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Keep up to date with the latest news and events from the world of classic cars.
The Lancia Fulvia Berlina at 60
- 23rd March, 2023
If you were visiting the Geneva Motor Show in 1963, the new model on the Lancia stand would probably have drawn your eye. The bodywork, by Piero Castagnero, was low-key in the manner of many bourgeoisie Italian saloons, but to lift the bonnet was to be mesmerised.
THE RELIANT KITTEN – THE 57.5 MPG CAR
- 23rd March, 2023
The name of Reliant is so associated with three-wheelers that its small four-wheel saloons are too often overlooked. They launched the Kitten at the 1975 Earls Court Motor to replace the long-established Rebel.
THE 2023 LONDON CLASSIC CAR SHOW
- 15th March, 2023
Last month’s London Classic Car Show at the Kensington Olympia was an event that put many visitors in a quandary – i.e. how could I afford one of many utterly tempting exhibits without putting my entire family on eBay? It was not just the Porsche display celebrating 60 years of the 911. It was not just the trio of Harold Radford-bodied Minis that were initially the property of George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Richard Starkey, aka Ringo Starr.
Meet the Owner – Amir Keshvari and his Sunbeam Vogue
- 15th March, 2023
When the Rootes Group introduced their ‘Arrow’ series models at the 1966 - London Motor Show - (49) EARLS COURT MOTOR SHOW - COLOUR - YouTube, they founded a dynasty. There were Hillmans, Humbers, Singers, Sunbeams and Chryslers, with a choice of saloon, estate, coupe and, for some markets, pick-up trucks. In addition, on 1 February 1965, Rootes and the Iran National Company signed a ‘technical assistance’.
SIR MICHAEL CAINE AT 90
- 13th March, 2023
And to celebrate Sir Michael’s 90th birthday – a very subjective ‘Top Ten’ of his best automotive moments on the silver screen: Blind Spot – 1958. Or, a typical 1950s British B-film, made with an apparent budget of 2/6d. MC is the caddish villain who tries to evade the Wolseley 6/80 of Justice in a Victor F-Type, only for it to magically transform into a 1934 Hudson Eight post-explosion.
The World Cup Escort’s legacy is still felt on classic rally stages today
- 8th March, 2023
‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ – an apt phrase for the Ford Motor Company and none more so, in Europe at least, for the Escort. The Blue Oval’s small car contender was rallied from day one of its public career, picking up where the career of the Cortina MkII had left off.
Staying positive: when EVs go off the beaten track
- 8th March, 2023
In our last feature on battery converted classics, Lancaster Insurance Services met Matthew Quitter of London Electric Cars and his modified 1953 Morris Minor, now running as an electric vehicle in and around the capital.
Carbon offsetting for classics: two sides of the environmental coin flip
- 8th March, 2023
While the extent to which historic vehicles pollute is debated, their tailpipe emissions remain the most contentious issue. The continued burning of fossil fuels, for need of a better description, is what the aims of Net Zero environmental policies aim to stop – the curtailment of so-called ‘greenhouse gases’ heating up the planet.
FORTY YEARS OF THE PEUGEOT 205
- 8th March, 2023
The 15th of February 1983 marked the launch of a car that, by 1984, would end the Renault 5’s long reign as France’s best-selling car. It was also once Peugeot’s most successful model in the UK and the model that changed its identity in this country. It was, of course, the 205.
MEET THE OWNER – KEITH JONES AND HIS VAUXHALL CAVALIER GLS COUPE
- 8th March, 2023
‘I receive a lot of attention, and I must have spoken to thousands of people at the NEC. The main start to the conversation “was usually my dad had one of those.” But this is only to be expected when you own one of the few Vauxhall Cavalier Coupes still on the road.
THE BMW ISETTA – A CELEBRATION
- 8th March, 2023
The bubble car is often associated with the 1950s, but they really belong to the previous decade. The Isetta belongs to a lost country, one of skiffle, Teddy Boys and Tony Hancock and Sidney James squabbling in the front parlour of 23 Railway Cuttings. It is also the vehicle that helped save BMW.
THE CHEVROLET CORVETTE AT 70
- 8th March, 2023
‘I was very impressed with the Corvette as a one or two-passenger touring car for those whose minds are not twisted too seriously. The performance is not startling – in fact lukewarm for a 3 ½ - litre sports car but is still fast enough to keep the flies off Aunt Nellie’s head as you whip her over to the pool parlor.
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE TRIUMPH HERALD
- 8th March, 2023
On 22nd April 1959, the Albert Hall paid host to a new car from Canley. An audience of the motoring press and dealers could enjoy a musical gala with rock & roll dance numbers and – the piece de resistance - a team of engineers building a Herald Coupe on stage in just four minutes.
THE DATSUN 240Z – A CELEBRATION
- 8th March, 2023
The year is 1970, and there is no shortage of distractions at the London Motor Show. Visitors had the chance to appreciate the Triumph Stag, the Ford Cortina Mk. III, the Vauxhall Viva HC – and an incredibly handsome Japanese coupe. Nissan had been selling its products in the UK under the Datsun brand for the past two years.
