LANCASTER CLASSIC CAR NEWS
THE JAGUAR S-TYPE AT SIXTY
Sixty years ago, Jaguar introduced a new model for the driver who lived in a world of expense account steak and scampi. Seeing an S-Type in the driveway would show the neighbours that you had reached ‘the top’ and induce envy in all Ford Zodiac owners.
MGB is revealed as fan favourite
2023 is a big year for MGs, as it marks its 100th birthday and the MG Owners’ Club (MGOC) achieves its 50th anniversary, and to celebrate Lancaster Insurance has revealed the top MG model favoured by owners, the B. According to its own data, the B makes up 54% of MG policies with Lancaster Insurance, followed by the Midget (16%) and the TF (11%).
MEET THE OWNER – TREVOR HANDY AND HIS FORD GRANADA 3.0GL MK. I ESTATE
The public reaction is very good, especially when you lift the bonnet you can eat your lunch off it. I have always been a fan of big cars and estate cars, especially Ford, so when I first saw this one, I knew I would end up with it.
A Car of Temptation – A Riley Two-Point-Six
Auctions can be places of great temptation to the unwary classic car enthusiasts. Take the 1959 Riley Two-Point-Six to be sold by H&H on the 29th November. After just one look, this writer was plotting to eBay several members of his family to raise the necessary funds - 1959 Riley 2.6 Saloon (handh.co.uk).
1993 Ford Fiesta
1993 – a time when Meat Loaf announced I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) and when Angus Deayton still hosted Have I Got News For You. And a time when a Ford Fiesta was a familiar sight. Thirty years later, time and the impact of various scrappage schemes means that it is now an increasingly rare sight on British roads.
2004 MG SV-R
The best things about the car, however, remain the chassis and the steering, which has a lovely feel to it. The chassis is sharp without feeling snappy, taut without riding harshly. The car feels smart and intimate: you feel on top of the job.
FORD SIERRA SAPPHIRE RS COSWORTH
"It's not for the inexperienced, but oh, how it rewards skilful, fluent, driving". That is how Ford promoted the new Sapphire RS Cosworth on its launch in 1988 – "Developed on the track, there's little to touch it on the road".
ROVER 2600 SD1
When British Leyland commenced work on the SD1, David Bache, Rover’s Head of Design, intended to create a five-door supercar on a limited budget. He later stated: “It may be more difficult to achieve high standards with a simpler design because more intensive development is needed:
1967 JAGUAR E-TYPE
In December of 1961, Car & Driver rhapsodised over the E-Type: Our first impressions of taking over this car are not easy to describe. The car is beautiful to look at from any angle, and it was said by many, who saw it in the flesh for the first time when meeting our test crew, that pictures so far published had all failed to do justice to its appearance.
1955 CITROEN ‘ONZE NORMALE’ TRACTION AVANT
When Citroën unveiled the original Traction Avant to the public on the 18th of April 1934, it marked an evolutionary step in the development of the motor car. There was the elegant uni-body construction, the front wheel drive, the torsion bar suspension and the hydraulic brakes. By comparison, other saloons of that era looked as though they had recently emerged from The Ark.
1970 AUSTIN-HEALEY SPRITE
In late 1969, British Leyland extensively revised the MG Midget Mk. III and its Austin-Healey Sprite Mk. IV companion model. The black grilles and Ro-Style wheels altered the line-up’s image. It was farewell to blazers, cravats and Graham Hill moustaches and hello to Jason King sideburns and large amounts of Hai Karate aftershave. And who could resist the “Racy 3-spoke steering wheel with simulated leather-bound rim”?
AUSTIN A90 ATLANTIC
Seventy-five years ago, the A90 Atlantic was a star of the first post-war London Motor Show. Many of the 562,954 visitors to Earls Court were agog at those gold-faced instruments, the ECKO radio set, the heater, the centrally mounted fog lamp and the "Jewelescent" paint finish. Plus, any car with a power-operated hood was a world apart from a realm of smog, Woodbines and queuing for the cheese ration.