Classic Cars February 2017

Welcome Phil remembers hot hatch hedonism, admires a Porsche-lover’s perseverance and revels in two classic A-listers Like the Stereobelt compact portable cassette player idea patented by Andreas Pavel in 1977 and commercialised by Sony as the Walkman, the hot hatchback wasn’t as entirely new as some would have you believe. High performance versions of compact and affordable family transport had already become commonplace with cars like the Mini Cooper and Ford Escort Mexico, and the small front-wheel-drive hatchback had been popularised by the Renault 4. In the case of the Walkman and the hot hatch, the really clever trick was bringing together disparate concepts with such perfect timing and savvy marketing to make each a social phenomenon. The GTIs VW Golf and Peugeot 205, and the Turbos Escort RS, Renault…

Like the Stereobelt compact portable cassette player idea patented by Andreas Pavel in 1977 and commercialised by Sony as the Walkman, the hot hatchback wasn’t as entirely new as some would have you believe. High performance versions of compact and affordable family transport had already become commonplace with cars like the Mini Cooper and Ford Escort Mexico, and the small front-wheel-drive hatchback had been popularised by the Renault 4. In the case of the Walkman and the hot hatch, the really clever trick was bringing together disparate concepts with such perfect timing and savvy marketing to make each a social phenomenon. The GTIs VW Golf and Peugeot 205, and the Turbos Escort RS, Renault 5 GT and MG Maestro have weathered a rough passage from trendy young things via joyrider’s…

[ Sunbeam Tiger ] The List Rob Norton grew up on a diet of second-hand Sixties sports cars, but the Sunbeam Tiger has eluded him since the Seventies. Will driving the one that got away meet his expectations? Words SAM DAWSON Photography JAMES PARDON ‘You have to be aware of your driving skills – I’ve no doubt that it would spin if I misused all that power’ We’re in the wish-fulfilment business here at Classic Cars and put a lot of thought into matching one of our readers to dream drives. It’s the reason why we ask you to submit a list of the cars you’ve owned – it helps us to work out what kind of classic you’re most likely to enjoy. Reader Rob Norton’s wishlist baffled…

‘You have to be aware of your driving skills – I’ve no doubt that it would spin if I misused all that power’ We’re in the wish-fulfilment business here at Classic Cars and put a lot of thought into matching one of our readers to dream drives. It’s the reason why we ask you to submit a list of the cars you’ve owned – it helps us to work out what kind of classic you’re most likely to enjoy. Reader Rob Norton’s wishlist baffled us though, because he’d already owned most of the cars, or at least versions of them. But there amid cars such as the Jaguar E-type and Lotus Cortina was one car that doesn’t appear on his ownership list – the Sunbeam Tiger. I meet Rob in the car park…

THE IMPORTANT MODELS SHELBY THUNDERBOLT When Enzo Ferrari refused to supply Rootes Group with Dino V6s in 1962, the company turned to Carroll Shelby. Two prototypes were built in 1963 – one by Shelby, codenamed Thunderbolt, and another by Ken Miles – using Ford V8 engines and Alpine Series 2s. Shelby’s was the most production-ready and involved replacing the Alpine’s recirculating-ball steering with sharper rack and pinion. SUNBEAM TIGER MKI 260 The Tiger was rushed into production in late 1963 based on the concurrent Alpine MkIV. Jensen built the first 14 cars with Borg-Warner gearboxes and Ford 260ci V8s. Once it reached full production in 1964, Ford supplied Mustang gearboxes and a Panhard rod was added to provide rear axle lateral location. The Alpine was updated to MkV spec in…

SHELBY THUNDERBOLT When Enzo Ferrari refused to supply Rootes Group with Dino V6s in 1962, the company turned to Carroll Shelby. Two prototypes were built in 1963 – one by Shelby, codenamed Thunderbolt, and another by Ken Miles – using Ford V8 engines and Alpine Series 2s. Shelby’s was the most production-ready and involved replacing the Alpine’s recirculating-ball steering with sharper rack and pinion. SUNBEAM TIGER MKI 260 The Tiger was rushed into production in late 1963 based on the concurrent Alpine MkIV. Jensen built the first 14 cars with Borg-Warner gearboxes and Ford 260ci V8s. Once it reached full production in 1964, Ford supplied Mustang gearboxes and a Panhard rod was added to provide rear axle lateral location. The Alpine was updated to MkV spec in 1965,giving that year’s Tigers a retrospective…