Latest news
Welcome to Lancaster Insurance News
Keep up to date with the latest news and events from the world of classic cars.
MEET THE OWNER – SHAUN BROADBENT AND HIS VAUXHALL VICEROY
- 28th December, 2022
Shaun Broadbent is selling one of the rarest Vauxhalls in the country. Only 2,295 Viceroys left the dealerships between 1980 and 1982, and today a mere nine remain on the road - Search results for 'Vauxhall viceroy' - How Many Left? Yet, it had genuine potential and is a prime example of how poor marketing can seriously hamper a car's prospects.
AMERICAN SPLENDOR - THE KAISER MANHATTAN
- 28th December, 2022
Sometimes – in fact, often – eBay is a place of great temptation. You begin your search with the intention of buying a new pair of driving gloves, but within an hour, you are contemplating another classic car. And when presented with the chance of bidding for a Kaiser Manhattan, this is wholly understandable.
THE FORD CAPRI MK.I – RIGHT CAR, RIGHT TIME, RIGHT MARKET
- 28th December, 2022
This writer was recently re-watching the Capri launch film and marvelling at a) how the plot gave hope to all middle-aged Brylcreemed would-be lotharios and b) Ford's superlative marketing. The development costs amounted to £20 million, so nothing was left to chance with the launch of "The Car You Always Promised Yourself" on the 5th of February 1969.
TOP TEN REASONS WHY CAR CLUBS ARE WONDERFUL
- 21st December, 2022
This could have so easily been a ‘Top 50’ or a ‘Top 100’, but here is just ten of the reasons why car clubs are wonderful.
MEET THE OWNER – ADRIAN WAINWRIGHT AND HIS VOLVO 244 GLE THOR
- 19th December, 2022
"My dream car when I was 17 was not a sporty Ford or Vauxhall but a Volvo 265 GLE Fuel injection automatic - a dream still not realised as yet!" But Adrian Wainwright now owns an even more exclusive Swedish car – the 244 GLE Thors.
30 Years of the Ford Mondeo
- 19th December, 2022
There are several aspects of the 1990s that many hope will never return – The Word on Channel Four comes to mind – but others are fondly missed. I mention this as a significant Ford has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary but the Mondeo Mk. I is now a fast-vanishing sight.
THE 1952 MOTOR SHOW
- 19th December, 2022
The date is the 22nd October 1952, and the ethos of the British motor industry is still very much 'Export or Die'. During this year, companies across the UK produced 448,000 vehicles, but they allocated 308,942 for export. But at least the end to the 'Car Covenant' looks in sight.
THE MERCEDES-BENZ W201 AT FORTY
- 13th December, 2022
It is almost impossible to believe the W201 celebrated its 40th birthday on the 8th December. Some cars have styling that appears locked in 1982, while Bruno Sacco's lines for the original 190 is timelessly elegant. It was also a crucial Mercedes-Benz alternative to the BMW 3-Series and the Audi 80.
THE AUDI 100 COUPE S – A CELEBRATION
- 13th December, 2022
In the early 1970s there was one car of choice for the executive who wanted a grand tourer more exclusive than the Ford Capri GXL, more ‘Continental’ in looks than the Reliant Scimitar GTE and more comfortable than a Triumph Stag. It was, of course, the Audi 100 Coupe S.
Why I Crave a Fiat 2300
- 13th December, 2022
It is the mid-1980s, and the BBC is screening a not particularly distinguished 1966 Peter Sellers film titled After the Fox. Much of the film was shot on location in Italy, and for the final reel chase, the police favoured a handsome saloon with tailfins and quad headlamps. From that moment onwards, I craved a Fiat 2300.
50 YEARS OF THE OUTSPAN MINI
- 2nd December, 2022
Picture the scene. It is 1973, and you are attending a village fete with your family. Just as you think that a second-hand copy of Crackerjack Annual 1969 marks the day's high point, you spot a Mini like none other.
1955 – Britain’s Second Greatest Motor Show
- 2nd December, 2022
Our blogs celebrating motor shows of the past conclude with 1955 – the year of so many automotive innovations:
RARER THAN RARE – THE MORRIS ISIS
- 2nd December, 2022
As many of us know, eBay is a haven of temptation. One starts with the modest aim of obtaining a copy of Motor Road Test Annual 1977, but within thirty minutes, there is the temptation to buy another classic car. But this is wholly understandable when the vehicle in question is one of the few surviving examples of the Morris Isis.
THE ROUTEMASTER RETURNS TO LONDON
- 2nd December, 2022
On the 12th October Time Out published some welcome news for all classic vehicle enthusiasts. Particularly those who appreciated double-deckers of quality: A company called ‘Londoner Buses’ is starting a new regular bus route in central London entirely equipped with vintage Routemasters.
