Rules, O-Kei: Honey, I shrunk the modern car!
7th February, 2023
(Part 3: 1968-present)
By the end of the ‘sixties, a horsepower war was taking place in the Kei car market – and it was one that old-stager, the Subaru 360, couldn’t win. Honda’s N360, launched in 1967, was pulling away, attracting customers and critical acclaim in a manner the old car, introduced in the final year of the otherwise unrelated Fuji Cabin 5A, couldn’t hope to match.
It wasn’t just Honda, either: the Mazda R360 and Carol had arrived in the early ‘sixties, alongside Mitsubishi’s Minica and various Daihatsu offerings.
The world was moving on, and so had Subaru: its 1000 small car, built to different Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) specifications, had gone on sale in 1966. Two years later, the Subaru 360 Young and Young SS arrived to counter the N360, with the latter boasting 35hp from an extensively modified engine.
Despite sportier trim, and an indent for a surfboard in the roof, the uprated 360s, otherwise with a 25bhp engine in standard trim, couldn’t stem the tide. Attempts to export the car had met with various forms of disaster: the 1962 Subaru 450, so named for its larger engine, sold poorly at home and abroad.
US magazine, Consumer Reports, battered the 360 in 1969 for its performance, handling and crash protection, curtailing the ambitious efforts of importer, Malcolm Bricklin, to undercut the VW Beetle on price, despite similarly self-deprecating advertising (‘Slow and ugly does it’). Anime series, Yoroshiku Mechadock, would later cast the hero in a Rotary-converted 360, such was its lasting effect on the Japanese motoring landscape.
By 1970, the 360 was history, succeeded by the R-2 and Rex, but its legacy remained, kickstarting intense competition between domestic manufacturers as they jockeyed to fill each segment within the confines of Kei car legislation. In the ‘sixties it had been horsepower; by the power-capped ‘nineties, body styles and features fought for every customer by regulated difference, as we shall see.
Sales of Kei cars would peak the same year, but as the ‘seventies wore on, increasing competition from the small car market saw the segment begin to drop off owing to compromises in size, weight and performance. Oncoming emissions legislation, mandated in 1973, made it difficult for manufacturers to meet exhaust laws with two-stroke 360cc engines, which two manufacturers, Daihatsu and Suzuki, were dependent on for their Kei car models.
The industry was in panic, and with few options to explore, makers reduced their Kei car ranges to concentrate on other market sectors. With its Life and Chantez respectfully, wary of hefty losses, Honda and Mazda temporarily withdrew from Kei car manufacture until well into the ‘eighties.
Daihatsu at least had the backing of Toyota, with which it entered into a business partnership in November 1967 to sell larger cars. Suzuki had no such lifeboat to weather the storm, though MITI’s updated regulations, made current for 1 January 1976, now allowed a maximum engine capacity of 550cc and larger bodies, up to 3.2m long and 1.4m wide (10.5ft x 4.6ft) with height still pegged at 2m (6.6ft) to allow for commercial vehicle applications.
Kei cars could finally exceed the length of a Mini, and the larger engine capacities allowed for more power, torque and an easier time meeting emissions. The remaining players had expected a maximum engine capacity of 500cc, and had built so called interim ‘feeler’ engines as test beds.
Two years earlier, on 31 December 1974, Kei cars gained the yellow-and-black plates for which they became known to the present day; before then, they had used smaller versions of the plates used by bigger cars, scaled down to fit the small pressed apertures on their bodywork.
Suzuki did, however, develop and sell the Kei-compliant (and popular) Jimny off-roader in this period; demand for Kei commercial vehicles hadn’t gone away, and Japan’s streets and parking problems were only getting worse. Kei pick-up trucks and vans had reached an attractive size for export, particularly in South America, where their price, size and load carrying capacity were quickly exploited.
Export versions of the Jimny, known as the LJ80, complete with 800cc four-pots, began to be sold abroad, selling well in Australasia and Europe. It was one of the first cars sold by Suzuki in the UK in 1979, an-appropriately liveried example being given to Suzuki works motorbike rider, Barry Sheene.
It wouldn’t be the last Kei-class Suzuki, up-gunned with a larger engine, which achieved success in Europe and the UK, either: its Cervo sports coupe, on sale with the Jimny, received critical acclaim as the SC-100 ‘Whizzkid’, sold with a 970cc four-cylinder engine.
Otherwise, sales gradually (then dramatically) fell away until 1980, when the beginnings of Japan’s ‘bubble economy’ began to benefit the population. Businesses and land began to trade at rates far removed from their maximum value, leading to a surplus of cash like never before. It was into this microcosm that the 550cc Kei car, perhaps inevitably, began a period of intense technical development.
To entice buyers’ deeper pockets, Kei cars became sophisticated like never before; multivalve cylinder heads and all-wheel-drive gradually became the norm on faster models. By 1989, shortly before the Kei rules changed once more, constantly variable transmissions, bespoke interiors, adjustable steering columns, and air-conditioning were common options, with other novelties like rain sensing wipers also available.
What had begun as a horsepower war between Subaru and Honda had now become an all-out assault on the options list; while manufacturers couldn’t go beyond the size and cubic capacity specified by MITI, the last 550cc Kei cars offered all of the features of an executive’s express, albeit at a quarter of the size.
Three cylinders were regarded as the ideal compromise in building cost, torque and power; all apart from Subaru, whose Rex (and certain export Jumbos) stuck resolutely with a twin, relying on a supercharger to take the fight back to the likes of Daihatsu’s Mira and Suzuki’s Alto Works RS.
With the economic bubble still 18 months or so from bursting, Kei cars were allowed to grow yet again in March 1990 – in engine size (660cc) and in length (up to 3.3m). Aware of the incessant jockeying between makers, power output was limited for the first time – to 63hp, prompting a radical assessment of not only equipment levels, but new body styles with which to attract buyers.
Flushed with cash, the ‘ABC sports cars’ – Autozam, Beat, Cappuccino – were birthed by Mazda, Honda and Suzuki, respectively. Bubble economy economics allowed for bespoke bodies and unusual engine layouts, rewarded by the higher prices charged to customers for what was supposed to be Japan’s smallest domestic car class.
63hp, engineers reasoned, was enough to have fun with given the tiny dimensions conferred on the Kei class. Nevertheless, the Autozam AZ-1 looked for all the world like a shrunken supercar, complete with a mid-mounted engine, gullwing doors, and FRP panels mounted to a steel monocoque. Make no mistake, these sports cars were tiny – considerably smaller than a ‘sixties Lotus Elan or MG Midget.
The AZ-1 was a show of sophistication in the Kei market; Mazda, having abandoned the segment in 1976 with its Chantez, quietly returned in 1989, reviving the Carol nameplate as an Autozam.
It wasn’t the first to launch, however; in 1991, deserters Honda, whose Today hatch brought it back into Kei contention six years prior, enlisted Pininfarina to help create its Beat.
A mid-engined roadster with wild zebra skin seats, the Beat used an uprated version of the Today’s triple; cynics later compared its styling to that of the (considerably larger) MGF of 1995.
Suzuki also launched its Cappuccino in 1991; the least conventional of the three, it shared an engine with the AZ-1, and was a conventionally engineered, stiff shelled, front-mid-engined, rear-wheel drive soft top with a wheel at each corner and an ingenious retractable targa top.
As per the Jimny and Cervo, the Cappuccino came to Europe and the UK; this time, however, there was no larger export engine up front. Its tiny size and tempting price put it within the price range of that other great Japanese sports car export, the Mazda MX-5. Alas, just 1500 examples came to the West, with a limited range of colours and a curtailed options list.
The UK ‘grey’ and ‘parallel’ import market took great interest in the ABC sports cars, and were among the first of a flood of Japanese Domestic Market vehicles (along with Eunos Roadsters, the home market Mazda MX-5) brought into challenge cars built for the UK market, whose specification sometimes trailed those of Japan’s.
Daihatsu tried with its Copen in 2002 to reignite the flame of the Kei sports car; alas, it ended up with a 1.3-litre 16 valve engine five years later in order to meet emissions legislation. Even the 660cc sainted four-stroke triple, the saviour of many a Kei car, couldn’t survive outside the shores of Japan.
Few (if any) foreign cars qualified for Kei classification until 2001, when MCC (Smart) released its Smart K, a Kei compliant version of its ForTwo. Its 598cc turbo engine qualified, but its rear wings and tyre width had to be slimmed down. Having sold poorly in Japan, Caterham enjoyed better success with its 7 160, a European entry-level model sold back to Japan as a Kei sports car despite needing thinner wings and tyres in order to wear a yellow licence plate.
Powered by a 658cc triple used across a range of Kei cars, including the Japanese domestic market Suzuki Jimny and various Mazda and Nissan light models, legislators accepted its higher 80hp power output for sale owing to its homologation having taken place in Europe. That the Kei sports car story was carried for so long by a licence-built Lotus played well into the late Colin Chapman’s maxim: ‘just add lightness’.
That Suzuki’s old Cappuccino so closely resembled the original Elan in ways more closely than Mazda’s MX-5 is telling; that said car’s tiny stature on the downhill was a prominent storyline in the drifting/touge anime Initial D: Fourth Stage counted for nothing when the hero’s AE86 Corolla beat his rival’s Cappuccino regardless. A fitting epitaph? Perhaps.
The late motoring journalist, technical writer and musician, LJK Setright, argued that the greatest small cars are not truly small; its ilk continued on sale after 1998 with another small permitted increase in size – now lengths of up to 3.4m (11.2ft) and 1.48m (4.9ft) in width could be specified.
Financial penalties further beset the Kei car segment in 2014; Daihatsu, Honda, Suzuki and Nissan-Mitsubishi, formed a production alliance, limited mostly to the production of city cars and commercial vehicles. With fewer financial incentives to buy such a vehicle, the industry felt it due to consolidate resources.
Honda’s S660 (2015), discontinued last year, was, with the second-generation Copen, the last gasp of the sporting Kei car; supermini hot hatches and small family cars have more or less taken up the Kei’s mantle, and commercial vehicles aside, it remains unclear as to how much longer the class will survive, even with electrification.
If nothing else, they’ll go out with a slither. Not too long ago, the cheap automatic Kei car of the ‘nineties and early ‘noughties was appropriated by drifters. If you remember the lunch tray phenomenon that allowed front-wheel-drive cars to slide around with impunity, so-called PVC drifting isn’t far removed from that silliness.
Aquarium pipe of the right diameter is bought, and the unsuspecting Kei car is jacked up, its rear wheels removed and the tyres deflated and reinflated with the pipe fitted on top. The loss of traction makes for safe, low speed sliding. It may not have been MITI’s intention to create a new form of grass-roots motorsport in 1949, but the Kei car will never stop being useful. 
Kei cars would end up catering for almost every segment of the Japanese car market – including sports cars and off-roaders (image: JB archive).
An LJ80 Jimny was built for Suzuki works motorcycle rider, Barry Sheene in 1979; it’s recently been rescued by Suzuki UK for its heritage fleet (image: Suzuki).
As the SC-100 ‘Whizzkid’, the rear-engined, 970cc export Cervo found favour in the UK and Europe (image: Suzuki).
The 1992 Autozam AZ-1 was perhaps one of the most radical Kei cars released – a mid-engined, gullwing sports car (image: Mazda).
Kei Cars In The Park remains the UK’s sole Kei-only club, and can help with the translation of manuals and the importation of parts (image: JB archive).
Protect your classic vehicle with Japanese import car insurance from Lancaster Insurance, get covered today!
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Some limited-edition cars were to clear the showroom of stocks before the launch of a replacement model. Others marked the end of a long and distinguished production run, while a third group enhanced the appeal of a recently introduced line-up. The Ventora V.I.P. falls into this last-named category, and there are now believed to be only two on the road.
MEET THE OWNER – MICHAEL DICKENS AND HIS LADA RIVA“I found it in a scrap yard in Kempston. The old lady that owned it from new had crashed it into her house and stopped driving. Her family scrapped it, and I bought it blind for £300 to cannibalise it for parts for my 1994 Riva Estate. It was immaculate when it turned up (aside from a dented wing and smashed headlamp), and I just couldn’t break it up.”
RARER THAN RARE – 1966 RENAULT 16When Renault GB introduced the 16 to British motorists in the autumn of 1965, it would be fair to say it did not resemble any UK family saloon. To quote the advertisement: “The Renault l6 is a new breed of car. Compare the looks of the new Renault 16 with other 1 ½ litre cars”. This 1966 De Luxe is believed to be the oldest surviving British market example.
MEET THE OWNER – PHIL CAUNT AND HIS HEINZ 57 WOLSELEY HORNET CONVERTIBLE“I must first say I did NOT restore it myself—I purchased it with it needing 'minor amendments' to make it how I wanted it, including removing some extra work that the previous owner wanted, plus adding some overriders, going over the fuel system, and other 'tweaks'. It is a lovely car, but of course, unless you know it's a 'Heinz,' Joe Public thinks it is a Wolseley Hornet that has just had a chop job!”
MEET THE EXPERT – SARAH CRABTREEReaders will instantly know the name of Sarah Crabtree, as the director of Evoke Classics, from the television series Bangers and Cash, and from meeting her at events in the company of Ivan, her Morris Ital. This writer has had the great privilege of witnessing Sarah pilot this fine machine around the Silverstone circuit – an experience never to be forgotten!
05 August 2024
It is always a pleasant experience to be reacquainted with Theo Kyriacou’s Sport, which goes by the Nom-de-Fiat of Hugo.
Meet The Owner – Herb and his Fiat 1500“I am 22 years old and have wanted a classic car since my early childhood - you could say I have admired them all my life. I remember my dad having a Morris Oxford Series VI Farina for a while; it was the family car until we found out the floor was made of cornflake packets!
The Mini Moke at 60 by Andrew RobertsTo celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Mini Moke, we travel to Portmeirion in North Wales, where this writer had the honour of encountering one of the most famous automotive television stars of the 20th century.
The RAC are our exclusive breakdown partnerWe’re now offering RAC roadside assistance as a new add-on policy benefit for customers with cover starting from £19.95!
Exciting New Feature: Podcast Lounge at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show!We’re thrilled to announce a brand-new feature at this year’s Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show: The Podcast Lounge!
TWENTY MOTORING MEMORIESWhile on wedding car duty (look out for another blog soon), I pondered how a 1960 Wolseley 6/99 appeared to modern traffic and my advanced age. Was I really aged only 14 and contemplating my GCE O-Level options when Lancaster Insurance was formed in 1984? And here are 20 aspects of motoring and transport that might be lost on the youth of today:
MEET THE OWNER – MARK DENTON AND HIS JOWETT JAVELINA friend in the village I grew up in had it from 1967 until he passed away 22 years ago. I never thought the car would ever come on the market! I like the lines of the Javelin – they remind me of the Vanguard – and the work of its designer, Gerald Palmer! My car is a Javelin De Luxe, first registered to Jowett’s sales manager, Arthur Joplin.
RARER THAN RARE – THE SINGER HUNTERH&H Classic Auction will be selling, on the 24th of July, one of the most unusual saloons for the 1950s. Singer marketed the Hunter as the car “for the connoisseur who likes his spirited motoring in comfort” – and it was the famous Coventry firm’s last independent design.
MEET THE OWNER – CHRIS JAMES AND HIS ROVER 623SLIThe 623 popped up on FB Marketplace locally in Middlesbrough when I was on holiday in France. I messaged the vendor, and she said someone was going to view it the next day. He did view, but then could not sort insurance on it. She messaged to say her husband was taking it off sale, but I gave her my number should that change. She got in touch just before we returned from holiday to say if I wanted it, I could have it for £450!!.
24 July 2024
The 623 popped up on FB Marketplace locally in Middlesbrough when I was on holiday in France. I messaged the vendor, and she said someone was going to view it the next day. He did view, but then could not sort insurance on it. She messaged to say her husband was taking it off sale, but I gave her my number should that change.
MEET THE OWNER – MATTY CRISELL AND HIS FIAT 850 SPORT COUPEIt is in very good condition for a 55-year-old car. The Coupe was imported from California and had been off the road since 1994 with a seized engine, but the only complete panel that needed changing was a sill that I’ve managed to find an original from Italy. The Fiat is now RHD; I found a UK car and switched the necessary parts over.
Meet The Owner – Malcolm Cross and His Austin A90 WestminsterThe classic car world is rife with temptation. Last month, you vowed never to buy another vehicle, but you heard the siren call of classified advertising. And it is very hard to resist Malcolm Cross’s 1955 Austin A90 Westminster.
Meet The Owner – Tony Croft and his Ford Prefect 100ELast year Tony acquired a car that now appears to hail from an impossibly remote time: smog, Woodbines and such telephone numbers as WATerloo 2193 (“Press Button A, caller.”). Today, many Britons associate the name “Ford Prefect” with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but 70 years ago Tony Hancock probably dreamed of owning a new 100E parked outside 23 Railway Cuttings.
YES MINISTER – THE GOVERNMENT’S WOLSELEY WEDGESFor those of us of a certain age, the prospect of a general election evokes images of Rover 3.5-litre P5 saloons arriving outside 10 Downing Street. However, during the 1970s, another official car conveyed junior ministers to Whitehall in a chauffeur-driven style. It was, of course, the Wolseley “Wedge”.
16 July 2024
I have long been fascinated by large Italian saloons of the 1960s, the sort of cars mainly encountered in the World Car Year Book, The Observer Book of Automobiles, and films starring Alberto Sordi. Nicholas Heywood-Waddington’s 2600 Berlina is not only a highly distinguished vehicle but was also assembled in South Africa. Eight years ago, I had the honour of driving it for Classic Cars magazine.
Meet The Owner – Craig Piercy and his Triumph ToledoCraig is a classic car enthusiast aged 29 who one day decided to take a walk on the mild side. Throwing down his copy of Reader’s Digest and his quarter-pound bag of Mum’s and Dad’s Winter Mixture, he donned his tweed jacket, lit his pipe, and strode forth to buy a car suited to the hip young motorist. And what better choice than a 1973 Triumph Toledo?
03 July 2024
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, there appeared to be a stream of special edition Granada Mk. 2s. In reality there were four between 1977 and 1981, with Ford promoting the Consort as the car with “2 litre costs. 3 litre features”.
02 July 2024
I bought my CX in February 2019 from James Walshe. I followed what he had reported in Practical Classics magazine in 2018 in terms of him being involved in rescuing it from an uncertain future and doing some critical work to get it roadworthy.
Join us to celebrate a special moment for Classic Motoring Heroes!We're thrilled to unveil a new highlight at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show: The Hall of Fame! This annual award will honour standout contributors in four categories within the classic car world.
The Cotswold Sculpture ParkTucked away in Somerford Keynes, in the Cotswolds is an amazing place to visit with over 200 original sculptures in a tranquil wooded garden area, some are even for sale, but all are amazing to see.
Fiat Motor Club GB announces new Italian event!Fiat Motor Club GB have announced their summer event ‘Fiats and Friends’ which is set to run on Saturday 3rd August at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon and tickets are now available for purchase through British Motor Museum’s website.
28 June 2024
In the 1970s, the Great British Camping Holiday was not for the faint of heart. This was a typical scenario:
IDEAL FOR THE BEACH – THE RENAULT RODEOSummer is finally upon us, and with it comes dreams of sun, sea, 99 Flakes and avoiding those traffic jams on the A36. It also evokes visions of a classic beach car - ones such as the Mini Moke, the Citroen Méhari. - and the Renault Rodeo, as offered for sale by John Kerr.
25 June 2024
We have previously featured members of Michael Carpenter’s fleet, but he has now decided to take a walk on the wild side. Yes, throwing caution to the wind, this week Michael became the proud owner of a Singer Gazelle Series V.
DO YOU REMEMBER – THE MORRIS J4?If this 1964 Morris J4 seems familiar, it is probably because you have seen it on Heartbeat, The Royal, or Cradle to the Grave. Counting Stars of Leighton Buzzard is selling this rare surviving example of a van that once dominated the roads of the UK.
MEET THE OWNER – KARL HOBBS AND HIS VAUXHALL VENTORA ESTATEI bought my Ventora five years ago after hearing about it from a friend in the Owners’ Club. It had been resprayed, but that was as far as the work went, so I basically acquired the shell and six boxes of spares. Also, most of the bits fitted to the car were wrong anyway!
RARER THAN RARE – THE ALFA ROMEO 2000 BERLINASome cars of the 1970s are greeted with the words “My dad/mum/teacher/pet goldfish used to have one of those,” but an Alfa Romeo 2000 Berlina never seems to fall into this category. During this writer’s (very distant) youth, it was transport for the ‘smart set’ at the local yachting marina, all suntans, dark glasses, and cocktails on the deck.
Remember to have your say on the future of our classic community!Last month, the government launched a consultation giving enthusiasts the chance to have their say and help shape future policy on how to protect classic vehicles and safeguard our industry for generations to come.
Meet The Owner - Alex J. Sebbinger-Sparks and his Ford Granada Ghia X EstatesAs one of the leading lights of the Modern Classic Executive Car Club, Alex is naturally a connoisseur of fine 1980s machinery. Some might say owning two Caspian Blue Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia X Mk. 2 Estates is utter decadence—but then, who could resist the lure of such “space-age load carriers”?
Meet The Owner – Emma Cater and Her Ford Fiesta Popular Mk. IIn the early 1980s, exotic forms of Fiesta, such as the Ghia and the XR2, were comparatively rare sights. These were the cars for sophisticates with an avocado bathroom suite and who even owned a Sony C7 video recorder.
Meet The Owner – Herb and his Fiat 1500I am 22 years old and have wanted a classic car since my early childhood - you could say I have admired them all my life. I remember my dad having a Morris Oxford Series VI Farina for a while; it was the family car until we found out the floor was made of cornflake packets! It was a great car, and despite that, we went everywhere in it.
TEN EXPERIENCES TO AVOID WHEN BUYING A CLASSIC CARMany of us have reflected that dealing with certain vendors is the most challenging aspect of buying a classic car. Here are ten warning signs:
18 June 2024
Any 1954 Fiat 1100/103 is a splendid machine – the small saloon that was to post-war Italy what the Morris Minor was to the UK. But the example offered for sale by Dorset Vintage & Classic Auctions on the 20th June is even more exceptional.
GO SWIFT, GO SAFE – GO SAAB 95Recently, I had the great pleasure of being reacquainted with one of my favourite cars. In the early 1970s, a Saab 95 stood apart from a Ford Escort Mk. I or Vauxhall Viva HC Estate. Its uncompromising lines were a masterpiece of post-war industrial design.
THE ESTATE CAR WITH TWO BOOTS – A 1969 VOLKSWAGEN TYPE 3 VARIANTCar customisation is inevitably a very personal matter. That said, it is intriguing to encounter a 1969 Volkswagen 1600 Type 3 Variant that has not been lowered, given alloy wheels or turned into the grooviest surf wagon in the history of Swindon.
17 June 2024
Many readers of a certain age will recall the police P6, whether it was chasing miscreants in a 1970s television crime drama or looming ominously in your rear-view mirror. This 3500S offered for sale by Classic Car Auctions not only brought law and order to the roads around Winchester, but also served as the Earl of Mountbatten’s staff car.
MEET THE OWNER – RUSSELL MACFARLANE AND HIS MORRIS MARINA SUPERI believe ‘Aqua’ was only available on the Marina for the first year of production. Only six Aqua Marinas are known to exist, split between the 1.3 and the 1.8 and Saloon and Coupe. So, who knows - my 1.8 Super Deluxe Saloon could be the sole survivor in Aqua!
MEET THE OWNER – JOHN LANGFORD AND HIS FORD GRANADA 2.8I GHIA MK. 2“It is family-owned from new and has only 26k on the clock. The first owner had it for 27 years, and the second was his godson, who kept it for 15 years”. We have previously featured John’s MG Magnette ‘Farina’ Mk. IV and Austin J40, but he has recently embarked on blue oval ownership with his 1982 Ford Granada Ghia 2.8i Mk.2.
MEET THE OWNER – GRAHAM BULL AND HIS VAUXHALL VICTOR 2300SL FE ESTATE“You just know that this is the car for the man with fawn flared slacks and Yardley Black Label – ‘for the man who sets the pace’ – aftershave”. I wrote this description of Graham Bull’s 2300SL FE Estate in 2017, a memorable day with Practical Classics celebrating the Victor’s 60th birthday.
07 June 2024
Evoke Classics Ltd. recently sold this car guaranteed to turn heads at shows for £6,500 – which was once as familiar as How We Used to Live on Schools ITV.
06 June 2024
Scotty Tremayne’s friend, Jon Kinahan, owns one of Citroën’s finest cars. In his words: He is a big lover of the 2CV and has a 2CV Charleston. He was approached roughly eight years ago by a chap who breaks 2CVs about an MOT failure Dyane.
MEET THE OWNER – SIMON BROWSE AND HIS TRIUMPH HERALD 12/50I’ve always sided with the underdog. Ford and Austin got most of the glory and notoriety for their compact Saloons at the time. Triumph, not as much – it is much the same story with the MGB versus the Spitfire.
THE RAREST VAUXHALL VIVA HA IN THE WORLD? – THE BRABHAM GTI wrote a blog about a Brabham-converted Vauxhall Viva HA in Australia a few years ago. At that time, there were believed to be only two in the world, with the other residing in the UK.
30 May 2024
“I’ve always liked Lancia because my grandfather drove a Beta that the whole family loved and I’ve long admired the Thema. It was hard to find one in the UK, so I imported mine from a dealer in the Netherlands, which was neither complicated nor expensive. Mine is a V6 with the PRV engine. I’m not sure why Lancia elected to use that, but I love it.
1984 was a great year…This year, we're celebrating something special. Not only is it Lancaster Insurance’s 40th anniversary, but it’s also the 40th anniversary of the Classic Motor Show. We’re thrilled to join forces, yet again, at the UK’s premier classic automotive event to make this year's show bigger and better than ever!
Ben Crosby’s Ford Racing Puma 0376At the young age of 13 years old Ben was gifted some money and asked his parents if he could invest it in a car. The answer was, of course as long as he invested it wisely, so following on in his Dad’s footsteps he went on the hunt for a Ford Racing Puma, however unfortunately his budget didn’t allow for a concours example!
2024 HERO-ERA London to Lisbon Rally – Platts and Ripley take maiden victory on all-Austin podium!The 2024 HERO-ERA London to Lisbon Rally reached the finish on Saturday 4th May, in the historic city of Lisbon, 2800 km and 10 days after it began at Brookland’s, London. The winners of the event were Graham Platts and Neil Ripley, driving a 1956 Austin Healey 100M, the oldest car on the event.
24 May 2024
“It is exceptionally rare, being one of the earliest in the UK. It is a Mk.1a, which they only produced for a year (the same as the colour). I know of maybe only four in the UK in that shade”.
MEET THE OWNER – JOHN WALLIS AND HIS BORGWARD P100If the fates had been kinder, the name "Borgward" would have been as familiar to 2024 drivers as Audi or BMW. John Wallis, a long-term devotee of the German marque, has recently become the custodian of the P100 ‘Big Six' - Borgward's last hurrah and a car with the potential to be one of the finest big saloons of its generation.
Meet The Owner – Steven Gray and his Vauxhall Chevette 2300HSSteven Gray recently fell prey to a phenomenon known to many classic car owners. There he was, minding his own business and thinking his current fleet of Bedford HAs and Vauxhall Chevettes was quite enough, when suddenly he was caught in the tractor beam of a tempting vehicle.
Meet the Owner - Ian Gillson and his Renault 16TL“My father had TL back in 1977, and around 1980, the family acquired a 1974 TS. Sadly, it succumbed to the dreaded rust and ended in Renault 16 Heaven, but I never forgot them”.
MEET THE OWNER – JAMES ROSS SINCLAIR AND HIS WOLSELEY 1300These things were so popular in the 1960s and 1970s that nobody took any notice of them. There was at least one on every street. By the late 1970s/early 1980s, they were falling apart and becoming a rarer sight. If familiarity breeds contempt, then 50 years after production finally ended, I think objectively, this is a very pretty car.
13 May 2024
Bonham Cars Online is currently listing one of the most significant cars in Japanese motoring history: This 1968 360 is an example of the vehicle that brought mobility to so many families. Not to mention that the 360 was the pioneer car to wear the Subaru badge.
MEET THE OWNER – PHILIP HANSON AND HIS WOLSELEY 16/60“My Wolseley was registered in Worcester in January 1967 and is a manual gearbox model. It has covered only 46,000 miles and I am only the second owner.” Philip undertook some body restoration in 2016 and the result is a car that lives up to the British Motor Corporation’s promise of: “Luxuriously practical...a car that satisfies.”
Meet The Owner – Carl Pearce and his Triumph StagThere are mixed reactions to my Triumph – you often get told how these cars used to blow up. This is incorrect; they suffered from overheating, which was caused by casting sand that hadn't been properly removed when the engine blocks were made. The sand used to block the radiator, hence the overheating.
03 May 2024
At last year’s Silverstone Festival, many visitors were seen mouthing the phrase “What is it?” at a handsome, burgundy-coloured hatchback. Some seemed to think it was a Lancia while others were under the belief it was an Audi. Few seemed to recognise Jason Crawley’s 20TX – the car Renault claimed was “certainly no slouch”.
Sportissimo – Robert Meldrum’s Vauxhall Viva HB De Luxe EstateThis is a totally and utterly subjective view, but this writer regards Robert Meldrum’s Viva HB as one of the most handsome estates of its era. Today, his white Vauxhall creates a stir whenever he goes for a drive, with amazed reactions from members of the public too young to recall the HB.
Meet The Owner – Darren Staples and his Vauxhall Nova SolaThe reasons why people engage with a classic car are as diverse as the vehicles themselves. It could be due to their performance or the opportunity to realise a childhood dream of owning a machine last glimpsed in The Ladybird Book of Motor Cars. For some, it is the chance to experience a favourite television programme or film vicariously.
MEET THE OWNER - ANDREW THOMSON AND HIS VOLKSWAGEN SANTANAAndrew Thomson recently acquired a car from the 1980s that has been almost entirely forgotten in the UK through no fault of its own. The Santana GX5 was spacious, dependable, and very well-appointed, but its main fault was that the Volkswagen badge meant little to the UK’s middle managers.
01 May 2024
Tickets go on Sale for the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show on 8 May!
30 April 2024
Dale Smith’s VW Golf N is a VIC—Very Important Car. Firstly, it reminds us that the GTi Mk1 was never a common sight on British roads during the late 1970s; it was not sold in right-hand-drive form until July 1979. Instead, you were far more likely to encounter the likes of the N.
To Cortina and Back in a Cortina By Glyn DawsonWhen I learned of a trip to Cortina being organised by Graham Orchard of the MK2 Club I was excited as my wife Christine and I had heard from friends how good the previous trip had been somewhat 10 years ago. In March 2022 Graham sent details of the hotels (10 in all) and ferries and we went ahead and booked our place.
DRIVE IT DAY 2024A few inches from my car was a Mini Pick-Up, a form of motoring life last encountered en mass when Bros were still in the charts. To my right was the metallic gold magnificence that was a Lancia Gamma Coupe. Ahead of my front bumper was a 1970-model Morris Minor 1000 police ‘Panda Car’ and a very handsome Rover R8 owned by Gavin Bushby.
15 April 2024
The lower profile of the Dyane in the UK compared with its Citroën 2CV stablemate is one of the abiding mysteries of the classic car world. True, it had a shorter production run than the Deux Chevaux – 1967-1984 – but it offered almost all its virtues together with five doors and such creature comforts as a front ashtray.
Meet The Owner – Harry Traill and His Ford Falcon WagonIt is a real head-turner. People look at it and smile. Children will walk with their parents, stopping and pointing at it as it drives past. The car seems to put a smile on anyone’s face wherever I go in it, and the number of compliments you get just going to the shop alone is astounding.
PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP WINNER 2024 – COLIN FIDLER’S AUSTIN A35Colin Fidler’s splendid A35 won the Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership 2024 competition and epitomises the sales slogan: “Buy Austin and Be Proud of It!” As he explains: “The car belonged to my late uncle Robin.
“It is a leader amongst cars of today” – The Ford Zephyr-Zodiac Mk. ISometimes, the connoisseur of 1950s popular culture, such as this writer, is faced with automotive temptation, such as this 1956 Zephyr-Zodiac offered by Craner Classics. The young Arthur Daley would have craved this car, which would have also been the object of admiration among Teddy boys at the Hammersmith Palais.
Meeting An Old Friend – 1983 Austin Ambassador Vanden PlasSometimes, the world of Ebay is one of surprises – including finding the Austin Ambassador Vanden Plas I once owned. And now Bob Farrington hopes it goes to a good home.
RARER THAN RARE – 1979 FIAT 131 1300CLSometimes, the most seemingly minor detail about a car remains in the memory: the Wolseley’s illuminated ‘Ghost Light’ grille badge or the Humber Hawk and Super Snipe’s fuel filler hidden behind the offside rear reflector.
Stars of The Lancaster Stand No. 1: Vivian the Vauxhall Viva HCDuring the 2024 Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show, one car on the Lancaster Insurance Stand evoked some entertaining reactions from the showgoers. Visitors to the NEC circled Annie Redshaw-Lloyd’s Glacier Blue Viva HC and peered into the vinyl-trimmed magnificence of its interior.
10 April 2024
Any 1960 Bentley S2 Continental Drophead Coupe with Park Ward coachwork is a car to beguile and mesmerise. So, when H&H offered such an exquisite machine that was the property of one of our finest actors, the temptation to place family members on eBay to raise the necessary funds was quite acute.
Meet The Owner – Mo Ali and his Fiat 128 EstateMany of you are familiar with this experience: scanning the Facebook page of a well-known car club when you suddenly see pictures of a vehicle you long believed vanished from British roads. This writer was looking at the Fiat Motor Club GB’s Facebook site only yesterday when Mo Ali’s 1978-model Fiat 128 Estate appeared to leap from the screen.
THE WORLD’S RAREST WEDGE? – A 1975 MORRISThis is not just one of the very few surviving Morris-badged Wedges but the first made on the production line. Chassis Number 00099 left Cowley in 1975 and Leyland despatched it to Longbridge to assess the factory’s build quality. Alas, the Morris became lost in the system but was eventually registered and sold in January 1977 – hence the ‘R’ suffix.
MEET THE OWNER – RACHEL INGLIS AND HER 1965 FORD MUSTANG CELEBRATING THE BRIGHT SPARKSThe scene: four classic car owners sat in deckchairs at an event: Classic Car Owner (CCO) No.1: “Young people today, eh? When I was their age, I restored a Bugatti Royale I found in an abandoned shed in Southampton Eastern Docks.
MEET SVEN - THE 1964 SAAB GT850It would be fair to say that Sven, the 1964 Saab GT850, was one of the stars of the 2024 Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show at the NEC. He dominated Hall 4, his twin aluminium stripes gleaming in the artificial light.
LEYLAND PRINCESS 2200HL – DEFINITELY NOT AN AVERAGE CAROne of the most pleasing developments in the classic car world over the past twenty years is the Princess’ Wedge’ at least receiving praise due to such an innovative design. This 1977 2200HL, recently advertised on eBay, is enough to make one re-enact “Great Scenes from Terry and June”.
Meet The Owner - Will Hollands-Smith and his Citroen BX 19TRS Mk.2Will Hollands-Smith is a most determined young man. Owning the only roadworthy BX Mk. 1 Estate in the country was not enough to satisfy his craving for this very fine model. So, he is also the custodian of a 1986 ex-Citroen UK Mk.2 press launch/dealer demonstrator 19TRS.
08 April 2024
The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show was an electrifying event, drawing 26,912 attendees to Birmingham’s NEC over the 22-24 weekend. Witnessing over 160 car clubs come together to showcase restoration demos was truly heartening.
Introducing the Lancaster Car Club team!Hello All, We’ve had some developments on the Car Club team front which I am happy to share with you this month. We have some new members of the team...
Announcing our 2023 – 2024 Bright Young Sparks winner, Rosie Hodgson-Jones!At The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, Rosie was announced as our brilliant Bright Young Sparks winner, and received her award from previous winner, Katie!
Jordan Hope’s Rover 216 Vitesse – Celebrating 40 Years of The SD3The 19th of June 1984 was a crucial date for British Leyland, with the launch of the SD3-series Rover 200...
Brian Thomas, Car Club Executive recounts his dream ride with Sporting Bears in a McLaren 750s ConvertibleChoosing which Sporting Bears car to go out in at The NEC The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show. How do you begin to choose?
18 March 2024
Lord Anthony of London, the well-known DJ, has been a devotee of the Lotus Elite “ever since I was a kid. When I was travelling in our family car’s back seat, I caught a glimpse of these exotic beasts neatly lined up in the forecourt of the official Lotus dealership in Drakes Broughton, a small village near Worcestershire”.
Meet The Owner – Steve Cannon and his Austin Maxi 2The Austin Maxi was arguably the first of several British Leyland cars to be unfairly judged for too many years. Its potential was vast; in 1969, a family saloon with five doors, a transverse OHC engine driving the front wheels, seats that could form a double bed, and a five-speed transmission was virtual science fiction.
The UK’s Most Opinionated Automotive Reviews? - Car and The Good, The Bad, And The UglyPersonal note: Car magazine was the first motoring title that altered my younger self to how automotive writing could be witty, thought-provoking, and often idiosyncratic. To look at an edition from 1977 is to be immersed in a world of L.J.K. Setright, scoop photographs of prototypes from Hans G. Lehmann and, of course, “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly”.
MISUNDERSTOOD – THE RILEY PATHFINDERIt was one of the most attractive saloons of the 1950s, combining overtones of Lancia with the traditional Riley grille. The RMH-series Pathfinder is handsome, imposing, and luxurious and could have represented a new direction for the marque. Yet, for too many years, it was a misunderstood car.
THE VOLKSWAGEN SCIROCCO AT 50The 1974 Geneva Motor Show was the launch venue for one of Volkswagen’s most important models. The Scirocco was their first transverse engine car and their third front-wheel-drive vehicle, after the 1970 K70 and the 1973 Passat. When production ended in 2017 in its third incarnation, it had helped to redefine the Volkswagen name.
A CAR OF DREAMS – JAGUAR 420G1980 - a Sunday afternoon in a small village pub somewhere in Hampshire. For my ten-year-old self, the atmosphere can be summarised in the following words: locally branded cola, obscure forms of potato crisps, Space Invaders and stultifying, Tony Hancock-style boredom.
14 March 2024
The date is the 13th April 1964, and the venue is the Ford Pavilion at New York World’s Fair. The assembled media representatives have gathered to hear the company’s Vice President, Lee Iacocca, introduce a car that would appeal to the affluent younger driver.
SEVEN INGREDIENTS FOR THE IDEAL OUTDOOR CLASSIC CAR SHOWThe 6th March was the date for the 2024 Cowley Convoy from the BMW MINI factory to Lord Nuffield’s house near Henley-on-Thames. And as my Wolseley headed through Oxfordshire to join the event, and throughout the day, the Convoy reminded me of seven ingredients for a splendid outdoor classic car show:
MEET THE OWNER – CHARLIE SMITH AND HIS AUSTIN MONTEGO VANDEN PLAS“I think the Montego is gaining lots of respect as a classic car. My Vanden Plas gets so much interest when we take it to classic car shows and we get many questions about her!” And rightly so, as Charlie Smith’s 1985 example is a very special machine. In his words:
THE ORIGINAL MINI ESTATEEarly this month BMW announced the imminent demise of the MINI Clubman after seventeen years. But their heritage dates to a far earlier time. The original Morris Mini Traveler and Austin Seven Countryman first appeared in autumn 1960 - a world when such phrases as “National Service” and “You’re Never Alone With A Strand” were part of everyday vocabulary.
06 March 2024
There are several reasons why people acquire classic cars - performance, handling, impressing the neighbours and fine television programmes of the 1960s. Dave bought his Ventora FD for the last-named reason, and for those unfamiliar with this gem from ITC productions, here is a typical scenario from Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased):
Hidden Gem – The Triumph 1500Some cars have the misfortune of being overshadowed by more than one member of the same family. The Triumph 1500 often seems to be unfairly neglected compared with its 1300 predecessor – the marque’s first front-wheel-drive car – and the later Dolomite. Yet, it has a distinct appeal of its own.
The Car You Always Promised Yourself – The J.D Classics Ford Capri 1300L Mk. IA great deal of mythology surrounds the Capri Mk. I, including the belief that virtually every model on the road in this country was at least a 2000GT in XLR specification. A variation of this delusion is the 3000E and the later 3000GXL were relatively common sights in the early 1970s.
04 March 2024
When Citroën presented the Traction Avant to its dealers in March 1934, it made automotive history. This was not only the company’s first front-wheel drive car, but there was also rack-&-pinion steering and all-independent suspension.
Meet The Owner – Kieron Trumper and his Triumph 2.5 PI Mk. 1I bought the car last April when I was 20. I always knew I wanted a Triumph 2000/2500 as my dad had them 20/30 years ago and still owned one when I was a little kid, and it is my earliest memory of cars.
Immerse yourself in the Practical Classics World at the NEC Classic Car & Restoration Show!Don’t miss the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show from 22-24 March at the NEC! No matter whether you’re currently engaged in a restoration project or someone who just simply appreciates the beauty of classic cars, this is the perfect place to be.
Announcing our February Bright Young Spark, George Swift!Where did your passion for classics start? ‘Many different places: an interest in the history of engineering, being brought up around older cars, my curiosity to understand how all the components of a car come together to produce an operating vehicle.
14 February 2024
Owning a classic car is a joy with a few challenges en route: maintenance, restoration costs, having to source spare parts from across the globe and being asked “What’s that then?” in the Tesco car park approximately 1,354 times. Now, imagine those experiences multiplied by 28.
31 January 2024
How did it all start? ‘My dad and grandad have always enjoyed tinkering and driving their vintage cars. Since I was really little, we have always gone out in them and on holiday with them, especially with the Ford Model T car club.
Join us at the 2024 Practical Classic Restoration Show!Gear up for a fantastic start to the year at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration show, taking place from March 22 to 24 at the NEC.
29 January 2024
When Ford acquired complete control of the Turin design house Carrozzeria Ghia in January 1973, the result was a sea change for their British flagship models. Aspirational motorists craved the car with the shield badge instead of the previous 'Executive' versions. And here are the five pioneering Ghias:
MEET THE OWNER – JON COUPLAND AND HIS ROVER 75For many years, the virtues of the Rover 75 were taken for granted: its comfort, level of standard equipment and quiet dignity. Now they are receiving the attention that is due to them, and Jon Coupland is especially taken with his early Cowley-built 1.8-litre version. He explains:
24 January 2024
Once familiar, cars often undergo a seven-stage cycle. Firstly, they are launched with maximum fanfare before entering the second stage of their middle years. Next comes the last-of-the-line special editions, intended to clear showrooms for its replacement, followed by twilight in used-car listings.
22 January 2024
To be the custodian of one classic car is a major responsibility - to have a 17- strong collection is virtually a full-time occupation. Jon Bentley’s 1965 95 is one of his fleet of Saabs that established the firm as a car maker.
A Remarkable Car – The Daimler Double Six Vanden Plas Series OneFor many years, this writer has regarded the Daimler Double Six Vanden Plas Series One as the pinnacle of the XJ family. It is a car that exudes opulence and good taste in equal measure, a saloon of quiet but definite presence.
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN LOST MODELSOr seven versions of familiar BMC and British Leyland models that never made it to the showrooms:
Classic Cars – An Ongoing StoryOf all the automotive anniversaries that will be taking place this year, the one that stuns me the most is that the Citroen CX will be celebrating its half-century. I was aged about five when I saw my first example, and to say I was mesmerised was somewhat of an understatement.
15 January 2024
The Mini Moke celebrates its 60th birthday in 2024, and possibly the most fascinating variant was the dual-engine ‘Twini’. When the British Motor Corporation displayed a prototype to the media in January 1963, their Managing Director George Harriman told the press:
Ten Vehicles That Altered Their IdentityIt could be watching a film shot in New Zealand and wondering why a Hillman Minx is badged as a 'Humber 80' or seeing an old US advertisement for an Avenger under the name 'Plymouth Avenger'. And in 1981, when this writer was aged 11, he was mesmerised by the Fiat-based SEATS on his first visit to Spain.
09 January 2024
For a long time, Starsky & Hutch was a fixture on BBC1. Every week, Captain Dobey would order, “You two jokers - in my office”, and Huggy Bear would observe “You ever try to get ten horses in a basement?”.
Forgotten Hero – The Citroën VisaThe sales copy said it was "A serious challenge to those who are ahead of the Joneses" and asked potential buyers ", Do you sincerely want freedom of choice"? Equally importantly, it would allow the owner to progress "smugly in winter when other cars dig their own graves with their rear wheel drives".
60 YEARS OF THE MINI COOPER’S MONTE CARLO VICTORYSixty years ago, a Morris Mini Cooper 1071S, registration 33 EJB, was among the 299 entrants of the Monte Carlo Rally. As for the favourites, Motor Sport observed:
08 January 2024
There’s a good chance you’re reading this issue of PC during the festive season and, while the temptation may be to snuggle down in front of the fire with a mince pie and a glass of eggnog, there’s also plenty to be getting on with where your classics are concerned.
Land’s End to John O’ Groats Reliability Trial 2023 is toughest for 7 years!After 1500 miles over 5 legs, in 75 hours, the Land’s End to John O’ Groats Reliability Trial 2023 reached its end at a fine and sunny John O’ Groats, somewhat ironic after the dire conditions experienced during the event.
05 January 2024
My love for cars has definitely become my way of life. My grandfather was a brilliant mechanic, so naturally my dad followed suit with a passion for cars and detailing; I've grown up around it.
The Ford Capri II at Fifty by Andrew Roberts!When Ford unveiled the Capri II on the 25th of February 1974, they faced a vast challenge – how do you improve on the original Capri?
Congratulations to Les, our Austin Healey winner!Last year we gave you the chance to WIN a beautifully restored Austin Healey. We had thousands of entries, and we can announce that the lucky winner was Les!
FORGOTTEN HERO - THE LANCIA FLAVIAQuite simply, the Flavia was a crucial model in Lancia’s history - their first front-wheel-drive car. It is also hard to envisage how unusual a sight it would have been in the UK when it was new. Autocar described the Flavia as “a car for the connoisseur”, and Motor Sport regarded the Lancia not so much as a status symbol but as a:
The SEAT 600 – The Car That Changed a NationIt is a scenario familiar to many of us. You are casually scanning the eBay listings, gazing at the cars you cannot afford, when one vehicle metaphorically leaps out of the screen.
MATCHBOX TOYS AT SEVENTYThis blog is by way of a triple celebration. Lesney issued its first Matchbox die-cast model in 1953, its first buses and lorries in 1954, and for seven decades they have delighted motoring enthusiasts of all ages.
04 January 2024
For many years, this writer has regarded the Borgward P100 ‘Big Six’ as one of the most fascinating German cars of its generation. To find an ex-Guernsey RHD example being recently sold by Classic Car Auctions | 1961 B rgward P100 B g S x-F r Sale sorely tempted him, for the P100 belongs in a world of Cold War spies.
Meet The Owner – Callum Cubbage and his Talbot-Matra MurenaFor many years, I thought my father’s gold Talbot-Matra Murena 1.6 was one of the most unusual cars he had ever owned. Certainly, no one else in our village had decided to invest in an LHD three-seater mid-engine coupe. So, imagine my delight in seeing Callum’s example. He remarks: “This car is totally original apart from the replacement engine.
Meet The Owner – Michael Drewry and his Austin Ambassador 2.0 HLMichael is the owner of one of the most misunderstood cars to hail from the British Leyland empire. To quell one myth immediately, the motoring press did not lambast the Austin Ambassador. Motor Sport was impressed by the trim’s quality and noted how the ride, handling, and steering had all been improved compared with its predecessor.
MEET THE OWNER – CALLUM ANDERSON AND HIS VAUXHALL ASTRA EXPMarvel at the Hazelnut Metallic paintwork. Thrill to the Antique Gold side stripe and wheels, glass sunroof, front fog lamps and tinted windows. Then savour the decadence of the Chevron Tweed upholstery. In 1982, to spend £4,995 and upwards on a Vauxhall Astra EXP was to be a member of the suburban elite – i.e. the sort of person who had a Sony C7 video recorder in their living room.
Wolseley Running ReportOr what I have learned and experienced over the past twelve months. i) Panic. Yes, that was the emotion I felt on seeing smoke billow from the radiator grille and the boot last summer when the Wolseley was taking part in a show.
MEET THE OWNER - PATRICK BRADLEY AND HIS AUSTIN MAESTRO 1.3L PRESS CARWe have previously featured Patrick’s Maestro Advantage and Montego Vanden Plas Automatic, and the latest member of his fleet is equally fascinating. In his words:
27 December 2023
As we approach the end of 2023 and reflect on all we’ve achieved over the year, it’s a time of great pride for me.
20 December 2023
A well-run local car show is one of the joys of the year. But, as many owners will tell you, the main challenge is coping with such remarks as these -
THE WORLD’S RAREST HILMAN? THE BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUM’S HILLMAN GTVisitors to the British Motor Museum are guaranteed to be mesmerised by the sheer variety of rare machinery on display – including a very exclusive member of the Rootes Group 'Arrow' family. In 1969, the Hillman GT was the perfect car for the motorist who regarded a Jason King moustache and string-back driving gloves as high style.
Meet The Owner - James Ross Sinclair and his BMW 320/6The 3-Series was probably the first BMW to gain mass popularity in the UK. Speeding Home Counties motorists in the 1970s might have encountered a Thames Valley police 3.0S and a successful barrister might have chosen 528 but even the cheapest of the 02s were never widely seen. James Ross Sinclair is the proud owner of a 1982 320/6 A in splendid condition.
“Sheer poetry in motion”– The Hindustan ContessaFor many Britons, the final of 25,085 VXs leaving the Luton factory in July 1978 marked the end of the Victor story, one that commenced in 1957. But this was not quite the end of the narrative, as Vauxhall sold the design to Hindustan Motors for £1.5 million. In the 1990s, the Contessa appeared in several films and was known as “the muscle car of India”.
Ten More Lost Motoring SightsYoung people, eh? With their music, their hairstyles, and their IT gadgets. They will never have experienced the joys of trudging along a dual carriageway in the rain, looking for a working public telephone box to call for a breakdown truck. Or any of these:
The BMW 2002 Turbo at FiftyAs I recently noted in my blog about the 3-Series, during the 1970s, any BMW seemed to be an exclusive sight on British roads, while the 2002 Turbo belonged in the realm of the exotic.
Rosemary Smith - 7th August 1937 - 5th December 2023In the beginning, I was a dizzy blonde, the young one with the blonde hair and false eyelashes. Then, after I started winning things, there was a bit more of a grudging acceptance, and then when I got the drive with Rootes in England, they started to take note: ‘She must be quite good. Now, when I talk to some people I raced against, I get much more respect.
11 December 2023
In days gone by, the approach to Christmas could be marked by the Advent Calendar, the promise of seasonal specials on television, and the Woolworth commercials. Meanwhile, another advertisement appeared to keen future motorists who were still at school - YouTube
Meet The Owner – Alastair Inglis and his Peugeot 203 StylesideThere are those rare occasions when a classic car enthusiast encounters a vehicle they were unaware of. The 1952 203 Styleside ute owned by Alastair Inglis, the 203 Registrar of Club Peugeot UK, is one such exclusive machine. The ute was a version sold only in Australia, where just two remain on the road.
FIT FOR A PROFESSIONAL – THE FORD CAPRI GHIA MK. IIIn 1976, this Ford Capri Mk. II Ghia, offered for sale by Praters, represented the high life to the discerning motorists; on seeing that shield badge on the front wings, neighbours and business colleagues would regard you with awe as a member of that exclusive club – 'The Fellowship of Ghia'.
TOP TEN 1970S LIMITED-EDITION FORDS – PART 1In the 1970s, Ford GB demonstrated a mastery of the art of the limited edition special model. Here are just ten of such desirable cars -
06 December 2023
The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show lived up to its ‘biggest and best’ tagline this weekend as 71,290 enthusiasts joined at Birmingham’s NEC to celebrate another great year for the classic car community.
Announcing our November Bright Young Spark, Joshua Finch!Dad always had a classic car restoration project. My earliest memory is of a Morris Traveller. Helping him with his projects from a young age was what really sparked my passion for cars...
The Austin J40 continuation – The ultimate pedal car for Christmas?Picture the scene. It is Christmas Day, 1958, and beneath the tree is a large package – more to the point, a pedal-car-sized package. Could it possibly be the Austin J40, the country’s ultimate pedal car?
18 November 2024
When I bought my Wolseley 6/99 in 2021, one of my first thoughts was, “I must join the Cambridge-Oxford Owners Club”. This splendid organisation covers not only the 1 ½-litre and 3-litre British Motor Corporation ‘Farinas’ made between 1958 and 1971 but the 1954-1959 A40, A50, A55 Mk.
14 November 2024
As a child, during that long-distant time when repeats of Here Come the Double Deckers was a highlight of the week, I regarded the Vauxhall Magnum 2300 four-door saloon. Every detail, from the quad headlamps to the dashboard with its seven dials, denoted ‘class’.
ONE OF MY FAVOURITE VAUXHALLS – THE CRESTA PBIt is always a pleasure to be re-acquainted with Ed’s 1963 PB-series Vauxhall Cresta, which is currently seeking a new home. This writer is sorely tempted by the car once promoted as possessing “all the qualities of a fine car”.
RARER THAN RARE – 1979 DATSUN 200 LAURELWay back in 1979, when The Buggles sang about how video killed the radio star, a Datsun 200L Laurel was the car of choice for discerning executive motorists.
THE DAIHATSU COMPAGNO – THE FIRST JAPANESE CAR IN BRITAINSixty years ago, the fact that HM Customs and Excise registered an innocuous-looking two-door saloon was of little interest to the average British driver. 1964 was the year of the Ford Mustang, the Sunbeam Tiger and the 4.2-litre Jaguars E-Type and Mk. X.
MEET THE OWNER – MICHAEL CARPENTER AND HIS FORD ESCORT 1600 GHIA MK.2It belonged to an old boy who does the local shows; he could not keep on top of the maintenance, so he decided to move it on. This Escort was not cheap and a bit rustier than I hoped, but it scratches that itch without spending thousands on an overpriced and overrated sporter model.
13 November 2024
Hello, I’m Emma, a material planner based in Peterborough. When I’m not spending time with my horses, you’ll usually find me outdoors, hiking and exploring with my dog, Bonnie.
LAST OF THE LINE – SAAB 96 V4 SOUVENIRA select number of limited-edition cars celebrate the demise of a long-running model with flair, style and dignity – such as the Saab 96 V4 Souvenir. Stuart Barnes’s example is not the last of the famous range to leave the production lines – but it is number 28 of the final batch of UK-market versions.
The Wolseley 6/90 at 70“When Wolseley announce a new model there cannot be a more exciting expectation for that very typical Englishman, the man who likes his motor-car to be, in all things – in performance no less than appearance - exhilarating, discrete and distinguished.”
MEET THE OWNER – DEBS WADE AND HER TOYOTA 1000 ESTATEIt is Mission Impossible to select my favourite car of the recent Rustival 2 – but I can immediately identify the vehicle that evoked memories of Hampshire in the late 1970s.
Meet The Owner – Chris Salter and his Citroën GSA X1I am the second owner and bought her over 25 years ago. Last year, I took her to Spain via Monte Carlo, and she clocked 100,000 miles just as she drove into Arommanches in Normandy.
12 November 2024
The Austin A40/A50 Cambridge represented a genuine departure for the British Motor Corporation on their launch in late 1954.
REMEMBERING THE 1984 MOTOR SHOWThis year’s Classic Motor Show is marking 40 years, as is Lancaster Insurance, and it evokes so many memories of the 1984 event for those of us of a certain age. So, what stands at the NEC might have tempted my 14-year-old self after investing £2 in the “Comprehensive Catalogue”?
40 YEARS OLD – THE VAUXHALL ASTRA MK.2When Vauxhall launched the second-generation Astra on 17th October 1984, its main challenge was - “How we follow such a success?” In the first 9 months of that year, the 293,545 combined Opel Kadett and Astra sales represented 21% of all GM Europe’s car sales.
A VISIT TO THE MOTOR SHOW AT THE NEC - FORTY YEARS AGOWere you one of the 696,183 visitors to the NEC four decades ago? A Toyota MR2 is just one of the delights you might have encountered on 20th of October 1984 at the Motor Show:
MEET THE OWNER – FIL BAKER AND HIS BRISTOL 400“I first saw one of these magnificent cars at a rally, of sorts, in the early or mid-1970s, and promised myself on the spot that I’d have one.
MEET THE CLUB CHAIRMAN – SIMON HAYES OF THE LEYLAND PRINCESS ENTHUSIASTS’ CLUBSimon joined the Princess and Ambassador Enthusiasts’ Club “in 2020-ish,” but his interest in the British Leyland ‘Wedge’ began during childhood. He says: “We had one in the family, and I loved its shape. I’d spent ages drawing them and wanting one of my own, but it wasn’t until I saw one on television during lockdown, I decided it was high time I had one!”
RARER THAN RARE – THE BMW 600Car and Classic is to auction the ultimate version of the BMW 'Bubble Car' family – a 1958 600. To quote the original sales copy: "Everything which was unnecessary and cumbersome, everything which served no practical purpose, was thrown overboard in the constriction of the BMW 600".
08 November 2024
Hello, I’m Lorraine. I’m a qualified riding instructor who has worked in the veterinary industry for more years than I care to remember! I live in Rutland and enjoy writing novels, listening to rock music, and spending time with my rescue dog, Flora.
MEET THE OWNER – TONY BROOKS AND HIS 1979 LANCIA BETA SPYDERTony Brooks is a connoisseur of fine cars, and the previous owner of a Colt Sapporo. His most recent acquisition is equally distinctive; a vehicle that belongs in a Return of the Saint adventure, probably driven by a sun-shaded driver.
The Not-So-Secret Diary of Diva the Shetland Pony - FUSS Show 2024This show almost passed me by, but luckily the schedule was posted on one of the Shetland Pony Facebook groups that I am a member of. The show was being held at Onley Grounds Equestrian Complex, which is where I should have gone to a show a month or so earlier, but was ill and unable to take Diva (Melland Queen of Scots).
28 November 2023
Fifty years ago, visitors to the London Motor Show saw an unfamiliar marque displayed on Stand 152. The Moskvich sold by Satra Motors Ltd. was an established sight in the UK, but Earls Court was the first time most Britons encountered its fellow USSR product - a Fiat 124 clone named Lada. The sales publicly claimed:
THE AUSTIN J40 CONTINUATION – THE ULTIMATE PEDAL CAR FOR CHRISTMAS?Picture the scene. It is Christmas Day, 1958, and beneath the tree is a large package – more to the point, a pedal-car-sized package. Could it possibly be the Austin J40, the country’s ultimate pedal car? You have dropped subtle hints for the past few weeks, but your parents claim it is “far too extravagant”.
27 November 2023
The year is 1973, the place is the London Motor Show, and your attention is drawn by the Vauxhall display – namely, a striking-looking coupe. The sales team called it the “High Performance” Firenza, but showgoers were already referring to it as the “Droop Snoot”.
THE FORD CORSAIR AT 60The year is 1963 and your recently gained managerial status demands a new car and Ford seem to have the ideal vehicle. You excitedly read an article by the famous publisher Jocelyn Stevens entitled “Corsair – with man in mind” which states “‘To me, But the man of today is sophisticated, cool, tough – and on the outside, casually elegant.
THREE DAYS AT THE LANCASTER INSURANCE CLASSIC MOTOR SHOWHow do you select a Car of the Show from the recent event at the NEC? It is a true Mission Impossible from the moment you enter any of the Halls, with cars as varied as a Volvo 262C and a Vauxhall Cresta PA waiting to bombard your senses. At one point, I covetously eyed a Riley Pathfinder in metallic blue, but then I suddenly noticed its Wolseley 6/90 Series One stablemate in grey.
