Содержание выпуска: April 2025 — Practical Classics

In this issue, we look back half a century to a time when car parks were colourful places and Top Trumps ruled the playground. 1975 was the year I started school. I remember my teacher, Mrs Wilson, drove a cream Triumph Toledo, which I thought was the coolest car in the staff car park, but cooler was yet to come. Within a year she had a Vauxhall Chevette that, to me, looked like it had flown in from space. Even better, my best friend’s dad, by 1978, owned a TR7. This was beyond the realms of fantasy and I used to wait with Stuart after school just in case his dad would turn up in the wedge instead of the family Consul GT (Stuart’s dad was a car guy). This…

We’re a strange bunch us car people, aren’t we? Ones who personify and emotionally invest in our motors and dissociate from simple objectivity. This month, I felt what I can only describe as genuine grief, as I finally made the decision to let my Morris Minor convertible go. On paper, it’s the sensible thing to do. I don’t use it enough, and it’s a reasonably valuable asset that’s sat gathering dust in a rented lockup. I’ve got some massive expenses coming up in my life, so I need to realise capital from my four-wheeled asset. But emotionally, it’s a very different story. I bought the car in 2012. It was tired but reliable and transported myself and friends to and from brass band contests, holidays to France and generally never…

After eight successful years of encouraging the next generation of classic enthusiasts, the Classic Car Loan Project (CCLP) has relaunched as ‘Borrow a Classic’. Launched at the Federation of Historic British Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) Club Expo event at the British Motor Museum on Jan 18, Borrow a Classic has extended the invitation to become involved to even more clubs. Since 2017, the CCLP has given over 100 selected drivers one year each with a classic car – all subsidised without the expense of ownership. Borrow a Classic (BAC) will continue to offer classic cars, on loan, from a range that has grown to 25 cars. Founder Bob Wilkinson said, ‘Around 25 of the 100+ participants have gone on to buy their own classic as a result of their experience. So,…

Pick me up MAGNETIC PICK UP TOOL WITH CLAW & LED LIGHT £25.92 How often have we all been there? A nut, washer, grommet slips from our fingers and wedges itself in the tightest spot of the engine bay. It’s the last fixing to go back on, the car is immobile and your day is ruined. Well, perhaps not with this in your arsenal! This new tool combines the traditional spring-loaded four-prong grabber claw with a strong magnetic head that can hold up to 0.9kg. What’s more, it also features a bright integrated LED light that ensures effective retrieval of small parts or debris from dark, hard-to-reach areas. The flexible shaft easily bends around obstacles then returns to its original shape, providing excellent manoeuvrability in tight spaces and the compact…

When we decide to finish our projects and go for a test run, we do it properly. No trip down the road to a local event or ‘showboaty’ photoshoot for us… Oh no! We give ourselves a ridiculous challenge and we go for it. That’s why we went on holiday to Cornwall… in December. Actually it’s only part of the reason. What we really wanted out of our great big South West adventure was to travel to the tip of our island to see you, our friends, followers and readers. We told you we were coming and you turned out in your droves (and in your drives!) – simply because you, like us, believe in using and enjoying your old motors as much as you can. Our little convoy of…

1999 Citroën Berlingo 1.4 My red project Berlingo Multispace – an early model I acquired last year – has been in the queue since last summer and, although I’ve started it several times, I haven’t made much progress. I sourced a replacement roof (it has the full-length electric top) from a scrapyard in Wales, but had no luck. I suspect it was non-functioning when it was sent for scrap. So, I bagged this mouldy but sound silver Berlingo 1.8 in Hampshire – another early rare three-door model. Despite a dead engine, I hooked up a battery to see if there was any life in the roof and it’s perfect – sliding back and forth smoothly. Swapping the entire assembly won’t be too much of a faff. With that 1.8-litre engine seized…

PAY LESS AND NEVER MISS A COPY! See p60. SUPER COOPER! Sam Ibbotson’s epic effort to transform his basket case Mini Orion’s belter How John turned his shabby Ford Orion into a showstopper Birthday bash! We look back at 45 fabulous years of Practical Classics XJ guide How to buy the very best example of Jaguar’s XJ S1-S3 PLUS Tales of buying and restoring classics, including the story of possibly the world’s most perfect Ford Fiesta. There’s also a brace of exciting road trip adventures from our readers, while our James takes a 3000-mile journey in his £500 Berlingo camper and ends up in a Spanish scrapyard. SPRING ISSUE ON SALE MARCH 12 Practical Classics (ISSN 0957697, PE 9080) is published monthly (with an extra ‘Spring’ issue published in March…

You voted in your thousands and we can now reveal the results. This year, the five finalists in the Restorer of the Year competition are: Alastair White (Clan Crusader), Simon Painter (Jaguar E-type), Stephen and George Entringham (Fiat X1/9), Bob Meldreth (Viva HB Estate) and Joe Barlow (MG Maestro). All five will now go before the judging team for consideration and the winner will be revealed at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show – in the Practical Classics World section in Hall 5. The winner will be presented with the Golden Spanner Trophy by Lyn from Anglia Car Auctions, and you will be able to meet the winner and see their car throughout the weekend. This year, the Restorer of the Year trophy will also be going through a…

A pristine 1949 Ford Anglia EA94A with less than 5000 miles on the clock has been acquired by the same family that sold it to its first owner 75 years ago. The ‘Pop’ was originally sold by Hampshire-based car dealer Percy Hendy Ltd, in Chandler’s Ford. Three generations later, the family-run business still has headquarters in the town. The Anglia was purchased by Rebecca Hendy, Chairperson and Trustee of the Hendy Foundation (the charity arm of the Hendy Group), and her two sons Will and Ben. The Hendy family’s ‘new’ Ford Anglia EA94A was first registered in February 1949, sold to a Ms Lily Cull from Eastleigh, Southampton, for £319 16shillings and 8pence. The Pop went on to have two other owners, but only accumulated 4463 miles. It was bought from South Western…

A classic military Jeep is set to be auctioned off, with proceeds of the sale going to charity. The mystery owner has arranged to sell the Hotchkiss M201 – a variant of the classic Willys Jeep built under licence in France – with all of the funds from the sale supporting the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. It will be sold at the Charterhouse Auctions sale at the Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford, Somerset, on March 27. ‘The owner bought the Jeep from us nearly 20 years ago,’ said Charterhouse’s auctioneer Richard Bromell. ‘While he has enjoyed owning the Jeep, he has not used it since 2020 and has decided to auction it and give the proceeds to this worthy charity.’ Made by Hotchkiss under licence from Jeep in 1957, the…

It didn’t take long to see how much South West England loves its classic cars. Within minutes of mentioning our forthcoming trip to the region, we’d been deluged with messages and a venue thanks to Eve and her staff at the Halfway House pub near Falmouth. Members of the South West Classic Car Club came out to see us, as did some Swedish metal from the Bude and North Cornwall Saab Lovers and a brace of American classics and customs from Proper Cornish Cruisers – plus French classics courtesy of our new Peugeot pal Paul and his newly formed South Cornwall Classic Peugeot Car Club. Living in the southwest of England, for some the idea of simply popping to the NEC or Gaydon is out of the question, which is…

ACROSS 1 Retrospectively applied to the Range Rover (7) 7 _ Rover, nickname of the P4 (6) 8 Part of the Trident range along with the Tycoon and Clipper (8)  9 TVR boss once upon a time, Martin _ (6) 10 _ top, convertible style of car (4) 11 Short-lived Austin hatchback from Eighties (10) 14 It was succeeded by the De Tomaso Mangusta (10) 17 Lancia MPV from1994 (4) 19 _ Bizzarrini, a famous car name (6) 21 German minicar with rear engine introduced in the late Fifties (3,5) 22 Which Opel formed the basis for the Vauxhall Chevette? (6) 23 Doors on the Lamborghini Countach and Diablo (7) DOWN 1 In terms of price, more Lada than Lambo! (5) 2 The Lancia Astura’s less luxurious sister model (6)…

AS FOUND To subscribe to PC go to greatmagazines.co.uk/practicalclassic By 1985, when the movie Back to the Future was released Richard Hanlon’s November 1981 built DeLorean DMC-12 was only three-and-a-half years-old, but it was already a bit of an automotive joke. That’s why the movie chose a DMC-12. ‘A DeLorean?’, says Marty when Doc reveals his car choice for the time machine. The same level of disbelief could be aimed at Richard for his choice of car to fully restore. ‘It’s a unicorn car, really, isn't it?’ Richard laughs. ‘I had never seen one in the wild then, on Bonfire Night 2003, one shot past. We went to the fireworks and there it was, I saw it again!’ Fate had intervened. ‘I started researching and one thing lead to another.…

Among the press releases hitting my inbox was a strange fish, with a message it would seem difficult to fall hook, line and sinker for. ‘Pip-pip, cheerio old chap. Will it see 50? Cult classic predicted to wave goodbye to British roads,’ said the heading. The Austin/MG/Rover Metro was predicted, if current trends prevail, to become ‘extinct’ by 2030. These words came from a PR company employed by a well-known classic insurer. I know editor Danny has already written about this in his Starting Handle column in the previous issue, but it deserves further analysis, because it is typical of a growing trend in our media cluttered world. Big statements being made by people with little expertise – I can't deny finding it really annoying. Believe me, I wasn't the…

Why you want one Volkswagen has never been anything less than candid in its promotion of the Beetle. As its 1975 brochure declares: ‘It’s the car that made us famous’. It then goes on to state that ‘nothing of the original Beetle is left in today’s Beetle’. In slightly different context, that may well be the case with your prospective purchase in 2025, so it’ll pay to study the car closely. We’ve focused here on Beetles from 1965 onwards because they’re more usable, more readily available and more affordable. Worth noting that nothing is interchangeable between the very first and last Beetles. Indeed, there were changes of some sort just about every year. You can expect your Beetle to be fitted with an 1192cc or 1285cc engine, while a 1493cc…

Why you want one With the MGB, Midget and TR7 dead and the Alfa Spider and Fiat X1/9 showing their age, Toyota unveiled the MR2 to a delighted press and public in 1984. This perfectly proportioned car had the Eighties looks, exceptional packaging, peerless Toyota engineering, stiff body and road manners from the hand of Lotus engineer Roger Becker. More than 14,000 MkI models were built but, as you’d expect, the numbers dwindled thanks to Eighties rustproofing (or lack of). Of the cars left, you’ll find there were three types sold in the UK. The MkIa was unleashed to UK buyers in 1985 with a twin-cam 1587cc four-cylinder engine that’ll rev to 7600rpm. All had a removable ‘moon roof’ that can be stowed in the nose, while a few early…

Potentially a dream opportunity, a 1964 Lotus Elan drophead coupe barn find is up for auction at The Haynes Motor Museum on March 27. A tailor-made ‘Recharged/Heritage’ Mini Thirty commissioned by BMW Mini for Chris Rea, comes to sale with Iconic Auctioneers at Race Retro. This Lancia Flaminia GT owned by Chris Raeburn scooped the the Lakeland Motor Museum’s popular end of year award. Yes, he drives it through winter. Bodle Street Green Drive It Day Charity Gathering has been rescheduled. The ‘Drive It Day’ event will be taking place this year on Sunday April 6. Open from February 15 this year, Transport Museum Wythall has another full year of amazing events along with a brand new exhibition, The New Look.…

With the devastating news that my home town’s Vauxhall factory is closing, I took the Ampera back to Luton for some Griffin love. This convertible 1955 Chrysler will feature in the David Soul documentary that we are currently in the process of filming. Watch this space. Never go back. And yet, when you love a car, it’s tough not to. My new purchase will be revealed soon… can you guess what it is though? My new house has a decent garage (of course). And as an added bonus. I lifted the cardboard to discover it also has an inspection pit! No better life than a workshop life; especially when your mates come to join you. Thank you Nick McKenzie for coming up to PC HQ for a few days.…

How did your interest start? ‘It comes from my mum. When the family car broke down there was no-one to get it fixed so I became that person. I was fortunate enough that she trusted me to work on her car with just a few tools. I would make mistakes and ask for help from my school teachers, who steered me in the right direction. When I moved to the UK for uni I joined the Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation (OUMF); they place students on a classic car race team to gain hands-on experience.’ What classics do you own? ‘I do not own any classics, but it would be a dream to have a Chevrolet Impala modified to be a Lowrider, they were the only classic cars I knew growing…

‘One’s my first car and my son learned to drive in the other!’ 1984 and 1985 Peugeot 205s Marie and Elliot Hart, Helston Marie: The four-door was my first car, but was laid up in the garage for about 14 years until recently when my son, Elliot, persuaded me to get it out again and have it restored. It’s had a complete respray but didn’t need much mechanically as it’s only got 71,000 miles on the clock and had been well maintained. It’s one of the oldest 205s left, they came out on an A-reg, and it’s an original Cornish registration, too. The two-door was for sale in Tamworth a couple of years ago and I had to have it. You don’t see many in this colour. Now Elliot’s learned…

LIKING WHAT YOU SEE? ‘PC continues its high standards and I devour it every issue’ Paul Skilleter – subscriber ‘A huge thank you to you and all involved in the amazing Practical Classics magazine. It’s a wonderful read, not biased or snobby… you guys cover it all’ Jonathan Ruff – subscriber BENEFITS OF SUBSCRIBING ▸ Save 18% on shop prices with FREE UK delivery** ▸ Exclusive monthly ‘PC Tea Break’ e-newsletter and podcast from editor, Danny Hopkins ▸ Access to resto stories, tech advice, and plenty of tales from the PC workshop ▸ Classic adventures, nostalgia, and exclusive offers ▸ FREE digital access to past issues and rewards via the Practical Classics app ▸ Receive a FREE Keycare SmartFob Bluetooth key tracking device worth £36*** PRACTICAL CLASSICS MAGAZINE BUYS, RESTORES…

1975 We'd come out of the first energy crisis, the hideous Vietnam War was nearing its conclusion, and British Leyland was being nationalised to save it from oblivion. The preceding couple of years had not been a time of tremendous optimism, but things were looking up. Especially in the British motor industry’s creative output, not that we appreciated it at the time. BL’s financial and labour-relations woes were the news, but behind the scenes the designers and engineers still brainstormed and innovated and took pride in what they did, coming up with cars still talked about today for the way they dared to be different. Three of our five stars of 1975 are BL creations. The actual cars gathered here represent the models launched in that remarkable year. First was…

Depreciation is a double-edged sword. If you’re the type who couldn’t wait and paid through the nose to have something new, then you rolled the dice and paid the price to get your kicks right there and then. However, if you were willing to indulge in a little deferred gratification, let someone else take the hit on depreciation and wait a few years for prices to fall within reach then your patience has finally paid off. With so many cars from the Noughties now rightly regarded as modern-day classics, the time is now right to own something you lusted after in your younger days, and often at a fraction of the forecourt sticker price. Readers of a certain age will well remember each of the cars we’ve selected for you this…

ED’S JOB CARD UNDERSTAND SPRINGS Today, we'll learn about steel suspension springs. They're fitted to allow the car body to float smoothly above the organised chaos of the wheels riding up and down the uneven road surface. Unwanted spring bounce is eliminated by the dampers (shock absorbers). Over the page, we'll look at maintenance and repair. Beware: springs can be highly tensioned and can hurt you if released suddenly and/or improperly. Always study the manual! How tough? You’ll need ▸General tool kit ▸Jack, axle stands ▸Spring compressor (optional) ▸Lubricants Will take (HRS) 0 Will cost 0 (£) EXPLAINER WHY WE NEED SPRINGS Pull a simple trolley or cart across an uneven surface. It’s difficult, as the wheels follow every rise or fall in the ground. The cart frame is inflexible,…