Índex per May 2023 a Practical Classics

1971 Rover P5B I saw this immaculate P5B in a pub car park near Bath. The owner said the previous owner had used it as a builder’s store, so it had needed a lot of work. Rob Cottrell, Bristol Volvo 244 Spotted this Volvo while on holiday in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote. It looked like a genuine daily driver. Craig Latham, Stoke Ford Escort MkII On my holiday in Nerja in Spain in February, I was lucky enough to see an Escort in use. It looked absolutely immaculate! Phil Cordingley, Bingley 1964 VW Karmann-Ghia I saw this Karmann-Ghia near Clitheroe, Lancashire. It’s a left-hand drive model in superb condition and has what looks like a Sixties radio. Tony Young, Lancs FSO 125P, Citroen Visa Spotted these two in Corfu recently. I…

Why you want one When engineers at Peugeot are tasked with building a small car, they almost always hit the jackpot. The company has a proud history of offering superminis that not only tick the boxes for practicality and ease of ownership, but they're fizzing with chic and class-leading road manners. The 106 arrived in 1991 and slipped in beneath the 205, the pair sitting alongside each other in the range until the older car was finally canned in 1999. While it hasn’t attracted the 205’s adulation or hero status, the 106 proved to be an immensely popular car across Europe, with low prices and cheap servicing the main appeal at the time. However, as the years have passed, the 106 has become increasingly appreciated by owners for so much…

Danny Hopkins EDITOR 1977 Reliant Scimitar SE6A Engine 2994cc/V6/OHV Power 138bhp@5000rpm Torque 192lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd man + o/d 0-60mph 9.4sec Top speed 118mph Fuel economy 21mpg Work done Bought; assessed; parts purchased; taken to PC Show; REVIVED! Also in Danny’s garage 1956 RILEY PATHFINDER Needs to find a new home. 1992 PEUGEOT 205 CJ New exhaust fitted. About to get a new front end, too. 1996 HONDA CIVIC 1.4 Driver’s door handle seized. Time to remove door then. 1998 MAZDA MX-5 NB New hood fitted at PC Resto Show by MX-5 OC. 2000 MITSUBISHI CARISMA GDI Fast, fun, fairly fabulous. The perfect ULEZ invader. 2004 VAUXHALL FRONTERA 2.2DTI Star of the NEC PC parade. Dusty Other than being in need of a good clean, the Scimitar is still in…

1998 Volvo V70 Engine 2435cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 144bhp@5700pm Torque 152 lb ft@3600rpm Gearbox 5-speed auto 0-60mph 9.9sec Top speed 127mph Fuel economy 35mpg Work done Pulled out of storage; tank filled; dents pulled; MOT station warned. Also in Paul’s garage 1984 SUBARU GLF Salt's gone – let's drive! 1990 RENAULT ESPACE Started first turn of the key. It's a sign! 1998 JAGUAR XJ8 About to dismally fail MOT. When your stock-in-trade is slightly careworn old motors, it’s sometimes quite amazing how they find you. As well as stumbling across them on an almost daily basis, I also find myself the grateful recipient of many a text or phone call asking me if I’d like to find a home for some automotive waif or stray. Occasionally, like some old lady that takes…

Matt Tomkins WORKSHOP EDITOR Our workshop puppet master Matt has a penchant for restoring British classics in particular - he'll turn his hands to most jobs. This month Thoroughly rust-proofed his Land Rover Ninety and continued with an ongoing weldathon on his Traveller. Theodore J Gillam ENGINEERING EXPERT A former Motor Vehicle lecturer and classic fiddling perfectionist, Theo has a particular love of compression ignition engines. This month Dissected a lawnmower engine to show the four-stroke cycle (p116) . Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS A former teacher, Ed singlehandedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern car and intends to keep it that way. This month Toured Norfolk in the Izh, and North Wales in the Lada Riva 1500. Nigel Clark DIY RESTORER Nigel’s…

Charity HEROES Craig Cheetham on not discounting the small guy… It’s all too easy to focus on big numbers when it comes to charity fundraising, but to do so can sometimes undermine the efforts of the smaller, less well-known and unsung heroes whose efforts can be overshadowed by the telephone number-type figures raised by others. That’s why this month – and over the next few issues, with your help – we’ll be focusing on some of the lesser-known fundraisers out there. Sure, the work of the big charities and the larger events is fantastic. Anything that raises funding to support those in need is commendable and well worth shouting about. But the very essence of Practical Classics is the community that surrounds it. This title thrives because in many ways,…

EMAIL OF THE MONTH Mum’s motor memories I really enjoyed your article on ‘Mum’s Cars’ (PC, Spring 2023). Your writers’ stories reminded me of my own experiences when I was a child. At first, our family cars were a succession of well-used Fords and Vauxhalls which my parents shared. My mum’s first ‘car’ of her own was a company van that came with her job. The first of these was a dodgy old Thames (Ford Anglia) van. In 1968, that was replaced with a brand-new Hillman Imp van in British Racing Green. I remember the smell and excitement – it was spotless and still had plastic covers on the front seats. All four of us kids would sit in the back of the van; no seats, just a slippery metal…

As soon as you walk into Ken Atkinson’s workshop, you know that you’re in a place that means business, somewhere that ‘proper’ work gets done. That really shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Ken has spent a lifetime making things, often from scratch. ‘I have always been building stuff. Model aeroplanes as a kid, then a wooden canoe from plans at 14. I couldn’t swim, so made my own life jacket – luckily I never needed to test it! After serving an apprenticeship as an instrument maker, Ken took a job as an instrument technician at Glaxo in 1970. ‘I travelled to work in my Cooper S and I was soon warned about my fast driving upsetting people, including the bosses! Time to slow down. I stayed at Glaxo (GSK)…

‘Has it fallen over yet?’ Danny corners with confidence in his latest daily hack Danny Hopkins Forever associated with the failed 'elk test', the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is one of those cars that will always be followed around by reputational injury. This 1999 Mercedes A160 is my second of the type and I am extremely fond of them. It is one of the great ‘blank piece of paper’ designs and no, it doesn’t fall over at the mere hint of a corner, in fact, I think it’s well worth clearing up exactly what happened before we continue. In November 1997, a small Swedish magazine, Technische Varld, condicted a stability test with a brand new first-generation Mercedes W168 A-Class. Their ‘elk test’ caused the A-Class to roll over. The high centre of…

James Walshe DEP EDITOR 1985 Citroën 2CV Engine 602cc/2-cyl/OHV Power 29bhp@5750rpm Torque 31lb ft@3500rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 32.7sec Top speed 71mph Fuel economy 50mpg Work done Prep, prep, paint and more prep and paint. Also in James’s garage 1989 SAAB 900 TURBO Project stalled. I’m really struggling with this one. 2001 FORD PUMA 1.7 Frosty weather has killed off the ageing battery. 2004 SMART ROADSTER Sulking in my garage in need of a jolly good thrash. I don’t think I’d ever been as nervous at the wheel. My mission was to transport a set of painted 2CV panels 150 miles home to where the rest of the car was awaiting reassembly. Volkswagen UK very kindly loaned me one of their Transporters, so I wasn’t short on space for the…

Nigel Clark CONTRIBUTOR 1977 Reliant Scimitar SE6A Engine 2994cc/V6/OHV Power 138bhp@5000rpm Torque 192lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd man + o/d 0-60mph 9.4sec Top speed 118mph Fuel economy 21mpg Work done Scimitar’s alloy wheels polished. Also in Nigel’s garage 1970 TRIUMPH TR6 Stuck in the garage during recent bad weather. 1972 TRIUMPH GT6 MKIII Alloys are looking rough next to the Scimitar's now! 2002 BMW 325I Nothing to report, it keeps purring smoothly. DIY With minimal outlay on materials, it really is just your time and effort that's required to get each wheel looking great again! It had been a couple of years since I last polished the Scimitar’s Wolfrace wheels. As with most alloy wheels from the Seventies, the faces are ‘raw’ and unprotected by paint or lacquer, unlike modern alloys.…

OVERVIEW The four-stroke (Otto) -cycle, engine converts chemical energy (hydrocarbon fuel) into kinetic (movement) energy in order to do useful work. It is essentially an air pump, using heat to selectively expand gas to force a piston(s) down a cylinder(s) and is therefore an internal combustion engine (ICE), unlike steam engines whose combustion occurs externally (ECE) to the piston/cylinder. The most common fuel used is petrol, requiring a spark to ignite its vapour to create heat (spark ignition or SI) followed by diesel fuel, which uses compression to ignite the fuel (compression ignition or CI). Other fuels used are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), alcohol, paraffin, vegetable oil, etc. Having undergone many refinements, it continues to be the engine-type of choice since its inception in the late nineteenth century despite only…

THEO’S JOB CARD REVIVE YOUR TIRED JACK Today, we will be overhauling a typical trolley jack. This invaluable tool is ubiquitous in most workshops, especially since their mass-production in China and their resulting low prices. A down-at-heel jack is an ideal candidate for overhaul, will save you money and is kind to the planet. We will begin by assessing a typical trolley jack and diagnosing some of the common faults, before stripping down the jack, checking the typical wear points and addressing issues. We will clean the components, source a new seal kit and, finally, reassemble it with fresh oil and nicely greased joints and wheels. EXPLAINER: TROLLEY JACK PRINCIPLES Vehicles are heavy, sometimes weighing in at more than two tonnes, so lifting one as a puny human requires mechanical…

Prices are researched from several sources, including clubs, auctions, the trade and advertisements online and in print. 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 full rebuild, but may be driveable and MOT’d. PLEASE NOTE You can’t value any car without seeing it – don’t buy blind. Russ says ‘Buying and selling should be fun, but sometimes, it’s a nightmare. Follow these three rules…

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN 1966? IN THE NEWS The first British credit card was launched, in the form of the Barclaycard. Paying by plastic rather than cash was regarded as suspicious by many, so Barclays sent out a million cards to customers unsolicited and employed an army of ‘Barclaycard Girls’ to ‘help educate and change people’s minds’. AT THE FLICKS The planet fell to the Daleks in Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD, the second Doctor Who-based movie featuring Peter Cushing playing ‘Dr Who’ (not ‘The Doctor’, for the film wasn’t TV canon). It was notable for the 1959 Morris JB van used to destroy a bunch of Daleks by crashing into them. IN THE CHARTS Country singer Jim Reeves had his only UK number one hit single, despite the fact…

‘Meet Jack the Nipper and chums!’ 1991 & 1990 Vauxhall Elddis Nipper Lee Hutchins & Lisa Murdoch, Michael & Paula Garrett, Luton Lee: This is Jack the Nipper! It was built in Luton, and it’s a later model, when they changed the sides to glassfibre rather than timber and aluminium sheet. They based these on the pick-up, rather than the van version, and sent them to Elddis in County Durham to build the rear bodies. We’ve had it for about a year. Paula: This one’s very similar, just a bit earlier. It’s done 87,000 miles, and we put a new engine in it last week. They’re great fun, so long as you like going steadily – it’s only a 1.0-litre Suzuki engine. Anyway, it’s the journey that matters, not the…

Is it OK to fall out of love with a car? It's not as if they have feelings, apart of course from Eighties Minis if the ads were to be believed. Any notion of personality, emotions and so on are imprinted by us onto these inanimate mostly-metal objects, and we enjoy the fantasy of animal interaction that results. You know: talking to it, sensing its motive enthusiasm or unwillingness, maybe even giving it a name – although I have never been sucked down that particular path. So why do some of us feel guilty about parting with a long-owned car? Is it actually just anthropomorphised regret at letting go of something that has been important to you? The bond between you and your car, although one-way, can be very deep.…

FANCY A PUNT? WITH RUSS SMITH 'It was not mentioned in the listing' The legal principle of caveat emptor (beware, buyer) is rarely more important than when buying classics at auction. Whereas private sellers might be expected to know something about a classic they’ve chosen to own, auction houses cannot know everything about everything. This was brought to mind recently when I looked at a ‘fully restored’ example of a ‘Series II’ 1952 Morris Minor Convertible in an auction catalogue. I’ll spare their blushes (and legal team) and focus on those inverted commas and other matters. I quickly spotted from the engine picture and gear lever position that this car had been upgraded with a later 1098cc running gear. All well and good, but not mentioned in the listing. The…

‘Our hobby is in safe hands’ Having entered the classic car world as a fresh-faced enthusiast in the early Noughties, I understand better than most how difficult it is to attract younger people to an ‘old-fashioned’ hobby. I may no longer be a young enthusiast, but there’s clearly a new generation of fans and workers taking up the baton behind me. Spearheaded by the fantastic Heritage Skills Academy (HSA) initiative at Bicester Heritage, there’s been a big effort in recent years to engage young people with traditional mechanical methods. Many graduates of the HSA, which launched in 2015, now work in the industry at companies including classic Range Rover specialist Kingsley Cars and McGrath Maserati. I've visited the HSA – and it has plenty of passion and knowledge to share.…

1988 Land Rover Ninety Engine 2494cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 85bhp@4000rpm Torque 150lb ft@1800rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 22.3sec Top speed 76mph Fuel economy 18mpg Work done Box sections filled with much rustproofing wax! Also in Matt’s garage 1937 AUSTIN SEVEN SPECIAL Entered into the Vintage Speed Trials at Grimsthorpe Castle on July 2. Lots required before then! 1960 MORRIS MINOR CONVERTIBLE Earning its keep with a bit of wedding work. 1969 AUSTIN MINI COUNTRYMAN Barn find Mini finally back in the workshop. 1970 MORRIS MINOR SALOON Supercharger noises are very addictive. 1972 MGB GT Mothballed. Needs some bodywork attention soon. 2002 FORD FOCUS Unused, but kept for sentimental reasons. Done! Matt admits to previous procrastination over the messy job of wax injection, to his classics' detriment. Job now well done. The emergence…

Tim Morgan CONTRIBUTOR 1967 Hillman Super Imp Engine 875cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 39bhp@5000rpm Torque 49lb ft@2600rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 18sec Top speed 80mph Economy 42mpg Work done Door adjusting, electronic ignition fitting and then everyday use! Also in Tim’s garage 1964 HILLMAN IMP Now in hibernation until better weather. 1971 SUNBEAM STILETTO Becoming holier daily. 1976 HILLMAN IMP BASIC Still need to build that 998cc engine. Yes sir! 'I decided to fit electronic ignition to the car so that we can do many more miles with less tweaking needed.' The thing with owning an old car is if it’s too nice and too precious, you won’t drive it when there is salt on the roads. In protecting it from the ravages of rust, the car suffers from a lack of use,…

Over some time, my car has become a chore to drive. It stumbles off from rest, accelerates poorly and is severely challenged by long hills. Taking passengers is an embarrassment rather than a pleasure. It is reliable, but lacklustre. Help! David Thompson, Stamford ED'S JOB CARD FIND & FIX RUNNING ISSUES Classics can go of-fcolour from time to time. If the problem's not obvious, it's a good idea to go through everything from scratch. This way, all bases are covered and you'll probably fix more than one item in a single session. On the first two pages I'll show the diagnostic routine I use on my cars – carry it out strictly in the order that's printed. Over the page, I'll expand on these main points and explore a few…