Classic Cars May 2018

At the London Classic Car Show I shared a stage with Quentin Willson, talking about Smart Buys – those rare cars that combine life-enhancing ownership with behind-the-market prices – and in the question and answer sections a theme cropped up time and again. ‘I bought a Porsche 924S, Bentley Continental R,’ or somesuch, ‘and it’s all Quentin’s fault,’ they’d say. Their words were always delivered with a smile, because they realized that his persuasive monthly buying tips had helped them find classic motoring happiness while they could still afford it. Even in a market that ought to be subdued by economic uncertainty, the values of good examples of desirable cars continue to rise. From the halls of London Excel, Quentin’s Smart Buys roadshow moved to a photo studio in Oxfordshire. Here…

Welcome Sharing audience time with Quentin Willson has Phil fired up for more events, and more inspiring ownership stories At the London Classic Car Show I shared a stage with Quentin Willson, talking about Smart Buys – those rare cars that combine life-enhancing ownership with behind-the-market prices – and in the question and answer sections a theme cropped up time and again. ‘I bought a Porsche 924S, Bentley Continental R,’ or somesuch, ‘and it’s all Quentin’s fault,’ they’d say. Their words were always delivered with a smile, because they realized that his persuasive monthly buying tips had helped them find classic motoring happiness while they could still afford it. Even in a market that ought to be subdued by economic uncertainty, the values of good examples of desirable cars continue…

‘My fears have dissipated – I’m not lying down with my knees touching my ears, I’m very comfortable’ Classic Cars readers are a hardy bunch, willing to undergo multiple hardships in order to get their fix. Take Sutton resident Steve Yately, for example; post-Christmas with little annual leave left, demanding family and professional lives, and on Tuesday I hit him with, ‘I’d like to put you behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Espada. Can you do Friday? Oh, and it’s in Cheshire.’ Well, just inside Wales actually. Yet here he is, standing in the glorious winter sunshine at Hawarden Airport, outside the premises of Cheshire Classic Cars. ‘Who could turn down the opportunity to drive a Lamborghini Espada? Not I,’ he says. Already ejected from his mind is an arduous journey north…

AUSTIN MONTEGO 2.0HLS ‘My dad’s car, back when electric front windows were considered posh, in which I learned to drive. Resplendent in Oporto Red metallic paint, with two-tone brown velour interior, it was fairly quick, but Austin-Rover build quality meant dad bought Japanese thereafter.’ FORD CORTINA MkV 1.6L ‘My first car, with a special place in my heart. There was a point when every offshoot of my family had a Cortina – even my grandad had a MkI, followed by II, III and ultimately IV. A true car for the everyman – I sold it on the day Freddie Mercury died, and was disconsolate twice over.’ MORRIS MINOR 1000 ‘Just hearing that blowing-a-raspberry exhaust note as one pootles by still brings a smile to my face, and elicits memories of bouncing along, jostling that Bakelite…

[ The List ] Your dream drive made real ‘Listen to that maniacal crackle of 12 cylinders’ Steve Yately once toyed with the idea of buying an Espada in Italy and driving it back, but common sense prevailed. Time to rectify that, as we put him behind the wheel of a Series III Words ROSS ALKUREISHI Photography JONATHAN JACOB ‘My fears have dissipated – I’m not lying down with my knees touching my ears, I’m very comfortable’ Classic Cars readers are a hardy bunch, willing to undergo multiple hardships in order to get their fix. Take Sutton resident Steve Yately, for example; post-Christmas with little annual leave left, demanding family and professional lives, and on Tuesday I hit him with, ‘I’d like to put you behind…

STEVE YATELY’S CAR CV A cast list of down-to-earth practicality that’s the polar opposite of the exotic Espada AUSTIN MONTEGO 2.0HLS ‘My dad’s car, back when electric front windows were considered posh, in which I learned to drive. Resplendent in Oporto Red metallic paint, with two-tone brown velour interior, it was fairly quick, but Austin-Rover build quality meant dad bought Japanese thereafter.’ FORD CORTINA MkV 1.6L ‘My first car, with a special place in my heart. There was a point when every offshoot of my family had a Cortina – even my grandad had a MkI, followed by II, III and ultimately IV. A true car for the everyman – I sold it on the day Freddie Mercury died, and was disconsolate twice over.’ MORRIS MINOR 1000 ‘Just hearing that…