Índex per July 2024 a Practical Classics

You might have guessed already, but this issue of PC is dedicated to our dads and grandads – and we make no apology for it. For many of us the most intoxicating, enthusiast-forming, childhood motoring memories were made at his knee, or sitting on it. The back seat is the spot from which many of our earliest car-borne experiences were had, but the ones that really count were surely made in the garage, or at a car show or next to him as he taught us to drive. Our relationship with the car started right there, with dad, via him, in those places, at that young age. For Father’s Day 2024 we are rolling back the years and putting dad front and centre again. We enjoy our first cars once…

‘It just sort of happened really,’ says Mark O’Neill, founder of Classic Car Charity Tours. ‘I’ve always been involved in the local classic car scene, repairing, restoring, buying and selling them. It’s what I’ve always done. Then, with a couple of mates, we decided to put on a few drives locally where we’d get together and drive around. A couple of years ago, we decided we should raise a few quid for charity while doing it, so that’s what we’ve done.’ For 2024, CCCT put on its biggest tour yet – for a modest £35 entry fee, it was a 135-mile tour of the Worcestershire boundaries, starting with bacon rolls at the Gigmill Pub in Stourbridge and heading around the borders of the county, taking in scenic places such as…

I know I’m going to be chased out of Dodge for this, but I think the DB7 is the most beautiful Aston Martin ever. It’s not as macho as a DBS or V8; or as iconic as the earlier DBs; or as aggressive or in your face as more recent designs, but it is a work of genius with lines to make your eyes water. Like all great GTs it looks right from every angle. Even its backside, with those Mazda 323F lights, looks delicious, with gorgeous hips rising up over the wheels to enclose its rear hatch. Like all the best car art it also looks effortless, like the stylists weren’t trying too hard (note to almost every car designer at work today). The DB7 is the Aston I…

Across 7 Vauxhall Viva successor (5) 8See 20 down 9A 1990 Lamborghinithe company¹s first 200mph production road car (6) 11 Joint-sealing component (6) 12 We associate them with bolts (4) 13 Which tractor company developed the Jensen FF’s fourwheel drive? (8) 15 Healey coupé from the Fifties (8)  17 Launch name of the Daimler SP250 (4)  19 One conjuring up an early Thirties Hillman? (6)   21 Bond GT from the Sixties (6)   23 De Tomaso supercar that survived for more than two decades into the Nineties (7)  24 These Alfas were also badged as Nissan Cherry Europes (5) Down 1 & 5down Maker of the Princess 4-Litre R (6,4)  2Famous Bugatti Type 57SC variant (8)  3Word linking lights, gate and fins (4) 4Famous Birmingham car plant (10)  5See…

‘My dad was chuffed, well chuffed, when I qualified with a City & Guilds in mechanical engineering; I was the first one in the family to go to college. He left school at 14 and wanted to do something in motor racing but circumstances meant he needed to earn money to put food on the table, so the dream was lost. It’s a shame because whatever he put his mind to, he could do it. My dad had the patience of a saint. He taught me to drive in a Ford 4D on the family farm. I can’t have been more than eight years-old and it was my job to back the lorry into the barn. When I was 12, and a little more proficient, he bought me a blue…

WHAT TO PAY PROJECT £500-£2k GOOD £2k-£5k EXCELLENT £5k-£10k TECH SPEC ENGINE 1897cc/4-cyl/OHV POWER 100bhp@5400rpm TORQUE 113lb ft@3800rpm GEARBOX Four-speed manual TOP SPEED 106mph 0-60MPH 9.2sec FUEL ECONOMY 31mpg LIVING WITH A CAVALIER HOW EASY TO WORK ON ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ PARTS AVAILABILITY ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ RUNNING COST ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ PERFORMANCE ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Why you want one How on earth can it be that so few Cavalier MkIs survive, given that they built nearly a quarter of a million of the things? One imagines it has something to do with their reason for existing in the first place. Used extensively by sales reps, Cavaliers spent much of their lives blasting up and down drizzly motorways during the week, then performing…

1998-2005 Why you want one It seems impossible to believe this handsome Italian saloon is more than a quarter of a century old – it wouldn’t look out of place in a showroom today. Well, that’s if saloons were still fashionable in 2024 – which they’re definitely not. That’s partly what makes a 156 so appealing; its low-slung, classic saloon shape will only add to its appeal in years to come, but is it worth buying one now? We reckon so, because it’s unlikely the 156 will remain as affordable as it is right now – a really good one can be yours from about £2.5k. Seriously. Quite aside from the looks, your 156 will come with a suitably charismatic engine and one of the most stylish cabins of any…

To most people, owning more than three cars is excessive. When someone asks how many cars I own and I say nine, they sometimes recoil in horror and befuddlement. But then I point to Practical Classics magazine, where such things are the norm and Danny buys a car each issue. This makes me look less like a car obsessed nutcase and more like an environmentalist, trying to preserve our heritage in my own little way. I can claim to have saved most of my cars from scrap, literally. Pretty much everything I own that’s old is something that was at the end of its life, worn out, rusty, damaged and without exception a car that nobody else wanted to restore, but I did anyway. It’s just time, money, and parts.…

START DAY 1 The fuel system Just revived a car from long storage? It ticks over sweetly, revs smoothly – but beware! None of this requires much fuel supply. It needs much more if it's to accelerate smoothly, haul itself up hills and drive at speed for any length of time. This is where the fuel system – tank, pickup, pipework and pump – have to work the hardest, and it's where many people experience their first problems. FUEL TANK Check tank Start from the beginning. Look inside the fuel tank, either through the filler or by withdrawing the pickup and/or sender units. The tank should be reasonably clean and shiny, not crusty like this. Take action If it's crusty, this may be varnish deposits from old fuel – not…

Industry and car enthusiasts are being invited to help shape government policy on how to futureproof classic cars. The Call for Evidence by the Department of Transport was launched at Bicester Heritage on May 9 by Transport Secretary Mark Harper at a gathering that included industry experts such as Sir Greg Knight MP, representatives from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs and the Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance. The aim is to gather views on how classic and historic cars can be preserved for future generations and secure jobs in the £18 billion classic vehicle sector. Since the Eighties, policies on how classic cars are registered after being restored and upgraded have largely remained the same, and do not account for many modifications such as the fitting of electric…

1972 TRIUMPH 2000 MKII The first car; we all have one and your dad probably lent a helping hand in obtaining it. So, as we celebrate Father’s Day here in Practical Classics, it’s the perfect opportunity to look back and remember the cars that gave us our freedom. From the excitement/terror of that first drive on the public highway to the moment we threw the L-plates away, we recall those times we fixed them on the driveway and the epic adventures to far flung places. These early experiences shaped our driving lives and for many of us, dad was on hand to help. I spent much of my childhood at classic car events, sometimes with my whole family, but most often it was just me and my dad in his…

AS FOUND Few cars are as underrated as the Clan Crusader. The creation of former employees of Lotus, this wedgy little car is right up there in the list of the most innovative cars of the Seventies. Surprised? Many are, as this month’s star restorer was keen to point out. Alistair Wright also happens to be recently appointed secretary of the Clan Owners Club. ‘There are so few of us, as they only made about 300. But to restore one for the first time was to find out what they’re really made of.’ The Crusader’s glassfibre monocoque might be lightweight but it’s astonishingly rigid with strong reinforced sections, putting certain high end Italian sports car makers to shame. Running gear from the Sunbeam Stiletto meant Seventies hacks heaped universal praise…

Susan Stranks is 85-years-old. Whaaat? Or you may ask, who? I’ve just discovered that it’s half a century since the legendary lady left Magpie, basically an earthier version of Blue Peter, having been a presenter since 1968, dare I say causing blood rushes to many a teenage boy? I was a regular viewer! So why am I mentioning this? Well, it seems that to many of us, who spend a lot of our time with classics, reading magazines about them and watching YouTube videos, the Seventies are still part of our daily lives. And we forget half a century has elapsed! Somewhere in my subconscious must be a parallel universe in with Thames Television still cranking out Magpie starring a young Susan from its Teddington Lock studios, with Austin Allegros…

VW Beetles Acolourful hoard of classics in Cape Town, South Africa, compiled by Maggie Love during a visit. This corroding row of Bugs is just one of the amazing sights on display. NSU Ro80 Plenty of lovely condition classics are on show inside the museum, but the rotters like this rare NSU Ro80 (minus grille) are left outside. Rover 2000 P6 Acomplete Sixties-era Rover 2000 displaying an array of colourful patina across its dark green panels. For those who would like to visit, the location is Wynland Auto Museum. In association with Surface Processing Ltd surfaceprocessing.co.uk. 01384 242010 Seat 600 The premises belong to a gentleman who is an avid collector of all things classic, and supplies cars for the South African film industry, although all the rusty cars outside…

PC POPS IN TO... It’s a typically damp Spring day when PC arrives at the Lakeland Motor Museum to be greeted by members of the Cumbria Classic Car Club. Asked if they’d normally be out on such a rainy day, there’s a robust response: ‘YES!’ All are keen to point out how a visit to Lakeland is always worth the effort – and always best when you’re at the wheel of a classic. Members like Michael Rackham, owner of the stunning Sunbeam Tiger you see here, says the museum is very much part of the landscape. ‘There’s always something new to look at!’ While he isn’t wrong, our search for the moment is for the museum’s head honcho, Chris Lowe. We eventually find him and ask if he’s ready or…

You might be surprised to learn that the world’s first self-propelled car was front-wheel drive. Around the time Captain Cook was discovering Australia, the 1769 ‘fardier à vapeur’ was unveiled in France and, while numerous others had a crack at FWD, things gathered pace in the early 20th century with Auburn perfecting the constant-velocity joint. Many knew back then how front-wheel drive provides a distinct advantage in certain conditions. However, the cars assembled here also prove that you can also have a whole lot of fun, too. Take for instance the Peugeot 205. Whether it’s a base spec Junior or a 1.9-litre GTi like the one we drove, the 205’s torsion bar suspension, spring rates and damping are perfectly calculated to give it sharpness and near-mythical composure in the bends.…

By the end of the Eighties, Renault’s mid-sized range was looking long in the tooth. It consisted of the aged Renault 9/11, that had been in production since the start of the decade and was designed back in 1977. The world had moved on… To keep up, Renault needed a new contender. Destined to be the final Renault to bear numerical nomenclature, the larger and more sophisticated 19 proved competitive from launch in 1988. There was a lot to like, with more modern engines, including the 1.8-litre 16-valve F7P motor –that went on to greater things in various go-faster Clios –and a convertible made by Karmann. European construction ended in 1996 but Turkey continued until 2000. Still a few to be seen in France but you're unlikely to spot one…

Handy! As Ed can attest, battery-powered tools such as this can really make things easier and save time in the workshop. Ed Hughes CONTRIBUTOR 1991 ZAZ 1102 'Tavria' Engine 1091cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 53bhp@5500rpm Torque 60lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 16sec Top speed 90mph Fuel economy 40mpg Work done MacPherson struts titivated. 5 (hrs) TIME 20 (£) SPENT 100 MILES Also in Ed's garage 1964 WARTBURG 311 A jolly nice way to bumble around the Devon countryside. 1969 WARTBURG TOURIST Took emergency fridge freezer collection neatly in its stride. 1983 WARTBURG 353 Bonnet finally painted and refitted, only ten years after removal… Irealised I needed an impact wrench when I changed the Samara's slovenly and pointless British-spec short springs for a correct-height Russian set. At one corner, it proved impossible to…

COOLING SYSTEMS How to stop overheating? QI'm returning a Ford Cortina MkIV to the road this year. I retired it five years ago because of a tendency to overheat. What should I do to make sure the problem doesn't recur? Pete Hattersley, Nantwich Ed says AWe'll generalise here.Cooling systems are often neglected. When recommissioning a car, or sorting a persistent problem, we recommend a comprehensive approach to the whole system. Warm the engine, then drain the coolant. Beware: don't pull the bottom radiator hose off a hot engine, or you'll scald yourself. When cool, refill with plain water and repeat. Do this until the drained water runs clear. This may take several attempts. Next, change the thermostat. They do wear out and may fail either in the hot or cold…

After reporting on thefts and vandalism to cars for the past few years, Practical Classics has now become a victim of the scourge. A break in and vandalism at the PC lock up in Peterborough has left several future project cars destroyed and others damaged. Danny Hopkins’s VW Bora project had every piece of glass smashed while cars including the 300,000mile Alfa 156 featured in a trip to Italy last year were written off. Editor Danny said: ‘I don't understand why people do this... I never will. It’s a sign of an empty life with no meaning, I actually pity the people who did it.’ The incident occurred over the early May Bank Holiday weekend and anyone with information is urged to contact Cambridgeshire Police. ‘We have been touched…

There aren't many classic car owners' groups that can claim to have been going for six decades, but the Daimler Lanchester Owners' Club (DLOC) is now one of them, having been founded in 1964. To celebrate, the club is pulling out all the stops to put on quite the extravaganza over the weekend of July 20-21 in West Sussex. Mark Hooghiemstra is the DLOC's press officer. He comments: ‘This will be our 58th International Rally and we'll be based at the Avisford Park Hotel in Arundel. From there we'll be taking in all sorts of venues in the area, including Arundel Castle and its grounds, along with Tangmere Military Aviation Museum. We'll also be going to Amberley Museum on July 19, where our cars will form part of the museum's…

Seat Arosa 1.0S It was a surprise Christmas present from my parents in 2004. I sold it 10 years later, but regretted it. I found it and bought it back. It’s akeeper now. Chris Andrews Mini City This is the car I had after passing my test. Five days later, I slid across a junction on amuddy lane and hit a tree. One mangled Mini. Si Price Ford Escort 1.3 Encore Don't I look proud! I still have the Escort –but, having driven many other cars, I often wonder why I do. Callum Keen Austin Allegro est. It cost me £80 and smelled of putty and vanilla Magic Tree. When I sat in it you could just see my nose over the top of the door. Clare Brookes Ford Fiesta…

My Triumph TR4 is a US-spec model that found its first buyer in California in 1962 and stayed there until I bought it in 1999. I’d contacted a company that offered to find good cars from the US and ship them anywhere in the world, so I gave them a budget and off they went! Eight weeks later, this car arrived at the docks in London and was trailered back to my home. I bought it sight unseen but I’d been given a very accurate description by the company, and I knew what I was getting, which was a running TR4 with bad paintwork and a shredded interior. I was still asking myself the question: ‘What haveI done?!’ I drove it off the trailer and straight into my little single…

1998 CITROËN BERLINGO JAMES WALSHE, DEPUTY EDITOR Yes, I know… another one. This will be the ninth Berlingo I’ve rescued since 2018. It’s the earliest I’ve had though – a 1998 1.4-litre three-door with truly horrendous lacquer peel and a (very broken) full-length Webasto sunroof. Owner Chris James bought it new in Denmark, but after it failed a recent MOT on brakes and balljoints, he’s letting it go so he can focus on his Messerschmitt, Smart Roadster and Citroën Méhari. PAID Nowt!…

It’s tough to convey quite what an earth-shattering impression was left by the unveiling of the original Audi TT Concept at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. The deco lines of this streamlined beauty were unlike almost anything else. What was even more shocking was that it landed in showrooms, three years later, fundamentally unchanged. A rear spoiler and stability control were added shortly after to improve high-speed stability, but that was about it. Its mechanical underpinnings might have been shared across the VAG Group, but the TT’s styling inside and out was exquisite. The top performing four-cylinder 225bhp quattro-equipped TT was, and remains, a pretty competent all-weather B-road companion, too. The very best original TTs have been climbing in value for a few years already, but demand suggests there’s plenty…

This month’s column was supposed to be about a new car I’d added to the fleet. In true Keith Adams style, I’d agreed to buy a car, sight unseen from the other end of the country, with the intention of becoming a tow vehicle to replace my slightly underpowered Volvo V70 Cross Country. But as often is the case with my world, there was a technical issue with the car that meant I had to leave it with the seller to sort, while I hot footed it back to Lancashire on Avanti West Coast’s finest. That’ll teach me. I’ll hopefully come back to that once its suspension’s stopped having a sulk and it’s back at my place in the next few weeks. But for now, I’ll instead ponder just how…

Matt Tomkins WORKSHOP EDITOR 1937 Austin Seven ‘Tomkins Special’ Engine 747cc/4-cyl/SV Power (standard) 12bhp@2400rpm Torque Not stated Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-50mph 58sec Top speed 51mph Fuel economy 45mpg Work done Attended ‘Sevens back to the Track’ track day at Curborough. 1 (day) TIME 70 (£) SPENT 4 MILES Also in Matt’s garage 1960 MORRIS MINOR CONVERTIBLE Out for a sunny blast. 1968 AUSTIN MINI COUNTRYMAN Now complete and looking for a new home. 1988 LAND ROVER NINETY Rotten exhaust just fell off! Regular readers will be familiar with my big plans for this year. With the Austin Seven Special on the road after a two-year build, I’ve passed my ARDS assessment (PC, December 2023) and have my MSUK race licence in hand for 2024, with the intention to taking to…

Before we go any further – this is not my car, and never has been. This car, known as Skye, belongs to my wife, Vickie and always has. She acquired the car (as a freebie!) back in 2003 and had it repainted. She then reassembled the car herself with a little help from me, building it into her vision of what an Imp should be. She used it for all sorts of adventures and she adores it. Fast forward the clock and in recent years, sadly the car has been a little neglected due to ill health and the demands of parenthood. I bet that sounds familiar to a lot of people… We had planned to give it a bit of a tidy up, sort out a couple of niggly…

EXPLAINER WHAT GOES WRONG AND WHY? Simple and durable, MacPherson struts have been an industry standard for 60-odd years now. They're installed and removed in one piece. All work is carried out on the bench. The strut is a spring and damper in one, which rotates so the front wheels can steer. It pivots on a ball bearing at the top and a balljoint at the bottom. Balljoints wear out routinely; top mounts less so – but do examine the rubber bonding. Replace if stretched, split or hardened. They come with a new bearing fitted and aren't necessarily expensive. Bump stops are fitted onto the damper rods and are often in a poor state or missing altogether. They're designed to be a progressive part of the springing toward the end…

The Vintage Sports Car Club is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2024. In celebration of this milestone, the Vintage Motorsport Festival returns to Donington Park circuit on July 7, 2024. Donington Park is a time capsule of motorsport history, offering a unique blend of vintage and historic racing experiences. Whether you're a die-hard enthusiast or simply curious about the rich history of motorsport, Donington Park's events promise to deliver excitement, nostalgia, and a deep appreciation for the world of historic racing. Come and witness these legendary machines in action and be a part of the living history. Donington Park is a historic motorsport venue in the UK, boasting a rich legacy as the first true road circuit in the country and remains the oldest circuit still in use today. The…