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Keep up to date with the latest news and events from the world of classic cars.
IT WAS A DIFFERENT WORLD – TWENTY FACTS ABOUT LIFE IN 1952
- Andrew Roberts |
- 13th May, 2022
1) There were circa 2.5 million cars on the road in 1952. 2) Only one in twenty Britons had access to a car. 3) Some British car marques of 1952 that are no longer with us: Armstrong Siddeley, Austin, Hillman, Humber, Jowett, Morris, Singer, Standard, Sunbeam-Talbot, Triumph, Riley and Wolseley.
THE PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP WINNER; JAKE CLAPPISON’S TRIUMPH SPITFIRE 1500
- Andrew Roberts |
- 13th May, 2022
One of the 2021 Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show’s highlights was Jake Clappison’s 1979 Inca Yellow Triumph Spitfire 1500 taking first place in the Pride of Ownership.
FIVE ENTRY LEVEL CARS
- Andrew Roberts |
- 13th May, 2022
Aka who needs electric windows, a fuel gauge, windscreen washers, a boot floor?… 1953 Ford 103E Popular. Sixty-eight years ago, Ford proudly boasted that for just £390, you too could own the cheapest ‘full size’ new car in the UK.
THE VAUXHALL MAGNUM – A CELEBRATION
- Andrew Roberts |
- 13th May, 2022
Last year we celebrated the fiftieth birthday of the Firenza, which neatly brings us to the 1973 revision of the Vauxhall’s HC family.
Meet the Owner - Nicholas Harries and his Humber Sceptre
- Andrew Roberts |
- 12th May, 2022
When the Rootes Group unveiled the Humber Sceptre in 1963, they modestly proclaimed “Never before has there been a car so superbly equipped…with such performance…at so modest a price.”
THE VAUXHALL HERITAGE COLLECTION AT THE BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUM
- Andrew Roberts |
- 12th May, 2022
Many readers would have seen photos of Vauxhall’s remarkable heritage vehicle or had the pleasure of seeing the exhibits in the metal. So the news that Gaydon is to be the home of the collection is indeed welcome.
THE TRIUMPH TR8 REMEMBERED
- Andrew Roberts |
- 12th May, 2022
Forty one years ago, production ended of one of the great post-war British sports cars. One US motoring journalist wrote, ‘I didn’t think they’d ever make cars like that again, but the Triumph TR8 reminds me why I fell in love with cars in the first place’. Countless other enthusiasts feel the same way.
THE FORD 100E: A CELEBRATION
- Andrew Roberts |
- 12th May, 2022
When the Anglia and Prefect 100E made their bow at the 1953 Paris Motor Show, they marked a major development for Ford of Great Britain.
DENNIS WATERMAN 24TH FEBRUARY 1948 – 8TH MAY 2022
- Andrew Roberts |
- 11th May, 2022
Dennis Waterman was a part of the lives of several generations of Britons. For some, he will be the Triumph Stag driving former Detective-Inspector Gerry Standing of New Tricks.
CELEBRATING THE MG 1300 MK. II
- 10th May, 2022
The 1969 Motor test of the MG 1300 Mk II was headlined “At last – real performance”, and in the previous year, Autocar found it “great fun to drive”. They also regarded it as “refined and gentlemanly and will serve equally well the enthusiast driver and his not so enthusiastic wife”.
THE TRIUMPH ACCLAIM – AN APPRECIATION
- Andrew Roberts |
- 10th May, 2022
This year marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most important cars to bear the Triumph badge. When the Acclaim made its bow on the 7th October 1981, it pioneered Japanese involvement in the British motor industry. It was also the right car launched at the right time – an accolade not shared by many other BL products.
THE VW TREKKER – A CELEBRATION
- Andrew Roberts |
- 10th May, 2022
The year is 1974, Volkswagen GB has initiated a competitor to re-name their latest import, the 182. The winner was a Mr. Nigel Purden of the Midlands with his suggestion of ‘Trekker’ – and it would be fair to say it was virtually sans rivals in the UK.
THE SHORT BUT FASCINATING SAGA OF THE RENAULT R3
- Andrew Roberts |
- 10th May, 2022
It goes without saying that when the R4 made its bow in 1961, it altered Renault’s future and small European cars per se. Not only was it the company‘s first car with FWD (the front-wheel-drive Estafette van debuted in 1959) it also popularised the five-door format for the mass market.
REMARKABLE DAIMLER ONE-O-FOUR LADIES MODEL
- Andrew Roberts |
- 10th May, 2022
The 1950s often appear to be another world – the National Anthem played at the end of cinema bills, newsagents selling Woodbines and The Daily Herald…and vehicles aimed exclusively at the female driver.
