LANCASTER CLASSIC CAR NEWS
60 Years of the Humber Sceptre by Andrew Roberts
On the 15th of January 1963, the Rootes Group made bold claims about their latest Humber. “Never before has there been a car so superbly equipped… with such performance… at so modest a price”.
SADLY MISSED - THE LITTLE CHEF
In 2017, a friend and I visited a Cambridgeshire branch of Little Chef to ask permission to stage a photo shoot in their car park. After two minutes, it became evident we could have produced a re-enactment of The Wicker Man outside their front door, and no one would have cared.
MEET THE OWNER – GARY WATERFALL AND HIS MORRIS ITAL 1.3L
A few months ago, Gary Waterfall acquired a very rare British Leyland product of the early 1980s – “I sold an Escort Cosworth after owning Ford RSs for nearly 30 years and bought the Ital: I love it”.
THE LOTUS CORTINA AT 60
The Daily Telegraph noted that it was the fastest car yet marketed by Ford GB. Autocar warned that using it for domestic purposes was akin to “putting a spirited hunter into the shafts of a coal cart”. However, The Motor believed it was “a good compromise for a keen driver who has to remember that the family must sit somewhere”.
THE TVR VIXEN S1 – A CELEBRATION
A long time ago, in the year when Brotherhood of Man won the Eurovision Song Contest, I encountered a fascinating two-seater coupe in the village garage. Most of the time, the front yard seemed to contain a familiar array of decaying Singer Vogues and Vauxhall Viva HAs, so this was an entirely different form of car.
TOP FIVE WOULD-BE CARS OF THE YEAR
As the Jeep Avenger was recently declared Car of the Year 2023, what better opportunity to consider five highly significant models that still never achieved that COTY accolade - 1965 – Winner: Austin 1800.
LIFE AT THE TOP – SEVEN EXECUTIVE FORDS
For over ten years, the ‘E’ or ‘Executive’ badge on a British Ford denoted living the high life – cigars, unlimited Luncheon Vouchers and dining at the Angus Steak House every Friday. So which of these very magnificent seven would you choose?
60 YEARS OF THE VOLVO AMAZON ESTATE
2022 was a year of significant 60th anniversaries, including one from Volvo. The five-door version of the Amazon was not, of course, their first estate car, as the 1953 Duett remained in production until 1969.
MEET THE OWNER – JON MURDEN AND HIS TWO HILLMANS
Both of Jon Murden’s Hillmans seem to belong in the world of post-war comedy. You can imagine Tony Hancock dreaming of the day when a gleaming 1957-vintage Audax Minx would be parked outside of 23 Railway Cuttings instead of a battered pre-war Ford V8 saloon acquired by Sid from a bombsite dealer.