Índex per February 2018 a Practical Classics

‘Sellers have a role to play in this, too’ There’s a petition doing the rounds at the moment and it’s well worth signing. You see, we reckon car manufacturer scrappage schemes are a senseless, wasteful, destructive load of old twaddle. Want to knock a few grand off the price of a brand new car? Go to your local dealer and ask for a discount. They’ll give you one, we guarantee it. There’s no government, legal or eco-friendly incentive for them to scrap your old car at all. We’d like to encourage the classic car community to let car makers and dealers know what we think of their loathsome schemes. Naturally, we want the car industry to do well but encouraging unsuspecting people to destroy vehicles of historic importance is contemptible.…

PARLIAMENT TALKS SCRAPPAGE  A parliamentary briefing paper has been published debating the 2009 scrappage scheme and those currently on offer. It has no conclusions but opens the door to further debate. Practical Classics’ anti-scrappage petition is currently online. Get there through our website. practicalclassics.co.uk DVLA V888 CHANGES The DVLA has confirmed that in mid-September it amended (unannounced) the definition of reasonable cause for requesting information under V888. Seeking details of former keepers is not now considered acceptable. The website is available at gov.uk/ requestinformation-from-dvla.  You are able to request details about vehicles formerly registered in your name and the service is now free; conditions are on the above site. DVLA says the Data Protection Act amendments gave it no choice. Another unintended consequence of legislation dealing…

The Standard Ten that was recently saved from a Ford scrappage deal with the help of PC has been officially donated to the Standard Motor Club. The 1959 classic was threatened with the crusher when the owner traded it in. As we went to press, ownership was being transferred from the scrapyard to the club. The vehicle is expected to be cared for locally until a new classic collection opens in Caithness. ‘The car is safe at last,’ said Bob Alexander from the Standard Motor Club Scottish Group. There are plans for the Standard to make a triumphant appearance on the Practical Classics stand at the PC CC&R Show in March.…

Clubbed out A record 130 car clubs will fill the halls of the PC CC&R Show in March. Some 26 of them will be making their show debut, including the MG Car Club. Meanwhile, among all those who are set to embrace the restoration theme, the Fiat Coupé Club UK will be reassembling one of their cars on the stand and while the Frisky Register is stripping and rebuilding a Villiers engine, Ford Nutz will be recreating the Nineties Ford workshop PDI checks. Fine barn finds 25 rusty classic relics will be rolled out for the PC Resto Show, including six recently unearthed Eighties wrecks. Among them will be an Izuzu Piazza Turbo that was found on eBay, a garage-find Nissan Cherry and a 1987 BMW 7-Series that had been…

Classic 5 Series 1972 to 2003 £24.45 ISBN 1787110613 BMW’s mid-size exec, detailed in full by Marc Cranswick. A truly thorough insight into model development from 1972 to the end of E39 production. veloce.co.uk Rover V8 £18.65 ISBN 1787110265 With impressive visuals and in-depth analysis, James Taylor delves into everyone’s favourite V8, first used by Rover in 1967. The Story of the Engine is essential reading for anyone into these powerful, compact and light engines. veloce.co.uk The Volvo Estate Car £13.39 ISBN 1787110753 This big Swedish icon is at long last celebrated in a fine book from Ashley Hollebone, who explains how the Volvo estate paved the way for safe, spacious and dependable cars capable of withstanding Scandinavian winters and many generations of families. veloce.co.uk…

Per Ardua… …ad Astra. In this case, a MkII version. The second-gen Astra/Opel Kadett used most of the oily bits from the MkI in 1979 but carried Vauxhall through to 1991. One failure was security – the Astra/Belmont MkII was the most stolen car in Britain at one time. Commercial traveller The P100 pick-up or ‘ute’ lasted to 1988 in Cortina MkV form, with all of them being manufactured in South Africa. A short-lived Sierra-based version replaced it. M1, Leicestershire, 1990 Pity these poor and chilly travellers. We think this photo was taken after the Great Midlands Blizzard on December 9 and 10, 1990. The area around Derby was worst hit, with two feet of snow lying deep and crisp and even. All rail services in the Midlands were cancelled,…

ASTRANOMICAL I find it hard to believe how scrapping thousands of perfectly usable vehicles early can be beneficial to the environment. I can understand cutting down on plastic bags at supermarkets, but binning your motor that’s less than 10 years old with years left in it is perfectly fine? I’ll be watching your anti-Scrappage campaign, and I’ll be running my 1994 Astra GSi for as long as the Government allows me to legally drive it, despite the £270 per year road tax! James White, via email A breakfast Favorit The December 2017 letter about Sam Glover’s Favorit brought back happy memories. Mine was white with a tan interior and it also never let me down. It did have an irritating wheel vibration at 70mph though, which drove me mad.…

I built and tested the instrument binnacles for the production XJ220. Each one was individually calibrated up to 220mph on a cobbled together test rig using a Psion organiser (remember them?) Beneath the nice blue electroluminescent display lies a Ford Granada speedo mechanism! Bryan Barker My favourite car of all time. It just oozed class and poise and it’s still on my lottery win shopping list! Allan Mawson I used to know a bloke in Gloucester who owned one. He was the landlord of quite a few local residential properties. Martin Fletcher I recall reading one of my dad’s car magazines around release time (possibly Auto Express), with an article on a journalist taking one out on a track and blowing up the engine after going up to 90mph in…

With just 300 miles on the clock since completion, everything about Ed’s TVR feels new-car tight. There’s a crisp bark to the engine as it hurls this very light car down the road. I grab the next gear via the weighty but super-precise gearshift and repeat the process up through the ’box with no let-up in the rate at which the Tuscan accelerates. Steering response is instant, and the firm suspension and short wheelbase make it great for zipping around twisty Buckinghamshire lanes. It’s cosy in here, while you are so close to both the door and the centre console that the bucket seats are almost superfluous. It’s not a car you could ever really relax in – but if it was it wouldn’t be a proper TVR.…

Badge engineering. The indigenous British motor industry did this so well, sweeping up small, separate companies into large conglomerates but keeping the old names going by applying their badges to fractionally different versions of essentially the same car. And why not? It kept the dealers happy, it capitalised on customer loyalty, and it made for a more varied carscape. Sometimes, though, owners can be very defensive about their cars’ marque identification even in the face of obvious absurdity. It’s noticeable in the Imp world that I sometimes inhabit. At a classic car show recently was a Singer Chamois with a large sign on its windscreen saying: ‘This is NOT a Hillman Imp’. Perish the thought, indeed. So, BMC was at it. The Rootes Group was at it. Even Rolls-Royce was…

REVIEW It’s all over now Rock and film cars star at Historics Historics final sale of 2017, held at Mercedes World, included a selection of cars with loose – or not so loose – rock star and film connections. We’ll start with the real thing, a Mercedes-Benz 250 S bought new by Rolling Stones bass man Bill Wyman, then bought back by him in 1991 as a wreck, which he had restored. Wyman finally sold it again in 2015, when it made £20,700 at a Bonhams auction. The car has since covered just 3000 miles so we reckon whoever paid £16,800 for it at Historics got a good deal. As mentioned in the previous issue, prices of DeLoreans have stepped back in time. Low mileage examples aren’t rare, but this…

Craig Cheetham I have a confession – I’m quite a fan of banger racing. If cars weren’t scrapped, there’d be no such things as classics. The majority of cars that end up on the oval are unloved and often too far gone to justify repair – they provide parts to keep others on the road. The R8 Rover (1989-95 200/400 Series) has long been a banger boys’ dream. They’re light, strong and they handle. The K-Series punches above its weight in a sea of Vauxhall Hi-Torq and Ford CVH engines. And in the sub 1.5-litre class, 214s are hot property. Just ask Josh. He is a 20-year-old lad from Soham in Cambs, who was asked by his grandfather to sell the car he’d owned since it was one year old.…

1971 Saab 96 V4 Engine 1498cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 65bhp@4700rpm Torque 85lb ft@2500rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 16.5 sec Top Speed 93mph Weight 920kg Work done Windscreen and interior refitted. There are many things I am perfectly capable of but heavy stitching and the intricate arrangement of delicate vinyl piping are not among them. Typically for a Saab of this vintage, the upholstery had dissolved like a loaf of bread in a puddle. The vinyl bolsters seemed okay but the fabric was in shreds. A chat with everyone’s favourite tweed-wearing Lancastrian, tech genius and PC’s resident concert pianist Ed Hughes, saw me stuffing a wad of cash into his top pocket and the seats into the back of a Wartburg Tourist. While Tomkins and I began tinkering with the crusty malfunctioning electrics…

Phony Kilos of filler flatter the front wings but Javelin-shaped metal needs to replace holes further back… 1952 Jowett Javelin Deluxe Engine 1486cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 50bhp@4500rpm Torque 76lb ft@2600rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 22.4sec Top speed 80mph Fuel economy 32mpg Work done Car collected, parts loaded, parts unloaded, books pored Also in Theo’s garage 1955 AUSTIN A135 PRINCESS Spare Gardner 4LK diesel engine secured and rebuild planned. 1963 STANDARD VANGUARD ESTATE In an ever-sorrier state: now leaving a rusty outline. By the time you get to read this, I may have been involuntarily separated from my scrotum. My other half, Sarah, left me alone for a week to go on holiday leaving me three clear instructions: eat sufficient vegetables; change my underpants; and don’t bring home any more cars. I did…

Guilty? A borrowed wrench confirmed that Gary’s own had torqued the head inaccurately. Recalibration required. 1959 Peerless GT Engine 1991cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 110bhp@4800rpm Torque 117lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d 0-60mph 10.8sec Top speed 120mph Fuel economy 28mpg Work done New gasket fitted, PCV blocked off temporarily. Also in Gary’s garage 1980 SAAB 99 TURBO TWO-DOOR Next in line for full restoration once the Peerless is finished. I’ve learnt a few lessons in life, such as never hang a flag outside new premises or the business will fail and never fit shiny parts to a restoration project until all you have left to do is polish paintwork. I’ve always obeyed the first rule but spurred on by the running engine and working clutch and brake hydraulics, I lapsed on the…

You will need Scissors, sharp knife, sealant or adhesive, cavity wax, gloss paint (optional). While you’re there… Obtain spare trim clips and anything else that’s missing or broken. Get some grease and rustproofing wax, too, and you can service the entire door in one fell swoop. Contact adhesive If you’re using contact adhesive, apply it to the frame, then to the sheet – then fit the sheet immediately. This buys time for minor adjustments. Scissors Treat yourself to a large, sharp pair of scissors that will glide through the weathersheet. How you ever struggled to track down the cause of soggy footwells during wet weather? Or are your classic’s doorcards gradually warping into weird shapes? The culprit in both cases is likely to be the weathersheets in the doors –…

You will need Arc welding set; welding rods (6013 and 7018 general purpose); welding shield, cap and gauntlets; leather jacket, spats or apron; extractor fan (or an old desk fan); slag-chipping hammer; wire brush. Multi-purpose set As we’ve said in previous features in this series, a multi-function MIG, TIG and arc set is a fine investment. Experiment Practice is the key to good results. Cover plates with beads of weld and practise different joints. Check your joints for good penetration and bend them to destruction. Sticky stick? If your rod sticks, check the earth, the power supply, the current and the hot-start settings. Arc welding has gone out of fashion since MIG and latterly TIG welding sets have become readily available at reasonable prices. This is a real pity as…

Hot hatches were the in-thing back in the Eighties. Everyone was doing it – there were warmed-up derivatives of almost every humdrum hatch from the Nissan Cherry to the Alfa Romeo Arna. And while here and now everyone bleats about mpg figures down the pub, in the decade of red braces it was all about the 0-60mph sprint. As (whisper it) most hot hatches weren’t actually all that quick by today’s standards. The Golf GTi just about managed it in under ten seconds – quicker than your mum’s Golf Driver, but still only about as good as a brisk repmobile. But a Maestro? Surely it couldn’t be turned into a credible hot hatch? And the first attempt, the Weber-fed 1600, wasn’t much cop. In 1984 though, Austin Rover slotted in…

Prices in this guide are researched from several sources, including clubs, auctions, the trade and advertisements online and in print. These prices are reviewed and updated every issue. Our C/D rating is a basic guide to what you can expect to pay (£) for the best examples of a model, a concours car or something from a dealer. CONDITION 1 means well-presented cars that have no obvious faults. CONDITION 2 cars are capable of regular use. They have a current MoT certificate but will need work and/or original parts. CONDITION 3 cars usually need a complete rebuild, but might be driveable and MoT’d – candidates for restorations. PLEASE NOTE You cannot accurately value any car without seeing it in the flesh. Don’t buy blind. KEY auto: automatic con: convertible lhd:…

My London To Brighton unsung heroes. 1949 Bedford Duple OB, 1948 OB, and 1950 OB ‘Toastrack’. Skill Shack Restoration Theatre at the Classic Motor Show had my Riley RMA on display… its show debut. Stroud’s detailing Jedi, Rich March, came to the PC stand at the NEC. Shiny Triumph resulted – thank you! Ended up at friend of a friend John Carter’s house. He still has his dad’s old MGB – in the family from new. Reviving my old Maestro VDP has been fun. It is now the standby vehicle for our ‘Winter Warmers’ feature.…

House find Bentley Specialist WiIliam Medcalf has brought the famous ‘House Find’ Bentley back to life. Stored in bits for half a century in a London house, the unique Victor Broom 1928 4 ½ litre is now back on the road. New classic show en route Coming soon to Quest is a new classic show – Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars – with antiques supremo Drew Pritchard and classic car nut Paul Cowland. Basically it is a barn-find discovery and rescue format… so we’ll be watching! BL bookazine The cars of British Leyland are the focus of a new special edition Practical Classics publication. It features cars from the Maxi to the Metro, plus buying guides and an exclusive interview with designer Harris Mann, including unseen sketches of concept cars that…

There will be more project cars than ever before at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show with Discovery on March 23-25. Star of the NEC event Live Stage will be our new project – a 1954 Citroen 2CV that will be rebuilt live over the course of the three-day event. The iconic French people’s car celebrates its 70th birthday in 2018 and our barn find example, discovered by PC Assistant Editor James Walshe, is one of the earliest in Britain. ‘It was scattered in pieces at locations across North London with the chassis at a house in South Woodford and the body abandoned in a nearby lockup.’ Says James. ‘The engine and other parts were in another garage up the road. So bit by bit, with help from…

To book tickets for the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, with Discovery, simply visit necrestorationshow.com – it couldn’t be easier! Adult tickets are just £18 for a day, or you could upgrade to a weekend pass, or even a three-day one to make sure you don’t miss a single thing at the show! P.S: If you book in advance you could save up to 15 per cent. All ticket bookings are subject to a single transaction fee of £1.50 (this is charged per booking, not per ticket) and include a Show Guide to help you find your way around when you get there.…

The magnificent Nick Larkin asked why people banger race classic cars in the December 2017 issue of PC . This struck me as an odd question. He might as well ask why anyone does anything with classic cars. Why do he and I hoard more cars than we’re ever likely to have the time and resources to get on the road in our lifetimes? Why do people spend £80,000 on Jaguar E-types then drive them slowly? Why put a Chevy small-block in a Ford Model A or drive up the Col de Turini? Few facets of classic ownership are wholly rational. We do such stuff because we’re passionate about it. Fortunately, our passions are all slightly different. Westminster apocalypse Some time ago, I attended the much-publicised all Austin Westminster banger…

Perhaps inspired by the growing number of one-make auctions, Silverstone tried a partial one-make sale for the Saturday leg of their double-header at the NEC Classic Motor Show. And it was a partial success. A collection of mostly beyond-superb fast Fords made up 24 of the 67 lots, and their presence packed out Silverstone’s fenced-off area of Hall 2. A lot were just Ford fans along for the show. But there were also plenty of people who could – as became apparent – afford Ferraris, but choose loyalty to the Blue Oval logo. Having got Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead to warm up the crowd, the first jaw-dropper was a rare white Sierra Cosworth RS500, 6000 miles on the clock, which sold for £112,500. The scene was set; how about…

Rob McCabe It was easier than I thought. With a simple ‘What do you think?’ intoned with as much couldn’t-care-less-what-youthink-because-I’m-not-actually-that-botheredmyself as I could muster, I handed my wife the iPad. And the seller’s excellent photographs of his pretty little Daihatsu Copen did the rest – well, that, and the realisation that a car that looks like this could change hands for not a lot of money. I found myself in the right place at the right time, given that these tiny Japanese roadsters – never big sellers here anyway – certainly aren’t going to get any more numerous and that their day in the classic-car sun will surely dawn sometime soon. This is especially true of the later 1.3-litre 4-cylinder model (2007-10), which is greatly outnumbered in the UK by…

Freedom Out in the open for the first time since 1992. Body was sound apart from wheelarches and rear chassis rail. 1986 Ford Sierra 1.6 L Estate Engine 1593cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 75bhp@5300rpm Torque 89lb ft@2900rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 13.7sec Top speed 103mph Fuel economy 36mpg Work done Found in a garage, brought back to MoT standard… my Winter Warmer Also in Danny’s shed 1950 RILEY RMA Theo G is on with the offside wheelarch – he’s a genius. 1956 RILEY PATHFINDER More metalwork… sigh. 1970 JENSEN INTERCEPTOR Work proceeds at PALE Classics in Chippenham. I972 TRIUMPH 2000 NEC Triumph! New radio fitted. Stars in Skill Shack. 1986 AUSTIN MAESTRO 1.6 VANDEN PLAS We have had a new key made and turned it! 1987 MAZDA 626 COUPÉ Almost ready for the…

1 Assess project There are three categories: buggered; rotten; and missing. This car has numerous items in all three areas and will need plenty of TLC. 2 Probe engine The flat-four is soundly seized… a cheap borescope showed a lack of corrosion but the bores look quite wavy, so the rebuild was clearly some miles back. 3 Lubricate bores Currently dosed in XCP to loosen it up. If it turns, a cylinder leak test will indicate if the open valves’ seats have corroded, meaning head off and a quick tickle. 4 Assess structure This is where the most work is required. The Javelin has a unitary construction, its ‘chassis’ members being integral with the body. 5 Fit doors The doors need to fit so there’s a sensible gap; they need…

Sam Glover TECHNICAL EDITOR Sam has broken down in a gigantic variety of classics over the years, then worked out how to fix them. John Simpson MASTER MECHANIC Big John has worked at the greasy end of the motor industry since leaving school. Theodore J Gillam TECHNICAL EXPERT Theo teaches automotive engineering and makes amazing things in his shed. Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS Ed singlehandedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern car. Kim Henson CLASSIC CAR GURU Kim’s been restoring classics for over four decades. BMC vehicles are his speciality. Nigel Clark DIY RESTORER Nigel’s driveway achievements rival those of professional mechanics. He’s our resident Triumph expert. DIFFICULTY LEVELS One to two spanners An easy job that’s well within the reach of…

Hinges and catches Lubricate all catches and hinges with fresh engine oil or aerosol grease. Wipe off excess. Tyres Inspect for perishing, wear and damage. Investigate uneven wear. Recommended radial tyre pressures: 26psi (front), 28psi (rear). You will need Trolley jack, axle stands, oil pan, AF spanners, screwdrivers, long steel bar or lever, test lamp or multimeter, grease gun, oil can. Shock absorbers Bounce each corner of the car to check the function of the shock absorbers. It should rebound once then stabilise. What’s it like to work on? Servicing is straightforward and most of the required operations are a joy rather than a chore. The only slight exceptions are reaching the grease nipple on the front universal joint of the propshaft and extricating the gearbox dipstick through the small…

If your club’s contact details have changed, please let us know! A  750 MOTOR CLUB 01379 741641, 750mc.co.uk AC OWNERS’ CLUB 07768 363250, acownersclub.co.uk AMERICAN AUTO CLUB (UK) 0845 644 0345, americanautoclubuk.com AMBULANCE PRESERVATION SOCIETY southambpres.wordpress.com CLASSIC AMERICAN AC (GB) 020 8286 1120, classicamericanautoclub.co.uk/ PRE -’50 CLASSIC AMERICAN 01530 831170, pre50aac.com AEC SOC aecsociety.com ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA REGISTER giulietta.com ALFA ROMEO OC aroc-uk.com ALLARD OWNERS’ CLUB allardownersclub.org ALVIS OWNER CLUB alvisoc. org ALVIS REG 01509 412289, alvisregister.co.uk ARMSTRONG SIDDELEY OC 01225 723809, siddeley.org A-SERIOUS (A-SERIES ENGINED CARS) http://aserious.freeforums.org ASSN OF OLD VEHICLE CLUBS OF N IRELAND 028 9146 7886, aovc.co.uk ASTON MARTIN OC 01865 400400, www.amoc.org AUDI 100 COUPÉ S CLUB GB 01702 461513 audi100coupes.angelfire.com AUDI OC 07788 588449 , audiclub.co.uk CLUB AUDI…

The fourth Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show needs you! We want your club to be a part of it. In fact, not just to be a part of it… but a winner! Tickets have already gone on sale for the show that takes place on March 23-25 and one of the highlights will be the third National Car Club Awards that take place on the Saturday evening. So, if you reckon your club magazine can take on all comers, that you’re seriously hot at social media or your website has what it takes, get your nominations in. The 2018 awards will bigger than ever. In 2017, 16 awards across four categories were given out… in 2018 there will be a couple of extra special categories including Best Car…

We like free events, so this annual precursor to the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run was literally right up our street. More than half a million people turning up for a closer look at the 200+ classics lined up. Centre stage was given to the 100 or so veteran cars and their drivers who were heading to the seaside the next day. With many in period dress there was a carnival atmosphere. regentstreet motorshow.com…

T H U DEC 28 YORKS Micro Maniacs to Sewerby, YO15 1EW (micromaniacsclub.co.uk) SUN DEC 31 YORKS Huddersfield Autojumble, Old Market Building, HD1 1RG (phoenixfairs.jimdo.com). MON JAN 1 BEDS Vintage Stony Vintage Car and Motorcycle Gathering, Stony Stratford, MK11 1BE (vintagestony.co.uk). SURREY Brooklands New Year Gathering for pre-1988 cars, KT13 0QN (brooklandsmuseum.com). SURREY Post Vintage Humber Club meet at the Oatlands Chaser, KT13 9RW (humber.org.uk). SOMERSET Yeovil Car Club gathering at Haselbury Mill, TA18 7NY (yeovilcarclub.com). DORSET Classic Cars on the Prom, Bournemouth, BH2 5DL (classiccarsontheprom.com). LONDON New Year meet at the Ace, NW10 7UD (ace-cafe-london.com). YORKS Midlands & Yorkshire Classic Car Club’s classic car meet at the Black Swan, Brandesburton, YO25 8RG (eastyorksclassic.com). HEREFORDSHIRE Vintage Sports Car Club gathering at the Royal Oak Inn, Much Marcle, HR8 2ND. Pre-war…

I had a 1989 Saab 900 T16 Aero coupé – one of only 500 made for the UK market. A neighbour pulled out of the space next to mine in a LWB Mercedes Sprinter and clipped the nose, removing the front corner bumper part and smashing the indicator/ marker light. My insurance company wanted to write it off and offered me 300 quid. I told them to do one, bought it back for £250 and fixed the car for the cost of a 12-pack thanks to a mate who had a good collection of spares. Gav Reid My son, insured to drive my classic cars, took my Porsche 924 to work. On the way home, a woman pulled out from the opposite side of the road and drove straight into…

1 FEB 15 Electric shocker Ed labelled all the wiring before removing the loom – and discovered this rather scary burnt-out section under the dash. 2 MAR 15 Snappy answer One of the window runners had snapped, so Ed fabricated a new one from aluminium channel section. 3 APR 15 Just crazy The body looked pretty sound but stripping off the paint revealed poorly repaired damage and areas of crazing which had to be cut out and repaired. 4 MAY 15 Welded bliss The chassis outriggers were rotten, but with the body off Ed found it easy to weld in new tubing and did the whole job for fifty quid. 5 DEC 15 Bodge beater Ed cut out this bodged section of wheelarch then built up a structural repair so…

You may have caught me at a rare bad moment but I’ve nearly gnawed my NEC Classic Motor Show programme to pieces in annoyance at one tiny aspect of the event. Nothing to do with the organisation or joyful selection of cars. Maybe this was just me, or I was in the wrong places, but it seemed that so many of the attendees I exchanged banter with were obsessed by the price of every single car there. How much did I think the Cadillac Cashflow or Morris Moneypit was worth? What classic could I guarantee would double its money in the next five and a half minutes? Was that Nissan Almera Sport a really good investment? Tactfully suggesting that it was really difficult to predict future trends and that there…

Jaguar E-type It’s not often a reader comes across an abandoned Jaguar E-type. Incredibly, John Wibberley found the rotting remains of a 2+2 FHC example in a hillside garden in Andalusia and took a few snaps for us to enjoy. The owner had driven it to Spain when he moved there in the Sixties and later abandoned it! Would you dare take it on as a restoration project? BMW Isetta Our young rust-hunter Oliver DaCosta Evans (14) has presented another set of photos. Clear favourite is this 1960 BMW Isetta, discovered in a Morpeth hedgerow. SAAB 99 Best of his driveway derelicts is a filthy but complete 1973 Saab 99 in Bexley. The car is showing as being on SORN so it’s not been forgotten about, although it appears to…

1963 Rover P4 95 Price: £6500 Lovely little car, still in fine order after a professional respray some ten years ago. Good chrome. Just needs a little attention to the front seats. 1992 Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 Price: £5495 In the very rare colour of Sorrento Green complete with decent half-leather interior. Much spent in last two years including new bonnet and tailgate. 1977 Lancia Montecarlo Price: £11,000 Much sought after late Series I car with just 50,000 miles on the clock. Solid, good-driving car let down a bit by less than professional quality of respray.…

Danny Hopkins I was never a fan unti I drove one. The Ford Ka, to me, was a shopping trolley for the elderly. How that changed when I got behind the wheel of my mother-in-law’s 25,000-mile example. She had given up driving and I had bought it as a daily for the family. The drive home told me all I needed to know – the Ka was wasted as a shopping trolley (although my wife’s mum was never a slouch behind the wheel). Even with the old Kent-based 1.3-litre Valencia engine it was fast and, frankly, brilliant. Like the Focus, the Ka was a product of the Richard Parry-Jones era at Ford, so its handling is as sharp as a knife – 50 miles and I had become a Ka…

1959 Riley One-Point-Five Engine 1860cc/4-cyl/ OHV Power 134bhp@6000rpm Torque 147lb ft@4300rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 7.5sec Top speed 107mph Fuel economy 8mpg – when on track! Work done Car prepared, raced, broken, fixed and raced again. Also in Matt’s garage 1970 MORRIS MINOR One side welding complete, now rolled onto other side. 1972 MGB GT Perfect winter daily drive… now with working heater. Away from home for the first time, university is a time when late nights lead to early mornings. Midnight oil is burned, and you grow as a person in both confidence and competence. This was certainly the case for me. I studied environmental science at Oxford Brookes University, but it isn’t my course that I remember the most, and it wasn’t academia that required most late nights.…

You will need… Electric drill, vice, jack, axle stands, EP80 gear oil. While you’re there… The gearbox’s selector plate gasket and spindle oil seals are prone to leaks. Now is a good time to change them – see the step-by-step guide in the October 2016 issue of Practical Classics. Overdrive? If your car has an overdrive, adjust the inhibitor switch on reassembly so it only engages in 3rd and 4th. A multimeter or test lamp will be handy to check the voltage at the overdrive solenoid. Fords have a gearchange as slick as a rifle bolt, or so goes the folklore. While this is more-or-less true of most of Ford’s classic gearboxes, it absolutely isn’t true of the Dagenham-built Type F and the similar Cologne-built Type H. These were fitted…