Lancaster News

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Welcome to Lancaster Insurance News

Keep up to date with the latest news and events from the world of classic cars.

Ford Consul Capri

CHRISTINE: BRITISH STYLE

  • Andrew Roberts |
  • 14th December, 2021

During the first Lockdown, this writer watched many car-related films and too much daytime television. The latter gave me a lifelong aversion to most chat shows, while the former led me to ponder; would the plot have worked in a British production?

Corgi Toyota

THE BEST OF THE CORGI 007 CARS

  • Andrew Roberts |
  • 14th December, 2021

Or, which of these three die-cast models would you have wished for on Christmas Day?

Our favourite classic Peugeots

  • 9th December, 2021

We've said it before and we'll say it again: French cars are big on style. For much of its history, though, Peugeot was perhaps the exception that proved the rule: many a 1950s, 1960s or 1970s Peugeot was more about practicality than panache.

A quick guide to trickle chargers

  • 8th December, 2021

In the case of a car that's getting regular use, the alternator plays the crucial role of maintaining a near-full state of charge – but for a car that's getting less use, and a battery that's been allowed to run down, the alternator won't be much use.

Is it worth buying a classic write-off?

  • 8th December, 2021

Without thinking for too long, give us your definition of a 'write-off'. It's probably something like: a car that’s been involved in an accident and has been left completely undriveable, fit only for the scrapyard.

Best classic cars for dog lovers

  • 7th December, 2021

So, you want to combine two of your life passions: dogs and classic cars. Specifically, you want a classic car that has plenty of vintage appeal but that also provides a safe and enjoyable ride for your beloved canine.

NISSAN PRIMERA

DO YOU REMEMBER THE NISSAN PRIMERA?

  • Andrew Roberts |
  • 6th December, 2021

What compiling a list of cars that now appear to have almost vanished, one question kept recurring to this writer - i.e. when I did last see a Primera? In fact, it comes as a faint surprise to recall that Nissan displayed the prototype at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show as the Primera always seems a car associated with the ‘nineties, a vehicle for the John Major years as opposed to the late Margaret Thatcher era.

ITC WHITE JAGUAR

THE ITC WHITE JAGUAR; A CELEBRATION

  • Andrew Roberts |
  • 6th December, 2021

As many readers know, ITC was the television production company that specialised in men of mystery pursuing fez-wearing villains across ‘Somewhere foreign’ (aka the Elstree Studios car park).

Police Rover

MEET THE OWNER; STUART COOKE AND HIS EX HAMPSHIRE CONSTABULARY ROVER P6B 3500S

  • Andrew Roberts |
  • 6th December, 2021

Any police Rover P6B is automatically a very special vehicle, but HBK 875N once served as Earl Mountbatten of Burma’s official staff car on the Isle of Wight. Wadham Stringer (Portsea) Ltd.

Fiesta MK1 Side View

A TIMEWARP FORD FIESTA MK. I

  • Andrew Roberts |
  • 3rd December, 2021

It could almost be 1978 again, for this forty-three-year-old Ford Fiesta L on sale by Performance and Prestige Vehicle Solutions Ltd. has covered just 141 miles since new. In 1981 it was donated to the Science Museum, forming part of their displays until 2017.

TOYOTA CELICA

THE ORIGINAL TOYOTA CELICA; A CELEBRATION

  • Andrew Roberts |
  • 3rd December, 2021

One of the many highlights of this year’s Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show was the opportunity to marvel at the first-generation Celica. In the early seventies, the Toyota appeared to stand apart from the offered Ford Capri Mk. I, Sunbeam Rapier, Vauxhall Firenza or MGB GT, a scaled-down Mustang for a very reasonable price. And that was precisely its raison d’être.

Grey Mazda MX-5

Mazda MX-5 buying guide

  • 2nd December, 2021

Mazda's MX-5 drop-top made huge waves on its launch in 1989, and its four generations have found legions of admirers worldwide ever since. Its combination of lightweight driving thrills, reliability and affordability have made the MX-5 a much-loved acquisition, both new and used. So, could an MX-5 work for you – and if so, which one?

Blue Saab 900

How to buy a classic Saab 900

  • 2nd December, 2021

With their bulletproof bodywork, strong performance, and design cues niftily borrowed from their fighter aircraft siblings, Saabs have always offered something a little different to the discerning driver.

Ferrari 308 GTS

The Cars of Cannonball Run

  • 2nd December, 2021

When it came out in 1981, the action comedy film The Cannonball Run was a huge box-office success. And it's not at all hard to see why – the film’s combination of an all-star cast, a simple but exciting storyline (an illegal road race across America) and some of the most desirable cars of its era more or less guaranteed huge ticket sales.