Table of contents for November 2023 in Practical Classics

Our climate is in trouble and man’s activities are only serving to accelerate the process. It’s a pretty well-established fact, so how are we going to react? Well, we already drive the greenest vehicles on the road. The most sustainable car is one that is already made, upcycled not recycled, and our continued endeavours in keeping them going are straight out of the self-sufficiency handbook. We inspire young people to learn how to fix things and engage with engineering. From this pool of motivated youngsters will come those who will build the planet’s future, and maybe, just maybe come up with the killer idea that saves us from ecological disaster. We inspire care, craft and a subtle rejection of rampant consumerism, another tick. Right now we are also keeping our…

Texpansion of London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) came into force in late August, giving owners of non-compliant cars a daily fee of £12.50 if they use those cars within the zone. The zone now extends to all London boroughs, and although cars in the DVLA’s ‘historic’ category (over 40 years-old) are exempt from the charge, thousands of more recent classics are being penalised. Those fines might not always be applied fairly, according to a recent ruling by the London Transport Tribunal. Responding to an appeal by a London business owner who was facing £11,500 in penalties for breaking LEZ rules, the adjudicator agreed that signage was inadequate, and instructed Transport for London (TfL) to cancel the fines. FairFuelUK said: ‘TfL have been unequivocally told in this London Transport Tribunal ruling…

Our preserved railways are all struggling right now, thanks to reduced footfall and rising running costs. As a classic car enthusiast, the chances are that you love all kinds of engineering, so why not support a heritage railway this year? Many of them run classic car weekends, and one of our favourites is the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR), which runs between Pickering and Whitby, taking in Goathland, where TV show Hearbeat was set. Over the weekend of October 14-15, the NYMR is running its 'Through the Decades' extravaganza, with each station focusing on a different decade. The Railway's Peter Fisher told us: ‘Pickering will put a spotlight on the Forties, while Levisham will focus on the Fifties, with tractors and agricultural engines from that era. Goathland will take us…

THE RESTORER Philip Hanson took on the CX after completing his Wolseley inside his double garage at home in Worcester. In self-imposed isolation there, he roped wife Jane into helping while using the dishwasher to clean parts! AS FOUND It’s not often we writers are invested so personally in the stories of cars restored by readers of this magazine, but this is one such case. The stunning 60,000-mile Delta Blue Citroën you see above is a car I dragged from the undergrowth back in 2016 after its elderly owner, a gent by the name of Arthur Henderson, decided to part with it. Arthur’s CX already had provenance, as the oldest right-hand-drive example left. In fact, CX specialist Roger Bradford loaned this very car to Practical Classics for an article in…

I’d been waiting at the farm’s entrance for half an hour. A notice beside the locked gate, ‘You are being watched,' referenced a security camera’s all-seeing eye. I assumed it was telling the truth, but no one came. I had an appointment, a postcode and a plan; to join the Cheffins team as it catalogued the most comprehensive collection of Ferguson tractor memorabilia ever discovered in the UK. It belonged to the late Jim Russell, and it was hidden on his Warwickshire farm. To find it, I followed my sat-nav, a terrible way to navigate the countryside, so I’m sure you can guess what happened next. The penny dropped; I’d arrived at the wrong address. A crackly and apologetic, (on my part) phone call later, (signal – another thing you…

We have visited the Macbeth Centre in Hammersmith, South West London, before to see the great work done by Nick Mackenzie and his team. Previously we looked at the way Nick works with young people from tough backgrounds, helping them change their lives and set themselves onto a better path via the Macbeth Motor Vehicle workshop. Nick has a decent success rate, with some of the kids even going on to gain qualifications. But what about adults? Courses at Macbeth go from basic to complex. ‘The practical content of the adult courses cover everything from basic servicing, including fault investigation and diagnosis, MOT inspection and preparation and minor repairs to welding and beyond,’ says Nick, during our visit on one of the centre open days. ‘The theory content covers the…

Bentley Continental R Engine 6750cc V8, 16-valve, Zytek engine management, twin turbo Power 385bhp@4000rpm Torque 553lb ft@2000rpm Transmission Four-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive, Suspension Front: independent, double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar. Rear: independent, semi-trailing arms, coil springs, antiroll bar, hydraulic self-levelling Steering Rack and pinion, power assisted Brakes Discs front and rear, servo-assisted, anti-lock Weight 2402kg Top speed 151mph 0-60mph 6.1sec Bentley Eight Engine 6750cc V8 Power 225bhp@4000rpm Torque 300lb ft@2000rpm Transmission Three-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive, Suspension Front: independent, double wishbones, coil springs, ARB. Rear: independent, semi-trailing arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar, hydraulic self-levelling Steering Rack and pinion, power assisted Brakes Discs front and rear, servo-assisted, anti-lock Top speed 119mph 0-60mph 10sec Bentley Continental GT Engine 5998cc W12, 48-valve, multipoint indirect fuel injection, twin turbo Power 553bhp@6100rpm Torque 479lb ft@1600…

As the 60th anniversary year of both the Rover P6 and the Triumph 2000 draws to a conclusion, Practical Classics can reveal a star turn ‘first’ that will attend the Classic Motor Show over the weekend of November 10-12. What is believed to be the very first Triumph 2000 to come off the production line, 2681 KV (commission number MB1) will be on the Triumph 2000/2500/2.5 Register stand with owner and specialist, Karl Dandridge. Some controversy surrounds the car but club president Andy Roberts is confident they have the first off the line: ‘There is so much evidence on the car for a start: the blind riveted commission number is the original item that has never been removed. It is stamped MB1DL (MB denoting the Triumph 2000 range and DL…

No, that isn’t a church or some othero, that isn’t a church or some other religious building being complemenN religious building being complemented by a Mazda 323 and Morris Marina pick-up. It’s actually Battle railway station situated on the line between Tonbridge and Hastings, designed in Gothic style by William Tress and opened in January 1852. Happily, it still exists today in much the same form. Rather less likely to survive, sadly, are the vehicles outside its grand façade. On the right is a Ford Capri MkIII and it’s a little special, a 2.8 Injection model with its stylish ‘Pepperpot’ wheels and side graphics. Back in the Eighties, putting ‘Injection’ on something meant almost much as ‘Turbo’ branding. Rather more pedestrian is the Mazda 323, with its ‘AKN 660T’ registration…

ACROSS 6 It succeeded the Reliant Regal in 1973 (5) 7 Nickname of Renault (2,5) 9 ‘Blower’ from Crewe unleashed in 1985 (7,5,1) 10 This car, in 107E guise, survived until 1961 (4,7) 13 The Vauxhall Royale saloon was a UK version of which car? (4,7) 17 German fighter plane maker that went on to build bubblecars like the KR200 (13) 19 The P200, P250 and P300 were all versions of which Seventies Lamborghinis? (7) 20 NSU _ 30, small two-cylinder car introduced in the late Fifties (5) DOWN 1 Triumph Dolomite predecessors (7) 2 Car glass that might leave us in the dark? (6) 3 _Germany, where sports car marque Melkus was founded (4) 4 Amanly name for the Nissan! (6) 5 British-built Citroën 2CV spin-off (5) 8 Owners…

In some ways, all the restoration work I do is a tribute to my father. He worked for the AA in the Fifties, then we moved to Hampshire when I was about five years-old and lived like Tom and Barbara in The Good Life for a while. My parents found they couldn’t make ends meet that way, so he went back to being a mechanic for the RAC. The first car I remember was an Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane, which I hated as there were no windows in the back where I used to sit. So, when my father replaced it with a Ford Popular, it was a revelation! Since then my life has developed a bit of an upright Ford theme. About 13 years ago a friend of mine, Julian…

Here is the most worrying classic car related statement I’ve heard all year. Quite put me off my morning tea and arrowroot biscuit it did. Ready? OK, here we go: ‘I’m already feeling sorry for people trying to get a car restored in 20 years time.’ Yes, that was it. Nothing to do with banger racing, LEZs, MOTs or E5. To be honest it’s not the quote itself but from whom it came. Warren Kennedy runs Classic Restorations, based at Hulcote near Milton Keynes, currently thriving and recommended by owners clubs and many other organisations. The firm has created Austin-Healey heaven, as well as working on many other classics. So why would, or indeed should, Warren worry? ‘There’s a shortage of skilled people across the board and it’s going to…

Bristol 400 A rust-hunter’s dream discovery! This Bristol 400 (one of only 474 made) lay covered in brambles for over 30 years before being recently extracted for restoration. Made in 1948 and last on the road in 1980, the timber-framed steel-bodied Bristol has recently been recovered following the bereavement of the previous owner. Jonathan Fletcher sent in the photos, and we hope to hear more of its journey back to life! AC 2-Litre Another bewildering British-behemoth of a find! Les Jeans from Solihull found an AC 2-Litre (1947 56) in a bush at the back end of a car park in the Cotswolds, and after a chat with a local found out the owner was going to banger race it long ago, which never happened. All the doors etc. are…

ENGINE On the 1.8-litre engine the cambelt needs to be replaced every five years or 30,000 miles. All other engines feature a chain-driven camshaft that tends to be vocal, especially at idle. CABIN Interiors are fairly hard-wearing, but finding secondhand parts is very difficult. BODYWORK The leading edge of the bonnet rusts after getting chipped; the same goes for the panel that surrounds the headlamps. WHAT TO PAY PROJECT £2000 RUNNER £5500 EXCELLENT £12,000-£20,000 TECH SPEC Engine 1979cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 110bhp@5400rpm Torque 120lb ft@3400rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual Top speed 120mph 0-60mph 9.0sec LIVING WITH A MANTA Why you want one Elegant and now extremely rare, the 1975-1988 Manta B has never looked better, whichever version you’re looking at. Launched as the Vauxhall Cavalier MkI Sports Hatch/Cavalier MkI Coupé and Opel Manta…

What have I done? Buyer’s remorse? Me? Maybe. Last month I found myself chatting to my mate and fellow serial car buyer Neil Turner about the 276,000-mile Mercedes-Benz E220 CDI I recently bought. This old saloon was an absolute honey, and clear proof if ever it was needed that if you look after a decent quality car throughout its life and drive it gently, it’ll serve you well for years, if not decades. He had read all about the car in Practical Classics and found himself interested. He said he harboured something of a guilty secret about them. Would I be interested in selling, he asked? Not really – it’s a nice car, and I could quite happily see myself coaxing it past 300,000 miles in total luxury. I’d already…

MAP of the world MAGNETI MARELLI VAG MAP SENSOR £141.27 Webcon has recently announced that it can now supply a genuine Magneti Marelli type TPRT04 MAP sensor suitable for various VAG models as part of its extensive range. The Marelli type TPRT04 sensor was fitted to many petrol engined Audi, Seat, Skoda and VW models manufactured between 1994 and 2005, and measures manifold absolute pressure, making it an essential component when it comes to ensuring the ECU provides the correct fuel mixture to your modern classic. Part no: WMS018. webcon.co.uk The long way round EIGHT-PIECE EXTRA-LONG-REACH SCREWDRIVER SET £42.67 Sometimes you just need a little extra length. Moreover, sometimes you just need the right tool for the job, and as such you really can’t have too many screwdrivers at your…

It is the burning issue (pun intended). How are we going to keep our petrol and diesel powered classics fuelled and on the road in the future if the future for fossil fuels is finite? The world is heading for carbon neutrality whether we like it or not, and so we need to adapt to survive. It’s happening right now, which begs the question: Are we ready? Well, the answer is pretty much ‘yes’. Well known race fuel and oil supplier, Motor Spirit, has teamed up with Coryton, who supply synthetic fuel products to industry, to create a petrol we can all use without taking anything out of the ground. You still burn it, but because much of the fuel comes from recently grown sources, it is way more sustainable…

Nominate! Do you know someone aged 16-25 who is aspiring to work with classics? Spends their weekends with them, or is involved in a club? We want to hear from you: visit lancaster.co.uk/ competitions/bright-young-sparks and get nominating! How did your it start? 'After I learnt to drive. I didn’t do very well in my A levels, so I went to college to study motor vehicle and thrived at that. My enthusiasm for cars took off from there. I passed my test within three months and then the question of which ‘first car’ do I want came along. I knew that I didn’t want something new. Growing up around old VWs has been in the family for quite a while as both my parents owned MkIs and IIs. I knew I…

Why you want one The woofling, burbling, howling sound of a Subaru Impreza Turbo sends shivers down the spine of an entire generation of car nuts – from kids who grew up playing Gran Turismo on their Playstations in the late Nineties to bigger kids who found the dough to buy the real thing and enjoy the car’s mind-boggling array of talents. The Impreza redefined the term performance car, with the laws of physics going straight out the window when you get behind the wheel. While the Turbo’s launch initially went largely unnoticed back in the early Nineties, it didn’t take long for enthusiasts to notice the car’s abilities, once it started to rack up rally victories. Thanks to this motorsport success and limited coverage in the motoring press, word…

PAY LESS AND NEVER MISS A COPY! See p54. Peugeot 205 guide In order to mark its 40th birthday, find out how to buy the best Fantasy Forecourt Five classic supercars we can’t afford. Which would you choose? Supreme Spitfire Meet the man with a homemade Puma-powered Triumph PLUS BBC presenter John Humphrys reveals all about his love for a modern classic Rover, while there are tales of restoration and repair, including the enthusiast who fitted a K-series engine to his Skoda Estelle and a remarkable Jowett home build. Loads more action from the Practical Classics workshop, too. From buying, restoring, maintaining and enjoying, no other magazine does quite so much as PC! DECEMBER ISSUE ON SALE OCT 25 Practical Classics (ISSN 0957697, PE 9080) is published monthly (with an…