LANCASTER CLASSIC CAR NEWS
1964 Ford Consul Cortina De Luxe - “small-car savings…Big-car everything else”
Dean Webster’s Consul Cortina De Luxe - https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1853032 - is a vivid reminder of how it was the prefect car for its market on launch in 1962.
Meet The Owner – Phil Caunt and his Messerschmitt KR200
“I owned a (Heinkel) Trojan and three BMW Isettas years ago, but never a Messerschmitt. So, I thought... why not!”. Phil’s KR200 could never be accused of being conventional.
Meet the Owner – Frank Claypole and his Vauxhall Viva HC 1800 GLS
Signs that time is passing; police officers looking younger, complaining about modern music – and noting there is apparently only one HC-series Vauxhall Viva 1800 GLS on the road in the UK.
Setting the Style – The Ford Consul Classic
Some years ago, I wrote in Classics Monthly I wrote of how in 1961:
The Jensen FF - “Here is a car which can be driven as no car has ever been driven”.
You are looking at a car that was so far removed from the everyday motoring sights of the UK in the late 1960s that it was virtual science-fiction to the average driver.
Push-Button Radio as Standard – Michael Carpenter’s Vauxhall Cavalier 1600L Series II
We have had the pleasure of previously featuring some of Michael’s fleet, and his latest acquisition was crucial to the future of its marque.
20 Facts About the Early Days of the M1
The Automobile Association recently posted this priceless film contrasting the Kenneth Kendall-narrated promotion of 1959 with the M1 of 2024:
Celebrating The Metropolitan
“One of the greatest public misconceptions about the Metropolitan is people confusing it with the Amphicar. When someone asks me at a show, ‘Does it float?’ I now have a stock answer - ‘Not for long’”.
LIVING THE 1960S EXECUTIVE DREAM – THE FORD CORTINA 1600E
The Ford Cortina 1600E (for “Executive”) managed to capture the late 1960s middle class motoring zeitgeist. The Telegraph thought it suited to “‘fashion-conscious’ motorists”, and this 1969 Amber Gold Series 2 example sold by KGF
LIVING THE GOOD LIFE – THE VOLVO 145
There is something quite redoubtable about the Volvo 145, and this 1970 example sold by https://www.prestigecarsscarborough.co.uk/ is the sort of car a go-ahead architect might have favoured. Not to mention Margo and Jerry Leadbetter of The Good Life.
MEET THE OWNER – MICHAEL FORMAN AND HIS AUSTIN ALLEGRO 1.3 HLS SERIES 3
When I was (a lot) younger, an Allegro Series 3 such as Michael’s would have greatly intrigued me. It was not only the front air dam – which BL claimed improved fuel economy by 11% – the redesigned instruments or the improved equipment levels.
AN AUSTIN ALLEGRO SPECIAL L.E. – REUNITED WITH ITS ORIGINAL OWNER AT A WEDDING
Almost anyone who owns a classic car knows that it is virtually never just about the engineering and the metalwork. When participating in a show, some members of the public instantly recall their parents’ former transport, their first company car or the now rare saloon once driven by their primary school teacher.