ Smith’s market analysis Historics’ 24 September sale at Bicester Heritage was battling the odds, taking place the day after the notorious mini-budget. But while selling just 61.6% of the 138 cars wasn’t a great result, it was a close match for its July sale, so not a disaster. The inclusion of 19 Mercedes in that number felt like overkill, but they produced a far higher sales rate than the rest of the cars at nearly 74%, so what do I know? It was also one of those Mercs that produced the surprise of the sale, or of any sale this month. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lovely Pagoda 280SL, pampered by the same owner for 29 years. But the restoration was almost 20 years old and it…

1976 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow £21,850 Manor Park Classics, Cheshire, 10 September Quite why anyone would spend £100,000 on the restoration of a Shadow – and make it look like the less desirable series II while doing so – is not for us to question. What it does answer is why someone else was happy to pay a very strong near-£22k for the car when it came up for sale. Quite simply, with everything redone to as-new standard by Rolls-Royce dealers and specialists, you’re unlikely to find a better one. 1963 MGB Roadster £12,938 Classic CarAuctions, Warks., 24 September A desirable early ‘pull-handle’ MGB, retaining all its original running gear and features down to the optional dealer-fit seatbelts. It had also been rebuilt some years ago into a Heritage bodyshell and…