Table of contents for June 2024 in Practical Classics

I won’t be popular for saying this, but while the expanded ULEZ zone is idiotic, unfair and largely ineffective, I do get why emissions zones exist in the densest inner cities. Pollution-related asthma in kids is real and doing something about it is a duty for any sane-minded administrator. But when these zones are combined with already bizarrely costed road tax regimes it begins to smell fishy. The two Rover diesels we are lending to the Classic Car Loan Project (see p6) are cases in point. Same engine, virtually the same car, and yet the 2004 25 is less than half the price to tax than its slightly older sibling the 1997 220SD. No big deal, you might think, but at a time when we are all trying to live…

Scirocco Register It's a big year for the Volkswagen Scirocco, which celebrates its 50th birthday in 2024. Predictably, the Scirocco Register has a busy season ahead, as the club's Will Punchard explains: ‘Things kick off with a stand at the Stanford Hall VW Show on May 5, but our main gathering takes place at The Great British Car Journey on July 20. That's when we'll be holding our National Event that is open to VWs of all types, including Golfs, Corrados, Beetles and of course all generations of Scirocco. We encourage all VW enthusiasts to attend, whatever the age or condition of their car. Tickets cost £10 per person and include museum entry. Later in the season we'll be at VW Beetle-Juiced (July 28), Stonham Barns (August 18) and Oh…

I met Rachael while volunteering at Wensleydale Railway in 2014 and soon became aware of her dream to own a Beetle so, in 2016, I bought her one as a surprise birthday gift. It was a rolling shell that had been welded up and painted badly – but it was the right era of Beetle and had massive potential despite the missing engine, wiring loom and interior. Rachael called the car ‘Demelza’ and we came up with all kinds of plans for it. For instance, she was keen to have the bumpers, wheels and bodywork completed to her specific taste. However, a house move meant work stopped and the car ended up as a large pile of bits in our garage. In May 2022, a few months after our wedding,…

I really care. In any context, these three words can make your shoulders instantly relax. They are reassuring and intended to sooth. When heritage mechanic, Jake Geraghty, said them to me, they weren’t only in relation to the particulars of his work, which is to electrify classic cars, but his character and motivations, too. ‘We don’t harm the vehicle in any way,’ he said, as if to emphasise the fact that the nature of what he does for a living shouldn’t be used as a measure of his devotion to traditional internal combustion engine cars. In 2019, Jake moved from Australia to the UK ‘for career prospects.’ His dream was to find ‘what doesn’t exist,’ down under; ‘an apprenticeship and job that’s specific to classic cars.’ Jake found The Heritage…

Anglia Car Auctions bucked the current market negativity by shifting 87 per cent of the 253 classics offered at its most recent two-day sale in Kings Lynn. There were some strong prices achieved too, like the 1972 MGB GT that sold for £8640 against a £4000- £6000 estimate. It did look good despite much home and abroad event use by its retired owner in the thirty-odd years since it was restored. There had also been a more recent engine rebuild. So, a nice and well sorted car, but seeing it top £8k was a surprise. Another 1972 car provided the final surprise. The Vanden Plas Princess 1300 was the very last lot, also estimated at £4- 6k. Marked out by its comfortable 67,000- mile patina and lack of rust, it…

This is a very rare car, believe it or not. I owned it first time around ten years ago, now I’ve bought it back again to restore back to the road. It needs the rear arches welding, plus new screen, front bumper and fuel pump. Then I will have a luxury load-lugger with plenty of go for a decent tow. Pretty much perfect for my PC needs and I’m glad to have the opportunity to pull it from a hedge to make it live again… but first it needs a deep clean. Can't wait. ASKING PRICE £350 PAID £350… plus promise to restore.…

Launched in 1974, the CX looked almost as daring, sleek and futuristic as its DS forebear had in 1955. CX – the French initials for aerodynamic drag – leant heavily on a teardrop design, the result of extensive wind tunnel testing. The most slippery CX could cut through the air with wind cheating mastery – and a concave rear screen meant no need for a rear wiper. More than 1.2million CXs were built during its 17-year production run, with later petrol and diesel four-cylinder engines featuring fuel injection and turbos. While traditionalists were nervous of the pin-sharp steering and brakes and engineering genius, many found homes here and there remains a small but dedicated following.…

Why you want one Jaws dropped at the Geneva Motor Show in early 1996 when the XK8 was unveiled. Back were the flowing curves of classic Jags – plus all the luxury and refinement of its XJS predecessor. At its heart was the all-new 4-litre, 32-valve AJ-8 – built at a £125m Jaguar facility within Ford’s Bridgend plant. This silky smooth V8 was only the fourth Jaguar production engine in the company’s history and was coupled to Jaguar’s first five speed auto gearbox. Such investment in engineering had resulted in one impressive 155mph grand tourer that’s now more appealing than ever before. In fact, the XK8 (rather like the XJS before it) just kept getting better and better during its production life. A poorly sorted XK8 can bite you on…

Regular readers might recall that I’ve been on a mission to tidy up my long list of projects. My now former Citroën XM is a great example of a car that I picked up full of vim and vigour to get it back on the road, only to discover that its list of maladies wasn’t so much a roadblock, but an unscalable mountain. It’s an amazing car – in my dream spec – that could have been my forever car. Black with a black leather interior, a punchy 3.0-litre V6 upfront, and manual gearbox to add to the joy of it all. Finally, it featured Diravi steering, the amazing powered self-centring set-up shared with the SM and CX, that put it ahead of all rivals. And for some reason, Citroën…

‘Two birthday Rovers. Yours to enjoy for a whole year.’ The Classic Car Loan Project has now loaned out more than 100 cars to young enthusiasts, meaning that 100 year’s worth of classic car experience has been given by the organisation. To celebrate the success of the CCLP, started by Bob Wilkinson in 2017, Practical Classics editor Danny Hopkins is loaning two cars from his current fleet for a year. The first is a 1997 Rover 220 SD, the other a 2004 Rover 25 TD 101. Both cars are on offer separately or can be loaned as a pair and both will be freshly serviced with full MOTs. The cars were originally owned by Veronika and Richard Downs, who sold them to Danny earlier this year with the request that…

Coates, Gloucestershire, February 1962 It always helps with identifying Memory Lane locations if there’s a great big clue in the picture itself… and here, thankfully the photographer’s made it quite easy for us. From ‘Tunn House’ in faded letters, it’s simple to make the jump to the Tunnel House Inn, a 1780s’ Cotswolds’ pub used for the navvies building the two-mile long Sapperton Tunnel on the nearby Thames & Severn Canal. While the inn sadly closed in 2020, there are hopes to reopen it. If you can shed any more light, we’d love to hear from you. Here, it hadn’t been reopened too long following a fire in January 1952. Taking a break from not building a canal tunnel are punters who’ve arrived in a typical selection of motors from…

Surely it is probably going too far to describe a new classic show as truly innovative. Hasn’t everything that could have been done been done? Well, never has a yellow gazebo been put to such good use, housing an initiative that could change the lives of classic fans. Firstly, congrats to all involved with the wonderful Rustival, which attracted 875 cars and some 2500 people to the first event, held at the British Motor Museum. A massive achievement in itself, especially for an inaugural show. Organised by YouTubers, Steph Hoy of Idriveaclassic, Matt Richardson, presenter of Furiousdriving along with Ian Seabrook and Carly Spencer of HubNut, the event was much appreciated by all. The museum’s events manager, Tom Caren, even said the team there enjoyed being involved with the event…

Ford Sierra XR4i Afabulously original 1983/84 Ford Sierra XR4i needing urgent TLC in Ayreshire, noticed rotting away on a driveway by Jamie Bicket from Troon. Citroën CX Frozen in time attempting to make a getaway from the French barn it was captured in, this Citroën CX was snapped by Martin Forst. Tres bien Martin! Lada Niva Colin Ballantine was on holiday on the Greek island of Symi when he spotted this patchy old Lada Niva. Doesn't look to have moved in years! 1985 Skoda Estelle Abrisk wintry wander led Shane Rooney to a local pair of Skodas in West Hampstead, London. This Estelle hasn’t been touched for years. 1987 Porsche 944 This owner is seriously into their Eighties sports cars; in the same front garden Jamie also snapped a 944…

2000 BMW 523I (E39) Dave Gough, UK Swapping his seat time between this lovely E39 and an MG ZT, Dave gets to enjoy the best of both worlds. 2004 SUBARU OUTBACK Jason Gray, South Wales The ‘Dad wagon’, as Jason has christened it, is apparently all things to all drivers. 2005 SMART ROADSTER Jamie Godwin, Devon We think Jamie’s own comment regarding his Smart Roadster sums it up: ‘It shouldn't be as fun as this – but it is.’ We can help… So many cars here that we would all love to have on our drives. Call us to discuss your requirements, so we can help turn your modern classic dream into a reality.…

►My Metro's temperature gauge fluctuates. Periodically, when I glance at it, I see it's dropped to almost zero. Other times it's quite normal. It's not related to engine load or outside temperature – it even does it when the car's quite hot! I assume, therefore it's the gauge or sender? Phil Smith, Lincoln START 1 Cooling system issues Thermostats die of old age (gauge always reads too cold or too hot); radiators clog (reads high when engine works hard); sender units, gauges and connections become decrepit (same or other symptoms). 2 Gauge or engine? Is the engine really overheating? A very hot engine pinks under load and is hard to restart (fuel boils in carb). On more modern classics, a defective pressure cap will cause boiling at normal temperatures. ED'S…

TESTING Don't use a multimeter on the data network – it's highly sensitive. Use a high resistance method of checking it such as an oscilloscope. PROBING Paper clips are ideal for probing plugs. THE PC JOB CARD MULTIPLEX FAULTFINDING Today we’ll seek to understand the principles behind multiplex electrical systems, then use that knowledge to look into basic faultfinding checks that you can do at home with minimal equipment. Many faults are just as simple as on a car from the dawn of motoring – however, finding the fault in the first place requires a different skillset. How tough? You’ll need ►Wiring diagram and component map ►Multimeter ►Fault code reader (from £15) ►Oscilloscope (from £25) or alaptop. Will take (HR) 2 Will cost 50(£) EXPLAINER HOW DOES IT WORK? As…

Starting HANDLE Matt Tomkins on why he likes to line up his spanners ‘You’re a bit OCD aren’t you?’, said a mate when they returned a borrowed 1 5/16 in socket and it was returned to its rightful place in my tool chest. I’d never thought of it like that, and I’m fairly sure anyone who peeked into my shed would disagree – however when it comes to my tools, I can’t abide not being able to find the right one when I need it. I’ve a philosophy, passed on my by late grandpa. ‘If you need to borrow it twice, you need to buy one.’ As such, I’ve built up a fair selection of tools over the years that I’ve been fossicking about with old motors, from socket sets…

Devil in the detail ADVANCED ALL WHEEL CLEANER FROM £19.99 Keeping your classic’s wheels glistening just became easier than ever before, as Autoglym has just launched the all-new Advanced All Wheel Cleaner. It’s a colour-changing wheel cleaning product, which utilises powerful, pH neutral active ingredients to safely and effectively remove ferrous brake debris, embedded dirt and other contaminants from all lacquered wheel types. The high cling formula means its as simple a spray, agitate and rinse, for a satisfying result. Sounds good to us! autoglym.com Round and round DAMAGED WHEEL NUT EXTRACTORS FROM £18.26 Wheel brace keep slipping off your wheel nuts? Wheel stuck fast, with no hope of removing it? Look no further than these damaged wheel nut extractor sockets, available in 17, 19 and 21mm sizes, which promise…

Here are the statistics at a glance. Ten days and 1245-miles through five countries with an 85-year-old car, returning 29mpg on premium E5… and, despite being a four-stroke, four litres of oil! And we didn't even plan to take the Tatra, despite our first call being Tatra Register Nederland’s annual rally in North Brabant. Our Dutch friends have already hosted us in four of the seven Tatras we’ve had, over the years, and their gatherings generally include interesting alternatives, so we’d decided to take Kirsten’s ‘new’ Honda 1300 Coupe 7 GL, as introduced last year (PC, October 2023). Anticipating a relatively more modern drive, a decent boot, doors that lock and, despite it being 51 years-old, the Honda’s air-conditioning. We were however surprised and disappointed when it failed to proceed…

THE RESTORAR West Yorks-born but now a County Durham resident, medical physicist Chris is an engineer at heart. He has owned numerous runabouts, but is now a 5-Series man and swears by his Daihatsu Fourtrak. I’m sure many of us washed the neighbour’s car for a few bob. Bucket and sponge in hand, and depending on your age, you’ll remember the slosh of water across the bonnet of the Herald a few doors down or a slapdash polishing of that Vectra at number 23. It’s an experience shared by Chris Archer, who spent the occasional day of his own childhood washing neighbour Mary Phippin’s Ford in exchange for some pocket money. ‘I was about seven years-old when, in August 1988, she first drove her brand-new F-plate Fiesta into our West…

Sunny day – you don't want to waste it, trapped inside a tin box. You want to feel the warmth on your face, so why not take the family out. We had two-seater sports cars and high-end glamour four seaters, but the everyman cabriolet option hadn’t been around since the VW Beetle Cabriolet. We are about to embarrass the kids and put on the Ray-Bans, as we scythe through traffic and cruise through corners. Asking the question, were these decapitated Eighties hatchbacks the answer? They arrived in time for the perfect storm of the new decade. The Golf Clipper, Escort XR3i, 205 CTI and Astra 1.6 cabrios gathered here are the products of a battle that raged on well into the Nineties. Volkswagen was first. Not content with turning the…

Established in 1994, and now with more than 7000 subscribed members, the MX-5 Owners Club is the world’s largest MX-5 club. The club’s aims are the same today as the day it was founded; to promote the use and enjoyment of the MX-5 in all its variations. Whenever we at PC have come into contact with the club it has always been a positive experience, and chairman Iain Flemming embodies the spirit: ‘We want to create a friendly environment where MX-5 owners, and anyone looking to buy a car, or just get involved in the scene, can meet and exchange knowledge, ideas and experiences.’ Members benefits, include discounts and great rates from the club’s insurance partners, local, national and International events: ‘This is the best-selling sportscar on the planet, so…

PRICE NEW £137,755 VALUE NOW £25,000 PRICE NEW £35,419 VALUE NOW £25,000 PRICE NEW £30,476 VALUE NOW £60,000 PRICE NEW £31,000 VALUE NOW £20,000 PRICE NEW £49,999 VALUE NOW £8000 Bentley Turbo S Engine 6750cc/V8/OHV Power 402bhp@4200rpm Torque 616lb ft@2400rpm Gearbox 4-speed automatic 0-60mph 6.1sec Top speed 155mph Fuel economy 12mpg Range Rover Vogue SE Engine 3947cc/V8/OHV Power 190bhp@4750rpm Torque 236lb ft@2600rpm Gearbox 4-speed automatic 0-60mph 9.9ec Top speed 112mph Fuel economy 20mpg Jaguar XJ12 Engine 5343cc/V12/OHC Power 295bhp@5500rpm Torque 319lb ft@3250rpm Gearbox 3-speed automatic 0-60mph 8.4sec Top speed 143mph Fuel economy 19mpg Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 Engine 6834cc/V8/OHC Power 282bhp@4000rpm Torque 406lb ft@2800rpm Gearbox 3-speed automatic 0-60mph 7.4sec Top speed 140mph Fuel economy 14mpg Lexus LS400 Engine 3969cc/V8/OHC Power 250bhp@5300rpm Torque 273lb ft@4500rpm Gearbox 4-speed automatic 0-60mph 7.7sec Top…

The ultimate expression of Chevrolet’s fourth-generation Corvette – the 1996 limited-edition Grand Sport (GS) – finally put America’s sports car right back on top. The 1990 ZR-1 ushered in a revival of the Corvette’s fortunes – largely due to engine and chassis work carried out by Lotus, part of the GM fold at the time – with the Grand Sport building on this already highly-accomplished machine. If you’re of a certain age, you probably first got a glimpse of the Admiral Blue Metallic and Arctic White striped Grand Sport through a pixelated CRT television; this Corvette famously featuring in the first (and subsequent five) Gran Turismo PlayStation games. That’s where I first encountered it, loving its digitised straight-line performance and surprisingly accomplished handling. ‘It wasn’t just built to go fast…

The instantly legendary status of the BMW 1M lead to a desire, among fans of the Bavarian brand, for a mass-market model with similar tendencies to the special but limited and expensive M-Power tearaway. The result was the 2012 BMW M135i. Less limited-edition and hardcore than a 1M, though still perfectly capable of provoking giggles from behind the wheel, this range topping 1 Series hit the brief perfectly. This certainly isn’t an analogue performance machine, it was only launched 12 years ago after all, but for a ‘modern’ car it still has plenty of driver appeal. This thing gets to 60mph in a frankly shocking 4.6 seconds and – thanks to ditching the run-flat tyres that BMW loved back then – it’s a competent corner cutter too, even if it…

BOUGHT FROM: A PRIVATE SALE 2004 Rover 25 2.0 TD SEi 101 Same owner from new, 86,000 miles, new tyres, battery and recent serviced. New belts. Always garaged and cherished. BOUGHT FOR: £400 DANNY HOPKINS There’s a good argument for the Rover 200/25 range being the very last all-British, mass produced small car, if so then the one joy that can be wrung from that fact is that it is a good car. I’ve had previous (a top of the range 200 with leather) and loved it, this time the pleasure is all diesel. A 2.0 L-Series Turbo diesel to be precise, and what an engine it is. Clattery and tractor-ish, but with huge torque and excellent economy. It’s the first thing I noticed as I drove the car home…