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Keep up to date with the latest news and events from the world of classic cars.
1955 CITROEN ‘ONZE NORMALE’ TRACTION AVANT
- 24th October, 2023
When Citroën unveiled the original Traction Avant to the public on the 18th of April 1934, it marked an evolutionary step in the development of the motor car. There was the elegant uni-body construction, the front wheel drive, the torsion bar suspension and the hydraulic brakes. By comparison, other saloons of that era looked as though they had recently emerged from The Ark.
1967 JAGUAR E-TYPE
- 24th October, 2023
In December of 1961, Car & Driver rhapsodised over the E-Type: Our first impressions of taking over this car are not easy to describe. The car is beautiful to look at from any angle, and it was said by many, who saw it in the flesh for the first time when meeting our test crew, that pictures so far published had all failed to do justice to its appearance.
ROVER 2600 SD1
- 24th October, 2023
When British Leyland commenced work on the SD1, David Bache, Rover’s Head of Design, intended to create a five-door supercar on a limited budget. He later stated: “It may be more difficult to achieve high standards with a simpler design because more intensive development is needed:
FORD SIERRA SAPPHIRE RS COSWORTH
- 24th October, 2023
"It's not for the inexperienced, but oh, how it rewards skilful, fluent, driving". That is how Ford promoted the new Sapphire RS Cosworth on its launch in 1988 – "Developed on the track, there's little to touch it on the road".
2004 MG SV-R
- 24th October, 2023
The best things about the car, however, remain the chassis and the steering, which has a lovely feel to it. The chassis is sharp without feeling snappy, taut without riding harshly. The car feels smart and intimate: you feel on top of the job.
1993 Ford Fiesta
- 24th October, 2023
1993 – a time when Meat Loaf announced I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) and when Angus Deayton still hosted Have I Got News For You. And a time when a Ford Fiesta was a familiar sight. Thirty years later, time and the impact of various scrappage schemes means that it is now an increasingly rare sight on British roads.
75 YEARS OF THE JAGUAR XK120
- 19th October, 2023
Many people are familiar with the history of the XK120 – that Browns Lane intended it as a ‘test-bed’ for the latest Jaguar engine and how its appearance at Earls Court was because of the Mk. VII saloon would not be ready until 1950 due to body-tooling problems.
1967 Mini T – The Mini From Italy
- 2nd October, 2023
At first glance, this handsome Mini looks like a prime example of a Morris Mk.1 Traveller. Then you notice the left-hand-drive layout and the unfamiliar badging. It is, in fact, a 1967 Innocenti Mini T - one of the 437,234 Minis built in Milan.
70 YEARS OF VOLKSWAGEN IN THE UK
- 2nd October, 2023
The 1953 London Motor Show marked the first time a British motorist could buy a German car since the Second World War, but the Beetle had been a presence on the UK’s roads for a number of years. VW had sold them to British service personnel in Germany for £150 during the late 1940s, and on demob, they were allowed to take their Beetles home.
MEET THE OWNER – ELTON MURPHY AND HIS OPEL COMMODORE GS
- 2nd October, 2023
Just take a look at the veloured magnificence of that interior, with wooden decorations reminiscent of a top-of-the-range hostess trolley. Then, marvel at the vinyl roof, the matt black grille and those elaborate wheels.
A VISIT TO THE 1953 LONDON MOTOR SHOW
- 2nd October, 2023
It is the 21st October 1953, and the Duke of Edinburgh is to open the London Motor Show - an event that heralds the beginning of the post-war buyer’s market. Of course, Vauxhall buyers might still be awaiting delivery of the Wyvern or Velox they bought in 1947 and Morris dealers may still be fulfilling orders for the Minor placed in 1948.
The Forgotten Ford Granada – Made By Hyundai
- 2nd October, 2023
Some of us (all right, me) have long been fascinated with large European saloons that enjoyed an afterlife or a parallel career in another continent. India’s Hindustan Contessa (aka the Vauxhall Victor FE) and the Standard 2000 (aka the Rover SD1) are prime examples of the former; we have the Hyundai-built Ford Granada Mk for the latter. II.
THE WORLD’S OLDEST LANDCRAB?– A 1963 PRE-PRODUCTION AUSTIN 1800
- 2nd October, 2023
It is always a pleasure to follow the progress of a car you wrote about previously. Many years ago, I compared a pre-production Austin 1800 ‘Landcrab’ with a Slough-built Citroën ID19 for Classic Cars magazine and described it as “a scaled-up BMC 1100 and is just as enjoyable to drive”. And now 531 NOF is in search of a new custodian.
THE MORRIS MINOR TRAVELLER AT SEVENTY
- 2nd October, 2023
Autocar of 9th October 1953 profiled a new version of a vehicle, one “considered by many people as a classic design of its type, and as such is often used as a yardstick when comparing small cars”. They further praised the “very bright and light interior” and the “particularly useful luggage compartment”. It was, of course, the Morris Minor “Travellers Car”.
